Change we can believe in...

Those who know me in my university years should (albeit sometimes grudgingly) admit that I was a formidable student politician. In fact, in many cases I knew more about Australian politics than many Australians at my age. People always asked me if I would go back to Malaysia to become a politician. My answer was always in the negative because I did not see any chance of opposition in a country where the ruling party knows every trick in the book to avoid losing power. Not to mention the fact that many politicians put their personal interests ahead of the national interest thus ensuring domination of a single party regardless of the impact on basic human rights. For once in my life, I can see a glimpse of change in Malaysia. It may not turn into anything but for the moment, it is something that warms the heart.

I am talking about the recent results in the 12th Malaysian General Elections 2008. For once in ages, Barisan National lost its 2/3 majority in parliament. For once in ages, the Opposition control 5 states. For once in Malaysia's 50 years of independence; the people have spoken. What Malaysia has always lacked was a formidable Opposition - one that can hold them accountable to their decisions. Let's hope this is now what we have.

The mood for change has been very strong especially within the Chinese and Indian community. For a country that wants to be a known entity in the world, the fact that basic equality amongst citizens is non-existent is a mockery to a country that preaches freedom for all. There is no freedom when there is no equality. That doesn't mean that everyone should have the same thing or that wealth should be equally distributed. Everyone knows communism never works as a system. What it means is that everyone should be given a fair go and that people should be rewarded for their capabilities and contributions, not for the colour of their skin or for the direction they face when they pray. If you are a Malay and I am a Chinese and we both score the highest school marks in the country; both of uf should be given a scholarship or given a place in a local university. It shouldn't be that you get a full scholarship awarded to you by the government whereas I have to go to the government and ask them for one.

It is time for the people to stand up. To stop the arrogance of the Barisan National in their 50 years in government. The UMNO leaders always warn people that they do not want a repeat of the riots on May 13, 1969. Scare tactics that are meant to depict themselves as the image of stability. Yet, they do not tell the people that it was the Malays that started the riots in the first place because the Chinese were doing well and getting rich and the Barisan National was weakened in the recent elections.

The issue of race/religion stems mainly from the intolerance of the Malays/Muslims. All other races are able to tolerate and accept the existence of mosques in nearly every housing area and the fact that they have to blare their speakers and let everyone know they are praying. Yet, when Christians want to renovate/expand their churches, the governments refuse permits or delay them until the next elections just to show that they do care about other races. The worst of these is the relocation of Hindu temples that have been around for hundreds of years just because part of their prayers include a "ting-ting-ting" sound (akin to the playing of a triangle instrument) in favour of a new Muslim prayer area that shouts to God so that he can hear them from space.

People may say that I am a racist. Yes, I am a racist. I am a racist because I believe that all races in Malaysia should be treated equally and that I should be free to practice my religion without worrying that someday when I die, a friend of mine who dislikes me will tell the courts that I converted to Islam and they will come and steal my body from my grave. I am a racist because I believe that because I am a MALAYSIAN Chinese, I should be allowed to compete on equal terms with a Malaysian Malay. I am a racist because I do not accept that I should be a second-class citizen in Malaysia just because I am not a Malay. Where I am now in Australia, I am allowed to compete on equal terms with locals for anything. If I am good enough I get it. If not, someone else gets it. No one looks at me and says, "I'm sorry, the quota for non-Australians has been filled. You have to look elsewhere".

The people have spoken. The majority of Chinese and Indian voters voted for the Opposition. Malays (except the more educated ones) normally vote for Barisan National so that their "special rights" can be protected. Nevertheless, the fact that people now know that the citizens want change is good enough. An excerpt from a chat with one of my friends:

Me: finally... change...
Friend: hopefully without unrest, God willing
Me: sometimes... unrest is necessary for change to happen... if it weren't for BERSIH and HINDRAF... BN wouldn't have been even dented.. in a country where freedom of speech = isa... sometimes there is no choice... revolutions are necessary...
Friend: true - but at the expense of the people is undeniably painful
Me: i believe that more pain occurs when the current government has immense power...
Friend: agreed and these ppl should be commended
Me: fun and games are over... hopefully the opposition gets down to business straight away...
Friend: and bring improvement
Me: for the moment, we need a strong opposition... it is only then that the government can be realistically challenged at the next election... improvement probably mainly at state level in non-BN states... nationally they still have power... though they cant abuse it much without 2/3 majority...
Friend: yes - let's hope the opposition can develop
Me: i'm sure all of us feel the same way...
Friend: here's to progress
Me: here's to change we can believe in...

Enough said. It will take a few more days until the full election results are known. For now, I will end with Barack Obama's famous warcry. Let's hope that this is change we can believe in...

Potpourri...

Life's not all that different as a pharmacist. Sure, I am now in charge of staff instead of the other way around. I also get more freedom to do what I want to do as opposed to doing what others want me to do. Still, it's just another day at work.

Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying life as a pharmacist very much. However it is just another phase in my career. I'm working towards accreditation as a consultant pharmacist. Need to keep myself interested in what I do.

2007 went by like a flash of lightning. It must be one of the fastest years I've been through. It was a good year overall. Nothing much I can complain about. This year looks set to be pretty decent as well.

I'm going back to Malaysia for holidays in February. I'm more looking forward to the prospect of a holiday as opposed to going back itself. I'm not particularly excited. After all, I have more or less disowned my homeland. Something about the country just makes me sick. I should avoid reading the newspapers when I get back because I am sure that I will find myself seething at most news articles. The country is going to the dogs. Living conditions may be alright but democracy and equality is dead. Unless you are of a particular race of course. I simply cannot be patriotic to a country that has done absolutely nothing to support me but demands loyalty. It's just not on.

I started a subscription to TIME magazine at the end of 2007. Almost every issue since has been about the US Presidential Election. It is truly an intriguing race this year. Not among the political parties but more within them. I don't think there's much doubt that the Democrats will win. After all, we are in an era of change. It's more a question of whether Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama will become the next US President. Neither have remained my favourite to win for very long. Clinton is more experienced and seems to be a strong leader but in many cases, experience stagnates and corrupts. She lacks freshness if you know what I mean. Obama on the other hand is taking a page out of Kevin Rudd's book and blatantly flogging the concept of change. The fact that he is relatively inexperienced means that he will not be bound by constraints and will be more eager and enthusiastic to get things done. Yet, his political naivety may not stand him well on an international scale; especially if the US is to remain the dominant superpower in the world.

Vladimir Putin was chosen as the TIME Person of the Year for 2007. I can still remember my final year in secondary school when Putin was President of Russia. I had many an interesting conversation with a then close friend of mine regarding world politics. Putin to us was a cool, suave character who could kick your arse if you got in his way. He still is after 7 years. Although he may have ignored basic human rights on a number of occassions, he stood firm in doing what he felt was right to strengthen Mother Russia. You can't complain when he gets results. Malaysia on the other hand sacrifices basic human rights but goes backwards in building up the country.

I bought an exercise bike in the first week of January in an attempt to get some exercise into my day. It's been going well. Gotten into the habit of waking up first thing in the morning to pump those leg muscles. Need to make sure I keep it up for the long term.

Not long to go before I go back. Hopefully I get a good chance to recharge my batteries.

New Leadership...

True to his promise, Kevin Rudd led the Australian Labor Party to victory in the 2007 Australian Federal Elections. Despite the inexperience and incompetence of many Labor politicians, you must admit that Kevin ran a very intelligent campaign. Copying policies put out by the Government and offering little more but capitalising on the mood for youth and change. They may not stand for anything, but you just have to applaud their tactical victory. I must admit that if I were in his position, I would have employed the same tactics.

It's not that I am anti-Labor or pro-Coalition. However, the Coalition (despite introducing radical changes over the last 3 years) has put Australia in an astoundingly strong economic position. Perhaps that is their downfall. Australians have had it good for so long they feel comfortable handing over the leadership to a perceived young, enthusiastic team.

It is a shame that John Howard is likely to be forced into retirement by losing his own seat of Bennelong. Yet, perhaps this will ensure that the leadership of the Liberal Party is sorted out without too much bloodshed. Of course, there may be a scuffle for the top spot despite strong endorsement for Peter Costello. But then, if Howard was still there, he would have to choose a date to retire and the whole process may turn into a debacle.

We now have Labor Governments in all states and territories. They complained about the Coalition having too much power when they controlled both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Now the ball is in their court. The Liberals just have to hold on to the Senate. Failure to do so will put the economy at risk by more radical changes from the Labor Party to purge out Coalition policies/legislation. Kevin Rudd holds the future of Australia in his hands. I only hope he can stand up for the country and not tow the party line.

It's over... Or is it...?

Having passed all my pre-registration examinations, my compulsory examination life should be all but over. Yet, it seems unlikely that my life will be free from future examinations. All through life we go through different stages of examinations. In school we would have to make sure we do well and pass all our major examinations. Upon completing my Malaysian Certificate of Education (SPM), my school examinations were all over but following that; college examinations came. The end of that brought forth university examinations and assessments. In between were driving tests and English language proficiency tests. Even after graduating, I had to ensure I pass my pre-registration examinations in order to fully qualify as a pharmacist. Theoretically, since this is the last assessment step in my working career, I would not have to sit any more compulsory examinations.

Theory isn't always reflected into practice however. While I am completing the remainder of my compulsory 52 week work experience, I am already working towards accreditation as a consultant pharmacist. Yup, you guessed it. An examination is one of the criteria for accreditation. It isn't compulsory (as in I can choose not to become accredited) yet my interest in pursuing accreditation mandates that I sit through another examination.

I don't mind exams. After all, exam time is when I feel I know something. It's amazing how quickly knowledge seeps out of your brain once you are done with an exam. It's just the possibility of failing that makes exams unappealing.

Whatever it is, the most important exams are now over (for the foreseeable future at least). All I need to do is to see out the remainder of my days as a pre-registrant. 59 days to go and counting...

When you learn something new, the feeling is better than sex...!

For some reason, that famous line from one of my biology lecturers in my first year of uni sprang to mind. I can remember his explanation that he gets a feeling of "WOW!!!" whenever he learns something new. He used to try getting us all excited about biology and education in general. I must say that I have taken to increasing my knowledge over the past months.

I got excellent grades in my first year of uni. My GPA was in the middle of a distinction and high distinction and I was admitted into the Chancellor's Merit List and the Golden Key International Honour Society based on my results. Put it frankly, I was a top student. But then, my involvement in extra-curricular activities was limited to a general representative role in the Students Association. The years after that saw me heavily involved in extra-curricular activities which culminated in my election as President of the Students Association. In spite of this though, my grades took a dip. I wasn't struggling by any means. I just wasn't scoring as well. I take pride in the fact that I managed to perform above average and not even get close to failing despite my tremendous workload.

It was like that in my school days as well. In primary school my involvement in activities was limited and I used to always be at the top of the class or thereabouts. In secondary school I started out reasonably well but then my grades became average when I got more involved as a Prefect and went on to become Head Prefect. Despite spending more time outside the class than in it, I still managed to score straight A's in my Malaysian Certificate of Education (SPM).

Looking back to my uni days; after first year I never did focus much on pharmacy. My main focus was on my job as President of the Students Association. My parents drilled into me that studies need to come first and everything else should support it. As much as I ensured that I did not fail or struggle in my studies, they were simply not my priority. It pains me to admit that I passed my exams for the sole purpose of fulfilling my parents wishes and to not lose face among my colleagues. My heart was always with the Students Association.

When I left uni, I decided to put the Students Association behind me and move on with my life. Aside from one visit back to the office, I have never looked back. In fact, I find myself intensely motivated to pursue knowledge in pharmacy. I collected a year's requirement of ENRICH points (a measure of continuing professional development) within my first 3 months of work and now have almost five times the required amount. My knowledge in pharmacology seems to have been miraculously boosted and I find myself more than capable of teaching pharmacy students who visit us a whole range of topics even many registered pharmacists couldn't teach well. Put it simply, I have a hunger for knowledge.

Amazing, no? When I was in an institution for the purpose of gaining knowledge, I did not seek knowledge. Now that I have left, I hunger for it. I am working towards accreditation as a consultant pharmacist and am involving myself in a whole range of pharmacy organisations. It seems that my interest in pharmacy has only just begun. It's almost as if I wasn't doing pharmacy in uni at all.

Maybe it's just another phase in my life. Maybe I have just found something else to concentrate on. Maybe I will find something else to focus on not long from now. Whatever it is though, I am going to make full use of this "new" found passion in pharmacy to achieve as much as I can in as little time as possible. Maybe then I would have achieved all there is to achieve before this passion in pharmacy runs out...

1st Anniversary...

One whole year has passed since I met that special someone. Life is funny isn't it? Sometimes, you find what you are looking for only to realise that you still have to wait before you can get it. We've spent more time apart than together. The time will come when we will be able to turn that around. Don't know when though since what I want may not necessarily be what occurs.

Speaking of waiting; I managed to end one recently. The final book in the Harry Potter series was released! I pre-ordered my copy a few months before the release date. No, I'm not a "Harry Potter fan" or whatever they call them. It's just that I make sure I read well-known books so that at the very least it will help me follow some conversations. I bought the first three books sometime in 2004 but didn't read them until last year (or was it the year before?). Their prices dropped due to the release of one of the newer books so I couldn't resist and bought them all. Since I finished reading all my other books (including The DaVinci Code), I decided that I might as well spend some time reading those dust covered books. I must say that the storyline is fantastic. No wonder it topped so many charts even before some of the books were released. There's a certain attraction to the concept of wizards and magic. Anyways, after reading through all the books more or less non-stop (since I had stockpiled books 1 through 6), I had to wait a whole year for the final book to come out. It was definitely worth the wait.

***Spoiler alert!***

I won't bother revealing plot details since if you haven't read it, you will be able to find them elsewhere. My main comment is on the ending of the book. I was kind of secretly hoping Harry would die along with Voldemort. But then again, it's a childrens' book and so the ending was more predictable that I hoped it would be. Nevertheless, the path towards the ending was deliciously twisted and made for a real page turner. Aside from Fred, the other deaths in the book weren't very shocking or significant in my opinion. The thing is though, while many of the good guys die (e.g. Dumbledore, Snape, Sirius, Lupin, Tonks, Cedric) I can't think of many main bad guys who die. The Malfoys, Dolohov, Bellatrix, Fenrir Greyback and the Carrows all seemingly survived. I would have thought at least some of them would have been killed.

Snape must be the most interesting character in the books. I must say that I suspected he was with the good guys. After all, he isn't a very straightforward character. It's good to see that Harry recognises the important role Snape played by naming his second son after him.

***Spoilers end***

It's drawing ever closer to my exams. All the staff in my pharmacy seem extremely confident that I will pass with flying colours. One of the partners said she would eat her hat if I didn't pass. I do feel that I am prepared but I still need to make sure I study hard to guarantee passing. Aside from attending monthly PSA meetings, all I do in the profession is turn up for work every day. I need to play a more active role in the profession as a whole. Looks like I have to get off my bum and start looking at how to make things better. Well then, until next time...

Rant and rave...

So I've just been granted Permanent Residency status in Australia. Ho-hum. The only real difference is that I can stay in Australia indefinitely and move in and out of the country as many times as I like. A few of my colleagues made a fuss about it and some had to declare to others that they received it. They must be desperately seeking attention. I mean, it's really no big deal. Who cares if you got your Permanent Residency first? Everyone is going to get it eventually. Not like it was ever a race to be the first. Pitiful.

I was appalled today after reading a report written by an opposition pharmacist. The sheer lack of effort and poor recommendations in the report made me wonder how some people can be entrusted to play a key role in improving patient health outcomes when their performance reflects incompetence. Footballers are left on the bench or withdrawn from the squad if their performance is poor. Why can't it be the same for health professionals? Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying all health professionals need to be perfect. At the very least, they should put effort into their work and strive to improve any shortcomings they may have and address poor performance. Yet, so many manage to get away with shoddy performances that a high-school leaver could possibly do a better job. It's good to see that pharmacy schools are starting to tighten up their assessments and ensure that their graduates display some level of competence.

Losing the opportunity to win 2 trophies in the span of less than a week has left me really frustrated with Chelsea's performance this season. They are a fantastic team. Yet, they stuttered at the time when they could not afford to. Despite this I am proud that they have gotten to virtually the final stages of all the competitions they were involved in. Liverpool on the other hand is a rubbish team riding on the fatigue of other teams to get far in the only one single competition that they do not deserve to be in in the first place. The Champions League is supposed to be for champions. How long has it been since Liverpool were champions? I doubt anyone can remember. Yet, they sacrifice their league games and put all their effort into obtaining this one trophy and everyone says they are a "quality" team. Come on. All the other teams in the competition have been worn out by their domestic struggles. This team doesn't even challenge for the domestic title and yet is allowed entry into a league supposedly meant for champions. An utter disgrace. They do not deserve to play in the competition.

I'll be heading back to Adelaide next week for my compulsory seminar as a pre-registrant Pharmacist. I'm looking forward to catching up with friends. Also to testing what I have learnt in the past 4 months. I wonder if the others have learnt as much as I have from their workplaces?

Well, another month flies by like the clouds. Amazing how fast time flies. Still enjoying life. Still looking forward to the future...