More Than Words: July 2015

Friday, July 17, 2015

Life as a medical student #14 Sexual Harassment in Hospital - What would you do?

I recently had an uncomfortable encounter with a specialist in the hospital. He is thirty-ish and decent looking, in a green colour surgical gown. We were both in the waiting room outside of the operating theater. He introduced himself, and asked for my phone number immediately. I was a bit reluctant, but he explained that getting phone number makes him easier to contact me if there's any interesting cases in the operating theater. So I gave in. He continued the ''oh so which medical school you are from'' small talk, until I found a quick exit when my friend came in to look for me. I said, ''It was nice to meet you.'' I turned around and walked out the door.

Just few seconds after I left the room - in only a few seconds. He whatsapp-ed me. He said it was nice meeting me too. And he asked if I have time so that he could treat me to a meal. I didn't reply him immediately as I was caught up with work (Yes why is it that a specialist has more free time than a medical student *rolling my eyes*). But I replied him afterwards, I said there's no need for a treat. Then that's when it became creepy - he started to text me everyday. As the conversation progressed, he started telling me how good he is on bed, how he could easily make women happy. He asked if he could have sex with me.

What would you do?

Fortunately I am not in a direct subordinate position. At least not now. But if the person doing the harassing is your boss or a superior, do you complain? What if they threaten to make you lose your job, are you able to take this risk? The harsh reality is that sexual harassment occurs within a culture of silence, especially in male-dominated professions. I am sure there are women targeted by their superior for sex and their refusal will eventually lead to limited career progression. Of course hospital administrators will turn a blind eye to such complaints because these surgeons/specialists/consultants are the ones who bring prestige and money into the hospital. So why even bother to make noises? Knowing that there's no point to report, majority of women choose to eat the humble pie. So did I. I didn't make any reports. Am I silly? I don't know.

Although I didn't make any official reports, but after his few repeated requests to go out with me and sex-based text messages everyday, I braved myself and told the specialist off. It was too much. Although it was just text messages, I felt offended, humiliated and intimidated. My body was trembling, and my eyes even got a little teary - not with sadness, but with anger. ''Go fuck yourself.'' I said. Luckily that was toward the end of my rotation, so I didn't see him again after the incident. And he stopped harassing me.

Trust me, I didn't want to talk about this disturbing and uncomfortable encounter. But today I am posting this because I hope that some readers out there that may be in a situation similar as mine can know that they are not alone. We do not have to tolerate this behaviour. Defend yourself. Walk away. Report if you have to. Most importantly, be strong with your words when you say no. Never put yourself in a vulnerable situation.

I despise men who are successful and rich on the outside but show no respect to women

and only want a young vibrant woman whom he can enjoy in bed.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Life as a medical student #13 Yayasan Chow Kit

Around the corner from the glittering glass and concrete buildings in the heart of Kuala Lumpur lies a seedy part of town where prostitution, drug sales, crimes and undocumented immigrants are nothing unusual. It is the Chow Kit Road, where hundreds of innocent children roaming and living off the streets, with nowhere to go and no one to rely on.

We come across them almost every day on the busy streets but all we do is hurry away and avoid them. We never stop and ask ourselves where they sleep, when they had their last meal, what they do if they fall ill. When most of the kids in schools nowadays come up with all sorts of excuses to skip classes, the kids in Chow Kit can't go to schools. Their parents are busy making a living. They are left on the streets to deal with their sorrows and harsh living conditions. Shattered dreams, abuse of all kinds, hunger and lack of affection are the only reality they know. For most of these children, the future is dark and unpromising. All that matters to them is day-to-day survival, something to eat, something to wear, and somewhere to sleep.

As part of requirement of Student Selected Component (SSC), I spent 6 weeks volunteering at Yayasan Chow Kit (YCK). YCK is an NGO which takes care of the street children's health and welfare. It provides a temporary shelter for these children. While I was there, I saw how the children lacked adequate health care access and knowledge pertaining to health and medicine. They were born with no legal documents, and because of this, they are not entitled to the free health care services provided by the government. Our task is to look into these inequalities, and make suggestions of how the condition could be improved.

One of my most memorable moments at YCK has got to be the hand hygiene programme. Chern Meng and I decided to come back after completed our SSC to conduct this programme for the kids. We wanted to teach the kids what has already become a routine for us medical students - the seven proper steps of hand washing.

We first showed them a video. Then by using body powder, we demonstrated how germs transmit from one person to the other if they do not wash their hands properly. Finally we instructed them to use the hand sanitizer to clean their hands thoroughly. All the kids LOVE the powder. They had so much fun playing with the powder. I stood at a side and watched them. Their smiles were contagious. I could not stop thinking about how I could actually influence these children to live healthier lives.

I was hopeful, but at the same time wondered if they would remember anything from this short teaching session. Would they even remember me? Would they ever be able to educate themselves about their own health?

Then there's a voice in my head. It tells me that it's the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important. Do the right thing. It may not be in my power, may not be in my time, that there'll be any fruit. But that doesn't mean I stop doing the right thing. Yes, I won't be able to stay at YCK forever to guide the kids. There's only so little I could do. But who knows, what we taught them today would plant a positive thought into their mind. I don't expect much - so even there's only one - one of the many kids here think differently after today, this is a success.

Do the right thing. And we could all make a difference.

Thursday, July 9, 2015

[COOKING REVIEW + GIVEAWAY] Ikan Brand #4 Rendang Chicken

If you love hot curries, you'll love rendang. Often being described as a dry curry, it is a must-have during festivities such as Hari Raya. But with Ikan Brand's instant rendang paste, you don't really need an occasion to get a taste of this classic, full-of-spice creation. This post is also specially dedicated to the Muslims who are going to celebrate Hari Raya in less than a month. Selamat Berbuka Puasa! :)

Prepare your chicken by cutting it into desired sizes. Stir fry chicken with one packet of Ikan Brand rendang paste over low heat until aromatic. Add water to simmer until chicken is tender and gravy become thicker. It took awhile to cook because you have to wait for it to "dry" up but it's worth the wait. Approximately 30 minutes.

Last touch - a packet of coconut milk.

Once the coconut milk has been added to the blend, it creates a rich, creamy base.

Also add some curry leaves to give more fragrance to rendang.

Rendang Chicken - A Feast of Ramadhan

Serve with plain white rice. There you go. Enjoy!

#eunicecancooksocanyou

Ikan Brand's range of delicious sauces add authentic flavour and irresistible flair to your cooking. They only use natural ingredient, and all products are with no preservatives, MSG and coloring. They check and make sure all their suppliers have HALAL cert and all their supplier's products are without preservatives. They also pack their products in high temperature condition to ensure longer shelf life. Follow my blog to check out more recipes that showcase how versatile Ikan Brand's sauces are.

#1 Portuguese Fish - Sweet and Spiciness in A Plate

#2 Hainanese Chicken Rice - A Taste of Home

#3 Seafood Tom Yam Soup - A Taste Bud Adventure

#4 Rendang Chicken - A Feast of Ramadhan

A little something to share, Ikan Brand always supports charity events which required product sponsoring. Just contact them and they will try their best to assist. They also have 4 workers from Dual Blessing Berhad (non-profit organisation for people with disability). Click here to watch video taken by Dual Blessing Berhad to know more about it.

GIVEAWAY!!!

Ikan Brand is giving out 50 packs of their products to 50 readers just by following the 3 steps mentioned below :

1. Follow me on my Instagram (Click here)

2. Like and share Ikan Brand's Facebook page (Click here)

3. Message Ikan Brand on Facebook: Name, mailing address, phone number and don't forget to mention my blog link! (www.loveismorethanwords.blogspot.com)

*Only one packet will be given per mailing address
*Only for mailing address within East and West Malaysia

Ikan Brand products are available at Jusco, Giant and Econsave supermarkets.

For more information, visit Ikan Brand's Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/ikanbrandMY

[COOKING REVIEW + GIVEAWAY] Ikan Brand #3 Seafood Tom Yam Soup

I have been craving for Tom Yam ever since my trip to Bangkok last month. The thought of Tom Yam makes me drool - it is so deliciously hot and bursting with strong spicy flavours. Many people think that Tom Yum is too intimidating or hard to attempt at home. But what if I tell you, I can cook Tom Yum Soup within 30 minutes? Yep, you heard it right, thanks to Ikan Brand's instant Tom Yam paste, it takes as little as 30 minutes to make that flavourful, spicy, sour and fragrant Tom Yum Soup base at home!

Let's see what ingredients I have for today! (from top to bottom):

fish, squid, tomatoes, enoki mushrooms, straw mushrooms, Chinese cabbage, onions, taupok.

Stir fry one packet of Ikan Brand sauce until fragrant. Add water 600ml (3 cups) and all the ingredients. Cook over medium heat until boil and garnish with peppermint leaves. Add lime juice if necessary.

Seafood Tom Yam Soup - A Taste Bud Adventure

Everyone of us loves this soup which is really appetizing with mixture of hot, spicy and sour taste as well as sweetness from the seafood. I bet one can have at least 2 bowls of rice to go with this.