Odysseys of George

I was on-call yesterday.

It was so quiet …. the silence was painful. To make things worse, three quarters of the staff in this hospital is from Kelantan and many have left or leaving before the Raya celebrations. The streets were empty and it rained heavily later in the night making the boredom and the heaviness of the heart worse. I did a laparoscopic appendectomy which just means even the operating theater was quiet.

I cannot stand this, especially after being used to a heavy busy call since my early medical years. All my doctors shudder when they are on call with me as my calls are 90% of the time very busy. But probably the other reason why I cannot stand this quietness, because my mind tends to rest in the recesses of my memory which is also too painful for me, a long unsettled issue which maybe one day ….. it is personal! Sorry!

Goodness, I must be reaching pathological levels.

Luckily, there is some church activity going on tonight and probably visit one or two of my friends — that would keep my mind off things.

Just before I joined the Masters of Surgery programme in UM, I was sent to a small town, I never heard off in my life … Chenderong Balai. This is a small town, located about 40minutes from Teluk Intan and one a half hours south of Ipoh. I was the young boss of Klinik Kesihatan Chenderong Balai(KKCB). This clinic never had a doctor for the last 9 years before I came. One of the first staff I met was my ambulance driver, En. Jaafar. He was also my personal driver and thus over the two years with the staffs of KKCB, we became very close friends. A very supportive staff with dedication to the service and also very friendly.

Yesterday, I receive a call from another staff, informing me that Jaafar was taken ill. He had recently lost 30kg, and presented himself to the Teluk Intan Hospital with yellow discoloration of the sclera. He was diagnosed as having advanced cancer with involvement of the liver. The surgeons in Ipoh, will be operating on him in November and to commence chemotheraphy thereafter.

I am very sad to hear this. In a town, where I was the only non-Malay, he and the other staff made me feel at home. The memories are still very vivid. He gave me every ounce of support he could to me and always tried to make me feel happy.

next : My dear driver,En Jaafar and a silent killer

thereafter: My dying driver

Many do not know this, but I once used to play the violin. I started early but did not have good teachers during the early years in Alor Setar. So it was an on-off kind of thingy till my parents were told of this superb teacher from Penang Philharmonic who comes to Alor Setar to teach. Thus , by then I was in secondary school and really into it. However, it had to stop when I was in Form 5 because the training requires a great plenty of time for practice. I was in Grade 5. I still love the violin and hope to complete it one day though my fingers are getting a little to stiff at the phalanges.

The violin, bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello. A person who plays violin is called a violinist or fiddler, and a person who makes or repairs them is called a luthier, or simply a violin maker.

The violin was born in northern Italy in the early 16th century. The oldest documented violin to have four strings, like the modern violin, was constructed in 1555 by Andrea Amati.

The most famous luthiers, between the late 16th century and the 18th century included:

* Amati family of Italian violin makers, Andrea Amati (1500-1577), Antonio Amati (1540-1607), Hieronymus Amati I (1561-1630), Nicolo Amati (1596-1684), Hieronymus Amati II (1649-1740)
* Guarneri family of Italian violin makers, Andrea Guarneri (1626-1698), Pietro of Mantua (1655-1720), Giuseppe Guarneri (Joseph filius Andreae) (1666-1739), Pietro Guarneri (of Venice) (1695-1762), and Giuseppe (del Gesu) (1698-1744)
* Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737) of Cremona
* Jacob Stainer (1617-1683) of Absam in Tyrol

The arched shape, the thickness of the wood, and its physical qualities govern the sound of a violin.

I love the violin!!

Once in 2 years the families of the clan reunite. This time it was held in Hotel Impian, Morib, Banting. New hotel with good rooms, good facilities and nice layout.

The reunion in is called in short APTK which reflects the vilage/towns of origin of our ancestors back in beautiful state of Kerala, India. This reunion covers the Malaysia-Singapore chapter consisting of about 150 – 180 families with an estimate of about 900 members.

The details of the clan can be read here:
http://www.geocities.com/ayroorpakalomattom/index.html
http://www.indianchristianity.org/marthoma.html
http://www.marthomasyrianchurch.org/

He has this fetish with tissues and will put a high pitch scream – cry if he does not get to hold one.
Well, there was this meeting at which my nephew was in the hall with us. I guess he got a bit bored. Watch the photos then perhaps you will understand better.

His mischevious look. He has done something.

Quietly he became a shredder

Looking at his handwork at a more ground level

Gets a warning from the mum

Decides picking is too much work — sweeps them under our feet and chairs

His name : Sherman the Tissue Shredder