Wednesday, April 29, 2009

a step at a time


parents constantly warned their kids not to run, climb, fight, jump, etc. to avoid injury to themselves. most times, the kids disobey & most times, they get away with it.

except for this 9-yr-old boy, who ran up the staircase 3 steps at a time. a mis-step & a trip later....

.....resulted in this deformed forearm....
(note: the GP had impressively improvised a wooden splint, which immobilised the fracture & therefore, reduced pain)

.......while the xray confirmed 2 broken bones.


so remember, kids, God made parents for a reason! take care!

Monday, April 27, 2009

saving for the future?


since i was not busy this morning, i opted to try for some ASW2020 units at the local bank. a long queue had already formed even before the bank opened at 9.15am.

why would a doctor in private practice join a queue like this, you ask. hey, in these difficult times, every little bit counts! i even filled in the forms & wrote out the cheque last nite. maybe that's the reason, despite the long queue, i still managed to be 5th in line to purchase.

actually, this is my 1st foray into ASW2020. last week, i topped up some ASM units & was pleasantly surprised there was NO queue. thus, i was taken aback at the small crowd this morning. is there something i do not know about ASM & ASW2020?

i hope the kids appreciate what i'm doing for them!!

Monday, April 20, 2009

the best things


this sign is placed by the road leading to whiteman/caversham park in perth. as this message is often repeated elsewhere, there must be some truth in those words, although there is no indication what these "best things" are. however, i think this version by robert louis stevenson is more definitive...

The best things are nearest:
breath in your nostrils,

light in your eyes,

flowers at your feet,

duties at your hand,

the path of God just before you.


even so, are we prepared to take on that journey?

**thanks, Yan, for the message**

Saturday, April 18, 2009

78



when i get to be 78, bogged down with a broken hip & dementia, i would not want to be a burden to my family & kids. so, if i get placed into a nursing home for rehabilitation, i guess i should not really complain. perhaps living with like-minded people, pun intended, may actually speed up recovery. kids, take note.

anyway, this is about my father. because he is bedridden & unable to take care for himself, i'm left with no choice but to get him into a nursing home, where he will be looked after for the next 2-3 months, by which time the fracture would have healed & he should be able to mobilise with a walking frame.

sorry, father, but it's the only viable option.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

just 4 words this easter

break...


mend.....



immersion.....



salvation.....

Saturday, April 11, 2009

an easter to remember!

things sometimes happen at a furious pace. like this weekend, for example.

1st, my father had a fall & broke his hip. the operation to fix the fracture today was successful, thanks to Dr L & his orthopaedic-trained team. because i had to stay with him, i couldn't drive my daughter to KL to do the mensa test. my wife took up the challenge to handle the task, even though she hasn't driven to KL by herself before.


they came back just in time to attend our church 10th anniversary & installation ceremony of the new pastor.

and, tomorrow, as if perfectly-timed with Christ's resurrection, my daughter will publicly declare her faith by baptism through immersion.



hmm..where did i read that all heaven rejoice when a soul is saved? like i said, it's an easter to remember....

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

killer bottle


it seems these days, you don't need firearms or sharp weapons to kill. apparently, a water bottle can do the job just as well.

yesterday, a 12 year old student was an innocent bystander who was hit with such a bottle accidentally thrown by his school mate. being made of plastic, it is normally light, but filled with water, a 1lit bottle actually weighs 1kg, & can impart considerable impact when forcefully thrown. the result was this life-threatening blood clot in the brain, as shown on this CT scan...


the surgery to remove it was successful but unexpectedly complicated at the end with the presence of fluid in the lungs (deja vu ala A Kugan??) causing the lungs
to look white on a chest xray.....



this was vigourously treated & his lung dramatically improved today....

now that all is well, i wonder if the parents would make a police report on this unfortunate incident, & whether this report would achieve anything, other than for insurance claims. as a concerned parent myself i realise there's no way my kids, or anyone else for that matter, can be guaranteed safe while they go about their daily activities. accidents can & do happen. i can only repeat the prayer of David :

Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked;
protect me from men of violence who plan to trip my feet.
psalms 140:4

Thursday, April 02, 2009

second chance


this is a true event which happened on 1 April.

41-year-old Mdm T underwent excision of a lump in the breast. just as surgery was to commence, she was in tears because 2 of her family members had cancer & she feared she could also suffer the same fate. during the procedure, the suspicious-looking lump was promptly sent for frozen section, in which the nature (or histology, in medic speak) of the tissue, whether cancerous or not, can be immediately determined.

if cancerous, the surgeon will proceed with a mastectomy, ie. complete removal of that breast, to be followed up with chemotherapy & an uncertain future.

if not, then Mdm T can look forward to another 41 fruitful years.

when told of the result after surgery, she cried again, this time with tears of joy.

on a day, when there were jokers aplenty, playing out pranks & making nuisance of themselves, life has graciously dealt Mdm T with an ace instead.