The Turtle

I've virtually given up on blogging, but then I noticed my ticker turtle. It began counting down in 2005 the number of days remaining til med school graduation. And then it automatically began doing a clever thing: it started counting the days since graduation. It's essentially saying to me, "Hey buddy, so you've met one milestone (big deal), what are you gonna do with the rest of your life now??" Good question, and it's one I do reflect on regularly, and I hope you do also!

The Turtle - also the name of my green '03 Jetta I picked up in Toronto and drove to Winnipeg. Here she is sitting on the edge of Lake Superior in NW Ontario.

Name The Quoted

"Since we all came from a woman, got our name from a woman, and our game from a woman, I wonder why we take from our women, why we rape our women. Do we hate our women? I think it’s time we killed for our women, be real to our women, try to heal our women. And if we don’t we’ll have a race of babies that will hate the ladies, who make the babies. And since a man can’t make one he has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one."

Who penned this? (answer before asking Google)
(a) Michael Jackson
(b) Mike Tyson
(c) Eminem
(d) Tupac Shakur

Disclaimer: I don't wholly endorse his thoughts here.. I just pulled it off someone's FB page for fun.

The Ticker

I've promoted my ticker from the footer of this page to the top. It's actually been tucked away at the bottom for the past 4 years - ever since I started in Ireland. The numbers on the scale use to be in YEARS but now we're down to MONTHS! It's been a long time coming. God willing, my little turtle shall realize its goal.

Cliffs of Insanity

Bryan and I standing in front of the cliffs of insanity (see Princess Bride). See the brown streaky spots on the top of the cliff? ..just to the left of my head. We will get there shortly (next picture).


Here we are peering over the edge of the cliffs of insanity (aka Cliffs of Moher). It's about a 500ft drop beyond our eyebrows. The height of the cliffs along the coastline are between 400-700ft.


Location: Lady's View (along the Ring of Kerry)
Leprechauns: Ian & Kerwin

British University & College Championships

Rep'n the Republic at UK Nationals.
We placed 9th out of 32 teams.
March, 2009

The Underwear Discussion

My unexpected visit to the ER prompted me to revisit an issue that was discussed a while back. A few of us students were sitting around and someone asked, "Do you ever think about which underwear to put on in the morning in case you end up in hospital that day, and they have to undress you?"

Man, I escaped a close one the other day, good thing I was conscious when I arrived in the ER! I mean as much as we treat our patients with respect, I'd be lying if I said we don't comment when we spot Hello Kitty boxers or something else unexpected. But don't worry, it won't affect the quality of medical care one receives. In fact, the health care providers will probably remember you better and attend to you more often after gawking at your flaming undies!

My First Overnight In the ER

Never did I expect my first overnight in the ER was to be spent as a patient!

Every time I walk through the ER (as a student) and see the poor patients without rooms, lying on their trolleys in the corridor, I feel terrible for them and thank heaven that I'm not in their situation. However, last night, I very much was in their place and felt every bit of the agony and loss of dignity that comes with spending a night in a hallway surrounded by other sick people. Meanwhile, healthcare workers hustle by you to attend their duties, trying not to take notice of your distressing billet brought on by governmental health service cutbacks.

Overall, the hospital staff treated me very well though. Every health professional I encountered was sincere and considerate in their care. Professional as well. The main thing that bothered me was how COLD it was in the ER. Add on top of that the cold hands touching and examining me made for a very chilly experience. The blankets provided at this hospital are also paper thin so I had to request for several more.

Investigations ordered: bloods, ECG (twice), glucose, CxR, CTbrain, and ECHO.

I won't say exactly what landed me there, else my enemies will discover my kryptonite, but it's amazing how fast one can move from the doctor's side of the bed to the patient's side.

It reminded me to not lose focus of the proper things in life because "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?" -- Luke 12:20

PS
This was NOT a motorcycle-related event.

PPS
I should add that I'm fine now and no follow-up appointments were necessary.

Pictures from my summer adventures are finally up:
Angola pictures click here
Other summer fun pictures click here