Mental Health Hotline

Hello, welcome to the mental health hotline.

If you are obsessive compulsive, press 1 repeatedly.

If you are Co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2 for you.

If you have Multiple Personalities, press 3, 4, 5, and 6.

If you are Paranoid, we know who you are and what you want. Stay on the line so we can trace your call.

If you are Delusional, press 7, your call will be transfered to the Mothership.

If you are Schizophrenic, listen carefully, and a small voice will tell you which number to press.

If you are Manic Depressive, it doesn't matter which button you press. No one will answer anyway.

If you are Dyslexic, press 96969696969696.

If you have a Nervous Disorder, please fidget with the Pound Button until a representative comes on the line.

If you have Amnesia, press 8 and state your name, address, phone number, date of birth, social security number, and your mother's and grandmother's maiden names.

If you have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, slowly and carefully press 911.

If you have Bi-Polar Disorder, please leave a message after the beep. Or before the beep. Or after the beep. Please wait for the beep.

If you have short-term memory loss, please try your call again later.

If you have low self esteem, please hang up. All our representatives are busy.

The finals is doing this to me.

Aussie flies are so slow and swattable. Kept thinking of that 1986 movie "The Fly" after smacking this poor bugger. They don't make sci-fi horror movies like that anymore. I'm still so far behind in my studies... Things are difusing out of my head quicker than I can absorb them. Why do I have a feeling I'm going to end up like this fly by the end of November...

47.

Meredith Brooks - Bitch

I hate the world today
You're so good to me
I know but I can't change
Tried to tell you
But you look at me like maybe
I'm an angel underneath
Innocent and sweet
Yesterday I cried
Must have been relieved to see
The softer side
I can understand how you'd be so confused
I don't envy you
I'm a little bit of everything
All rolled into one

I'm a bitch, I'm a lover
I'm a child, I'm a mother
I'm a sinner, I'm a saint
I do not feel ashamed
I'm your hell, I'm your dream
I'm nothing in between
You know you wouldn't want it any other way

So take me as I am

This may mean
You'll have to be a stronger man
Rest assured that
When I start to make you nervous
And I'm going to extremes
Tomorrow I will change
And today won't mean a thing

I'm a bitch, I'm a lover
I'm a child, I'm a mother
I'm a sinner, I'm a saint
I do not feel ashamed
I'm your hell, I'm your dream
I'm nothing in between
You know you wouldn't want it any other way

Just when you think, you got me figured out
The season's already changing
I think it's cool, you do what you do
And don't try to save me

I'm a bitch, I'm a lover
I'm a child, I'm a mother
I'm a sinner, I'm a saint
I do not feel ashamed
I'm your hell, I'm your dream
I'm nothing in between
You know you wouldn't want it any other way

I'm a bitch, I'm a tease
I'm a goddess on my knees
When you hurt, when you suffer
I'm your angel undercover
I've been numb, I'm revived
Can't say I'm not alive
You know I wouldn't want it any other way

OMGWTF fitness laugh!

Samsara

Since my rotation before surg path was GP posting at Disability SA, this kinda fits in. One one hand, I saw babies with chromosomal anomalies and various deformities having their life end before it even begins. And on the other hand, ones that survived past birth and beyond. Both scenarios are so sad. If you knew your child was going to be deformed, disabled and unable to care for himself, would you prefer to have him terminated or would you want him to live? It's so cruel to kill someone before they can open their eyes. And living? What would that bring? What kind of life would that be? A long, painful and wretched life in an institution, confined to a wheelchair maybe? Or so mentally and physically incapable of doing anything besides eating and shitting and lying around until he eventually dies choking on his own secretions? And when you, the one person who will love and dote on him unconditionally eventually pass away, he'll be left all alone to face the the remainder of his miserable and empty life, spread out hopelessly before him. Either way, it's never easy. So be thankful you were born healthy and have people who love you.

My mom said that the reason some doctors go crazy is because they feel too much for their patients. A day will come in every doctor's career where they will make a mistake that costs the patient their life. Or they will meet a patient whose plight cuts them so deeply yet no help can be given. Truly, doctors are not above death and suffering. The world will continue to drown in its own karma. Letting go is never easy but perhaps essential to our sanity.

Of old friends and dead macerated babies...

Another month flies by. Seng Kiat came to visit last week. The lucky guy has graduated and will be starting his new job soon, so he decided to embark on a month-long tour of Australia: Brisbane, Adelaide and then Melbourne. He stayed in Adelaide for about 10 days, mostly in his cousin's place and a couple of nights at mine. Wish I didn't have my finals looming over my head. Would've been brought him around more. Also wished I had a car. Didn't help either that the rotation I was doing at that time was Surgical Pathology and I was expected to turn up for most of the day, Monday to Friday. Ok, I know, those work hours are like no-duh since I'm a studying medicine and all, but I feel so lazy now. I've lost the drive to hang about the hospital, just wanna go back and rest and read comics and (hopefully) study.

Speaking of which, Surg path was a somewhat novel experience, though I wouldn't want to be doing it for more than 3 weeks. Got to see a side of medicine that usually goes unnoticed: the behind-then-scenes-work that produces those path and autopsy reports we see on the computers. Since I was posted to the Women's and Kid's Hospital, most of the autopsies were on dead babies and miscarriages. Some weren't that gruesome, some were so macerated and hydropic they looked like a pile of liquefied meat held together by bloody membranes. There was one that got decapitated at birth. I couldn't imagine how that would happen until I saw the baby myself. Poor thing was only 21 weeks gestation and so hydropic, wasn't a wonder then the head tore off during the forceps extraction (baby was breech). Aside from the autopsies, there were cut-ups of placentas (which stank like rotten pork) and viewing of histology slides. I'm not fond of microscopes. Somehow it makes me dizzy and nauseous. Autposies I enjoy. The only things I don't like is looking at endless trays of slides and the absolute non-existance of clinical work.

Anyway... this was also the only rotation in which I got to play with Photoshop in the hospital the whole day! My counsultant decided that instead of doing a presentation and literature review, I should do a presentation and poster for the medical museum. "Umbilical Cord Abnormalities" was my topic. Never knew knowing how to use Photoshop could come in handy in med school. ^_^

Okie, here are some pictures from my outings with Seng Kiat (slideshows in this order):

Part 1: Cleland Wildlife Park with SK's cousin, Aki and her bf Troy.

Part 2: Mount Lofty Summit, The Astor and Elephant Walk at Melbourne Street.

Part 3: German food at Hahndorf, ABs at O'connell Street then back to my place. :P