Random Musings

Off-days will do this to you. That and 2 morning hours wasted waiting in the condo for the Singtel technician to hook up a second phone line. 9-11am my eye. He didn't show up till 10:35am, by which time I was getting an ulcer thanks to the Singtel operator, who kept disregarding my "When the heck is the guy coming?" question and hitting me with useless "What seems to be the problem with the line?" comebacks. Glad that's over and done with.

Nothing much happened yesterday. Got a haircut, arranged yet another blogger get-together ( wow, they rhyme :)), watched a video recording of "Minority Report" and found a major glitch that was quite annoying, especially since I have immense respect for Steven Spielberg's work. Do you want to know what it is?

*Spoiler alert if you haven't seen it yet.*


In one tense scene, Lamar ( this old fellow who founded and heads the pre-crime department ) shoots Colin Farrell's character in the chest. Shocking, yes, but as I thought about it some more, I realized that the pre-cogs didn't predict it. But then again, is it because Agatha was being dragged around by John Anderton ( Tom Cruise ) at the time? After she was returned to the lab, she and the other two predicted that Lamar would kill Anderton. So does this crime prediction thing work only when all 3 of them are together?
I guess I could rewind and check this out for myself, but I'm pretty sure at least one of the readers here can provide an answer. Thanks in advance, by the way. :)

I'm feeling quite rejuvenated, even though I had only one full day off work. It being a Monday was definitely an added incentive, heh heh. :D I'm now on night again, with no idea what my April 1st shift is, but it's an "all-star team" this evening -- me, plus a very experienced senior MO, a more junior guy who's really nice and works hard, and the sweetest registrar anyone could ever ask for. Must volunteer to stay in resus all night, haha.

A visit to the SNEC with my mom for her eye appointment this afternoon was... interesting. Her surgeon happens to be the SNEC director. His reputation as an excellent ophthalmologist, however, is well-known, and he performed nothing short of a miracle with my mom's complicated condition. But he's also a man of few words, maybe a bit gruff at times, so people tend to tip-toe around him, including myself. :) He was in a good mood today, though. My mom insists that he recognizes me because of my affiliation with the SMA News, Sensory, and occasional ranting emails to the SMC, and is pretty sure he spotted me standing silently by the door to his room as he examined her. I really can't say, 'cos I was dressed casually and probably not looking doctor-ish in t-shirt, jeans and slippers, but before we left, he said, "Thank you very much" to us, which has never happened before in the 18 months we've known him. My mom thinks it has something to do with my blog entries -- ie. the ones where I blasted the Forum for printing incorrect accusations directed against the SNEC. How he could've found out about them, I really don't know. Whether he alluded to my writing when he said "Thank you" -- could be a long shot. In any case, my mom and I were pleasantly surprised, and greatly appreciate it. :)

And speaking of writing, while driving to the hospital just now, my med school interview suddenly popped into my head. ( I'd earlier dreamt about resuscitating a major trauma patient during an afternoon nap -- must be the nonya fried rice I ate for lunch. :))
A member of the panel -- whose name tag I never read 'cos I was so nervous -- asked about my JC civics tutor's testimonial, which mentioned how letters of mine had been published in both local and foreign print media. He then queried if I'd continue writing once I'd become a full-fledged doctor. My answer was yes, then he replied, "What if you don't have the time to do so?" My response: "Then I'll make sure I find the time." I'm glad I fulfilled that promise. I wonder if the interviewer in question remembers our conversation?

I shall end today's entry with an explanation that re-minisce has been asking for: Why did I think he ( re-minisce ) would look like my ex?

It's simple. And Re-m, don't take this the wrong way. The reason is: your style of writing is a lot like his, and to be fair, my ex has an affinity for language ( both English and Mandarin ). We met through the Internet after all, and I was first drawn by his words, not knowing what he looked like till more than a year later, when he finally introduced himself to me. Daily phone conversations thereafter somehow never captured the magic of our numerous email exchanges, but he did write me some lovely cards and letters ( the latter during a short elective stint in China ). I even kept these for a time after the breakup, though I detested him thoroughly. I guess I did so because they were, in fact, beautiful missives reflecting everything I'd ever hoped for, even if that dream was ultimately shattered. ( FYI, I chucked them out eventually. :))

I've read re-minisce's prose for quite a while now. His entries about a certain female from his past are some of his best, and not unlike what my ex once penned. This, I suppose, is the only parallel I draw between you two, but it somehow made me think there'd also be a physical resemblance, which there isn't. Which, I repeat, is a good thing. :P

Funny how Urgh and its various hybrids have a habit of showing up whenever I say something unflattering about the ex. Hmmm...

Here's something funny the ER nurses told me the other night.
Nasty NSboy to my ER chief : I DEMAND to speak to your supervisor!

:D