Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Chinese Astrology - The Water Dragon




A Poem About The Dragon
I am an unquenchable fire,
The center of all energy,
The stout heroic heart.
I am truth and light,
I hold power and glory in my sway.
My presence,
Disperses dark clouds.
I have been chosen,
To tame the Fates.

I AM THE DRAGON!

In the Chinese zodiac, I was born in the Year of the Dragon. In my previous post, I discussed the characteristics of an Aquarian; here I would like to share with friends and readers alike what a Dragon is all about.

The Chinese word for dragon is luong, and it is quite unlike European dragons. It's element is water rather than fire, and instead of smoke and fire, it breathes clouds, creating storms and floods when angered. It is generally a well respected creature, often considered a figure of authority, and was the symbol of the Emperor of China.

The Dragon Personality

The key to the Dragon personality is that Dragons are the free spirits of the Zodiac. Conformation is a Dragon's curse. Rules and regulations are made for other people. Restrictions blow out the creative spark that is ready to flame into life. Dragons must be free and uninhibited.

The Dragon is a beautiful creature, colorful and flamboyant. An extroverted bundle of energy, gifted and utterly irrepressible, everything Dragons do is on a grand scale - big ideas, ornate gestures, extreme ambitions. However, this behavior is natural and isn't meant for show. Because they are confident, fearless in the face of challenge, they are almost inevitably successful. Dragons usually make it to the top.

However, Dragon people must be aware of their natures. Too much enthusiasm can leave them tired and unfulfilled. Even though they are willing to aid when necessary, their pride can often impede them from accepting the same kind of help from others. Dragons' generous personalities give them the ability to attract friends, but they can be rather solitary people at heart. A Dragon's self-sufficiency can mean that he or she has no need for close bonds with other people.

The female dragon will be a very strong woman, tending to believe in women's rights and refusing to take any nonsense from anyone! She will never just stand by and accept her fate, she will fight passionately and will not give up.

Characteristics of A Dragon

  • Innovative
  • Enterprising
  • Flexible
  • Self-assured
  • Brave
  • Passionate
  • Conceited
  • Tactless
  • Scrutinizing
  • Unanticipated
  • Quick-tempered

Chinese Astrology and the Elements

The elements of Chinese astrology are believed to be associated with the five planets in the solar system (Mars = fire, Saturn = earth, Mercury = water, Jupiter = wood and Venus = metal).

These five elements are believed to have an influence with one another, mostly by overcoming each element - that is, water can overcome fire, wood generates fire, or other similar ideas.

Most sages believe that these elements affect the lives of people. Some of these people carry the same characteristics as their elements, and this idea, in turn, this fact, relatively influences the way that people interact with their society.

The element under which I was born is Water, known to represent artistry. Water can take any shape, and in the same manner, people who are born under this element can be flexible in any situation that they are in. People who possess the Water element are also communicative, and they have a penchant for travelling.

Water Dragons

Water dragons are the most unique zodiac sign in all of the Chinese astrology. On one side they can be as still as the water while on the other side they can be stubborn and excited on the smallest of things. Water dragons are capable of doing special things for mankind.

Water dragons are extremely lucky and are literally born with a silver spoon in their mouth. They are extremely passionate about their work and give their 100% to all they do. They are capable of maintaining the perfect balance of creativity with intelligence. When it comes to love water dragons are extremely attractive and find themselves a similar partner.

Water has a calming effect on the Dragon's fearless temperament. Water allows the Dragon to re-direct its enthusiasm, and makes him more perceptive of others.

These Dragons are better equipped to take a step back to re-evaluate a situation because they understand the art of patience and do not desire the spotlight like other Dragons.

Therefore, they make smart decisions and are able to see eye-to-eye with other people. However, their actions can go wrong if they do not research or if they do not finish one project before starting another.

Water Dragons In a Nutshell
  • Non-conformist - must be free and uninhibited
  • Many friends but solitary at heart
  • Confident and fearless in the face of challenges
  • Believer in women's rights
  • Will fight passionately and not just accept fate
  • Communicative
  • Penchant for travelling

FAMOUS DRAGON PERSONALITIES

Helen Keller, Hosni Mubarak, Abe Lincoln and Charles Darwin


Astrology - The Water Bearer


Astrology is the study of patterns and relationships - of planets in motion, our birth chart, synastry with others, the make-up of elements - and using that knowledge as a tool to find meaning.

Astrology's premise is that the planetary movements influence the Moments in Time. Since we're part of the story of the Universe, our moment of birth recorded on the celestial clock is meaningful. The planets continue to move, engaging with the fixed in time energies of our birth chart.

In trying to understand myself and why I am the way I am, I looked up my Sun sign, which is Aquarius. Originally referred to as our Star sign, our Sun sign represents the sign of the Zodiac that the Sun was in at the time of our birth.

The Sun rules willpower and ego. It is the core of our potential and uniqueness as an individual; who we are and what we are about. Our Sun sign represents the main direction and focus we want our life to take and our determination to accomplish what we set out to do. It represents our personal honesty and integrity, our ability to command respect and authority and our capacity to impress and influence others.


Traditional Aquarian Traits
  • Friendly
  • Humanitarian
  • Honest
  • Loyal
  • Original
  • Inventive
  • Independent
  • Intellectual
  • Intractable
  • Contrary
  • Perverse
  • Unpredictable
  • Unemotional
  • Detached

Aquarius in a Nutshell

Aquarius is the sign of visionaries, unconventionality and intellectual independence. Aquarius are the people who deviate from the crowd and go their own way. They are always after intellectual stimulation, constantly discovering something new, forming new opinions and stubbornly traveling their way regardless of what other people think.

Aquarius are filled with paradoxes, they are interested in the opposite ends of the spectrum, they like to be alone yet are social butterflies, they like to experience both sides and see both opinions as they formulate new ideas with their forward thinking, active mind. Aquarius have a 'live and let live' policy where everyone is free to be themselves, an Aquarius never judges others because as human beings, we are all equal and entitled to our own opinions.

They are verbally skilled and very witty, they observe people and learn how to interact with others through observation. They can be masters of manipulation justifying anything they do or think. As a result, they can deal with any type of personality and adapt to any situation.

They welcome change because boredom is their enemy. Anything new is an opportunity to Aquarius. Aquarius can act as an expert on any topic, they are very good at inflating their own importance, they feel it is deserved because their eccentricity makes them unique. Conventional people beware, Aquarius likes to shock and deviate from the norm, this is how they live.

Aquarius is known to pick at anyone they find weak or dull-minded. It is simply an easy target for verbal exercise for them, no harm is meant but it might be taken differently from the other person. Deep inside, Aquarius would never intentionally hurt anyone, they have respect for every human, even though this might not seem apparent to the more emotional types.

Aquarius Deep Inside

Aquarius are in search of wisdom, they are very observant and they can gather their information objectively because emotions do not get in the way, they seem to be above emotions altogether and when they speak, they speak the truth. Sometimes it may be shocking or painful because of their disregard for the feelings of others, but they intend no harm, they call it like they see it and do not let emotions cloud their judgment, they are very detached from emotion.

It is not that Aquarius are unemotional, they just do not trust their emotions so they incorporate them into their ideas of who they are. As a result, if someone does not agree with their ideas, Aquarius sometimes takes it personally, although not as much as other zodiac signs; as Aquarius is intellect driven and not emotionally driven.

Sometimes they wonder if there is something in life that they are missing because they do not feel like other people feel. This does not necessarily prevent them from being involved in intimate relationships, they are capable of this but the person on the other end will always notice an air of detachment from Aquarius.

Aquarius wonders 'why?' so much that they can question their existence. They wonder if what they are doing is useful, they want other people to notice them and appreciate them, this is caused by underlying insecurities that make them wonder if other people accept them for who they are but these are never brought to the surface because to an Aquarius, it does not matter that much because they know that they are special.

Likes

  • Fighting for Causes
  • Dreaming and Planning for the Future
  • Thinking of the Past
  • Good Companions
  • Having Fun

Dislikes

  • Full of Air Promises
  • Excessive Loneliness
  • The Ordinary
  • Imitations
  • Idealistic

I can see so much of me in the characteristics of an Aquarian as described above (for example, although I am a sociable person, I like to be alone; I am a free-spirited individual who will rebel if tied down; trust me and let me be, and I will be your most faithful friend/partner; couples in a relationship must have breathing space, lest they smother each other).

For me, astrology is not about fortune telling; it is about understanding who you are and what your faults are so that you can try and avoid situations that may exacerbate those faults. However, I have certain traits that others may see as "faults", but to me, they make me an "individual" - and I am prepared to be labeled a "non-conformist" for I have learnt that life is too short to be worrying about what others think of you!

Some Famous Aquarians

Abe Lincoln, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin and Oprah Winfrey

Monday, June 22, 2009

The Weekend That Was....


With Audi on the putting green

Saturday (June 20, 2009)

The weekend is here again and on Saturday, Audi and I decided to brush up our putting. However, I came late and didn’t get to practise much as it was getting hot but managed to catch up with friends I have not seen for quite sometime.


Rahman (KDE Sports Manager), Jacqueline Chong and Audi

Members of the Turkey Club had played their usual 9-holes and were enjoying their refreshments when I asked for permission to have their photos taken. They were a little hesitant initially but when I told them I’d send their photos to Adult FriendFinder, they immediately agreed (you get an "A" for trying, guys)!

Members of the Turkey Club

Lunch was at Manhattan Fish Market (MFM)KLCC, courtesy of Audi. She had won a golf tournament organised by Her World magazine on Friday (June 19) and she received, among other things, a voucher for a meal at MFM and we were her guests....thanx luv!



After lunch, we went to Isetan (where there was a "sale") to buy some golf stuff and I ended up buying 2 pairs of shorts, arm protector and pretty socks (read: impulse buying)!

Tired of shopping, we managed to squeeze in a cuppa at Dome...





Sunday (June 21, 2009)

I decided to join Audi and Winnie who played 9-holes today. I needed the walk and also needed to improve my short game. Putting is ok but chipping is out – gotta book some time with Bari next week!


After golf, I went to the hairdresser and had a manicure, pedicure and a hair cut….I needed a change….again!

Sylvia decided I needed something more funky!


Advice for women "as the years grow longer, the hair must go shorter"....for a more youthful look!

After I was all done up, Nash and I went to Pavilion to run some errands and we could not resist a boxful of donuts on our way out….”and lead me not into temptation for I shall find it myself...”


Aarrghhhh....sinfully GOOD!

By the time I got home late evening, I was exhausted and Siti gave me a good back/feet massage…....pure bliss!!!

I was "official" photographer for Winnie, check out her golf swing in the videos below:






Friday, June 19, 2009

HUKM Nursing Staff - Wad Baldu



(L to R): Shu, Puan Suhaila (Ketua Jururawat - KJ), Sal

Today, I am discharged from HUKM - the place I have called "home" for the past 35 days. When I was first admitted into HUKM, I was surprised that the doctors and nursing staff were sooo young (well, when you have reached retirement age like me, anyone who is still employed has to be young)! I was not quite comfortable at first - I was like "do they know what they are doing? So young lor....how much experience can they have"?


Suzy & Sal

Abidah
Ati & Sumithra

Now, after being here for more than month, I must say I am ashamed to have entertained such doubts in my mind. The nursing staff, all young enough to be my children (how depressing...no wonder Lexapro doesn't work anymore!), are very knowledgeable and efficient in doing whatever they had to do - like dressing wound (Aquacel), bathing/feeding babies, rattling off the names of every plaster, gauze and even my medical condition!


(Seated): Mariani (Standing L to R): Sal & Suzy


Aduh! Come' Lote! Wan & Shu

I am one who is very curious so every time a nurse dressed my wound, I asked questions and wrote things down. For example, I learnt what slough and serous were...and terms like laparatomy, hepatobiliary peritonitis, etc...etc.

These young 'uns have to put up with my screaming (when Prof Razman gave me the most painful injection that I could remember - right into my raw wound), constantly wanting attention for all kinds of things (bugs in room, nebulizer, oxygen, stilnox, arcoxia, etc.). They were always so cheerful, patient, encouraging, funny (especially Yusmarini - below) and were always there for me.

Yusmarini

Sathiya

With these pics, I would like to introduce and acknowledge all the nursing staff in Wad Baldu who had been in contact with me during my stay. I believe I have not left out anyone but if I did, I apologise....I can still take your pic when I return July 13 ok? I know there were times when I may seem unreasonable, but it's hard to stay calm when one is grappling with so many issues. I apologise if I have said anything that may have hurt anyone! Puan Suhaila, syabas! You have a fine team of dedicated and well-trained nurses!


Fairuz

I managed to catch S/Ns Sal and Abid on camera expertly bathing and dressing up their respective charges - a day-old and three-day old babies. Here are some pics!

S/N Salha With 1-day old Baby


Grrrr...I am cold....get me dressed quickly!


Hey Sal! You look kinda familiar....have we met before?

All dressed up and nowhere to go (story of my life babe)!

S/N Abidah & 3 day-old Baby


Aahggggh....water very cold one lah nurse!


Now it's nice n warm!
Hmmm....I luv having someone groom my hair!

Thursday, June 18, 2009

RSGC Rendezvous

(From left): Shidah, Nori, NJ

My surgeon's prognosis todate was "the worst is over but you still have a long way to go. In the meantime, go out there and enjoy your life, and do the things you like to do." That was all I needed to hear. Hey...! didn't I say life's never fair...you just get on with it!

In the spirit of "getting on with it", I accepted a luncheon invitation from a colleague, NJ (Nuraini Jaafar) who lives round the corner from my house. She roped in another colleague, Shidah, who is also my neighbour. NJ, Shidah and I used to work in the same Company and we are all retired. NJ, an Accountant by training, is the eldest daughter of former actress Datin Hjh Umi Kalthum and the half-sister of former actress Noor Kumalasari and step-sister of entertainment diva Anita Sarawak.

We had lunch at the Royal Selangor Golf Club (RSGC) of which NJ is a member. It was an invigorating rendezvous - catching up on who's doing what and who's not doing what, filling in the details about my hospital stay, making jokes of growing old together with friends in similar circumstances, etc.


Food, friends and fun....what more can a gal ask for?

We rounded off a sumptious lunch with fresh cononut water and before we knew it, lunch was over at 2.30 pm but before we left, this blogoholic had to take some photographs to put up in my blog....just posing at the golf course was enough to make me happy - my needs are simple, really! - and that's how much I miss golf!


Happiness is....monkeying around the golf course!

Even the flowers seemed brighter!

Thank you gals - I hope you enjoyed the afternoon as much as I did!

Monday, June 15, 2009

Care Better When Bottom Line Does Not Matter



"Better Care When Bottom Is Not All that Matters" seems to be the malaise afflicting the medical industry in Malaysia today. With 5-star hospitals sprouting like mushrooms after the rain, everyone is jumping on to the bandwagon. At these 5-star hospitals, patients are supposedly given a massage and hair wash upon checking in - a personal valet is on hand to see to that.

Malaysia is branding herself into a preferred medical tourism destination, especially for westerners as our prices are very competitive compared to developed countries such as the USA and UK.

Medical expertise in Malaysia is at par with the western countries and most private hospitals in the country have internationally recognized quality standards. All private medical centers are approved and licensed by the Ministry of Health and are required to maintain stringent quality standards....ah so!

Medical tourism aside, the average Ali, Mutu and Ah Chong only want healthcare services that treat their medical conditions at the lowest possible price. They are not concerned with hair wash...they are mostly concerned about going into a hospital and not coming out maimed, trautamatized or, worst of all, via the morgue!
Private hospitals today (no matter what star) charge exhorbitant fees but the poor rakyat has no choice but to raise the money to pay. Although government hospitals are an option, some feel that their loved ones deserve the BEST (you see, most people equate COST with QUALITY, but unfortunately, this is not so). For some, it meant selling assets such as houses or digging into their life savings.


By all means, make a profit; after all, we live in a capitalist world. However, don't be so blinded by profits that patients are held back for this-scopy and that-scopy that are medically unnecessary...meanwhile, the patient's condition deteriorates. Profits come with a certain responsibility - your services must be flawless (or, is it floorless now?); you must be responsible for any mistakes that may occur by fixing the mistakes ASAP to avoid any complications to the patient. If you cannot fix the condition, send the patient to someone who can - don't wait until you run out of procedures before shipping the patient away....it may be too late for the patient then!



Then, there was the fatal case of a cosmetic surgery patient who went in to remove her eye bags but was "pressured" into doing other more complicated procedures as well. The pressure comes from surgically-enhanced staff who make a sales pitch when the patient comes in for a procedure.  If that was not enough, it was later reported in the local press that the surgeon responsible was an orthopaedic surgeon who had completed a three-week course on aesthetic medicine....so, the regulators must have been asleep at the switch!

Distance learning

The long-suffering patient, now desperate because he has run out of money, may try alternatives like bomohs, mediums and even faith healers. It will be then just a matter of time before nature takes its own course and the patient's agony is just prolonged because medical care is withheld. And the cycle goes on.......
I am now recovering in HUKM (Private Wing) and I ended up here because a surgeon in one of the popular private hospitals messed up my surgery.  In removing my gall bladder due to stones, he nicked my central bile duct (CBD), resulting in bile flooding my system.  I was re-admitted due to complications and for 8 days, I was attended to by 7 specialists (including a heart surgeon when my problem had to do with the gall bladder!).  After going through all kinds of -scopy procedures, I was told they did not have the expertise to fix the problem.  I was slapped with a bill of RM15K on discharge!   

By the time I came to HUKM, I was jaundiced, my stomach was bloated and I was running a high fever that refused to subside.  I underwent an emergency abdominal surgery and 2 litres of pus were drained out of my system.  I was told that I was already "on the brink" (not the surgeon's exact words but I got the drift) when I checked into HUKM.

I find that the difference in the level of professionalism, care and cost between a teaching hospital and private hospitals is like day and night. Yes, the doctors are very busy as their priority is to teach but that does not mean private patients do not get medical attention.

There is no such thing as medically unnecessary procedures and my attending surgeon goes to great lengths to explain my condition in layman's language.

Being a teaching hospital, HUKM has specialties and sub-specialties so if there are complications, patients do not need to be referred elsewhere. Cost of rooms, services and drugs are also reasonable. But most of all, you know that the care shown towards patients is genuine for they are not looking at $ signs plastered all over the patient's face!