You're Welcome

'Cos I know you're going to say "Thank you." :)

Found yet another blog worth reading, with the appropriate link put up on my side.

I just find it funny that:

1) Local doctors seem to complain a lot.
2) Singlish makes the entries so much more entertaining ( now why didn't I ever think of that!? )
3) More of us are making the effort to write about our work. Which is definitely a good thing, but for whom exactly, I'll let you decide.

All I can say is, I think I should retire soon and let the new ( ??young ) ones take over. :)


Oh Wait, One More

Found it among the site referrals to my blog.

Returning the favour, and with a salute to your terrific writing.

I could ask you to lighten up a little, but where would be the fun in that? A local Dr. Gregory House in the making, yay. ;)


Did You Know?

1. Oh yes, I failed to mention that I've started a new blog, where I really let loose with my opinions about my patients and The Profession. Of course, I can't possibly let anyone know where it is. Sad, though necessary. But ooooohhhhhhh, the catharsis! :D

2. Real quote

Unreasonable patient: Wah, I waited 20 minutes to see you!

Consultant: Really? I've waited 20 years to see you .

My thanks to an ex-JC mate who provided this tidbit during our friends' recent wedding dinner.

And I even managed to guess the consultant's name correctly - on the first try some more, heh heh.

Something David Shore from "House, MD" may be interested in? :)

3. A certain local paper has been "advised" on its habit of printing complaint letters before the respective hospitals have a chance to investigate and reply.

So I'm telling you now that if this happens again, IT ISN'T SUPPOSED TO, and presumably this means some drastic measures are warranted.

4. According to a lawyer friend, IDIOTS WHO IMPLICATE THE WRONG HOSPITAL IN MEDICAL MISMANAGEMENT CLAIMS ( especially in a medium as public as say, The Forum Page ) CAN BE SLAPPED WITH LIBEL SUITS.

5. Blogging about your patients and being as vague about it as possible offers no protection whatsoever.

Someone learnt this lesson the hard way recently, and I certainly hope he's holding up okay. But fret not - just start a new blog, pretend to be from some Western country, and everything will be fine. :)


Klazz Brothers & Cuban Percussion - Esplanade Theatre, September 12 2005

This is the 2nd time I've watched their show, mainly because I wanted to bring my mom along. Turned out to be one terrific evening!

I'm extremely pleased they changed venue on their return trip to Singapore, picking this beautiful concert hall instead of the cultural centre at NUS. You can't truly enjoy jazz in a bloody lecture theatre, for crying out loud. The Esplanade, on the other hand, offers great acoustics, grand surroundings, and if I'm not mistaken, tends to attract a different crowd ( ie. one that's a lot more cosmopolitan and hence, much more enthusiastic about jazz ).

[ I mentioned the Esplanade to one of the group members last year. Wonder if that made a difference? :) ]

The first half was a little slow, as expected ( happened previously as well ). But the 2nd hour ROCKED!

Repertoire comprised mainly tracks from the Classic Meets Cuba album, with a cool reworking of The Girl From Ipanema from the follow-up Jazz Meets Cuba record. There were also new pieces in the form of Mozart's Turkish March and a wonderful cover of the Charlie Chaplin composition, Smile.

The stage was as sparse as you can possibly get - just a black curtain as the backdrop, with instruments evenly laid out across the available space. Save the cute outfit co-ordination ( white tuxedos ), these guys have few gimmicks to show off, and let their music and talent do most of the talking.

Well, bassist Kilian Forster filled in most of the gaps with his witty chatter, but otherwise, it was just good jazz / classics / salsa all the way. Pianist Tobias ( Kilian's brother ) is clearly the crowd favourite, with his amazing precision and breath-taking solo of an original Prelude No. 1 ( retitled Ballad No. 1 this year, I notice ).

Everyone lapped up drummer Tim Hahn's instructions on using the "egg-shaker" thingy ( there's a proper name for it, but I have no idea what the heck that is ), with 2 women gamely sashaying along with the Cubans during the finale - one of them even obliged with her own solo performance!

What really made the night an enjoyable one is the audience, the audience, the audience. They were obviously all ready to let their hair down and boogie, and by the end of the concert, every single person was on his / her feet, whooping and whistling and applauding with hands high in the air.

I don't think the guys expected such a warm welcome, and they looked immensely moved by the unbelievable response.

I've got their newest CD, Symphonic Salsa, playing on the car stereo. It's got some excellent tracks in there, including their takes on Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite and Johann Strauss' Blue Danube. Production isn't perfect ( piano and strings could be louder ), but it's definitely good stuff. Hopefully, they'll come back for a 3rd show next year ( when they release their next album, Mozart Meets Cuba ). Perhaps a portion of the SSO can keep them company, especially on those awesome trumpet bits.


Italian Trip Entry

Will be postponed for now. Yes, I'm STILL tired. And the rest of this week is probably going to kill me. Anyhow, I plan to write about Michelangelo's Statue of David next. In a word: WOW.