It's My Life

How Much Do I Make?

2012-11-30T16:04:00.001+07:00

I got it from a friend; a reflection for a doctor, he mentioned.

Somebody asked: "You're a Doctor? How much do you make?"
I replied: "HOW MUCH DO I MAKE?" ...

I can make holding your hand seem like the most important thing in the world when you're scared...
I can make your child breathe when they stop...
I can help your father survive a heart attack...
I can make myself get up at 4 AM to make sure your mother has the medicine she needs to live...
and I will work straight through until 4 am to keep her alive and start the day all over again!
I work all day to save the lives of strangers...
I will drop everything and run a code blue for hours trying to keep you alive!!!
I make my family wait for dinner until I know your family member is taken care of...
I make myself skip lunch so that I can make sure that everything I did for your wife today was correct...
I work weekends and holidays and all through the night because people don't just get sick; Monday through Saturday and during normal working hours.
Today, I might save your life.

How much do I make?

All I know is, I make a difference B-)

Quote of The Day: On My Everyday Life

2012-11-06T23:32:00.000+07:00

When haters were busy talkin'
I was busy making it happen

When they were busy mocking
I was busy walking

When they were busy laughing
I was busy running

And they're STILL wondering
why they're left behind...

With lots of love, me

~Agnes Monica

P.S. Thank you for the inspiration, Sara Rusli! :)

26

2012-09-17T08:55:00.001+07:00

It's been 26 years already. Have I done enough?

Dear Heaven...
Give me the courage to move on,
Grant me the wisdom to understand,
Lead me the way towards a better me; for my family, my friends, my patients, my ancestors, my country and the strangers.

Yours truly.

Words of Wisdom

2012-09-13T23:14:00.000+07:00

Source

Me: Boss, there are many things easier than this. Why are you keep going the harder way?

Boss: It's not about how successful I want to be, it's a matter of doing it the right way. Even Confucius never had high rank, because there's no compromise. Faced with what is right, to leave it undone shows a lack of courage. So yeah, I will still choose the harder way around.
Read more »

New Things to Learn & Adapt from JIM DACE 2012

2012-09-04T01:54:00.000+07:00

Celebrating its 54th anniversary, PAPDI JAYA held a 3-day scientific meeting entitled "Jakarta Internal Medicine in Daily Practice" (JIM DACE) in Jakarta.

This scientific meeting consisted of workshops at five different hospitals on Aug 31, followed by 2-day symposium at Flores Ballroom, Borobudur Hotel, North Jakarta. The topics of discussions were varied from renal anemia (presented as general lecture), current approach to upper gastrointestinal disorders, new paradigm in type-2 diabetes mellitus, the art of initiating insulin therapy for outpatients, to 'astaxanthin' as a new anti-aging supplement.
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The Bland Bourne

2012-08-31T23:02:00.000+07:00

Yesterday I went for a movie date with my baby brother. I was pretty excited cos it was the payday, and Andrew took the opportunity to extort me ha-ha-ha! Never mind, I needed a break anyway.

The movie options was down to two; either Step Up Revolution or The Bourne Legacy. Final decision went to the latter, since its late show was giving us time to put things together.

As for the movie, 135 minutes went bland. They spent too many minutes on introductions yet nothing left for conclusive ending. Nothing came up for the climax and anti-climax. I suppose Bourne series without Jason Bourne is... such a crap! Sorry.

Because It's the Right Thing to Do

2012-08-27T20:49:00.000+07:00

Source here

Setting: workplace, 2nd day at work, somewhere around July.

Early morning I was excited to start my new job with a to-do-list from boss. However, things weren't easy as I initially thought they would be.
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Life's Good

2012-08-26T19:25:00.001+07:00

These past two years, life has been ridiculously generous to me. Having good real friends, a nurturing boss, good family relationships, good food, all that matters. It's still me, just better! ;-)

The Human Potential is Limitless

2010-02-27T20:33:00.000+07:00

Quote of The Day

2009-11-22T17:55:00.000+07:00

"Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe."

-Voltaire

Win LUX Beauty Packs for 5 Lucky Readers!

2009-09-17T21:51:00.007+07:00

Are you a female?

Are you confident with yourself?

Do you know how to enjoy your beauty?

Do you think you know exactly how to express your beauty?

and...

Feeling lucky today?

Holy Cow I'm 23, Single and Very Happy

2009-09-17T19:58:00.005+07:00

I Want to Play Basketball!

2009-09-05T01:24:00.008+07:00

"One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team,but one man CANNOT make a TEAM."Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Yesterday's afternoon experience was the best example to affirm the quote mentioned above. Tell you what, in reality it totally sucked.

Just when I thought yesterday will be my first comeback game after two consecutive years absence playing my most favorite sport of all time, there were only 3 players available; me and my two girlfriends. I couldn't get any other person who was willing to play on such short notice, especially when she didn't share the same passion towards basketball.

Distraught and Enlightenment

2009-07-02T13:57:00.003+07:00

"Life is precious to the old person. He is not interested merely in thoughts of yesterday's good life and tomorrow's path to the grave. He does not want his later years to be a sentence of solitary confinement in society. Nor does he want them to be a death watch."

Dr. David Allman

Two months ago my gramps underwent angioplasty/stenting due to mild heart attack he had had during his midday bicycling activity. Ever since that day, he'd never be the same again. Despite all the endless courage and moral supports everybody's been giving him, he looks frustrated all the time.

I feel you, gramps.
Read more »

Almost Famous

2009-06-24T16:07:00.002+07:00

Note: I couldn't find the printed copy to be uploaded here. If any of you have yesterday's edition and don't mind having it scanned for me, I'll really appreciate it. Last but not least, thanks to Michelle for the opportunity!

June 22, 2009
Michelle Udem

Indonesia has around a million bloggers, according to one leading internet publisher.

(Photo: Prasetyo Utomo, Antara)

Apple Service Center in Jakarta

2009-05-05T00:31:00.004+07:00

I believed there were 3 things wrong with my Intel Core Duo Macbook back then; I couldn't run Photo Booth application, relatively small-volume speakers and low charge capacity battery. Wanna know what happened when I filed a complaint? Keep reading.

ERROR: Photo Booth cannot open because no camera is attached or the camera is in use by another application.

The first time I got this message was someday around the end of 2007, but I never thought it was a big deal. Since I don't use the built-in iSight on regular basis (I have an external webcam attached to my PC), I had ignored it for a while. Besides, I wasn't sure I can live without my Macbook even just for a week (by leaving it to the service center LOL).

Of course I had done my homework to solve this problem myself. Below are what I did in chronological order;

Closed any other applications which related to iSight, checked.
Restart the computer, checked.
Unplug the computer, take off the battery and hold the ON button for 5 sec, checked. Still... Nothing's changed.
Resetting PRAM, checked.
Firmware update, checked.

FYI: I still use Tiger OS, not the Leopard one. I believe there's huge differences if you're using Leopard OS.

Last month however, I admitted my loss and decided to bring it to one of the trusted service centers as my brother had suggested; iBox Ratu Plaza. Obviously I was too conceited that I forgot my own stupid foibles.

On April 13, 2009 I went there accompanied by Andrew. Slightly being overconfident with my Apple insurance, I came without any intention to spend a dime on repair fee.

There wasn't a long queue on that day so my brother and I took a seat while still observing other consumers' problems (and took a picture too! Tee-hee). Anyhow based on my observation that day, most of them were having troubles with the batteries. A young executive man who sat next to me voluntarily told me that his recent purchase Macbook Air was also having a low charge capacity battery! Tsk-tsk-tsk. What surprised me the most is the fact that the fifth generation (and up) iPods are prone to battery problems. The cost to replace it with new battery is IDR 800,000 for all generations except for iPod touch it'll cost a bit more at IDR 1 million. Alas.

When it came to my turn, a guy (later I found out that his name is Joe) received my complaint and checked my computer to confirm.

Firstly he checked my battery problem through System Profiler (which had never sprung to my mind before) and as figured, the battery full charge capacity was 1000-something whereas normally it should be more than 5000 mAh. Bad news was, AppleCare Protection Plan (APP) doesn't cover any accessories damages which mean it won't cover battery and charger problems. Gah!

Well well, that was the time I had to make an improvisation. I was babbling about Apple Battery Replacement Program on May 2008 and explained why I had skipped the program. My battery performance was still pretty good back then, unfortunately it started to show symptoms of an affected battery soon after the program had ended. *sob* Anyway to set the record straight, I did tell him nothing but the truth. Pardon me, I couldn't afford to spend IDR 1,6 million for battery only! Especially when nobody can guarantee that the new battery won't be affected too.

Secondly, he figured out that the Photo Booth error had something to do with a broken camera. He told me not to worry cos it would be covered by APP. I was so relieved.

Lastly, regarding the speakers volume.. That guy totally pissed me off. I never said anything about unworkable speakers at the first place. What I was saying was merely the fact that I had compared my Macbook volume with my brother's and found out that mine had had a lower volume. Instead of carefully listening to my speakers volume, that guy continuously spoke derisively to me about nothing but overly hasty in drawing a conclusion about my knowledge; the significant volume differences between regular Macbook and Macbook Pro, bla bla bla. He even had the nerves to tell me that I probably got low quality MP3s! Dude, I'm not that stupid. I had tested it by playing YouTube videos. In addition to that, he said if he filed an incorrect problem to Apple headquarter, he would be charged for his recklessness.

Seriously if Andrew hadn't reminded me that I had to leave my Macbook for a week under his supervision, I'd be more than happy to give him an uppercut! Nonetheless, it came to my apprehension that I had to be patient for the sake of my favorite Macbook. No need to waste time and energy for such a scum. Even though he didn't submit my third problem, I tried my best to give him my warmth smile and shook his hand before I left. And yes, he indeed looked astonished.

On the fifth following day, my patience paid off! That was quick. A woman called me on my mobile to let me know that my Macbook was fixed and ready to be picked up. She also had a good news; Apple was agree to replace my battery for free! YAY!

Thank you very much for the fast response and despite what happened earlier, I still recommend iBox Ratu Plaza as one of the best Apple Service Centers in Jakarta.

Moral of the story: "Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances" (Thomas Jefferson) and yes, ALWAYS purchase an AppleCare Protection Plan! *grin*

I'm Not Dead

2009-04-30T10:31:00.000+07:00

Sorry for lack of updates. For the last two weeks I was coping with my mid sessions which completely turned my world upside down (hmm maybe I'm a bit exaggerating here, LOL). It's true however, that I had a tension headache when I was doing my pediatrics and neurology exams! *snickers*

I've acknowledged lots of things happened during my absence in the blogosphere, like what happened to some of the losing candidates after Indonesian Legislative Election and recently the new Swine Flu outbreak. Not sure though whether I have a word or two regarding those events. My first priority at the moment is actually to enjoy my semester break but I really want to bloghopping for a while.

Anyhow, no need to worry. I've been preparing several drafts for my upcoming posts and I think it'll be ready within a week. Thank you for your patience! :)

*Image Courtesy: cairns.com.au

Fir Tree Found Growing in Lung

2009-04-18T21:31:00.000+07:00

Another bizarre case that becomes one of medical mysteries; 5-cm fir tree found growing in a Russian man's lung. (I'm totally freakin' out!)

Source: Reuters.com

Simple Explanation

2009-04-17T19:11:00.000+07:00

Have you ever wondered how come certain people do bad things to you for like, constantly? People you care, people you love the most suddenly get twisted and become wicked way more than your enemy ever did to you. Have you ever wondered why?

I've been wondering all these years until I recently watched The Silence of the Lambs. Surprisingly, the answer is here all along.

Hannibal: First principles, Clarice. Simplicity. Read Marcus Aurelius. Of each particular thing ask: what is it in itself? What is its nature? What does he do, this man you seek?
Clarice: He kills women...
Hannibal: No. That is incidental. What is the first and principal thing he does? What needs does he serve by killing?
Clarice: Anger, um, social acceptance, and, huh, sexual frustrations, sir...
Hannibal: No! He COVETS. That is his nature. And how do we begin to covet, Clarice? Do we seek out things to covet? Make an effort to answer now.
Clarice: No. We just...
Hannibal: No. We begin by coveting what we see every day. Don't you feel eyes moving over your body, Clarice? And don't your eyes seek out the things you want?

Before I go further, I need to set a parameter before our discussion leads you to the wrong end. An instant murder or homicide, masochism, sexual fetishism or demonic possession are excluded from 'bad things' list. What I mean is a mind game, based on a case of repetitive immoral actions which mostly in psychological manner.

The perpetrator(s) might be your best friend, family, lover, co-worker, your boss, colleague, teacher, neighbor, etc. You can barely recall what your faults to them but when they start, they keep doing it over and over again until your life shattered. No physical harm involved, but they're dancing with your brain to see you fall which I believe as the cruelest crime in civilization. Still remember how good The Joker danced in Harvey Dent's mind in The Dark Knight?

If you take the bait, firstly you're gonna doubt your own judgment. You begin to question unnecessary things in your life, lose your self-confidence and get troubled with trust issues. Slowly but sure you're gonna end up all alone. Why? Cos everybody wants to stay away from you cos they think you're disturbed. That's the ultimate aim.

No need to worry cos nevertheless, there are two ways to encounter these kind of people. It's either you can be smarter than they are or simply avoid them as much as you can. You don't learn wisdom at school, after all. Let nature takes its course.

Next question I assume will be; "How can I be smarter than them?". You've read the explanation, you know the 'why', so it's your homework guys!

*Image Courtesy: aledlewis.com

In The Bus, Part 2

2009-04-15T19:31:00.001+07:00

"ADVICE"

Before I took my first bus riding, my baby brother had given me advice to dress properly. I didn't even know there was a dresscode for riding a bus!

Andrew: "You need to dress down if you want to take a bus."

Me: "Dress down?"

Andrew: "Yes, like a slumdog."

Me: "WTF?! What is that supposed to mean?"

Andrew: "I mean casual. Put on your jeans instead of skirts, take off your heels, no make-up. You have to leave your fancy purse for a while and start with a backpack... unless you want to attract some crooks."

Me: "I am casual."

Andrew: "ZzzZzZZzz @#$%^&*"

Me: "LOL!"

I did everything he (and my mom) told me except for the heels. Perhaps I was too naive that a bus would've actually stopped for me. That afternoon was unforgettable. I was too tired to move my own feet after standing on the bus for the whole an hour zig-zag trip and suddenly the conductor asked me to jump when the bus was slowing down? Arrghh!! I couldn't argue with him so I just hoped I wouldn't break a leg (and my 2-inch heels) when I landed.

So I was lucky indeed I could keep my balance and didn't fall off. But dammit, the heels were in a good shape but my right ankle was sprained. I kept telling myself "NO MORE HEELS ON BUS" ever since.

Quote of The Day

2009-04-12T13:47:00.000+07:00

"Tough times never last, but tough people do."

-Robert H. Schuller

Story Behind The New Template

2009-04-12T13:03:00.002+07:00

Greetings to all my faithful readers,

I'm sure you've been noticed the significant changes here in my blog and I really hope you're gonna like it. *fingers crossed*

Actually it was an accident LOL! Few days ago I had been looking for a new template cos I was kinda bored with the old one. Besides, three blogger friends I know have already changed theirs so basically I was pretty much impulsive to do the same. With the help of Google Almighty, I stuck in few websites that offers plenty cute Blogger templates.

Of course in order to see which one I like better in result, I applied every single template which fits what I want into this blog; white, simple, clean and neat. My idealism believes that if I want to make the contents more visible, I need to throw a plain blog design. More less.

I did everything I was supposed to do but apparently I forgot to backup the old template! Well I was being such a smart-ass; instead of downloading full (the old) template, what I did is simply copy and paste the HTML - which is very stupid cos in that case, you won't save the whole blog accessories. *sigh*

Therry said she likes the old one better cos it represents me more, which I'm not sure I follow. Maybe I should ask her again one more time what exactly she was trying to say, LOL.

Please let me know what you think by submitting comments below and take the poll on the top of the left sidebar! Thank you. XOXO

Link Time!!!

2009-04-11T14:03:00.002+07:00

7-Eleven to Enter Indonesia. I'm wondering what will happen with the existed chain stores like Alfamart, Circle K and Indomaret? Of course I'm more than happy for the fact that there'll be massive job opening in Indonesia but still, how can you compete with local vendors for the same price tag whereas there's an annual franchise fee to deal with? Hmm..

Wanna try something fun? Check out this Trippy Illussion.

16-year-old Invents Bus Alert: awesome!

Rima Fauzi has conveyed that To Love is Not Always To Have.

Do you always have conflicts in your life? Here's a good Conflict Resolution for Life from Mother Theresa.

Funny stuffs: 13 Reasons your Facebook account will be disabled.

Wake Up, Vote and Grab the Coffee!

2009-04-08T18:32:00.001+07:00

Unless you've been living under a rock, you may already knew that tomorrow is the Indonesian National Election Day. There are so many parties with various visions and missions. Very confusing indeed, but I only need to choose one. Two days ago I received a snail mail from one of the legislative candidates from a certain party. I had no idea where he got my name and my address. It was a bit bizarre, especially since I don't know who he is and how he's related to me (the mail mentioned we're sorta family). Hmm..

This noon my mom also got called from a distant relative, who happens to be one of the (figured!) legislative candidates. Mom didn't promise him anything but an advice saying, "You should pray, kid. If it's the God's will then there'll you be."

Anyways, I have a good news!

(Image is captured from KOMPAS today)

In case you haven't noticed, Starbucks Coffee Indonesia will be giving away many cups of coffee (hot/iced coffee size 8 oz) for FREE! Woo-hoo! All you gotta do is show your finger print (as proof of voting) tomorrow at the nearest Starbucks outlets starting from 12 to 5 PM. Well even though it's just a cup of coffee (pretty lame for those who doesn't even like coffee like me), but hey it's not about the coffee, it's about the SPIRIT! So.. Are you ready?

Intimate Feminine Wash: Take It or Leave It?

2009-04-07T21:00:00.002+07:00

A while back, my girlfriend recommended a local brand of an intimate feminine wash to me when I was ranting about how nasty my campus' toilet was. She preached on how important to maintain our genital hygiene.. (bla bla bla..) and she actually had me wanted to buy one!

But still, I needed a second opinion before purchasing. Hence I asked every female college mates I saw at that day in case there was another loyal consumer (with a good testimonial) to convince me. I instead got bad news.

One of my college mates told me that her mom suffered from cervical benign tumor and had it surgically removed twice few years ago. The second time she was about to undergo the surgery, her gynecologist asked her if she ever used any feminine wash and apparently she did, on regular basis. After listening to the gyn.'s explanation, she immediately trashed all the bottles of the feminine wash she had.

Apparently there's not so many cases reported to have something to do with feminine wash in Google. I found one case from myhealthblog.org; a 20-year-old female was sick all the time and once had a miscarriage because she was addicted to feminine wash. She bought all brands of feminine wash and used it every time she peed.

Up till now, I admit I haven't found any scientific research to confirm that the intimate feminine wash may lead to cancer or any other adverse reactions. I'll keep you posted if there's any. For the record, the Environmental Working Group on cosmeticsdatabase.com classifies one of American brand feminine wash as moderately hazard cos ingredients in the product are linked to cancer, developmental/reproductive toxicity, allergies/immunotoxicity, violations, restrictions and warnings.

What makes me feel the urge to submit this topic in my blog is because a friendly internist, who is also one of my freakin' smart lecturers, shared a case about this feminine wash but she couldn't do anything about it. She couldn't stop people from buying until they come to her as patients seeking for help.

Apart from what the ads tell you, the chemical ingredients in feminine wash products can actually upset the naturally occurring bacterial flora in your vagina and make you more prone to infections. They want you to ignore the fact that the vagina has a self-cleaning system and some odor can be a normal part of the cleaning process. The vagina cleans itself in part through vaginal secretions, or leucorrhea, which range from thick and white-ish to slippery and clear. If you notice something out of the ordinary for you, you should see your health care provider.

It's inevitable that modern day women have been persuaded by massive healthcare and sanitary products advertisements on the mass media that merely focus on embarrassing female problems.

After the era of instant whitening creams, pharmaceutical companies have been trying to convince us that women need a special soap to keep their genitals clean and fresh with the right pH and natural antiseptic. They want us to believe that unpleasant 'fishy' vaginal odor is one of the problems affecting the lives of many women so that we can all jump on the bandwagon of feminine freshness.

I'm not trying to oppose capitalism whatsoever here. All I want is you being a smart consumer regardless how consumptive you are or how much money you have.

Believe it or not, most women often live in insecurity. They have huge fear of weights, skin tones, zits, wrinkles, body odor, unwanted hair on some parts of the body, you name it. I can't deny that I used to be one of them and still is, LOL. Lucky me, my life is surrounded by great people that keeping me sane I can turn myself to if I have any questions related to health and well-being. *wink*

Added later on April 8, 2009 at 6 AM: Here's my tip; never forget to carry around tissue paper wherever you go cos you'll never know when you're gonna end up in nasty toilets. I personally carry both dry and wet tissue in my purse all the time. HTH.

P.S. Hopefully my clean-freak girlfriend who loves to carry around a travel size of a feminine wash will somehow get to read this.

Source and Source
Image Courtesy: au.lifestyle.yahoo.com, teamsugar.com