Med Colleges Under Probe

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek said, "After a six-month-probe, the ministry found the lecturer-student ratio of two local private medical colleges to be 1:20 when ideally it should be 1:6 to 1:8". These two medical colleges are under investigation by the Health Ministry of Malaysia for violating regulations pertaining to training of students in the clinical phase of their studies.

The colleges are believed to be taking in too many students and not providing adequate training for them, which is vital before they can be full-fledged doctors. “While Universiti Malaya alone is churning out about 200 students each year, these private colleges, which have been operating less than 10 years, have produced 300 students per year,” he said. Dr Chua said such acts by the private colleges would tarnish the name of the country as a centre of excellence for education.

Health director-general Tan Sri Ismail Merican, who was also at the event, said initial investigations also found that there was no full-time lecturer at the colleges. He said the ministry and the Malaysian Medical Council would send warning letters to the two colleges and their certification would not be renewed if they failed to heed the advice.

Why is IMU unlikely one of the two colleges? First of all, IMU had been operating more than 10 years (15 years to date). Secondly, although at some point of our clinical phase we do have a ratio of about 1:14 to 1:18 lecturer-student ratio, IMU did not produce as many as 300 students per year, at most 160. Thirdly, IMU does have many full time lecturers! Then who are the culprits? I personally think AIMST or UCSI could very likely be one (or both) of them! I'm sure in time, we would know which two colleges those are! (must be Manipal!!!) <--- damn another speculation!

Emi Fujita

Emi Fujita is a relatively unknown Japanese songstress whose previously released albums include Camomile (2001) and Camomile Blend (2003). Her renditions of a number of English classics in her latest album, the Camomile Classics (2006), totally mesmerised my ear buds. Of the Easy-Listening genre, ...

... the songs in Camomile Classics are soothing and could easily put one to sleep. I had created a playlist titled "KK Go To Sleep" made up of most songs in Camomile Classics for my MP3 player. Going to sleep had never been the same!

Following are the songs in the album Camomile (2001) in which you could download by clicking the links next to the titles (a choice of MP3 or WMA format). Do sample this album! I copied the Camomile Blend (2006) from someone, so if you're interested go find it yourself scroll down to download :)

1. FIELDS OF GOLD - [MP3] [WMA]
2. DOWN BY THE SALLEY GARDENS - [MP3] [WMA]
3. IN MY LIFE - [MP3] [WMA]
4. UNCHAINED MELODY - [MP3] [WMA]
5. DESPERADO - [MP3] [WMA]
6. RED IS THE ROSE - [MP3] [WMA]
7. TODAY - [MP3] [WMA]
8. TIR N'A NOIR - [MP3] [WMA]
9. THE WATER IS WIDE - [MP3] [WMA]
10. WIDE AWAKE - [MP3] [WMA]
11. MOON RIVER - [MP3] [WMA]
12. DREAMING MORNING - [WMA]

[Update]
Holy fcuks! I just listened to some of the songs from Camomile (2001) downloaded from the links above. The vocal performance just sucks compared to the latest Camomile Classic (2006). The Japanese slang was so damn heavy she sounded retarded at some certain pitches. She had seriously improved over the few years, Camomile Classics is so much an aural pleasure! Listening to Camomile in bed could give you nightmares! Eerie!

[Update 2]
Alright, found you guys the entire Camomile Classics 2006 for download (ain't I nice!). Released last year, I must say this could be the best English album by any Asian vocals. Her voice is refined and Jap slang was still there but tolerable, compared to Camomile. So here it goes:

1. Over The Rainbow - [Download MP3]
2. Melody Fair - [Download MP3]
3. All My Loving - [Download MP3]
4. The Rose - [Download MP3]
5. I'll Have To Say I Love You In - [Download MP3]
6. Lovin' You - [Download MP3]
7. The End Of The World - [Download MP3]
8. Best Of My Love - [Download MP3]
9. And I Love You So - [Download MP3]
10. Try To Remember - [Download MP3]
11. Walking In The Air - [Download MP3]
12. If - [Download MP3]
13. Leaving On A Jet Plane - [Download MP3]
14. Over The Rainbow (Reprise) - [Download MP3]
15. Proud Of You - [Download MP3]
16. Rainbow Bridge - [Download MP3]


And here's the 2003 album, Camomile Blend. I haven't downloaded any from this album, so sample at your own risk. The quality shouldn't be as horrible as her first English (Camomile) album I guess. If you wanna experience the transition on how Emi Fujita had evolved as a total-Jap-slang English-singing cock-up to her soothing mellow renditions in Camomile Classics, this is the album to download:

01. Father by Thy Hand (a cappella) - [Download]
02. First of May - [Download]
03. Longer - [Download]
04. Runaway - [Download]
05. Every Breath You Take - [Download]
06. When I Dream - [Download]
07. Beneath a Rowan Tree - [Download]
08. Eleanor Plunkett (instrumental) - [Download]
09. Once in a Very Blue Moon - [Download]
10. True Colors - [Download]
11. Faithless Love - [Download]
12. Angel Voices Calling - [Download]
13. Home on the Range - [Download]
14. What a Wonderful World - [Download]
15. Good Night - [Download]
16. Father by Thy Hand (scat) - [Download]

Allergic Rhinitis

The term is allergic rhinitis, a condition I suspected I had been having since I was little. Being plagued with moderately severe childhood asthma in my early years, I'm clearly an allergic person! Although the asthma attacks had stop since I was 10, this nose problem I had been having persisted.

The symptoms are alternating nasal blocks; sometimes my left nostril is blocked, sometimes right, at times both. This disturbs sleep and made me a mouth-breather.

Being posted in Otorhinolaryngology (E.N.T.) for the past 2 weeks cleared up my doubts. My E.N.T. teacher examined me and said I had a grossly hypertrophied (enlarged) inferior turbinate, in which the mucosa is pale (signifies long-term, chronic allergic reaction).


My nasal septum (the flesh that divides your nostril into two orifice), is deviated to the left. These predisposes me to a great risk of having sinusitis, as an enlarged inferior turbinate and a deviated nasal septum could block the drainage of maxillary sinus, thus causing mucus overflow, infection, and subsequently mucopurulent explosion! I could die!

He also examined my throat, and discovered my posterior oropharyngeal wall is nodular (small lymphatic swellings), a sign of chronic postnasal drip.


I did not know I was so pathological! (whimpers)...

Mazda RX-8 ings+1 version

Released in 2003, Mazda did a great job in designing this middle-range sports car. It looks better than its predecessor RX-7. The Rear-Wheel-Drive RX-8 is available with two engines, a 207hp engine paired with a 4-speed automatic transmission, and a 250hp engine paired to a 6-speed manual transmission.

What I like most about it is the suicide hinge doors at the back which blends perfectly with the front door, giving an impression of a 2-door sports coupé in what in reality is actually a 4-door sports sedan. Most people still label the RX-8 as a sports coupé.

This ings+1 version is currently available at Naza.

The suicide hinge doors open to backseats for two person, separated by a middle console. Having the suicide doors means the front passenger and driver wouldn't need to adjust their seat whenever the rear passengers alight the car.

Bolted on with ings+1 bodykits.

Bolt on the ings+1 bodykit, and the RX-8 turns into a great looking beast which stance is able to chomp down any continental supersports (but don't go run with 'em coz RX-8 is not exactly a thunderrocket!).

ings+1 front bumper

With the famed rotary/Wankel engine with just 1.3L capacity, one could save on roadtax in this Boleh-land too! It has great torque and you can drive all day at 120 or 140 kph effortlessly. What an amazing engine!

ings+1 rear bumper

But being a rotary engine, there are some inherent facts to it - the engine is a bit of petrol guzzer as well as engine oil gulper. It gets lousy gas mileage (15-20 mpg is normal). This will bother every economy-minded buyer, no doubt, but it's a sports car! You do have to fill up often--320+ kms per tank can be a bit annoying. Still, it's the price you pay for a rotary or Wankel engine.

ings+1 rear CF spoiler

Owners need to top up engine oil every now and then. Why? The rotary engine actually burns some of the oil for lubrication so it must be replaced at about one quart every 1,600 kms. This is easy to do, takes maybe 5 minutes once a month. And if air gets into the rotary mechanism, the car lacks power and you've got to overhaul the engine. Overhauling the engine is a bit of a headache too coz you need to find specific mechanics who have the experience in fixing a rotary engine. There are no pistons in a RX-8!

ings+1 CF rear spoiler and CF rear bonnet

With so much unproven reliability and maintenance hassles, it is still a great looking 4-seat sports sedan/coupé. And its price tag is relatively affordable too (in the region of RM140-180K depending on model type and year) compared to, say Fairlady Z (RM220-280K re-conditioned, RM500K+ brand new). With it's look and great drivability, I want one too! The RX-8 ings+1 version!

iPhone, iWant !

The iPhone: iLike™, iShiok™, iLove™, iWant™. It's finally being revealed! It's so sexy iOrgasmed™! This is the gadget of the century, it's so out of this world I felt like crying coz I lived to see it happen in an era where terrorism and famine is on the rise, yet I could still release a fart of inferno out of pure intense excitement! Macibai what am I talking about?

iPhone is a touch screen product that somewhat resembles my Sony Clié PDA (with its flip closed) - glossy and shiny, flat, lack of buttons! At just 11.6mm thick, it is the thinnest smartphone in the world (to date) and comes with Mac OSX installed as its core operating system! I've used Palm OS and Windows Mobile, but not Mac OSX! Wooo... I just farted fire!

It supports GSM, EDGE, and is Quad-band and offers integrated wireless b/g and Bluetooth 2.0 (what, no 3G?). Slated for release in US come June, and in Malaysia tentatively 2008, I really do hope it comes with 3G by then.

iPhone = iCam™ + iPod + iVideo™! It has a 2.0MP camera (tiu, Sony K800i also got 3.2MP la, iPhone must make it kao kao 10MP what! What a let down!) mated with the anticipated audio and video playback. And lo and behold, the coolest feature that iLove™ most: the large 3.5inch, 320 x 480 resolution display automatically detects whether the phone is being held in a landscape for portrait position! iBravo™! Battery life for video/web browsing and audio are quoted as 16 hours and 5 hours respectively (not very geng but not too mediocre either, aye?).

Apple has patented a new input method called ‘Multi-touch’(check out this video) which ignores accidental finger touches and instead concentrates on specific finger movements. To hell to all that means! Just gimme my iPhone!

I'm not gonna spoil too much of the fun by typing out all it's features here, so go visit the sites listed below. Plus, this piece of cool shit won't reach our Boleh-land shore till next year, so hope the specs do improve a little. Gonna start saving for it!

iCan'tWait™. iWantItNow™. iLustForIt™.

Visit Apple's iPhone site for fully animated intro (Quicktime required).
For full coverage of the iPhone by gizmodo.com, click here.

I, Wimp!

Ever since injuring my wrist (previous entries here[1] and here[2]), I could feel that my metabolism had grinded to a halt. With the voracious appetite I had developed during my 2-month stint of weight-training, I'm getting fat as my wrist had hindered me from visiting the gym the past 5 weeks. I've gained 4kgs since stopping gym, and I could feel my belly popping my size 32 pants (whimpers)!

In my hurry to get back to gym, I did some bench-press (80kgs mind you!) last week before total recovery and snapped some partially healed ligaments on the same wrist, warranting me another 6-weeks of gym-free period. Fucks...

To add salt to the wound, the cock-up Virago bike which injured my wrist is still in the workshop as they did not know what was wrong with it. The last time I called to check, they said they were sending the bike to KL. That means I couldn't sit for the JPJ test for my bike license! Darn...

I'm making a point to run at least 3 times a week, each time burning more than 300kcal and covering at least 5kms (measurement possible thanks to my Sony Walkman). Need to get a pair of good running shoes. Tiao...

Prodigy Died

Chiang Ti Ming, the boy genius who was the youngest student ever from Malaysia to be admitted into the prestigious California Institute of Technology (CalTech) almost two decades ago, has passed away on Saturday morning here in Hospital Tuanku Jaafar, Seremban.

This guy used the be the national hero of sorts, getting a place in CalTech at a tender age of 15 and score results which were at the top 5% of his class. He achieved the Undergraduate Students Merit Award two years in a row, and later pursued and graduated with a doctorate in particle physics at Cornell University in New York. He achieved so much at his teenage years many of us took years to achieve. And he's now dead at age 31.

Press reports in 2002 said that he had been admitted into a hospital in Kuala Lumpur, for depression and withdrawal symptoms - and his death a direct complication to that.

I remembered I used to envy this guy when I was a small kid, being able to skip so many boring years in school just because you're a born-genius, getting big bucks paid for you to study overseas. And of course, start a career early and earn millions of wealth and drive supersportscars and mean superbikes and be a chick-magnet and stay in bungalows and penthouses and travel the world... oh I got carried away.

But what's the point of that expresslane if you can't enjoy life? God knows how much pain this guy had to endure, how much life events he had sacrificed to achieved what he had achieved, to live up to the expectations from his sponsors, the tonnes of pressure built up inside his cranial vault... and finally all that crushed him into a frail mental cock-up... and bring upon his early retirement from this world of sex and lust... (oops I did it again!)

Wise men once said, "it's not the destination that digs, it's the journey that counts". So slack on I shall... enjoying life and view any obstacles, like my upcoming final exams, as cocktail parties with loads of chicks and booze. Ugghh... bliss!

Mum's Place Restaurant

We went to Mum's Place Restaurant for dinner yesterday, which was a stone's throw from Rachel's condominium at Damansara Perdana. It is strategically located in the heart of The Place, a soon to be flourishing and bustling hangout spot second to Bangsar, Hartamas, and Mont Kiara alike.

Mum's Place is a huge restaurant, unsuspecting first-timers like me would sure be surprised by the spacious interior. The place is well decorated with woody antique-like furnitures and soft lightings, giving a slight tinge of a baba-and-nyonya impression.

The interior

As soon as we seated our arses down, we browsed through the menu which comes with loads of delicious pictures. The cuinises served were mainly of local and Portuguese type with a tendency towards the spicy side. Our famished bellies being further taunted by the yummy-looking menu prompted us to order the "Portuguese Devil Curry Chicken", a "Fried Jenahak Fish in Special Mum's Belacan Paste", "Black Pepper Eggplant", and the "Thai Style Water Chestnut" for dessert.

Portuguese 'Devil' Curry Chicken - RM13.80

Fried Jenahak Fish in Special Mum's Belacan Paste - RM37.95 (RM6.90/100g)

Black Pepper Eggplant - RM11.90

Thai Style Water Chestnut - RM4.80

The curry chicken was fabulous, and not very spicy. The fish, on the other hand, was so very freaking spicy we left the paste aside and only cannibalise the over-priced fish. The super-combo spicy dishes (curry chicken + fish in "special" paste) set our tongue on fire. The eggplant was good, very fragrant with black-peppery taste. A must try. Finally, the dessert was good to cool our burning tongues down. It tasted like the old-time "chendol" with very strong coconut milk aftertaste. Chun!

Mum's Place serves halal food and is open daily from 11.00 am to 10.30 pm. How to get there? Here's the map:

"Race to Dakar"

I had recently finished reading "Long Way Round", an international bestseller written by Ewan McGregor (Obi Wan Kenobi of Star Wars) and Charley Boorman about their round-the-world trip across the northern hemisphere on two BMW R1150GS Adventure motorbikes.

On the first page of Long Way Round is a with a brief introduction of Ewan and Charley. On Charley's section, it reads...

"...Charley rides a Ducati 748, lives in London and is preparing for the 2006 Paris-Dakar rally, if his wife lets him."

[UPDATED!]

Rachel spotted this book in Melbourne when she was there on a week's vacation and got it for me for AUD30.00! "Race to Dakar" is about the journey of a privateer (non-professional racers), i.e. Charley himself, in the world's most dangerous race - The Dakar Rally 2006.


In "Race to Dakar", Charley recounts his extraordinary adventures, and offers an insight into the history of the race. He also follows the stories of other riders in the rally. Charley teamed up again with the producer of Long Way Round, Russ Malkin to make his lifelong dream a reality. If you're into big bikes and racing, this is sure a good read to you as it is to me!

Here's a short video on Race To Dakar:

Oh btw, the K1200R is my latest craze! Rm140K o.t.r. Fcuking hell...

Marché Movenpick

Dining out on New Year's Eve is highly distressing especially if you're staying in the city. Although the destination was The Curve at Mutiara Damansara, and the dining place was The Marché Movenpick Restaurant, I didn't fret an inch. I was fully armed and prepared for the worst...

... we walked! From our condo at Damansara Perdana to The Curve, a journey which took about 20 minutes! By the time we reached The Curve, millions and billions of cars were already double-parking by the streets. Phew!



Marché Movenpick is a Swiss restaurant. Marché means marketplace, and the interior of the spacious restaurant is similarly themed. Walk through the small entrance and you're greeted with the ambience of an ang-moh "pasar". The entire premise is colourful and vibrant, with many stalls and sections offering a variety of food.

The marché is divided into many stations/stalls with their own specialty, i.e. Grill, Seafood, Pizza, Pasta, Salad, Pastry, Fruit Tree, Caveau, Grotto Bar and Coffee Bar. You will be amazed by the variety of cuisine which you may have.

Click to enlarge!

Dining in this restaurant may give you a new experience in all five senses. You choose what you want to eat while walking in the marché area and you will be entertained by the food which is cooked right in front of you. You will not be disappointed by the entire process of cooking, the sight and sound, the smell, the taste and texture the food.

Movenpick has been famous for its Rosti, which shredded potatoes are pan-fried with sweet butter and olive oil until golden brown. We ordered a Rosti with black pepper beef sausage, a Seafood Platter, and a Rib-eye Steak.

Click to enlarge!

Last but not least, please leave space for their variety of desserts. You will regret if you come to Movenpick and not tasting their delicious crepes, cheese cake, ice cream, waffles and lots more!!

Very satisfied with our dinner, we walked to a wine shop and got ourselves a Cabernet from Yarra Valley, and headed home. There was a street fair happening, with a concert about to blast, but we walked on, having enough of the crowd and yearning for private time together in a lone condo. (Hehe)

And by the time we gulp down the last glass of wine, the eruption occured...


... and with that, we started Year 2007 with a beautiful and peaceful night, and hope there are more to come for the rest of the year!