Reflecting on 2014

2014 had been eventful to put it mildly. Both on a personal as well as professionally. And it had also been an eventful year for the nation.

The aviation accidents made the headline of course. The flooding in the last week, the glooming economy. All were the hot topics on the gossip table. 2015 doesn't look much better either.

GST would be the main issue I had. It would be a nightmare unless some planning and help from the hospital were coming.

Moving forward, it's very likely that I would be scaling down my clinic activity at Park City. I loved driving there but lately with the amount of work I had at Subang, the journey was just not worth the hassle. I planned to drop the number of clinics I do there, maybe having sessions only every other week. I would still come over if there are referrals of course. That would free a few of my mornings to concentrate on the patients I already had.

I am on call today and already the hospital was full. The beds would open up later in the day and I expect the admissions to line up later tonight. Better have some rest before the queue starts.

Happy New Year all. And my new year would only start later this week after I get some rest from today's call.

GST Fever

Although the deadline for GST registration was looming, there was no end to the confusion on the actual program. Almost every week, there were new amendment, and the uncertainly was really eating away on us Doctors. The rumours that GST would not be charged onto patients was going to be a myth, but the Customs were not doing a good job informing the public of this fact.

It looked like everybody would be in for a shock come April Fools Day. I could just imagine how my patients would act when they see their bill.

So, yesterday, I had another briefing given by a Tax agent on how to handle the incoming uncertainty. I left the room with more apprehension than I started. It would be a nightmare once the system is implemented, as the amount of paperwork and submission I had to do every quarter would be a headache. And apparently you must use the services of a certified tax agent for the auditing. This would cost extra money and frankly unnecessary. And the agent who gave us the briefing unashamedly asked us to use his service and buy his software to help us deal with the invoicing. And that was the point when I left the room ....

So, I'm bracing myself for a stuttering start when GST would be implemented. Not really saying that I was looking forward to it ...

Rest in Peace Sir

This morning, SJMC mourned the passing of a truly great colleague, Dr Sabri. A pioneer Neurologist, he lost a long battle against cancer although he was still at work last Ramadhan.

Unfortunately I was on call today and was unable to attend his funeral scheduled for this lunch time. Many of his colleagues attended to him during his last illness and he was still a gentleman even though we realized that things were not going to plan.

He met his Maker this morning and the mood during the morning round was a somber one. He was much loved at the hospital and everybody wishes his family condolences, and Dr Sabri to be in Jannah. Alfatihah.

Been Slacking

The trip to Singapore had took the toll on my time. Heading straight to work right after did not help matters. Then, when my colleague went on leave and I was on cover, things get pretty hectic pretty fast.

Things were about to settle down when I was on call today. I could do with a quiet one after series of heavy once in the last couple of months.

Managed to get the Singapore photos sorted out finally as yesterday was a public holiday in Selangor during which I just spent with the family and tried to get some rest - unsuccessfully. Will blog more later should I have some free time this weekend. Those excursions in Singapore needed writing up!

Saturday Morning Blues

Saturday morning. Clinic. Heading down South from Monday. Really was a drag to get to the hospital this morning especially when I spent the evening in Gombak rather than the apartment. Although the traffic was light, it was that 30 minutes drive that pulled me down.

Not many patients in the ward but the clinic was still a full list. So far, I've only seen 4 patients. I suspect most of them would come after 11, meaning I could only leave after 1pm. That went my lunch again ...

The plan for the afternoon would be to head around Bukit Bintang, run some errands, visit the money changer for some currency before spending the later part of the afternoon at the apartment since I have to do some packing from there.

Will be at Mum's place tonight if she's around. Otherwise a quiet night in front of the TV. United playing at 11 pm tonight. So, there you go ...