Have you noticed how accurately the nurses, MA, office clerks know exactly which day of the month the gaji is out? Noticed how long the queue is at ATMs on gaji days? I know of nurses, MAs, attendants who have only RM20-50 left in their savings by the 20th of the month. Ever noticed what canggih handphones the attendants own (specialists still use the good'ol solid Nokia3310). Maybe that's an example where the gaji all went, plus at places like Courts Mammoth, direct sales products, kenduri for all occasions. Maybe the education ministry should integrate some financial literacy topics in Kemahiran Hidup in school.

Seok Hong: I meant that, as independent applicants, we qualify to apply for Master programs one and a half years after our MBBS graduation. That means we are eligible NOW. The program will still take 4 years. If we join now, it will mean that we don't have cuti belajar from KKM, which means we must quit and lose the monthly salary. No salary for 4 years, and on top of that, we still have to pay the school fees on our own. Not a viable option. As for exactly how much the fees, i don't know. I asked Prof Liam about this last year when he was still head of Postgrad Studies.

If we join Masters via the usual route, i.e. after completing 1+3 years, passing induksi, and getting the study leave approved by KKM, we will still get our gaji, plus KKM will pay for school fees. But we are legally bonded to govt for 7 years after completing postgrad studies. Then during that, our fates for subspecialty opportunity will be in the hands of 'Dato Dr so and so' in KKM. A physician, Dr Ismayatim, in Hospital Alor Star got sent to a Gastro & Hepatology subspecialty training for 1 year in Australia when he was still in the gazettement year. Whereas 'others' are still waiting for years for their chance of subspecializing. There is a Mr Zamyn orthopedic spine surgeon from Hospital Alor Star, now in Sungai Buloh - had one year training in Australia and now thinks he is god. He is also a pervert. Sadly to say, he was a UM MBBS undergraduate.

The lecturer-training program is entirely different ... I am not sure of the details, but I know that they don't accept 'us'. There are exceptions though, I don't what procedure or what strings to pull to get it ... I know that Chan Kin Hup is in a UIA lecturer program, and Athena is in Unimas lecturer program. And of course there is our Rebecca in the physiology program as informed by Anas. I guess we need to ask insiders about how to get these opportunities.