Risk Factors for Hearing Loss in Children

Below are some of the common risk factors for hearing loss. You should contact your pediatrician immediately if you have any concerns about your child's hearing.

* Family history of childhood hearing loss
* Parental or caregiver concern
* A congenital infection, such as CMV
* A syndrome associated with permanent or progressive hearing loss
* Craniofacial anomalies, including those with anomalies of the pinna and ear canal
* Chronic middle ear problems
* Birthweight of less than 1500 grams
* Severe hyperbilirubinemia requiring exchange transfusion
* Exposure to ototoxic medications
* Bacterial meningitis
* APGAR scores of 0 to 4 at 1 minute or 0 to 6 at 5 minutes
* Mechanical ventilation for greater than 5 days
* A stay in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for longer than 5 days
* Head trauma

source: seattlechildrens.org

Koklear Implan

This article is about cochlear implant, but in Malay language.

Masalah pendengaran boleh terjadi kepada sesiapa sahaja. Ia boleh berpunca daripada pelbagai faktor. Antara yang paling lazim adalah kongenital ( bayi dilahirkan dengan kecacatan ), jangkitan telinga tengah, meningitis, pendedahan kepada bunyi yang terlalu kuat dan faktor usia.

Sekiranya hanya telinga tengah yang terjejas, tetapi tidak teruk, penggunaan alat bantupendengaran untuk menguatkan bunyi sudah memadai. Bagaimanapun, jika kerosakan membabitkan keseluruhan telinga tengah atau berlaku kehilangan sel-sel rerambut di dalam koklea ( tetapi sarat auditori/saraf pendengaran masih berada dalam keadaan sempurna, implan koklea mungkin berupaya mengembalikan semula sebahagian daripada pendengaran.

Hari ini, para pengguna alat prostetik itu mampu berkomunikasi secara normal tanpa perlu membaca pergerakan bibir atau menggunakan bahasa isyarat lagi. Malah, sesetengahnya boleh bercakap menggunakan telefon. ” Implan koklear atau telinga bionik, tidak mengembalikan pendengaran seperti manusia normal. Kebanyakan pesakit menggambarkannya sebagai bunyi yang mekanikal. ”Bagaimanapun, bersama masa dan amalan yang berterusan, otak akan melakukan penyesuaian terhadap bunyi-bunyi baru dan isyarat pertuturan.

Bunyi-bunyian alam akan mula kedengaran lebih semula jadi, ”kata Ketua Pakar Audiologi, Pusat Perubatan Sunway, Mazwin Omar.Sejak mendapat kelulusan Pentadbiran Makanan dan Ubat-ubatan (FDA) pada awal tahun 1980-an, sebanyak lebih 60,000 pemasangan implan koklear dilakukan diseluruh dunia. Sebahagian besar darinya terdiri daripada kanak-kanak yang pekak sejak dilahirkan, seawal usia 12 bulan dan paling tua berusia 93 tahun. Implan koklear juga berjaya dilakukan ke atas pesakit yang mempunyai masalah perubatan lain seperti cerebral palsi, diabetes, tekanan darah tinggi, tinitus, ketidakupayaan pembelajaran dan sebagainya.Telinga terdiri daripada tiga bahagian iaitu telinga luar, telinga tengah dan telinga dalam.

Ketiga-tiganya saling berkerjasama di antara satu sama lain untuk menghantar bunyi ke otak. Telinga luar akan mengambil bunyi-bunyian yang kemudiannya dihantardalam bentuk gelombang melalui kanal/terowong telinga, ke gegendang telinga. Gelombang bunyi ini akan menyebabkan gegendang telinga bergetar, seterusnya menyebabkan sel-sel rerambut halus di dalam koklea bergerak. Sel-sel rerambut ini akan menyerap pergerakan dan mengubahnya ke dalam bentuk impuls elektrik, dihantar ke serat-serat saraf pendengaran dan otak dan menghasilkan bunyi.Menurut Mazwin, implan koklear merupakan alternatif kepada alat bantuan pendengaran konvensional yang berfunfsi meningkatkan tahap pendengaran dengan meransang saraf-saraf telinga dalam, secara elektrikal. Bayi, kanak-kanak serta orang dewasa yang mengalami masalah pendengaran teruk hinggalah ke sangat teruk di kedua-dua belah telinga, boleh mendapat manafaat darinya.

Calon paling ideal adalah kanak-kanak mahu pun orang dewasa yang baru mengalami hilang pendengaran, dalam jangka masa yang singkat. Bayi yang dilahirkan dengan masalah ini disaran melakukan implankoklear seawal mungkin, sebelum proses pembelajaran bahasa bermula pada usia dua atau tiga tahun.Untuk mengetahui sama ada bayi yang baru dilahirkan mengalami masalah pendengaran atau tidak, ibu bapa atau penjaga boleh melakukan program imbasan pendengaran di hospital-hospital yang menawarkan perkhidmatan itu.Implan koklear terbahagi kepada dua iaitu bahagian dalaman yang dikenali sebagai implan koklear itu sendiri dan bahagian luaran, pemproses pertuturan yang dicangkuk pada cuping telinga.

Pemproses pertuturan dilengkapi dengan mikrifon kecil yang mengambil bunyi,, menukarkanya ke dalam bentuk isyarat dan menghantarnya ke alat pemancar. Alat pemancar itu seterusnya akan menghantar isyarat-isyarat berkenaan melalui kulit ke implan dalaman. Implan dalaman kemudiannya akan menukar isyarat-isyarat berkod kepada tenaga elektrik dan menghantarnya ke elektrod.Keadaan ini akan meransang serat-serat saraf di dalam koklea dan isyarat tersebut akan dikenal pasti oleh otak sebagai bunyi. Pembedahan implan koklear mengambil masa di antara dua hungga tiga jam dalam keadaan bius sepenuhnya.

Pakar bedah akan memotong kulit di belakang telinga, mengangkat kulit dan tisu itu dengan berhati-hati.Satu lubang akan dibuat pada tengkorak dengan menggerudi bahagian tersebut bagi menempatkan komponen implan dalaman.Satu lubang lain akan ditebuk dan sampai kepada koklea untuk memasukkan elektrod.Setelah selesai, bukaan kulit akan ditutup dan kepala pesakit akan dibalut. Lazimnya pesakit akan ditahan diwad selama dua atau tiga hari sebelum dibenarkan pulang. Selepas tiga atau empat minggu dibedah, pesakit kini telah bersedia disambungkan ke komponen luaran untuk diaktifkan.Pemproses pertuturan akan diprogramkan dengan sejumlah program penghantaran bunyi individu yang dipanggil sebagai MAPs.

Proses pemetaan ini bertujuan menyesuaikan alat berkenaan dengan tahap pendengaran terbaik seseorang dalam persekitaran bunyi yang berbeza. Sejauh mana keupayaan seseorang untuk mendengar bergantung kepada gabungan faktor-faktor seperti faktor fizikal atau jangka masa seseorang itu mengalami masalah pendengaran atau pekak.Belajar untuk mendengar dan bercakap semula atau buat pertama kali merupakan satu proses yang berterusan. Bagi seseorang yang sudah lama tidak dapat mendengar atau kanak-kanak yang tidak pernah mendengar, ia akan mengambil masa bagi otak membiasakan diri dengan ransangan daripada implan. Ini sudah tentu melibatkan program pemulihan semula atau pemulihan bagi yang tidak pernah mengenal bunyi.

Bukan semua kanak-kanak yang mengalami kecacatan pendengaran boleh menerima implan koklear. Implan koklear hanya sesuai bagi masalah hilang pendengaran yang berpunca daripada masalah di dalam koklea seperti kerosakan sel-sel rerambut. Yang penting, saraf-saraf pendengaran tidak rosak bagi memastikan implan dapat berfungsi. Kelayakan hanya boleh ditentukan selepas penilaian menyeluruh oleh pasukan implandari pelbagai bidang. Pasukan implan yang dimaksudkan termasuklah pakar bedah telinga, hidung dan tekak, pakar terapi pertuturan dan bahasa serta pakar audiologi.

Source: Portal Rasmi Pendidikan Khas LMS

Audiology - A Good Career Choice in 2009

(taken from Deafness and Hearing Aids)

usnews.com has put together what is considers to be the 30 best careers in 2009 that offer a good outlook for the future and high job satisfaction.

They’ve selected Audiologist in their list and go on to say:

An advantage is that audiology is an under-the-radar career—few people consider it, so competition isn’t as keen as it might be. You’d think demand for audiologists would be rapidly increasing, with all the aging boomers and the increased special-education testing of children. But increasingly, lower-salaried ear technicians do much of what audiologists do. So, job growth in this small profession (13,000 people nationwide) is expected to be just average. The education requirement isn’t, however: Now, a doctor of audiology degree is required.

They also have some data on average salaries in the field:

Median (with eight years in the field): $62,200

25th to 75th percentile (with eight or more years of experience): $57,700-$81,200

Note: With the now required Au.D. and/or C.C.C.-A certifications, salaries are often $85,000 or more.

Original article via Hearing Review.

Cool huh? :) Always have, and always will be proud to be an Audiologist.

Audiology Graduate: Class of 2009

It was one of the best day in my life! That sums up my graduation day. Period.

I actually anticipated a bad day. Seriously. Because the last few days prior to 'the' day, a lot of crap was going on. Really depressed my excitement level down. Nevertheless, on that day, I just thought 'I'm wearing a gorgeous kebaya of songket saree, I should enjoy my day!'. And off I went to UKM Bangi to face the music.

My bf picked me up and my parents to send to Bangi. He was very good looking, in full Zara attire. He was a bit late though, as he was caught in traffic. Upon reaching there, I was careful not to touch or be touched by anyone who could 'batalkan' my wudhu'. I was preparing myself for zuhur so that I didn't have to ruin my make-up.

Met my personal photographer, Wafi at the flowers stall. He straightaway got to work. My mother forgot to buy me flowers, so she ordered one then and there, but at the same time we took pictures with the flowers at the stall, as if it was given to me. It was kinda funny.

Went to the hall, DECTAR. Met my fellow graduates. Took pictures like crazy. Sarah Rinai was the one who batalkan my wudhu'. Haha. I shrieked a bit. But then, what to do.

Queued into the hall. Felt high. Very excited and nervous at the same time. Sat between Suriya and Dalila. Kinda sad Miha, Aya, Nora and Alex couldn't join us. It would have been an even better graduation day. The whole Audiology queued together but was split into two rows. Couldn't really catch up with the rest: Jun Xuan, Mer, Ee Ling, Ping Meng, Mazly, Marul, Khai, Bee Ying and Soon Chien.

When my turn came to walk on stage I was grinning broadly, as advised by Jessica, my colleague. But once I got the cert holder, I forgot to hold it properly! I was walking holding on to it like some meaningless paper by my side. LOL. Padan muka sendiri. At that time I really hoped Wafi got my picture on stage. But he didn't. He missed :(

When I came out of the hall, I was greeted by familiar lovely faces. My family and friends! My parents were there, of course, future fiancee, of course, Ari & Kak Farini, Afus, Fatima and Najat. The rest of the family members Abang & Kak Elin, Elina, Aiman, Kak Ji, Hakim, Ang, Saleh and the twins couldn't make it. A bit sad but not when I saw the flowers and gifts that awaited me! Fit and her friend Aqilah; Keng and his gf Anis; Alya and her bf Lutfi; Fazliny and her bf Zufar and Mas all made it to my convo.

My parents gave me pink and white roses; Boyfriend gave me red roses+ferrero rocher, pink+gold+congratz helium balloons and rayban sunglass!; Hakim gave me sunflowers; Ari & Kak Farini gave me G2000 working shirt; Fit gave me an organizer and pink+purple+peach roses; Mas gave me a box of ferrero rocher; Fazliny gave me Elle bedsheet; Alya gave me a huge graduation photo frame; and Keng gave me a bouquet of blue roses.

Wait, there's more!

After much photo-snapping, we headed to the Stop, Grab, Go! stall for a bite. The hotdogs were absolutely yummy at only RM2! I treated all of them who were there. Then I rushed back with boyfriend for the Studio photo. Met my future parents-in-law as well.

Back at home, a barbeque party was on-going. When I arrived, Nora & bf, Hafeez were already there. They couldn't make it to the convo so they came to my house instead. The food were abundant and we helped ourselves. I haven't had a proper meal since breakfast! I was definitely hungry.

At home, Nora gave me an IKEA food container and red saree; my parents gave me an exquisite watch; Abang & Kak Elin gave me a bangle; Kak Ji gave me a Cybershot; and my relatives MakJan & PakTip gave me Al-Quran and cash.



My birthday was coming up at the time, and I wondered, 'is this a graduation or birthday celebration?'

Whatever it is, it was the best graduation ever and I am forever humbled by the blessings from Allah. Alhamdulillah.

I am officially an Audiology graduate!

Near Death Experience.

Most of you probably thought I'm exaggerating. I initially thought so too myself.

But when I really think about it, it WAS a life-threatening condition. The doctor even said it himself.

I always thought I'm not allergic to anything. Apparently I do have an allergy, and it's severe.

OK. What happened, you ask?

Well. It's the 2nd day of Ramadhan, and I was preparing dinner for my family. My little sister wanted to bake cupcakes, so I helped her with it. We were supposed to make toppings using icing, but she bought the wrong cream. She bought the whipped cream instead. I was like, great! Easier to do! Just squeeze out the cream as the topping.

And so we waited for the azan to break fast. After I had eaten my rice, I started to put on the whipped cream on the cupcakes. I ate one cupcake. After that I started to wash the dishes when the reaction started to kick in. I felt my right eye being itchy and I thought it had gone red. I washed my face but it didn't feel any better. I went upstairs to look at my eye and saw that it was swollen, as if an insect had stung it. I started texting my friend, Alya, and that was when I started to sneeze and cough uncontrollably. My nose started to block and I was coughing out bloody mucus. At that time, I thought I needed to get panadol.

As I went to the toilet to clear my nose, I asked my brother (he's a pharmacist), "What's going on?" while gesturing to myself. He said, "This looks like an allergic reaction. You're having difficulty breathing right?". I nodded. "What do I have to do?". "Go to the clinic".

I quickly prepared myself to go to the clinic and searched for my card for the panel clinic. As we went out to the federal highway, I asked my brother where are we going. "To PPUM". "PPUM? Into A&E you mean? Do I have to pay?". He said, "A bit". "Duh, then it's better to go to my hospital since I am a staff". On the way there both my eyes have started to swell and rashes started to appear on my arms and body.

I was welcomed by the A&E staff whom asked for my IC and took me to one of the beds. She asked me to sit down for a while. I sat and waited for about 5 - 10 minutes. Not knowing what to do and in need of tissues. Then only one of the nurses realized me and said out loud, "Hey, this patient is having an allergic reaction". Within seconds about 4 to 5 nurses came surrounding me, one putting a needle through my nerve and pumping in medication to stop the reaction, another putting me on the nebulizer and another one giving me tissues and a case for me to vomit out my mucus. It was crazy. I was like in a state of blurriness where I didn't know what was going on. They even injected medication on my butt! And just about 10 minutes of that, they all left me alone. My brother came in just looking at me. I asked, "Do I look better now?". He said, "There's no need to ask me that".

The doctor came, asking me what was I allergic to. I said I didn't know. I couldn't figure out anything different that I ate during break fasting. He looked worried and constantly looked at my heart rate and oxygen level. I asked if I could go back home. He said my condition was quite serious so I needed to be under observation for one night. He said it would be hard if we don't know what was the triggering food. I just moped because I didn't want to stay at the hospital.



I was sent to the ward on a wheelchair. As if I couldn't walk. It was a double-bed room but no one occupied the other bed. I had an LCD all to myself. It was pretty cool. I slept alone for the night.

The next day the nurses woke me up early in the morning to inject more medication. I was extremely groggy and just let the nurse do as she pleased. A few hours later my boyfriend Faiz came to visit me. He was the only one who visited me actually.

After he left, I anticipated the doctor's arrival. I just wanted to leave the hospital. When he came, I asked the doctor is it possible to be allergic to the whipped cream. He said it is possible, so I needed to watch out on my food next time. I asked him how serious was my condition. He said it was actually a life-threatening condition as my oxygen level was very low and it was good that I went to the hospital immediately. I became quiet hearing that. He asked whether I want to stay there and I requsted to go home.

The nurses prepared the bill and the discharging process for me. As I waited, I thought about my allergy to apple pies. Everytime I eat McD's apple pie, I realized that I would have difficulty to breath. But it was just mild, as several minutes after that I would breath like normal. Maybe there is an ingredient in both the apple pie and whipped cream that was the trigger?

I still don't know what caused it. I googled on whipped cream allergy but still didn't really understand it. According to what I have read, if I'm allergic to whipped cream, I should be allergic to dairy products. But then again, I've been eating all the dairy products all this time and I was fine! And I even had a Starbucks' drink with whipped cream just a few days ago. It's driving me crazy not knowing the trigger food!

Anyway. The most important thing right now is I'm okay. My brain has been haunted with 'What IFs' since yesterday. I am so thankful to Allah for letting me get through the ordeal safely. He could have just taken away my life like that. And I don't think I have done enough to deserve a place in His heaven. I guess it's His reminder to me that I will die eventually, and at least now He is giving me the chance to cherish life in His blessed path. I really hope I will, insyaAllah. Amiin.

Thank you Faiz Mokhtar for being there for me. And a big thanks to my brother for knowing what to do. If it wasn't for your immediate action, I may not be here right now.

Scary isn't it? That's life for you. You 'll never know when it's going to end.

Graduation

My graduation day is coming soon!

Mark this date y'all:

Date: 15th August 2009

Time: 1.30pm - 5.00pm

Session: 2

Faculty: Allied Health Sciences

Expecting lots of flowers and prezzies. Be there, please do! Am even hiring a photographer for the day :D

My enthusiasm for it is further supported by the layout for this blog. Only temporary, don't worry! :)


*fit, I want to have this photo too! :)

Speechless

I stumbled upon this forum.

Couldn't believe the stuff people say about Audiology.

They seriously don't know anything!

I really advise people who doesn't know anything to think before you speak (or type). It could mislead other innocent people who actually have interest in Audiology.

It's really sad reading this.

Audiology is so much way better than Biomedical. Period.

Rehab Services' Connection Lunch

A first of many for me :)

Some of which includes making peach jelly!



And it was delicious :D
(I got the recipe from this link, try it out!)

There was a best photo competition as well.



(I designed this :P)

But my group didn't win :(

Never mind, eating pizza with them was fun!

Hoping for more good food and gatherings in the future :)

Screen Newborns for Hearing Impairment

*As taken from the Star's archive, letter published on 22nd April 2009. Credit to Saravanan :)

WE have a three-and-a-half year old son whom we recently discovered is hearing impaired.

The news came as a shock to us and his teachers as the boy did not show any indications of hearing impairment. He is able to understand us quite perfectly, functions well in school and the only missing aspect in his development is his speech.

A hearing test was requested by his speech therapist as part of the procedure to rule out hearing problems that may hinder his speech development. As a result, we discovered that our son has bilateral mixed (moderate to severe) hearing loss.

Infant hearing screening is conducted widely in most developed countries. Otoacoustic emission (OAE), an easy, quick and inexpensive method with accuracy of 90% to 99%, is commonly used.

Unfortunately, OAE screening is not widely available in this country. Only selected private hospitals include this in the newborn screening package.

There is also a lack of awareness and education on infant hearing loss. Perhaps hearing loss among babies is low and unlike other paediatric issues, it is not something fatal.

The advantages of early detection of hearing loss and early intervention for hearing-impaired children are well established. Early intervention can promote a child’s normal language development and takes full advantage of the developing sensory system.

Children with hearing loss below six months of age who are given the necessary interventions are found to do better in general development, expressive and receptive language skills and personal-social areas than children identified after six months of age. They are also on par in their language and cognitive skills with normal hearing children.

In Malaysia, we found that infant hearing screenings are conducted in some teaching hospitals for research purposes only and mostly on high-risk babies. The mean age of hearing loss detection in Malaysia is 48 months. This is beyond the 0-3 years period, which is the critical period in maximising the brain plasticity for a child’s language development.

We therefore urge the Govern­ment and medical authorities to seriously consider offering infant hearing screening widely and educate parents accordingly about infant hearing loss. While the percentage of hearing loss among low-risk babies is low, let us not leave the odd child out. A child stands to benefit considerably from early detection and intervention.

WMD,

Penang.

Symptoms of Hearing Loss

If you experience any of these symptoms, do immediately seek an audiologist's consultation:

1. Not being able to understand others' speech - people seem to be mumbling when they are speaking

2. Misinterpreting what others say

3. Loss of confidence

4. Difficulty understanding conversation in group settings

5. Asking others to repeat themselves

6. Difficulty hearing television, radio and/or telephone

7. Difficulty hearing in public gatherings such as concert halls or theatres where sound sources are far away

Don't wait and see. Your hearing senses deserve better!

Hearing in Poetry

"Our hearing is a choice and dainty sense,
And hard to mend, yet soon it may be marred,
Blows, falls, and noise... all these...
Breed tingling in the ears, and hurt our hearing."

~Physicians of the medieval medical school of Salerno.

For My Fellow Colleagues & Working Friends

*credit to Faiz Mokhtar :)*

Beware of Scheming Devils

Everyone should take note of this. I think it has been going on for quite a while but people are not really aware of it.

I was nearly scammed a week ago. It actually happened to my older brother, except that his X-Box's hard drive was 'lost' and mine was my camera's memory card and battery. So what happened was, my camera was broken and naturally I sent it for repair at the shop I purchased it from (in Digital Mall, PJ). They charged me RM50 just for the cost of quoting repair charges to Canon. I obliged, as I had no time to go to a Canon store myself. It took them 2 weeks to quote the charges to me, which I refused as it was too expensive, and another 3 weeks for me to get it back.

I remember clearly that I did not take out the memory card and battery, and the salesperson also did not give it to me. He only gave me the camera casing, so that only the camera is sent off to Canon. But when my boyfriend picked up the camera, he didn't know, and so he brought the camera back to me without the battery and memory card.

The next day both of us went back to the shop to claim the memory card and battery. I waited in the car as there was no parking, while my bf went to talk with the guy. They argued (according to bf) and bf let the guy talked to me on the phone. The guy repeatedly said he always ALWAYS always give back the memory card and battery to customers, or if he had taken those things, it would have been written on the receipt, which in my case, he didn't write. So I argued with him back, saying I know I didn't take those things, and said, 'why would I lie to you?!' He defended himself, saying he knows what he did, blablabla. I knew at that moment he's cheating on me and so I said 'whatever' and told my bf to take a picture of the shop (in case I want to write to newspapers or something).

My clever bf not only took the picture of the shop, but also the receipt. After we left the place, about 20 minutes or so the guy called back, asking how many GB was my memory card. I told him, and he said he found one memory card. I checked back my receipt of the camera purchase and reconfirmed with him and he said, he found both the memory card and battery. Huh. The photo-taking must have made him chickened out.

So I got those things back. But my brother wasn't as fortunate. The same thing went on, where the guy said no, he didn't take the hard drive or he would have written it on the receipt and all that BS. My brother didn't take pictures of the shop, so the thief got away uncaught.

But please, be very aware of these kind of people. It might happen to you. This is a public service announcement and it is the truth.

The Wedding Singer

Recently there were a lot of weddings going on, especially since it was a school break. I've attended some as the partner for Faiz Mokhtar, who was invited from his friends and colleagues. So far all of the receptions were held at the bride's or groom's houses. Each wedding (hrmm, maybe except for the Terengganu one) will put on full blast wedding songs, easily vibrating the guests' eardrums to the limits. Sometimes it was a live wedding singer; sometimes it was a record. Either way it annoyed the hell out of me because I really hate noise pollution. Plus, I'm an audiologist, I should be concerned about this. Someone should be out there with a dosimeter to measure the level of noise the weddings are producing or something.

Exposure to noise could actually cause Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL). There are 3 types of NIHL: Acoustic trauma, Noise-Induced Temporary Threshold Shift (NITTS) and Noise-Induced Permanent Threshold Shift (NIPTS). NIHL usually affect the high frequency sounds, although constant noise exposure will also cause it to spread to low frequency sounds. I will update more about this; but for now here are some pictures of me attending weddings with my partner in tow :) From here, we can see my boyfriend's fave batik :P



Seremban


Keramat


Kuala Terengganu


Muar


Petaling Jaya

Final Submission

I submitted my thesis.

No feeling. None at all.

What's that? Euphoria? Did I say that?

I didn't even make a copy for myself.

I forgot, actually, haha.

But yay, everything's settled.

Thank you so much to everyone who has helped.

Sincerely from the bottom of my heart.

The lucky ones, I've even highlighted in my 'Penghargaan'. You guys are the reason the thesis is completed.


"I can no other answer make, but thanks and THANKS!" - William Shakespeare.

Name-Drop in Movie. When Will It Be?

Last night I watched Night at the Museum 2: the Smithsonian (I think this is the title). It was dead boring. Funny but boring. There was no content at all! But, there was one scene that totally caught my attention. The scene where Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) was messing around with the Smithsonian guard, Brandon (pronounced Brundun- LOL moment). He mentioned about him not being a speech-therapist to teach Larry how to pronounce his name correctly (if I'm not mistaken).

See, even speech-therapists get a name-drop. In a box-office movie at that.

When will Audiologists get name-drops? In a song, even?

Nevertheless. Jonas Brothers voicing cupids? Total adorableness.

Beautiful Pressure in KL

Want to experience changing of middle ear pressure amidst gorgeous KL scenery?

You can do so, by heading up to Look Out Point, Ampang~!

The location is on a hill, so once you go up there, the atmospheric pressure becomes more negative than the middle ear pressure. You would feel a feeling of blockage. To overcome this feeling, you may perform the Valsalva maneuver. How you ask? You introduce positive pressure by pinching your nose and then slowly blow through your mouth. This will then equalize the middle ear pressure.

Once you reach Look Out Point, you would most probably forget everything as the view on top would simply blow you away. It blew me away. Simply fascinating.

There were several restaurants where you can enjoy the scenery and stimulate your palette at the same time. The food were okay and affordable. The price is not that cheap, and not that exorbitant. Me and my friends had our supper at Haven @ d Peak, which is the highest restaurant there. After that we headed to the Menara Tinjau, the highest point, to take in the awesome night view, and of course some picture taking :).





After much snapping, we went back down to KL. None of us actually did experience any changing middle ear pressure going down. But just so you know, going downhill would of course cause more positive middle ear pressure, thus you should be performing Toynbee Maneuver to equalize the pressure. Just a simple maneuver: pinch your nose and swallow.

These maneuvers could be applied especially when you are boarding the flight or diving; this helps to prevent barotrauma.

So what are you waiting for? Head on to Look Out Point, now~! :D

The 4 Years Journey

As posted in facebook, I thought this song reflects best my ups and downs in becoming an Audiologist. The 4 years journey has been a bittersweet wonderful experience, all of which I would treasure til my last breath. Here it is.

Miley Cyrus - the Climb

I can almost see it
That dream I'm dreaming but
There's a voice inside my head sayin,
You'll never reach it,
Every step I'm taking,
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking but I
Got to keep trying
Got to keep my head held high

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm gonna to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing,
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down but
No I'm not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm going to remember most yeah
Just got to keep going
And I,
I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on, cause

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm gonna to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb (yeah)

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes you going to have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb (yeah yeah ea ea)

Keep on moving
Keep climbing
Keep the faith baby
It's all about
It's all about
The climb
Keep the faith
Keep your faith

Whoa a oh oh


1st Year 2005/2006


2nd Year 2006/2007


3rd Year 2007/2008


4th Year 2008/2009

Ear Joke?

I was hanging out with a friend when we saw a woman with a nose ring attached to an earring by a chain.

My friend said, "Ouch! The chain must rip out every time she turns her head!"

I had to explain that a person's nose and ear remain the same distance apart no matter which way the head is turned...

Lol.

They Walk Among Us !

Essential Steps to Safe Clean Care

This is especially for those who visit the hospital. It is important because patients in the hospital are at risk of infection and this may prolong stay and delay recovery.

1. Hand washing
The single most important way of reducing infection is by washing hands. Clean your hands regularly, especially
- before and after visiting patient
- on entering and leaving hospital
- after using the toilet and bathroom

You may use soap and water, but if your hands are visibly clean you may use alcohol gel instead, which is usually placed at the entrance to all wards.

2. Manage children
Children should be discouraged from crawling on the floor and must be supervised at all times.

3. The environment
Help keep the hospital environment clean tidy by:
- disposing rubbish into the bins
- cleaning off any mud or dirt on foot before entering the hospital

4. Flowers
Flowers have been sort of like a traditional gift for the patient. However, it is actually impractical within hospitals as it pose risk of infection.

5. Wound management
Avoid touching any wounds, drip, etc on patients. If you accidentally do so, wash your hands immediately.

6. Isolation room
Get permission from the nurse counter before entering the room.

7. Visiting hours
Adhere to the hospital policy and the visiting times. Try to limit the number of visitors at the patient bedside at all times as patient needs to rest.

8. Personal hygiene
Shower frequently and change into clean clothes regularly. Do not walk about in bare feet, wear slippers or shoes. Visitors who are coughing and sneezing or feeling ill, avoid visiting patients in hospitals.

SOUND in Audiology

I was studying and found this simple yet straight-forward facts of sound in Audiology. The word SOUND can be used to easily remember the things that could cause hearing problems.

S = Sensory overload

O = Old age
~ age-related hearing loss usually does not lead to deafness but to auditory isolation.

U = Undiagnosed tumors or under-treated infections

N = Non-functioning ear canal or bones
~ anything that blocks the ear canal reduces sound flow

D = Damage from drugs, trauma or pressure
~ certain drugs have a toxic effect on hearing.
~ trauma and pressure trauma can damage the ear and also cause hearing loss.

As easy as ABC. Hear well, always! :)

Counting Down

Yay, I submitted my soft-bound thesis today! One day before actual submit date. So proud of myself. It was a great feeling, I must say. Can't wait when I actually submit the hard copy. Might reach euphoria level.

So. Checklist.

15/4 : Paper I Clinic IV - check

17/4 : Submit soft-bound thesis - check (one day early, wee~)

21/4 : Clinical + Viva exam - check. Pls Pass. Amin.

28/4 : Paper II Clinic IV

7/5 : Thesis viva

12/5 : Advanced Clinic exam

13/5 : I am freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee~

3 down, 3 more to go. Bring it on ;)

Audiometry: An Audiological Test or a Music Band?

I was suddenly inspired by my boyfriend's countless urges and my own bestie's doing of youtubing for every practical examination.

So I typed Play Audiometry, a behavioral hearing test for children, on youtube.

None about Play Audiometry came out.

Just lots of videos from a music band named 'Audiometry'.

Funny. And they don't even sing! Just jamming sessions, I assume.

I don't think they're even Audiologists.

LOL. The things you find in youtube...

Final Exams. Hopefully Really Final.

Classes are over.

Clinical sessions are over.

Waiting for feedback.

And then.

Exams.

Final exams.

Really really really final exams. Hopefully.

Am I ready for this?

Hopefully so.

I just need to pass and graduate!

Do pray for me :)

An Ethical Dilemma

Recently, final year Audiology & Speech Sciences students were assigned to present an ethical dilemma.

My group videotaped the dilemma, acted out by our very own group members.



Here's the video. Do let me know if you have any feedback regarding the dilemma :D



There are two dilemmas:

1. The ENT Doctor is the boss of the Audiologist. So the Audiologist needs to oblige to the ENT Doctor who is the Head of the Department. But then, he won't be on the good side of his boss.

2. The Audiologist is compromising patient's realistic benefits from cochlear implant if he follows the Doctor's orders.

A Walk to Remember

On the 28th of March, the Department of Audiology & Speech Sciences held their annual dinner at Dynasty Hotel to commemorate the Earth Hour (not!). The third year students, by tradition, were responsible to organize the dinner to celebrate the fourth years. Despite the time schedule being really hectic and tight, I made the effort to make myself gorgeous for the night. And so the chronology of events was as followed:

1. The dress : I planned to use the dress I already have but alter it a bit to make it more glam. I assigned my talented sister-in-law in February to do beading on my dress. Alas, she was busy, and the design she initially made could not be completed in time, so she redid a simple design.

Sad. But what to do...

2. The scarf : I together with Nora followed my boyfriend to Kuala Terengganu to attend his colleague's wedding. Whilst there, I scavenged for the perfect scarf, based on the magazine Pengantin. It was difficult. In the end I just bought a cheap one which I didn't even wear on the night itself. Instead, I wore the more merelip (glittery) one that I bought in Maju Junction with Mer and Miha. Yay.

But sad because our pictures during our shopping trip were accidentally deleted. Sorry Mer and Miha!

3. The gloves : Oh, the drama that entailed in the quest for the satin gloves! Searched for it in OU, MidValley and lastly Sg Wang. Supposed to go with boyfriend, but then a misunderstanding occurred, and so I went alone. Searched for about 20 minutes and found it! On the way back home, tried it on and it was too big! Went with Miha and Mer around the Sogo area to alter it, but no shop could provide the service. The next day went back to Bukit Bintang to fix it, and yay, success! ;)

Was quite worth it, wearing the gloves glammed up my dress, and even Prof Siti said I looked like Saloma wearing it. I loike! ;p

4. The shoes : Since I did not feel like spending a lot for the dinner, I just improvised my black shoes by putting purple brooch on each shoe.

Nice and creative, isn't it?

5. The make-up : I went all the way to Klang to get 'professional' help from Cik Farah Wirda. She did an excellent job, I tell you! Her transformation made me to the top 5 finalists for the Queen of the Night. Too bad I didn't win.

Nevertheless, the Klang trip was worth it. I heart you Kak Farah!

6. The clutch : I borrowed Mak's clutch! She bought it for Ari's wedding, and I actually specifically based my choice of colours with that clutch.

Another cost-saving tactic success ;p




The preparation went well and when the night came, va-va-voom, voila, a beautiful me :) hehe. The dinner was, not that bad, but the night was more memorable as I had my partner besides me. Dynasty Hotel was not a good choice, but I had to give the juniors credit for their effort. I liked the butterfly bracelet though.

And to think, it's my final dinner as an undergraduate... Oh well, life moves on.

OK, next!

A Bad Start to a Good End :)

Seriously, I initially thought I was going to have the worst day of my life. On my final research presentation day at that. Huh.

I woke up late, with my script for my presentation still unfinished. I actually woke up to a dream of me being asked regarding Spatial Release of Masking (SRM, a term in audiology). I had no idea what it was in the dream! I woke up distressed. Thank God it was only a dream. With my red pen still in hand, I straight-away continued writing my script.

Which made me being more late to get ready to go to college. Good thing I ironed my outfit the night before, my lovely turquoise batik. Had a somewhat-scrambled egg (Sorry Mak, you were not at your best ;p) hurriedly only to be greeted with rain outside. Mak sent me to the car, but then we went back in to get my cute umbrella (Fit gave me, made in Japan baby!) only to find out it's with my brother's girlfriend. Got back into the car, it was low on petrol, putting me on the edge of my nerves. As I reversed my car, it almost hit 1. my mom's Mazda; 2. the brick wall. I tried to move up, but with the rain, the tyres were slippery, and were just squealing instead of moving. I literally screamed inside the car, and cried. A little. Tearfully I tried reversing and made it without a scratch.

As I squealed off towards the highway, I calmed myself down, reciting some Quran verses. And then I entered into the slow traffic. Great. I haven't even finished my script! I kept on reciting under my breath, to sooth myself. Yet, the butterflies in my stomach wouldn't go away.

When I reached there, I waited anxiously for my turn. The presenter before me had a lot of negative comments, making me extra nervous. When it was my turn to present, the shiver in my words was hard not to be missed. I was pretty uncomfortable, not liking how the microphone and mouse were placed. Nevertheless, I had my script, and after a while I grew more confident, I think.



When I finished, the speech sciences lecturer said she enjoyed my presentation and my supervisor commented and acknowledged my effort. It put me on high. The best part was, during the Q&A session for the presenter after me, another speech sciences lecturer praised my presentation and said sorry for not telling me earlier. How cool was that?

My friends congratulated me and even said my outfit was gorgeous. I was in eternal bliss :) Momentarily, before tiredness crawled into me after lunch. I could barely open my eyes for the afternoon session!

Much appreciation and compliments to Mak for letting me use her working space for the weekend, my parents for praying for me, Dr. Siti for replying my texts!, Suriya for always being on YM when I needed her, Faiz for your patience, support, KFC treat (:P) and helping me out with the presentation animation and Mas, Fit for the wishes. You guys rock :)

Tagged: I'm It!

Supposedly, once you are tagged, you have to obey the rules below. Usually I would just ignore these things, but since (I think) there would be at least 3 people who would read this (tagger, Atiqah; Irfan who suggested Atiqah to tag me; and of course, my no. 1 fan, Faiz Mokhtar), well, I just want to make them happy :)

A. Letakkan lencana yang telah disediakan di blog

(I have no idea what this means, I couldn't even translate anything that would do justice to the request. Badge? Logo? Symbol?)

B. Ceritakan tentang pemberi anugerah dan buat pautan
(Write about the 'tagger' and link that person)

I got to know of Atiqah back when we were in the same high school, MRSM Mersing. I actually anticipated her arrival to the school as I had befriended her twin first. Atiqah became my classmate. I have to admit, I am not that close to her; nevertheless she is a friend that I wouldn't mind be in company with :)
One of things about Atiqah that I would always remember is, she's actually a good singer! I still remember when she participated in Nadwah 2002 where she was the lead singer together with Zatil. Cayalah Atiqah ;) Though I would always associate you singing, with the song I translated for the nasyid team to sing, haha. Missing those days...
I admire her as a person who would always stand by her opinions and is not afraid to let people know about it. May our friendship last forever!

C. Nyatakan 10 hobi/fakta tentang diri sendiri
(Write 10 hobbies/facts abour yourself)

1. On my 20th birthday, I actually wrote a letter to my-30-year-old-self about things I would have accomplished by that time. I'm not exactly anticipating turning 30, but I really can't wait to laugh myself silly on how childish I am at 20 years old, would seem to myself at 30 years old.

2. I love to travel. Seriously. My two little-size 3/4-feet are just itching to go all over the world. Too bad money is always the repressive factor :(

3. When I actually do travel, I love to find postcards of the places I have been and post it back to myself. In the postcard I would write of the wonderful experience I had and the places I went. If I had friends with me, I would ask them to write in a little bit, to signify their presence of sharing the wonderful journey. Currently I would write two postcards; one to myself and one to my beloved. If I have extra money, I would send some to my closest friends, e.g.: Mas, Fit, Izzati :)

4. According to the therapist that massaged my feet, I listen easily to other people and also easily "makan hati", quote unquote. Faiz agreed, so enough said.

5. I love planning. I think I am a born organizer. I am sure all my friends would vouch for that. And I seriously could not live without my organizer. Right now it has evolved into a gorgeous lime green Luxe organizer. Sangat suka!

6. I literally love doing Audiology! I am so blessed to be in this course, and cannot wait to charge into the Audiology world and make my presence known. Hehe, ambitious much? Another one of my characteristics :) I actually chose to be in Audiology because of my twin brothers. They're autistic. I really hope I am making a difference in their lives by being in this field.


My younger brother, Ibi :)

7. I have a mini-me. She's my sister, Najat. We have so many things in common; we look alike, we have the same initials, we're August babies... even our traits are similar. Sometimes I'm scared though, especially when she takes after my bad habits, like being a shopaholic! ;p

8. I love reading fiction. I love buying fiction. I would really take care of my books; I would not stretch the books, I would read with care, that someone would think I haven't even touched the book! I would even wrap my books, if I really love it. If I feel like the book is nonsense, I would care less. Hihi, discrimination towards fiction.

9. I like to write poems and stories. I think my writing is nice, just cute and simple nothing flowerish. Nevertheless self-satisfactory. My parents are supportive of my writing. I actually thought of becoming a journalist once upon a time, but then the need to help people empowered that. Maybe I can be a researcher known for her excellent writing? Who knows? :)

10. I used to write in diaries. In fact, I had two, but then I stopped. I started to blog, but then an acquaintance told me I'm sharing too much personal details, so I stopped that too. Hence, tukang telinga. An outlet for me to write something I am passionate about.

Wow, I could just go on and on. Proof that I am getting self-absorbed day by day. But 10 is 10, so there they are.

D. Seperti biasa, tag orang lain pula
(As usual, tag other friends)

1. Mas
2. Nor
3. Saleh

De-stressing Hearing with Foot Massage

Is that even possible? To de-stress your hearing with just a foot massage?

Not really.

But I did learn something new from the complimentary foot massage I had with Faiz in True Spa, Jaya 33.

For all who have yet to know, our feet reflects the organs of our body. So as the therapist massages our feet, she/he can know whether you are sick/in pain/stressful/full of gas/etc.

She mentioned that the big toe is the head, the next two are the eyes and the other two are the ears. What intrigued me was that she could know whether someone is deaf by just massaging the feet.

Unbelievable?

Yes, because it's not even remotely possible. As I probe further, clarifying from her, she admitted that it wasn't exactly like she could screen a person's hearing with the massage. She said that the ears are something like the medium, because hearing is temporary, but the internal reaction towards what we hear that causes stress inside us, resulting in our feelings, emotions and speech production. For example, I heard something that provokes me; the provoking unnecessarily causes stress to the whole body, so it was advisable to not cause stress by saying something nice or behaving nicely in return, and then reflectively our body will be calm and de-stressed. According to the therapist-lah.

Therefore, not exactly a new discovery of a physical hearing assessment, hehe.



Nevertheless, it was an enjoyment for me as a first-timer. Definitely recommending my parents to go there. The awesome view from the top was a definite plus too!

Stakeholders' Workshop: Programme Standards for Medical & Health Sciences

Recently I was invited as a student representative for Audiology in the above-named workshop, organized by Malaysian Qualifications Agency. It was held in PJ Hilton on the 5th of March, 2009. I was informed of it by my Head of Department, 3 days before the actual day of workshop, so I was not very happy being selected. But as soon as she told me that it will be in PJ Hilton, I was more than happy to go, as I know good food awaits me in PJ Hilton ;p

My coursemate told me the department actually put up a letter of the invite for me. When I read the letter, I had no clue whatsoever on what the workshop is about. I mean, the title of the letter was:
JEMPUTAN SEBAGAI WAKIL PELAJAR BIDANG AUDIOLOGI BAGI BENGKEL PIHAK BERKEPENTINGAN MAKLUM BALAS DRAF STANDARD PROGRAM SAINS PERUBATAN DAN KESIHATAN

Err, mind-boggling isn't it?

I asked Faiz, and even my father. Both had no clue. I texted my lecturer cum Deputy Dean on whether I needed to prepare anything, and she said no. So I went thinking it would be a boring workshop of lectures and already imagining the food I would be savouring.

Come March 5th, 8.30am, it was nothing like I had expected. Instead of rows and rows of chairs and tables, there were round tables arranged, like in a dinner arrangement. I was seated with my lecturer, heads of department of Audiology in USM and UIA, the Chief Audiologist in KKM, one facilitator from MQA and Directors from the Health Promotions Field. Since it is a round table, obviously I couldnt curi-curi study for my mock viva, which I brought notes for. And so I went through the ordeal of listening to older people talk and making myself unsleepy.

The workshop's main objective was to discuss on the standards to be set for the courses in medical and health sciences. My table was designated for Audiology and Health Promotions. Hence, the participants. We discussed on programme aims, learning objectives, student selection, student assessment among others, at the various levels of diploma, bachelors degree, masters degree and doctoral degree.

It was actually a very interesting workshop, as I got to observe how decisions were made between these established people in their own fields. I thought it was pretty much like what we are doing when organizing an event or something, but for this one, brains were actually fully utilized. There are some of course, who prefer eating rather than discussing, and some who just wants to show authority rather than accepting people's opinions. I learned that it's very hard to start a programme from scratch in a university especially if you just graduated with a masters degree. I am sure all kinds of help is much needed.

Nevertheless, I thought it was a fruitful discussion in the best interest for Audiology in the future. Who knows, maybe next time I would be invited as the HOD, or Chief Audiologist maybe? Just wishful thinking. :)

Oh and yes, the food met my expectations ;P

Define AUDIOLOGY

I honestly think, even some of the audiologists (safe to say, in Malaysia) themselves could not define their line of work meaningfully. An audiology student, just beginning to start his/her first year would definitely has several ideas on his/her own on what is audiology. Example, me myself. Initially, I thought I was on a launchpad to become the ear specialist. But as I developed myself for almost four years now, I discovered what I am set to be.

However.

Let me first enrich you with some of the mind-blowing (exaggerate much) understandings of Audiology of the laymen people.

When I mentioned I am doing Audiology to the female population who are not familiar with the field, they would just commonly admit they don't know and politely ask me what do I do and do I have the title 'Doctor' upon graduation.

For the male population on the other hand. Well, there are various responses to the word Audiology. E.g.:

(the first two are typical responses)
Whoa, Audio?! You mean you work in the studio? Be a DJ or something? That's so cool!

or another equivalent response,

You're in the sound engineering industry? Maybe when my band wants to record songs, we can come to you!

or (I never saw this coming)

Ohh. You must be in the same field as Radiology. I nodded in agreement as I thought he meant as in health science, which field both courses are in, when he added you know, RADIO - AUDIO? (sigh, hopeless)

One response hit home and I was especially proud to have a friend like him. He was the reason I wrote this blog in the first place. He was my school-mate, Ajis is his name. I recently contacted him as I was in JB for another clinical placement. When I said I am doing Audiology and hinted that it's related to hearing, he replied,

Ohh, that's why it's audio. So it must be related to the ears and mouth, as both ears and mouth are somehow connected right?

I was delirious with his response, even if he missed the nose. I mean, usually people usually stopped at the ears. And he's from the engineering field, okay?! I told him not many people get it like he did, and he retorted, "kalau budak tak pegi skolah mmg la tak tahu" (only those who didn't go to school wouldn't know) err, he should know that our school mates are some of those who mentioned the above responses.

Anyway. I guess I wanted to write this because I had misled people in thinking I am the ear specialist. When actually, I check people's ears and diagnose people's hearing status using machines. But that does not mean I am a technician. I don't prescribe medicine. I don't do surgeries. I find out what is the problem and manage through referrals, counseling and most importantly, amplification, hence the hearing aids, cochlear implants and fm systems. I work with many professionals: speech-language pathologists, paediatricians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, ENT doctors, teachers of the hearing-impaired and more. Some of the places that require my services include the hospitals, clinics, hearing aid companies, universities and schools.


Right now in Malaysia, only 3 universities produce Audiologists: UKM, UIA and USM.

I don't have the title 'Doctor'. I am an audiologist. And my level is equivalent to a medical officer.

Doctors, audiologists are not your subordinates. We work together at the same level. We are every bit as important as you are in the health field.

That was just a brief explanation. Want further details? Just leave me a message! :)

Clarity is Power - RUC '09

I totally agree with Dr Faiz Khaleed, who was one of the speakers for Real Undergraduate Conference 2009. Clarity is a definite power that some people still do not grasp upon. I thought he was a better speaker than Dr Sheikh Muszaphar, although his speech did tend to be long-winded. Nevertheless, meaningful. I really noted down what he said, some of them being,

'Failure is not a person, it is a SITUATION. Never say someone fails, it's always the situation';

'malu biar bertempat';

'we can tell how a person is by listening to that person';

'when talking to a person, don't give words, give pictures';

'learn to think under pressure/stress';

'bersyukur with what you have but don't get too comfortable, always strive to be better';

and 'the first step is always the hardest, have initiative to take it'.

The Real Leader founding director, Amirul Iskandar also delivered an amazing take on attitude. His session was fresh, energetic and entertaining. I mean, he used Spongebob Squarepants and a clip of Joker and Batman as some of his props. How cool was that? Some of the good quotes were:

'Your attitude determines your altitude';

'Exposure leads to expansion';

and by Charlie Tremendous Jones, '2 things that can change your life in 5 years: 1. People you meet; 2. Books that you read'.

A very good speaker, he is; a shame he had to cut his session short due to time constraint (I mostly blame it to Dr Faiz's long-winded session ;p).

I missed the special message from PEMADAM and Petronas session, and only sat halfway through the Bank Negara session. RUC '09 had the CEO of AKPK to present and one sentence stuck through my mind when he went through 'How you should spend your first salary?' PAY YOURSELF FIRST. I made a mental note to myself to read the book Money Sense. Go to www.akpk.org.my to know more. Save money for: 1. emergency fund; 2. big ticket items; 3. retirement.

The goodies were great! I got an SSF calendar, Gamat honey, sweets, notepad, Bank Negara finance-management book, pen, Datuk Maznah Hamid's bookmark, folder and bag. The participants were spoiled better this year. The inspirational videos were also, of course, inspiring with one of quotes from www.beyondthequote.com.

I thought it's a real shame for those who missed it. I really learned a lot eventhough I didn't sit through the entire conference. I was involved with the registration, and had to be on duty at times. My mother was there and she enjoyed it as well. She laughed her head off during Datuk Maznah Hamid's session (which was definitely fun and an eye-opener as she shared her rise-to-success story) and especially liked Dr Faiz as she thought he was a really sincere young man. Due to that, she's sceptic how Dr Sheikh became the Angkasawan Negara instead of Dr Faiz, haha. A proof on listening to a person talks is actually a description of how that person is.

The Registration Team :)



Can't wait for RUC '10!

RUC '09 - the Advert

Dear All,

RUC'09 is on the 31st of January 2009 at PICC and we would like to invite you to join us in the biggest undergraduate conference of the year!

Did you come for RUC'08? Then you must come to RUC'09! It is bigger & better! If you miss RUC'08 then this is your chance to experience it for yourself! Go to our website and check out the pictures from RUC'08.

You can register now to confirm your place by logging on to www.RealUndergradConference.com . Registeration will close on the 23rd of January 2009.

For inquiries, please email to info@realundergradconference.com or contact 0162626740 / 743.

Come and experience the teachings & sharings. There will be;

* Great door gifts
* Fantastic conference materials
* Fun and games &
* Most importantly the skills & knowledge that you will be able to pickup at the conference that will CHANGE YOUR LIFE!

You will discover 5 things;
- How to have great Relationships
- Create a powerful team through Equipping
- The secret of managing your money
- How to attract success with the right Attitude &
- To become somebody from nobody through Leadership

You can register now to confirm your place by logging on to www.RealUndergradConference.com . Registeration will close on the 23rd of January 2009.

We have people from all over the country coming to RUC'09. We have people from Sabah & Langkawi! You don't want to miss it.

This is your chance to Network & make new friends! Tell everybody that you know. Let's meet up at RUC'09.

Please feel free to forward this message to all your family & friends.

Best regards & hope to see you at RUC'09!

RUC'09 secretariat

PS ~
You can register now to confirm your place by logging on to www.RealUndergradConference.com . Registeration will close on the 23rd of January 2009.

Real Undergrad Conference 2009

Ok, this conference is organized by REAL Leaders Sdn Bhd and fully supported by Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi Malaysia (KPTM) and Persatuan Mencegah Dadah Malaysia (PEMADAM).

I went to this conference last year, and I thought it was a very fruitful conference, I've picked up a lot of new things, met a lot of personalities that I couldn't possibly dreamt of meeting if I hadn't went to the conference (e.g.: Tun Mahathir, Datuk Sheikh Muszaphar, Datuk Siti Nurhaliza, Norman KRU), and had fun, besides eating good food. My bestie, Mas, my brother, Saleh and both my cousins Ayong and Nor can vouch for it. In fact, I think Mas and Nor enjoyed it the most, as they won gifts!

Try checking out the website: www.RealUndergradConference.com

Some of the universities/colleges proposed this to their HEP, so that they're sponsored to go there. You should too!

Invite your friends, coursemates, colleagues. Everyone!

Want a great future? You should be there!

Of Subjects and Cupcakes

I created this flyer and put it in Masjid Kampung Baru, in high hopes that the qariah masjid would turn up at the clinic.


NOBODY RESPONDED. Absolutely no one. Sad isn't it?

To think that I stayed up til 1.30 in the morning with my sister-in-law (I heart Kak Farini! xD) making cupcakes for the 'subjects'.









*For my sweetheart ;P*


Alas, only one came. Uncle Colonel Sanders. He was pretty interested with Audiology and the whole Health Sciences actually. But then, he did not qualify in being a subject!!! I was heartbroken. Okay, not that dramatic. But very frustrated.

I don't know what to do next. Will try to go to old folks' homes. Sigh.

Does anyone has an idea to help me get subjects? :(

Seriously I'm tired of this.