First Things First

I PASSED! Woohoo!

Now that THAT'S out of the way, it's back to reality. In hindsight, I suppose I could've / should've taken more leave, but I'm rather protective of my vacation time so am saving it for a proper holiday later this year.

I will say this though: I'm looking forward to a pay rise. :)


Additional Links

A warm welcome to new additions Avaris and Monash Medical Student. Great writing.


Review of 3Lbs

Pilot episode was terrific, IMHO. Not sure if any of you caught it, but my enjoyment stems mainly from noticing numerous similarities between lead character Doug Hanson and another senior surgeon I know personally.

A memorable line has a young, more sensitive colleague telling a patient, "He won't hold your hand - he doesn't know how." before stating that if it were HIS own daughter, he would trust Hanson with her life.

I can't tell you who the local surgeon is, of course. But he's brilliant, though not exactly a "people person". And just like Hanson, who showed a secret moment of kindness when he whispered words of consolation to a patient who couldn't hear him ( she had an iPod plugged in ), this surgeon did the same thing with one of his own cases, as related firsthand by his assistant in the OT.

Pity it's on indefinite hiatus. I think it's pretty good.


ER Quote

"I find myself searching for reasons not to hate my patients."

-- psychiatrist Div Cvetic, who went on to suffer depression and a mental breakdown, before abruptly quitting and moving to who knows where

There're times when I share this feeling, but it usually passes -- with the help of some vegging out in front of the TV, time spent with friends and family, a holiday, or perhaps, a pay rise ( haha ).

Still, there's nothing else in this world I'd rather be doing. So make sure you choose wisely when it's your turn.


Eric Clapton Rocks!

Unbeknownst to many, I attended the concert, despite it being 3 days away from my exit. I'm not a diehard fan, but went primarily to (1) see the legendary Slowhand in action, and (2) experience what truly great blues really sounds like.

Familiarity with John Mayer's music ( he's widely touted as Clapton's successor ) certainly helped, and I was completely blown away by what I saw and heard. He may be 61 years old, but he's still rocking hard, and gave an energetic performance from beginning to end.

Funny how a bespectacled, nondescript-looking Brit with a receding chin ( I kept wondering how difficult he'd be to intubate, yikes! ) can be hailed as a rock / blues legend. But the 10,000-strong crowd ( a significant portion comprising expats ) was also mostly middle-aged, and boy did they head-bang and gyrate along, especially during the faster numbers.

Pernnial favourites Layla and Wonderful Tonight were done flawlessly, though I prefer the latter and wish he'd opted for the acoustic version of the former instead of all that heavy electric guitar jamming.

Best bit? A short segment after the 1st 2-3 pieces, when he pulled up a stool, switched to an acoustic guitar and did a solo of a classic blues number ( let me know the title 'cos I don't recognize it ).

If only he'd talked a little more instead of zooming through the repertoire, which made everything seem extremely rushed.

Other than that little complaint, I think my money was definitely well-spent. :)


More writing to follow another day. Don't forget to catch American Idol 6 tonight!