My love hate relationship

There are days when I wish I didn't have a hand phone.
Days when I was on call and my phone wouldn't stop ringing.
Days when it was after work and people still kept bugging me about stuff.
Days when the sun is shining and I still feel a nagging need to check my phone.
The constant urge to check my phone surely borders on obsessiveness.

Actually, I can probably survive without a hand phone.
After all, 20 years ago this device hardly existed for the mass market.
It's just that nowadays, there is this pressure to be constantly contactable.
It's like being on call 24/7.

I'm not saying that the hand phone is all bad.
I mean I love its convenience - I can start fiddling with it if I run out of conversation topics at a dinner, play games on it during boring bus rides home, catch up with the news, spy on friends on facebook (yeah I do that) and whatsapp random people.
But I'm not sure if it has made me more socially handicapped.
After all, what did people 20 years ago do when they run out of conversation topics at a dinner table?
Turn on the radio?

Maybe there's a technology for every era.
Maybe I truly can't live without my hand phone.

A Guilt Trip

It started innocently enough.
I had found out through the Straits Times that my favourite bookshop had moved.
On its grand re-opening weekend I made my way down (post-call even) to sneak a peek at its new premises.
All was well until I ran into a crowd of eager patrons swarming throughout the bookshop.
I should have turned back and gone home, but my kiasu spirit urged me on.
20 percent off! This weekend only!
I braved the throng of people (some just standing around absorbing the atmosphere) and went back and forth the bookstore searching for a suitable buy.
Would it be Roald Dahl's "Ten Short Stories"? Or Yann Martel's "Life of Pi"? Maybe both!
Two books in hand, I headed for a last look at the medical section.
Ah, look - there's the "Pocket Prescriber"! Only  $42.78 (which means about $34 after discount).
I quickly search the internet for Amazon's price - which turns out to be USD $22.38 ie. SGD $28.79
Price difference notwithstanding, I chucked the 2 fiction books and whipped out my wallet for "Pocket Prescriber".
I can't say I regret the decision. Not yet anyway.
Most of the books I buy end up being half-read. The more interesting ones I finish off in one sitting and chuck  them in one corner.
Medical related ones like "Pocket Prescriber" probably fall into the former. But somehow I feel less guilty buying medical books. And my inner bookaholic is appeased.
Till the next time..

Week 17

It has been 4 weeks since I graduated from MOCC and life is considerably different.
Work is of a more clinical and administrative nature, and has its fair share of highs and lows.
From time to time I will remind myself of the hardships of MOCC (which on retrospect wasn't that bad after all) and compare it to the life I am leading on a daily basis.
Life, for better or worse, is considerably different.

In other news my Ipad mini died a few weeks ago.
I was unable to resuscitate it despite my most valient efforts.
I know I should repair it but the inertia is great given that the warranty has expired and new tablets are popping up everywhere.
Life isn't that different without a tablet except I need to use the laptop to Skype now.
Slightly less portable but comfortable nonetheless.

lightbearers

3 months had flown by.

I thank my instructors for making these 3 months a memorable one.

I feel lucky to have made many good friends throughout the course.

Who knows, next week I might start missing MOCC already.

Halfway mark

Things have improved over the past week and we have much to look forward to in the weeks ahead.
Despite my efforts to fatten myself up my weight has been fluctuating. I have told myself to eat more during book out and within camp itself.
I hope to remember the course as one where I made many friends and improved my physical fitness.
The only clouds in the sky are the upcoming confinements for which I have prepared food and reading material.
I am thankful for all the support which my family, friends have provided me so far.
But perhaps most invaluable are my fellow course mates with whom I have gone through 6 weeks of the course, and counting.

5 over 12

The worst is over? Possibly.
I am glad I survived the past 2 days.
Sure feels good to be back home.
Certainly things can be improved upon but hopefully change will be for the better.

Happy Birthday

ON the day before my birthday I received the news that I passed part 2.

I guess that is good news.

Otherwise I am desperately trying to improve my fitness level before re-enlistment.

It is terrible what 5 yrs of medical school and 2 yrs of working in a hospital can do to your fitness.

The birthday cake (cheesecake) and the 蚝煎that I had today didn't help much.

Neither did my afternoon nap.

Sigh.

Suddenly, it is April again.
It didn't seem too long ago when I first started working.
(In actual fact it has only been barely two years)
Surprisingly, I have enjoyed the journey so far.
I had entered this profession initially with a sense of dread and uncertainty, which till today, hasn't been fully eliminated.
For healthcare providers, patients and their families, life can be altered in a matter of minutes.
Illness strikes when one leasts expects it. Emergencies can happen any time of the day.
I curse silently whenever something happens. I try my best. Sometimes things work out, sometimes the worst things happen all at once. We deal with it.

Perhaps this is the remarkable thing about human adaptability.

Timeline
Oct to Dec 2013      Emergency Medicine
Jan to March 2014   Neurology
April to June 2014    Respiratory Medicine
July 2014 to Oct 2015    National Service
Nov 2015 and beyond .. ????