how to please the auntie....

i was talking to this 76-yr-old lady & her family before surgery & as I asked her to sign the consent form, she confessed that she can't write well because she's uneducated.

without thinking, i just replied that she's already has many children & grandchildren, & being surrounded by her loved ones is the happiest moment in one's life.

she thanked me profusely for saying that & that's when i learned that a little common courtesy can go a long way....

falling like flies.....

last week, Dr T, whom I remember fondly as a lecturer in med school & who had kindly excised a lump on my forearm when I was a student, passed on after a prolong illness that was refractory to even the strongest antibiotics.....

this week, Dr B ingested weed killer & succumbed to its effects.....

this morning, my colleague Dr K suddenly passed on from a longstanding tumour....

people say doctors play God with the lives of others but i'd like to reassure everyone that nobody, least of all medics, can ever defy the laws of nature. with medical advances, we can stave off severe infections, bouts of depression or cancers but for a brief moment, in a feeble attempt to prolong our stay on earth but it's a matter of time before we meet the Creator.

the Wise Man said:

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

 a time to be born and a time to die.

 

rest in peace, my brothers.

 

 

change of heart?

already in her 4th year of study in The Little Red Dot, the girl has always been lamenting about having to study extra hard - her own  perception as she compared with her ex-classmates who are doing A-levels or matriculation back home.

i do sympathise with her but that's the way it goes down south. it has always been cooker-pressure type of environment in school as the neighbour continues to strive to be the best there is. so, i've always reassured her that once she's finished this year, i'll let her choose the varsity where she intends to pursue higher studies.

her inclination so far has been either to australia or UK. so, it came as a surprise to me when i received this sms:

WHAT??

she wants to go thru all that perceived torture for undergrad studies? for a further FOUR years, at least?

this is my reply:

i have always suspected that there's a guy involved everytime she does something totally out of her own character, although so far, she has denied it each time.

ah, puppy love & crushes & all things nice.....

(sigh!)

the girl has much to learn.....!

note:
* a = grade A
* pw = project work, a requirement for entry into varsity.

getting away with murder.

i meant this figuratively.

you know, like how some drivers behave recklessly behind the wheel & yet are not involved in accidents, which is unlikely.....

like how people continue to loot but are never caught, which is happening.....

or, like how some people indiscriminately eat all & sundry, yet are not over-weight or have normal cholesterol level, & i know one such person......

like this 70-yr-old guy who has been smoking 6 packs of cigarettes (120 sticks!!) a day for over FORTY YEARS (!!)& looks fit as a fiddle!!

except for a small area of the lower left lung which was infected, he was none the worse for it. the surgical procedure went thru smoothly.

no one knows why there are people who don't smoke but get lung cancer, yet this fortunate man who smokes like a chimney is living past 7 decades.

to me, i thought that's LIKE getting away with murder ....but i suppose there are also people who actually commit murder & actually get away with it.....!!

the day after.....

knives were wielded & the face-off was tense. however, the arrogant but unprepared backed off in time. bloodshed has been avoided but still, there were heavy casualties on one side.

naturally, an expected outcome when one held 7 knives while his comrade, 12. the losing side came unarmed & therefore suffered ignominy.

is this a military uprising?

or, political manoeuvring?


nah.....it's only a doctors' annual general meeting.

note: knife = proxy

when it's not good to be a nurse....

the firemen have it.....

the postmen have it.....

so, it defies belief that nurses & staff employed at a private medical centre do not have medical insurance coverage.

the admin people go around begging requesting doctors to give generous discounts when the staff seek medical consultation & procedures, while the hospital impose their own charges with impunity. previously, all were covered under a group insurance plan.

& to think this is a public listed company......

what cheapskate employers!!

when kids grow up......

 

 

 

that's why kids are so endearing....they ask for permission first. but now it makes me wonder - at which stage of growing up did they lose the plot?????

hand of God

this term was made (in)famous when diego maradona was asked how he score the goal against england in a world cup semi-final match in 1986. he said : "......a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God".  argentina knocked out england & went on to win the world cup.

i have formed my own ideas about what the real hand of God would look like, eg. hands that pray, comfort or heal. and, it was rather timely that this patient reminded me, esp in the coming easter season, that God's hands were also nailed to the cross.

this workman had been careless while hammering but i still can't believe this could actually happened. the offending nail was promptly removed with local anaesthesia & he was discharged the next day.

however, this image will always be etched in my mind, & i will be reminded every time easter comes along.

a picture is worth a thousand words.

 

 

finally....peace in the Galaxy

Yoda and a stormtrooper settle their differences.......

 

 

 

.......well almost!

*thanks, AB, for the image*

sound advice

you know who they send to make the sales pitch?

i was just browsing around a property launch today & this lady attended to me. she has a chest like mariah carey's, legs up to her neck, a most disarming smile, the personality of a TV show host AND a law degree to match.

i'm extremely glad i took A's advice & left the cheque book at home.

God loves me

this was a 16-yr-old cyclist who was hit by a car. he knocked into a sign-post & complained of abdominal pain. he was seen at the district hospital, was told no serious injury was evident & was subsequently discharged.

as the abdominal pain persisted, he came today & i happened to be on-call. A CT scan of the abdomen (not done in the previous hospital) showed abnormal air collection. this is diagnostic of a rupture of a bowel.

during surgery, a part of the small bowel was found to be crushed & air was leaking from it. this portion was resected & the bowel rejoined.

he should have complete recovery from the injury.

i remember years ago when i attempted pole vaulting in the garden at home. i was about 11 or 12 then. i had used a bamboo stick, normally for drying clothes, as the pole. as i got off the ground, the bamboo broke & i fell face down from a height of about 3 feet. the pain on the chest & abdomen was excruciating. in the end, it went away without further consequences.

as i recalled that fall, now armed with knowledge of the possible injuries, eg. rib fractures, punctured lungs, ruptured internal organs, etc. i realised how close i was to a serious condition. both my parents weren't at home - only my kid brother.

it was divine protection - i can't think of anything else.

and i never attempted pole vaulting again.

the dentist is IN

fathers want their kids to look up to them, esp sons. it's a sure ego-booster.

and, i'm no different.

my son looks to me to solve his maths problem, heal his body aches & talk football.

apparently, i'm also his dentist.

each time he has a loose tooth, he'd ask me to pull it out for him. i learned this from pulling my own teeth (after they had become loose) when i was young but he's just too scared to do it himself.

maybe i should start charging him a fee, now that he's flushed with ang-pow money.

you reap what you sow....

 

 

 

enjoy your meal.....!!

some people think they rule the world....

all resident doctors in the hospital have their personal car park slots, as do the doctors of most other public & private hospitals. this helps when we need to see patients in a hurry, eg. for emergencies.

even if they don't have a named parking slot, they will at least be alloted a specific common space for this purpose.

for most of us who are used to this privilege, it irritates us no end when we find someone else parked in our slots. most times, the culprits are visitors or patients themselves, esp during peak hours.

so, you know how i felt when this happened to me today. the car was an A-class mercs with a 3 digit plate number & an insignia that proclaimed it's owner social importance. so instead of scratching it & puncturing the tyres  i informed the security guard of my predicament but before he could clamp the wheels, the owner had appeared. i was parking at the visiting doctors' space so i did not witness the argument that took place between the offender & the guard.

apparently, as the guard later related, the owner was a doctor from another private hospital. when informed that the slot was for the hospital doctors only, she retorted that she is a doctor as well & has every right to park. it must be her 1st time because, had she bothered to ask, the guard would have shown her the visiting doctors' slots.

i guess with some goodwill on her part & an apology to boot, none of that aggravation would have taken place. as it is, it just reinforces the perception that people in high position just like to push their weight around.

pro bono

it's an unspoken law  rule understanding amongst doctors that we do not charge fees on our colleagues who come under our care.

this includes colleagues we don't even know personally, eg. those from private clinics or govt hospitals. however, if they have insurance cover for their hospitalisation, then we charge as we would for anyone else.

today, the lunar new year has come early for me. a colleague from the govt hospital who had a procedure done last week, returned with a little gift.

believe me, when i say it touched me right to the core. no doubt, it's a small token but it just showed that this colleague, a houseman, has put himself in my shoes - no surgical procedure comes without risks.

i've mentioned to other colleagues that we all in private practice ought to have our own medical insurance. no doubt the hospital provide an allowance as benefit-in-kind & we don't charge fees on each other, but i don't think it's fair to carry major surgery & see out a stormy recovery in the ICU, & not be adequately remunerated for the hard labour.

and, it's not that the insurance premiums are beyond our means.

it's all about giving & taking.

the staunch Man U supporter

i was teaching my son some general knowledge stuff this evening when he asked how come i knew so much. so i told him i had to read a lot from young to accumulate all these knowledge.

i encouraged him to read, too, and in a moment of personal triumph, i asked him if he wished he had a brain like mine.

he replied: maybe so, but i wished you were a Man U supporter instead!

sure-fire weight loss program (for guys)

someone sent this to me & it's too good not to share.....

A guy calls the company and orders their 5 day - 5kg weight loss program. The next day, there's a knock on the door and standing before him a voluptuous, athletic, 21 year old babe dressed in nothing but a G-string and a pair of Nike running shoes and a sign around her neck. The sign reads, 'If you can catch me, you can have me.' Without a second thought, he takes off after her. A few miles later, huffing and puffing, he finally gives up. The same girl shows up the next four days and the same thing happens. On the fifth day, he weighs himself and is delighted to find he has lost 5kgs as promised.

He calls the company and orders their 5day - 10kg program. The next day there's a knock at the door and standing before him is the most stunning, beautiful, sexy woman he has ever seen in his life. She is wearing nothing but Reebok running shoes , a G-string and a sign around her neck that reads, 'If you catch me, you ca...n have me'. Well, he's out the door after her like a shot. This girl is in excellent shape and despite his best efforts, but with no such luck. So for the next four days, the same routine happens with him gradually getting in better shape. Much to his delight, on the fifth day when he weighs himself, he discovers that he has lost another 10kgs, as promised.

He decides to go for broke and calls the company to order their 7 day - 25kg program. 'Are you sure?' asks the representative on the phone.. 'This is our most rigorous program.' 'Absolutely,' he replies, 'I haven't felt this good in years.' The next day there's a knock at the door and when he opens it he finds a huge muscular guy standing there wearing nothing but pink running shoes, a G-String and a sign around his neck that reads, 'If I catch you, you're mine.' He lost 31kgs that week.

thanks, YO, but i'll settle for just the 5kg program.

the beginning of the end

no, this is not about the incumbent's political future nor berating the country's mounting debt .

on the contrary, this is about the 1st day of school.

for some, it's the beginning of a long journey at primary 1. for most, it's just the start of another school year.

for my daughter, it's the beginning of her final year of a brief sojourn in the Little Red Dot. although the early years were trying, i guess eventually, it's a matter of getting used to the military-like regimented training schooling. i still remember the tears & angst of a teenager. some have actually given up & returned to the homeland.

but i've always upheld perseverance & hoped some part of this belief in oneself has rubbed off unto her.

so, i lauded her in an sms & this was her response....

is it just me, or was she being cynical?

monday blues

i dread mondays......

because i'm a weekend sort of guy.....

you know, lounge around.....stagnate......stay off work.....

so, for me, even the day after a midweek public holiday feels like a full-blown monday.

like today.

:(