living next door to Alice

Just feeling nostalgic.

This was a hit song by pop group Smokie in the 70s about not pouring your feelings to the love of your life till its too late.

I knew of 2 Alices in my younger days. One was a chance meeting with a budding lawyer, whom I read recently had been elevated to a Judicial Commissioner. Congrats!

The other was a student nurse at a hospital I was posted to. We were like Danny and Sandy in Grease... a summer romance but without the songs and dancing.

In the sunset of my life, there's always time for reminiscing. 

Of what it could have been. 😝😝😝

spaceman 2.0

In the midst of Covid pandemic. Hopsital in high alert and staff are in protective gear. No menteris here though.

God save us all.

🙏🙏🙏

Spaceman

I was oncall on Tuesday April 7th, when a 70 yr old patient with a myriad of medical problems developed breathing difficulty. He obviously needed respiratory assistance with a ventilator. He would be the archetypal patient most likely to be afflicted with COVID19. But because his test result would not be available for another 24hrs (a RT-PCR test typically takes 24-48 hrs to respond), I had to assume he was positive and take the necessary precautions for inserting the breathing tube to be connected to the ventilator.

There I was, attired like a spaceman - complete with N95 mask, face shield, head cover, long-sleeved gown, plastic apron and 2 sets of gloves. 

Although the procedure took about 15mins, I was already feeling uncomfortably warm despite the ICU being A/C'd. 

I salute to the frontliners who donned similar spacesuit, and who manned the booths and cubicles, nursing critically ill patients for hours while the rest of the populace remained safe in the confines of their homes.

It was with much relief that the patient was subsequently tested negative. I slept well that night. 

😷

MCO

The Movement Control Order was imposed by the Govt on 18th March to limit the spread of the Covid-19 infection but it was only the last 3 days that I was completely homebound. 

I ended up a couch potato, spending the time I woke up to sleeping time, often past 12mn, watching TV. Watched movies, caught up on Covid news, both locally and worldwide. Also caught up on an old past time, watching Wrestlemania on Astro.

Not having a exercise mill at home, I expect to gain weight by the time this MCO is lifted. I should be awarded a PJK by then - Perut Jalan Kedepan.

😅

sign of the times

This Covid thing is causing havoc at all levels of society and no one is spared. People can't go out to sell their ware, food supply chain gets disrupted and the fear of getting infected and dying is palpable.

Case in point - my friend just bought something for me and as I was taking out my wallet to pay him, he waved and asked me to pay him online.

As if social or spatial distancing is not enough, now there a digital separation as well.

These are challenging times indeed. 

pins and needles

As I was rummaging thru some of my mother's stuff, I came across a familiar brown plastic box. True enough, it contains all sorts of sewing paraphernalia...spools of multicoloured threads, safety pins and even an old bees wax.

Gosh, she taught me how to do minor repairs to my clothes using these before I entered varsity. And she's still doing this.

And I've forgotten how. 😢

cometh the hour...

There were several milestones in my medical career...

The 1st oncall as a houseman... 

Setting the 1st central line and 1st intubation...

The 1st student nurse I dated.... 

(To digress, there I was - a doctor dating a student nurse, when there was a time when I was a medical student trying to date a trained nurse😁) 

The 1st postgrad exam passed... 

I think one of the most difficult responsibilities is to treat your own family member. The emotional attachment often affects the decision you make and that's not always the most professional discourse. 

Anyway, I administered the epidural for the wife's cesarean section, the general anaesthetic for the son's arm surgery, the intensive care management for my late father, and just earlier this week, the spinal anesthetic for my mum's hip surgery. 

Not easy undertakings though because the margin for error just seemed to be narrower in these instances. 

I am just relieved that in all those situations, it all ended well. Phew! 

🙏

feeling good

Yesterday, I managed to secure a box of 60 tablets of Hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial drug with possible useful effect again COVID19. It was supposedly the last box in stock at that pharmacy. 2 of my colleagues asked if I could spare them some, so I passed to them 15 tabs each, which is probably what each of us need to prevent (not treat, which will require a whole box of 60) infection.

Today another pharmacy offered me another 30 precious tabs. I accepted, not because I need it now but maybe some other colleagues might need it in the event of another shortage.

One good turn always deserve another. 

Our last summer

30 years ago today.

8th Aug, 1988 or more auspiciously remembered as 08.08.88.

5 friends, all medical officers at Penang Hospital, decided to spend an evening to commemorate the occasion. Dinner at a hotel restaurant, coconut pudding dessert and a dance at the Casuarina along Ferringhi beach.

It was our 1st and last dance together. Peter, Loga, Kavi and Dolly  - thanks for the memories.

Love you all. 🕺💃🥳

Our last summer

Piano exam

This is it.....the finale.

The boy will be taking his Grade 8 music exam today. He has been religiously & conscientiously practising for weeks now, esp the last few days (& nites).

May he play not for himself, not for us his parents, not for his music teacher but for the glory of God.

Amen.

Breaching professional limits ?

I seldom get very friendly with my patients, probably because they weren't sure if I were the buddy-buddy type. Most times I am not.

But Rz was a tad different. A 39-year old who came in for abdominal surgery, he speaks English like his mother tongue & with a sense of humour, too, both a rare coincidence these days. What clinched the deal was that he supports Arsenal as well.

Then the floodgates opened. He seemed a little cheery when I do my clinical rounds & we spent a good few minutes dissecting life in general. He seemed keen to cut down some weight (20kg, no less, I advised him!!) so I suggested to him to slow-hike up the neighbourhood hill. We parted on that optimistic mood.

I'll know if he's serious about the hill climb if I meet him on the slopes. Otherwise, all bets are off.

World Cup Final 2018

Like in 2007, 2010 and 2014, we the ex-EC students managed to get together for a weekend of good food, drinks and camaraderie. We left school in the mid-70s but only in 2007 that decided we would meet at least once every 4 years on the weekend of the World Cup Final.

But this time I am touched beyond words.

I didn't arrange prior accommodation but someone offered to share his twin room.

I didn't have a car and someone else offered to lend me his.

These acts of random kindness overwhelmed me.

Thank guys. See you again in 2022.

RIP Andrea.

My blogger friend passed away today after a short illness.

Our common ground include reading, supporting Arsenal and being avid fan of StarWars. And also being cynical about life.

She lent me a whole set of  StarWars books & special edition DVDs, and now, I don't know if I should return them to her family or keep them in remembrance of our brief friendship.

Have a good trip home, Andrea, to the great football pitch in the sky.

You will be missed. 

One good turn deserves another

As a follow-up to the Help!Help! post,  on the following day, it was I who needed help & it was the same colleague who provided assistance and advice during a critical event.

This patient developed a severe allergic reaction near the end of an operation, resulting in a drastic drop in blood pressure & oxygen content in the body. And because we took immediate measures to counter the reaction, the patient recovered without any ill effects.

This truly lent credence to the practice that two heads are better than one and that many hands make light work.

And I forget, no man is an island.

Help! Help!

I was called out of the OT by a nurse who said my colleague needed help in an adjacent OT. When I got over, he was furiously performing CPR & barking orders to the nurses. He told me the patient just had a cardiac arrest. After a few more life-saving injections, the patient miraculously came around - he actually opened his eyes & cough & spluttered.

My colleague thanked me although I didn't contribute much but I guess, sometines, one's mere presence is comfort enough.

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good for everyone. (Gal 6: 9,10)

Dealing with people you can't stand

I bought the 1st edition (currently, 3ed) of this book over 20 years ago, hoping to get by some of the difficult relationship with so-called friends & colleagues. And some relatives as well.

I think I still got nowhere & certainly none the wiser after more than halfway thru the book. Yes, right, so up till now, I didn't haven't finished reading it, because relationships are just too complicated.....

Then I realised I could have gotten free advice, concisely in 2 sentences, from Peter the apostle.

Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. (1 Pet 2:12)

A good samaritan

Commandment : Love your neighbour as yourself.

Question : Who is my neighbour?

Answer : The stranger who changed your flat tyre.

A new dawn

It's so cliche to talk about every day being a new day, or a day to look forward to new experiences.

Given the on-off alternating turbulent and calm times I've had to go through these recent years, I think I have finally turned the corner. A light at the end of the tunnel which I hope  is not that of an approaching train. :P

Incidentally, coinciding with, but not related to, the passing of my dear friend Robert,  I felt there was, in the process, a sense of reconciliation and restoration, that it was the 1st day of the rest of your life.

a new day indeed.

Chap Goh Meh

Finally, it's the last day of the lunar new year celebration.

This year, we made the daring decision to celebrate with the in-laws in Penang, anticipating traffic in grid-lock on the NSE. To our pleasant surprise, we think we have crack the code to avoid the perennial traffic jam.

Travel up 2 days before CNY & return on the 2nd day. traffic was generally smooth & Rest Stops weren't packed like sardines.

We were also pleasantly surprised the food stalls started operating on the 2nd day itself but that came with a premium of RM1 over the regular price (RM5).

Looks like everyone's out to make a quick buck at every possible opportunity. Talk about veg, fish (esp white pomfret) and prawns before CNY.

But I say, live & let live lah - hard times are coming & everyone's going to be affected.

Long arm of the law

I am a pretty law-abiding citizen (ahem). The last fine imposed on me was a summon compounded for speeding. That was 8 years ago when I drove a turbo-charged 2-lit continental. With age rapidly catching up, I have since downsized to a 1.8-lit Japanese. I figure my reaction time would have dampened and parking is easier with a smaller car.

But I had casually more often than not, not placed parking coupons for short-term stay at certain less crowded places. Well, the law finally caught up with me.

The parking outside Jusco requires coupon up to 6pm. At 5.25pm, I thought I could just sneak in for a couple of grocery items. When I came out at 5.30, the misdemeanor had been promptly witnessed & duly slapped with a RM30 fine. The irony was that I could have parked for free within Jusco itself, but was just too lazy to go in & out of the gantry.

Commit the crime, do the time, we have been warned. I think it's only human nature to take risks & hope we can get away with it. Anyway, blaming only myself, I turned up at the payment counter the next morning & was pleasantly surprised when the clerk asked for only RM10. He duly stamped the payment.

Even though the fine is only the price of a set lunch, the impact is considerable. I thought I am a law-abiding citizen but obviously I am suffering from delusions of grandeur.

:P