Be lucky in MasterCard-Accor Campaign

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Syndacast. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love the month of December, the spirit of holiday is in the air and so many great offers are around during this month. Here, let me share one of the best offers around, it's from MasterCard.
From now until 31th January 2010, which is not so far anymore, every MasteCard holders shall try their luckiness for this MasterCard Cardholder - Exclusive Deal, because if they book a three consecutive night stay at any of the 188 participating Accor Hotels in Asia, and they check out with their MasterCard, they will  have to pay only for two nights!! The participant hotels are Accor hotel brands like Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure, Ibis and All Seasons.

If three nights are not enough, they can extend their stay and save more than 30% on the Best Unrestricted Rate each night. All the MasterCard holders who book and check out during that mentioned period will have the chance to go into the draw to win a 3 night stay with complimentary daily breakfast for 2 persons. Make sure to bring the special somone ;-) because it's going to be in a private villa, that comes with its own swimming pool, Jacuzzi, private garden and seperate living room....hold your breath...at the award winning 5 star Pullman Sanya Yalong Bay resort!! That prize valued US$1000, and it's not only one prize, but there are 10 prizes to be won!!

Here's another idea, since the place sounds very romantic, why not take the opportunity for a free honey moon ;)

Don't Want To Be Prita-lised But I Need To Complain

I'm questioning the professionalism of Quack-quack International Hospital in Jakarta. Mind you, the actual name is not Quack-quack, but it's indeed an International Hospital. I don't put its real name here because I don't want to be PRITA-LIZED by the so-called justice. The other hospital with whom Prita has a clash is also an International Hospital. I guess being labeled with International doesn't mean that the hospital is as competent as its foreign associate. The label seems just like a gimmick to suck patients' money, but I hope I'm mistaken.

I r-e-a-l-l-y hate that Quack-quack International Hospital. Hate is not a Christian word at all, but the heck with it, I'm at rage.
I'm gonna start with the background story why I feel that way.
I went to Quack-quack International Hospital  two years ago with a big hope to find solution to my problem, which is not something that threatens my life (I hope not) nor will infect other human. I chose that hospital, not because it's a good hospital, but because the doctor that I wanted to meet is the famous one for my case and he's part of that hospital.
Day 1, when I went there, everything was ok. The doctor -let's call the creature as Dr. Joker (as in Batman)-was friendly and full of smile. He told me to undergo some screening since he didn't notice my problem. He told me, I could come back tomorrow so he could see the result of the screening. Although on that next day his schedule was actually packed with number of surgeries, he didn't mind to meet me before or after the first surgery. I then went to the registration desk to register for the next day early appointment around 08.00 (I think), and though the person in charge said that Dr. Joker tomorrow doesn't have practice schedule, I explained that Dr. Joker himself had given me time to meet in spite of his peak schedule for surgeries. So it's confirmed.
Day two. I went back there the following day and straight to the administration desk to confirm my presence and do administration stuffs. The person in charge told me to go to Dr. Joker waiting room and to also inform the stuffs at registration desk there that I'm already presence.
I did all everything they told, yet I had to wait......7 hours!!#@$$("!@X!!! plus few complaints from myself to the stuffs until finally met the super busy Dr. Joker, who probably was not informed by his stupid stuffs -those hospital stuffs that I dealt with- at of my arrival.
Oh, the funniest and the stupidest thing is, around the 6th hour of my waiting, my mobile was beeping and the text was very queer, saying "Just a notification that you have appointment with Dr. Joker today, please confirm. From Quack-quack International Hospital".  Am I dreaming? Am I hallucinating? I couldn't understand the message. I had been waiting there for hours and then came an sms from that hospital asking me to confirm my appointment. I was really disoriented, lost in time and space.


Anyway, after that long and lone wait at the waiting room, the nurse told me to move to the Recovery Room, where I saw 2 patients who just got operated and their family. I thought Dr. joker was to meet me later in his room, I guess I was totally wrong. A nice nurse (the only nice and sane one!!) asked another nurse to call Dr. Joker because she's afraid that Dr. Joker might have forgotten since he had meeting in waiting before another surgery. The doctor met me after I was at the Recovery Room for 10 minutes. He open my screening result in front of all the people at Recovery Room, and quickly judged it and approved what I told him the day before. That's it. He didn't even care to open the envelope of the letter addressed to him from the lab! It's indeed expensive, but money was not the matter if I got what I deserved.
When I asked him, so what can be done? He just said "well, just blah blah blah" (sorry for the censor, not that he talked dirty but it's just that I don't like my problem being publicised).
I told him "no way, jose" (not exactly like that). Then he easily replied "Or else, I don't mind to operate you" and he smile widely, as if it's not a problem at all. That conversation only lasted less than 8 minutes and with no privacy at all!! I had to wait almost 7 hours for that! I felt so silly. I had decided to wait because I didn't want to waste time on street, since Quack-quack International Hospital is quite remote from the city center, not to mention the lousy traffic jams.
Enuf for the background story.

Now, what makes me in a mad flare....
I received a letter from a 'Pro Blahness Society', an organisation of people having the same problem as mine, it invites me to join its event, a meeting. Pro Blahness Society has invited Dr. Joker as their speaker.

That means Quack-quack International Hospital has shared its patients' and ex-patients' private data without foretelling the related patients!! Horrible practice!
I have emailed the hospital to erase all my data from its databank and that I am very upset to know that my rights as patient have been tyrannised..in Indonesian language..di zolimin!
Probably Quack-quack International Hospital doesn't care at all about patients' right? It is my right as a patient (or in this case ex-patient of that hospital) to keep my record as private and confidential!

But the kind of Quack-quack International Hospital and Dr. Joker, will always be safe because of the so-called 'justice' in Indonesia, because if I reported them, I would probably become the candidate of another Prita Mulyasari who got jailed because she innocently and harmlessly complained.

I wish I were a powerful dictator, I would send those corrupted people to Guantanamo :-)

God, help them to understand, patients are not articles of commerce!

Un biglietto per mia mamma

I made this card as a requirement for Fika's "MINI JUICY CONTEST". The contest theme is about making a card or a scrapbook for someone very special and with some bit story why the person is special.
By default parents are normally always special someones to their children, my Dad is also a special someone for me, but my Mom needs some encouragement because she really had some troubling moments since October last year that made her have to be in and out some hospitals, and from January til early May she almost spent the whole months lay in the hospital bed.

Glad that she made it through, but during that period of time I came to realise how much I missed her and how much it stressed me to see her in that painful situation. Painful as literally being cut without anaesthetic, this was because Mom is very sensitive to anaesthetic agent. Previously in January, she almost lost her life after her bad-toe amputation operation, the operation went well, but after she was back in her room for just about 30 minutes, she started to pant and gasp like she could no longer have power to inhale. She even told us that she couldn't make it anymore, there was only me, my auntie -my Mom's elder sister and my uncle-my Mom's younger brother in the room, all the other have gone home. My auntie and uncle then tried to calm her  and to keep her conscious while I nervously ran for help since the bell wouldn't get the nurses' attention as fast as we want and because the nurse station was just in front of my Mom's room. So in that one day she came out from the operation and landed at the ICU. It was because of that later when she needed another surgery for her sole of foot in March, the doctor that operated her seemed reluctant to do it, it seemed that Mom would be in big risk for that 'small' operation because of Mom's susceptibility to anaesthetic. The chief doctor of the team who's also my Mom's Internist Endocrinologist then took over the operation procedure by himself but without anaesthetic. I don't want to tell the horror here cause it's not nice at all, but just imagine the pain  every time some muscles being cut.

I'm just happy Jesus gave Mom strength  and power during that time, and that her healing process goes so well. I thank also to my friends who prayed for her health, especially to Michele who lit a candle at Church for her cure. I'm happy with this contest too.

Err...sorry but your zipper is open

Photo by azrainman

I recently had appointment with an oculist for my currently trouble eye. Yes, luckily not both of them :).
Went to a doctor recommended by a friend. She said he's a sympathetic doctor. My need of seeing this type of doctor is due to the previous doctor that I met, who gave me a distressing diagnosis with distressing explanation and urged me to undertake some thorough medical checkups. I told a friend and my Dad about that doctor's diagnosis, both of them assured me to see different doctor for the second opinion.

So that's how I met this doctor.
After some preliminary checkups, I went to the nice and modern waiting lounge where the patients wait for the doctors. I and the other patients of this doctor had to wait an hour because he had an urgent operation, so most of them then changed to another available doctor.
That made me number one in queue, and when the doctor finally arrived in his examination room I got called by his nurse. After a bit chit-chat of my case, he asked me go to the examination seat.

Then the drama happened, as I and he stand up, suddenly in reflex he covered his zipper area and murmured in shame "oh...sorry" then continued nervously "I was in a rush from the operation room".
The nurse giggled and said "luckily (she) doesn't see", and she repeated that again.
'Lucky' that I am currently quarterly blind :-P cause some weeks ago before I have this problem both of my eyes were very sharp.

I wonder if the nurse actually had known it, because they were in the room for some minutes before I got called in. Probably she was too embarrassed to tell him?
That makes me think, what if I were in her situation? How would I tell it? :-D

By the way, because of my Mom- thank God she's getting better and better-, I've been to many hospitals, but that was the first time for me to see a nurse with a 'polished' look. I mean she's lean, at least 1.70m height and has long legs that makes her more looks like a stewardess than a nurse.

UPDATE..
eheheh..just found this link about Mens Open Zipper Alarm. Lol.

Sunday Morning Survivor

Photo by cuellar
We were quite lucky that our house is near a hospital, and at that time when the incident happened the road was already quiet, making us possible to reach hospital in less than ten minutes.

There were about 3 patients already at the ER (Emergency Room), luckily I didn't have to see any bloods splash. Amongst them, Mom was the critical one. No longer than 10 minutes we were there, then a car stop in front of the ER, one family consisted of many people came in carrying an old man who also had trouble in breathing.

The vibe was really tense by then, the sound that came out from the supporting machine that my Mom used, then that old man's voice and also with his supporting machine. I heard one of the paramedics who took care of the old man called for another assistance, but the young doctor who was trying to revive my Mom said that my Mom was the more critical one. She had put something look like powder on my Mom's tongue, then she mumbled "This is not working....this is not working...this is not working.." I was stunned, was not hopeless I just starred at that young doctor, and I think she starred back at me as but I couldn't really grasp her expression, she just kept saying "this is not working."

A seems more experienced doctor joined the drama, she asked a certain procedure, and the young doctor said that she has done that but still "it's not working"....damn...that words again. I couldn't restrain myself anymore, I told the young doctor, gave my Mom an injection that can revive her. I really didn't know what I was talking, and I successfully made that young doctor more confused :-D. Then the more experienced doctor shout to my Mom "Ma'am..wake up..look at me," my Mom opened her eyes and her eyeballs responded to where the voice was coming from. I started to pat my Mom's sole of foot to stimulate her to keep awaking and kept telling her to remember Jesus. I started to pray ceaselessly, counting everything on Jesus' power.

By that time we had been there for 20 minutes, the old man that came in later gained his consciousness first and he was then taken to the CCU (Critical Care Unit) room. I was sad that my Mom still couldn't leave ER. As the paramedics with the old man on his bed were passing where I stand, I unintentionally looked at his sole of feet. They were very pale, almost white!! I automatically shifted my eyes to my Mom's sole of feet, hers were still rosy. I think my mind was a bit wondering about the shocking pale that I had just seen, but I didn't want to think anything bad at all.

Now the only patient left at the ER was my Mom and it took almost fifteen minutes later that my Mum was finally taken to CCU room. There were a lot of people at the CCU lounge where the families of CCU patients were waiting, including the family of that old man. We decided that my brother and I were the ones who stayed there, while my Dad and other brother went home. The time had already hit somewhere around 3 am, a big group of people of the watchers had also left. Ten minutes later, a paramedic came out from the CCU room looking for the family of one of the patients. It was that old man's. The two remaining persons of that old man went to the CCU, then one of them came back to the CCU lounge straight to the public telephone. I heard him saying "tell everyone to come back to the hospital. Don't have to tell anything else, just come back here immediately."

I tried to stop the bad thought, but I knew something bad is happening. Almost fifteen minutes later that family started back to fill the lounge. Then from the elevator back door came out two people rolling a big long box on a cart, didn't really look like a casket but I had that thought. When my brother told me that it's for a dead person, I told him "no, I think it's for carrying some food."
The big long box on the cart came out from the CCU along with that old man's family, and the one who made a call walked beside the box and kept caressing it, they went into the elevator. The CCU lounge became spacious again.

My brother and I were at the hospital until midday of Sunday, then my other sibling and my Dad came to change us. On Tuesday Mom left the CCU. My siblings and I by turn is sleeping at Mom's room to watch over her at the hospital. Doctor said that it looks like this week Mom can go back home. Thanks Jesus for letting my Mom survives, I just hope she will never again recklessly forsake her diabetic medicine for traditional medicinal herbs.

Father, You knew it!

Photo by Jesus Presley
Last Saturday was another frightening moment for me and family. Just like last January, Mom was rushed into the hospital Emergency Room because she almost couldn't breath, later the doctor found out that it happened because my Mom blood sugar level hit 500. It caused her lungs to work improperly and submerged by water, causing them to swollen and press her heart. In her case, that's how the heart attack was invented.

To be honest now I think I'm an egoistic person, cause I prayed to Jesus to safe my Mom cause I still need her. Doesn't that sound egocentric? Well, I couldn't think clearly what to say at that time, I prayed on and on begging Holy Spirit to strengthen my Mom's body, soul and brains. Then I remembered, what if she gained back her strength but her health still poor? Isn't it the same with giving her a torturing situation?
Thanks wholeheartedly to my Father in Heaven that even though I prayed chaotically, He still interpreted my prayer well, and Mom survives.

I will tell my experience in the E.R. on my next blog entry, right now, I'm very sleepy and I have some EC ads to be approved. Oh, and today is also a special day.