24th Jul 06
Prometheum XII

Victoria concert hall, her Greek columns are always so nostalgic.

L to R: Kap [ex-SMU poster boy], Shuquan [ex-DDR king], Yiheng [Mr Walk-on-walls], Ant [sunshine drummer boy], ET, Mr Oura [our good conductor, very much mellowed], Vic [ex-slave driver] & me.

ET roused us to attend Prometheum XII, RIMB's (Raffles Institution Military Band) bi-annual concert. 7 of us, out of 18 in the batch turned up. (Quite a feat, at such short notice.)

The standard symphonic pieces in the 1st half, followed by the ensemble. The lead sax was good. (Made me want to splurge 1 month of pay on a sax). And then a fantastic Stars & Stripes. Couldn't figure out what the encore pieces were. No more the familiar Brazil! we used to play.

TCC @ Boat Quay. Bankers, entrepreneurs, civil servants.. Our paths pretty much diverged after we left RIMB in 1997. Hack, even the band turned symphonic.

10th Jul 06
Barrels of luck

For months, Lady Luck went MIA. But now she's back.

The senior staff at TTSH are happy with my performance. My mentor in NUH is glad to take me back next posting. And a letter arrived in the mail last week -- I was the Best House Officer for NUH General Surgery Sept - Dec 2005!

Bobby: "I'm a little hungry..."
Monica: "Is this guy for real?"

2 days ago -- A lazy Saturday in the salty waters of Punggol. I was trying to jump higher, but we were mostly watching Don take to the water like a duck.

Vestibularly-sharp Don, completing 180s on his 2nd session!
(*Darren is absent from the pics as my batteries went out again..)

Aaron got me off my lazy ass to register for the MRCS part 1 exam. $ 200 SGD + £ 230 pounds for a 3 hr MCQ paper!! The Royal College of Surgeons must have burgeoning coffers.

And today, amidst the brouhaha about China study mamas, one was particularly grateful to me for assisting in her son's discharge. These study mamas are often victims of circumstances. It's never easy to be in a foreign land, with high costs of living and without gainful employment. Who's to fault them for coming over? Who would not be enticed by greener pastures...

2nd Jul 06
Thunderclap headache

Yesterday, the Straits Times reported that a 30 year-old Chinese man lapsed into a coma after a severe headache. With a provocative headline: " Man with bad headache rushed to hospital. Doc sends him home with painkillers. By evening, he falls into coma and is brain dead."

There has been much mud-slinging at our local doctors recently - and again, this article seemed to be largely one-sided. Much column space was allotted to a narrative detailing his visits to the A&Es (presumably first hand accounts from his family), coupled with numerous quotes from his family members. It was stated that, "... the pain was so bad that he was hitting his forehead with his palms. His speech became slurred... he could no longer recognise them (his family members)." And stashed somewhere towards the end, the article quoted the hospital spokesperson, "... in view of the lack of objective neurological findings, a scan ... was not carried out." So there is a discrepancy? Slurred speech, change in mental state yet no neurological findings at the A&E. And the last paragraph was " The hospital had discharged her brother (the patient)... with a referral letter to the neurology clinic... earliest appointment then was in 2 weeks' time."

With such a damning headline, I'm sure that last paragraph evoke outrage from the general public. Sure, it was an objective report. Facts from both sides were presented. Language, writing style and space allocation can always be engineered to sensationalise, and convey undertones of subjectivity.

Perhaps that fateful day, the A&E was overflowing and the scan rooms were brimming with urgent scans to be done. The problem is an over-burdening of our tertiary healthcare system. Everyday, the A&Es are overcrowded with people minor ailments or mild exacerbations of chronic diseases that could be better managed at the primary healthcare level. Doctors are equally prone to being overworked like anyone else. I guess we could all do better with more resources in primary healthcare and disease prevention.

Just watched 风尘三侠之红拂 女, loosely translated to Romance of the Red Dust. I leave you with the ending credits lyrics (by Angela Zhang Shao Han) and the YouTube link to the music video. Yes, I'm especially melancholic at night.

真的

我努力的仰著脸孔, 试著让眼泪不往下留, 别往下流

无闻的感觉到什么, 在我生活中不再相同, 不相同

想要说, 却还沉默, 伸出手无法触碰

天空突然一片辽阔

原来你是真的已经离开我, 在我不熟悉的世界过新的生活

闭上眼让泪水滑落, 此刻你已真的永远离开我

在另外一个没有我的世界, 自由的走

我努力的仰著脸孔, 试著让眼泪不往下留, 别往下流

无闻的感觉到什么, 在我生活中不再相同, 不相同

想要说, 却还沉默, 伸出手无法触碰

天空突然一片辽阔

原来你是真的已经离开我, 在我不熟悉的世界过新的生活

闭上眼让泪水滑落, 此刻你已真的永远离开我

在另外一个没有我的世界

自由的走

25th Jun 06
Cookies & Cream Cornetto

Hectic weekend. Helped Hy build her computer from scratch. For someone who isn't into computers, she's quite brave (Guess she didn't know it was my first solo attempt). Sim Lim is always crowded on weekends, but lucky for me, there is only 3 more reputed shops I go to.. Costronic, Videopro and Cybermind. All on level 4.

I'm supposed to register for the Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS) part 1 examination this week. Then someone told me that new regulations stipulate that I need to take part 2 within a year of part 1 --> Argh.. that isn't good, considering I'll be stuck in the army then. Guess I need to verify all these with NUS Graduate Medical Studies..

On a happier note, I jumped higher today :)

-- insert photograph (my camera batteries died on me) --

I was down at Punggol wakeboarding with Samantha, Monica and Don. Both Monica & Don were first timers.. But they had very good balance sense. In fact, Monica did a few fakeys in succession (haha.. because she didn't know how to cross wakes the easy normal way..). Totally insane for a first-timer, considering I did my first fakey only on the 6th or 7th session. The sea was surprisingly calm for a mid afternoon and everyone had great fun.

Then we all rewarded ourselves with ice-cream..

16th Jun 06
Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish

Trainees & volunteers of Ang Mo Kio MINDS (Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore)

My Sundays as a final year student were spent with these perpetually smiling kids. Then I graduated. The frenzy of housemanship and a whirlwind relationship totally sapped me. I stopped volunteering. Ever since housemanship ended 2 months ago, I've been thinking about going back.

Back where things are simpler. Upfront frankness rather than hidden agendas. Where masks aren't necessary. Where mind games aren't played. Where smiles are really, just smiles.

Office politics are unavoidable. Luckily, I've been fortunate to have fantastic mentors in these formative years of my career.

Mr Cheong, who was always patient with me in the operating theatre. (and was ever so keen to matchmake me with someone).

Aileen, who taught me more than just medical stuff. And patiently guided me through my first lipoma excision (when she could have done it herself in a third of the time I took).

And most recently, Dr Lee CC who is supervising me for my next presentation. Today, I was in his office to fine tune my powerpoint. At the end of it, he handed me an article.

Perhaps he sensed that I was stoned.

Stay hungry, stay foolish. That was what Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple & Pixar, had to say to the graduating class of Stanford, June 2006. The text of his very emotive speech is here, or if you're more of a visual-audio person, you can click here.

Ok, end of epiphany. -- I'm sort of looking forward to wakeboarding next week with a bunch of new colleagues :) Guess next couple of days, I'll be tying up loose ends.

12th Jun 06
a sojourn in nowhere

This is actually a private joke between Apang & me.

8 on Greenwood. Celebrated J's birthday on triple 6.  Had the whole restaurant to just the 2 of us that evening. Nothing to do with my generosity. (Now I fully understand why alot of places are closed on at least 1 weekday). <-- I'll remember this, when I get into the food business.

The pandan-infused creme brulee is still good (only by phone request, their menu changes every thurs). And they surprised us with their "lor bak" & tamarind calamari (which is essentially assam sotong). All in petite portions, which is probably just right for most ladies.

Shunjuu is at Robertson's Quay. Was Friday night - World Cup opening. Fabulous grilled Jap food. I liked the tofu-century egg- fish roe. The roe in century egg sauce just rolls off your tongue. We were headed towards Butter Factory for post-dinner drinks, but were swayed by Apang to Citibank's 1-for-1 at Velvet wine bar.

Went wakeboarding with WK & Jo on Sunday. My last 2 times on a wakeboard was at the cable ski park. Hadn't ride with Bobby for quite a while. But despite this, he generously offered advice for cable ski wakeboarding. And Aileen is still as manic as ever. The rain held us back, so for the 1st time, we ended with the moon and harbour lights up. But yeah.. I'm jumping higher. Then it was on to cafe iguana for dinner.

Cafe iguana is at Riverside point. We liked the nachos. Burritos, tacos were average. And next time, we'll try their margaritas. Even if margaritas aren't your cuppa, there's no lack of drinking spots -- Brewerkz and all of the 3 quays in the vicinity.

And this is the photo from last week...

Our camera man wanted to levitate over to the far left so that he could capture part of MacRitchie reservoir over on the far right. But we dissuaded him as he was nowhere near Jean Gray's abilities. R to L -- PL, me, Apang & his mum.

Oh, and I have $200 on and $100 on . If either of them wins World Cup, it's more than 100% return on a $300 investment. Haha.

4th Jun 06
A weekend of firsts

This was a weekend of many FIRSTS:

1. Guessed that M liked sorbet out of an assortment of 3 flavors, and also that J stayed on the 9th floor of her 13 storey flat. (I just love listening & observing body language).

2. Witnessed a pretty lady doing many pull-ups (unassisted of course & probably around 20 pull-ups!!).

3. Bench-pressed 50kgs without assistance.

4. Did my first presentation as a medical officer, it went smoothly and I was asked to present it at the inter-hospital round.

5. Did the MacRitchie treetop walk with Apang, his mum & PL (so there are still magnificent views in Singapore).

Will put up the photos soon...
Probably gonna celebrate J's birthday at 8 on Greenwood. So next up is a review of one of my favourite restaurants.

28th May 06
Like sand through my fingers

This is to Hq, whom I never regretted loving.

Lovers one day,
strangers the next.
Suddenly, wanting to make you happy 10 years down the road didn't matter anymore.
The pain was not the break up,
but the illusion of love being reciprocated.
You left me with a cut so deep I don't deserve.

I was happy, and
I thank you for the 2 months of charade.
I loved you too much to want any ill upon you.
Truly, I wish you and him all the best,
but spare me from the guest list.

Your smiles,
the scent of your hair,
our times together,
have become no more than sand through my fingers.

--------------------------------

To those who have showered me with concern during this difficult time, I really appreciate it.

Apang - selflessly assuming the role of chief rehabilitator. 
Poon - my long suffering aunt agony.
PL - my other aunt agony.
Zee - for offering your wife's counselling expertise.
CR - for being there.
Hy - never failing to cheer me up at work.
JL - you may not know it, but your craziness made me laugh again.

21st May 06
The stylish bird & the Italian island

I'm not referring to some obscure foreign art film.

2 great places on 2 Sundays. And in between, fate brought me to Seletar bridge, Tanjung beach and the Newton-Thomson Rd junction where I picked up pieces of my broken heart.

Anyway,

Corduroy & Finch is this quaint cafe-lounge-restaurant just before Sixth Avenue, Bukit Timah. And they actually have LIVE CHICKENS milling around the grass patch in front of the restaurant.

It's by the same guys who did Uberburger at Millenia Walk, so you do get some of the burgers on C&F's menu as well. The seats are quite high, it's as if you're drinking by the bar. And there's a cosy corner on level 2 as well. The mains are just above average, the creme brulee a tad too sweet, but the warm chocolate cake is heavenly, taste & presentation-wise...

The Italian Island. The waiter did not know what ilLido meant, but gamely returned with the answer 5 minutes later. Their warm chocolate cake is up to standard, not too sweet, not too thick.

But the ambience is tops (especially if you're there between 1830 and 1900 hrs). Located in Sentosa, ilLido cleverly incorporates an alfresco dining section that takes full advantage of the sea view. And it has a lounge bar for the post dinner crowd. Perhaps a hint of cubism -- the square tables, with the odd assortment of flat stools, ergonomic armchairs and cuboid couches.

10th May 06
Struck by Lightning

Just think about it.

Do you plan your daily travels to beat the ERP gantries or the peak hour surcharge?
Did you meet your dream partner through the SDU?

Are you eyeing that HDB flat just 2 carparks away from your parents’ home to get that extra 10 thousand housing grant?

Are you tempted by that growing pile of baby bonuses to have a baby?
Do you believe that the best student deserves the best scholarship?

Do you hope that those who celebrate the end of the fasting month happily open their doors to neighbours who worship at Quan Yin’s altar?

Do you support the learning of your official mother tongue?

You have been struck by lightning.

Excerpt from

Struck by Lightning: Singaporean Voices Post-1965
by Ghani, Azhar; Peh Shing Huei;, et al

6th May 06
Why does CSF look like water?

Today is General Elections 2006 and also my SMC physician's pledge day. (And I was originally on call as well) No way could I split my self into 3 parts. Anyway, I managed to change my call to yesterday, so I could attend the pledge ceremony and vote as well. Yesterday, I did another lumbar puncture... And hit the right spot on first pass! How lucky can I get... Then during my call, I was called to certify death... My first death certification.

In short, that was briefly my first few days as an infectious disease MO in TTSH. Yup, the days of HO-ship when I could just let my MO take all the responsibility are gone.

Final batch CGH medical HOs circa Jan-Apr 2006 @ Moonfish

Love is just too irrational sometimes. Recently, yet another of my ex-colleague  got his engagement broken off. I've never seen him drunk in my life before, but that day, he was just beyond intoxication... I quote my good friend Poon, " Never give 100%, unless you're quite sure." I used to think otherwise... (I should have listened to her)

27th Apr 06
Tinkerbell

Couldn't resist getting this....

Darn pleased at finding it (at such short notice somemore..). Of course is not for myself. It's for a late April baby... Yup, it's been a long time since I last derived such satisfaction from shopping. Now, at least I wouldn't be arriving empty handed at the party.

It's been a madcap 2 weeks for me -- doing 3 calls in a week, then covering for an on-leave colleague... But all's well...My AC is damn nice and the posting is ending soon. Someone's promised to go shopping with me :)

I hit the cable ski at ECP again last Sat... The bald Caucasian man really opened my eyes -- I never knew it was possible to execute such huge jumps without wakes!!! Hopefully I'll be more comfortable on the cable skis next time. Had a wonderful dinner at 8 on Greenwood that day too. Food was unique -- some kind of fusion chinese. And the portions are just bite-sized, so ladies wouldn't have to worry! Ambience was great, value for money as well. The pandan infused creme brulee is a must try. Highly recommended. Good parking skills required though.

And since the GE is coming and my posting is ending, I figured I'll revamp this a little. Not complete yet. Hang in there.