5:30pm Thursday afternoon. It just started raining, and I'm feeling much better now that the terrible humidity's lightening up -- sorry, I reserve the air-conditioning for snoozing at night only. :)

Didn't get any sleep at all last night. The shift started out okay, but at 3am, around 10 people were arrested at various points near our hospital and subsequently brought in for blood-taking, examination for injuries and assessment of mental state. A group of youngsters was caught sniffing glue, one guy climbed up a crane and tried to jump off ( but of course, he was grabbed in time ), another tried to steal some durians and got pummelled by the fruit stall's gangster owners. Yet another patient -- a woman in her 30s -- didn't stop screaming hysterically from the moment she was brought into the ER. I have no idea what her deal is, 'cos she ended up being seen by the other MO on call. ( I was supposed to sleep from 3 - 5 am, but decided to stay back to help the guy out. I rather enjoyed it actually, haha! Very exciting :))

Surprisingly, I'm wide awake at the moment, after just taking a short nap in the morning. I think it's because I'm high. Found out last night that Clay has gone home, and visited his university for a day. He's rumoured to be staying with his family in Raleigh at the moment, but no-one knows for how long. However, his next big engagement is not till about a week from now, so hopefully he'll be hanging around till next week. Why am I high? Well, the package from the Singaporean Claymates was sent off yesterday, via Speedpost. It will get to Raleigh by Friday or Saturday, and my friend over there has assured me she will get it to his house pronto. Personally, I can't believe our timing. What are the odds of us picking the time period that he'd be back home? The ER nurses are thrilled. Their group photos are all in there, and Clay's definitely going to be pretty impressed by them. If he responds, we don't know how we'd react! Cross your fingers!

Seems there's been a minor surge in hits for my blog since the scare regarding the isolated SARS case. Well, I appreciate the interest, but really, the overall mood is subdued. Our Health Minister repeatedly tells us to be vigilant, but not to overreact, and life goes on as usual here. Michael Buble hasn't cancelled his show, which matters to me most at this point! :D Basically, we'll need more time to figure out what's going on with this situation. A bit mind-boggling, if you ask me.

My thanks to Enoch Choi for linking to my blog. He's got a very comprehensive list of medical online "diaries". Worth a browse.

Yesterday's episode of CSI: Miami was one of the better ones. Although I still prefer the original CSI ( located in Las Vegas ), which boasts better scripts and better acting, this episode dealt with a paedophile who's absolutely loathsome. He managed to lure a 5-year-old girl away from a play area in full view of other families, then drugged her and dragged her into a nearby toilet. When she suffered a seizure from the sedative, he performed CPR -- but not to revive her -- no, he wanted her to live so he could "spend some time" with her.

But this particular installment wasn't just about nabbing an evil criminal. It also delved into the psyches of the various CSI team members, especially that of the medical examiner ( ie. pathologist ). Normally composed and impervious to emotional trauma, she broke down during her assessment of the dead child. Sometimes, people ask me if doctors feel anything for their patients. The answer: a definite yes. But not every physician is capable of it, and being detached has its advantages if you have to face death and suffering on a daily basis, like I did in haematology and paediatric oncology. Those were distressing times, but in retrospect, you never regret going through them, 'cos feeling for your patients reinforces your own humanity, and you discover so much that's worth admiring in otherwise ordinary human beings.

I saw an elderly gentleman last night, who presented with exertional breathlessness, lethargy and a sensation of having a fast heartbeat. He had a health screening panel done just 10 days ago, which showed a haemoglobin level of 10 ( normal 14-16 ). He subsequently consulted a doctor at a private hospital and had a colonoscopy done which was normal. Inexplicably, according to the patient and his wife, no gastroscopy was done. He came to the ER because his symptoms were worsening, and a recheck of his Hb was 5.8 ( he initially resisted blood-taking because I told him he'd need admission if it showed a drop; thank goodness he later agreed ). His wife was very upset, and said she'd lodge a complaint against the first doctor. Not sure if she'll go through with it, but I told her to just concentrate on her husband's current problem first, and think about other issues later. As for the decision not to perform the gastroscopy, you figure it out.

Finally, here's a letter that was written by my mother a few days ago, in response to a complaint made by an irate parent in the Forum page of the Straits Times, regarding how teachers are too rigid in marking their students' scripts, thereby "stifling creativity". As expected, the editor rejected it for publication, even though my mother was giving the teachers' side of the story. So much for unbiased reporting.

I have been teaching English in primary and secondary schools for the past 40 years, and understand parents' concerns regarding this subject. After reading her child's assignment, I agree that the answers given are acceptable.

However, the reasons she provided for this occurrence are not entirely correct. Although it does pertain to the teacher's "mindset", it is not an issue of "stifling creativity".

Teachers nowadays have increasingly heavy worklaods, with numerous deadlines to meet and syllabuses to complete. With current class sizes, we face hundreds of worksheets and workbooks on a weekly basis, and often have little more than a few days in which to correct the scripts and return them to our pupils. Therefore, answer keys come in handy under such circumstances. They act as useful guides and make our tasks easier, though the answers given are not considered gospel.

However, we exercise flexibility whenever a need arises. In many schools, it is common for teachers to discuss unorthodox answers with each other, with their heads of department or even the vice-principal. If the student's response is deemed suitable, it is then marked as correct.

The parent said, "This reflects the inflexibility of Singapore's education system, which emphasizes rote-learning instead of creativity." Her statement is over-generalizing and erroneous. She mentioned a few cases, her child being one of them, but such a comment is not warranted, especially if she is not fully aware of the facts.

Teachers do not mark blindly. We even reject answers given in the answer keys if we strongly agree that they are wrong or unsuitable. We use our own discretion to decide whether a response is acceptable in that particular context, and explain "wrong answers" to our pupils. Reading assignments prior to marking them, as opposed to relying solely on answer keys, is also important.

Education has evolved over the years, and Singapore's educational system has done well in keeping up. Our teachers are well-trained and highly qualified, yet also renowned for their creative methods. In fact, 3 teachers were featured in the Straits Times recently for precisely this reason.

This parent's experience is unfortunate, but also likely to be an isolated one.


Finally, here's a quote from last Sunday's episode of ER, in which surgeon Peter Benton bids goodbye and bows out of the show with characteristic grace and flair.

ER senior resident John Carter: I'm a good doctor because of you.
Benton: No you're not. But keep trying.

Till next time, thanks for reading this long-winded monologue. :)