Monday, September 26, 2005

Supper Night


Friends are like wine. The older, the better.

Wei Qiang converses @ 09:18 0 buzzes

Saturday, September 24, 2005

In memory of Qu Yuan

For those who thought this post is about the poet who inspired dumplings, it isn't.

But it is about dragonboat, which is the sport created in memory of Qu Yuan.

I recently joined my constituency dragonboat team in preparation of the northeast CDC dragonboat race. Now for those who know me, water sports is not my strong field. I like the feeling of both feet firmly planted, and definitely not threading water.

I gave dragonboating a go because I thought it'll be fun and heck, I may get a nice tan and look like some greek god.

Dragonboating is a team sport.

It doesn't matter how fast or how hard you can paddle, if you can't paddle together as a team, you have lost the meaning of dragonboating.

It's a great sport for bonding and gives you a hell of a workout. Except I've heard tales where if you paddle on the same side all the time, your chest will look asymmetrical. Hmm... may be mistaken for Poland's syndrome.

I'm glad I gave it a go. It's good fun. If you have the chance, try it out too.

Wei Qiang converses @ 16:30 0 buzzes

Thursday, September 22, 2005

What drives you?


What drives you to do the things in your life?

It's important to have a driving force, because without it, everything you do will be meaningless.

Is your drive derived from anger?
Money?
For the greater good of the world? (nobility)
Personal satisfaction?
Or that the competitive spirit in you requires you to excel in everything?

Driving forces change too.
Is your drive the same still?

Wei Qiang converses @ 19:31 0 buzzes

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Occupational Hazards

As I had my lectures in Infectious Diseases, especially in HIV, needlestick injuries and TB. I felt something.

I felt vulnerable.

I used to clerk patients without wondering if they were infective. I examined wounds with bare hands, had some patients cough in my face because I forgot to ask them to turn away during a hernia examination and *gasp* washed my labcoat every posting. (Considering that some postings were 8 weeks, this is very shocking. But for those who know me, I wash it more often now.)

When I take blood, I do consider the possibility of needlestick injuries. But sometimes I see the sharps lying in the kidney dish, the drop of blood on the top of the vacutainer tube and I wonder if I could have done more.

I know that in every occupation, there is a hazard. Policemen could get shot, construction workers get crushed by falling objects, taxi drivers could get into a nasty accident and office workers get paper cuts. Healthcare workers, we get infected.

Sometimes you just can't stop the inevitable. Just take the SARS outbreak, it was so sudden. People were infected without them knowing. I wonder if that can happen to me.

It's not just about me being infected. It's also about me passing it to my loved ones. Are they at risk just because they are with me? If that is so, then I must protect myself even more because I want to protect them too.

But imagine living in constant fear. Always wondering if the doorknob you just touched had MRSA, wondering if the patient's bed has VRE, wondering if the air you breathe has mycobacterium.

I guess the best thing to do is to follow protocol and not to cut corners. Time is tight but protecting yourself is still more important. The hospital is a dangerous place to be in, as infections are bountiful. But this comes with the job of a healthcare worker and we just have to deal with it.

Wei Qiang converses @ 19:08 2 buzzes

Monday, September 19, 2005

Too much. Too scared.

So much to read, so little time.

So much to remember, so much to forget.

So much to practise, so little confidence.

So much to think through, so much to digest.

So much to grumble, so much fear.

So many distractions, so much escapism.

Wei Qiang converses @ 20:28 1 buzzes

Friday, September 16, 2005

Patient Education

PLANTAR WARTS


(1) Benign (noncancerous) growths that occur on the sole (plantar surface), heel, or ball of the foot.

(2) Human papilloma virus (HPV) causes several different types of warts.

(3) Plantar warts occur most often in children and young adults between the ages of 12 and 16. Incidence is higher in people who share common bathing areas.

(4) Occur when HPV invades the body through tiny cuts or breaks in the skin on the bottom of the feet.

(5) Plantar warts usually are rough and spongy, and most are gray or brown with dark pinpoints (tiny capillaries that supply blood to the wart).

(6) Most plantar warts are diagnosed based on their appearance.

(7) Self-treatment for plantar warts using an over-the-counter preparation is not recommended.

(8) Treatments include topical salicylate acid, cryotherapy, laser cautery.

(9) To prevent plantar warts: Avoid walking barefoot whenever possible. Change shoes and socks daily. Keep feet clean and dry. Avoid direct contact with warts on other persons or on other parts of the body.

Wei Qiang converses @ 08:09 2 buzzes

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Cool Anomalies


A 52-year-old woman demanded an explanation from doctors after tests showed that two of her three grown-up sons were biologically unrelated to her.Although the woman, "Jane", conceived them naturally with her husband, tests to see if she could donate a kidney suggested that somehow she had given birth to somebody else's children.

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine by Dr Margot Kruskall, of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston, Massachusetts, showed that Jane is a chimera, a mixture of two individuals - non-identical twin sisters - whose cells intermingled in the womb and grew into a single body.

Dr Kruskall believes the most likely explanation is that Jane's mother conceived non-identical twin girls, who fused at an early stage of the pregnancy to form a single embryo, according to a report published today in New Scientist.

For some reason, cells from only one twin dominate in Jane's blood - used for tissue-typing. In her other tissues, however, including her ovaries, cells of both twins live amicably alongside each other, hence the apparently impossible genetics of her three sons.

One son came from an egg derived from the twin whose cells dominate Jane's blood, while his brothers came from eggs derived from the other twin's cells.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CSI featured an episode on a chimera human. Really cool fact and makes you marvel at the things that can happen in this world.

Wei Qiang converses @ 23:03 0 buzzes

Choices

Would you rather be very good at one thing and average in other things
or
be above average in many things but not really very good in anything?

Wei Qiang converses @ 20:43 0 buzzes

Monday, September 12, 2005

Bursting...

Mendelian
AD - achondroplasia, tuberous sclerosis, Huntington, neurofibromatosis, myotonic dystrophy
AR - congenital adrenal hyperplasia, phenylketonuria, galactosemia
XLR - Duchenne's, G6PD deficiency, haemophilla
XLD - incontinentia pigmentosa

Chromosomal
Trisomies - Down (21), Edwards (18), Patau (13)
Turner, Klinefelter

Polygenic
spina bifida, cleft lip/palate

Mitochondrial
MELAS (mitochondral encephalopathy w lactic acidosis & stroke-like episodes)
MERRF (myoclonic epilepsy w ragged red fibres)

Wei Qiang converses @ 19:01

Sunday, September 11, 2005

Feast

Friday
Lunch - Wee Nam Wee Chicken rice
Dinner - Newton Circus Stingray, Hokkien Mee, BBQ Chicken wings

Saturday
Lunch - Changi Village Nasi Lemak

Supper Surprise
Hongkong Cafe Yuanyang rice, French toast, 'si mud' tea
Blueberry Cheesecake, Cafe Latte
Geylang Frog Leg porridge
Soya milk, You Tiao

Sunday
Lunch - Fish and co New York Fish and Chips
Dinner - Commonwealth Lee Heng restaurant 'zi char'

I've never ate so much and so richly for a weekend.

Wei Qiang converses @ 21:23 0 buzzes

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Confidence

XX is not a very spontaneous person. He was not good at coming up with things on the spot. XX plans ahead. He will try to predict what will happen and plan his responses.

This way worked fine for him for most times, especially when he had time to think and plan. In fact, this method worked very well for the most part of his life.

But one day he was put in situations where thinking on the feet was important. He failed miserably.

He thought to himself. How can he overcome his weakness?

Should he change his old method? But it has been so useful. Afterall, the saying goes: "Fail to plan. Plan to fail." Should he then avoid such situations? But this is something he will have to face. If he doesn't change, life would be very difficult indeed.

So he thought it over. And decided to plan for such situations. XX was going to anticipate possible events and plan for them. He will get experience by putting himself through unplanned situations. He will try to develop better spontaneity skills. He will gain confidence in dealing with such situations. With the increased confidence, he will overcome and conquer his difficulties.

Wei Qiang converses @ 19:19 1 buzzes

Monday, September 05, 2005

Up and Running

My computer is back! After days of re-formatting, cleaning out dust from the cards and motherboard and re-installing every single program, my comp is finally resurrected.

Quite tired and I really have to read up for my paeds, so I'm going to just post up nice climbing photos.

Love the blue skies in the background. Check out her drop-knee on her right leg.

Unusual climbing terrain on the beaches. The sandy face really looks very slippery.

Check out the open hand grips. Pure power. Enuff said.

This is really just for the scenery behind.

The pocket holds and the narrow crevice makes this picture unique.

Nothing beats the feeling of spending the whole day climbing. The climber is probably doing the last climb before the last rays of sun disappear.

Wei Qiang converses @ 18:35 0 buzzes

Sunday, September 04, 2005

Run it off


Nothing like a good run to get rid of all that horrible feelings.

Paeds is starting! Better start reading on my DAs (developmental assessments). So that when I meet Dr Ong HT, he won't say, "Is it??!!"

Wei Qiang converses @ 11:28 1 buzzes

Saturday, September 03, 2005

Computer Woes

I'm better now. Thanks to geri and kwanghow for your concern. It wasn't just derm but a multitude of events cumulating into an absolutely rotten mood.

Things have all gotten better except for one thing.

My computer is still down. And I just can't figure out what is wrong. For once, this problem cannot be solved by re-formatting my comp, so it's really bad. It seems that my computer cannot detect my modem. At first I thought some spyware may be the culprit but the problem persists even after re-formatting.

Maybe my comp is truly gone this time.

Wei Qiang converses @ 18:37 0 buzzes

Thursday, September 01, 2005

In the dumps

Everything is going so wrong. I hate everything that is happening right now.

Wei Qiang converses @ 21:07