New, new, new

Start of new semester, new posting and new curriculum.

Geriatrics sounded real scary at first.. Was thinking of all the previous encounters with old folks that we have to take a complete history to present in other postings.. For e.g.

"Ah ma ah!!"

"...."

"Ah ma!! Hor bo!!"

"...."

But this posting started well. Cos spent most of the time clerking the case notes instead.. Then was shadowing the MO on the first day and then became like a HO the second. The consultant of the cubicle was real nice, though she never fails to throw questions i can't answer.. She told me it will be hard to clerk the old folks and the best way to "clerk" them is to talk to their family members. i.e. have to wait for the evenings.. Hmm.. haven't been able to meet any family members (means i haven't been staying late enough?)

Anyway, this posting gives me some shudders when i think of old age.. Wonder if i would end up like the old folks i see.. unexpressable, wearing pampers, always feeling sick and being poked with needles and interventions left, right, center..
To age gracefully.. can it be by choice or is it by fate?

The Dean gave a talk just now on the new curriculum for final year. Compulsory SIP. Means working like HOs in year 5 and can only take MBBS if we pass this SIP thing. Guess it will be real useful cos the first day of HO will not be a culture shock after this.. But why must my SIP be at Changi??!!! Wa.. how to arrive there early?? Camp at Ubin?

Skolah Akan Datang

Wa.. 1 more weekend to go before school starts again. Felt that the holiday was long enough, so not dreading the start of school... but quite afraid. Think i will surely hear tutors remarking to me:"What?!! Year 5 already and you don't know this!!!" Hai but sometimes is not that i dunno, but i forgot.. dunno if they will accept the explanation:"Er.. actually i knew in year3 but forgot now.." Well, guess have to revise, revise and revise then read, read and read...

Well, anyway must say this hols quite fruitful. Manage to finalise the elective reports. Only thing left to do is to send Dr Quyen a copy of my report. Dunno if Singpost can do it or not.. with fedex, DHL, UPS advertisements popping so often.. become like Singpost got no such service like that.. gonna check out later.

Had a walk with parents at Kent Ridge Park some days ago.. finally got to walk there and not run. (thanks to weiqiang) Still admire the canopy walk at Kent Ridge, with a much nicer view than the one at Macritchie. Moreover, dun need to walk like 6km to reach the treetop walk only to see trees. This time only need to walk a few hundred meters of this:



to get to see these:

Quotes

"It's not who you are inside, but what you do that determines who you are."

Hmm.. cheem, almost went crazy thinking over it.. I can put on a mask ma and i'm still not the person that is doing the things i'm doing cos deep inside me is another me.. what others see i'm doing will only determine what they want to determine who i am.. But again, if i think i'm a kind of person deep inside but keep doing things that is not me deep inside then i cannot be the kind of person that i think i am deep inside right?

So does it mean that it is not what i think deep inside but what i say or do that determines if i like something or hate something? (Hmm.. cannot come to conclusion)

"The pain we suffer from losing a loved one sometimes makes us wish our loved ones hadn't existed."

I wonder if there's a way to prepare oneself for losses. Definitely everyone knows that a relationship will end.. in a way or another, just like the way man walk to stop, wake to sleep, begin to end. Reminds me of another statement "Which is more painful? Gaining or losing?" Maybe processes are more important than destinations, perhaps that's what keeps humans going, though the end always look bleak. 不是死就是分.. then 活or 结 for what?

Hai VEXXED...

Anyway i'm not some scholarly person who got these quotes from books.. got them from Batman Begins..

Stamina

Woo.. this was one weekend with lessons of stamina.

Had a family bbq organised by 5th uncle. Rather rare for my extended family to come together.. but this is where we catch up a little on each other and where everybody will have fun with the little ones.. and those with little ones will also somehow exchange little ones to play with and switch back just before going home...

Dad is, as usual, swimming fully clothed with 3 other players... around the mahjong table... They managed to go on till 2am. Wonder how they do it.. how can still think properly after like 12hrs? (they started at 12pm..) Must still think what the opponent is playing, think what pattern to 胡 with... think which card throw already will kena teo bao1.. Real amazing.. their stamina.. Anyway, couldn't sit through with him cos have to sleep so that i can 'steal' a diving session at Hantu in the middle of all these..

Diving at Hantu is well.. a Hantu dive lor.. managed to see a puffer fish though.. Then went with 老板 and Jack to the dive shop to help and see what a DM will have to do.. Wa, still must wash equipment, then have to hang them in the shop. This time got 7 people already so heavy, more than 10 how? Stamina needed again..

Went back to chalet quite zonked out liao.. then nephew came and "舅舅! Come we play throw ball again!"

(Wa.. but 我很 shaq liao leh..)

"Orr..." (dunno why, very obliged to listen to him. When he call me to go to him "Orr.." Call me to wash my hands when he saw my hand black with charcoal "Orr.." Now...) But we didn't manage to find the ball (or rather he didn't... heh heh) Anyway just nice we were called to dinner (heng ah..) so just unskewer some satay and open orange crush for him and he's fine.. (Whew!) Wonder what happens if so happen next time got kids.. Wa after a hectic day at work then must "Orr..." Stamina again?!!

手术成功, 但病人死了

Dunno why, but my windows media player suddenly died-ed yesterday.. Click play playlist and it goes jumping all over the files, not being able to read them. Tried playing a single song and it says it is not able to read file cos it does not have the necessary codec! Wa then what has it been reading with for the past 3-4 years?!

Tried scanning for virus.. no virus, tried reinstalling.. installation successful! but same thing happened, tried downloading codecs... codecs installed successfully! again, no use. Hai so how.. have to give up on him and use realplayer.. (luckily got a number of free media playing programs. Hope realplayer will not die on me for no reason also..)

Been bumping into people these 2 days at unexpected places. Met Kenneth (who's living in the east) at CDANS where i take weekly swims. Said he's having dinner with his family cos his brother going into NS. His father is the manager there leh.. Wow.. "buy potato leh" (buay kan tang) Then met secondary school mates at Clementi kopitiam.. Both graduated liao, 1 working already and 1 starting his business. Both same questions and reactions:"对 hor, 你还有一年 hor."

Ya 一年.... if all goes well... Just went through next year's time table. 2 weeks of study break before MBBS.. And it's not even 一年 away... 10 months at most.. Time to reduce "life".. "Come back 6 months later" not so much as a joke anymore...

So close..

The break is here.. time to relax and do things i want to do without much guilt. More time at hand also means spending more time than usual on favourite websites.

Was visiting wushuonefamily website again... Hoping they had put in more trailers, but too bad.. So ended up bumping around the site and went into the Beijing team segment. I was downloading some of the movie clips there and noticed that all the files were named shichahai. I thought it was the name of the performer but it couldn't be cos each clip has several different performers.

"Must be the name of the sports school then.." I thought..

"Sports school?!! I was at the entrance of 1 sports school in Beijing when i was there half a year ago!!" I checked my photo album and..



Felt like screaming in dismay... I was just outside the school!! where legends like Jiang Bang Jun and He Jing De are inside practising!! and i didn't go in and take a look!! If only i knew about it before i went on the trip.

Hai.. anyway i might still not be able to go in, not much free time and liberty in guided tours.. and i guess the guard at the gate wouldn't have let me in too..

Posting 来啊来, 去啊去...

Last day of posting with beloved Dr Melvin Leow...

Today, everyone's real focused.. Really enthu and thinking real hard almost every minute...
"Wa.. 3 weeks' break coming.. what should i do?" (Haha.. maybe it's just me..) Followed a new team in the ward today.. think there was a change in roster and got to know a very nice MO. Nice enough to quiz us sometimes and teach a little.. at least he took the trouble to take care of us.. (though he has a bit of the "chronic wrist drop syndrome")

The morning breezed by without Dr Leow who was in clinics. He then met us in the afternoon and had a tutorial... in Starbucks.. his treat. Well, as usual he will give an unusual case scenario that will leave us muddleheaded.. finally said it was a pheo.. (and the patient had a BP of 90/60mmHg.. how to guess it's pheo?!!) Well anyway, this tutorial was real cute i would say, cos we're sitting down listening to him, taking down notes and harzarding guesses while drinking our coffees and he was there telling the story and quizzing us while munching on his muffin... (his lunch.. no wonder he's so slim..)

I'm always lost in time during his tutorials.. it was 1/1/2 hrs before i know it and it was the end.. usual stuff of report submission and gift presentation.. Finally managed to pop the long awaited question of mine.. "Dr.. what are your hobbies?"

He started out with an innocent answer.. "bukit timah nature reserve walks.. i like nature.." then lo and behold as we anticipated but really dared not be sure.. "i also like reading journals and creating hypotheses.." Well just like saying "besides medicine, i'm also into medicine and in my free time, i like to read up on medicine.." no wonder he has power brains..

Well, i'm really filled with awe and admiration for Dr Melvin Leow. Really glad to have had an elective under him though it made me feel stupid most of the time.. but guess it's because i'm not studying enough.. (or maybe i'm picking up the wrong hobbies..) Nevertheless, THANK YOU DR LEOW!


Went to visit Lei after knocking off from TTSH.. now i can testify that people look different when lying down compared to standing up.. i remember being waved at by a patient who was being discharged and he was walking around... I kept thinking "谁来的?!!" Had to think for a minute before knowing he was a patient i was following up for like 2 weeks and he was lying down everytime i saw him.. Now when i found the ward Lei's in, i have to check the nametag on the bed board to make sure it's her.. Hai Jialat leh..

Anyway, she's able to breathe and talk a little after the surgery and even react to Falconz's suanings.. must be pretty alright.. Glad for her.. All her worries for nothing..

Had intended to train after that.. but got "怂恿" by Falconz to donate blood.. (ya kena "怂恿" to donate.. ) So no training tonight.. but nevermind.. i got 3 more weeks..

忍!!!

First time following Dr Leow on ward round and it was real educational and eye-opening.

There was a patient in isolation with suspected TB. Apparently he did not have typical symptoms of TB, no night sweats, no haemoptysis.. etc, chest X-ray showed pneumonia (consolidation), but again has no signs typical of TB (no focuses..) However, the ED admitted him to isolation anyway (dunno why).. The patient was started on antibiotics for community acquired pneumonia.

"Wa, like that all patients with pneumonia will be in isolation already.." remarked Dr Leow, but he obliged with the task of ruling out the patient of TB by continuing the collection of 3 X morning sputum cultures anyway..

Looks like it doesn't pay to be Mr. or rather Dr. Nice Guy..

He was waiting for the HO to get N95 masks before going into the room to see the patient when a nurse saw one relative of the patient going into the room with a mask... in her hand, not on her face.

"Call her out quick.." Dr Leow said.

The nurse tapped on the glass panel of the door and beckoned the lady to exit the room. The lady obviously knew why she was asked out and as she was walking out of the door, she was fumbling with the mask, putting it to her face. Dr Leow was about to explain to her the need for the mask when she suddenly "bursted"

"WHY ARE YOU ALL THINKING OF TB? WHY ONLY TB? WHY NOT OTHER THINGS?"

(Wa what happened? Dr Leow didn't even start..)

"Oh we're only trying to rule out TB, but we have to collect 3 samples of.."

The outbursts and explanations followed one after another with the outburst interrupting the explanations many times..

(My blood was put on the stove already)

Then the lady said:"I've sent him to SGH before and he had also seen GPs. IT CANNOT BE TB!"

(Oh wow.. Impressive. If he really kena TB... )

"You're 99% right it's not TB... but because (explain explain), so that's why there are some protocols we have to follow (pointing to the notice to wear masks).."

"I KNOW, WE'VE GONE THROUGH THAT ALREADY! NOW I WANT TO TALK ABOUT HIS CONDITION NOT THIS!!"

(Huh?!! Got go through meh? Dr. Leow didn't even say the word "mask" since he started.. Blood boiled)

"WHY IS HE ANEMIC? HIS BP AND TEMP OK ALREADY.. SHOULD BE FINE ALREADY RIGHT?"

"Explain explain explain.."

Exchanges, exchanges, exchanges.. (I think i would have raised my voice if i were Dr Leow.. of course he did not..)

This went on for like 10 minutes until she looked out of gas.. She ended by nodding her head and finally Dr Leow can 反击 and said
"Actually all the precautions are for the safety of the family members but we really cannot force you all to wear masks if you all don't want to.. It will be at your own risk if you all don't.."
She looked glum and pointed to the room, indicating he should take a look at the patient now.. Dr Leow then went on his job and when he exited the room and took off the N95, he looked at it and smiled.. "Now i have a mask mark on my face.. Reminds me of the SARS days." As if nothing happened.

"We have to face these next time" 1 friend said
"Felt like slapping her" said another

I agreed.. and wondered if i could develop his kind of patience.. I began to feel guilty cos i was half hoping the lady was wrong and the patient did have TB.. I shouldn't have, cos it's not his fault. maybe not her fault to react this way too cos probably there was too little communication before this encounter. Hai what to do, Dr Leow just took over ward duty and A and E just wierdly sent this case. All in a days' work i guess.

Of course there were many other things i got to learn from Dr Leow over the round.. Had this great urge to kneel and kowtow to him.. "Oh great one!"

He was real meticulous and knowledgeable. Able to think broadly and not accept given diagnoses when there's something fishy. On top of these, he speaks real good teochew!!

There are people who speak Teochew and i only know it if i could pick out teochew words.. there are others who can speak pure and good teochew (like grandma and 大姑) one can know they are speaking teochew by the tones and accent.. heard somewhere that teochew has something like 42 tones (if i remember correctly.. oops just found out it is 8 tones but numerous tone sandhi.. but still dunno the exact number.) i suppose if one could speak in the 42 tones, it would sound real pure.. Dr Leow gave me the impression of purity.

Oh man, i'm already 五体投地.. and i'm sure i haven't seen the last impressible ability of his..