Happy Independence Day, Malaysia!

First Question: 58 years of Independence, what have we achieved?

I shall refrain myself from making any seditious comment regarding our government. I have to confess that I'm a supporter of Barisan Nasional. Or was? I'm not so sure. One thing for sure is that I eventually got irritated, annoyed and angry with those who had tarnished the image of the party I had once loved and supported. Pfftt.. Really fed-up!

I can just say that I am deeply disappointed with what is happening to my beloved Malaysia. Independence doesn't hold that much meaning any more. It's just sad that after more than 50 years of achieving independence, our country had eventually come to this sorry state that it is now. *deep sigh*

Okay, don't care. 

Since our leaders are too engrossed with their political benefits and making up for the numerous political fiascos they had committed, there is nothing much that could be said about them. It's not like they'd listen to our worthless opinions, being mere citizens of Malaysia and all. But they're adults, and they're supposed to act like adults! I think my 11 years old brother is more adult-like as compared to them. He also knows what is the capital of Azerbaijan. Try asking this to any of the politician. I doubt that most of them could answer it without Googling for it first. Even AM with the CGPA of 3.85. 

But following the words of John F. Kennedy, "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country". JFK tarnished his own image by being in an adulterous relationship with Marilyn Monroe, but he definitely had something that our PM doesn't. A very well-liked wife. Just like Juan Peron who has Eva Peron as his First Lady. 

Anyway, I digress. 

Second Question: 25 years of living, what have I done to my country? 

Let's see. 

I didn't win any international competition that makes my name worthy to be named on an asteroid. 

Faye Jong Sow Fei did, and she's awesome! 

(image googled)

I'm not much of an athletic person and thus the chance of me participating in major international sports event and winning a gold medal in Olympic to be very slim indeed. Not impossible, but nearly impossible. Plus, I do not have any intention of participating in Olympics. 

Nicol David for the win! (no Squash in Olympic, I know)

My name is not printed in any newspaper for having achieved any stupendous feats in any area whatsoever. 

Nasi goreng tanpa GST is a remarkable achievement, no? 

I am just an average person working as an average pharmacist in an average hospital in an average 3rd world country. 

But, is that what it takes to make our country proud? To be considered as 'doing something for our country' by making our names being recognized internationally? 

The answer is of course, no. Not really. 

 Even a small act/contribution that you had done could leave a big impact to the future of Malaysia. 

Let me just list down a few things that I had done to my country (on my part). Not just me, any other pharmacist as well. Doctors too, even teachers! But as I'm a pharmacist, let's just list a few things that an average pharmacist had done/could do towards changing Malaysia to a better place. 

• I had taught many patients on how to use the insulin pens, how to use the MDIs, how to take the GTN and many other stuff. On the impact it could have done: The patients could live longer (with Allah's wills and they could do more ibadah, their children and grandchildren will be happier hehe). 
• I had braced through the horrendous one-month attachment at Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN), preparing TPN bags for neonates. I got scolded severely on many occasions, I got so physically and emotionally tired, breaking fast in the car after working up late preparing TPN bags for adults in the ICUs. On the impact my action could have done: The babies grew up healthily, I made their parents and other people happy, The babies could one day grew up to be someone who would make great contributions to the country. Who knows, one of them might become our country's Prime Minister? (and an intelligent one, too!) 
• I had worked days and nights, weekdays and weekends, mixing the various antibiotic syrups with all my strength, bracing through the fear of walking up to the satellite pharmacy at 1 am ALONE to get the Phenobarbitone STAT, even had to suppress my tears from coming out due to working with a very demanding FRP during night shift, all these, to dispense medications to the patients with hopes that they could have a better life. 

And many other things that I had done with all my heart, blood, sweat and tears. (lots of tears, mind you). 

Bear in mind that this post is not promoting what good deeds I had done. (And I did them all sincerely, insya Allah!) In fact, it's not just me. All the other pharmacists had done all these too. 

It's just to say that even though you feel like you're not good enough, you're worthless, you're incompetent, you're so slooowww, you had actually done many things to our country. You had changed the lives of the people you had met, you had actually done your part towards changing the world to a better place. 

You just have to work sincerely, without thinking of any reward you might get. Except to gain pahala of course. 

Okay, let's take another example. The Faber cleaners at the hospital. They too, had done their parts in contributing to the country. ( reading back, I realized that there are so many 'dones' in this post. So reDONEdant, hahaha!) 

• They had worked from 7 am to 7 pm EVERYDAY (I know this, I asked that sweet auntie cleaner myself), sweeping and mopping the floors, cleaning the toilets, taking out the garbage. The impact of their actions: A cleaner environment for everyone to work in. A pharmacist could work better and happier (because, clean toilets! LOL) and the chance of committing any medication error could be lessened. 
• And let us look at the impact of having a clean environment. Less hospital-acquired infections, less antibiotics used, less antibiotic resistance cases, less costs used to buy antibiotics from big pharmaceutical companies. The patients could recuperate better in a clean environment, and this would make everyone happy! 

Let me finally end this blog post with a something I had written when I was 18.  It's about 'The Royal Toilet Cleaners'. 

It was a spur-of-the-moment story (not really a story la),  I had written when I was suffering from Post-SPM Depression. having a dilemma of which path to take next, which step to take soon after. I finally realized that whatever it is I am destined to be, I must give my very best and also work with a sincere heart. 

Here it goes: 

(And ahem, mind the numerous grammatical errors. I was eighteen with very-much-less-than-impeccable level of English proficiency. HAHA. I don't want to edit.) 

Even if you're the toilet cleaner. You MUST do your BEST to make sure that the toilets are CLEAN!! It will be the talks of people if you do that. 

Mr. A said to Mr. B 

"I always go to that toilet lorr.. So clean," 

"Really? where?" 

He went to the respective toilet. 

'Whoa, so clean! So easyla like this!" 

And one unexpected day, the King of a faraway land comes to visit. 

King whispered to his Prime Minister- coincidentally is Mr. B. 

"I want to go, can or not?" 

Mr B understood the sign immediately and whispered back. 

'There's one toilet around this corner which is spotless! Clean! The toilet bowls are sparkling!" 

The King's eyes are sparkling as well. "Oh, really? Show me, show me!" 

'Wow, so clean lah!!! Who are the cleaners of this remarkably spotless toilets?" 

Ali and his colleagues timidly come out to meet the king. 

"It is us, your majesty," 

"How much is your salary per month?" 

"About.. RM 300," 

"What? So little? Come work with my country. I'll give each of you US$3000 per month!" 

(Okayla, US$3000 for mere toilet cleaners) 

Ali and his colleagues are appointed as Royal Toilet Cleaners in the country of....SOMALIA 

(The king of Somalia is known to be lavish with his spendings and thus he couldn't care less paying the toilet cleaners with a high amount. Eh no. I think I got the wrong king. Not Somalia, but definitely one of the kings in Africa. He got many wives one.) 

The Royal Toilet Cleaners are well known all over the world. They set up a Toilet Cleaners' Academy to train young Toilet Cleaners to clean as well as they do. This effort, the King hopes, will decrease the amount of people with AIDS and HIV in Somalia. Instead of taking drugs, they can clean toilets! And that will give numerous benefits to the country. 

The Toilet Cleaners graduates of The Royal Toilet Cleaners' Academy are well known all over the world. They are in high demand! Rumour has it that Queen Elizabeth has one of those to clean her loo in Buckingham Palace. 

Tourism in Somalia booms throughout the years. Tourists dare to come to this respective country due to it's well known spotless, sparkling toilets. The people got their own incomes now, the country is getting richer. And everything good fall into their places. 

All these, thanks to the hardworking toilet cleaners who made a difference, not just to the world. But the mindsets of people. 

See, it doesn't matter if you're a radiographer or a doctor or even a mere toilet cleaner. Make the best of it. Remains positive. Stop whining about how your life sucks and you don't get whatever that you want. Who knows, this story might come true one day. A prophecy, indeed! XD 

 (Written on Friday, 9th of May 2008)

 Amidst all the grammatical atrocities I had committed, I hope that you could get the gist of this whole essay.

From this, I can say that if you really take some time to observe your surroundings, having many thoughts and ponder upon those thoughts, you'd come to a realization that even toilet cleaners and garbage collectors had contributed greatly to the country.

My third and final question is: What have YOU done for your country?

Happy Independence Day, everyone! :)

(image googled)

P/S. I still haven't achieved my independence and freedom yet as I'm having my second rotation of TDM On-Call for PCM and Salicylate Poisoning. Pray that everyone is happy and the very idea of ingesting a whole lot of PCM tablets does not even come across their minds. Hehehe.