My clinic nurses:

on the left is Laila and the slightly taller lass is Sha. They are cheeky!.lol.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/01/14/travel/14next.html?ex=1326430800&en=8ed9c25f6cf22852&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Laos is really amazing. I was lucky enough to traipse around Southern Laos last July. Spent about 2 weeks going through Cambodia and Laos. We started off in Phnom Penh. I took an instant dislike to it, hopped on a bus to the Cambodian-laotian border the next day. It was a terrible 8 hour journey. A couple from Britain had their camera stolen....by someone who was on the bus!. Unfortunately the bus driver did not help at all.

At the border, we had the good fortune to meet up with Mr. Ritchie, a hospitality and tourism student who ran a side business getting tourists across the border. For USD 10, he got you on a boat to go across the river, a car ride to the border station, pass both border guards and to the islands of Si Phan Don.

Si Phan Don (4,000 islands) is very relaxing. There's absolutely nothing to do except smoke pot, sleep, read, sleep...you get the picture. We moved fast, the very next day departing Si Pan Don to head to Pakse (largest southern town) and a bus to the easternmost part of Laos. That was a bit of a downer. No one could help us out at all, no bikes/motos for rent, no tourist info centre, no knowledgeable folks. We stayed overnight and then headed for the Paksong Plateau.

Paksong was the highlight of the trip. Lots of waterfalls, friendly folk, coffee-yummy yummy coffee and cool weather. Stayed in Paksong and Pakse for about 4 days. Pakse had a really good Indian store . The proprietor spoke Malay!. It turnd out he had worked in Sabah for 8 years.Imagine that.

Of course, at the end of the trip i went to Angkor. Worth visiting again.

Wow. Thanks to the absolutely cool ppl who are organizing the Jens gig. Not to be rude..but how?.how did you get Jens Lekman to come?. After all, this is the dude whose album is entitled "Why are you so quiet Jens?". A cold, quiet, Northern place..yep i can imagine him there. But here in noisy, sunny, at times ferociously hot K.L?. Wow.

Well, last night was grand because my team; Manchester United Kicked ass. Otherwise, it would have been a bad night. The den of sin was a good stop. Very short stop though as Elsa, Beth, Mikey Owen, Tim, Chris all wanted to get clubbing before 11p.m. Something about not paying a RM 40 cover charge for the opening night of a new club on Asian Heritage Row. That's all fine and dandy. Riddle me this: why the heck charge so much on opening night?. Why not make it free, hook ppl in and then charge appropriately?. It's so exclusivist. My favourite gigs (not in K.L), in no order:
1. Jon's hardcore band and Thrush Hermit playing their respective final gigs. Fireworks, massive neon band sign, bleeding knuckles. Sigh.
2. Piggy's last show (ska-calypso band). Piggy had it all, stand-up bass, horns, dancers...the most loveable artsy Halifax band ever.
3. Bullfrog : Montreal group who had Kid Koala on turntables. Loved 'em to bits
4. The Herbaliser in Montreal. Fan-effing-tastic.
5. Depeche Mode in Montreal....what can i say?. I hope i'll end up living there.
6. Mariza at the KL Philharmonic. She was otherworldly.

I had a great time at the Mosaic Music Fest last March. I saw Pat Metheny, Kings of Convenience, Afro-Cuban All Stars and a ballet. This year's fest as Rachel Yamagata and Femi Kuti. Check out www.mosaicmusicfestival.com

Right now, i like Feist, The Stars, Amy Milan (eventhough i feel like checking her into rehab), Paolo Nutini and Coltrane with Hartmann.

This is a killer weekend. Working with ditzy,dyed blond,hyena-ish woman later this evening. I fervently wish for her death or that she gets a job in a galaxy far,far away. If stun guns and executions were legal; Dr.Self Obsessed, Dr.Maladict and her would be tops on my list. Err, i don't have a list because you know killing is just wrong...

Yesterday night started out nice. A good dinner at most excellent vegetarian Indian place Saravanan Bhavan.I had Channa Bhatura, Paneer Naan and Veg Mutton Gravy. Sadly, Little Havana; our next stop was crap. Crap band, oblivious staff :"Jens Lekman?, tickets?... dunno lah (Jens is playing Little Havana on Jan 20!)". We stopped by No Black Tie and chatted with Isaac and Zarul. Nice guys, really fun. Waltzed out and headed to Zouk to go to the Loft. Our entry was barred as they suddenly have a dress code. No sandals. That's it. KL's music scene sucks.

Laundry: cold, arty, pretentious, too yuppie-ish.
Cotton Club: great atmosphere, crap bands for the last 3 visits
No Black Tie: beautiful, great atmosphere, fantastic music, too bloody expensive.
Zouk:sucks dinosaur eggs
Zeta: i like it, but since the band has to cater to the hoi-polloi the music turns me off (Sorry Bernie).

Tonight, heading to Den of Sin for good music, good friends and chill-out. Thank god for Elsa and Beth, without 'em, we'd have mo place to party.

On the 23rd of December, the group financial controller, Mr. Malkit came to "talk". Basically, he said he had received complaints from Dr.Self Obsessed and Dr.Maladict that i was "not billing enough", "temperamental" and not working enough hours. Right. He also claimed that Dr.Z and Dr.M have mentioned this repeatedly to me but i have not changed. Actually, i am so sure they didn't because i took written notes of what they have said to me!!!!.

This is what Dr.Maladict told me to do for billing:"If someone has Peptic Ulcer disease; you give them Zantac. But on the claim sheet, you charge for Nexium (RM 127)". Right. He also says he wants me to change the practice to a 60K/month business. By doing this billing crap.He DID NOT SAY..you can't take a locum unless you are dying.He DID NOT SAY oh this person complained about you.HE NEVER BLOODY SAID ANYTHING WORTHWHILE.

This is a summary of what Dr.Self Obsessed said: "blah,blah,blah TLC...Blah,blah,blah Use this drug combo". He DID NOT SAY :a patient complained. He DID NOT SAY: oh you can't take locums. Instead, when he gave me the wrong meds and i couldn't even stand up because of giddiness he called Mr. Malkit to COMPLAIN that i was taking locums. I nearly crashed my bloody car because i was having a severe headache due to the medicine Dr.Self Obsessed gave me.

I said that no, actually they never talked about this at all. If they had, i wouldn't have done any of these tremendously obscene things.

Now, Mr.Malkit says Dr.Z: "just won't work with me at all". Dr.Z has NO APC, is NOT REGISTERED WITH THE MMC and does illegal things and FALSIFIES APCs in front of his staff.Whatever.

Working at evil clinic again. Have given 5 people Typhoid vaccines, seen one case of migraine and had one young lad say..."but i need Dr Z to look at my face!". So, i ushered him gently out (am mellowing in my dotage) and saw other cases.

Background: I had a high stress but very stimulating job as an ER medical officer (doctor). Developed bursitis, then suddenly all my joints wouldn't co-operate and finally diagnosed with Osteoarthritis. This started in July, diagnosed in late August and physiotherapy until now. In December, developed excruciating left groin pain that i thought was a pulled muscle. My chiropractor checked it out: it was a huge lump of unknown origin with involvement of my psoas muscles. My GP, Dr.Z said i had an STI.HUmph. I was afraid it was a fibroid or ovarian cyst ...or cancer. In the ER, you are exposed to a lot of radiation...in the end it was not anything anyone could explain to me...

Through this, i put in my 208 hours,sometimes 230 plus hours a month. I took half days for therapy. It turns out i couldn't!. However, since i am working with NO appointment letter at all since October 1st: how the heck would i know?. Anhow, said company have turned out to be all lying assholes, including colleague and now former GP Dr.Z.

C'est La Vie.