Is 20 months a long time?
Depends on the context… maybe.
Memories do fade…. exponentially.
Tinkering of the brain… sometimes failed to bring out the keys to the past.
Lucky there are photos to bring some of them back. Bits of memories.. to be pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle.
I do still somehow miss that place. And the people that dotted it.
It’s really time to take another dip into the pond.
But somehow, its hard to take the first step.
Just a series of photos of Kuala Dana beach, which is within walking distance of my place of work cum residence. If I have the will, I can watch sunset by the sea every single evening. Now this is actually quite a plus point of Mukah. Anyone want to join me here? ^^
And yes, I’m now back in Kuching for a whole week =).
Of coconut trees, chickens and stilted houses.
That’s how we picture them, and also how we drew them in our younger days. And in actual life, they do look like that. Of course nowadays, these houses are dotted with the ubiquitous Astro dish, as well as the scenery scarring electric poles.
For city dwellers like me, kampung life is the epitome of serenity and relaxation, characterised by the fresh morning air, lazy afternoon heat and the calling of the azan at dusk.
But of course Mukah is far from one dimensional. There’s a hint of New Zealand there - flat green grass and low lying shrubs spanning as far as the eyes can see.
There’s also a whiff of Australia - deserted straight roads flanked by courtesy-ing trees.
It’s sort of a place where you expect to see cows appears from around the corner, calming ruminating the grass while training an watchful eye on you. And actually that was the case the other day.
And then there is THE BEACH
which was so mesmerising during sunset that it warrants a whole post by itself. Real soon.
Welcome to Mukah =)
And so I was here for one month already. I felt that it had passed by quite fast, so it must be a good thing.
One month since I took the miniscule droning machine to this place, although I must say the view from that low flying plane is spectacular.
I had sort of settled down to a daily routine. 7am wake up. Facebook, brush teeth, wash face, bath, prepare and eat breakfast. Dressed up. Out of the door 755am. Reached office 7.56am.
Out of office 12.50pm-ish, back to cook, read news online, eat lunch, 10 mins power-nap. Office bound by 2.00pm.
5.10pm reached home, go for a jog, cook and have dinner at 7pm. After that, its either chatting, reading or watching drama. Sleep at 11pm-ish.
Welcome to district life, when you have only yourself for company. Most of the time, that is. Luckily I had cooking as a solace. Been trying to lead a healthier lifestyle, hence most dishes I eat now are vege-themed. New dish I had invented: Umai salad topped with belachan cecah. Western dish with a local twist. Not bad tasting.
Pharmacy-wise, it had been quite okay. Trying to set up a few things. Organising the pharmacy to make it orderly as possible, and adding a few distinct personal touches.
Discovered that actually educating people is on the top of my priority as a pharmacist. Didn’t really realise that. First thing I did was to do a series of colourful brochures teaching patients how to take their medications correctly. The brochures was located outside the pharmacy dispensary, and the response had been great.
Another thing I started was an initiative to keep my staffs updated with the latest news with this “berita terkini perubatan” notice. The latest posts are on the current FDA deliberations on rosiglitazone and also the new drug dapoxetine which should hit our shores soon.
And of course I need to help update the 5s.
All my staffs are old-hands and are well-versed on the job. They are friendly, hardworking and helpful . My boss is good too. Just yesterday we had a new young penolong pegawai farmasi (pharmacy assistant). And it is a Chinese girl from Penang. Mukah is a lucky place. Only 3/45 of this current batch are Chinese and one is posted here.
The patients are nice too, they tried to be helpful and assist me translate instructions to patients who can’t understand me. Most of them wait patiently, and they smile. Especially the old ones. And Melanau babies are cute. They have real big eyes.
Well the conclusion is, even though it is a bit boring at times, I shouldn’t be complaining. I have been luckier than most of my peers. Mukah is a good place, and to think I got here all thanks to a mistake.
