The Volcano Erupteth

It's been -- let's see -- 4 years since my last major meltdown directed at a junior doctor. And boy, did this guy deserve it.

He'd already chalked up a significant degree of notoriety in a previous posting, and proved no different in our ER. The nurses and most of the MOs and seniors have been suffering in silence, with a counselling session thrown in a few months ago, but alas, to no avail.

So today was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, I suppose. Me being the camel, haha.

It wasn't pleasant for either of us, and I felt compelled to write a heated email to my fellow senior ER physicians. The last time I resorted to such tactics was during an internal med rotation, when a certain HO routinely switched his pager off ( day and night ), missed all the serial ECGs and cardiac enzymes, and ordered crazy ( not to mention dangerous ) treatments for our hapless, unsuspecting patients.

Fortunately, he bucked up big time after I submitted a formal written report and crucified him, prompting a whole string of consultants ( including the HOD ) to issue a stern warning and a failing grade should he persist.

However, I gave him the credit he deserved, even helping him clerk cases one busy night when I clearly saw how hard he was trying. We parted ways on amicable terms, and I hope he learnt a valuable lesson from the experience, even if he still curses me under his breath now and then.

THIS GUY, on the other hand, doesn't have youthful ignorance as a defense. Nor does he demonstrate any willingness to change for the better. Which is much, much worse.

We've got to clamp down on this nonsense RIGHT NOW, before something really bad happens. Too many sick patients on our hands...


Where's Taylor Hicks?

AI6 is into its 2nd week / 4th episode, and all I can say is: Taylor is one tough act to beat.

Clay Aiken will always be one of my all-time faves, but Taylor has such star quality he's likely to outlast the former ( at least at the rate things are going -- Clay, you need to record a good Christian song album instead of sticking to all those noisy rock/pop pieces ).

I recently caught Taylor on Larry King Live, looking super-lean and full of confidence, and found myself beaming from ear to ear. And Amazon just earned some money from me, since I still can't find Taylor's CD anywhere in Singapore.

But I digress. AI6's "cream of the crop" so far has been rather... disappointing. Sure, there were a few "hot" ones ( in Randy-speak ), but nobody truly stood out, or more importantly, gave me goosebumps.

Taylor did that the first time I saw his audition -- Las Vegas, singing A Change Is Gonna Come, followed by a Ray Charles number. Wow. I pictured him as the Idol winner right then and there. No such vision yet for AI6.

I am, however, watching Jason "Sundance" Head, son of the late Roy Head, who was also a singer ( though I don't know his music ). Sundance has a set of powerful pipes and a very unique look ( stocky, with a long beard and a rather Bohemian style of dressing ). Reminds me a lot of the lead singer from Rascal Flatts. And boy do I like him. :)


My New Fix

He looks like Peter Jackson, but has a Spanish accent. And his films are just WONDERFUL -- even though I've only seen 2 of them. ( Hey, you can tell a lot from just a little. Just look at Christopher Nolan. )

I'm talking about Guillermo del Toro, the 2 films being The Devil's Backbone and Hellboy. The former is a spine-chilling horror thriller ( in Spanish ), the second a superb adaptation of a cult comic series, featuring an unconventional protagonist which looks creepy but manages to earn the viewer's respect and empathy through some seriously nifty character development. Oh, and the action scenes rock! :)

I can't wait to get my hands on Pan's Labyrinth.


And speaking of labyrinth, I just bought Sting's latest release ( Songs from the Labyrinth ) and couldn't even get through the first half. Very tedious, very depressing. This, coming from a diehard Sting fan.

Never mind, am now placing an order for his ( darn expensive ) Sting At The Movies album. Amazon's terrific. :)


Splurge

Why do I always spend more on others than I do on myself when I celebrate? A posh dinner with my parents, a huge catered lunch for the department, perhaps more treats for selected friends and relatives...

Hence my biggest spree on Amazon since... well, ever. Getting pretty sick of the local music scene, which doesn't have what I want. Hip-hop nauseates me, rock gives me a headache, and pop is becoming pure drivel ( Paris Hilton cut a CD -- is this the world I live in? Shoot me now. ).

Will review my new buys in, say, a month. Takes 3 weeks for the package to arrive, but it's well worth the wait.

Enjoy the weekend.