Note to self: Fight Negligence

Do you know what's worse than doing something wrong?

Failing to do something right. Or more appropriately, 

NEGLIGENGE

It's downright more insidious.

I mean, you won't really feel that guilty NOT exercising, NOT taking care of yourself, NOT giving a damn about the needs of others.

Inaction can be more damaging than how we perceive it to be. 

Take for instance, a relationship. A passive-aggressive person abuses their spouse psychologically by withholding love. And the damage is unseen, a mere specter in the eye of the public as compared to the physical scars and contusions of domestic abuse. 

In medicine, there is a term called Medical Negligence, where medical practitioners do a half-arsed job or fail to observe precautions....and often get into trouble... all because they can't wait to finish the bloody long shift. Pardon me, I was just channelling some imaginary hapless interns. And it's all hidden to the unassuming public eye, the only traces of incompetence scribbled illegibly in the cryptic medical records.

If you ask me, I'd rather not have all these "learning experiences", if its gonna cost a life or two. A wise man learns from his mistakes, but a truly wise man can learn something from others' ****ups.

Since I might be heading that direction, bah...gotta buck up and quit being apathetic.

And that doesn't just apply to the field of medicine. Not good to medicalise everything. It applies to 

my friends, whom I fail to appreciate to the fullest. 

my blog, which I left for dead.

my health, which I may be ironically neglecting. Quack doctors make the worst patients.

my numerous intimate relationships with Venezuelan and Brazilian supermodels, which remain unconsummated.

Back online

Firstly, my utmost apologies for my long absence from blogging. It has been many long months since I've uttered anything online.

Mostly due to a lack of motivation. And a schedule that rivals Russian gulag work camps.

But I've realised that all my elaborate schemes eccentric obsessions ambitions ideas would fade away if I don't stash it somewhere for future reference.

But all that's due to change.

The only important thing to take home is I'm back.

Hugs anyone?..........


........



......anyone?...

Snapshots: Not quite home

I've been in JB for around 2 months now. Getting used to the new surroundings too: new people, church, places to eat..life's good!

Anyway, here are a few photos of my studio apartment, my new home for another 2 years!

Happy New Year

We joyfully welcome thee, O Two Thousand and Eight,
Downed some wine and pasta I ate,
Finished it off with a real good cheesecake,
By then it was getting really late,
Was anticipating the change of date,
Have a blast my good ol' mate,
And pray we do not suffer this poor man's fate,
It's much more unfortunate than being named Nate,
To be caught under a big asses' weight.


This rhyming is a bit childish, I must state,
But hey, they say cool people dont hate...


Have an awesome 2008!

Hiatus. Haiya Tus

I'm officially on a hiatus because I'm too lazy to bitch and rant. Just because. Results just came out, meaning I officially survived 2nd year med. With my sanity intact. Sweet!


Quiz for you meddies: Which hiatus is this?



A) Aortic Hiatus
B) Esophageal Hiatus
C) What hiatus? Looks like bak kut teh *smacks lips*
D) Va-gyy-nuhhhh....giggle
E) Quit ruining my holiday, geek!

Get your priorities straight

From the dusty hallowed hallways of Oxbridge to the chilly tute rooms of Monash, various personalities flavour the big cooking pot that is med school. We'll always have the med geek poobahs, criers, ghosts, clowns, ass-clenched acheivers and one trick wonders. As a meddie myself, I appreciate and even celebrate our differences....as medical school would not be as fun without all the drama.




But things usually take an ugly turn when each one of us places certain expectations on other students which turn out unfulfilled. When this happens, a guy usually takes out his AK-47 assault rifle and runs amok, pumping hot lead into every infidel in sight........my bad, the little voices in my head must be talking again! What I really mean is the formation of rivalry, enmity and distrust among the students themselves. I'm sure that at some point in med school, most of us may wonder how 'that someone' got through the med interviews in the first place.




Coming back to the point, it doesn't really matter if we have conflicting personalities. The last time I checked, it's not really our God-given mandate to shove our ideals down everyone's throat, or on the other extreme live to please everyone. Not everyone would be that eager to attend every lecture, buy the latest textbooks, examine each other or dress up neatly to tutes for that matter.








What really matters is our shared passion in the field of medicine, most importantly our compassion towards those entrusted in our care. I might not be experienced enough to make the best judgement, but I hold on dearly to some unshakable principles. We might not get along with each other as well as desired, but what keeps us together is our shared responsibility towards our patients.

Contrary to popular belief, the most important education we receive on the way to becoming medical practitioners does not come from med school itself. Don't get me wrong, I am by no means downplaying the necessity for top rate medical skills and knowledge. I would just like to reemphasize the fact that not even the best education from John Hopkins would hold a drop of value if we do not genuinely care for our patients. No amount of lectures, textbooks or tutes would teach us compassion. And such wordplay comes to mind:

Patients will not care how much you know, until they know how much you care.

Can I have an A-M-E-N to that brothas and sistas? :P

The question

Firstly, what gave me the idea of writing this post? Its not so much the fact that I am single, which is pretty obvious. Trust me, I'm used to that. I've only just realised how many times this year I've been asked the same question, "Have you had a girlfriend before?"



And every girl who asks this question would somehow slip this into normal conversation so casually, almost too casually. It somehow goes like this:

AB: So you like Switchfoot, that's cool.
Me: Yeah!
AB: So, um, I'm curious lah...
Me: *is she asking THAT question?*
AB: have you ever had a y'know, a GF before?
Me: *mentally slaps forehead...D'OH!*

Me: *Fakes a surprised look, smiles, pauses a second, and tells the truth*

It irks me a little to guess what they were thinking after I answered them. It could be.."This guy is such a NOOB" or "There must be something really wrong with him...he's never even had one!" Or worse still, "this one good catch lerr, less emotional baggage!" *shudders* I just can't help but feel self conscious after the question.

I'm sorry to be so frank, but why don't you girls just go the whole way and incorporate it into your greeting. Instead of "Hi, how are you doin" you should just say "Hi, did you have any past girlfriends?"

"Hello sir, fine weather today..have you had any lovers lately?"

or in Chinese,

In place of the usual greeting "ni chi fan le ma?", say "ni you ni peng you le ma?"

"Ni you ni peng you le ma?"

A simple fact: I haven't found a suitable person yet. I'm quite a particular person, maybe to my disadvantage, and there are certain criteria considered which would be covered in another post. So stay tuned :)







Short talk: The world is falling apart. Hilary Duff, bubblegum teen popstar, is hot! Times have changed.

Video: Me Singing?

I watched a "Music & Lyrics" a while ago, and I like it, despite it being kitschy and predictable. There was a song sang by Hugh Grant titled "Don't Write Me Off Just Yet". I really liked it, so I tried it too on my guitar. Enjoy:

MSN Conversations: Confessions

I've been using MSN Messenger more often these days, as there's no better way to communicate with friends without the trouble of getting my ass out the door. Plus its free, as opposed to the phone!

But the longer I go on MSN-ing, the more I realise how lazy I have been with real life expressions. Blame it all in the emoticons and shorthand such as "LOL" and the like. It has gotten too easy to express feelings, and even fake them online.





Messenger: That's nice to hear :)

Real Life:

A smiley is a good substitute for actually smiling. Because smiling uses too many facial muscles. And creates unnecessary wrinkles. Oh, yeah...I see a lot of smilies in SMS messages too. Makes me wonder if the sender is smiling in real life each time I see it. Maybe I'm thinking too much...






Messenger: LOL. That's so funny!

Real Life:

No one really ever laughs out loud while typing LOL. Imagine how silly it would look laughing like a maniac in front of the screen. Especially when typing out "LOL"







Messenger: This is just too funny, my tummy's aching! ROFL (roll on floor laughing)

Real Life:

Well, even if I were very amused, the most I could manage is a slight chuckle or an ear-to-ear grin. Rolling on the floor laughing? Never actually tried it before. It would be quite cartoonish to see, I think. Who even invented the term in the first place?





Messenger: No, you're not boring me. That's so interesting :P

Real Life:







Messenger: I gtg. Very busy lor. Gotta do assignment/finish chores/do laundry/end world poverty/...

Real Life:

Excuses, excuses, excuses :P






Short talk: I met this cutie working at one of the shops in pyramid. She had this really awesome smile. Like when she beamed at me, I couldn't help but smile back. Didn't bother to go beyond small talk though. And ALMOST felt guilty for walking out not buying anything. Heh heh

Chinese T-shirt

Calling all readers who can read chinese characters! Your assistance is kindly requested.

Okay, enough with the formalities. I just bought a T-shirt from sunway pyramid today. Cheap too, less than RM20. But that wasn't the reason for my purchase. The T-shirt was not so fancy, just some chinese text in front. The shop assistant said that the characters meant "Sarawak". Feeling super patriotic and proud of my home state (we have Starbucks you know), I bought it before you could say "Cehh, Stabakks only at airport nia le..."



Wait, I can almost read it...is that two "huos" on top of that thingamajid for the second character?




So, does it really say Sarawak? Or were they trying be funny and fooled this poor banana into wearing a shirt that said "lala leng zai studmeister" or "Me love u long time"(I'm getting paranoid here)



For all I know, it could mean "No.125-Roast Pork Belly"


The lesson here is, I must learn how to read Chinese. Past kindergarten level I mean. Hats off to you if you could confirm this with me!