My apologies for not making an entry till now. I tried my best to write something yesterday, but darn it, the shift was horrible! You'd think that people would rather enjoy themselves on a public holiday, but nooooo, they showed up in the ER in droves. Some were, of course, warranted, but many were also NS boys whining about a runny nose, or my personal favourite, a poking pain in the back of his head which was "mild" and "not bothering me too much". As expected, when I handed him a prescription for some simple painkillers, the punchline came: Can I have an MC for today and tomorrow? I just gave him The Look and said, "No." I seem to be getting the hang of this, 'cos my refusal to give MCs actually appears to be working, hah! But then, I have yet to meet a fussy parent. My registrar just told me she got picked to pieces by an NS boy's demanding father yesterday. He debated nastily with her for 20 minutes during the peak of our busy shift, and left the room only when she relented and issued medical leave for his son -- a strapping young man whose complaint was a mere cough and cold. Aaaaaaarrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhh! That's for all the ER doctors in Singapore. :)

I thought another tsunami of patients would hit us today -- post New Year and all -- but it's been really quiet except for the occasional sickie. Lots of old people with fevers, for some strange reason, so the geriatric department's gonna fill up pretty quickly. Just realized that the houseman change over today as well. It's usually a bit of a mess, but at least the MOs aren't rotating this time round. Besides, the HOs are already into their last postings, so at least they'll know how to clerk, set plugs, catheterize, and carry out simple resuscitations, right? Right?!?!? ;)

So, with my belated post for the new year, should I list my resolutions for 2004? Okay, this is a bit personal, so errr, I won't, haha! All right, all right, I'll list a few. :)

1. Get down to studying. I've been slowing down these past few months, especially with the NZ trip and all, but it's time to buck up! I've got an exam to clear!

2. In relation to (1), I hope to watch less TV and surf the Internet less intensively. With the latter, I've had to cut back on visits to www.claytonaiken.com :( , but I've got fellow local fans to keep me updated daily :) .

3. Get hitched. Do you think I'm joking? Okay, maybe half joking. :D Seriously though, I think 3 years of singlehood is more than enough, so yeah, if I meet a nice guy, I'd like to dip my toes into the unpredictable waters of dating once again. However, I find that meeting the guy is the toughest bit. My mom says my standards are too high, but I disagree. Maybe it isn't the right time yet, but as long as I meet my soulmate eventually, I'm willing to wait. :) So this "getting hitched" resolution isn't a die-die-must-get-a-man sort of mantra. I hope to meet someone, 'cos at least I feel ready now, but if I don't, I won't be upset about it either. We'll see....

All right, how about a list of "hopes for 2004"?

1. pass my A&E exam
2. refer to (3) above :)
3. meet Clay Aiken in person -- he's confirmed that he's dropping by Singapore this year, so I hope I'll get the chance to say hi to him. :D

The lists here are extremely short, but like I said before, these are pretty personal issues, so only my journal has more complete versions. ( Psst, the Singapore press reads my blog, and I'm not exactly popular with reporters, so why provide them with fuel for the fire, eh? ;) )

Before I end off, let me recommend the new season of "Monk" to you! The free-to-air channels aren't screening it, even though they had the first season before cable got its hands on it. Now, season 2 is into its first episode, and the series is indeed only getting better. Tony Shalhoub won his Emmy for good reason, and continues his lovable, vulnerable portrayal of Adrian Monk as he solves bizarre cases in ingenious ways. The programme is shown every Tuesday on StarWorld Channel 18 at 9pm, with repeats the next morning. Don't miss this!

I've got another friend's wedding coming up, which I will be emceeing, yikes! It's a first for me, so I hope my stint turns out well for everyone involved. And yes, congratulations to the beautiful couple! :D

Right. Time to find out what the heck happened on Survivor: Pearl Islands while I was away. I think the winner's been picked, but the media in New Zealand didn't announce anything. As long as it isn't Burton or Jon, I'm content!
-- edited to add the link below ( great coverage of the show, and it WASN'T Jon or Burton, yes! )

Survivor Fever

Hmm, wonder what the results of the Asian Blog Awards are? Final outcome will be known tomorrow. :)

Happy New Year to the readers!