Thursday, March 30, 2006

And now that I've the time to blog, I have to say, I'm really relieved this whole paper-writing thing is done.
4123 words leh.
So damn long... so many papers to read... couldn't go out, felt stressed and all last weekend.
Strangely though, now I feel so empty. Tired, perhaps, from the 3-4 hours of sleep I managed to get this morning and the sleep deficit I've accumulated throughout the week; feeling abit down, maybe, as the caffeine and chocolate high I had from this morning's gone and coke's not absorbed yet.
Hmm.
I realise that I may be addicted to the thrill of completing things at the last minute. Completed my paper today at 3:15pm, went to stopford building to print it and reached at 3:30pm. Went into Microlab 3, this computer lab near the entrance. Discovered I couldn't print.
Thought OK, there's still another lab. Went to above-mentioned lab (microlab 4). Yay. After some minor alterations to my document (am using openoffice) printed a copy.
Tried to print another as we need to submit two. Couldn't.
Discovered my credit was negative. Checked time: 415pm.
Ran up to common room where there's a stall selling drinks and stuff, bought a coke, ran down to top up printing credit. (The machine's in microlab 3.)
Ran back to Microlab 4, managed to print out another copy.
Time check: 430pm.
Went to bind my stuff - long queue. Decided I might as well drink my coke, since I'd bought it.
Went up to submit after it was done : 450pm.
Deadline for submission was 5pm.

For some reason i couldn't help smiling throughout the whole process.

Oh no.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Thanks everyone. :D

Friday, March 24, 2006

Quotes of the day!
This isn't right. This isn't even wrong. - Wolfgang Pauli (1900 - 1958), on a paper submitted by a physicist colleague
Meetings are indispensable when you don't want to do anything. - John Kenneth Galbraith (1908 - )
[Poetry] is the lava of the imagination whose eruption prevents an earthquake. - Lord Byron (1788 - 1824)
Smoking is one of the leading causes of statistics. - Fletcher Knebel
I hope that while so many people are out smelling the flowers, someone is taking the time to plant some. - Herbert Rappaport
A lost battle is a battle one thinks one has lost. - Ferdinand Foch (1851 - 1929)

Get them from Quotationspage

Thursday, March 23, 2006

Yeah that was lame I know.
But seriously. Did I blog something about jokes before? In case you haven't read that, I once borrowed this book from the library, written by this jewish author, on jokes. Analysing the reasons why jokes are funny, why we find certain jokes funny but not anothers, and the like.
Gave some concrete examples of Jewish jokes which I didn't find any funny at all. Well I guess which proved his point.
But thing is, I didn't get Any of his jokes in the book. It was written quite some decades ago, but do jokes really change so fast?
I mean, I have quite an old-school sense of humour I believe (my toot-ness) so eh. Does dissecting a joke really remove the humour from it? (yeah med and/or health science students might get this one)
Oh well.
You know, its quite weird how the Brits are known for their dry humour. I mean, with the constantly overcast weather and incessant drizzle, you would expect a lot more moisture in their humour wouldn't you?
And yet the Americans are the ones who excel at telling dirty jokes.
I really wonder why.
I believe I'm currently on a high from eating a rich icing-coated carrot-and-walnut-cake with lots of sugar innit, and reading silly lame jokes.
I believe the world is round, the sky is blue, and I am hallucinating.
I can bet this cake contains quite a bit of alcohol.
Now that I've sufficiently recovered from my illness (I feel) and nasty experience at the GP, I can objectively write about what I've been through the past few days.
Can't remember when my illness started. Must have been quite long, as some of you remember. Started off with sore throat, occasional stomach upsets, nausea and lethargy, generally. And some episodes of fever.
On Sunday night it reached 38 degrees. I was like, OK, need to see a doc. Called to say I needed an urgent appointment, was told by the nurse I would have to go at 12:45 and still have to wait. (It was 830am.)
Thought hey, at least I've an appointment for the day itself, not like the previous time where they said I'd hafta wait 2 weeks. Yeah seriously. So reached there around 12:15pm.
Got a queue number, waited.. hey I actually got called in at 12:50pm! Thought to myself, not bad.
Well guess what. Objectively speaking, the GP was the worst doctor I've seen in my life.
EVERYTHING we've been taught not to do, she did; EVERYTHING we were instructed to do, she didn't.
Let me describe.
Look of disdain - irritation, even? - "So what's wrong with you?"
"I've got a sore throat for the past few weeks, some episodes of stomach upset, and fever, etc..." Tried to explain.
Got cut off in less than a minute.
By this curt nod. And her rising off her perch.
Walked over, without a smile (and slight look of irritation?? on her face) and felt for the lymph nodes in my neck. Painfully. "You feel pain there?"
"Aaaah! Yes..."
Curt nod again. Shone torch in both pupils. Rotated my head around (?? Someone tell me why??)
And then wrote down a prescription. Said to me, "Take these, 21, and you will be fine."
Antibiotics. No mention of completing the course, taking how many times a day, etc.
Yes just antibiotics. Nothing for fever and sore throat. Well nothing for analgesia/pain relief lah.
End of appointment.

I was like. WTF man.
Its been 3 days and I'm still smarting over it. You know I actually think it might be the first case of discrimination I've encountered? She was an Indian female in her 50s or 60s, and I heard laughter when the previous patient was in the room. An Indian, obviously.
Yes you know me, I usually am Completely colour-blind and completely imperceptive when it comes to such stuff.
I was that affected.

But.
Logically thinking, it can't be discrimination, since racism is well and truly wiped out in this free country.
So it all boils down to medical professionalism, and doctor-patient communication.
One of the core reasons why doctor-patient communication is so much emphasised in our curriculum.

Oh by the way I'm sufficiently recovered, fever's more or less gone and throat's feeling much better. Can swallow solid food now ;)

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Its snowing!!! YAY!!!! :D
Ventured out into the snow to do my laundry today. Thought I'd wear a little more, with jeans replacing my shorts. Slippers still on.
I'm glad I returned in one piece, with my toes still intact.
But it was fun hehe!
:D

Saturday, March 11, 2006

Just felt like watching a movie this whole week. Escape from reality for that few minutes, really.
Finally got the chance to, just now. Watched The Weather Man.
Go watch it.
For some reason I just felt like saying, Love you, Mum. And Dad. And my whole family.
In fact, to everyone I know. I love you all.
Its never too late to say "I love you" to anyone you love, really.

Monday, March 06, 2006

Words of interest for today:
Jobernowl - Blockhead
Logodaedalus - Someone skilled in the manipulative use of words
Incompossible - Incapable of co-existing
Supernaculum - To the last drop

;)
Its strange how things turn out in the end.
I got rejected in my application for Lemington, the house (hall accommodation) I was to share with the girls (and guy).
This might seem hypocritical, but seriously, if my application had gone through successfully, I wouldn't have known how to decide. I took such a long time to submit the form, precisely because I thought I'd made up my mind, but then this alternative popped up.
Basically I'm sharing a flat with 2 other medics, nice place, carpark spaces, ensuite toilet, and its ground floor with a porch that opens up into the carpark so bbq is possible ;)
Oh kitchen, dryer, washing machine, fridge and freezer provided, utility bill is capped for the year.
But yeah. If I had gotten Lemington, I would really have been torn - would i honour a promise I'd made, or go for a decidedly better option?
Hmm. What do you think, my friends.

Friday, March 03, 2006

I have to confess, I am not an altrustic person. I do not want to know every detail of your life, I do not want to be the person that your pour your heart out to.
I get the impression you want my empathy, you want me to care, you want me to be a pillar of support behind that fragile wall.
Don't you understand I can't? I'm not as nice a person I seem to be. I dictate how my heart works, and I have to cage it, sometimes. I just don't have the capacity to care for you if I don't feel I can count on you.
Yes I am a mercurial person, didn't you know that?
Yes I do have a barometer when it comes to making soulmates - if you don't fit my criteria, if you don't know what you want in life, if I don't agree with your goals in life, I'm sorry but I can't trust you with the depths of my heart.
Murky as they are.

Just feel like letting this out, really. Aforementioned person doesn't know of the existence of this blog, I hope.
Come to think of it, I don't care if he/she knows. I'm really tired of distancing myself when I haven't had the need to do so ever before.
Feeling sorry, isolated and alone
Out in this wilderness of a winter wonderland
I search for my sweet cherry
Buried beneath layers of filth.
I'm not an innocent boy after all,
Much as I try to make it true.

It snowed today. I missed most of it.

There are some days which are just wretched, aren't there? Where despite doing everything that's cheered you up in the past, you just can't seem to right any wrong? When even the fresh unsullied snow mocks you instead of lightening that oppresive load on your mind?

Sigh. Another one of those days.