'Tis A Good Thing Indeed

... to be on call the night of the opening World Cup match. :)

Managed to watch the ENTIRE game during the shift, with supper to boot.

Saw around 10 cases -- unbelievable for our ER on a Friday night.

No resuscitations.

Only a couple of drunks. Guess they partied all night and never showed till later ( I'm assuming the morning shift may have suffered the consequences ).

Didn't sleep ( habit of mine ), but kept awake playing every single game on this website. Addictive -- you've been warned!

Another month to go before the football madness ends. I could get used to this. :)


P.S. Not that I'm a fan, but that last goal from Germany by the blonde guy was a thing of beauty. And Klose's quite good-looking. Yes, that's all the commentary I can provide about this baffling sport ( men chasing a ball -- ooh, how exciting ). But at least I finally understand what "offside" means, thanks to a very patient MO who explained the whole concept to me.


Holding Back The Years

Read a couple of old entries last night, namely those penned during the last months of the 2003 SARS crisis.

To be frank, I miss the heated essay-writing. Took up a lot of my time, but it was one of the most important chapters in my life, and the words continue to resonate to this day.

I'm not going to lie and say that I'm afforded great freedom of expression. I know I'm being closely watched, and that "certain people" won't hesitate to take action if I'm deemed too much of a loose cannon.

But is speaking the truth such a bad thing? Is there anything wrong with stating the facts? How can anyone in his/her right mind expect doctors, who have brains and spirit and opinions, to live their lives like the unsuspecting humans in The Matrix, fully accepting of the virtual bliss they're presented with, oblivious to the little red flags sprouting here and there?

Alas, none of this can be solved anytime soon. But I sincerely hope that it will be. Someday.


Munich

Felt it fit to dose myself with some history about the 1972 Olympics, since I'll be visiting the city next month.

Rented the Steven Spielberg film, which is, IMHO, totally deserving of a Best Picture Oscar.

Yes, I've seen Crash and Brokeback Mountain. Both excellent in their own right, but Munich is in an entirely different league altogether.

As haunting as Schindler's List, and as action-packed as Minority Report. The script is exquisite, the acting unsurpassed.

Methinks the Academy made a mistake this year.


At Last

A meeting after more than 3 years. A proper dinner after 6.

Not sure how it turned out to be this way, but I am greatly looking forward to it.

Perhaps I'll write about it, or perhaps I won't. Let's play this one by ear. :)


Reviews


Criminal Minds delves into familiar territory, as I've been fascinated by criminal profiling since my college days ( ask my GP tutor how many essays I wrote about serial killers, haha ). I've read almost every book famed FBI agent John Douglas has written, and I'm a huge fan of TV series and movies which deal with similar themes.

My first impression of CM is... not that good. Granted, there's Mandy Patinkin and Thomas Gibson ( both Chicago Hope alumni and among my favourites from that show ). Yes, they hunted a brutal psycho in the pilot, complete with frenetic chase scenes and harried group discussions.

But in the end, it all felt too easy. Compacting everything into 1 hour isn't realistic for a story of this scope, but somehow, CSI and Numb3rs ( the latter also involving the FBI ) manage to do it with effortless finesse.

Guess it all comes down to pacing. Too many red herrings can ruin the whole stew. Best to keep those to a minimum -- just enough to jolt once in a while, but not too many to get your synapses in a twist.

Haven't heard rave reviews for this so far. From the producers of Grey's Anatomy, but not up to par with the medical series as yet.


Commander In Chief fared much better. Boasting a tight cast which includes Geena Davis and Donald Sutherland, the storyline -- though ludicrous by present standards -- managed to compel.

Look out for the guy who plays her son -- gorgeous fellow. And I mean REALLY gorgeous. :)


Concerts!

Sinatra in sneakers cometh! HATE the "Beckham of jazz" nickname though. Write-up to follow.

Robbie Williams is confirmed for a show here 18th November. If, like me, you're a member of the Inner Sanctum club, you get priority booking ( starts 19th June ).

AND IF YOU HAVEN'T ATTENDED ANY OF HIS PERFORMANCES BEFORE, THEN FOR PETE'S SAKE GRAB A SEAT AND GET YOUR ASS DOWN THERE PRONTO, 'COS HE IS PHENOMENAL.

My mom loves him too ( believe it! ). She's hoping he'll do a few of his jazz numbers, but I'll take anything he hurls my way. :)


Wishing you a good week ahead.