i am algae (unofficial term for slave)

HAPPIE BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAREST SISTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! also currently known as "guano" -> bat's droppings. haha dont ask me why... heehee.

its our 3rd last day of SIP today. hmm. mixed feelings, dont really know what to day right now. brought my camera to sch hoping to take photos with all the nurses and the drs, but didnt have the chance! a very unexpectedly busy day...

Mdm SRF had to have a lumbar puncture today, and it turned out that hers was extremely difficult to do. adrian, leonard and dr raymond all attempted but failed. can see that she was in extreme pain, but was still trying to be brave and cheery about it! felt really sorry for her when she finally teared when they declare the procedure a failure and said they would not attempt anymore today. SIGH. poor thing. i would never want to have a LP done on me. all my adipose tissue would prob get in the way and i would end up being poked many many times. =P

today harry and dobby gave us tutorial! wah our mos are really nice lor. (except that dobby told us bluntly that we do not qualify as amoebae, we are only algae status) took us through two cases, one a pt with ascites and cushingoid features. diagnosis? chronic renal failure with renal transplant done, cushingoid due to steroids for immunosuppression, with gouty tophi as the impaired kidneys couldnt excrete uric acid. FWAH. *jaw drops* it's amazing how nicely everything fits in!! the 2nd case was a rheumatoid arthritis, and needless to say, yours truly has all but forgotten everything about RA. stress! did an extremely poor examination, haha oops! luckily they were kind and didnt lambast me too badly. wah but the way they presented the case was excellent lor. i think i may never get to their level. aiyo having a case of "i feel stupid" again!

as i went past the high-dependency ward today, i saw relatives crowding around a bed, sobbing quietly. one of them was a JC student. and it dawned on me that they were the relatives of the extremely ill Mdm E. sigh. i have never seen the patient awake and conversant before, so i guess subconsciously i didnt feel really upset for her, as in i feel pity but it doesnt really register that she had been a wife, a loving mother, a friend, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, to someone in this world. seeing them around her, crying, it really pains me. Mdm E was but 50 yrs old, and although i am but a student, i think her prognosis isnt that great. i can't imagine how i would feel if my loved one is the one lying there, fighting for her life. Life is indeed very fragile. We must all cherish the people around us.

On a happier note, we went out with the team today!!!! as dr teoh said," Slaves are seldom paid but are often fed," wise words indeed! dr teoh, liqi, adrian and leonard all went, and EN QY and I went as well! also had dr kanna (?), who is extremely funny although there were a few occasions when i didnt know if i shld laugh or "strangle" him... heh. quite sad that dr raymond and dr amy did not go though, sigh! nor did dr vijay. =((( but it was quite a lovely dinner, dr teoh brought us to Streeters on keong saik st, nice spanish tapas! yum. this first time i am eating tapas lor, it is quite delicious! supposedly this street has some brothels one. and thats when i realised my mos know quite alot about brothels!!! *suspicious* hah ok no lah it's because they were actually brought into the brothels as part of COFM in the med sch yrs! not fair! how come i didnt have! seems like an interesting thing! haiyo wasted. had a nice chat with the mos, and i discovered adrian and leonard were both from hcjc too! ha so qiao! must say they dont strike me as hcjcians though... and best of all, adrian gave us a ride home! luckily he stay so near, else i have to take cab back to celeb my sis's bdae liao! (but i feel bad; imagine a multicellular organism giving algae a lift...)

ooo ok. looks like i gotta sleep. hopefully we will get to go out tmr if the post-call ppl arent too tired!!! plsplspls dont be tired! ha. yay! next week go ktv with shi-fu! have to stock up on nin jiom liao...