Wrapping Up And Looking Ahead

[why didn't blogger save the post before my browser hanged?! argh!!]

part one
anyway, i'm going to miss the hotel o.n.e. DEM. like, really really miss it. the people, the patients, the "work". yes, it's "work" because students have it easy there - my main job was to set plugs, take blood, and serve the occasional biscuit and milo to hungry patients. none of the "please do not crowd inside my resus room -- only one visitor at a time, not five!" or "i have already explained to your brother/sister, so you should speak to him/her, there's no need to raise your voice at me!" or trying hard not to upset the delicate balance of beds upstairs. i still recall the night where there were no icu beds and the resus was overflowing. haha.

for my part, i'm glad that i am now pretty comfortable with setting plugs and catheterising patients. considering i had done no more than five plugs and had only one extremely embarrassing catheterisation ("it usually doesn't take half an hour") under my belt before i entered this posting, i think that's great. heh.

and who could forget the varied patient encounters? from the sad (old man who lives alone coming in for scabies) to the funny (mdm sing-song, mr i-filled-up-a-feedback-form-praising-you) to the annoying (son who refused to budge from the consult and who glared at the attending doctor with an open look of distrust), i think i can safely say they were probably the most memorable, compared to other postings.

of course, what i miss most would be the doctors. this is the first department where almost everyone was so willing to teach and talk to us. by letting us shadow them from patient to patient, i learnt more than just medical facts. i saw lots of pr skills (man do you need it in the a&e), practical tips (ie ways to *ahem* save time) and kuoli tricks. from the most senior/famous people to the MOs, i was touched and amazed at the spontaneity of teaching. even the busy nurses would grin at us and say "hello". that's what i call a positive experience. heh.

part two
i have these few days as a breather before i fly off to the states. shall be doing 3 weeks in surgical critical care at cedars sinai (aka the britney spears hospital) and followed by 2.5 weeks of traveling. will be doing a little jaunt in and outside california, before flying to new york, new york. am most excited about that part of the trip. nearly hyperventilated when i saw the list of shows on broadway. i want to watch ALL of them! but oh well, based on recommendations and personal interest, i've narrowed the list down to only five(!) shows:

musicals: jersey boys, billy elliot, wicked

plays: cat on a hot tin roof (starring james earl jones!!)


off broadway: john lithgow - stories by heart


i want to watch the musicals because...well, i love musicals. totally dig them. les miz got me hooked and i've been on a roll ever since. i missed the chance of watching nathan lane and matthew broderick in the producers when i was in london, so i mustn't let that happen this time. the two plays are equally enticing - james earl jones in a tennessee williams play and the fantastic john lithgow recounting his early influences as an actor. one word - wow.

seems that billy elliot's already sold out, and tickets to jersey boys are going fast! will have to try my luck at the discount booth (many thanks, dr s-!). before that, i'll have to convince my travelling companions that we must, must, MUST catch something on broadway. heh.

cryptic notes to self
1) much tolerance required
2) such curious creatures they are

ignore me. they're just little notes to remind myself of the frivolity of my (perceived) youth.

it's back to the packing. here's to the land of the free!