They Are Everywhere

It takes something like H1N1 to wake you up sometimes. Health is NOT to be taken granted of. Especially when you look past personal hygiene.

After catching and living with the symptoms for almost 10 days, I really don't want to step out of the house. It's like all of a sudden, I don't know how to act when I'm outside.

I see germs everywhere, on the floor, on the tables and the chairs, people coughing and sneezing without covering their mouths, its EVERYWHERE!!!

I'm going back to work tomorrow and I'm kinda fearing it.

PwC actually got someone to disinfect my place, I hope I'll be greeted with open arms!! And I also pray that my dad sends and PICKS ME UP from work tomorrow.

No more KTM or LRT or IRB for me at the moment.

YYEEEEUUUCCCK!!!!

Funny, I'm done with my course of antibiotics, the only thing that's left is my throat. It still hurts. Well, not as bad as swallowing pieces of glass, but it still hurts. It's been for 5 days. Nothing works. I've tried salt water, 100 plus, vitamin C, I've been drinking gallons of water.

NADA. Nothing works =(

Any other suggestions??

Recovery

After 6 days

I'M FINALLY FEELING BETTER!!

Well, at least I could eat more things and not feel my knees wobbling when I walk!!

Clouds above my head are starting to disappear.

=)

I've Got The Flu

Woke up on Sunday feeling a little constrained around the chest. Then the sore throat rolled in.

Went to see a doctor on Monday, my usual GP was on leave, so the relief checked me up. Clearly, he wasn't paying attention, he was too occupied with his two phones and lap top.
He kept mixing my sentences up, I gave up trying to correct him at one point, whatever makes him happy =)

"38. Ok. Fever." He grunted.

I'm just glad to be medicated. Headed for the bed only to wake up feeling much worse. The meds weren't effective.

It's Tuesday morning and my fever hasn't gone down a bit. My eyes are dry and burning. Mom suggested to bring me to a hospital, dad said it was too early to test for h1n1. But I told them that I wanted to go to the hospital, this suffering is unbearable.

We were "walk-in" patients, so thank goodness we went early. Every corner of the hospital was covered in HUGE posters telling us to beware of H1N1 and how to prevent it. We waited an hour for the doctor, I was feeling cold. The doctor asked me many questions in which I answered "YES"

"Fever?"

"Yes"
"Cough?"
"Yes"
"Sorethroat?"
"Yes"
"Chest Pains?"
"Yes"


A number of "Yes's" later, he motioned for me to get on the examination bed. The stethoscope went left, and right, up, down, then left again.

"mmmhmmm" "mmmhmm" Dr Ashoka kept repeating as he poked me everywhere with his weapon.

From what this respiratory specialist heard, he says I'm clear, but he'll make me do a rapid test anyways.

A rapid test is to test for Influenza A(H1N1).

After waiting for 15 minutes or so, I was called back to the room.

"You might feel a slight discomfort" He said. AND THEN.......

he sticks this long DNA swab down the very back of my nose!! Twisted it around awhile. I wanted to choke, tears are welling up and I'm trying my best not to move.

Finally, when he pulls it out, the swab was covered in blood.

I had to wait an hour for the results. So mum took me for breakfast.

When we returned, the results were ready.

"Your Influenza A test came back positive" the doctor said, with no shock, or panic.

Well, there are many types of influenza A, one of it is the H1N1. But in my case, he said it would most likely be a really bad case of sinusitis. According to the specialist, I have a really sensitive nose.

I WAS SO WORRIED. SCARED EVEN.

Nonetheless, he said that I would be treated like any other H1N1 patient, I'd have to take the tamiflu pills and antihistamine and antibiotics and cough syrup along with a nasal spray.

I know, that's A LOT! He even gave me some for Australia. I couldn't even queue to get my own meds, mum had to do it. I just felt like collapsing.

Went home, took ALL the pills and went to bed, by the next day, I felt better, not great, but better.

I'm on mc for the whole week.

PwC Internship Day 4 (5/12/2009)

It's the start of the week, my alarm went off and I just kept snoozing.

I'm always at the office real early. Like about 7.30, 7.45??

So I get down to work.

I had to call up IRB to ask for tax balance and so forth. It's different for every case. Sometimes the IRB has not sent some forms, sometimes they send the wrong forms, sometimes they give you stupid excuses.

Waited 8 minutes before someone actually picked up the call, and that's just the receptionist, I had to wait a while more before I get to talk to the officer in charge and suddenly ........ tut tut tut tut tut tut tut tut.....

THE CALL DROPPED!!!!!!!!! WTH

Today, I was sent to go to IRB Kelana Jaya.

HOLY @#$%, my taxi fare was RM 30!! ONE WAY. But according to the taxi driver, who is a devoted christian and keeps telling me his life stories on the way says that usually its 40 to 50 bucks.

But he was really nice, he waited for me until I was finished and sent me home. A taxi driver actually WAITED AN HOUR. I took his business card so I could call him the next time =)

See, I made friends with a taxi driver!!

I claimed the Rm 60 from the company of course.

Today, I learnt how to construct a tax position! Something new!! Quite irritating though. A person's file is often the height of your fist. And you have to do a tax position ALL THE WAY from the year he/she started work. Then you have to read the advice or objection letters by the company. Alas, when you get to the end figure, you have to call up IRB to confirm his balance. If its correct that YAY!!! If its wrong, find out if you are wrong, or IRB is wrong, or SOMETHING is wrong.

Ooh, I also had to write advice letters to the clients and objection letters to the IRB. Yea, because IRB is stupid. REALLY STUPID SOMETIMES.

For example, If I owed you $100. I would give you back $100.

For IRB, If we they owe us $ 100, they would give us $150 and ask us to return the $50. That's like a TOTAL WASTE OF TIME!!!

I stayed back a while today to help my seniors finish up some work.

The trains were supposed to come every 15 minutes, but today, the 6.45pm one didn't appear. Again, the KTM was full!

I sleep very well nowadays, I'm just TOO tired.

PwC Internship Day 3 (4/12/2009)

TODAY'S A FRIDAY!!!!

Friday's are casual so I get to wear my flats. THANK GOD FOR THAT!!!

Because today, I'll be making a trip to IRB Jalan Duta with a senior. It's the whole "showing the reigns" thing. After this, I'll be doing everything on my own.

Like all government departments, we waited 20 minutes to get ONE passport verified. Its NOT EVEN HARD, all they have to do is to check whether the copy and the original are identical, put their stamp, name and signature. THATS ALL.

We also submitted other forms. But those are better.

Not to forget that it's a Friday, there are NO TAXI'S on the road, because all of them would be in the mosque right smack in front of the IRB. We circumferenced the half the IRB and waited another half an hour before we could hail a cab.

It was raining too, so not only are my Ked's soaking wet, my feet is all soggy and the longer I walk, the more painful it gets, at the end of the day, my feet were covered in red bulges and blisters.

I can't wait to go home.

PwC Internship Day 2 (3/12/2009)

Today we were all assigned to our teams. I'm in international assignments, there are two others with me.

International assignments handles expatriate taxes. So I deal with a plenty of funny names too!!

My buddy who sits on my right is on leave, so is the other colleague on my left. but the ones opposite me arent!

I sat at my desk for a FULL 15 minutes doing nothing.

UNTIL!! hehe...... I was told to photostat an ENTIRE PASSPORT!!!

Good opportunity to use their canggih manggih photocopier. See, PwC is a service business, so things like photocopying, WE CHARGE IT TO OUR CLIENTS!!! We have to enter their charge code and more before clicking "start copier".

But I seem to be a pro in it now. Scanning is a little bit messy.

Then I had to do cover letters for submission to the IRB (inland revenue board). I think that was for the entire company.

Then my seniors thought me how to retrieve tax files and all the other technical procedures.

I think that was ALL for the day.

PwC Internship Day 1 (2/12/2009)

I have to wake up at 6am in the mornings again.

Dad was nice enough to send me all the way to the doorstep!

I had no idea how to work the lift, you needed a pass of some sort. Then the guard came to tag me up. See, you have to tag your card, and press the level of which you desire to go to. The lift would take you straight there!

Today was just briefing, and getting to know other interns. Today's group was for advisory and tax. The group before this was assurance(audit). And till today, we haven't got a chance to meet up with them.

The briefing was for the ENTIRE day, like company policies, the rules, how to use our laptops, how to SECURE our laptops(yea, they kensington lock it, apparently!)

Then we had an office tour, at the end of the day, we were told to report ourselves on the 11th floor tomorrow morning.

The train home was horrendous. And as usual, never on time.