The Beautiful & Ugly Truths

The ERL is one of the most comfortable trains of world class standard in Malaysia. But dishearteningly, many (though not all) of its passengers are "kiasu".

So familiar, yet so strange

Getting It
Try boarding the KLIA Transit during peak hours e.g. in the mornings and evenings when folks are busy commuting to work and back home, and you'll get what I mean.

No Better, Maybe the Worst
If you happen to be one of those in the needy category (e.g. being an elderly, or visibly pregnant, or a person carrying a child), you'll soon appreciate this "kiasu" factor more than ever. The chances of being offered a seat in the KLIA Transit because you happen to fall under the needy category is no better than when you take the LRT or KTM Komuter.

One in a Million
In general, meeting generous souls is quite a rare thing in our public transport scenario. Sad, but true. But from my personal experience, the chance of meeting kind folks who offer their seats to those in need is highest when you board the Kelana Jaya Line train (formerly known as PUTRA LRT), followed by Monorail, the Ampang/Sri Petaling Line (formerly called STAR LRT), KTM Komuter, and lastly, the ERL.

The Connexion
The ERL happens to be the most expensive amongst all the trains here. I wonder if higher purchasing power has any correlation with the higher level of "kiasu"ness among some (not all) ERL passengers - like maximising the money's worth of the ticket purchased. Or is it any other factor?

Far from Pleasant
My two cents here is that, the public transportations in our country is still far from passenger-friendly. The ERL may top others in terms of punctuality and arguably even comfort, but alas... the actual scenario is unfortunately tainted by "kiasu" attitudes among many of its passengers.

Thank You
However, having said that, I nevertheless highly appreciate those in the minority good Samaritan category who kindly offer their seats to folks in need of seats.

Those Days
Self-praise is no praise, but I used to offer my seat to others until I become needy of a seat myself. Do I expect anything in return of my small gesture? No, I don't and I shouldn't. There were even times when I felt discouraged to offer my seat, when I came across "recipients" who were either expressionless or thought there's no need to say "thank you".

Yes, I did get angry at times, being an imperfect human in the world. But I had to do it. It's either my conscience of making sure that a heavily-pregnany woman in front of me doesn't fall and cause harm to at least her innocent little one inside, or making an unfair generalisation that all passengers on board are "kiasu" and therefore deserve no help.

Nowadays
Pretty desperate for a seat nowadays, especially a long day out from morning until evening, I have little choice but to queue up on the platform to maximise my chances of securing a seat. I wish I can relax on the steel bench while waiting for the train, but I can't because so far, I've encountered only one precious occasion (after taking the train for how many times?) when a young lady was kind enough to ask me to sit.

For Every First Time

Being away for a long time, I wish I was having pleasant moments.

A breakfast served in front of my bed just as the sun began to rise... Isn't it awesome?

Toasted wholemeal bread with roasted tomato, scrambled egg and salad

The reality was far from being sweet. After all, being hospitalised means something's not right.

Unexpectedly So

It was my first time staying in hospital. It was the first time I was on IV drip. I was dehydrated, in pain, unwell, and down with infection. It's not related to pregnancy, but any neglect may have undesirable effects on it.

This moment was captured when I was still alert, right before the return of my dreadful fever that made me shiver and unable to sit or lie down still on the bed in the ward.

After about 24 hours, I gained some energy and appetite. Here are some of the food that I was served with:

Breakfast.

This is one of the lunches I had... grilled fish skewer with yogurt, boiled vegetables and whipped potato

Papaya and salad together with lunch

As these are food served in the hospital, they are prepared according to the healthy-version manner... low in salt, sugar and oil. The food are mostly grilled or boiled, and the "kuih" served during tea time is the low-sugar version, which I actually prefer because I'm a non-sweet-tooth person.

In front of my bed is a TV to keep myself occupied whenever I was awake. But then I was mostly asleep because I was tired, and lying down excessively had resulted in a little shoulder ache.

What Transpired That Day...
What a time to suffer from infection! The night before, I suddenly felt a strange chill all over. Suspecting a fever, I took my own temperature and voila, it's comfirmed. My stomach felt very unwell too.

I sought my brother for help to take me to the hospital in the middle of the night as I was by myself at my place that day. I went to Columbia Asia Hospital Cheras (in Balakong, near AEON Cheras Selatan) the nearest from home and also where I go for my antenatal check-up, apart from KKIA. I knew I had to be quick and yet be considerate towards my sleep-deprived brother, and thus Government hospital did not come into picture that night.

I only received outpatient treatment that night. Back home, I didn't think that my condition improved. I had a hard time falling asleep. The fever persisted despite taking Paracetamol twice.

The Next Day
Still not feeling right and based on instinct, I went back to Columbia Asia. This time around, I was referred to a physician, Dr Amir Ramli.

Blood and urine tests were done. I was diagnosed with AGE (acute gastroenteritis), and was dehydrated. That explains the extreme exhaustion I was experiencing. I was by myself, and was advised to be admitted.

And there I was, in the ward by noon, administered with IV drip after lunch, and having a fever. At that moment, all that came into my mind was the kid inside. I was afraid of any harm to it. After going through so many difficulties, why am I seem to be suffering misfortune after misfortune? Whatever it is, please spare my child...

Not Surprising
On the third day in hospital, I was taken to see my gynae for ultrasound scan. I was relieved that the kid appeared fine.

But what was that thing that I saw? My gynae, Dr Norshida asked if I'd like to know the sex of my baby. My reaction, just as expected was that I didn't want to know it.

But I saw it despite the blurry eyes, and I thought "uh oh, this is not surprising, but I'm sure my husband will be".

My Overall Comment on Columbia Asia
On the whole, I was happy with the service and facilities at Columbia Asia Hospital. I was in a double-bedded ward with attached shower and washroom. There's an LCD TV for each person with a few selected ASTRO channels. The staff were attentive, polite and prompt in their service.

Each patient who "checks-in" is given a set of toiletteries comprising toothbrush, toothpaste, 1 small-sized towel, 1 medium-sized towel, a comb, soap, shampoo, and a plastic cup.

The deposit (refundable) for each admission is RM300. If you are under any medical coverage, the customer care staff are very helpful in assisting you to secure your guarantee letter (GL). All you need to do is to show your medical card and they'll handle it properly for you... saves you from the headache of having to call here and there in times of distress during sickness.

Should the kid and I make it to the delivery stage, I'll definitely consider going back to Columbia Asia.

But being a patient in a hospital is definitely not a pleasant thing. Although properly attended to, being sick is never a good thing at all.

The Confirmation
What was a speculation for the rest of the night was finally confirmed the day after. When my husband came to pick me home, he asked if we could see our gynae because he's highly curious to know the baby's sex.

I prefer a degree of mystery, but my husband who's the opposite of me prefers things clear and straightforward. Despite the high number of patients awaiting their turns, Dr Norshida was kind enough to spare a few minutes with us. And so, my guess was confirmed. Anyway, it shouldn't even matter what my guess was, so let me just reserve it first.

I always tell myself
To have a child is to take a risk. At the end of the day, it's not up to me to design the fate of whoever that becomes my child. Even having the most perfect of genes doesn't guarantee that an offspring will be perfect, because the world is more than science alone. So, let's not worry unnecessarily, let's not allow my fear to ruin the moments of pregnancy.

Call me fatalistic, but as much as we'd like to deny it, fate does play a role in so many aspects of life. After all, we humans can only plan... but whether a plan materialises or otherwise, is beyond our control.

Conclusion
I have said in the past, I'm prepared for both weathers, rain as well as shine. The months to come will surely keep me waiting anxiously as if waiting for another major examination result in which I expect certain result, or else we'll be doomed.