PLX2010: update and results of the "I'm feeling generous" drawing

Oh my, was it already a week ago that I was seething at the woman in 5D? Where has the week gone?? Thankfully I worked in a LOT of buffer for the Postcard / Link Exchange of 2010 (PLX2010) so this update isn't late at all, despite the move from today.com to a malaysian abroad's new home here in blogspotland.

To refresh your memory, here are the rules for PLX2010, and the participants this time around are:

• Karl (SecondHand Tryptophan)
• creating my life (creating my life)
  
• Jeannette (Jeannette Eats Spaghetti)
• Steve (Steve’s 101 list)
• Kevin (kapgar)

... creating my life has already blogged about the postcard! Yay! A little earlier than the official rules stated, but I'm throwing those rules out the door anyway, LoL! Thanks, dude! Hope you liked the card :) {if any of the other participants have also already blogged about their cards, sorry I didn't notice! Just tell me and I'll correct this post, k?}

As you may recall, I had had an 'extra credit' portion of PLX2010 that didn't really get off the ground. Steve, who RT’d my tweet, won himself a little Malaysia-themed gift as thanks. I then put the remaining four participants in the drawing for a box of Boh Seri Songket Passion Fruit flavored tea.

This morning TK-217 graciously volunteered to pick the winner:

Congratulations to Jeanette Eats Spaghetti!

Both Steve and Jeanette happen to be fellow Springfield tweeps: if I don't manage to meet up with them by next weekend to hand off their prizes personally, I'll send the items via snail mail instead. Hopefully we'll do it live - then there might be more pix! :)

One final PLX2010 post to come, featuring the participants' posts about their postcards: stay tuned!

PLX2010 image derived from mailbox by clix

Recoloring May 13th, 1969

The May 13th 1969 race riots are a painful, shameful chapter in the history of multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious Malaysia that continues to hang over the collective consciousness, casting a dark shadow over the political landscape of the country.



"...When reflecting on May 13, 1969, we can blame others for what happened, blame the situation, or we can choose to transform things for the better, to be change agents and constructively fill our hearts and minds with what needs to be done so May 13 does not ever happen again, and that no one uses the day to bring about fear and negativity..."

Read more about anas zubedy's recoloring effort.

Healhcare in Malaysia: ankle woes, part two

As you may recall in Part One, I shared the cost incurred for going to the emergency room to have my ankle looked at, and estimated that the total out of pocket would be about USD$100.

Boy was I wrong!

You see, on Monday I went to see the orthopedic specialist... okay so he took a look at the Xray and dismissed the chip, saying it was an old injury, based on the fact that I wasn’t in pain where the chip was. He poked my foot here and there, and declared I probably had partially torn ligaments, and prescribed an ankle brace and continued use of the crutches.

I musta spent like 5 minutes total in his office.

Specialist consultation: RM 120
Ankle brace: RM215
Refitting the crutches with new foam thingys: RM35

Total: RM 370 (= USD$ 115)

Total $ spent on my ankle at that hospital = about USD$210

... and yet just a few hours later, I was off the crutches and brace!

On one hand I’m kicking myself for having thrown away that extra $ at the hospital, but on the other hand I really did need to know that I wasn’t sporting a chipped bone... knowing I was only dealing with hurt ligaments, I gave myself the green light to explore other therapies. And the opportunity to visit my traditional massage torturer presented itself only when I was done with the hospital. Things just worked out the way they did. Bottom line, YC worked her magic on me. THAT was RM60 very well spent!

Healthcare in Malaysia: my ankle woes

Oh what fun, I’m hobbling around on crutches no thanks to an accident on the tennis court yesterday :p It’s given me some comparative blog fodder though, so yay!

I’ve incurred about RM240 so far:

• RM65 for some pain killers and anti-inflammatories
• RM65 for the xray
• RM65 for the cast/bandages
• RM30 consultation
• Balance for registration/administrative stuff

I expect to incur at least RM60 just to see the ortho specialist on Monday, and will assume that that should be the end of it lah... if I need to follow-up it will have to happen in the US.

So I’m looking at an out of pocket of about USD$95 right now.

And now I’m wondering what a similar incident would cost me in the US. It seems my insurance deductible is $100, so either way I’d be out about the same amount... except that I have a feeling if I went through the same things in say Springfield, I think I’d be more than a C-note poorer!

How about you? Have you had the misfortune of hitting the ER? How bad was the damage to the wallet?