Of Comfort Zone and Change

More than 6 years down the line, comfort had obviously crept in.  Same thing, same place, and same capacity.  And thus comes the questions, "What's next?".

I have 2 options:
(1) To remain in my comfort zone; or
(2) To abandon my present comfort and shake myself up to do something more challenging.

The blessing in disguise
I was initially doubtful if I could find anything out there, if I were to believe what was remarked to by someone who was kind of insinuating that I was getting too comfortable and going nowhere.

However, looking back, but for the hint, I wouldn't have thought of looking around for something supposedly a level above than the present.

For good or otherwise?
Since I have not come to the actual stage itself yet, the time now will be too early for me to tell if the pasture outside is indeed greener or otherwise.  But those in-the-know, including a few peers who secretly know it, have been very supportive of the idea.

So, with a heavy heart, I challenge myself to get out of my personal comfort:
(1) Despite the move from permanent employment to contractual employment, although the latter may possibly turn permanent...
(2) Despite leaving behind a beautiful place that's akin to my second home and good colleagues...
(3) Despite moving from where I'm familiar with, to somewhere I am highly unfamiliar with and will surely lose my way if not for the road signs... the only advantage is that the latter place is slightly nearer to my home...
(4) Despite leaving behind the same thing that I've done again and again, then less and less after > 6 years...
(5) The new role and responsibilities will be heavier than the present one...
(6) Last but not least, it will be an uphill task, at least in the beginning, to turn what I do on a once yearly basis into part of my core duty.

Credit: Classic FM

Right now, I am still figuring out how to finish up as many existing tasks as possible, then do the necessary.  Is it possible to leave without leaving behind a pile of trash?

A Telemarketer's Call So Well-Made

I normally don't pick up calls from strange numbers... but how strange is "strange"?

For instance, numbers that look very pretty for e.g. 03-****8080, numbers from locations that I certainly have no dealings with, and private numbers i.e. numbers that are invisible on the screen of my phone.

Air yang tenang jangan disangka tiada buaya... termasuk yang bukan sungai

Those not-so-innocent forms
The reason why I fill in my number on the mobile number column of certain forms, e.g. opening of savings account, magazine subscription, etc, was because I thought I was doing them a favor by easing their work in case they need to contact me.  So skema of me.  But alas, doing so sometimes leads to nuisance.

There was one day I received a very polite call from someone to claimed to represent C*** Bank, Damansara Utama branch.  Ok, I was sort of initially tricked that he's probably from the bank's HQ, because indeed, I have a savings account with C*** bank from that particular branch since many years back.

Oops, so how come I have an account so far from home?  I opened that account when I was in my first job, where I also used to live quite near that place for a while.  I had no idea where I'd be going next, so in the meantime, I randomly went to that bank.

The Friday call
But for me expecting some other calls at that material time, I wouldn't have picked up that call.  The thing is, that number looked very ordinary and it was not those beautiful-looking number that I used to avoid answering.

The caller identified himself, lets call him L here, and spoke to me in Bahasa Melayu.  He politely asked me if I could spare only a very brief time on the phone.  Since I was bored and free on that day, I had stupidly agreed, sigh!

Here's roughly what he said to me, which I shall translate to English as follows:

L:  ........ in conjunction of your **th anniversary being a loyal customer of C*** Bank, Damansara Utama branch, we are happy to inform that you have been specially selected to be part of our 15-years loyalty bonus programme........

...... first, with the programme, you will receive a loyalty bonus (bonus kesetiaan) of RM1,200 for every 3 years, which totals up to RM6,000 after 15 years.  

Me: (thinking in an Ah-hui-Ah-lian manner, where got people so kind give me so much money for doing nothing?  Or is it some investment plan from C*** Bank which I do not know?)

L: Secondly, apart from loyalty bonus, you will also be rewarded with birthday rewards (ganjaran hari lahir) of RM800 on the 5th year, another RM800 on the 10th year, and double the amount, which means RM1,600 on the 15th year.  

..... thirdly, once the 15 years have matured, you will receive a premium refund of RM4,500.  In total, you will get RM13,700 over 15 years.

So now, may I verify that your address is as per the time when you opened your C*** savings account at Damansara Utama branch?

Me: No, I have moved, have filled in a form to tell the bank of my address change 2 years ago, but no action is taken until today.  But why do you ask about address?

L:  That's because when you are due to receive your rewards, we will send them by cheque, via post.

 #1:  Whatever programme L was trying to offer is NOT related to C*** Bank, but a third party.  Or else, why don't they just credit the rewards into my humble savings account instead of sending a cheque?  The programme is genuine and not fraudulent though, based on findings later on.  

L: Now, I am also glad to inform that apart from cash rewards, the programme also provides protection benefits.

Among the things that L stated: Compensation of up to RM50,000 for serious illnesses, and compensation of RM100,000 for personal accident that leads to permanent disablility or death.  The compensation is tripled for accident involving public transport. A compensation of RM30,000 is available should there be death due to dengue.  Then L read out a list of exclusion clauses.

L: Very simply, all you need to say yes to our programme is merely to commit RM3.40 daily from your C*** savings account.  In a month, it's only RM100. 
Your path towards rewards that I have mentioned will be active as soon as you begin your first RM100 payment.

#2: RM13,700 for me over 15 years.
But I pay RM100 x 12 months x 15 years = RM18,000.
RM13,700 - RM18,000 =  (RM4,300).

Another good news is that, NO extra charge, deposit or GST needs to be paid to join this programme.

#3: Protection coverage, monthly payment.  This is another insurance offer as opposed to investment or kind rewards from C*** Bank for its loyal customer.  

In any event, I am not saying that insurance or takaful is bad.  In fact, it is good to have one .  What's most important is a plan that is affordable, and provides enough coverage for you/ your beneficiary in case of rainy days, touch wood.  Just that having too many insurance plans can be costly and may be redundant.

L then gave me the customer service hotline (some 1300 88 something-something number) for this "investment" programme, told me that in order to join, I must have a minimum of RM20 left in my C*** savings account after the RM100 monthly deduction.  L then read to me a long wordy sentence, inter alia that blah-blah-blah is governed by Bank Negara Malaysia, and asked me to say yes or no.  

Let's no elaborate into the later conversation after that.  But the call ended amicably without any scolding or argument.

This is no criticism, but let's keep ourselves alert
The objective of sharing the above ordeal here is not to personally criticise anyone, including L who is performing his job as a telemarketer, although he will gain a commission each time he secures a successful sale.

I can never imagine myself in L's shoes because my face can never be thick enough to face potential scolding from strangers, because in reality, getting calls from telemarketers can be annoying.

Never be sharp, never be flat, always be natural.  Credit: Classic FM

But instead, here's to raise awareness as to how telemarketers have changed their sales tactics, by first trying to convince people that they're educating customers about the rewards for being loyal customers of a certain bank, with all the impressive-sounding returns, and then boom!!!  By orally seeking customer to decide whether to commit themselves on the spot.

Many telemarketers are smart and well-trained, they will first paint a beautiful picture by telling all the good things.  Once confident that you're listening, only towards the end they tell you about your commitment.

Then, they will also politely pressure you to decide on the spot as opposed to allowing time for you to think over.

Does Data Protection provision even exist?
It is inappropriate for banks to share their customers' data with third parties.  

Secondly, it's also very improper that banks allow "standing orders" be made orally over the phone... by right a bank must ensure that its customer genuinely signs a document that authorizes money to be drawn from his account to a third party.  

What if the person who picks up the supposedly-customer's phone is not that account holder himself, but a third person who knows a lot about the customer, and subsequently says "yes", "yes" and all "yes" without the customer's knowledge and consent?

Conclusion
I was thinking of closing my savings account with C***, if it isn't due to the inconvenient distance from where I am now, because an account only be closed at its home branch. 

Wah, bahayalah if suddenly there's a windfall one day, will I receive even more telemarketers' calls?  Anyway like said earlier, no money will drop down from the sky for doing nothing productive like me, so any reference to wealth and me is purely hypothetical.


Back to the topic, I shall never pick up any strange-looking number after this even though the number looks plain.  Instead, I should Google up the number first, then decide whether to pick up or not if the same number calls back.   Or if I pick up, I should not hesitate to hang up immediately if I find the call a nuisance.

Private or Government hospital, which one is better for childbirth?

"Bersalin hospital gomen (kerajaan) ke private nanti?", or "Where do you plan do deliver your baby, Government or private hospital?" was one of the most frequently-asked questions by my colleagues during the old days when I was pregnant for the first time.

Here, I would like to share something based on my personal experience, esp with my first child Alvin who is an ex-prem baby, as well as hearsay.  Which is better - private or Government?  Important tip: To keep an open mind to both options.

 Hospital Ampang

Introduction
I was born in a private hospital in Ipoh by my mom who was in the civil service, a.k.a. Government servant.  My mom had briefly worked in the Labour Room in a Government hospital. Being there means my mom was entitled to seek a GL which enables her to deliver her babies in any Government hospital free-of-charge, but then my mom chose not to.

The reason - I do not know.  But after all that I've gone through, I would say that I was a bit misguided prior to giving birth to Alvin.

Though not looking forward to anymore pregnancy after the arrival of Alvin's brother, nevertheless I shall be much delighted if the following note can be of help to those who happen to come across this humble blog, who are currently considering whether to go private or Government for delivery.

Myth vs Facts
On one side...

Folks from my side of family encouraged me to go private for antenatal check-ups and delivery.  Whether myth or fact, among the given reasons:

- freedom to choose an ob gyn for antenatal care and delivery;
- more attention due to a smaller nurse to patient ratio in a private hospital;
- "less likelihood" of getting scolded by nurses because private hospitals are business entities,  competition is stiff, and hence they have to treat their patients a.k.a. customers nicely;
- freedom to choose the type of ward, e.g. single room, twin-sharing, suite, etc... just like choosing hotel room hehe...;
- those around me who advocated for delivery in private hospitals would tell me "You think private hospitals want to risk tarnishing their good name?  They'll do their absolute best to make sure that both the mother and baby are safe". 

On the other side...
As for the other side of my family, having personally gone through pleasant delivery experiences at Government hospitals themselves, they encouraged me to choose Hospital Serdang for delivery.  I was also advised to go to the nearest KKIA for antenatal check-ups, which I did and was generally happy with the service at KKIA despite the long waiting time. 

Those who had gone through child delivery would tell "sakit bersalin tu sama sahaja tak kira di mana pun" (labour pain is the same regardless of where you deliver).

A little of both, but fingers-crossed
Being ambivalent as to where to go at first,  I went for my antenatal check-ups at both places - private and Government.

At the same time, the "campaign" from both sides of differing views continued to haunt me.  At that point of time, I was indecisive as to where to go for delivery should I make it to that stage.

Beyond my wildest dream
Thinking of it now, I am glad to realise that certain things happened for a certain reason, although I am disappointed with my body for failing to carry Alvin until he is truly ready for birth.  But for the stint at NICU and ward 4A at Hospital Ampang, I wouldn't have learnt things that I need to know in child care.  I might have ended up becoming highly-dependent on others e.g. my mom-in-law, to take care of even the smallest things because I had never taken care of babies before (never even held one earlier, because I was scared to carry others' babies for fear of upsetting their babies with my novice hands).

Now at least my eyes were opened wider and I know what is true and what's not.

The complacency in me when pregnant for the first time lies in being ill-prepared as far as handling a premature delivery is concerned, just because prematurity is rare.  Other than threatened miscarriage in the early days, my first pregnancy was otherwise uneventful and hence it didn't come across my mind to prepare for premature labour.

Beneath the initial reluctance
This is hearsay:  There was once I read at a local online forum of someone who went into labour at just 5 months (20 weeks?) into her pregnancy.  As contemplated, the baby did not make it.  Accordingly, one of the nurses at the Government hospital where she delivered her baby had scolded her and asked if she had been "very actively together" with her husband during pregnancy and thus led to labour at 5 months.  Huh? If the allegation of such what the nurse did to her is true, this is indeed very bad.

Having heard of such a nightmare story, I was initially afraid of facing the same ordeal of being humiliated or falsely-accused of doing what I did not do.  The above might or might not be a joke, but surely such a "joke" is too much.  This is also another reason why I thought that going private is good (ngeee... I was so innocent).  I was afraid of getting scolded by nurses for being an innocent first-timer.

Another Myth vs Fact...
Q: Is it true that private hospitals refer serious or high risk delivery cases to Government hospitals?

A: Yes, they do.  My case (with Alvin) is an example . 

It's not necessarily because the private hospital does not want to handle such case, but my doctor had advocated for it mainly due to cost factor.  In any event, other than a few very big private hospitals, not many have fully-equipped NICU.

Only if I knew...
... then I would have gone to a Government hospital straightaway upon the bloody show... saved some money on what I could have gotten for almost free... and most importantly, saved myself from looking silly with that initially reluctant face when Dr Teresa told that she wanted to refer me to HKL.  OMG, I generally knew that the cost of treatment in NICU in private hospital is high, but not as high as that.  After listening to a thorough explanation, I agreed.  At last, I was referred to Hospital Ampang, so call it fate that my kid was to be born there. 

The general rule
A nurse once told that in one private hospital in KL, it costs about RM1,000 per day for NICU.  Let's say a 29-weeker preemie is to live in the NICU for 50 days, that will be RM1,000x50 = RM50,000.  This surely does not include additional costs which may total up to more than the price of a VW Polo Sedan.

My brother's friend who works at Pantai Hospital KL (the one near Kerinchi) told of one extreme preterm baby who had lived in the NICU for 4 months.  The baby's medical bill came up to more than RM100,000.   But in that case, cost isn't a problem as the baby's father is a high-paying expat executive in KL.

Generally, the rule is as follows:

Ordinary working person with moderate amount of $$ + Low/Medium Risk Pregnancy = Any Government or private hospital of your preference will  do.  The FPP (full paying patient) scheme available at Hospital Putrajaya & Selayang for instance, is another good alternative.

Plenty of $$ + low/medium risk pregnancy =  Any hospital you like...

Plenty of $$ + High risk pregnancy = Can go private without problem.  Preferably private hospitals with tertiary-level care, e.g. Gleneagles, Pantai KL, or SJMC. 

Ordinary working person with moderate amount of $$ + High risk pregnancy = Major Government hospitals or university hospitals like PPUM and PPUKM.  Basically any GH will do because they are well-equipped and have enough expertise in the NICU, or even if they don't have the facilities available, they have the network to get you to the required facilities.

Let me share here, that Alvin's overall NICU fees at Hospital Ampang for 53 days is RM452.  The Government subsidy is more than 90%.  The service was very good, the doctors and nurses were helpful and nice, and totally different from the negative stories I used to hear about Government hospitals.

The saying goes "tepuk dada, tanya selera".  In normal cases, there is no hard and fast rule as to which is better - private or Government.  It boils down to personal preferences.

Another difference between private and Government hospitals are:

Private Hospital	Government Hospital
Newborns are taken care by nurses in the nursery.  If you wish to breastfeed, then you’ll need to inform the nurses so that your baby is brought to you for nursing.  Otherwise, you can rest after a long tiring day of labour and delivery.	Except for NICU cases, mothers are to take care of their newborns in terms of feeding and diaper-changing. Strictly breastfeeding, except for special cases. Almost everything is on DIY basis.

 
In high risk cases, major Government hospitals (e.g. HKL) /university-based hospitals are the best option.  Contrary to what many people believe, Government hospitals are good in many ways.  But the visiting hours at extremely strict at Government hospitals.

Conclusion
In conclusion, there is nothing wrong with choosing to deliver your baby in a private hospital as long as you are comfortable with the doctor and hospital of your choice.  If budget comfortably permits it, why not?

There is also nothing wrong with choosing to deliver your baby in a Government hospital regardless of what others say.  My personal observation is that, it's best to learn some basic baby care beforehand when you choose to deliver in a Government hospital in view of the summary highlighted in the table above. 

While I do not wish anyone around me to go through a very premature delivery like me, I would like to share that if that happens (touch wood no please!) the best thing to do is to go to a Government hospital straight unless one is financially able to fork out RM100K in cash without compromise for medical bill (this applies only to very preterm cases, and not late preterms who probably need only 1 week in the NICU).

It's also a good idea to have a "buku merah" or antenatal booklet from the KKIA for just in case it's necessary to go to a Government hospital.  Not as if Government hospitals don't entertain those without the buku merah, but doctors and nurses at Government hospitals tend to be a bit more receptive if we have the booklet.

But if I were to share my own personal preference, I would choose PPUKM (I went there for my second pregnancy; cerclage, bed rest, and delivery last year)... it's the nearest university hospital from my place although not the nearest hospital, it has the expertise and facilities for high risk pregnancy and delivery cases, and cost-wise, is reasonable.  Hospital Ampang is good too, but I was more closely-attended to in PPUKM.