Brief Entry

Was contemplating a lengthy post, being on leave and all, but lost steam somewhere along the way. Time has passed too quickly for my liking, and I am NOT looking forward to returning to work in 2 days' time.

Thanks to a blogger friend in Canada, I notice visits from the Western hemisphere due to the swine flu outbreak, which I briefly mentioned last weekend.

There's a high chance you will read more from me once I'm back in what I call "the hot zone" on Monday, but since Singapore is still quite distant from the main cluster ( USA and Mexico ), my comments are unlikely to be as anxious as those from the 2003 SARS episode.

I have, however, been receiving updates from friends in the ER and wards, and my mailbox continues to be flooded with the latest management protocols for suspected cases. SARS has taught us well, so the measures being taken - though some may consider rather extreme - are fully welcomed by those of us working the trenches.

Ironically, healthcare institutions - with their stringent isolation protocols and 1-visitor-a-day rules - may end up being the safest locations, since I have absolutely zero faith in Singaporeans' sense of civic responsibility. Despite our Health Minister's appeals which made headlines today, I am not hopeful where the locals' personal habits are concerned. As soon as H1N1 hits our shores for whatever reason, I am certain it will spread like wildfire until Singaporeans are forced to stay home, either by the authorities or out of fear, which is what happened in 2003.

But try telling that to my mom, who's already close to freaking out since my leave ends this weekend. Not again, she says, and who can blame her? She still remembers my close brush with a SARS patient who died during my night call but who wasn't diagnosed with the illness till a couple of days later. Those of us who came into contact with her were fortunate because she turned out to be a "non-spreader", and although I took the news calmly and endured the next 14 days of hospital phone calls checking on my health ( I wasn't even granted leave from work due to the manpower shortage ) without breaking a sweat, I don't want to put my parents through that agony again.

Plus, I was in the medical ward back then. This time, it's the ER, which is 100 times more dangerous.

I don't know if age has hardened me, or whether my experience from the SARS epidemic accounts for my current state of mind. My mom asks how I can stay so cool about the possibility of a global pandemic. I don't have a ready answer, but like all my frontline medical colleagues out there, we realize we have a job to do, and accept the responsibilities thrust upon us. And since Singaporeans are famous for not appreciating healthcare workers, an outbreak like this every 5 years serves as a good wake-up call.


On a less depressing note, Wolverine was a nice way to kickstart my movie-going spree. Hugh Jackman is the best reason to watch this otherwise fluffy flick, but the special effects are also pretty awesome ( especially a sequence with Deadpool using his sword to slice bullets ). Taylor Kitsch who plays Gambit proved to be quite the breakout performer. Strong resemblance to James Franco, but better-looking.

Next films on my list: Star Trek ( trailer is unbelievable! ), followed by Angels & Demons ( superb novel, and I've been on the official Rome tour, so it better not disappoint! ).

Another recommendation: The Jane Austen Book Club, which I recently saw on cable. Typical female angst stuff, but I've developed a great affinity for Hugh Dancy, who is adorable as a younger man who pursues an older woman ( played by Maria Bello ). There's a lunch scene where the sunlight illuminates his face, and he looks absolutely gorgeous!
Sorry, I have hormones, okay? :)

Last but not least, the abominable results from this week's American Idol, where poor Adam was in the bottom 2, and Allison was safe! Huh?! This had better not happen again!

On the upside, Taylor Hicks performed, which was a surprise since the last time I read about him and AI, they'd parted on bad terms after creative disagreements.
He's lost a lot of weight, looked and sounded great, and got a standing ovation from all 4 judges ( an even bigger surprise! ).

Next week's theme: Rock! Adam is going to blow the roof off the place, and the fans had better vote for him this time!

Battling insomnia again. Time to visit YouTube. :)