Today

Since I've run out of blogging ideas, I was thinking, why not do a plain running commentary of today? well, it soothes the voyueristic desires of my audience, at least. So here it goes.

Morning. Woke up reluctantly. Today is test day. Rushed to get a quick breakfast, a quick shower and got everything in order. The tools of the trade - stethoscope, tendon tapper, measuring tape, pentorch, the works.

It ain't good. I've been slacking so much this posting it ain't even funny. Well, maybe not slacking. More like an unshakable fatigue from all the previous big postings in big hospitals, in addition to having to be group representative (big distraction) this time around. My mood could've been better too. Just too much on my mind the past weeks.

So I was planning to cram in some last minute revision on the bus, reading that dreaded orange textbook one last time before this clinical test. Read a little on the hip, then ended up slumped forwards, asleep, then jolted awake by the book falling onto the floor. Dead. Dead. So freaking dead.

Reported to the place. Well, this clinical test goes like this. It's an orthopaedics test. Orthopaedics is the field of surgery pertaining to bones, joints, muscles, limbs and such. 1 long case. That means, talk to the patient, do a physical examination, present the case, come up with a diagnosis, discuss the case. And 3 short cases, i.e. 'name this medical equipment' 'what is it used for?' 'list the complications when you use it on a patient'.



Actually it went quite alright in the end. I mean, me being me, I'm not even thinking of aceing the test or anything, but it wasn't in any way a disaster. Somehow after doing a number of clinical tests so far, the anxiety and the panic sorta disappears.

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Went to Clementi MRT with QY as he had something to do there, so just took a look around that area just for the hell of it. I don't like Clementi central cause the whole place's a mess of construction and busy people rushing everywhere, getting sideswiped and rammed on your shoulders in the crowd is no fun! And no bookshops, no CD shop.



Shopping list: Sugarbabes' greatest hits album, Madeline L'Engle's young peoples' novel A Wrinkle in Time.

So went to Orchard in a slow and rattling doubledecker. Got my CD for cheap (Singapore edition again) but couldn't find the book at a good price.



Borrowed books from the library. Nowadays, I key in into my phone an alphabetical booklist, then I'd just refer to my phone while going through the shelves. It really saves alot of time I swear!



Slowly getting the hang of enjoying the time by myself in Orchard again, the way I did when I was younger and less bogged down by school and all. Those days, I could just laze around for hours browsing magazines, sampling music at the listening areas in CD shops, then go back happy like a kid.

There's this G2000 sale at Isetan Shaw, with quite a good variety of work shirts. I forgot my size though. So resourceful me had a brainwave. I whipped out the camera phone, went to the toilet and:



Bought half a size smaller cause current one is a little baggy. Oh and it's a deep blue-violet to contrast with the usual drab colours I wear.

Decided to call it a day, and took the bus back amidst the rain.



Rain rain depressing rain. Just slacked the rest of the afternoon away, listening to that CD I had bought, reading Baby Blues from the library, poring thru the newspapers. Well, keping occupied means keeping that messed-up feeling hidden in the back.

After dinner, and somehow feeling jittery and hyperactive and restless and all, so went for a quick run. It being dark and quiet with the exception of croaking frogs, whining insects and occasional moving shadows. Sorta freaky when I let my mind wander. Old Upper Thomson Road looked extra creepy in the dark. Haunted at night, some people say. Would I dare venture there by myself (my usual daytime route) now that it's at night? No way, jose.



And in the humid air, I could see steam rising from my body in the harsh artificial lighting, which sorta amused me. So it's not just some comical figure-of-speech when steam emanates from a human being!



Made it back safe and sound!