May 2021 – Page 2 – HEALTH FREAK MOMMY

What a Recruiter Can and Cannot Do for You

Many physicians suffer physical and mental fatigue because of long working hours, so they want a career change. Some want to relocate. We also cannot ignore the fact that they wish to receive better pay. Many physicians want to have better hours and a better work environment. Given the current health crisis, more physicians are stressed out and burned out.

So many physicians are looking at working with a physician recruiter firm because they can have better success in finding the job they are looking for. They do not have to work hard looking for their next job because the recruiting firm has the resources and the connections to find the job that will fit the job seeker perfectly.

Working with a physician recruiter

A physician recruiter firm can provide you with exposure because the company has the right connections. But you should not rely on a physician recruiter to handle everything regarding your career. There are things they can and cannot do for their clients.

What can a physician recruiting firm do for you?

They can network to find the right organization that fits your specialization. Physicians applying for new posts on their own often overdo it, making them look disorganized and desperate when the hospital receives many calls from different recruiters about the same candidate.

The physician recruiter can provide you with insider information about the specifics of a job. It is all right to ask them the questions you need to ask, like how long it will take for the facility to decide, the number of candidates applying for the position, and pending contracts. You can also ask the recruiter about the compensation structure and benefits the hospital offers.

What the physician recruiter cannot do for you

The physician recruiter cannot take a cut of your salary. The firm receives a flat fee for every candidate a facility hires. The facility looking for physicians has an annual recruitment budget and they take the fee for the recruiting firm from that budget.

The recruitment firm cannot market your potential if you cannot give them concise and clear details about what type of facility you are looking for and where you want to practice. Before you even contact a recruitment firm, determine what you need and what you expect. You should tell the recruiter what things are important to you, what working conditions you are looking for, and even where you want to continue your career. Maybe you want to concentrate on your specialization, want flexible hours, or wish to move to another city. Building a better relationship with the recruiter and discussing things will help the recruiter find the job that will meet your needs.

You will have more opportunities in your job hunting if you provide the physician recruiter with all the information relevant to your career and your plans. The success will depend on how easily the firm can market you according to your experience, knowledge, skills, and the career direction you want to pursue.

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9 May 2021 ~ Mother’s Day

My sweet eldest daughter got up early to prep a surprise breakfast for me and her grandma. The one who hates cooking, can’t even cook a decent meal for us and abhors all kitchen chores actually cranked up the stove to cook me breakfast!! She also made us fresh orange + lemon juice using a manual juicer. The set also includes a rose origami, which she handmade, in my favorite color, pink. 🥰

Cass gave me a RM10 note and told me to buy something with it without sharing it with anyone 🥰. She also gave me half an hour of massage.

My middle child whipped up this salad for me.

Mother’s Day cake from hubs. He also helped to wash all the dishes and brought the garbage to the refuse chamber. Must give him 10 brownie points for this as he hardly helps out in house chores!

After breakfast, Cass and I brought Haru to the jogging trek of our condo for a walk. Cass always puts Haru in a recyclable cloth bag and brings her for walks around the condo.

Sizzling hot at 11-ish a.m., but we got our daily dose of Vitamin D!

To my overseas readers, our country is currently in another lockdown (MCO 3.0). Schools are out, most of the shopping centres including our most popular neighborhood supermarket in the HIDE list (these premises have the potential to turn into a Covid cluster if no preventive measures are taken) have been ordered to close for 3 days. We’re also advised to self-isolate for 14 days and not go anywhere to break the chain of infection.

I’d like to wish all my readers who are mothers a very blessed and happy Mother’s Day!

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AstraZeneca Vaccination Date

After months of waiting, I finally received a confirmation on my Covid-19 vaccination date! I’ve registered under the National Immunization program a couple of months ago. When the online registration for AstraZeneca (AZ) was opened last Sunday, I managed to get dates for myself, mil and hubs pretty easily, in under 15 minutes.

I know many folks out there are still feeling apprehensive about taking the vaccine, in particular AZ because of reports of blood clots. Some of you may have health issues. Talk to your doctor if you’re still feeling worried and skeptical. The number of Covid cases is once again hitting sorely high for the past one week. It’s over 4,000 cases today (7 May 2021). Can you remember how many cases our country recorded on this date last year? It was only a double digit!

We really don’t wish for our country to be like India. It’s heartbreaking to see literally everyone on the street in India to be Covid positive. Many are dying on the street and begging for mercy from doctors for treatment and hospitalization. Did you read the news article on this 26-year old doctor who hasn’t even graduated from university but has gone to help in the hospital? He has to decide who gets to live and who doesn’t because of the lack of beds and ventilators in hospitals. That’s how dire the situation is in India. And if our country doesn’t achieve herd immunity as fast as possible, we could end up like India!

I urge everyone to register for the Covid-19 vaccine soonest possible. The second round of AZ vaccine opt-ins will be announced next week. You could register for it (read the news for updates) or for the National Immunization program (register on the My Sejahtera app on your mobile phone). The latter will be given to you much later if you’re not a senior citizen.

I hear of friends and friends of friends getting infected and dying from Covid-19 everyday. We can’t possibly beat the virus but we can protect ourselves from this invisible enemy. Read up on the vaccine and talk to your doctor to quell your fears. My parents have both been vaccinated last week in Ipoh (Pfizer) and both are feeling great without any side effects! PTL!

No. of times viewed = 40

Another Lockdown

MCO 3.0 will begin in KL tomorrow! Life will pretty much be the same for me whether it’s an MCO or CMCO. I will still be doing my daily morning jog within the compound of our condo and doing groceries shopping thrice a week. Many of my friends have told me that they have gained substantial weight during the previous two lockdowns but I have lost weight instead. I have a friend who would stock up her pantry with bags of chips, popcorns, instant noodles and snacks during each lockdown and binge eat while watching Netflix. She told me that she put on more than 5kg after each lockdown. With MCO 3.0, she says she would need a plus size shapewear when she goes back to work at the office 😅 If you don’t already know what a shapewear is, the below photo is one.

This global pandemic doesn’t seem to abate no matter how hard governments all across the world are trying to control it. People are suffering from pandemic fatigue and have been lackadaisical in following SOPs. Our girls have been attending online classes for almost a year and have become a tad sedentary due to lack of physical activities.

It’s really easy to gain weight during the pandemic, especially if you’re spending most of your time at home. Comfort food recipes are trending on social media. Ordering snacks and food online is made so easy that it’s really hard to resist. You find yourself thinking that an ice-cream or a bag of chips sounds great to beat cabin fever. When home quarantine restrictions ease up, people will become concerned about ‘Covid Curves’ (referring to new pounds gained) and reaching out to quick weight-loss diets and shapewear to get back into shape!

Covid-19 has created a perfect storm for people who struggle with weight. Life for many of us has been disrupted in a major way. Gym, dance studios, pools and park closures have upended exercise routines, and the stress has escalated for parents who suddenly had to work at home while teaching their children.

Are you already worried that you might not fit into your clothes after several rounds of lockdown? The best bet is to eat moderately and sensibly at all times, whether you’re sheltering at home or not. Exercise can be done indoors at home. But if you still need help in hiding that jiggly muffin top when you slip into your little black dress, get the best shapewear for tummy and waist from Shapellx to give you a temporary solution. Meanwhile, eat clean, exercise and stay safe!

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Alycia’s Temporary Job

I think Alycia is getting a hang of her temporary job as a teacher to primary kids and pre-schoolers, though she still thinks that teaching is not her cup of tea. There’s this 7-year old boy who always fails his Ejaan, Spelling and Chinese spelling. Alycia has been in charge of teaching this boy (and another boy who’s also weak in his studies) on a one-on-one session to help him catch up on his studies. No matter how hard Alycia tried to help this boy in his studies, it just fell on his deaf ears. The boy just can’t focus.

In her last ditch attempt last week, Alycia challenged this boy to get full marks for his Ejaan and she would reward him with a chocolate chip cupcake (from her own pocket). And guess what? This boy who’s always mischievous and lacks the attention span got full marks for his Ejaan! Can you see how positive reinforcement worked like a charm on this 7-year old boy?! This boy’s mother was so pleased with her son’s positive changes that she bought cakes as a gesture of appreciation to thank the teachers at the after-school care centre.

I am so proud of Alycia for trying so hard to do something that she hates. And it’s bearing fruit. Her greatest achievement and joy is to see improvement in the two Year 1 kids under her care.

Alycia still dreads going to work but I told her to soldier on for another month and see how it goes. I wouldn’t want her to find another temporary job as a supermarket cashier or promoter in the thick of the Covid pandemic, though these jobs pay better. Our neighborhood supermarket pays fresh SPM school leavers RM1,600 for a cashier job.

No. of times viewed = 34

Monday, 3 May 2021

Alycia received her very first salary today and she’s delighted! It’s a 4-figure amount and paid to her in cash. Though not a lot and considered below the minimum wage, it is still a lot to a 17-year old girl in her first temporary job right after SPM and without any experience. My sweet girl immediately passed me RM100 in the car when I fetched her back from work 🥰.

Alycia still thinks that this job is not suitable for her and she dreads going to work everyday. Though she’s now primarily doing brand promotion via social media, she still has to tutor two Primary 1 kids who are very weak in their studies, help to watch two toddlers (she says thank goodness the babies are cute 😅!) and help other teachers supervise kids at the daycare. I can’t believe that she can come up with funny stories off the cuff to amuse those kids and put them to sleep! She’s a princess at home who has no interest in any house or kitchen work but still does them anyway cos everyone has to do them. She’s now on the lookout for another temporary job until she starts college in September 2021.

Braised Pork Belly (Dong Po Rou/东坡肉) that Sherilyn cooked last week.

Our 4-month old terrorizer at home, tearing down things and biting us when she’s in a playful mode.

Cass puts Haru in a bag and brings her down whenever she has to collect a parcel or food at the lobby. Whenever Cass is free, she’ll bring Haru down (in a shopping bag) when she does her evening exercise.

I obviously can’t get enough of sunrise and I was greeted by a beautiful sky this morning! Today’s sunrise in beautiful shades of orange, yellow, blue and pink looked like an artist painted some koi fish swimming gracefully in a blue pond.

No. of times viewed = 29