St. John Ambulance Wilderness 1st Aid Level 1 - Day 1

last weekend, i joined the St. John Ambulance Wilderness 1st Aid (Level 1) course, organised by Malaysian Outdoor Trekking Hiking society (MOTHs). this is my first time joining a MOTHs event, and i should say they're an interesting and fun bunch of ppl...

this course is a 2D 1N thing, held at Awana Genting Long House. i think few ppl knew that awana genting has a camp site and long house tucked within its grounds. my previous company used to do seminars there at least once a month and i've been there more than 4 times, but i didn't know abt this little bit of info!

anyway, the event was scheduled to start at 8am and we were supposed to meet at 7am for breakfast at a mamak shop in gohtong jaya... so that means my carpool ride had to come get me at 6am, which means i need to be up latest by 5.15am!

but i had so many things to do the previous night, that i only managed to start packing at 1am... dilly dally a bit, this and that, and i only went to bed at 3am!!! so basically i only had 2 hrs plus of sleep... haiz... i really need to plan my time better, especially on the night before i'm to go on trips!

anyway, we made it to the ratha restaurant right on time, at 7am, and i get to meet most of the participants. some are first timers like me, but most of them knew each other from other MOTHs events before this...

after breakfast, we made our way into the 'jungle part' of awana genting, where the long house and camp site is.

going into the hutan...

we were a convoy of abt 20 cars that day...

finally caught sight of the long house...

the open balcony where some of the participants slept at night,
but not me. i slept at the roofed section in my sleeping bag...

preparing the place to begin our 1st aid theory...

ice-breaking session... we were supposed to intro our own name, and then call out all the names of the persons standing before us. eg. "hi, i'm C, and i met A and B at awana genting long house." i was unfortunate enough to be standing after a guy called Trip, short of Triptipal. the guy before him was Vegee (i know, weird name). so after a while, the 3 of us became "Vegee strip Sue"... =_='''

our handouts... look how thick it is!! *sweat*

practical session. this is how we do the "head tilt chin lift"

2 fingers under the jawline to push up, and the "karate chop"
on the forehead to push down. this is to clear the airways...

our turn to do the cpr... always remember dr abc.
D = check for danger before approaching the victim

R = check for response
"hello sir, r u ok?!" while tapping the shoulders firmly

ask for help. "excuse me miss, pls call 999 for ambulance! and get back to me pls..."

A = clear the airway by doing the 'head tilt, chin lift' and 'listen, look and feel' for any breathing...

B = breathing. give 2 blows, making sure our mouths cover the victim's mouth completely to prevent air from escaping, while pinching the victim's nose (the reason for making the 'karate chop' on the forehead during 'head tilt, chin lift' - so that we can just reach down to pinch the nose while our palms are still pressing onto the victim's forehead), and look for the rising and falling of the chest...

after 2 blows, check again for response...

C = circulation. place one palm on the sternum (at the middle of the nipple line),
the other palm on top in a finger lock and compress down with elbows straight.
and no, we don't need to smile... hehe...
my cameraman: "still can smile some more! the victim die oredi lar wei!"

do 30 compressions to the beat of ABBA's "Staying Alive" (i'm not joking!)

after 30 compressions, give another 2 mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. this is considered 1 round. we need to do 5 rounds of this before stopping to check for response again. if still no response, do another 5 rounds of 30 compresisons + 2 blows... continue until help arrives or we collapse from exhaustion, whichever comes first!

after that, we broke for lunch. some participants stayed back to do their own cooking in true camping style over a bonfire. the rest of us drove out to gohtong jaya for some restaurant food...

after lunch was theory session... all the way to dinner. so can imagine the tortured-lack-of-sleep state i was in! i was just struggling to keep my eyes open and focus on what the coordinators were saying...

after dinner, we had some practical sessions...
here, we're taught to do the different kinds of bandages...

this is called the ring bandage, or 'donut'

ring bandages can be used for knife stabs if the knife is still sticking to the wound...

here we're learning to do the reef knot...

this is an arm sling...

the arm sling i did on my partner... nice ler? (the arm sling, not the partner!)

this is an elevation sling, mainly used for broken colar bones or shoulder blades...

my elevation sling...

we also learnt how to move a victim onto a stretcher... my job here
is to push in the stretcher after the guys have lifted up the 'victim'

how to immobilize the neck... always assume a neck
or spine injury when a victim has fallen from a high place!

we were introduced to 2 way radio as well...

later that night, we had a mock night rescue exercise... here we're getting ready to go out into the jungle after receiving a 'distress call'. we're not supposed to be this happy in actual cases... hehe...

our 'victim' had fallen from a tree (god knows what's he doing up there in the
dead of the night!), so we had to use the spineboard, instead of the normal stretcher...

getting ready to strap the 'victim' onto the spineboard and get him out of the hutan...

debriefing... basically discussion on what we've done right and wrong, what we shouldn've done etc...

after that, we took our bath and rolled out our sleeping bags! it's been a long and tiring day... *yawn*

officially 4-eyed...

i've always prided myself for having 25/25 vision. not that i take any extra care of my eyes... far from it, actually. i'm always watching tv in the semi-darkness and at a close distance, reading lying down and in not-so-ideal lighting condition. but somehow, i still manage to have perfect vision all these years.

but that all changed one month ago, when i start feeling dizzy EVERYDAY!!! i just don't know what's wrong with me! at first i thought i was just tired and did not get enough sleep. but after getting as much rest as possible, my condition still did not improve.

check-ups at the clinic did not reveal anything either. blood pressure and other vital signs are normal... it's just so frustrating to be feeling dizzy ALL THE TIME!

then last friday, i decided to go for an eye test... and yep, it's confirmed! i've lost my perfect eyesight!!! my vision has jumped from 25/25 to 125/125, with astigmatism thrown in on the right eye. so i'm officially 4-eyed now... sigh...

at the optician, i had a hard time choosing what kind of specs that'll suit me best... so i was just trying on the frames randomly and taking photos with my phone and then mms it over to N. hehehe... i think the optician also shake head... in the end, this is the one i chose:

does this make my face look fat?? or should i just stick to contacts?

stocktake...

was rummaging through my food stock in my office cupboard and this is what i'm down to...

the last of my food stock...

6 sticks of mini kinder bars, 2 squares of mini ritter sport that N bought for me from langkawi, a handful of butter nut sweets and 1 block of white whole hazelnuts ritter sport (white choc and hazelnuts, my fav!) also from N.

where are my oreos and chipsmore?!? i didn't even realize that i've finished them. hmm... u think the intern is helping herself to some when i'm not around? hehe...

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masak-masak watering can...

i have been looking for a watering can for my house plants... but seems like all the watering cans out there are made for giants! the one they have at ikea is at least triple the size of my pot + plant!

then N suggested that i should get a set of kid's beach toys, which will always include a small watering can in it. she knows coz her nephew jeffrey didi and niece tiffy ah bao have those toys! i joked that maybe i should go steal the watering can from their toy sets... hehe...

then a few days later, N was at her younger sister's place when she saw the watering can from ah bao's beach toy set. so she explained to her sister abt my watering can hunt... i was still at work when N msn me, "guess what amei gave you?!"

the most perfect size!

i was watering the plant in bossboss's office when she commented, "that looks like a toy". IT IS!!! hahahaha...

AMEI! THANK YOU FOR THE WATERING CAN!!! i love it! *muaks*

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enzymes!

it seems that recently, these enzyme thingy has gotten rather popular. not only is it eco friendly, it is also said to be good for health!

during my trip home recently, i found bottles upon bottles of enzymes in the store room, it's like an enzyme factory in there!

well, there are two types of enzymes. one is digestive enzymes, which is meant for human consumption. they are purported to have a host of health benefits... which i was too lazy to memorize when mom recited it out to me. hehe... anyway, these enzymes are made from fresh fruits and high quality sugar and honey... and according to mom, different fruit combination has different properties.

fruits still in their fermenting process here are grapes,
pineapples, apples, dragon fruits, oranges etc. those labels
on the bottles are the fermentation dates...

another type of enzyme is the garbage enzyme or eco enzyme. these are made from fruit peelings and vege stumps and basically they are used to replace detergents around the house. mom claimed that they are more effective in removing stubborn grease (like in the hood and hob) than regular cleaning agents. and dunno how true lar, but if used regularly to mop the floor, they are said to repel ants, cockroaches and other insects.

eco enzymes ready for use...

needless to say, mom and dad have became firm believers of these enzyme thingy! mom has given me a bottle of digestive enzyme made from grapes and dunnow what else, and another bottle of eco enzyme. so far, i've only tried the digestive enzyme once... tastes a bit like wine. hehe...

for more info and recipes on enzymes, read here and here.

i heart my new toy!

a few weeks ago, my phone started acting up. no, it's not an excuse to change phone. that phase of me wanting to get the most updated phone is over. i just want a decent device to make calls, receive sms, check mails on the go and maybe play some music when i'm bored. if the camera quality is good, then it's a bonus, but not a must!

anyway, i noticed that my phone battery kept running out and can't last even one day... i'll need to charge it at least twice a day! at first i thought it's a battery problem, coz the device is nearly 2 years old. so i went to get myself a new battery (original one some more!).

while at the phone shop, the shop person was so impressed with the condition of my phone. he said it's still so new and was amazed with my ability to keep it so well-preserved. actually this is not the first time phone shop assistants (and humans in general!) have expressed their amazement at the condition of all my phones... hehee... i just take real good care of my phones! neeways, this phone shop assistant asked me to trade in my phone to get a new model, coz he really likes the my model. he made me an offer that is much higher than the market price for 2nd hand phones, but i declined coz dun wanna waste money to change phone when my phone is still in perfect working order (or so i thought lar). before i leave, he reminded me again that in the future if i wish to change phone, i should trade in my phone to him coz he'd still be interested.

however, my battery problem persisted. it's then that i realized that the phone has turned into a battery vampire! shucks... wasted my RM75 for the original battery!

thus begins my search for a new phone... i've been out of touch with the latest phone developments, so i was at a lost as to what model to get. i know i'll probably stick to nokia, unless there are other brands that are good enough (in every aspect, including the price!) to entice me. so i asked around... the boss suggested samsung omnia, but that was beyond my budget. then he suggested nokia n63, but i didn't like the qwerty keyboard thingy. then biow suggested iphone 3g, saying it's SO me... hehe... i know, i like iphone 3g too! it's like the epitome of total coolness! but again, it's not within my budget lar. gone are the days where i'll spend a bomb on phones, coz their value depreciates so fast! then the x suggested nokia 5800xm. hmm... it looks good, cool in fact. and its specs looks good too... after more research, this seems like THE ONE for me!




so last sunday, i traipse over to the phone shop again and got it. after trading in my nokia 6110 navigator, the final price is a steal!

today is my day 2 of using it, and i'm discovering it's various nuances bit by bit. being a nokia user, most of the functions are quite standard. we know where everything is and how most things work... but it didn't stop there.

i'll not bore everyone with the full features of this phone. if you wish to know more, go google for it lar. but i just love the touch screen and the auto rotate function. it's very responsive and user friendly. i also love it's blinking notification light. means if there's a miss call or sms, the notification light will go blink-blink... blink-blink... and then we'll know. we don't need to keep unlocking our phone to check. it's obvious the ppl at nokia are phone users.

well, if i have any grouse at all for this phone, it'll be the material it's made of. unlike my previous phone, which has some aluminium in the housing, this 5800xm is fully plastic. what more, it's the kind of plastic that gets oily easily, at the slightest touch! and i hate finger prints on my phones! other than that, i'd say it's by far the best nokia i've owned! *happy*

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an afternoon outing to the skating rink...

since our first skating lesson in september 2004, this is the first time we actually took pictures at the rink!

N's nieces are up in kl this school holidays, so we brought them to the rink for some ice skating action. at the same time, it's also an opportunity for us to get a feel of the ice again, after more than 2 years of stopping our lessons.

tying our skates... must tie tight-tight o, if not u'll sprain your ankles!

helping ke shin with her skates... ke shin is wearing N's younger sister's skates! *ke shin, ask
ur xiao yi if you can "borrow" her skates... tell her u'll give it back when u outgrow it. hehehe...*

ke er waiting for her kai-kai ah yee to help her with her skates...

N tying her skates...

skates all tied up nicely... ready to go!

one last pic before storing our belongings into the locker...

the girls learning to do the swivel, with me looking on...

one pic to show mommy!

look at the wet bums! hehehe... of course will
fall down lar, but that did not deter the girls!

some videos that we managed to take...

the girls doing the swivel... N and i may not be great figure skaters,
but i think we're quite good coaches lor... hehehe... good job, girls! *proud*

my turn to perform! this is the one and only move that i'm still able to do
quite well and can be shown to all! hahaha... this is called the "pivot"

i would say the girls really enjoyed this outing... but despite protests of not staying longer at the rink, they were dead tired after abt 2 hrs plus of skating! there definitely will be a next skating trip!

on turning a year older...

hmm... i guess after a while, it's no big deal anymore. anyway, not much celebrating this year, coz was pretty bz moving room! here are some photos to share...

N suddenly jumped out of no where bearing this cake, making me jump in turn!

inscription written N herself! but she smudged the side there a bit...

birthday gal in her PJs...

my partner in crime...

i'm famous! - part 2

was woken up by a phone call from mom last friday (i was on leave), telling me that my face appeared in the sin chew newspaper! upon further inquiries, found that it's an ad for a housing developer and it's only in the m'ca edition of sin chew. later, the brother posted this up and tagged me on facebook:



a closed-up view:


this photo was taken a few cny back... see those mandarin oranges? hehehe...

not sure of the exact words, but according to mom, the dialogue bubble went something to the effects of, "mom, i've bought a 5 bedroom home in Bertam Setia. it'll be just nice if you come and stay together with me. thank you for raising me all these years"

and i've been renamed "xiao li"!!! *faint*

mom said a few friends and relatives have called her up, thinking we really bought a new house! AND, just so happen that i'm in the midst of moving room... so friends in fb thought i'm moving into this 5 bedroom house! haiz, so misleading...

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