Lockdown 3.0 Diaries #18

Got an appointment with my dermatologist today. Hope I can get off the vitamins, but it takes a lot of patience, and I trust them. Appointment came about, dang. I still have to continue my meds. Oh well.

    Today's rather quiet, but at least we managed to coordinate appointments without much of a hitch, but today we're overflowing with complaints. One really makes no sense,. I'll just give you a brief rundown. Patient So-and-So lodge a complain that they were unhappy with the treatment. They have insisted on closing the case, yet they came back again, took a photo and asked us to give to the doctor and they'll seek medications at the pharmacy. Holy - This means war!!!!  No, I'm joking, but seriously, holy mackerel. Once again, do people understand what is the meaning of medical legal issues? No one is going to look at a photo and said, "Oh, okay. Judging from the picture, we think it's <insert diagnosis here>. Let's prescribe you meds." No, we do not do that. Then they have us a sad story on how the MCO has affected them. Look, we're sorry, but you do realize that no one is going to look at a photo and treat you. Doctors were trained to use their eyes, hands and knowledge to assess the condition. If anything should happen to you, who is going to be held responsible? It's like last time when someone pressured me and my doctor to give a back date MC, my doctor refused, and I held my ground. We offered to help give them a letter to explain to their company but the patient wept tears and begged us for the MC. My doctor told them, "Look, you are asking us to write a MC dated 6 months back. If I do it, will you be held responsible for the loss of my license?" Immediately the tears stopped and they accepted the letter of explanation quietly. 

    It's not that we are trying to be cold-hearted but everything we do are bound in the medical-legal field. At the end of the day, everything we do have a consequences. You may think my job is just coordinating and arranging, but it's also my job to get the facts as accurate as possible to refer people to the right department, to get the correct information so that patients understand what they are getting themselves into, and for covid cases, a thorough medical history so that the appropriate teams get the correct information and they are able to plan the best treatment possible. 

    Vaccination enquiries are flooding all over again. no matter how many times we have informed: "You don't get to choose the venue", "Our vaccines are not for sale" and "Please register for the vaccination programme in your mySejahtera app". Some people understood, but some people really attacked us for being selfish. The latest enquiry related to covid vaccination is "Please put me in the backup list." Er, the backup list is with the government, we have no say. "You're all selfish!!! It is your duty as healthcare workers to help the people!!!" Sigh, moving on...

    Oh, I also received an enquiry regarding the mySejahtera app is not working. No, it's working perfectly fine. The problem is your name is chosen in random by the government. Pretty much it's like the lottery. You have to pray hard that your name get picked. Again, if you are not sure what to do, refer to my previous blog entries where I showed screenshots on how you can get help in the helpdesk.

    "Hello, our centre help coordinate people's appointments." Yet someone kept persisting telling me they have spoken to someone regarding some products. "Are you referring to the pharmacy?" I asked, and they said yes. Um, I quickly called the pharmacy and directed the person in charge to contact the person. Yep, this is pretty much my job.

   All in all, there's not much stuff besides helping people coordinate their appointments and helping arrange covid admissions. And today I was so knackered that I fell asleep after exercising. Good thing I woke up in time to write this entry. 

    One more day before off duty. Hang in there. 

*Today's case: 6,440 (Just when you think it couldn't get worse...)

Lockdown 3.0 Diaries #17

Source: Quby Zolboo GIF - Quby Zolboo Cute - Discover & Share GIFs (tenor.com)

Created by Aenchiya on 1/13/2021, 6:56:34 PM

Internet, please stop being unstable. I still got to do the lockdown diaries! I hope the lockdown ends after this round. I really want to go to the bookshops, and DIY places to get craft stuff.

    Didn't get enough sleep, Lord knows. I slept for 4 hours, couldn't sleep, so I turned on some commentary podcast. Didn't help either. So my mood was really grumpy. 

    Someone really is out to push my buttons. So I attended a covid case, the person said they were asking on behalf of someone else. Okay, I went out with full force, halfway the person kept asking me about someone else, so I said, "Okay, we'll get to the next person in a minute, let's clerk the person in question first." Once done, I found out we didn't have some important stuff like weight and height for BMI, so I told the person, "Okay, if you don't mind, can we get the patient's contact so that we are able to liaise with them directly?" 

Person: Oh, sister, the patient is not with me.

Me: Oh, okay. That's why I asked for the patient's contact. Can you please give it to me so that I am be to liaise with the patient?

Person: Don't worry about it, sister. They are fine, there's a doctor with them.

Me: (confused) Huh? Is the patient currently at the quarantine centre?

Person: No, the patient is currently admitted in the government sector.

Mary, Mother of God!!! Why did the person made me waste my time asking so much questions and when it comes to the final part, they tell me the patient is currently admitted in the government sector?! Good God! Then I calmly ask them, so who is the patient in question who wish to be admitted? Then they told me it's for another person. Okay, have they done their PCR Test yet? "No, sister. We're going today. Can we bring the person to be admitted here?" Lord, I explained to the person that without a proper valid PCR Test, you can't be admitted here. Reason being: If you are tested positive, and we put you in a normal ward, you risk everyone's health. If you are tested negative and we put you into the covid ward, then we're endangering your health. Conclusion: Get your covid test, and if it's positive, call us and we'll clerk you again and make the necessary arrangement. 

Source: 75 Lil' Bean ideas in 2021 | cute love gif, cute cartoon images, cute stickers (pinterest.com)

Lil' Bean, Collection by O___o • Last updated 7 weeks ago

Today we were flooded with emails, which I handled. Guess what was the main one? If you guess covid vaccination, you are right. This is the time where I wish I can keep a file of how to answer enquiries, but I can't. The nature of this job is...you'll need to be on your toes, because when the phone calls, enquiries start coming in, people expect you to have the answer at your fingertips. This is the one advantage I have as a runner for nearly 6 years. Everyday I was shuffled around to different clinics and departments, which means I have to always prepare for the worst. There was an incident where a patient of mine was completely fine, they did their consultation and they were sent to do their blood test and to come back on another day for review. That time the PA announced, "Code Blue at <location>, Code Blue at <location>" I didn't give a thought about it because it wasn't my department. As I was tidying up near closing time, emergency called me asking for a patient's folder. I was confused and ask why. "Sis, that Code Blue patient is YOUR patient. Your doctor is at the Emergency now." Oh my GOD!!! I found the folder and ran to the Emergency during coded, patients will be screened for privacy. I just drop the folder to my doctor and they told me to go back home. Thank God the patient didn't get coded in the clinic, otherwise we would have not enough backup. As far as I know, the patient survived. Back to the topic at hand, people are so desperate for vaccination that they really are giving us all sort of stories just to get the queue. Again, I'm sorry, but the government has the final say. There's no point in shaking us up because our hands are tied.

    Oh, I'm not sure what gives people the idea that we'll give out our doctor's handphone. No, absolutely no way I'll give you my doctor's handphone, unless they give it willingly, because let's be honest here. People treat us as their personal doctors and nurses, to attend them to their every beck and call. Even when we are not on duty, people chase us asking for our advice. Please, at the end of the day we're all humans. When we're off duty, please respect our time, unless it's really an emergency. Oh wait, I forgot, everything is an emergency. 

    *insert sings song voice here*All you need is a little common sense~  Sometimes, people really baffle me. Somebody asked me to list out all the price in the lab test form. Genuine question: Why would you need more than 200 types of blood test figures? You're not going to do everything, it's impossible. No one is going to ask you to do every single blood tests. The person demanded to know, so in the end we passed them to the relevant department.

    Another case that made me question everything was someone asking about children circumcision. It's a common procedure done young, but adults do it too. They want to know about the price so we gave a rough estimation and advised the person to bring the patient to the consultant as the patient will need to be assessed first before determining what treatment is suitable for them. The person asked ridiculous questions like their child is less than 5 years old, can it be done outpatient? =-='' Ask yourself this question, can a child be cooperative when you are doing something to them? Do you think a child will allow you to shove the covid swab stick into their nostrils? Do you think the child is going to sit still and let you do the procedure? Absolutely not. The best course of action is a full general anaesthesia, but even then, it is up to the doctor to decide what is best for the patient.

    Regarding appointments, every time people chase us that they are unable to book online and were unsure on what to do. Um, did you call the clinic extension to liaise with the person in charge? "What do you mean I should call? I want to make an online appointment." Sigh... Then when they kept hounding us that it is urgent, and we grab whichever doctors whose appointment is free, and got back to the patients, they will suddenly go, "Oh, actually, I don't want this doctor. I want another one." I don't think you know this, but for the sake of trying to secure an appointment for you, we have to jump through several hurdles, plead for the clinics to accept the case, and it is extremely hard to get people to answer the phone because everyone is working. It's not as easy as you think, and some people tend to change their mind last minute. Not to mention, if you want to postpone you appointment, it's good to give a courtesy call to the respective clinic, just like how you will do it when you are cancelling an appointment with a friend or an interview. It's COURTESY. Where's the SOS button when you need one?   

    A little bit of good news, my family member has recovered and is getting discharged. Hooray.

*Today's case: 5,738 (Oh no, oh no)

Lockdown 3.0 Diaries #16

Halfway through the week (and month). Hang in there.

    Sometimes, I wonder if people get their head in the clouds. I've seen fresh grads coming out and demanding a huge salary figure because they have some fancy degree from overseas, or because they carry titles. I hate to break it to you, but when I started out, I have a pretty low salary as well. Where I am today is mainly experience. If you do not have the experience it's very hard to negotiate your salary. Of course certificates are important as well, but so is experience. Both go in hand to hand together.

    You ever faced rejections? I do, not just in nursing but writing as well (The latter more so). Writing is mainly a hit and miss and it's mainly based on luck. I also got tons of rejection nursing as well because of lack of experience, or because I wasn't confident enough. We received an enquiry regarding someone on job application who said the most entitled thing: "It will be nice if we can get an answer." Um, no one owes you an answer. I submitted my manuscript(s) several times and most of the time no one replied me, but there were some sweet replies from agents and publishers who thanked me but said that my manuscript(s) is not right for them and wish me luck elsewhere and not to give up. Regarding the nursing side, a lot of people said they will call me back and never did, so it's obvious that they already turn me down. Again, I'm going to stress it once more: No one owes you an answer. 

    Surprise, not surprise, today's main enquiries are regarding vaccination. Again and again, people are shoving us their names and asking us to put us in our back up list. Were you even keeping up with the news? The government is the one who has the final say. Giving it to us isn't going to change anything. We'll keep giving you the same answers over and over, and our vaccines are not for sale. I'm sorry. It is frustrating, until then, stay safe, wear your mask, wash your hands, maintain a safe distance, stay away from congested, confined area, and if you really need to go for essential shopping, pop right in and pop right out again.

    Today let's add on some people who are persistent. No matter how much I have explained that you are not allowed to choose your vaccines. People just seemed to love "vaccine shopping". No, just no. Some people went as far as to give me sob stories, which I can sympathize, but please, stop being ridiculous. I have tried my very best to be honest, but you are putting me in a difficult situation. It got so bad to the point where I have to beg my operators for help and run to the vaccination centre and talk to the supervisor, who was very kind and explained to me how the things goes, and that I have tried my very best to attend to the enquiries, but people still keep on pushing me. Please, just read what I typed for you, and listen. Stop shutting me out. 

    I wish people could be more understanding about the enquiries. There's so much to sift through. When we didn't reply within five minute, one minute, even seconds, we get hounded by "Hello? Please answer me!" "Why are you not answering?!" "It's urgent!" "HELLO?!" We get hundreds of enquiries everyday, not to mention phone calls, emails, covid admissions (That is when we are going to have our hands tied) we are trying out best to answer and divert you to the proper channel so that you don't waste your time. As mentioned before, why do you want to go through several channels just to get an appointment? 

    I'm glad today I managed to make a few people happy by referring them to the right doctors. By the way, I'm going to say it again: All doctors are equally experienced and professional. You don't have to be nitpicky. You know what's important? Chemistry. Dead serious. I can recommend you to the best doctor but if you do not have chemistry, then it's really going to be awkward.  Patients and doctors got to have that same level of chemistry, otherwise the patient wouldn't cooperate, and the doctor wouldn't be able to help much. As the old saying goes: It takes two to tango.

   I wish people don't stigmatize people who seek psychiatrist help. They are not crazy, they need someone to help them. It's sad that till this point people still think if we suggest to them gently to see a psychiatrists, they yelled at us saying they are not crazy. You're not, but if it's related to mental health, of course we have to make sure we refer you to the right doctor so that you are able to get the appropriate treatment. It's not shameful to seek the psychiatrist, you are brave to approach them to get help, so please, don't be too hard on yourself.

   If you still have any doubts regarding your covid vaccination, please check your mySejahtera helpdesk:

*Today's case: 5,150 (Please keep going down)

**My internet kept crashing today, thank God I saved a backup blog before it happened.

Lockdown 3.0 Diaries #15

Running all over the building like Speedy Gonzales. Thank God ever since the first pandemic started I've been climbing the stairs everyday (Except when my knee and back hurt from workload)  because doctors had told me that lifts are one of the worst place to be in because the air is trapped inside the confined space. Besides, it's free gym. I did joked with my friends that you could just sing "I've Been Working on the Railroad" or "The Ants Go Marching" so that it motivates you climbing the stairs.

  If things had gone to plan, we would've been out of lockdown (But then you won't get anymore lockdown diaries for a while because I'll be busy doing something else) but oh well. It's a good thing too that the lockdown got extended, because we still got stubborn people going up and about. Sigh, do people understand prevention is better than cure? And what's with the double parking??? 

    Today things were a little calm, but none of us were in top condition. I myself seemed to have a pounding migraine but could be due to lack of sleep. Oh, and today's internet line is horrible. Can't tell how many times I hit the refresh button to kick start the internet. Thank God there wasn't much complicated things but the enquiries sure are weird. You guessed it. People are now throwing their names at us and asking us to put them on the backup list. Um, you do realize we are not the government right? We can't take your names, because the government has the final say (At the rate I'm going, I'm going to sound like a broken jukebox) I'm a lowly potato, I have no authority. This reminds me of the last time I worked midnight and someone who claimed to be a pharmacist demanded me to track down their friend's covid history. Um, do you think this is CSI or the Pentagon? I cannot access your friend's history, the only thing I can advise you is you check your friend's mySejahtera history. Oh, this person wouldn't give up. They keep hounding me to the point where I have to put my foot down and said, "I am not the government. I can advise you to call the government, but I'll warn you, it's P&C."

    Dr Jason Leong (refer to previous post) is spot on, because I recall a sketch where he said not all doctors are smart. Well, thank God most doctors I've been around with are great people, but sigh, I have no idea why do I encounter weird people, yep, this one is a doctor. Medical Doctor, a phD holder, I don't know. I don't like diving in too much on people's personal lives. Well, I do not know who this person is, but they kept asking us weird stuff regarding an inpatient. You do realize that we are just a coordinator centre, that we do not interfere with inpatient stuff, right? Nope, the person sent us the inpatient's blood tests to be interpreted, whether supplements are effective for the current condition, latest enquiry which I picked up: To get Dr So-and-So to write a letter to another doctor. Well, since my energy isn't that great, you can guess what I did. I picked up the phone, gave a call to my friend who is rather sassy and no nonsense by the way, and gave them the details. They will pass it to their doctor, but they have told me, they will not be entertaining this type of people too much. Look, don't you think you (Yes, you, the person who kept asking weird enquiries) are being a little weird? How would we know what's going in the ward? And may we remind you that it's P&C? Mary, Mother of God. You can call the ward regarding inpatient things, you know, and regarding outpatient, you can call the clinic. We are not man-eaters (Yet people seemed to think we are)

    Humans, we are really a fickle bunch. I had to deal with several people who couldn't made up their mind. I had to deal with several people who were asking for one thing, suddenly they add on, and then another, and another. It's kind of like when you go to a Subway and you see someone standing there, unable to decide on something... Something like that. I settled one case, then the person asked me to prepare a travel letter. Done. Few minutes later, the same person contact me again and ask me to add on another family member. Done. Then few minutes later, the person contact me once more for a travel letter. Good thing I am running on low energy, which means I just deal with it. The best part they contacted me around 10am, and I begged them to quickly come before 12 noon so that they have time to do scans and tests. They came at 12 noon. Lord, LORD. I said before 12 noon, not 12 noon. I accidently called the doctor in question as well and apologized non-stop. 

     Just because you are family members doesn't mean you have the right to invade in people's personal medical health file. We also got plenty of calls and enquiries that goes behind the patient's back, this usually tends to get us dragged into the middle of the crossfire, pretty much my whole life once taking up the job years back. Nurses always tend to get caught in the crossfire between doctors and patients. Feels like you're going to war everyday (Technically, we are) 

    By the way, side effects of post covid vaccination, go to your nearest clinic or emergency, but with the way some people were talking, it's like the end of the world is coming. Sorry if this entry is short, my internet is unstable despite resetting several times. So I'm going to run now before the whole entry gets lost in cyberspace. (PTSD from an incident where I lost a whole manuscript due to corrupt file)

*Today's case: 5,419 (HELP!!!)

Lockdown 3.0 Diaries #14

YES! The 14th Day. FREEDOM -   

All morning shifts in a row. I need my tea. By the way, this entry is going to be a little light-hearted because the alternative would have to be going to the Twin Towers and scream (Which I do not want to because we are still in the midst of a pandemic, stay safe, folks)

    You know what's great about the MCO? All of us suddenly have newfound talents. Well, we do what we can with our free time. I wrote an essay regarding how the pandemic has changed my life months back and it was fun. Never thought I would join essay competitions, because I entered the writing world as someone who would write novels, but now I have branched out to short stories, novellas and essays. Who would've thought? If you tell that to me years back, I would've went, "I just want to write books." Oh, my young, naïve self, you have no idea what's going to happen once you start embarking on this journey... 

    Morning is the time we scramble because there's a lot of appointments we have to rush to book. True enough, it was till around 12 pm before we have even clear the log because there are too many. The thing that kept me going were my favourite music from my favourite artists, tea, at one point I have to eat instant noodles because I was mentally drained. Why, why, why do people keep asking weird questions?! If you want accurate Covid test, please consider just getting a RT-PCR Test so that you don't end up paying twice for goodness sake. And can I beg all of you to please don't ask weird questions that you end up confusing yourself as well? You know what's funny, we didn't ask much questions regarding the vaccines. We just wait for our turn and get the vaccine, done and done. (I told you I don't listen to the negative parts of the vaccine, all my doctors joked after the vaccines, they all could start dancing and head to the operating theatre for surgeries.) Can I take my meds before covid vaccination? Well, if it's related to hypertension and diabetic and heart problem, shouldn't you be taking it? At the same time, you should consult your main primary consultants as they know your medical history well. 

    I noticed allergies test enquiries are becoming a hot topic. People just love asking this question: "How much does it cost for an allergy test?" You do realize this is a weird question right? I told you before, there are more than a hundred allergic tests. I am not going to list out hundred types of different prices, it's ridiculous, furthermore, not to be judgmental, how would you know what type of things are you allergic to? I don't even know what I'm allergic to because I have never done a proper allergic test (Although there was an incident years back when I drank bubble tea and when I took a few pearls, I developed a very bad skin reaction - Nothing serious, but I have outright avoid bubble tea since then) This is why I strongly advise you to consult a doctor first and let them decide after taking down your medical history. (Note: We don't have an exact allergic doctor per se, we usually recommend you to internal medicine/ physician or if it's related to skin, the dermatologists) 

    Same thing goes for skin-related issues like acne, freckles, dark spots. My personal experience here: 2 years back I have severe breakouts of acne. I mean really, really bad. I was on steroids for three months and it was awful. I threw up a lot, and was pretty miserable, and I gained a lot of weight (I didn't have much appetite, but it's a side effect). It did controlled my acne, but it didn't last long. Once the doctor stopped the meds, my acne erupted again. I was depressed to the point where I pretty much suffered low self esteem. It wasn't till one faithful day when I was assisting a dermatologist in the treatment room, they saw my face and immediately offered to treat my acne. They started me on pimple gel (To be used when I have acne breakouts only), mild antibiotics and Vitamin A (The vitamin is the most expensive of them all). I won't lie, the treatment is so expensive and I nearly hyperventilate on the cost for the initial treatment, but once they started cutting off my dosage the cost became bearable. Oh, the vitamin have side effects as well. I can't get pregnant and I can't donate blood. The bright side is my acne has been cleared after a year plus of treatment and patience, after careful controlling of my diet (cutting out carbohydrates and sugar) and going for exercise. Regarding skin-related issues, the dermatologists need to assess your skin and determine what treatment suits you.

    Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine. How many time do we have to stress on this? You are not allowed to choose your venue! And they are not for sale! Just register in the mySejahtera app and wait. How many time do we have to stress that the government decide, we have no final say, the most we can advise you is if you need to reschedule your appointment time, go to your mySejahtera helpdesk. It has been updated and it's much helpful now. But I'm going to warn you now, if you postpone your vaccination date, God knows when you are going to get your next vaccination. So think carefully before you hit that re-scheduling button.

    I got a strange phone call today as well. Around lunch time, I picked up a call where someone was yelling at me how they have no money. This is pretty much how the conversation goes: (It's in Bahasa Malaysia, but I'll translate it roughly for you. Oh, my Bahasa Malaysia is weird, but I can hold on my own)

Person: I don't have money! I don't have work! Do you understand? (Saya tak ada duit! Saya tak ada kerja! Faham tak?!)

Me: I don't understand what you're talking about. (Saya tak faham apa tuan/puan tengah cakap)

Person: I don't have money! Why do you keep chasing me?! (Saya tak ada duit! Kenapa kamu kejar saya?!)

Me: Sir/ Ma'am, I really don't understand what are you talking about. What are you looking for? (Tuan/Puan, saya memang tak faham apa tuan/puan cakap. Tuan/Puan tengah cari apa?)

Person: They asked me to call the bank! (Mereka suruh saya telefon bank!)

Me: Wait, you are looking for the bank? (Tuan/Puan nak cari bank?)

Person: Isn't this the bank? (Ini bank kan?!) 

Me: This is the hospital. (Ini hospital.)

Person: They gave me this number and told me this is the bank's number! (Mereka bagi saya nombor ini dan cakap ini adalah bank punya nombor!)

Me: Sir/ Ma'am, we are a hospital, not the bank. (Tuan/Puan, kita sini hospital, bukan bank.)

Person: What is this?! Did they give me the wrong number?! (Apa macam ini?! Mereka bagi saya salah nombor ke?!)

Before I could answer this part, the person hung up the phone. That...is really weird.

    Remember the last part I talked about? Oof, karma hit me back. Should've never said it. Cause now I'm running after my family member who is unwell. Well, here's something for you to listen and laugh to:

 EP 17- The All Day Show With No Budget, Premiered 13th June 2021, by Jason Leong

*Dr Jason, I lock myself in my room and write like a weird person, the other half of the day is spend running after patients, calls and enquiries... 8 hours still okay lah... I hope you get your sponsorship with Gardenia... (20 loaves of bread??? I can barely even finish one loaf)

Welcome to the Internet - Bo Burnham (Acapella Cover), published on 14th June 2021, by Social Repose

*I'm going to say it, the video is a work of art and the music is really catchy for an acapella, and this is coming from someone who was forced to endure listening to a lot of acapella because her sister plays a lot of it every single day in the car. Wait, why is there a help me in the description box??? Sir, are you okay???

*Today's case:  4,949 (Put me in the ground~ Put me six foot down~ Can you guess the song title? Anyway, look another lucky number)

Lockdown 3.0 Diaries #13

Sushi Cartoon Source: Just Roll With It Cute Sushi Roll Pun Classic Round Sticker | Zazzle.com in 2021, Saved by Zazzle.com in May 2021 https://www.pinterest.com/pin/760123243360971110/

Slimey the Worm Source: Slimey the Worm https://hero.fandom.com/wiki/Slimey_the_Worm 

Last day of off duty. I can't be a sushi roll or a worm anymore, this week I'm going to be working all morning due to circumstances, but I'm okay. I like morning shifts. Been listening to a lot of My Chemical Romance lately. Not sure why. Maybe because I've been listening to too many alternative emo music. No, I'm not feeling depressed, besides, My Chemical Romance sings a lot about hope, thank you very much. If things had gone well, tomorrow would've been the end of the lockdown, sorry, folks, the government said carry on. 

    I made the mistake of getting a battery hot glue gun. Never knew that it could come in handy for many things. I spent so much on batteries that I wished I have gotten the cable powered one, because then I could've saved on batteries (Not to mention I think I used it about 5 times and then the glue isn't melting anymore). Then again, that time I didn't know a hot glue gun is so useful for many things. After scouring around the internet on foam boards for weapon props, I feel like making one again. Last time I did cosplay weapons was years back, but I think I can give it a shot next time around probably next year. Who knows? My mind flips back and forth easily. Besides, there's no cons going on.

    During the weekend, I was scrambling to find points for my annual license. With the pandemic, a lot of events and trainings has been cancelled and so we were all forced to resort to online, but I'm sure you know about my job now. Once you come into the office, you're going to be glued to your seat, phone and PC because the enquiries just won't stop coming in. You'll be so consumed by your work to the point where you tend to forget about applying your leaves and trainings because the enquiries and calls just won't stop coming. I've been taking less meals due to the workload, and I run mainly on tea, water, instant ramen or cookies in a packet. That's how busy things are. I couldn't even exercise much to build up strength because every time when I come home, I'm mentally drained. Don't believe me, look back through my posts regarding the phone calls I received.

Source: Work Memes on T৸ყrØiD, saved by Bake and Slay  in Pintrest, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/470415123573331237/

A local comedian once said, "When you have put out a flier with all the information printed on, usually people will get it and accept it. Not us, oh no, if there's 10 things printed on it, expect our folks to dissect all the 10 things on it." I know because everytime when I walked past the vaccination centre, I can see everyone pulling a staff aside and asking them to explain each station, even though it has already been printed clearly on what you should do and expect with miniature little cartoon diagrams. (I also have my fair share when I was on the ground, not to mention when I was a patient, people tend to pull me aside to get me to explain things to them) Kadavule. 

    Even when I'm not on duty, I can't seem to escape work. Do people understand the severity of Covid? I can't tell you how much time we have spent talking to covid admission cases on what you should prepare for your long stay in the hospital, and the thing we always emphasize on strongly: NO VISITORS AND NO ASKING PEOPLE TO BRING YOU THINGS. We are not trying to be heartless, there's a reason why we have to hammer this point down. It's to minimize contact and the spread of infection. I clerk so many cases and it's almost nearly the same thing: A goes out with B (ONLY B, as they like to stress on), everything seems fine, no problem. Suddenly, few days later, B became sick and started showing signs and symptoms of covid. B went to do a swab and got tested positive. A becomes a close contact and was forced to get tested as well. A also became positive, and now the whole family got to go for covid test (If they are lucky, all are tested negative). I can't tell you how many times I have turned down my friend's offer to go out because:

• I work in a healthcare facility (I mainly stayed away from them because I do not know what I'm carrying on me)
• None of my friends were vaccinated (As a healthcare worker, I was enrolled into the Phase 1 Vaccination Programme, whereas my poor friends were forced to wait for their mySejahtera)
• Need I remind you we are in the middle of a pandemic?

I try not to lose my cool with my patients, but it really irks me when they can tell me: "But, sister, I was lonely. I haven't been out of the house for so long." I understand, believe me, I do, but the government had stressed to try to minimize contact. Covid is transmitted through airborne and contact. You can go for your essential groceries. Just run to the supermarket, grab what you need and go (and for heaven's sake, wear your mask and make sure you got your hand sanitizers - Don't wear gloves because it is not advisable). At least I won't be so cross with you. What made me so cross was you know very well that our cases are on the rise again, and yet you still wanted to go out with your friend, just because you were lonely. Sigh, I keep in touch with my friends through Whatsapp, Facebook and emails (If people still write letters, I'll be happy to write letters back and forth - Nothing can ever beat a handwritten letter), I wanted so badly to go out with them too, to say hi and hug them, but I can't, because I'm trying to protect them and the people around me (AKA my family) This is why our lockdown got extended. You can go to our Kementerian Kesihatan Facebook page. There's a lot of videos regarding our ICU units getting congested.

Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia

Video di hosp sg buloh...seorang pesakit covid perlu ditiarapkan utk paru2 mendapat lebih oksigen. Proses ni perlukan at least 7 org untuk mengalihkan pesakit ni dgn dlm keadaan ppe..hargai lah staff nurse dan doktor di icu. Kami xminta dicela sbb netizen xdpt balik raya .”

Sumber dari twitter Dr Siti Sarah Aishah Suhaidi (@ctsarahaishah), Diterbitkan 5 Mei

I know that it's depressing in the covid ward, where you are not allowed to have visitors, and no one can come to bring you things. This is why we stressed so highly to let you know what you're getting into. This is why we encourage you to bring your own essential items like your laptop, books, Ipad, cable chargers, snacks etc so that you don't feel so lonely. At the very least you can still contact your closed ones through online, and you won't get bored with the hospital food because at the very least, you can have your favourite snacks to munch on. We often feel so tired when they get admitted into the ward, and then we get enquiries like, "Oh, my dad forgot his jacket and he said the food isn't appetizing. Can I bring them up to him?" "I want to send fruits and flowers up to So-and-so. Can you help me?" "My mom didn't have enough clothes, can you help me pass to her?" Please, stop treating our words like empty air. There's a reason why we spend so long with covid admission cases, because we want to mentally prepare you, that it's not the end of the world, that we hope that once you come in you will get better, but at the same time, if you are not going to cooperate with us, then what's the point? Healthcare workers can only help up to a certain extent, the rest is up to you.  Don't get me started on the travelling part as well. All of us are not able to cross-interstate nor travel overseas, yet I still hear people giving me really weak reasons. If it's for work and education, I can accept it, but again... Just because you are fully immunized doesn't mean you are hundred percent safe from covid.

Source: Map of the world by Coronavirus cases : mapporncirclejerk (reddit.com), posted by u/CreeperSlimePig, 1 year ago (I can't find any recent Coronavirus case map, not sure why, but you get my point - We are literally in the red)

Here's one thing my dad always stressed to me: "When you are sick, you're not the only one who is affected, the people around you as well, even if they are not admitted for treatment." He's right. If I happened to bring the corona back home unknowingly, sure I'll most likely get quarantined, but then my family get affected as well, or if I happen to have met up with friends, I will have affected them as well, and their families. Long story short: Think of the people around you.

*Today's case: 5,304 (We going down? I sure hope so)

Lockdown 3.0 Diaries #12

 Not on duty again. I'm a sushi roll. 

    So somebody asked me why I don't get things from America, it's not that I don't want to, it's the conversion rates. To put it bluntly, 5 USD = RM 20.53. It's not the product that kills me, it's the shipping. 13 USD Shipping = RM53.38. I can buy tons of stuff with that 53 ringgit, you know. It's a shame because I would like supporting the indie artists over there, but shipping kills my pocket. And I'll be honest, most stuff I get online are books and craft stuff. I get my books mainly from Book Depository, because I pay just for the books, not the shipping (Free!). If they have charged for shipping, I would've hightailed it out of here. I like going there to get my books, because they have a lot of rare books over there, and they usually have discounts running. The only downside is...It takes roughly a month to get the books, and because it is normal air courier, I can't track my package. (So far I got all my books safely, thank you Book Depository)      

    Due to the pandemic, most bookshops have gone online, which is a shame because I have often stressed that you can't get that feeling - Ask any bibliophile, that magical feeling of stepping into a physical bookshop - anywhere. One thing I noticed a year into the pandemic, sometimes it is not the product that is expensive, it is the shipping. Books are usually the killer because they tend to count by weight and distance. So if you are ordering a thick book, calculate the weight and distance... Yikes. Not just international, local as well. This is why if I'm ordering books, I have to order several so that I'm able to get free shipping or at least a reduced rate, usually I go for books that have already been released for years and I can't find them easily anymore (Uncle Steve, I'm looking at you). (For my favourite authors, I tend to go to the shop and get them on the release date, think back to Harry Potter books release flashback.) I was hunting for a book that I so badly wanted, but it is in the US, for a second-handed copy I can get it around 4 USD (Cheapest I can find), but when it comes to the shipping (20 - 30 USD) Ugh, I can buy a brand new book for that price, sorry, I'm going to have to give a pass.

    I got a lot of messages that said jewelry making is expensive. Not exactly. Remember I said I tend to get most of my wires and beads online? Jewelry wires aren't expensive, I got my supplies from a local craft shop based in Negeri Sembilan for about RM 2 - RM 4, beads and charms usually cost around RM 3 - RM 7 (Depending on what you get - I can get a large variety of beads for around RM 10 from China - Do not buy valuable gemstones for goodness sake.), I get my pliers and tools (a basic set would have around 6 items) from China for less than RM 20 (if you are super lucky), including shipping it should not exceed RM 25 - 30. Don't spend overboard, go for the ones that are reasonably priced. As someone who does this as a hobby, I don't need fancy tools, just tools that can get the job done. For wire and beads, I tend to get them in bulk to save shipping cost. (My cords came today, and I finally fixed my broken necklace. The bad news, I seemed to have accidently injured my finger, cause the tip hurts.)

    I missed comic conventions, because it gives me an excuse to wear my yukata, but I don't blame the community for postponing it several times over because as someone who has been to the con few times, and has friends who enjoys going to these kind of events, they told me the crowd size is crazy (No exaggeration there). As an otaku, comic cons are a huge event that happens once a year, usually in December, where you will see passionate otaku, anime/ manga lovers, cosplayers gather in that one place. It is so crowded to the point where if you going to go in elaborate costumes, you are going to have to be careful because most of the time, you will be squeezing your way through, not to mention how many people would step on your foot. I go mainly because I like to play guess the characters from which game/ anime. The last comic con I gone to was on 16th December 2017 to see Uematsu-ojiisan playing with his band. Till this day I'm sad that I couldn't get tickets for the meet and greet, because it was sold out (I would've gotten Uematsu-ojiisan to sign my Final Fantasy artbooks, hehe. I know Nomura Tetsuya is the main character designer, but Final Fantasy in whole is made up of many several great people, like Sakaguchi Hironobu, Amano Yoshitaka and many others, yes, I know I'm such a geek). It didn't help that my sister was cussing me out the whole time despite that I got the tickets (at great personal risk because I got it from an online website which I'm not sure would've scammed me off my money) mainly as her birthday present because she likes Final Fantasy as well.

Uematsu-ojiisan hasn't aged much at all. :) Sorry for the poor photo quality.

Maybe it's just me, but we otaku are a nearly extinct bunch. I recall the time where I was attending a patient who had to go for skin biopsy and they were carrying a large Gundam purchase and wearing an anime shirt (I can't remember, was it Dragon Ball or Gundam?) and I made casual talk with them, when I ask them if are they an otaku. Well, you can imagine the conversation, we were soon talking about our favourite anime and manga. It's nice to break the ice. They were really surprised that I watch anime and read manga, um, just because I don't say it out loud doesn't mean I don't. If you compare last time and now, I watch anime less, because I can't seem to find good anime and manga. I mainly watch tokusatsu because if you read my year end post, I can't stop gushing about the special effects (and tokusatsu is one of the ways I brush up on my Japanese - Erm, not much improvement there as I rarely speak Japanese). If you are going to adapt an anime into real life, I would say give it to our Japanese friends, because at least they know what are doing (I'm looking at you, Western Death Note) My parting words with them was if they are going to comic on, to take care and be safe. 

    As I'm writing this, the government had just announced yesterday late evening that the lockdown got extended. Dammit, Janet! (It's a Rocky Horror show reference) I'm sure you have realized this by now, but I have been challenged to post everyday during the lockdown (Doesn't matter if I'm off duty, I have to write whatever is in my thoughts - That's the beauty of the challenge), so now that the lockdown has been extended, it means my challenge got extended as well. Time to pick my brains.

*Today's case: 5,793 (Ah, I see what you did there)