To say I had a bad week would be a gross understatement.

Within that short period of time, I witnessed a wide spectrum of disappointing displays of self-righteous arrogance, by both patients and fellow medical colleagues ( not within my department, thankfully ).

Worse still, one lied shamelessly to save his/her own skin, another denigrated my MO's good character, while the last tried to wrestle an MC using fear tactics.

The outcome?

The first, it turns out, has already been exposed thanks to prior statements given to other interviewers, and was severely reprimanded.

The second was proven wrong, thanks to the wonders of hospital computer software, which allows me to track every investigation done, including the ward's discharge summary.

The third didn't succeed in his/her quest for medical leave, even though I was yelled at in public, and hurled a loud threat to "write to the Forum Page".


One of the above events depressed me so terribly because I drew parallels between this incident and another which befell me 7 years ago.

Perhaps due in part to this emotional trauma, a second cycle of inner turmoil surfaced, resulting in my decision to relinquish a rather high-profile position in a bid to save my health and sanity.

Fortunately, everything is almost completely resolved. And despite persuasion to rejoin the group, I maintain that I made the right choice, as evidenced by a liberating sensation of a heavy burden being lifted off my constricted chest.

Now if only I can get myself removed from the mailing list. Stop wreaking havoc with my mailbox, argh!


The bottomline: I'm getting insomnia thinking about the state of the local medical profession.

You can draw your own conclusions.


The Return

...of Grey's Anatomy, woohoo!

I've grown very fond of this show, which I admit started off with a nauseating overdose of melodrama, but gained a huge fanbase for its smart scripts which, though implausible ( bomb disasters, Florence Nightingale scenarios, all that sex pre-, during and post-call ), grabbed our eyeballs and refused to let go.

I managed to latch on to a few favourites -- the recurring theme of betrayal in its many varied forms; George O'Malley, whose unrequited love, kindness and sincerity tore me to pieces; Isabel Stevens, the perfect blonde beauty whose doomed romance with end-stage cardiac failure patient Denny was the pinnacle of television emoting ( I cry every time I watch that heartrending scene where she begs him to stay alive for her *sniff* ).

Last night's premiere of Season 3 was slightly disappointing, mostly because of the unnecessary bawling scene involving Miranda ( aka The Nazi ) and a patient who lost his wife ( the guy being Eugene from The Practice ). Good thing I recorded it, 'cos I pressed the fast-forward button really hard during this segment.

In any case, I've already read the episode guide online, so I know what transpires -- at least in the finale.

But I'm still gonna jump on the rollercoaster ride. I'm nothing if not loyal. :)


Finished, At Last!

Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows, that is.

Took me almost a month -- as a friend put it, yes I'm "pathetic". :)

But that's what happens when you do all your reading at bed-time. The sad part is, I used it as a sedative. And a very effective one at that!

I'm sorry, man. JK Rowling's writing skills have deteriorated awfully. The plot meanders too often for comfort ( I absolutely detest all those lengthy bits where Harry and his pals Disapparate from one hiding spot to another, where they scrounge for food and plan their next move for weeks and weeks on end. ).

Call me dense, but I failed to make a connection between all that mumbo-jumbo about the Deathly Hallows and the Horcruxes. The finale was limp, the epilogue cheesy.

I love the concept of Harry Potter, and consider the first 3 books among the best I've read.

But I'm saddened by the franchise's undignified closure. Surely Harry deserved much better.

There is, however, one good and memorable line on page 575:

"...perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who, like you, have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well."

Let's see how Rowling fares with her Scottish crime thriller.

I still recommend John Berendt to anyone who'll listen. :)


I also recommend Numb3rs ( link available on the right ), which is getting super cheem these days. Listening to the dialogue is a major intellectual workout, requiring some degree of additional processing before I fully comprehend what the heck they just said.

Ahh, but how I love the vocabulary acrobatics! All those algorithms and mathematical theorems! Particle kinetics, waveform analyses, hypotheses, etc!

They make it look so easy, with cool examples drawn from everyday life, applied to a math genius' interpretation.

Truly one of the smartest TV series around. I'm a geek through and through. :)


And speaking of geeks...

On The Lot - The Finale

Sadly, this reality show failed to live up to many expectations.

It had a promising start, but lost steam somewhere in the middle, and fizzled at the end.

The last 3 episodes were dull, to say the least. At a crucial point where the top directors are fighting for a dream job, the producers elected to HAVE REPEAT SCREENINGS OF THE CONTESTANTS' PREVIOUS WORK?!?

Anyway, was hoping Zach Lipovsky would win the title, but Will Bigham got it. I personally thought Adam Stein was the strongest contender post-Zach, but hey, as long as Jason didn't emerge the victor, I'm happy.


Going to play some Internet games now. Need to relax.