Tuesday, July 28, 2009

~ 5th MIB Medical Sciences Conference ~

22 July - 25 July 2009

Talking about this conference, i had face alot of difficulties before and after the conference..

Firstly, the poster.. yes, i sent the powerpoint and the application form to the related party to do it as suggested by the Secretariat 2 weeks ago. As i always know it is better earlier than later..
The day before I departed to Indonesia, i called many times to the person in charge as he told me he would finished it for me by that day. Who knows? he was in meeting from morning till almost 4pm when i called him. As a result, i had no choice but to settle it by myself, i went to the nearby shop and printed it for RM150 on the spot. Afterward, i was told he finished the poster for me but i did not have sufficient time to pick it up.

The same night, i was wondering for the payment of flight tickets. I emailed and contacted the Secretariat, yet no reponse from her and later i found out that she already went to Indonesia. She did not inform me the method of payment even though she did emailed to the others. I was praying hard that everything would be alright.

The next morning, I found out from the travel agency that my name was not in the list. I was panicked and started to cry. I sms-ed to my Prof and another doctor telling them the incidence.

They suggested me to book with the travel agent. Luckily, he was able to make the reservation for me, but with a higher price. I could not care much and i just agreed since my presentation was the following day.

Finally, settled for it. I took taxi and reached campus so that we all would go to KLIA by the Uni bus. Of course, in this kind of situation, i forgot to bring somethings.. Nevertheless, it is not much harm except my anti-histamine pills (Big buddy said i was allergy to the bed in Hotel, small itchy red spots appeared. Gosh!) The flight delayed for 2 hours, gosh.. from KLM to Merpati but in the end, the travel agent put me and another 3 persons into Lion Air. well, we could not care much as our main focus was to reach Indonesia before the Conference.

When we reached Jakarta Soekarno Hatta Airport, it was almost 8pm. And we were waiting the special bus from UI to fetch us to the Mercure Hotel - the venue of the Conference as well.
I did not have any dinner but luckily i grabbed something to eat around 5pm at KLIA.
When i reached Hotel room, it was nearly 10pm..
However, the room at least made my day.. Spacious with 2 queen size beds and a sofa bed.. Big tv for me to enjoy the nights and a comfy bathroom.


We explored some places in Jakarta after our presentations. It was fun as we did not do any survey ("research") of Jakarta before we came. As we know the time was limited due to the Conference. Nevertheless, i felt happy as we went to MONAS , Pasar Seni, Mangga Dua, Plaza Indonesia, Grand Indonesia shopping malls with nice decorations, and took their Angkut (similar to Tuk-tuk),Transjakarta Bus and Blue Bird Taxi to wander around.


Well, about the food, we did not have a chance to taste on it except the Baso Chicken Bread as most of the meals were provided by the hotel throughout the conference.

And i bought some souvenirs in Pasar Seni. I did not change much Rupiah so i paid some with MYR. and the airport, i changed some for the departure tax Rp150K. And i paid my IceBlended Mocha at Starbucks using Credit Card (Rp37K).. haha.. And one thing was i back to KL using KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines).. Finally :) So we back safely to KLIA however, the flight was delayed to reach as traffic was heavy near KLIA, and KLM had to turn few rounds before landing .. there went away 25 minutes of time..We reached KLIA by 10.30pm and waited to get our luggages.

We then were told the Uni bus was broke down due to the spoilt fan. we waited and waited and the bus came at 12.00am... And i reached campus around 1.00am. Supper at McD setapak and reached home at 2.00am... Well, at least, i reached safely with souvenirs.. :) Overall, Jakarta is a huge city and i dont think i will visit it again if not necessary. As i dont see anything special of it.. But Bandung and Jogjakarta will be in my list of 2010 for mum to shop and for myself to visit Borobudur... :)

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

~ Hectic week ~

This week is rather tiring for me.. wake up early in the morning to catch the bus to campus so that i can reach UM earlier to start my lab.

Well, i have a new junior to accompany me until the end of my killing. She is very curious and this shows that she is keen to learn on her project for thesis. Good!

Finally i have managed to pay the registration fee and 1 night deposit of accomodation for MIB. Hopefully tomorrow i am able to scan the slip and email to them as a proof.
Looking forward to visit Jakarta, one of the largest human population living in.. Hopefully have some extra time to visit around, take some nice photo and buy some souvenirs back home..

There is one more important thing that need to be done fast- my poster for presentation. Hopefully next week i can get it . so this remaining 2 days i have to call them for confirmation. Saturday will be fixing my watch and change some money (USD & Rupiah), then pack some simple luggage. maybe need to buy 1 new shirt for MIB... Yes... :)

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

~ Kingdom of Cambodia - Siem Reap ~

Cambodia, 24 June - 28 June 2009
USD1 ~ 4000 riel
Last Wednesday we started our journey by taking AirAsia to Siem Reap (Angkor). The journey was smooth and we arrived early than the time estimated.
The Siem Reap International Airport is small, well, what can we expect from them? As long as the officers do not "fierce" to us, then thank god!Then we headed to our guesthouse by Tuk-tuk. Free transfer service. Free welcoming drinks. Nice mix fruits shake we had. After we discussed our itinerary with the tuk-tuk driver, we went to Tonle Sap Lake by boat which cost us USD12/pax for around 1-2 hours of tour. We observed the living style of those staying in floating village. I must say it is not easy to deal with water. They did not have a proper place to sleep as the hall of the "house" is for multi-fuctions.

This is Chong Khneas floating village, most accessible to Siem Reap. Someone keep some crocodiles and fishes.
We had Khmer (Ke-Mai) food as lunch, with Amok the popular ones.We had our buffet dinner with Apsara performance that cost us USD12/pax. Later we went to buy ticket to visit Angkor Archaelogical Park which has been listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Site. 1-Day pass costs USD20; 3-Day pass for USD40 and 1 week pass is USD60. We opt for the 1-Day pass as it was sufficient for us to cover the main temples/ruins.
This is the famous Angkor Wat! Amazing view.. The stone faces of Bayon... Baphuon is in restoration.
Terrace of the Elephant
Terrace of the Leper King Bantreay Srey (Citadel of the Women)Pre RupTa Phrom (Tomb Rider) Overall, these are some of the main temples/ruins that we had visited. Of course, there are many more which are situated outside from the Archaelogical Park. Ones can access to those places by adding extra fees to the driver since it involves a longer journey.
When we were there at Siem Reap, the weather was truly hot. Please apply sunblock, put your umbrella or cap/hat on to protect yourself.
For Phnom Penh, i will pen it down when i have the mood... Not much fascinating moments there as it is just a capital city of Cambodia.