At ntv7 Today

It wasn't the first time that I was asked to appear on a live television talk show. The last time was about 2 years ago when I was still at the University. It was always at Angkasapuri, and almost always in Malay - I did do a radio interview in English before. So, when I was approached to appear on a show in English, I just jumped at the chance. And this time it was at ntv7, in a women late morning talk show, appropriately called Bella Confidential.

Despite the target audience and gender slant, the subject matter should appeal to everyone. It was concerning the option of stem cell transplant as treatment in lymphoma and leukaemia, my bread and butter subject.

The talk started off by introducing a couple of patients - one had seen me previously - both treated at Hospital Ampang. They unfortunately suffered a relapse after their initial treatment and were currently being prepared for transplant, but in one of the lady's case, she had yet to find a suitable donor. The patient did very well in sharing their experience, and I couldn't help but feel that even without the segments with the doctors, the audience would have caught the geez of the discussion.

Waiting before going on airGroup photo - a lady from KPJ, Scha, Vanessa, Alia, Kim Yen and myselfI was there with a colleague from Ampang Puteri, Kim Yen. She was my predecessor at UMMC, and we took turn in discussing the subject from the medical point of view. Although it only lasted about 10 minutes, I thought we managed to get the key points across to the audience. The pacing was OK, and the moderator allowed ample opportunity for us to maneuver the discussion. I was pretty pleased with it in the end. I remember my discussion at RTM being cut short before when the program had to show a live feed - about a Minister officiating some event in town. At the end of that, I just wondered why they invited me in the first place.

Here, things were more laid back. There were no set script, and as a result, the discussion flowed freely.

And another highlight of the morning was actually meeting Ramli Ibrahim, the famed Odissi dancer. He was bigger in person, very personable, and he was there to promote an even coming on in the next few weeks. He offered me some tickets for the events, but I was more interested in talking to him about other things. Fascinating guy.

The Terendak Trip

Red carpet. Great singing from the College Choir. Wifi at the Balai Pelajar. Students allowed handphones. Students proficient in English. Those were few of the surprises I had today when I visited my former college.

I was honored to be invited to officiate a program there and spent slightly more than an hour at the rostrum, giving motivational talks and taking questions from the floor. It went very well. I had the chance to impart what knowhow I had to help them prepare for their exams and future.

Entering the campI also got to meet my former teachers and visited my old dormitory. Some of the building had been renovated since I've last been to Terendak in 2009 - I was there for a career talk. The main one being Block F being built up to three floors - my batch were the first to use the old Block F back in 1985, and it was a double-story building.

The main cafeteria were also extended to accommodate the growing number of students. The playing fields also looked better maintained, compared to when I was there as a student.

My old dormitory. I stayed there for a couple of years - 1988-89The new block F. It used to be only a couple of floors.The old smelly lake was also gone.The cafetaria had been expanded.I had a nice chat with the Principal as well. I was glad that he put plenty of emphasis on co-curricular activities rather than just all studies. The choir were definitely going strong. I remember how frustrated I was as a student when being told to just study, and the Principal then not giving a hoot about anything else. Something which I touched during my talk.

All in all, it had been a fruitful day. I was also approached to visit other MRSM as well. That would be at the mercy of my tight schedule though. Should I be invited again, I would definitely return in a heartbeat.

Back from Terendak

The journey time from Terendak and Gombak was just under a couple of hours. Both in and then the return. The journey down was especially nice as I travelled on an empty highway, setting off just after Subuh prayers.

I had to be in Terendak by 9 and I made it with half an hour to spare. A nice drive down, exiting the highway at Linggi, taking the last 45 minutes along the scenic kampung route. In early morning in fresh air. It was nice.

I have arrived a bit earlier as I was too tired to hang around, plus the fact that I had to be on call tomorrow meant that I could do with a rest and rest I did. I also had to decline an offer to vosit anotjer teacher in Melaka. As soon as I reached home, I took a nap and only woken up a couple of hours after with a phonecall from work. I'll probably have to drive in to visit a patient at some point this evening.

So, for the meantime, I need some food. And a shower. Will blog more later tonight, maybe after the big game against Liverpool. As usual, I've it to have some tandoori .....

A Great Honour

It certainly is an honour to be invited back to your school. I have been back to Terendak on a few occasions before, giving career talks and the likes, but this time it would be something different. I was invited to give a pep talk for the coming exams, and to officiate a program there.

I would be given a couple of hours to talk, answer questions as well as officiate the event. Talking is never a problem and being a lecturer to 8 years certainly helps. The only problem would be the medium. It seemed like it would be in Malay. A potential disaster. I was also asked to prepare some slides.

When it come to slides, those who had been in the audience at my talks soon learned that I am a minimalist when it comes to slides and lectures. The maximum number of works on the projector at any given time was 10. And I would be sticking to that. Hopefully I could keep the audience enthralled as I would be relying on anecdotes most of the time. And there would be plenty of those in store.

There would also be a serious part to my talk, and in the end there would be three parts - the past, the present and the future. The past would mostly be about me, and how I got to where I am today - which is not very much …….

The present would be some exam tips - mainly the importance of studying in group and to strategies. And thirdly, what I would have hoped to have known if I was back in their shoes. It should be interesting.

So, the slides are done, though I could do with a few more pics. I have a long drive tomorrow, leaving KL at 6.30. I would have to be there by 9 am. Hopefully, it would be a day to remember …..

A Talk with a Difference

I was invited to attend a lecture last Friday evening. it was organised by one of the Pharmaceutical company and it was a talk with a difference. The speaker was from France. And he was speaking from France. It was the first time which I attended a talk via Skype and it worked a treat. Not only that money was saved from having to fly the speaker over, it would also save everybody time.

The talk was held at KL Hilton and luckily, the hotel broadband system worked well. There were no delay, despite the audio and video of the speaker was transmitted in real time. Even more impressive, the slides were also controlled by the speaker, and it was also down the pipeline from there.

At the end, we also had the chance to ask him question, although due to a lack of a webcam - the organiser should have really used a Mac, the speaker was not able to see us. He heard us alright however.

The evening started with case presentations from three Senior Haematologists. Great cases, although it lacked balance since all three were from the private sector. In terms of geography, it was spot on however. The speakers were from Penang, Kuching and Kuala Lumpur. The French speaker were not hooked up to listen to those presentations however, as it would have interesting to hear his take on things.

So, who finished the snack?The talk came with a dinner. It was a Western affair. A three course meal, served on the table. As I arrived late, I was not able to enjoy much of the food. The talks got my attention however, and by the time I reached home, I was starving.

Kudos to the organiser for coming up with such arrangement. Personally, this was more economical in terms of time and money. Maybe they should try "Go To Meeting" next time around.