Good Sunday morning! Got home late last night after the wedding, so I'm fighting to keep awake at the moment. Shall cheer myself up with some humour, thanks to eucalyptus's hilarious post. :D

"If you really want it published in the Forum Page, you need these...

1. Dramatic events that will have everyone gasping in horror. eg "I suffered a severe paper cut..."

2. Big name target. "...I went SGH..."

3. Perceived shabby treatment. "... only got a handyplast..."

4. Bombastic words. "i am appalled at the appalling treatment..."

5. Throw in some gory details. "...there was blood all over my thumb, I almost fainted..."

6. Fantastic leap of logic to arrive at deadly outcome. "...I could have bled to death!!!!"

7. Extrapolate it to the whole hospital or doctors in general. "Attitude problem" is a favourite phrase.

8. Make yourself sound noble. "I only want to warn future patients..."

9. Quoting some obscure "expert" opinions. "...according to the International Society of Paper-Cut Sufferers..."

10. Be sure to use the all-time pet phrase "I wanna complain..." somewhere in the letter. Preferably, but not confined to, the first sentence.

Tada! Instant publishing in the Forum. "SGH Almost Causes Death in Bleeding Patient."

By the way, I've read re-minisce's letter. Of course it wouldn't have been published! It contained two fatal, taboo ingredients...

1. Argument based on facts. Argh! Horror! He left out the sensationalisation and mandatory finger-pointing.

2. Disagreement with "official" opinion. Blasphemy! Heretic! Burn him at the stake!"

Thank you, eucalyptus, for putting things in such wonderful perspective. ;)

Ah yes, the wedding dinner. The food wasn't the best, but it's the ambience people pay for, and that was terrific. Granted, the ballroom was huge, so the coziness factor was lost. Luckily for my table, we're all ex-JC mates, so we had lots of catching up to do, and the conversation never stopped flowing, as did the wine, haha. :) Topics were as diverse as dropping birth rates, cost of living, emigration, a certain minister's work schedule, another minister's ability at his new job, kids, hospitals, patients, investing... the list just kept going. My JC class has always been close, and we've all stayed in touch these past 10 years, mostly via email and the occasional meetup for dinner ( matrimonial or otherwise ). It's nice that although everyone's carved out successful careers in different areas, deep down we're still the same fun-loving, eccentric bunch. Put us together in a group and the laughs just keep on comin'!

My friend was the lovely bride, and her husband, a super-nice Malaysian fellow with a famous law firm. They did away with the usual video presentations featuring baby photos, etc, opting instead for a fantastic live band that played jazz favourites and oldies ( in both English and Mandarin ). The highlights of the evening would have to be the couple's waltz after their second entrance, and the groom's poignant speech. One of the reasons I love weddings is because I get to witness true bliss firsthand, temporarily overshadowing my constant disillusion with the subject of relationships. :P All the very best to the happy couple! Next wedding dinner: 21st March!

Secret Garden is giving a concert at the Esplanade on 18th March. It consists of a duo that plays Celtic music, and they may or may not be accompanied by an orchestra when they perform here. Their more famous pieces include "Nocturne", and "You Raise Me Up" ( the latter recently covered by Josh Groban on his Closer album ). Mostly violin and piano, but the melodies are hauntingly beautiful ( or beautifully haunting, haha :)). Promises to be a treat.

And let's not forget the Academy Awards show, which will be telecast live on Singapore TV ( Channel 5 ) tomorrow 9am. I'll be at work, but keeping track via the Internet. Good luck to Peter Jackson! I have no doubts at all that 2004 will be LOTR's year. Finally .

The ER crowd is starting to swell. Don't Singaporeans have anything better to do on a nice Sunday morning? :/