FIGURE RAMADHAN 2011

Kaiser Still Sucks Big Time

Remember my earlier post here on how bad Kaiser's service is? Well, here I am, 2 effing years later and still going through this shit.

If you are new here, please do check my earlier post first to get the 'feel' of the situation. You know? Of how fuckingtastic the health services in the US is in general and Kaiser's services in particular?

Firstly, let me tell you that all the doctors that I have seen at Kaiser are pretty good. I have nothing against them. But they are 'just' doctors there. They see you once you get the appointment. They are not part of the scheduling system. The system is created so that you almost always talk to a different people. Send and reply to an email 5 times, you will be replied by 5 different people.

Anyways, I went to get my papsmear done on Tue and also to get the referral for infertility treatment. When asked by my family doctor, I admitted that Michael is a smoker. I was told to call the member service (1-888 number) to make and appointment. Called and was given a 'direct number' that I have to call for the said appointment which I did. Actually I have been calling that number for god-knows how many times prior to that and have left numerous messages. Not one call was answered and not one message returned. My call that day was no different. No one answered so I left a voicemail leaving all my contact details and such.

That evening I called the member services (1-888 number) again and that was when I found out that my referral has been cancelled by my doctor. Imagine my shock! Stress Level 6. So I immediately emailed my doctor to find out what is going on. It was around 3pm then so I didn't get any reply until the next morning. Guess what she said? My referral was cancelled by the Infertility Department, you know the one who didn't answer nor return any of my calls. And the reason given to my doctor was that Michael is a smoker. Basically, they are saying (through my doctor) that since Michael is a smoker, they are denying me a treatment! Stress Level 10! The best part is, I found out from another Kaiser member that she and her husband were smokers but they went through their treatment with no problem. Can I say, I smell DISCRIMINATION here? Yes my friends, Kaiser Permenante is discriminating us.

But my nightmare is not over yet. Just now I called member service again to make an appointment for Michael to do his sperm count. Before that let me get this straight.

1. I am a patient = We are paying monthly to Kaiser even if we dont see them and still paying when we do see the doctor.
2. Member service = works with Kaiser therefore knows what to do. (shouldn't they?)

So I told the bitchy didn't-get-serviced-last-night member service that I want to schedule an appointment for Michael to do sperm count. Then she told me that ok she has put in the request for the test and the doctor will decide if Michael needs to see a doctor or can just take the test (or something to that effect). Then I said, so he doesn't need an appointment to do the sperm count? The bitch then flipped on me telling me that I didn't ask for an appointment and that if I need an appointment she can schedule it now in a tone that deserved a bitch-slap. Like ..... WHAT. THE. FUCK?????

At that point my blood is already boiling but I keep reminding myself that in the US you can't curse or scream or maki them eventhough they are fucking rude and/or fucking stupid. (That is why we have fucking stupid people like her still earning thousand of dollars using high premium that people like us are paying monthly) I took a (very)deep breath and slowly said to her, "You just told me that you have put in the request for my husband and that the doctor will decide if he needs to see a doctor or can take the test without seeing one. Why are you asking me if I need an appointment?". Still with a patronising and rude tone, she said that I asked for a test not an appointment. To which I repeated what I said earlier and yet she continued on and on about a test and an appointment. I have no freaking idea what she was talking about. Does any of you understand what she was talking about? Stress Level ~

If Michael only needs to do a test without seeing a doctor, doesn't that mean that he needs an appointment date for that? Is making an appointment for a test is not an 'appointment'? Don't be rude to me because I have no fucking idea about the terminology and/or jargons that you are using for each and every procedures or if I am using the 'wrong' word for the 'wrong' procedures. By the way, the call was made today around 2.30pm pacific time.

My New Toy

So here is my new toy. It is PURPLE and I love it! I have been looking for either pink or purple bike but the pink ones are either for children or beach cruiser type which I find rather uncomfortable to ride. Of course it didn't come with the basket. That, you have to buy differently together with the bell which I don't have yet.

I got it like maybe a month ago. Guess how many times I have been on it? Twice! lol. I know. I am just so bad. It's not like I don't like riding but sometimes the weather is either too cold or too hot. Also somehow my butt hurts sitting n the damn seat. I even bought a seat cover and another seat but neither helps so I had to return the other seat.

Kite Flying (Attempt)

We (SoCal) are experiencing 4-days heat wave at the moment. It is like really really hot. Since Saturday we have been getting high 90F temperatures and some places even got 100F. Today is supposed to be the last day of summer-in-spring weather before it goes back to normal temperatures of low to middle 60F. Can't wait since I have been donning kain batik (batik sarong) or pareo at home. My aunt would find that very funny since I don't normally wear kain batik. Shorts would be my choice of clothing when the weather is hot but at this new apartment, we don't have any a/c and I find shorts to be not cooling enough.

Anyways, these pictures were taken 2 weekends ago when the weather was in mid 60F and rather windy. Michael decided that he wants to have a kite and bought a 3-d kite in the shape of aeroplane as you can see from the pictures. At first we just went to the park next to our apartment but after a few attempts, we realised that it is not windy enough so we decided to go down to the beach which would guarantee a continuos wind.

While he was busy trying to get the kite up and flying, I got bored and decided to just hang out near the water. It was too windy and too cold to even walk in the water. So I scrapped my plan of wetting my feet. Since I was the one holding the camera, of course I was not in any of the pictures but I was wearing a winter jacket!

Enjoy the pictures. Next time I will try to take the picture of my new bicycle when we are at the beach and I will take some pictures of the campers.

High Speed Rail System

I dont know about you but to me it seems like the biggest news now (besides Susan Boyle) is the high speed train eversince President Obama mentioned it on Thursday. Finally something to be excited about. There's enough bad/sad news already nowadays and everybody is dying for some positive news. Any positive news.

I totally agree that US needs a good train system especially the high speed train to connect from 1 state to another state. I have always been baffled as to why didn't US already have bullet train. The country is huge. People are so used to driving cross country or just driving that it is very common for people to have 100k+ miles on their odometer within 5 years of owning the car. Something that I am not used to until I moved here and it is crazy.

High speed train would help ease the traffic and air traffic congestion. Not to mention reducing the time taken to get from 1 point to another. Imagine if you can travel comfortably from California to New York without having to go to the airport 2hrs prior to your flying scheduled time or queueing for check in or going through the security and not able to bring anything liquid more than 100ml. You would even have a bigger seat than the economy class. Ain't that sweet? It is if only California-New York is in the plan which is not as you can see here. Oh well! Maybe next time somewhere in the future there would be a bullet train connecting California with New York.

But for a start, I seriously think they should at least add LA - Vegas into their plan. No more traveling on the always-crazily-congested-I 15 freeway for 7hrs to go to Vegas since once you're in Vegas, you don't really need a car. Public transportation in Vegas is good and efficient. They even have monorail which is cool. So I am rather disappointed that LA - Vegas too was not in the plan. Please Mr President, could you please add that to your plan?

Dream

Image from Behance Network

I had a weird dream a few days ago. In my dream, Russia declared war on USA and Michael was drafted.

I know it was just a dream but it makes me uncomfortable still. Sigh...

Is That It?

The Star Online, Saturday Mar 28

MIRI: The parents of the baby boy who starved to death because they forgot to feed him have refused to allow a post-mortem to be carried out on the body.

They had claimed the body from the Miri Hospital on Friday after the body was released from the mortuary.

The couple, in their 30s, were not arrested because initial police investigation showed that there was no criminal intention on their part to leave the less than one month old baby unfed as they had been on a prolonged booze binge with their friends.

There had been no marks of physical abuse on the baby, either.

My Obsession

I didn't even know about the books until I watched the movie and was told by a friend that the movie is based on the book series by Stephenie Meyer. I went and bought the first 2 books. Read them and got myself hooked.

At first, I didn't want to buy the 3rd and 4th books yet since they have yet to come out with paperback version but after waiting for 2 months, I decided I have to know the rest of the story and could not wait any longer. So I now have a half-set each of paperback and hardcover for the Twilight saga.

Yes, I have watched the movie. Yes, I have never bought a dvd before. Of any kind! (those that I bought in KL does not count and you know why! lol) But Twilight is different. It is now an obsession of mine. I can't get enough of it. The dvd comes in 3 which include special features and bonus features. And guess what? I watched them all! And if that is not enough, I felt that I have to read the book(s) again and of course I am going to watch the movie, yet again ..... soon after I finished reading Twilight.