From Comfort to Discomfort Zone

I had been on familiar ground for a very long time.  For many years I always felt quite comfortable with my working environment.  It was my home ground and I felt very much protected and secure in carrying out my daily activities.  The work scope and the challenges varied and changed over time, but I always felt I could manage it. And I did.  And eventually I ended up feeling very comfortable, too comfortable it scared me.  I was afraid I would become complacent, and I felt I needed a new challenge to stimulate my appetite for success.

Well, I got just what I asked for....... and more.  I’m now officially a full time student.  It’s been more than 15 years since I completed my degree and going back to learning environment requires some significant adjustment on my part.  And the subject of International Relations is very alien to me; realism, pluralism, constructivist, differences between neutral and non-alignment, state and actors, contemporary strategies....oh my.  Migration from engineering/logistics to IR......my head has been spinning just from the thought of it.  The lecturers are mostly prominent figures in IR world.  I just recently discovered that one of them was cited numerous times in a few old books from my undergraduate studies.  I was mesmerised just being in their presence.  And how about my classmates, everybody but one is at least a few years older than me.  One of them even has two grandchildren and has just recently held a wedding reception for his youngest daughter.  Some are just a few years away from retirement.....and I’m still about 15 years till mine.....wow!!!  I didn’t feel there was any room for me to share about the headache of trying to enrol my kids in Year 1 of primary school.  These guys are well beyond that already.  How about their working experience or academic qualification then?  Most have commanded big organisations, be it a battalion or a ship or an aircraft squadron, and have regular interactions with the top brass of their respective services.  Some already have masters in other fields and one I know has been pursuing his Phd which he has to put on hold until the end of this programme.  These are some bad-ass individuals, some in the true sense of the word due to the nature of their job in dealing with the unthinkable.

I was intimidated to say the least.  I had trouble breathing......literally!!!  I felt very small in the midst of this whole new environment.  I was inferior, in every aspect it seemed....The whole week had me struggling to comprehend the predicament I got myself into.  It felt impossible to come out on top.  I never felt such anxiety before.  One whole week of feeling like this and I knew I could not let this go on.  What would you do??  What would you do when faced with such obstacles.....???

It’s almost the end of the second week, and I can confess that I’m feeling much better now.  I am okay.  I feel confident, not of the outcome as it is ultimately in the hand of God, but of my perseverance and will to complete this.  A complete turn-around from last week.  Why and How?  The demons of fright, anxiety and intimidation are gone.  I got rid of them.  I know there are going to be some major obstacles coming my way.  I know I may not have the upper hand in many situations.  I am at a disadvantage in many ways.  I accept. 

But then, I do have some of my own strengths, some of which I feel will propel me to comprehend the challenges ahead.  I have accomplished some incredible feats in my life, and I wouldn’t have done so if not for my own strong points.  I have come to accept the card I got dealt with.  I asked for it in the first place.  This is God’s plan for me.  I just have to give my best and leave the rest to Him.  And slowly I feel much more peaceful.  I begin to see situations where I actually have the upper hand, I begin to see the positive in even the most dreadful prospect, and I start to see that there is always something to be learned in every challenge.  I begin to see that it’s all about accepting, maybe ‘redha’ is more suitable word to describe this.  I am astonished at the speed of the transition and how good I feel now.  It’s not false hope I’m sure.  I know I still have mountains to climb.  But I have accepted that this is the situation I’m in, this is what I asked for, it’s going to be hard, I’m going to struggle.  I just have to try my best, exploit my strengths and just redha that whatever happens is not because of my lack of trying.  Wasn't this what I’d been saying to myself before every time I encountered hardship in life?  Yes indeed.  It’s just that when the bar is raised higher, sometimes self-induced doubt creeps in without my realising it.  Alhamdulillah I’m back on track and even more motivated and determined to give it my very best.  I know some of my colleagues are facing their own demons right now.  I hope they will eventually come to term and be able find the way to cope with the dreadful feelings.

I am glad I got this out of my chest.  I praise God for making me realise quickly what I should have already known and accepted from the very beginning.  This is what I will say to sum up this posting; just accept (redha with) your fate no matter how difficult and unfair it may seem, give your best to deal with it, ask for God’s intervention to grant the outcome you hope for...........and leave the rest to Him.  InsyaAllah that’s what I intend to do and I hope He will give me strength and courage throughout.  Amin.

The Three Faces Of My Daughters

These are the 3 faces of my daughters throughout the day for 5 days in a week. They begin their day bright and early to go to Sekolah Agama, then they have a short break before getting ready for their Primary School. After school, they have about one hour for shower and dinner and off they go for Mengaji Quran. Mengaji finishes at about 8.30pm, and they only have tiny little time then to watch TV, drink their milk formula and finally they go to bed at about 10pm (no need to pester them, physically they know they have to go to sleep). A little less hectic on Tuesday and Friday nights as they have no mengaji session.

Sekolah Agama Year 1

Primary School Year 1

Going for Mengaji Quran

My initial thought was..... that was so darn hectic. But children being children, they adapted fairly quickly and by the fourth day of school, they even reminded us not to come over during recess. I never had any doubt that my kids could hack it with this new routine. I knew it would be much easier for them to settle in, having the luxury of each other’s company in going through the routines. With most of the administrative matters at both schools are pretty much over and done with, they can now concentrate on their studies.

I did not doubt my girls’ ability to cope and they have proven their mettle so far; having fun at school, making new friends, and one of them even got a nice treat from her teacher for producing an exemplary work in class. What worries me is that it seems there’s very little time for them to play during the week. Definitely not after primary school as they arrive at home less than half an hour before sunset. In between schools is the longest free time, and even that’s not exactly free for them to play. I’m not even counting in the eventual homework they have to juggle within the little ‘free’ time they have. Anyway, all is not loss. The new KSSR (Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah) has allocated two periods for Physical Education which is on Monday and Tuesday….so they get to play during these allocated times. I then realise that my kids, as well as the other kids, have the ability to somehow find ‘quality time’ to play despite their chaotic schedules. Children’s instinct!!!! Before school starts, during recess, even in class like comparing the content of their pencil cases, sharing their ‘bekal’ (what they eat during recess) and every little opportunity they can find time for it. That’s really children being children and really knowing what they want, and what their priority is...... to play.

No matter what, these kids know how to find time to play

So I am not going to worry too much. I know they will still find time to play no matter what. However, I still want to try to slot in fun playing time during weekend for them. It’s not all about how many A's they get, it’s not all about how well they do in exams, it’s not all about competing with other students. Those are important things for them, but having quality time to play is equally important as they have demonstrated.

I'm so proud of my angels

An equally proud Mama

Playtime even for a few minutes before going for Mengaji Quran

By the way, as I waited at the waiting area to fetch my kids after school yesterday, I saw a group of school children playing soccer using disposed Solivite bottle.......they had lots of fun. Yup, that’s what being children all about........so let them play.

Don't worry too much, we'll be fine

2011- My perspective

I can’t think of a year that promises to have so many things going on for me, all at the same time. 2011 is just barely into its first day and I am already bracing myself for all the things this year has in store for me. I am very excited while at the same time feeling a little apprehensive with what lies ahead.

These are some of the new phases I’m going to experience in 2011:

~ My children, after spending 3 years in kindergarten, will be starting school in Year 1 both in primary school and Sekolah Agama this Monday. This alone brought in a whole set of new adjustments to my life. My twins are all excited and really looking forward to going to a new school. They adapt to changes so easily compared to us adults.....sigh.

My kids on their Orientation Day

~ My wife has just finished with her studies while I’m starting mine in a week. Being a full time student again after more than 15 years is definitely a drastic change in my routine.

~ Moving house, but not really moving.....and having to stay separately from the family for a year. It’s like living from a suitcase, but in my case, it’s like living from two suitcases, the rented apartment I’m gonna be living in and spending the weekends with the family at a place, while very nice, but we can’t really call it our home.

~ Relinquishing my post as the rugby chairman/coach for Navy Orca. Breaking the news to my players was one of the hardest things I had to do. And not having to worry about them like I do my children or family members will hit me hard in the few months to come. I’m going to miss them, miss being at the field, basically being completely detached from something that has been a big part of my life for the past 4 years is going to be difficult.

The newly designed team logo which I created to rejuvenate the team when I took over 4 years ago

The tense pre-game scene and the adrenaline rush are all part of my rugby memories now

~ Moving from using wifi from a fixed line broadband at home to using wireless broadband. It’s been too convenient with Streamyx but I now hope the wireless access will be good enough and I will be able to capitalise from its mobility.

Speed...speed....have you got enough speed?  I'll soon find out

~ Living in a cosmopolitan city as opposed to enjoying the laid back small town atmosphere. Experiencing the chaotic shopping scene on Christmas day was a rude awakening to what lies ahead. Stuck in a jam enroute to Ikea, stuck again in the long queue at the highway exit, wandering aimlessly in the vast parking zones but not finding a spot easily, stuck again in a long lunch queue, feeling loss in the sea of people who seemed to be unaffected by the frenzy, while I was feeling all claustrophobic. And again last night, trying to enjoy new year with family and relatives......same things again: traffic jam, sea of people and long queues.....and yes, inflated prices......I’ll have to get use to all of these now. Not all bad though, more choices for food and more choices for everything from entertainment to household needs. The pro and cons I guess.......

This is where I'll be for the next 1 year at least

So 2011, welcome! Hope it brings not only changes but also all the prosperity and success to make this world a better place.  InsyaAllah.

Conquering My Water Anxiety

Not many people are born comfortable with water. Despite spending more than 9 months cocooned in our mother’s womb surrounded by water, many of us instinctively developed fear for water as we grew up. Many reasons contributed to this intensification of fear, mostly probably to our lack of association with water and lack of encouragement from our surrounding to promote ease when dealing with water.

I have never been that comfortable with water until these past few years. I was not actually afraid of it, and I didn’t panic easily either. I simply didn’t feel comfortable like I did when I was on dry land.

You see, I grew up in a kampung environment at a Felda settlement and playing with water was part of my daily life. Playing in a stream called “Paya Licin” (due to its slippery banks) is one of the fond memories of my childhood days. Then there were the times when I waddled through shallow muddy rivers during dry season looking for fish hiding in the mud, as well as the countless times I braved the rain to play soccer or just simply playing whatever in the monsoon splash. Despite all these experiences with water, I was still not a good swimmer and my dog peddling style resembled more of my scrambling for life especially when I could not feel my feet standing on firm ground underneath.

My childhood days were filled with many days like this

The next phase in my life at a boarding military school saw me learning to swim properly under the care of PE teachers, Mrs Ooi and her late husband Mr Ooi. These two, especially Mrs Ooi with her famous term “Libas Keribas”, helped me to learn the basic techniques of swimming and after 5 years in high school I could already swim the 50m Olympic-size swimming pool.....barely. I was much more comfortable, but the niggling fear of water was still apparent.

On to university days at a place called the United States Naval Academy. You’d imagine me swimming like a fish by the time I completed my degree, but that was not really the case. Yes, I passed every single swimming test there. They were not easy either. I jumped from a 10m platform into the deepest end of the diving pool every semester, I swam 1km in 40 minutes (it’s called “the 40 year swim”) while dressed in full uniform, I treaded water for few long minutes while converting my uniform to become a temporary float and many other swimming tests designed to make us as a capabled swimmer. And yet I found water to be a little intimidating at times.......and I did not welcome the opportunity to jump into water, I’d rather be doing something else......period.

The exact view if you look down from a 10m platform....a big no, no!

The breakthrough came when I was sent to work in France for 2 years. The apartment complex where I stayed had a 25m swimming pool right in front of it. For a good 3-4 months in the summer and early fall, the pool was available, with crystal clear water up to the brim, gesturing me to take a dip. I also met this wonderful neighbour Gill, who could swim back and forth the full length of the pool effortlessly for eternity, while I struggled amateurishly to complete even a full lap. Upon seeing my struggle, he offered a few tips to improve my technique. He helped me to improve my breathing, and he also showed me how to make the most out of every stroke. And as they say it in French......Voila! I got it. My swimming improved tremendously and I didn’t feel the struggle to gasp for air. It was far from perfect, or else I’d be competing in the Olympics.....hahahaha, but I felt a whole lot more comfortable in the water.

The wonderful swimming pool infront of my apartment

The swimming lessons by my neighbour Gill was the turning point

Since then, my anxiety with water has significantly reduced. I can now enjoy swimming as part of an exercise, as well as a form of relaxation and stress buster. It’s God’s gift to me as I have now found a low impact exercise that is kind to my post-PCL operation knee. However, I don’t get to swim as much as I’d like so far. I intend to change that next year. The fact that there is going to be a big pool near where I’m going to be staying should help my cause.

The icing on the cake in my progress to conquer my anxiety with water came through my experience doing Helicopter Underwater Escape Training with navy pilots and helicopter crew. I’ve done it three times so far and the latest one was just last week. Just like the course’s name, it’s about taking turn and tumble underwater while being strapped in the mock-up helicopter, and eventually trying to exit through a designated escape route. It was intimidating to say the least. And doing that at night as well? I did it, I didn’t really enjoy it, but I did it......It got easier the more you do it. And as I said, it helped further to ease my anxiety.

Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (me in white helmet) was all about dealing with your fear being trapped underwater

Dealing with water is never easy for me and I’m glad I’ve got this far by now. Chance of survival in water is significantly enhanced when we have the ability to swim comfortably and we do not panic easily. I would definitely like my children to comprehend both at much younger age. It’s never too late to learn but I sure hope my children don’t have to endure the anxiety as long as I did.

Water survival is "no play play" business

Water is not a natural surrounding for us human being, so we must learn how to be comfortable in it. Try we must, have faith and the rest we leave it to fate.

I even had the opportunity to enjoy water ski at Lake Zurich as I successfully dealt with my water anxiety

Why can’t we get it right the first time?

Prelude ~ My friend from Switzerland told me once that in his country, people do not need to re-confirm their appointments. He said once you’ve agreed, both parties will undertake the commitment to fulfil their obligation without having to be reminded to do so. Sounds really wonderful. When re-work/correction/re-check are not required, we have more time to attend to other pressing issues. Wastage goes down, efficiency goes up....voila, we have a very productive society and everybody goes home a happy camper in this beloved Bolehland. Sadly, more often than not, that is not the case here.

Judging from my recent encounters with various inefficiencies and obstacles when dealing with our own systems, I am afraid to concede that our society is a long way from becoming a world class......and to think that Tun Mahathir’s Vision 2020 is not too far down the corner already.....sigh...come on, wake up!!!!.

I was recently given the run around trying to register my twins for Year 1. I finally got my order to transfer to KL in late November, leaving me with no choice but to register my kids well beyond the stipulated deadline. I went to the state education department, and was told that all registration must be done online. Registration online –checked! I went to the preferred school after that but was told they have no say whether my kids can attend school there, ‘school placement will be done by the district education department-via online’. After waiting for the ‘2 week window’ for the process to take its due course, and still no news of the school for my kids, I decided then to go to the district education department. To my disbelief there were at least a hundred disgruntled parents there with all sorts of issues ranging from not being able to send their kids the school they prefer, to their kids being sent to schools in a different district. And to think there were that many ‘re-work/correction/re-check’ that had to be done.......what an inefficient on-line system!!! Anyway, in my case, I was told that while I’d done my registration on-line, the school had yet to ‘confirm’ my registration online, despite my showing of the school’s stamp on my kids’ birth certificates. No...no...it has to be done online. I was dumbfounded but decided to remain patience......and asked, 'what does it take now for the process to move forward'. The lady said, ‘give it a week for the school to confirm online, and re-check after that’. I decided to go back to the school to ‘drive’ the process. True enough, with a little insistence, the ‘confirmation’ was done within half an hour-via online! I wanted to go back to the district education department immediately but was told earlier that the officer who could make the decision was not around. ‘You can call him personally on Wednesday when he comes back....Here’s his number’. Thank you!!! So, came Wednesday, I gave the gentlemen a call. He was very nice, and told me that he took extra effort to rectify all outstanding school placements and asked me to just check the system. Believing this could be the end of my misery I gave the system another try. And a false hope it was as the status had not changed beyond what I saw on Monday. A little agitated, I gave the guy another call. He said, ‘I may have overlooked some names, I’ll rectify them today and you should see it by tomorrow. If it’s still not rectified then, call me back right away’. Surprise...surprise...came next day, still no school for my kids in the system. He said, 'the system has been very slow, I will try to do it this weekend, so please check again on Monday'. Sigh....double sigh.....Still no confirmation of school for my twins......We are still at the ‘we’ll try’ stage and don’t know how long before we can get to ‘we can confirm’ stage.

The following are some things that didn't go right the first time related to my sister’s wedding preparation:

~ The hall for the wedding was filthy with trash and I had to clean it up myself. The guy responsible promised to send somebody to clean the mess up (which should have been cleaned before the hall was handed over to us). That somebody never arrived and the person responsible eventually simply refused to answer our calls.

~ The lady who was supposed to prepare the ‘pelamin’ on stage promised to come to set it up in late afternoon before the wedding day, then delayed it till early night, then delayed it again till before 11pm, and her final promise was before the next morning. Last I checked at 0120am, the pelamin was not there and she stopped answering her phone. She quietly set the pelamin up without our presence early next morning, and when we arrived later, we had to re-adjust the setting for the cake cutting ceremony because it was placed too far back. Sooooo very easy to get this one done right the first time and yet, so much rework and adjustment had to be made. After taking into consideration that she also ‘deliberately’ forgot and had to be reminded that she was supposed to provide fresh and not artificial flower bouquet for the bride, as well as trying to escape from her commitment of providing red carpet at the walk way, it’s is safe to assume that I’m not going to recommend her to others.

And this one was my experience dealing with the most famous rugby brand in the world....we are obviously talking about the ‘local’ company representing the brand.

~ How difficult is it to do jersey alteration? Piece of cake you say. That was what they said too.......but the truth is it’s been 8 months!!! ...and still they can’t get it right.

How about trying to change billing addresses and to cancel some services following the news of my transfer to KL? I have already called my credit cards companies, phone & internet service provider, satellite TV company, mobile phone company etc ....they all sounded very helpful and friendly over the phone....at least we’ve got to that stage now in this country. Should I be optimistic and run my hopes way up there that there will be no hick ups? I’d love to be proven wrong....please...please prove me wrong!!!!! However, after weighing the prospects I am already gearing up for another round of phone calls to these companies to straighten things out. As I said, prove me wrong....PLEASE!!!!

Well, I have already accepted that I can’t change the world we live in. I know though that giving up is not an option as we will continue spiralling down if nothing is done now. So let’s start small....let’s fulfil all our little promises and commitment. Let’s get things right the first time.....or at least let’s strife to at least make that a real objective and not accepting anything less unless there is a concrete reason for it. I’ve always believed that the place to start is within my own family. Then on to my dealing with others, be it at work place or in my social encounters with people. Let’s take our promises and commitment more seriously, especially so when we know that the way we react/respond affects others directly or indirectly.

Awal Muharam 1432H - A New Beginning In Many Ways

It's 1 Muharram 1432H, the first day of the new year in the Islamic Calender.  Lots of happening in my life.....too many to mention.  Wish to write blog entries about some of them but I doubt I'll have the luxury of time to do so.  A quick dumping of my thoughts then before I lose them.......

~ My youngest sister got married.  I had the privilege to perform the 'akad nikah' to give her away for marriage.  I was swarmed with the wedding preparation, in crisis mode most of the time but Alhamdulillah it all went well at the end.  The smile of content and happiness I saw on my sister's face was all that I needed to see......

~ I finally got my instruction a few weeks ago to move to KL in early January 2011 to further my study.  Suddenly overwhelmed with all the documentation and other administrative things related to my transfer.  Also had to come up with my thesis title and hopefully it's the right one.....'The Balancing Act-...bla...bla...bla.....'.  A mouthful but we'll see if the topic about the US vs China/India is good enough....

~ Now quickly have to work on the family transfer to Shah Alam to stay with my in laws while I stay separately near the college.......only 30+km separation for one year, I guess we can handle it....

~ Also had to register my twins for Year 1 in Selangor instead of Perak as a result of my transfer.  Obviously we did the registration well beyond the stipulated window to do so......and because of that, had to endure the running around between the state and the district education departments, and our preferred school.....back and forth....back and forth.  As of today, still no confirmation of the school.  My patience has been stretched but I still have much in reserve.....just bring it on.  Will call the 'officer' in-charge tomorrow to see if we can progress beyond 'we'll try...." to "we can confirm.....".  The 'on-line' system in place is really 'in-line' system as we always have to wait....and wait....and wait some more.

~ I finally have the taste of how much preparation is involved when your kids start to go to school.  The uniform alone....I lost track of what we have bought....pinafore, inner shirt, complete baju kurung for primary school and sekolah agama, tudung, shoes, socks, kapur kasut, stationery (hundreds of items, literally), school bags, water bottles etc.  Next will be books, school fees, orientation day and first day of school.  And imagine having to do this for twins......Aren't I glad that my wife is taking this like nothing.....I guess her skill as a former secretary comes really handy in this situation.

~ As a bonus....in the midst of all these cacamerba, I suffered from sleep deprivation, lack of rest and over indulgence in good food (can you call this last one as suffering?) which eventually resulted in my blood pressure 'going upstairs' (naik atas.....?????..hahahahaha).  Border line as the doctor said but I really must do something about it........

However, despite this seemingly ultra chaotic life I've been leading these past few months......I must say that I don't have much to complain about.  Life could be better....but the life I have now is well and truly good enough......Alhamdulillah.

Pendapat Saya Mengenai Kesihatan dan Penjagaan Kanak-Kanak

Tajuk: Anak demam........Apa nak buat?

Anak-anak memerlukan kita apabila mereka sakit

Anak-anak yang sedang membesar masih belum mempunyai sistem pertahanan badan (imunisasi) yang lengkap dan ini mengakibatkan mereka terdedah kepada pelbagai risiko penyakit. Demam, batuk dan selsema adalah masalah yang biasa kita lihat berlaku pada anak-anak kita. Walaupun dalam banyak keadaan, tahap sakit anak-anak kita tidak melarat ke tahap bahaya, namun kadangkala situasi boleh berubah secara mendadak dan kita kena bersedia menghadapi sebarang kemungkinan.

Apa yang saya ingin saya kongsikan adalah persediaan yang kita boleh lakukan bagi menghadapi situasi kecemasan berkaitan demam. Demam walaupun pada dasarnya nampak perkara biasa, namun sebenarnya boleh menjadi kritikal jika kita tak mengawalnya dengan baik. Saya sendiri telah mendengar banyak cerita dan pengalaman kawan-kawan yang menghadapi situasi cemas apabila suhu demam mencecah tahap kritikal sehingga mengakibatkan berlaku ‘tarik’ dan lain-lain komplikasi. Dalam banyak situasi, kebanyakannya ibu bapa tidak monitor peningkatan suhu anak-anak dengan teliti dan hanya kelam-kabut ke hospital apabila berlaku situasi tarik dan sebagainya.

Daripada pengalaman saya, suhu badan anak-anak boleh berubah dalam waktu yang terlalu singkat. Pernah saya dapati suhu anak saya meningkat dari normal kepada hampir kritikal dalam tempoh 10-15 minit sahaja. Kalau anak-anak demam memang saya dan terutamanya isteri terpaksa berjaga malam bagi memantau suhu mereka. Bagaimana nak memantau dengan baik? Mestilah kena ada jangkasuhu (thermometer) yang baik. Saya amat mengesyorkan ibu bapa supaya melabur sedikit bagi membeli jangkasuhu untuk disimpan di rumah. Pelaburan ini bagi saya sendiri telah beberapa kali membantu saya membuat keputusan sewajarnya termasuklah menghantar anak-anak ke klinik pada pukul 3 pagi apabila suhu badan tidak lagi terkawal.

Jangkasuhu yang baik dapat memberi bacaan suhu yang tepat dalam masa beberapa saat

Berdasarkan pembacaan saya, suhu normal badan kita adalah sekitar 35.5ºC-37.5 ºC. Apabila saya dapati suhu badan anak-anak melewati tahap ini, saya dan isteri akan monitor selalu. Dengan adanya jangkasuhu ini, kami biasanya memeriksa suhu badan anak-anak setiap 15-20 minit ataupun setengah jam mengikut keperluan. Kekadang tu anak-anak kita menghadapi ‘panas dalam’ dan badan mereka tidak menunjukkan panas sangat apabila dipegang tetapi bila check dengan jangkasuhu, alamak......dah kritikal. Ini adalah berdasarkan pengalaman saya sendiri maka saya nasihatkan ibu bapa jangan bergantung hanya kepada kaedah ‘belakang tapak tangan’ bagi memeriksa suhu badan anak-anak kita semasa mereka demam.

Apa yang kami lakukan sebagai permulaan apabila anak-anak demam adalah berusaha menurunkan suhu mereka secara manual menggunakan ‘cool fever patch’ iaitu pelekat serap haba yang dibeli di farmasi, lap guna tuala basah dan kalau rasa-rasa tak jalan juga, bagi mereka mandi (walaupun di tengah malam......alhamdulillah anak-anak tak meragam sangat bila dimandikan). Di rumah juga kami biasanya ada ubat demam yang dibekalkan oleh doktor dan digunakan bila suhu nampak dah sukar dikawal. Kalau ubatpun tak jalan dan suhu mula mencecah kritikal, cepat-cepat bawa berjumpa doktor. Pada saya kalau dah melepasi 39 ºC dan tidak terkawal, itu dah kira kritikal dan kena consider nak bawa jumpa doktor. Pada setiap masa, jangkasuhu adalah kawan terbaik kami untuk monitor perkembangan demam anak-anak.

Fever Patch seperti ini boleh didapati dari kedai dan farmasi

Bila dah terpaksa bawa ke klinik atau hospital, perancangan kita juga penting agar tidak membuang masa tercari-cari ke mana nak dituju terutamanya selepas kebanyakan klinik ditutup. Kita kena tahu di mana klinik 24 jam terdekat dan di mana hospital terdekat sekiranya berlaku sebarang kecemasan. Sebagai contoh saya di Manjung, klinik family saya adalah di Poliklinik Mior yang saya amat yakin servisnya (promote sikit bisnes kawan2), diikuti Poliklinik Samudera yang merupakan opsyen berikutnya kerana ia dibuka 24jam dan servisnya juga saya yakin. Klinik Yasmin juga okay tapi saya kena jangka mungkin kena tunggu lama sebab selalu ramai orang so kalau nak cepat saya tak ke sana. Selain itu hospital terdekat bagi menghadapi kecemasan adalah Hospital Manjung kerana di sana ada Pediatrik. Saya tak akan pergi ke hospital Angkatan Tentera kerana saya tahu pada masa ini tiada Pediatrik di sana dan sebarang kecemasan akan dirujuk juga ke Hospital Manjung. Perancangan begini membuatkan saya berasa lebih yakin sekiranya berdepan situasi perlu menghantar anak-anak berjumpa doktor pada bila-bila masa. Nasihat saya kenal pasti di mana Pediatrik terdekat kerana hospital yang tiada pakar ini akan divert kes anak-anak anda ke hospital lain yang mempunyai pakar. Keadaan ini pernah berlaku kepada kawan saya dan masa yang terbuang ekoran menghantar anak ke hospital yang tiada Pediatrik boleh mengundang padah.

Kenal pasti samada pakar Pediatrik ada di hospital terdekat anda 

Rumusannya jangan ambil ringan bila anak-anak kita demam. Pantau suhu kerana suhu mereka boleh berubah mendadak. Melabur sedikit bagi mendapatkan jangkasuhu yang baik. Cuba kawal suhu dengan kaedah sendiri serta sediakan ubat demam yang bersesuaian di rumah. Kenal pasti opsyen klinik dan hospital untuk menghadapi kecemasan pada bila-bila masa terutamanya setelah kebanyakan klinik ditutup. Ketahui di mana lokasi Pediatrik terdekat. Setelah berusaha, kita tawakal dan berdoa semoga anak-anak kita diperlihara Allah swt dan dijauhkan daripada sebarang musibah. InsyaAllah.

Anak demam..........jangan ambil ringan ye!!!!!!!!