Ugh

First entry of the new year, and I'm down with the flu.

Ironically, the URTI comes a week AFTER I was practically coerced into taking the flu vaccine. Oh well, I gave more than adequate advance warning about going on medical leave should I get sick, so there.

So thanks, once again, to those of you who've been dropping by. Despite my increasingly erratic posting frequency.

What've I been up to since NYE?

The NYE Call

Let's see, the night itself was pretty eventful, yet nowhere as bad as we expected ( probably because one of the MOs on with us has unbelievably good karma ). There was a constant trickle of drunks and traumas, with the occasional nutcase.

Tonnes of kena-whacked-with-spray-cans ( so many that I decided to forget about formal T&S and just go with the Hair Apposition Technique / HAT instead ), kena-bashed-up-for-no-rhyme-or-reason, kena-bashed-up-because-someone-tried-toget-jiggy-with-someone-else's-woman, and one kena-stabbed-in-the-head.

The last was fascinating. Young fellow who claimed some "stranger" decided to stick a 20cm-knife with a 10-cm blade into his right parietal skull, before running away like a yellow-bellied coward.

He saw it fit to run all the way from the Esplanade to our esteemed establishment, was miraculously neurologically intact and, though intoxicated with booze, had the presence of mind to NOT yank the thing out of his head.

We did both skull x-rays and a CT brain. The former gave some indication of the depth of penetration into the cerebral parenchyma, but the latter - unfortunately - didn't. Here's a nice little lesson learnt: a metal blade emits a fierce beam of white light on computed tomography. So all we saw was the weapon going into the bone, then this fan-shaped ray that blotted out everything in its path.

"Hmm," I went.
"Hmm," the neurosurgical registrar concurred.

There's a happy ending to the story, so fret not. The poor guy underwent a craniotomy and a relatively straightforward "foreign body" removal. Last I checked, he was still alive and doing fine.


What Else I've Been Up To

Watched a whole lot of DVDs, for one.

In My Father's Den - NZ production. Compelling. I enjoyed it.

Maria Full Of Grace - stark portrayal of "drug mules" from Mexico. Interesting.

Wedding Crashers - daft, but hilarious. Love Owen Wilson. :)

Must Love Dogs - anything with my fav John Cusack is always a treat. Not his best, but I could care less.

War Of The Worlds - Not bad, but I keep getting this feeling that Spielberg is losing his touch just a tad. Did anyone think the scenes were forced, the ending way too cheesy?

I, Robot - Caught this on cable. Extremely good, I thought, despite its lukewarm box-office performance.


New TV Shows

Grey's Anatomy - Will be reviewing this in greater detail for the SMA News, but first impressions are mixed. A little silly, lots of scandalous affairs, the requisite mawkish reflections on being noble and so on. A definitely guilty pleasure. Airs Monday nights at 11pm on Channel 5. Try it out. ( Patrick Dempsey is hot. :))

4400 - Another Monday night feature, 9pm on cable's Starworld Channel 18. Season 2 is currently airing, but you could always catch Season 1 somewhere, somehow. Excellent series about 4400 ??alien abductees who are suddenly dumped back on Earth, only to discover that a significant number of returnees possess special abilities - some good, others evil. Lots of intrigue and emotional bonds formed and broke in the blink of an eye. Great acting and writing abound. It's my new addiction.

The Apprentice 4 - The Donald's back! And I know who won ( stumbled upon it by accident while watching Larry King Live, darn it ). Some of you may find the tasks repetitive, but us fans know the show's success hinges on the players, with their neuroses, narcissistic personalities and delusions of grandeur. Omarosa II got booted off early ( what's her name again? some Hispanic chick ), so it's up to the rest to keep viewers hooked. Catch them every Sunday night at 10pm on Channel 5.


Fare Thee Well

To "Numb3rs" and "House".

But the latest from "CSI" ( Las Vegas, that is ) is due in February, woohoo!

Other Updates

Radio ads have been running on Gold 90FM for an upcoming concert by Italian tenor Patrizio Buanne. Stay tuned for more details.

Robbie Williams' new album, Intesive Care( which I sat on for a few months before slotting it into my new car's pumping stereo ), is terrific. Loads better than Escapology, just a whisker shy of his best to-date, Sing When You're Winning. Returning to his pop roots and coming up with catchy melodies tinged with a little bit o' country, little bit o' rock, little bit o' dance -- it's a lovely mix topped off by RW's soaring vocals. Maybe it's my hi-fi's super speaker system, but Mr. Williams has never sounded this good before. Go get it. :)


New Links

Under the "Asian medical blogs" category.

Enjoy.


Picture Time

There is, of course, a good reason for my photo choice.

Clay Aiken's sophomore album release is slated for early 2006.

Something to look forward to. :)

Time to take my flu meds. Have a good weekend ( or what's left of it ).