INTRODUCTION

'm Anupama Ravindran Menon, fondly known as Anu to near & dear ones. Having roots going back to the beautiful God’s own country, Kerala, I was born and brought up in the humble suburbs of old Seremban town in Malaysia.I’m the oldest of my siblings , nurtured & loved by the nucleus of my life, my dad, Mr Ravindran Menon, mom, Madam Prema Nair, grandparents Mr V Krishnan Kutty Menon & Madam Sankari Menon , aunt Mrs Sugunna Krishnan, uncle Mr Sateesh Menon & Mr Nesa , sisters & best friend Anitha Menon, Anisha & Ashwani Nesarajah Upon being conferred the scholarship of the Malaysian Defense Ministry & obtaining MBBS degree from Manipal University, I started training as an intern shortly after & began serving as a doctor in the Malaysian Armed Forces. Setting foot as a doctor & a lady officer in the military was an experience of its own. My career begun as a junior doctor in a combat training centre situated down south of Peninsular Malaysia. Adapting into the military culture with a job scope expanding beyond just being a doctor, it was an eye opener.

As a call of duty, I was privileged to serve under the United Nation’s (UN) flagship in a peacekeeping operation in Lebanon in 2019-2020 (UNIFIL). Being a part of entourage of the Malaysian Battalion 850-7, I was amongst many others who have actively served in this region over the decades Joining international exercises provided an arena, pivoting as a melting pot of culture & brains, enabling the exchange of personal & professional experiences between various forces & continents. Apart from being a United Nations ambassador & a doctor in field, I was also the Gender Focal Point representative of the nation & became an active part of the COVID-19 crisis team under the tutelage of UNIFIL Medical HQ & WHO. It was a wonderful opportunity to be walking hand in hand with all these beautiful people of all walks of life, hearing & experiencing their life first hand. I was also fortunate to represent Malaysia in a few international virtual symposiums to present regarding the adversities & challenges of COVID-19 in operational areas, namely by Vietnamese Defence & UNDPKO & CUNPKO of India As much as I love practicing medicine, I’m in awe of art in its every form, be it music, dance, writing, painting or creative work.

Being the simple, regular girl next door, my likes are very much encompassed by little miracles of life… As I’m an ardent believer of live, love & laugh , I try to find happiness in the tiny, daily forgotten bundles of joy… I love a morning dew blanketing the sleeping surroundings, a pluviophile who loves raindrops that hit off the barren earth emanating the fragrence of fresh minerals & soil, a combination of helio & opacarophile loving every outburst of sunrays specifically at dusk , which carries me out to being an astrophile looking out at the dazzling stars that scatter the inevitable black, dark sky.. I love diving into books & splashing colors over a blank canvas… rolling out snaps of nature, trying to capture the perfect moment of a heartbeat in a single click of camera lens. Above all, I love my dad, I love my family , I love love & loved ones, I love being able to practice medicine & every adventure that life throws out everyday…Wearing my heart on my sleeve & brain somewhere between my cranium & mouth, is another… Everyday is a fresh new start & I’m still learning something new. I guess that’s what makes life interesting as it goes