祸不单行

I've been very unlucky lately.

It started with my being a scapegoat for someone's blunder serious enough that a letter of apology to the head of the department was obligatory. It's extremely mortifying when we're given a stern telling-off. What really got on my nerves was the refusal of one of the main perpetrators to own up to the mistake and his accusation that the rest were more guilty.

You know how the truth always becomes convoluted by rumours or when the person spreading them wants to portray himself as being more victimized and less guilty. Despicable! I guess I'm kinda notorious now. Certain things take years to be built and yet it's so fragile that it can be marred within seconds. A good reputation just happens to fall under this category.

When things like this take place, you can tell who your friends are. However, I think the practical thing to do now is not to linger on the past but to learn from the mistake and be more cautious in future.

Apart from that, I injured my right index finger by accident in the gym a few days back. I'm not a frequent gym-goer. I was merely acting upon the suggestions of a few friends who unanimously agreed that I should give it a try. I wasn't familiar with the equipment and that's how I got a laceration on the palmar surface of my right index finger.

My roommate rushed me to the nearest hospital where I received two sutures and some chloramphenicol ointment plus a course of oral antibiotic for RM 1. Guess that's the upside of seeking treatment in a government hospital. Unbelievably cheap. Nevertheless, the waiting can be frustrating.

There's still some tingling sensation and numbness over the tip of my finger. It affects my writing and interferes with my daily ritual -- jerking off. I'm kinda worried if this will be permanent. I've forgotten my orthopaedics and was wondering if I should consult a doctor.

Despite being emotionally affected by the unfortunate events and academic stress, I can't help swooning over several cute housemen in the department, namely Dr. Nerraw and Dr. A. Dr. Nerraw looks Chinese. I've yet to find out his full name but I don't think he's of the Chinese descent. Maybe Sino. He's got a tall figure and beautiful facial features. Scrumptious! He never really smiles though. I'm pretty sure I'll fall into a swoon if he ever flashes one to me. As for Dr. A, he's slim and lean. Always clad in trousers which accentuate his anterior bulge and butt. Tantalizing!

That friendly doctor

Medical students are lowest down the food chain in the ward. The hospital staff are always busy attending to the patients and rarely pay heed to our presence. Yet, I have to say that some of them can be very mean at times. They never hesitate to greet us with smiles that convey derision and answer our questions in a belligerent manner.

So, I was very glad when Dr. W actually took the initiative to talk to us and teach us things we didn’t know. He’s a house officer in the Department of Orthopaedics then.

There’s once he helped us get the permission from the specialist in the minor operating theatre so that we could enter to observe the procedure. He showed me the sunburst appearance of the streaks of new bone radiating outwards from the cortex on the X-ray film of the patient’s wrist with osteosarcoma ( the commonest primary bone malignancy). And that’s the first sunburst appearance I’d ever seen in my life. I also remember he helped me with the clerking of an unfriendly patient with lumbar spondylosis.

He’s small in size and sort of adorable. Well, apparently, he wasn’t as knowledgeable and formidably intelligent as Dr. Edmond. However, I was very fond of the former due to his humility and friendliness. I guess the last time we met was when we went to see him to have the remaining empty spaces in our logbooks signed the week before our exam.

If you guys had been reading the news, you’d have heard about 3 house officers who perished in a tragic car accident on the Land below the Wind a week before Lunar New Year. And, Dr. W’s one of them.

I sputtered in disbelief when I was told about the misfortune that befell the young aspiring doctor who’d just freed himself from 5 years of torment in med school. It must have been utterly devastating for his family members and those who knew him.

We were not friends. There was not much interaction between us. But, my heart ached.

May you rest in peace, Dr W.

Life's a bitch

Today's papers weren't easy. Well, had I worked harder before the exam, they'd have been much easier. See, that's the consequence of procrastination. But, thanks God. Nothing hi-fi came out. Was able to scribble something for every question.

I just got to know that one of the specialists who'll be assessing me for my orthopaedic long case tomorrow is a sports physician whose tail I'd previously stepped on, unintentionally. She's a little sensitive, I guess. At least, most of my group members agreed.

She clearly has a bad impression of me. And I'm naturally not fond of her. Let's hope that she won't penalize me tomorrow based on that ground. But, to say that I'm not worried at all is a lie.

Life's a bitch at times. I prayed so hard that she wouldn't be my examiner and see what happens now.

Rants of a lazy worm

I'm under a lot of stress. Allow me to write something childish.

My end-of-posting exam will be held next Monday. And here I am, still writing my case reports and slacking off.

I could have completed my assignments much earlier. That would give me more time to revise now. Yet, I procrastinated. I spent lots of time online, going for movies and hanging out with 2 gay friends whom I had just got acquainted to.

I really do emulate my female course-mates who always manage to finish their assignments way before the deadline. Arghh... what a lazy worm I am.

I read with envy and shock about how Little Dove was enticed into having sex by a medical officer in the ward. Alright. I admit I'm jealous. I was wondering why this sorta thing had never happened to me. I believe that I'm charming. So, what went wrong? Well, I don't mean to say that I have the craving for getting laid. It's morally bad and will wipe away all the karmic merits I've accrued over the years. =D

Nonetheless, whenever I see Dr Phuah passing by, the fantasy of grabbing his butt and banging him never fails to surface on my mind. Ahaks. Dr Phuah's cute and adorable. And his ass is tight, seriously. He's mainly in the medical ward. Yet, he comes to the orthopaedic ward occasionally. That's when I get to ogle at him. I noticed that there's nothing on his ring fingers and he smiled to me a couple of times. Oh my gosh, is that a sign?

No worries. I think I just feel lonely. I suppose I'm still very much a decent and down-to-earth kampung boy who has never been mistaken as a sexual pervert. I'll try to stay strong and not give in to lust.

Oh well, I think should be studying now. The orthopaedic surgeons are generally very friendly. Am keeping my fingers crossed that they'll be lenient and friendly during the exam too.

Ankle sprain

I sprained my left ankle and fell while playing basketball. An inversion injury which involved twisting of my plantarflexed foot. Some of the fibres of the ligaments might have been torn, I suppose.

Now there’s a localized swelling on my sprained ankle. And the 5 cardinal signs of acute inflammation – rubor(redness), tumor (swelling), calor (heat), dolor (pain) and functio laesa (loss of function) – are becoming more and more obvious. Besides, my gait has been affected too. It hurts when I walk.

Hope it’s not God’s punishment on me for fantasizing about the cute, hot, muscular, athletic and sweaty guys with six packs in the basketball court. Ha.

My heart felt sour

Clerked a paraplegic female patient in the orthopaedic ward today. She sustained multi-level fractures of the vetebral column due to a fall from a 2-storey building. She's paralysed from the waist down. Besides urinary and faecal incontinence, she can't walk. Can't stand. And no more sensation.

My heart was deeply touched by her optimism. She answered our questions (even silly ones) very patiently, with a broad smile, making our history taking very smooth-sailing. And she allowed our untrained hands to examine her.

She's just 30. A very jovial and chatty young lady, despite the situation she's in. And yet she's bed-ridden. I could see from her eyes that she missed her home, her family, her siblings. I don't know if she'll be able to recover from her injury. My heart felt sour. Before leaving, I said a prayer to God, hoping that she'll regain the ability to walk.

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I had a bad dream. Dreamt that my father was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer). It woke me up at 3.30am. Ha. What a relief! It's only a dream.