Monday, November 26, 2007
Sick of being sick
Really hate it when you are sick enuff to have no energy for anything, yet not sick enuff to just concuss in bed at home...
posted by nwxiang at 9:24 PM | 0 comments
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Evening shift
I think it takes a certain kind of commitment and dedication to be able to drag urself down to the A&E for the 4pm to 12am shift when you are not feeling well... =P
Hopefully I learn lots of stuff tonight..
posted by nwxiang at 2:22 PM | 0 comments
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Collect'em all
I noticed that every time I change a hospital, I will go down with a subacute bout of URTI for the 1st week, with sore throat, dry cough and general malaise..
Must be each hospital has a different culture.
Culture. Bacteria culture. Get it? Haha. Not funny.
posted by nwxiang at 8:37 PM | 0 comments
Monday, November 19, 2007
Stardust
Stardust was nice. Simple and beautiful, with well-mixed proportions of humour and action. A promise, a fallen star, witches hungering for eternal youth, princes fighting for ascension, pirates.. - bedtime story material weaved together to form a elegant tale..
Wonder when will I find my star..
posted by nwxiang at 12:11 AM | 0 comments
Saturday, November 17, 2007
I surrender
I cannot tahan liao.. shall go and slp
posted by nwxiang at 1:49 AM | 0 comments
wah 好累啊...
I feel utterly tired from doing the lit review... Haven't done such intensive computer work in a long time liao. Really thankful for a com that is responsive and doesn't slow down noticeably even when I had Powerpoint, Word, Photoshop, Outlook, iTunes, Acrobat Reader, multiple MSN windows and multiple Mozilla windows open at the same time...
Ok, back to work.. haiz
posted by nwxiang at 1:17 AM | 0 comments
Friday, November 16, 2007
wah 好笨啊...
I feel utterly stupid - in more ways than one..
posted by nwxiang at 1:00 AM | 0 comments
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Fire and Steel (2)
Some part of me wants to feed all my emotions into a powerful burning flame. Some part of me wants to be cold, unfeeling and unyieldingly strong.
Imagine fire burning on steel. Or rather, fire trying to burn on steel.
Totally chui.
posted by nwxiang at 1:21 AM | 0 comments
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Fire and Steel
How do I be fire and steel at the same time???
posted by nwxiang at 1:08 AM | 0 comments
Monday, November 12, 2007
If you were a seed...
...buried deep in the dark earth...
Will you wait patiently for weeks, months or even years, slowly bidding your time for the perfect conditions, and when the time comes, burst forth from the ground into radiant sunlight, soaking up the life-giving water, blooming into the most beautiful flower, bearing plentiful offspring, and age slowly, peacefully and gracefully, and eventually return to the earth?
Or will you fight your way to the surface, stand defiantly against the harsh storms and burning sun, stubbornly sprouting stems deformed by the wind, proudly growing leaves malnourished by the barren soil, struggling futilely and dying violently, just for that small chance to survive and bear stronger, tougher offspring?
Which will I choose? If you know me, you already know the answer.
posted by nwxiang at 12:39 AM | 0 comments
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Screwed up
I simply have no freaking idea how to do my freaking latest freaking write up.
I have not printed any therapeutic seminar notes.
I have not started on patho.
I have not mugged the fam med booklet.
I am going to have lots of lit reviews flooding my inbox soon.
I need to attend the colorectal symposium on saturday.
I need to settle the webhosting for Ryan Tuition Agency (codename) by this week.
And I am still wasting my time online.
posted by nwxiang at 9:41 PM | 0 comments
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Last breath
Stepping into the room, he was just another patient. Semi-conscious, hooked up on nasal prongs, cachexic. It was just another visit. Another case.
Placing her fingers on the wrist, the nurse felt for the pulse. A slight pause. The fingers shift. She looks up. Gesturing to his chest, she says simply:
"He stopped breathing."
Stunned silence.
This is palliative care. The patient is expected to pass away. But not expected to pass away in front of us.
It seemed like an eternity. Then he started breathing again. Laboured gasps of air.
The pulse was located. The blood pressure was taken. The urine was checked.
"He is leaving. Ask your mother to come in and stay by his side. You want to call your relatives?"
All said with the calm and composure of training and experience. All received with seeming calm and composure. Or the numbness of denial, surprise, resignation and acceptance all rolled together.
----------
And when the time comes, will you have the confidence to say, "Time of death, ___ hours"; the courage to say, "I'm sorry, he is gone"; and the conscience to say, "We have done our best"?
And as the years roll by, will I still be human enough to feel?
posted by nwxiang at 12:12 AM | 1 comments
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Under construction
I just finished my write up!!! Happy =)
Anyway, today, after settling some business at Nee Soon East CC near GV Yishun, I decided to have a slow walk back to my house. Then I happened to pass by the construction site of the future Khoo Teck Puat hospital (actually I never knew where exactly it is before this...shows that I haven't been exploring my neighbourhood recently), and an ingenious idea struck me - I started my stopwatch.
And it took me 13mins to walk at a leisurely pace from the construction site to my block of flats.
13 MINUTES!!!
Shit man... I want to work there next time. And I shall invest in a bicycle, which should enable me to reach the hospital within 5mins from stepping out from my house...then if my day starts at 7:30am, I shall be able to step out from my door at 7:20am and reach comfortably before the ward rounds start... and if my day ends at 7pm, I shall be home by 7:10pm latest for dinner!!!! And if I go post-call, I knock off at 12pm and reach home and collapse in MY bed at 12:10pm!!!!!!!!! woohoo...
Okay okay, I shall stop fantasizing. Goodnight.
posted by nwxiang at 11:36 PM | 0 comments