Merry Christmas 2007!

Click here for some festive fun from the Wylie family ;-)

Hide and Seek

Behind the trolley, eh?


Let's take a closer look

Poor photo quality aside, I do believe you can make out the side of Hannah's face, and her hair, as she skulks behind the changing trolley. Close your eyes for 2 seconds, and you won't know where this little girl has gone...

Getting ready

Ok, here are signs of packing in earnest. We actually packed these bags at the weekend, and have been adding things during the week. One case is full of Hannah's winter clothes (and nappies and milk), while her parents will either brave the elements with their limited winter wardrobe, or shamelessly borrow clothes from family members once we get to the UK.

Hannah has decided this pile of luggage forms a handy chair for her to perch on every once in a while. She is even learning to declare aloud "Chair!" when she sits / leans on it. Cute.

And how about an up-to-date picture of Hannah? Well, here is a mystery shot taken today. Who can spot the girl? Answers via the comments button below:

Generations

I suppose we should be blogging about our upcoming trip to England, but after snapping this shot today I feel I have to share it, for fun if nothing else.

My car (Proton Saga, on the left) is parked next to a new Mitsubishi Lancer in our apartment's carpark. Funny thing is, they are essentially the same car. Well, a few generations apart, and lots of Malaysian plastic inside mine, but otherwise for all intents and purposes they are both Mitsubishi Lancers!

I thought they looked quite nice together. And mine doesn't even look that bad despite the 23-year age gap.

And of course I could talk about how many multiples of my car I could buy for the price of that ONE new Mitsubishi Lancer.

Hurrah for the Proton Saga.

That's all I wanted to say, really.

Games that make a difference?

The internet is great for many things, including free games. I remember days long gone of saving up pocket money for weeks just to buy a £9.99 cassette game for my Commodore 64 (Rainbow Islands, Batman the Movie, etc.). Nowadays, of course, you can find all the classics as well as plenty of new game online for free.

Well, I could give you a host of links to some of my favourite "safe" games sites... but today I came across a couple of other sites that really ARE worth sharing. They both entertain and educate, and one even contributes to needy people in the world.

The first game [click here] was created by the UNHCR to help people empathise with refugees. Well produced, a little scary and definitely eye-opening.

The second game [click here] was created in tandem with advertisers to fund contributions that provide rice to hungry people in the world. You improve your vocabulary, and actually feed someone at the same time.

Hannah's Web Album Update

Admittedly we haven't taken many photos recently. Maybe we're too busy, maybe we can hardly catch Hannah standing still long enough... but here are a few shots for your viewing pleasure.

Hannah at 12-15 months

Some are of Hannah smearing her face with rice (her favourite food right now - yes, plain boiled white rice), most are of Hannah roaming around the Bukit Jalil Park.

Malaysia to England in 2 minutes

No, not some Richard Branson Hyper-galactic low-cost flight from Malaysia to England. Rather, a stroll in the park...



...starting in the 'Malaysia' corner of the park, and after a 2-minute stroll...

...ending up in the 'England' corner. Oh and we passed the Netherlands on the way:

This is how we like to spend time with Hannah. Either early in the morning, or in the late afternoon. This park is about 10 minutes drive from our apartment, and offers lots of space for Hannah to run around, look at birds and pick up leaves. Surely better than rattling around our apartment for hours on end!

Here are some more shots of Hannah having a good time.

A powerful sermon

No, not a new sermon by me. This one is by Professor D. A. Carson who was in Kuala Lumpur this week, speaking at the annual Klang Valley Bible Conference (http://www.kvbc.info/).

Don Carson is always good. Good to read, good to listen to. I recommend anything by him that you can get your hands on.

And at the KVBC, his talks were as good as anything he has preached. But I was especially touched by his second talk - an exposition of Matthew 27:27-50 entitled "The Ironies of the Cross."

He brought out in my a fresh appreciation of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. I thank God for his ministry, and the fact that he has come to Malaysia (it is actually his 3rd time here as the speaker at KVBC). I am so glad I recorded his sermon, and I encourage you to take time to listen to this message. It is long - over an hour - so if you have an MP3 player, I suggest you download the file (about 16 MB) and take your time listening to it. Sorry if the recording quality is not fantastic - the official CD will only come out in about a month's time, but I really wanted to share this now!

Click here to listen to / download the sermon. I have also put a link in the right-hand panel.

Sweet Dreams?

As I write this, Hannah has just fallen asleep.

That might not sound like blog-worthy news. But right now it feels like it to me! Let me explain...

In Hannah's first few weeks, I think we would have classified Hannah as a baby with a 'sleeping problem.' Not able to sleep without considerable carrying, waking up frequently, etc. Then after a couple of months (and up to a few days ago) we considered Hannah to be a 'good sleeper' - especially compared to some nightmare stories we heard of some people's babies. She could actually sleep a solid 10 hours every so often. And then things changed.

Hannah has always enjoyed being carried when she wants to sleep. But three days ago she insisted on being carried UNTIL she fell asleep, and that meant about half an hour of carrying/rocking 10kg's worth of baby. Two days ago she insisted on the SAME treatment. Thus, a new habit began to develop. Yesterday she insisted on the same treatment AGAIN. At the same time, her daytime naps had also got more difficult. But this time Daddy was getting tired, and getting worried about the new sleeping trend. And so ensued a "battle of wills" as Hannah did her best (screaming, throwing things, crying, choking) to win sympathy while Daddy did his best to ignore her. The result was, after a LONG time Daddy managed to pacify Hannah while sitting next to her cot and without laying a finger on her. After a few more minutes, an exhausted little girl fell sleep. Ah-ha. Hope for a better way.

So, tonight, Hannah tried to be carried again - but without as much conviction as the night before. And Daddy stuck to his new plan. It took more than 45 minutes sat next to her cot, but she did fall asleep - and with less fuss than the night before.

Given our concern about her sudden change in sleeping habits, I decided to do a bit of internet research, and found this rather neat Johnson's Baby-sponsored site that produces a "Customized sleeping profile" for your baby, complete with practical tailor-made recommendations for improving your baby's sleep.

You can try it out here:

Some tips I picked up

• Her sleep patterns are not entirely unusual for babies of her age - an encouragement!
• We should move Hannah from 2 naps per day to just 1, and plan it in the early afternoon.
• We shouldn't put Hannah's pacifier in her mouth for her (she always sleeps with a pacifier!) - rather, put it in the cot and let her pick it up so she doesn't depend on someone to do it for her (e.g. in the middle of the night when it falls out and she wakes up)

I hope you find something useful on the website, too.

Good night, and sleep well.

Solving the Unsolved Mystery

Thanks to everyone that took part in our poll.

Now before I reveal and analyze the stats, I want to clarify one of the comments made in the poll.

After THIS comment...:

":-)If based on baby photos, Hannah looks a lot like Chris when he was a baby but...sad as it may seem, Chris is no longer a "round" but more of an "oval" now and I will have to say that Hannah looks very much like her mummy...thumbs up for you Cindy ;-)"

...Cindy added THIS comment...:

"That's one vote for option 3!!"

...which I think is a misreading of the first comment. It should actually be a vote for option 2 BASED ON THE BABY PHOTOS. (P.S., as you might have guessed, Cindy is not the one typing this particular blog!)

So let's have a look at a visual representation of the voting:

Just to clarify, there were 3 voters in total, one of whom split their vote between options 2 and 3. And who are options 1, 2 and 3?


Option 1 = Samantha Wylie (Chris's big sis)

Option 2 = Chris



















Option 3 = Cindy

Memories

What are your earliest memories?

The brain is a curious and complex organ, with much left for scientists to unravel and comprehend. Experts say that human beings unconsciously store memories of their experiences as early as the first few months of life in the womb, triggering off a mini-explosion of commercial ventures aimed at producing future little Einsteins.

We won't argue about that for now.

Among some of my earliest memories are that of my older brothers having a fight and breaking my first hairband; crawling into that very same brother's bed in the middle of the night during a particularly bad thunderstorm; having a 'black and green' apple computer; witnessing the death and funeral of our first family dog etc.

For some strange reason, I remember watching a monkey eating a banana. We were in a park and I was absolutely terrified of those vicious monkeys who were known to snatch cameras and scratch over-friendly visitors. Despite several notices advising visitors not to feed the monkeys, many still did. One monkey ventured near us and boldly grabbed the banana offered to it.

It was fascinating to observe the process: the monkey flipped the banana the wrong side up, bit off the black end, swiftly peeled the banana and gulped it down in a couple of mouthfuls.

I remember thinking, was that the right way to peel a banana? Could it be that we humans have been peeling bananas the wrong way for centuries?

Not the most profound question in the world, but nonetheless that image stayed with me all these years.

So, it was a sort of deja vu when Hannah got her hands on a whole banana for the first time (we normally peel and cut it up in manageable chunks). Being the stubborn toddler that she is now, Hannah refused to surrender and proceeded to figure out the best way to eat it.

Since she hasn't had too much conditioning, could it be that Hannah would show us the right way to eat a banana and solve my inner turmoil once and for all?







Oh mommy, do you really have to follow me around all the time with that camera? Enough already.

















Right, let's see. This doesn't look too tasty. How do I get to the goo-ey stuff inside?










There we go. Easy-peasy.
Yummy.








Oh, this is taking too long. I reckon this is the best way to do it. Watch and learn, mommy!

Ten minutes later, our young warrior tosses aside the carcass of her prey and walks away triumphant - with banana mush down the front of her dress and all over her face and hands.

Looks like I'll be sticking to my way for a while.

Unsolved Mysteries Part II

The red-haired woman remains a mystery.

Although you folks could not help us arrive at a confident conclusion previously, we trust you may be able to help us do so this time.

Once and for all, we would like to know, who does Hannah look like?

Cast your votes, NOW!

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

And just to make sure you get to make a side-by-side comparison, here's the young lady:

Official voting closes in a week's time. So please say your money's worth now, OR, forever hold your peace.

Perhaps then, at last I will have hard statistics to quote when people ask about who Hannah resembles most...

"Oh, a recent internet poll reveals a 66% lean towards Mommy. Yes, definitely a 'Mommy' look."

How nice.

Malachi: Sins of the Priesthood Part 1

That rather long title comes from my latest sermon, preached on Sunday 23rd September. It is part 2 in a 7-part series.

You can access it HERE, or click on the link in the right-hand panel -->

I am preaching part 3 this coming Sunday.

Who is she???

There is obviously a limited to kind of spiritual input parents can provide for their 13 month old baby. But we do make it a habit to read Hannah a story from her 'Children's Bible' and then read a couple of prayers together each night before she sleeps.

We have been using "A Little Child's First Prayers" given by a friend, Mag, for quite a few months now.




On the last page is the 'Doxology':

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Praise Him, all creatures here below.
Praise Him above, you heavenly host,
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.






We quite often sing this to Hannah, who rewards us with a round of applause at the end.

But she has another habit. She likes to point to one person in the picture, and make a lot of noise. Every time we turn to this page, she will home in on the same lady.




















We are rather perplexed as to who Hannah thinks she is pointing at. Could it be Daddy, with his red (but very short) hair? Could it be Mummy, with her long (but very black) hair? Could it be someone else?

We welcome your verdict! You know where the comment button is...

Merdeka!

Call it writer's block, call it stress, call it whatever.

It's been a long time since I left an entry here, and our nation's 50th Independence (Merdeka) Day seem the best topic to talk about, since the nation's patriotic spirit is currently running at an all time high.

Well, not quite so in our household.

There seems to be too much our plates to chew. So much to handle and so little time. Despite having been in a new department for the last month, incidents still occur to remind me that I am still, the new kid on the block. More about that another time.

Yesterday was a historic day for our nation - we celebrated 50 years of independence from the British colonial rule. Events were organised throughout the country in commemoration of this special day. This weekend was to be a time of joyous celebration.

One little snag though.

Chris was back at work this morning, bright and early, post Merdeka celebrations (not that we did anything significant). Tomorrow, I will be labouring well over 24 hours in the beloved Aceh-like Male Medical wards. What was to have been a long bank-holiday weekend will instead be a dreadful, unsynchronised work week.

I reckon poor Hannah gets a little confused. She doesn't know when to expect Mummy or Daddy to be at home. No wonder she often says "bye-bye" to me out of the blue, as though expecting another disappearing act from me. How heart-wrenching.

Grouses aside, I must admit that the Merdeka celebrations always had a special place in my heart. I remember as a little child I would rush down early Merdeka morning to catch the annual parades live on television. Secretly I longed to be part of those colourful formations and be among those proud marching students.

So, what DID we do for Merdeka?

Well, we had a leisurely breakfast at our local dim sum shop, and proceeded to mingle with the MILLIONS at Mid-Valley Mega mall. Even after we had done all we had planned, we were forced to retreat back into the shopping mall when we discovered a horrendous standstill traffic jam in the parking lot at lunch hour.

Later in the evening, we met up with old university friends back from England and met their little cross-cultural darling for the first time. We would have posted some pictures, but ah, we seem to have stopped taking pictures since Hannah's triumph (been there, done that!), and discovered a little too late that our camera was out of battery power.

To cut a long story short, we found ourselves in front of the TV at the end of a long day, somewhat dreading the working weekend ahead of us. After immersing ourselves briefly in the dramatic life of Jack Bauer (24), we found ourselves surfing the channels and ending up with ... the Merdeka parade.

In spite of himself, Chris had to admit it was an impressive display that kept us watching till the end. In fact, here are some snapshots of the day.

Commentators have much to say about the progress of the country over the last 50 years, both positive and negative. Everything said and done, it is no doubt difficult to attain racial harmony and unity in a country as diverse as Malaysia. This young country has struggled to become what it is today, and rightly deserves to be proud of what has been acheived.

Happy 50th Birthday Malaysia.

When Children Ask Questions

This is Chris's latest sermon (preached this morning) on Deuteronomy 6. Find out what Moses instructed parents to say when their children ask questions similar to 'Why do we go to church?' 'Why do we study the Bible?' and 'Why do Christians have to follow all these rules?'

You can click HERE or on the link in the right-hand pane to listen to/download the sermon in MP3 format.

Oops!... I did it again.

The next baby/parent magazine to come our way was "Mother & Baby" (Cindy subscribes to this one. Well, it is 'Your favourite pregnancy, baby & toddler mag.'). After retrieving the August 2007 issue from our letter-box, as ususal we had a quick flick through the pages...

...and, being so hot on the heels of her recent media success, we didn't think for a moment that Hannah might have done it again. But when we saw page 94, there was no mistaking the cheeky face that greeted us.

A very pleasant surprise! This time, Hannah clinched first place. The only slight disappointment is that the magazine failed to print Hannah's name and age on the photo. Well, she might not be made famous by this media exposure, but we are sure proud of you Hannah.

Here's looking at you, babe!

Finally!

While perusing the Baby/Parent magazines on sale today, we picked up the August 2007 issue of Parenthood (Well, it is 'Your No.1 Baby Magazine', afterall.)

And then, while waiting to pay for it, we flicked through the pages, until...

Could it be???

We took another, closer look:



Yes, it was true! Hannah was officially "A Happy Baby", her parents were finally over their 'our baby isn't cute enough to win competitions' complex and the Wylie household needn't worry about buying disposable diapers again for a while. Hurrah!

Gasping for Air

I dislike farewells.

I dislike major changes.

I dislike chaos.

This past week has seen a major upheaval in my career. I packed my bags and left my 'home' for the last 3 years and moved on to something not entirely different, but significantly so. Nothing could have prepared me for the 'cultural shock' I am experiencing now.

Yes, I have finally secured my release from the Anaesthesia department and moved back to my 'first love', General Medicine. Whatever plans I had years ago when I first stepped into the world of Anaesthesia had derailed, and only now am I back on track.

Or am I?

No one will fault me for having occasional doubts, especially in this precarious time of transition. After all, having been in the sterile and often well-controlled world of Anaesthesia, I am now expected to stay afloat in the roaring chaos of our medical wards. A friend who had volunteered in the aftermath of the Aceh Tsunami disaster often had this to say of his experience:

" Oh, it wasn't that bad. It was something like our general medical wards."


I dislike farewells.

I was spoilt. Among those I miss most are my staff, who count among the best and most efficient in the hospital. Of course that would be expected of Intensive Care Unit and theatre staff, who are expected to deliver quick and expert services in times of crisis. Every verbal and written order would be carried out as soon as possible, every suspicious order (related to bad handwriting) clarified and rectified with expert tact.

I learnt much from my nurses - from professional skills to compassion for patients. Not only did they help in daily work such as interpreting ECGs (and tactfully suggesting what could be done!), but also demonstrated the finer points of breaking bad news to relatives. I remember a certain ICU nurse who would painstakingly comb and tie up female patients' hair in cheery ponytails whether they were conscious or not!

I spent endless hours gossiping and chatting with my colleagues over endless cups of coffee and glorious home-cooked food (brought in by the night staff) during those long long nights of work. We knew who was in a new relationship or in a bitter divorce; we talked about the intern who owned a bright red Porsche; we moaned about our pay but rejoiced with the recent pay-hike announcement. Most of all, we talked about our families - most of my staff know Hannah by name!

Leaving such a wonderful working relationship nurtured over the last few years was difficult. Saying goodbye in an appropriate manner was even more difficult. The Malays have a beautiful practice accompanying farewells - that of requesting the forgiveness of fellow colleagues for any wrongdoings or misunderstandings in the past. A potential tear-jerker if you ask me.


I dislike major changes.

Well, getting married, then pregnant and being a mother are major life events as it is. Having a major shift in my career is another. Where previously I could cruise along in my work, I now find myself akin to a fish out of water, ill-equipped to handle situations thrown my way.

Where previously I could call out my staff by name, now I would not recognise one even if they were to stand beside me in the lift. All sense of familiarity and security has been thrown out of the window.


I dislike chaos.

Anaesthetists are meticulous people. They try to anticipate problems before they occur and often prefer to err on the side of caution. Even in the midst of a crisis, there is always a plan, always some sense of control.

Call it a baptism of fire. I have been assigned to the ward with the notorious reputation of having one of the highest BOR (bed occupancy rate) in the hospital. Where cubicles were originally designed for an occupancy of 6, I found double the number of patients in mine one fine morning.

Patients are wheeled or pushed in in a steady stream throughout the day (and night). Even if we appear to be bursting in our seams, no patient can be turned away.

Chaos rules.

There is no growth without challenge, and there is no challenge without change

- Warren Wiersbe

My learning curve will be a steep one. In the mean time, it will be longer working hours and a daily struggle finding satisfaction with my standard of work.

Hopefully it won't be too long before I find the stream and start swimming again.

First Birthday

With all the media hype surrounding environment consciousness, Hannah has gone ahead and left a huge carbon footprint. Not satisfied with just one, this little girl ended up with TWO birthday parties, generating a massive amount of waste. At least guests had to car pool for her 2nd party (due to stringent security requirements) and we did try to recycle all the cardboard and wrapping paper from her presents.

Since we are still recovering from all that partying, we have decided to allow the pictures to speak for themselves:

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/Hannahjuenwylie/HannahSFirstBirthday

We continue to be thankful to God for our little daughter, and all the loving family and friends surrounding and supporting us.

A year on, we still wonder how anyone can ever be adequately prepared for parenthood. We realise how we've changed - our threshold for noise, dirt and general chaos has risen considerably; our multi-tasking skills have improved immensely and our conversations with colleagues at work are inevitably about ... Hannah.

Happy First Birthday darling Hannah

Too Close for Comfort

It's official.

We are now known as "Hannah's Daddy" and "Hannah's Mummy". I thought that only happened when kids started going to school and teachers refer to the parents in that manner.

Let me explain. A typical incident would be something like this:

Our happy little family decides to drop by the local hypermarket (yes, that's how rampant these stores are now!) to pick up a few things for dinner. As we innocently browse through the cheese section, Hannah gets a greeting from a total stranger. Well, at least a stranger in our eyes.

The over-friendly lady pinches Hannah's cheeks, comments on her lovely eyes and tries to get her little 3-year-old grandaughter to wave to Hannah, all the time speaking in an animated high-pitched voice. Her pregnant daughter smiles but maintains a comfortable distance, probably realising how unnerving it is for parents to have such an invasion of privacy!

Little children have limited memories, and that little girl obviously didn't remember their supposed meeting several days ago at the bank. Our excited stranger-friend quickly explains that the two girls had become instant friends while waiting for Hannah's grandparents to sort out a bit of banking.

Where was my mother or mother-in-law? In her excitement, she probably didn't realise that Chris was not likely to have a Chinese mother. Anyway, a question like that was more acceptable than an incredulous, "are YOU the mother?".

We gave a polite answer, grabbed a tub of yoghurt and excused ourselves. Now, we were more aware of several salesgirls trying to make eye contact, some even calling out to Hannah with unusual familiarity. We quickly paid for our purchases, slightly unsettled by the attention.

"So, she's your daughter!"

Despite trying to ignore that comment, eventually I had to turn to face the lady who was making repeated attempts at starting a conversation. It turned out to be the Ice Cream Lady, located strategically at the exit of the hypermarket. Apparently she had noticed Hannah with her grandparents before.

By the time we got home, we were sufficiently relaxed to laugh about the whole experience. Hannah's grandparents validated the bank story, but could not recall ever meeting an Ice Cream Lady.

Obviously, Hannah has been going places with her Gong Gong and Po Po. Supermarket runs probably take a lot longer than before with the amount of socialising that must be taking place.

This leads us to a few question:


If Hannah is so cute, why hasn't she won any photo contests? We have come to the conclusion that there are way too many babies cuter than her.


Are we being too obsessive about strangers keeping their distance? Obviously her grandparents have been making more friends than her parents (who have a policy of being aloof to strangers).


Will this ever stop? Call us ungrateful or over-sensitive, but we'd appreciate an outing to the supermarket or a meal out without having to be vigilant about strangers coming up to pinch Hannah's cheeks.


How often do children get kidnapped in public places? Ah, the ultimate irrational fear of all (new) parents.



Unfortunately, Hannah's proud grandparents thrive in this sort of attention (as all grandparents do!). As long as we go to the same places to shop or eat, Hannah's likely to meet people who know her better than we would like.


Shouldn't we be receiving free ice cream samples at the very least?

Holiday

We're back from a few days' holiday in Bukit Tinggi. "Where?" I hear you ask. Think Medieval France. Think narrow cobbled streets and wobbly wood-beamed buildings. Think fountains and wishing wells. And then think 3000 feet above sea-level in a Malaysian rain-forest. That's Bukit Tinggi. If it still defies imagination, please click on the pic below to see a rather OTT collection of holiday snap-shots.

Holiday in Bukit Tinggi 2007

Highlights of the holiday (for Chris, anyway) were:
* the cool weather (think 20-25 degrees C. Yes, that's cool)
* the privacy - and not just in our suite. The whole resort was almost a ghost town on our first night.
* the reasonably authentic Italian food (ironically, we didn't eat any French food)
* the quality 'family-time' that we enjoyed.
* complete control of the TV.
* the sofa to loaf on (despite having a crater in the middle)
* the feeling of not being even remotely near a big city (although it only takes about 45 minutes to drive there from the northern outskirts of KL)

For Hannah, it was a chance to cool off, to see lots of God's creation, to bathe in a full-sized bath and to learn some new vocabulary. The new words had nothing to do with the surroundings and everything to do with Mummy and Daddy repeatedly reading her books out loud. She definitely got her tongue around "bear" and "dog", and Mummy swears she also said "kangeroo." Well, if she did, we are still waiting for her to repeat that one. Anyway, these are in addition to "daddy", "papa" and "mum-mum" (which might mean 'Mummy' but more likely means 'I'm starving - feed me NOW!')

Well, now we are back in KL. Chris goes back to work on Thursday, Cindy is already on call. Oh, and the TV is no longer ours. Life goes on...

Dead Men Walking

One of my greatest regrets of working in the Anaesthesia department is the lack of follow up.

In other words, I hardly know what happpens to the patient after they leave my care. Surely, the greatest satisfaction one can have is to see someone brave through a stormy illness and step out to greet the sunny skies.

The majority of our patients are seen in the intensive care unit or the operating theatres. You can be well assured that none of these patients are allowed to WALK out, much less be discharged from the hospital!

Yet, God has a way of throwing a few 'sunbursts' along the way.

One evening, after a particularly tiring day, I stared blankly at the parking lot while lining up to pay for my purchases in the hospital shop. Silently, I was resenting the long queue that was obstructing my planned quick exit from work. As I turned to study the people in the long queue, I could not help but notice a young man.

He must be a young punk.

You know, they are the sort who dress up like hip-hop artiste wannabes, sunglasses and all even if it's so dark they can't see beyond their fingers. He had a jumper with a hood pulled over his head, knee length shorts with worn-out sneakers. Then I noticed something else - he was thin, abnormally, heart-wrenchingly thin.

Oh wait a minute... I know this guy...

I could hardly suppress a smile when I finally recognised him. Short of calling out his name, I tried to catch his eye, but he was obviously trying to remain as anonymous as possible.

Gary* was a young hairdresser admitted to ICU for severe complications after several cycles of chemotherapy. I had seen him in the ward, brought him into ICU, saw him deteriorate into a coma and wondered many times if he would survive the ordeal. Following that I was rotated out of ICU duties and, like many other patients, didn't know the continuation of his story.

Seeing him stride out of the shop, arm full of junk food, was probably the highlight of my week!

On another occassion, our ICU team was headed to the hospital canteen for a quick morning break. As we stepped into the canteen, we were stopped by a hospital attendant who worked in our department. He shook our hands and introduced us to his father - another patient who had a miraculous recovery.

Months earlier, Ali's* father was involved in a car accident that left him with several fractures and a huge clot in his brain. The neurosurgeons did their best to clear the clot, but the initial clinical signs were bad and we concurred that he had a slim chance to recover from his coma. As expected, he deteriorated further and the family was called in and kept updated about his progress. Somehow, Ali's father hung on precariously, but remained in a coma.

The family was so thankful for what little signs of life he had, and the tireless efforts of the ICU staff that they bought us lunch packets one day as a sign of their appreciation. Again, I was finishing my ICU rotation, but quietly signed off the chances of this unfortunate man.

Imagine my surprise and delight, to not only see Ali's father again, but to see him walk unaided into the hospital compound months later for his clinic follow-up.

Such patients are refreshing rays of sunlight through the thick, overcast clouds that often hang over our ICU patients. Most have lives hung precariously over the edge of life and death. Daily, our ICU staff toils to tip the scales in their favour. Often it just doesn't seem to be worth the effort.

These 'sunbursts' makes it all worthwhile.


*not real names

Shooting Hannah

I must say it felt kind of weird taking a 10 month old baby to a photo shop to have her picture taken. But Hannah didn't behave according to her young age - throughout the photo shoot, she was perfectly composed and cooperative, perched on a stool (while Po-Po and Daddy held her tight just out of shot) not making a single noise.

Why did we do it? Well, Hannah needs a passport. That's right, her own passport. She can't be added to Mummy or Daddy's passports, she has to have her own. With a picture. Goodness knows how she is going to convince immigration of her identity when they look at her photo in 5 year's time, but we will worry about that later. The important thing is we get a passport ready for (God willing) Hannah's big trip to England in December.

I must say I am quite pleased with the results. The BIG blackish bruise on the left side of her forehead was conveniently covered by her wild fringe. Her two bottom teeth can just been seen through her vague smile. She looks quite grown up (for a 10 month old!) in her wistful pose.

And she did such a good job of charming the young lady serving us that we got a couple of 'touched up' photos for free. I think they are intended for us to enter more competitions. Well, the lady showed us all kinds of fancy effects and borders (none of which really grabbed us) but eventually we settled on the 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' design in commemoration of Hannah's favourite song.



Angelic, isn't she?

Shangri - La

If you happen to be in KL, more specifically the Bukit Bintang area, this weekend, it may do you good to listen to this bit of advice.

While strolling through the shopping malls or crowded pedestrian walkways, if you happen to experience chest discomfort, difficulty breathing or any uncomfortable physical sensation, you may want to head over to the Shangri - La.

Evidently, we are not talking about the mythical Himalayan utopia, but the classy hotel nestled in the heart of the glitzy Bukit Bintang.

After all, hundreds of healthcare staff, including the leading Intensivists of this country, as well as several from Australia, Hong Kong, Ireland, the USA and Singapore are convening at the venue for a weekend conference.

It was quite a sight seeing tourists clad casually in shorts and sandles studying maps under electronic signboards with flashing messages such as: Haemodynamics - Sabah Room

Why do I think you might be even remotely interested in something like this? Who knows. Perhaps there'll be something more exciting in our next blog.

(We can't be talking about Hannah all the time)

* Latest Web Album Photos *

It's been about 3 months since we uploaded photos to Hannah's Web Album. But now I've got a bit of time on my hands (3 1/2 weeks, to be precise). Here is the link to the latest pictures:

Hannah at 8-10 months

And remember the photos are quite high definition, so perfect for downloading/printing if you are so inclined.

A winning photo?

Just decided to blog this 'cos it's my favourite photo of Hannah right now. She can be really adorable at times.

Here she is showing off three tricks - standing by herself (she can pull herself up using just about anything more than a few inches high) and waving. The third trick is not quite captured in this shot. You can probably make out that she is standing next to our Hi-Fi. Well, she has already located the volume control which she enjoys fiddling with when her music is playing (or when Mummy and Daddy are watching a DVD).

Now I entitled this "A winning photo?" because we have resurrected our photo competition hopes with this one, along with a couple of other cute shots. Hey, Pampers don't grow on trees, y'know. I mean, it's about time Hannah started paying her way in life...

P.S. Anyone know any Mother/Baby magazine editors?!