Ladies, We Can Make a Difference!

Come join me, Nor, and many others to The Pink Sisterhood!
This one is all about breast cancer, which everyone knows is one of the most life-threatening diseases today. I’m doing my part in spreading awareness on breast cancer by sharing some scary yet so very true facts on breast cancer. Ladies, do take note!

* One in eight women or 12.6% of all women will get breast cancer in her lifetime.
* Breast cancer risk increases with age and every woman is at risk.
* Every 13 minutes a woman dies of breast cancer.
* Seventy-seven percent of women with breast cancer are over 50.
* Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women between the ages of 15 and 54,
and the second cause of cancer death in women aged 55 to 74.
* Risks for breast cancer include a family history, atypical hyperplasia, early menstruation
(before age 12), late menopause (after age 55), current use or use in the last ten years of oral
contraceptives, and daily consumption of alcohol.
* Early detection of breast cancer, through monthly breast self-exam and particularly yearly
mammography after age 40, offers the best chance for survival. Above facts taken from
Women’s Health Organisation Forum.

And now here is the tag and the rules:
1. Put the logo in your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who shared it with you.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.


I would like to share this specially with: -
1. Mas
2. Fadilah
3. Nora
4. Ayu
5. Atiqah
6. mashanapi

*and 1 more soon to come. I just realized I am not an avid blog follower. Just wrapped up in my own little world. Note to self: it's not just about you! hehe.

If At First You Don't Succeed, Dust Yourself Off and Try Again

I recently had my clinical exam. I was given an adult case. In the clinical exam, I have to perform basic audiology assessments which are otoscopy examination (to check the outer ear), acoustic immittance test (to check the middle ear and auditory pathway) and also the pure tone audiometry (hearing test). One hour was given to complete all that including giving feedback to the patient.

I had about two weeks to prepare for my session. So I studied and studied and hungout a few times in between studying. By the time it was my turn, I thought I was ready. Nervous, but ready. I thought that I had it in me to do well.

On that day, fate decided otherwise. I had an army as my patient; from the moment I was seated on the chair across him, he was hitting on me. Because of his irrelevant, inappropriate, unprofessional and gross behavior, I became a wreck. My nerves could not settle and I was so uncomfortable, I wanted to finish the session. Fast.

It wasn't a session I would treasure in my heart, and I don't feel like telling everybody who bothers to read this blog what I went through. But basically I didn't do well and the lecturers thought they were giving me a chance to repeat and perform my usual best.

Chance? Haha. If they hadn't given me that kind of patient in the first place, I don't think I would have needed to repeat. They even told me it was a good experience, something that I had experience first ahead of my coursemates. Ha ha. Aren't they just funny? At least they admitted that I am one of the best student. Thus, my ego was not totally bruised.

Oh, the lecturers also told me that, my session with the army was his third visit to the clinic. For the first session, it was with a male lecturer (so of course he wouldn't be hitting on him); second with a third-year student, and he didn't show the unnecessary behavior. Only with my session that guy behaved like that, which was a surprise to the lecturers as well. I concluded it was due to my natural beauty and adorableness that got him to act like he did. Another ego-booster, and yet the thought does not comfort me.

Looking back at it positively, maybe there is a reason on why I have to repeat. Maybe it is a way of telling me that there will be days when I can't be on top all the time. Sometimes you have to fall to appreciate success. And by repeating, I am going to study a lot more, and strengthen my knowledge.

Thanks to everyone who supported me, especially Nor. You're the best :)

Live Your Life

I am relating so much to this song after I went through my clinical exams.
Just as a motivation to self, even though the lyrics don't exactly reflect what I went through.
I especially liked the opening quotes in the videoclip.
Feel free to watch and listen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQiQSaDs9aQ

Sweet Nothing in My Ear

I was going to study Hearing Aids when I took a breakie to see what movie my sister was watching. I immediately decided to watch the whole movie when I saw it was about a deaf child (naturally).

The movie is entitled as the above, starring Jeff Daniels, the only actor I recognized. It was released early this year (I think) and I watched it on HBO. Here's a synopsis of the movie.

It's about a couple, normal hearing husband (Dan) and deaf wife (Laura) with a deaf child (Adam). Adam is 8 years old. He was not born deaf; he lost his hearing at the age of 4 and had speech. Since then, he didn't use his voice at all and had been using sign language taught by his mother to communicate with his parents and other people who knows that language.

Laura was also born deaf to deaf parents. Her father was a writer who's very passionate about the deaf culture. He thought deaf people should only use sign language and those wearing amplification of hearing aids and cochlear implants are people who are ashamed to be deaf. He also thought that normal hearing people are prejudiced against the deaf people. Dan thought his father-in-law never really accepted him.

Anyway.

One day, Adam hurt himself while running for his balloon amidst shouts from Dan, which Adam of course could not hear. Dan brought him to the emergency room and told the doctor what happened. The doctor suggested for Dan to consider cochlear implants but Dan flat out refused, saying he accepted Adam the way he is.

Fast forward, Dan became interested in cochlear implants but this interest was not shared with Laura. Laura didn't think cochlear implants is the best option for Adam, even when she saw herself an implanted child during the switch-on session (switch-on session is the time when the electrodes implanted in the cochlear are activated). She just thought of the possibilities on how the implant would not benefit Adam, instead of the many opportunities Adam can have if he was implanted.

The idea of cochlear implants on Adam made the couple grew distant. Dan badly wanted Adam to hear again while Laura is the opposite. She even said to her friend, 'Maybe it would have been easier if Adam was born deaf' (omg!). Even both their parents noticed that there's something going on between Dan and Laura.

During a family dinner, as Dan passed the mashed potatoes to Adam, Adam suddenly said, 'Daddy' repeatedly and 'Daddy, thank you'. Everyone at the table was speechless (hihi! Pun intended. Ok, ok, they were shocked). As Dan answered his phone, Laura and her parents (who were also there) went to the kitchen to discuss about Adam suddenly speaking. As they fought using sign-language, Laura's parents then confessed that Laura actually had hearing as well when she was born. They didn't want to tell Laura that because they want Laura to believe that she was born deaf like them too (Adoy. Very proud deaf people, aren't they?)

Later on, as Dan and Laura were not seeing eye-to-eye on things anymore, they filed for a divorce and fought for custody battle. Dan admitted that if he gets Adam, he will have him implanted while Laura on the other hand said she will let him be deaf as he is.

I didn't like the ending. They didn't show what was the judge's decision. Instead, Dan went to see Laura and they reconciled. The end. No cochlear implant. No Adam growing up unimplanted and signing away. Duh.

I have to admit, it was pretty nice I guess, for a movie showing a part of audiologist scope of work. Good to learn how to give informative counseling and also on understanding parents with hearing impaired children. There are just so many issues to consider.

It was pretty cool how they always correct people who said 'deaf' to 'hearing impaired'. Deaf is just too blunt a word.

It was also cool how the movie showed how the hearing impaired people live- captions in a movie so that they too can watch movies in the cinema; and assistive listening device like the door alarm, where when the doorbell rings, the lights in the house will blink repeatedly.

Recommend it to everyone in the audiology field especially. I think we could always learn a thing or two from it.

Ok back to hearing aids, hehe.

Clinical Exam Fever

What are the chances of seeing the very word that I will be tested upon on a lorry?

Especially audiology terms?

Like, ZERO right?

But of course, chances are just chances.

Fate has decided to let me actually see the word RCG on a lorry.

Yeah, lorry.

How odd was that.

Except of course, I'm sure it means something else. But FYI, in audiology, RCG means Required Coupler Gain, of which we calculate to determine the amplification for hearing aids, in simpler terms.

I didn't know what the RCG on the lorry means as I think my heart stopped beating for a sec seeing the word. I was speechless. Honestly I did not want to know what it means anyway.

Basically, I think it's a sign for me to STUDY.

Okay, okay, I get it.

But I still want to watch a movie with bestie tomorrow. Haha.

Pray for me please! :(