The night shift was TERRIBLE!
My very first case ended up as a myocardial infarct with heart failure, whom I had to uptriage from the consult area to the resus room, and whom I had to take care of for over an hour because resus was swamped with a sudden deluge of cases. After that eventful period, my next 4 hours continued with a non-stop flow of patients, so that by 3am, I'd seen about 35 cases -- works out to about 8 to 9 per hour, which is about 5 minutes per patient. I was so exhausted, but didn't get to rest till 4am, and even then, the adrenaline was pumping, and my "nap" was fitful at best. At 5am, my pager alarm went off, and it was back to work. At about 5:45am, a frontseat passenger from a van involved in an accident was brought in, obtunded, in respiratory distress, and bleeding from multiple spots on his badly contused face. The senior ER physician on call came over to help intubate, and after a series of urgent CTs, the guy was sent up to the SICU. Doesn't look good, to be honest.

The rest of the shift was a constant stream of activity, and I admitted all my patients at around 7am, which probably stressed the on-call people in the wards. But now that I'm home, and trying to calm down so I can take a proper nap, darn it, I thought I'd post a bit on my very neglected blog. :)

Clay Aiken Has Hit Gold Status In Singapore!

Yes, this was conveyed to us local fans via email by Katherine, the lawyer who was interviewed by The New Paper for the Claymate feature last week. BMG Singapore reports that Measure Of A Man has pushed more than 7,500 copies in less than a week, and thus qualifies as a gold record. If it hits 15,000, it will achieve platinum status.

Of course, we have no doubts at all that it WILL hit platinum. It's only a matter of when. Congratulations, Clay!
I've emailed my friend in Raleigh to ask her to forward this piece of news to Clay's friend from the YMCA, who has been faithfully sending our emails to Clay and confirmed that he does read them all. Our thanks to them both for their invaluable help!

Review of Maksim's The Piano Player

Belated, yes. I got this CD before Measure Of A Man, but have been very preoccupied with the latter, haha! However, this is by no means less astounding in any way. Maksim is a fantastic pianist, with an exuberant style and excellent skills on the ivories. His choice of material is key to the success of this album, and he has certainly done well, picking a wide range of well-loved classical pieces, interspersed with other predominantly technically challenging ones, and a few hauntingly beautiful melodies.
"The Dance of the Baroness" is an eye-popping display of showmanship and technique that will clear any suspicions you may have about Maksim being a younger version of Richard Clayderman. Unlike the mediocre ladies of Bond, Maksim actually has talent.
"Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini", by none other than Rachmaninov, that maestro of impossibly difficult pieces that boggle the mind, is done superbly, and with a synthesizer too!
"Grieg's Piano Concerto in A Minor" is given a futuristic sound reminiscent of the 80s, but the familiar chords fit in perfectly, and the arpeggios from the violins thankfully sound authentic. I love this piece!
Other uptempo pieces that are guaranteed to wake you up even if you're half-dead would be "Croatian Rhapsody" and "Wonderland". If you fancy slow and mellow, "Claudine" and "Hana's Eyes" will capture you with their simple yet poignant melodies.
"Handel's Sarabande" conjures up images of the Victorian era, with a nice effect that makes the piano sound like a harpsichord, while "Exodus" is gorgeous with its Middle-Eastern intro, layered string arrangement, and yes, that pumping disco beat in the background. Wow!
Last but not least, listen to "Cubana" in 2 different versions, one heavy on techno, the other on traditional Latin rhythm.

For maximal enjoyment, strap on your headphones ( headsets, NOT earplugs ), turn up the volume, sit back and relax, or bob your head to the music. Or you can blast it in the car. Either way, you'll love it.
A terrific album that is a major breakthrough in its genre. You can sample it at That CD Shop, located at Pacific Plaza along Scotts Road, Tanglin Mall and Great World City. Enjoy!

Television

So much has happened that I have to lump them all together, aargh!

The finale of the latest season of "Alias" was more than a week ago, but the shocking ending had me dumbfounded and in tears. A stunningly executed fight scene between Sydney ( Jennifer Garner ) and Fran ( her "friend" who's actually a genetically altered enemy spy ) culminates in Sydney's disappearance and later reappearance in Hong Kong, where she receives heartbreaking news from boyfriend Michael Vaughn ( Michael Vartan ) that she'd been missing for 2 years, and that he'd married someone else. Oh no! How long do I have to wait for the next season!?!? I just can't believe what geniuses the show's writers are. This easily ranks among the best TV shows I've ever seen -- the others include "ER", "CSI", and "Seinfeld". Bravo!

And speaking of "ER", although I was made aware that Singapore is about 3 seasons behind the current series in the US and the UK, I wouldn't miss the journey for the world. Last Sunday had Dr. Mark Greene battling the recurrence of his brain tumour, going through marital conflict, and enduring the terrible side effects of stereotactic radiotherapy. One scene showed him stepping out onto the street after being told that his tumour was inoperable. With the crowds of people milling around him, his loneliness and despair was still very palpable. "ER" never fails to instill every episode with something deeply profound and memorable, which is why I'm such a huge fan. Just read the credits at the end of each show, and you will see a few M.D.s in the form of "technical advisors". Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!

"The Practice" is back on Monday nights at 11:30pm. The last season had Bobby and Lindsey fighting a court battle to clear her of first degree murder, which they subsequently lost. I can't wait to see what happens next. :)

And on the champions' edition of "Fear Factor", my personal favourite, Mark Hewlett from South Africa, beat everyone else to emerge the victor, woohoo! This blonde, blue-eyed hunk has been my pick from the very beginning, and shines with a great personality, admirable sportsmanship, and the ability to triumph not just through physical strength alone, but with patience and faith. Watching him celebrate his win at the end of 3 arduous, tortuous stunts put a big smile on my face. And guess what? He will be using his $100,000 to help his family out of some financial troubles, rather than spending it on something frivolous like other past winners. He truly deserves to be Fear Factor champion. :D

Okay then, time to get some shuteye. I'm watching out for news from RCA in the US regarding Clay's platinum status there -- rumours are rife, but we still need the record company's confirmation.
Anyway, if you're a Clay fan like me, and have some spare time, try scrolling through my blog's archives ( located on the right hand side ). I was feeling a little nostalgic, and read through some of my posts on Clay in the months of March through May this year, when he was on American Idol. It's quite amazing that I singled him out as early as the wild card show, and predicted he would reach the finals and go on to great success. I'm so glad I was right!

Till next time, have a good day, and thanks for reading. :)