You Were Saying?

Okay, if you're one of the impatient ones, skip ahead to the bottom of this entry if you really want to get the mystery over and done with. But bear in mind I'll feel rather insulted. :)

Updates

Now to catch up with the rest of my boring life. Or more accurately, another venting session to get past, heh heh.

Get a load of last night's massive blackout. My neighbourhood was one of the many affected areas, and from my particular vantage point -- above the 10th floor, facing a wide open space -- the view was nothing short of spectacular. I was sitting by the living room window when it happened, and caught all the action in its full glory. After heaving a huge sigh of relief ( I'd just stepped out of the elevator 10 minutes earlier, whew! ), I stood leaning out the windowsill for the next 15 minutes, holding a cold drink and taking everything in. Here's some interesting behaviour I observed ( and which occurs all over the island, according to other friends who suffered the same fate yesterday ):

1. People tend to yell and scream for the fun of it
2. People enjoy shining their torches out the windows
3. Furious SMS-ing occurs

Fortunately, there was only one traffic accident during the whole episode -- a taxi driver who crashed while trying to U-turn on a pitch dark road. No looting to speak of, a few public-spirited individuals voluntarily directing traffic, Geylang late-nighters turning on their parked car headlights to illuminate the streets... I must say, I'm duly impressed!

As for me, I didn't scream or wave my torchlight at others. But I did SMS quite a few people, and we had a good laugh about it. It was surreal but peaceful, seeing the expansive park next to my estate shrouded in darkness, the many high-rise buildings looking eerie ( and haunted, no thanks to my overactive imagination ), fearing for the safety of the drivers who gamely pushed on despite the lack of traffic lights.

When the power came back on, it seemed as if someone had flipped the Christmas lights switch. One by one, blocks of apartments, houses, carparks were once again illuminated. Cheers went up all around and before long, life went back to normal.

Of course, I was one of the lucky ones who endured only 20 minutes of power failure. Others were put out of their misery only 2 hours later. But then, a few may have slept through it completely, waking blurry-eyed the next day, shocked by the newspaper headlines.

And don't forget, someone's head might roll for this one. ;)


Movie Reviews

Rented, naturally. :) This will be the last batch for now. No more till my exams are done with! Well, maybe I'll just quickly skim through Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights. Diego Luna. Yum. :P

Here's what I watched this week.

Bruce Almighty -- Surprisingly good, even though it might make some Christians uncomfortable. I have a high humour threshold ( not the toilet variety though ), and had a great time. Jim Carrey pulls off a wacky yet sympathetic performance, and like in Liar Liar, teaches us a few important lessons. Jennifer Aniston seems a little redundant though.

Down With Love -- Starring the perky Renee Zellwegger and boyish/roguish Ewan McGregor, this is a snappy romantic comedy in the vein of old-time classics, where wit is the ultimate aphrodisiac, and jazz is all the rage. Casting is vital, and I doubt any other leads would've pulled this one off as well. But the soundtrack -- aaahhhh :) -- now that is divine. Darn, should've bought it when I passed by the CD store the other day. *slaps forehead*

Girl With The Pearl Earring -- Do you like slow-burners? If you answered yes, then you'll definitely like this film. Hollywood's all abuzz about Scarlett Johansson's "potential", but I watched for one reason only: Colin Firth. :D And he does not disappoint. Beautifully made, captivating from beginning to end. Worth every second of your precious time.

Beyond Borders -- Angelina Jolie is insignificant when placed right smack next to firecracker Clive Owen. The latter plays a renegade International Red Cross volunteer ( a surgeon, no less ), and the first hour admittedly holds you in rapt attention. The second half, however, sags. And the sole saving grace? You guessed it -- Owen himself. This guy is reportedly in the running for the next James Bond gig, together with Ewan McGregor ( too cutesy, and smiles too much ) and Jude Law ( too blonde, a bit too perfect-looking ). No prizes for wondering whom I'm rooting for. :) Yeah, Clive does a fantastic doctor portrayal. And believe it or not, he's also extremely handsome, in a rugged, tortured, British sort of way. ;) I already found him sexy in The Bourne Identity ( where he appeared for a total of maybe 5 minutes ), so Beyond Borders was a massive overdosage. Better stop now before I make someone nauseous. :)


Almost Ending

...but not before I say a big THANK YOU to Clay Aiken, for amazingly autographing a picture I sent TEN MONTHS AGO, through friends of his in Raleigh. It shows a group of ER nurses and I holding resus room equipment, together with the Rolling Stone magazine with Clay on the cover last June.
His signature appears in the most ingenious position -- the bright orange spinal board we were all hanging on to. His scrawl is unmistakeable. And there're fingerprints (??his) on the glossy surface too! :D
Even better, the photo was sent to my previous hospital ( not the department itself ), with only my given name ( no surname ), and was somehow directed to my current department, with the addition of my title to the front of my name somewhere along the way. Very close call, but what can I say, seeing it before my shift this morning MADE MY ENTIRE YEAR.
Thank you again! :))


And Here's What You've Been Waiting For ( Maybe )

The Joint Venture is none other than The Lingual Nerve, a group medical blog that features 7 doctor-authors from countries like the US, England and Australia ( oh yeah, add Singapore to the list :)). It's been in the making since March, and we're elated to present this to you now.

My fellow partners run their own personal blogs, all of which make for very compelling reading, and never fail to make me laugh when I need to most. It is a privilege to work with them, and we hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as we love writing for you.

And guess what? It's just 10 after midnight Singapore time. July 1st. A milestone perhaps? Time will tell.

Enjoy! And many thanks for your support.