Life is to be enjoyed

Izrin's engagement hantaran on 7 June 2009, prepared by Juriah, my sister-in-law - simple and beautiful.









It has been quite a while since I sat down and write this blog. After the internship, I just wanted to lepak and do nothing. It was good!!! But it didn't last long anyway, the lepak thing. My brain started working again and I got myself involved in many activities as usual. So doing nothing doesn't suit me actually.

I appeared quite briefly in Selamat Pagi Malaysia RTM 1 on Tuesday 1 June 2009 at 8.30 am. I was talking about hypnosis in stop-smoking in World Tobacco Free Day campaign. I took Sheila Menon, Principal of LCCH (London College of Clinical Hypnosis) in Malaysia with me. She is not very proficient in Malay but she tried. Though I can talk about LCCH, I thought it would be good to have her appeared so that people know what LCCH is and who is the person to contact. I am glad the producer agreed even though the section was brief for me to explain about the process in stop smoking hypnosis. My hope is more Malay speaking people watched and created a desire to stop smoking, if they smoke. Smoking is a menace to society. I hate the selfish behaviour of some smokers who throw cigarette butts anywhere (plenty of this disgusting behaviour at the apartment where I live especially during weekeends, public holidays and school holidays), smoke even in no smoking area and have no respect for other people's comfort. I get turned off when I know a person I have contact with, smoke. But my total turn off is, of course, when a person drinks alcohol. They smell like rotten fish!!

I was sheduled to have a patient in University Hospital Orthopedic Clinic for Hypnosis in Pain Management after the RTM interview. It's a research project and was looking forward to give my help. I was disappointed when I was informed that the patient called to say he was not able to come. But Allah is great. I found out an old friend at university, staying quite near my house, is ill with cancer. It was such a sad news. I lost a number of friends to cancer. So the time slotted for UH is destined for her.

I paid her a visit and talked to her husband. I offered to do hypnosis to take her into trance so that she can really relax. But no promise was made that I can take away her pain. It's another alternative for her to deal with her pain. You know, when you are in pain you will try anything to alleviate your pain. Her husband said she has been asking who can help her so that she can feel some comfort to deal with her pain. He was grateful that I came along. It saddened my heart to see her condition - from a beautiful, active, ex-school principal to a lady with skin and bones. I told her husband I am no angel but just want to help in a way that I know.

So on 2 June at 10 am, I did a hypnosis session to meet her goal - to feel comfort when she is in pain so that the pain is not so excruciating. I taught her how to do self-hypnosis whenever she wants so that she can relax herself and helps to relieve some of her pains. She went into trance almost immediately. When I awoke her, after a glass of water, the three of us sat down and talked a bit. Her husband noticed that she was more alert and her eyes were wide opened, compared to before, her complexion was not as pale as before. She said she felt relaxed and light. I noticed that too but that was some of the effects experienced by patients after hypnosis sessions. I was glad to see her more alert. I took my leave and reminded her husband to tell her doctors that she is having hypnosis sessions. I made appointment to see her again on 7 June after Izrin's engagement party. I just pray to Allah that she is relieved a bit from her suffering and able to sleep well. I am going to focus on this in the next session.

At my age, I feel, wealth, possessions, success etc. are not important anymore. My outlook on life has changed so much. Some people commented that I am selfish for thinking about myself all the time. I am, if you think that way. I have cared and thought about the well-being of others, about the comfort of life, about worldly possessions, for a long time and they have little meaning to me now. The most precious commodity is HEALTH. As Quek, my old university friend who is a rich man but suffered a stroke said, 'If you have money, you can't buy health but if you have health, you can make money.' Isn't that an apt quote?

Life is marvellous, every second counts.