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July 20 Bundu BashingI'm writing two exams for ophthalmology today and tomorrow, neither of which I've really studied for since I've been busy with our research project. (I currently have alternative hypotheses and p-values coming out of my ears I tell you!)
I am leaving for a trip to a rural health facility on Sunday, and won't be back for 2 weeks, so apologies in advance for not updating my blog. Hopefully I will take some pictures and put these on display.
I can't say that I am actually excited, but thankfully it is winter so the risk of malaria and bombardment by a gazillion bugs is thankfully less!
I'll miss ya Randy, you'd better come and visit! July 18 Random ThoughtsI hate it when people underestimate your intelligence and treat you like an imbecile.
Anyway - last night "Grey's Anatomy" was quite cool. Now we're only on season two, but the episode where there is a train wreck was particularly heart wrenching and enthralling.
The good news is that I actually enjoyed Ophthalmology yesterday. I finally saw what I was supposed to see. Who knew hard exudates in diabetic retinopathy could be so exciting!
Happy Birthday to Madiba. Although I know two other people who were born on this day, so it's just as much their birthdays as his!
"Veels geluk liewe maatjies, omdat jul verjaar!..." July 17 Transplant TourismLife can be so coincidental some times.
Last week I was up late, and whilst flipping through the channels on tv I discovered a very interesting documentary on "Transplant Tourism". I remember being asked during the show what my thoughts on the black market trade of organs were - I couldn't really answer.
I know it exists and I know people do it - but do I agree with it?
Saturday the topic was brought up again at work, and we all remembered (although not fondly) one of our patients who was involved in South Africa's own transplant tourist scheme. The difference is that unlike in the Phillipines, China and India, our government promptly put a stop to it.
Nevertheless, on Thursday evening I received a call to update me on our patient list for the weekend. Eerily there was word of the said patient arriving on Saturday afternoon.
He had skipped the country two months ago or is that "left on holiday to Israel"? Strange then that he returned from China, with ecchymoses on both flanks, a central line and a left lumbar quadrant scar. Strange that hey?
Needless to say his transplant didn't work.
It angers me to think that some poor man in China is now without a kidney for a mere $2000. I wonder if they know the joys of chronic dialysis? More importantly, the developing world governments just let the trade continue, not realising the burden on healthcare that these clandestine operations will have in the near future.
So then, whilst staring out the window at the lit up Northern Suburbs skyline and pressing his fistula so hard that my fingers wanted to fall off, I realised I was against the whole organ trade business. I wanted to scream to him at the top of my lungs "This is what you get see".
Then I thought to myself, what if I was in the same position. Would I just take it lying down (three times a week actually), or would I actually do something about it? July 13 Could it be?I sat in absolute awe yesterday for quite a number of happenings in my present dull and dreary life.
At the beginning of the year I was accused of plagiarism whilst compiling a research protocol, now said person wants to give out our protocol methodology to another group doing a similar project?
Also our research project (about 70% complete) is to be entered into a competition for "The best new researcher" category - my mouth was on the floor again!
When I finally returned home after a true Jozi afternoon of traffic (blechh!) I was suprised yet again to receive a notice stating that Telkom would be installing phone lines in our complex this weekend. Could it mean the end of "netless" life?
Ophthalmology (besides being utterly boring) is also exceptionally difficult. I am yet to see what I am supposed to see through some persons iris! Anyway - we will see what happens!
As a final note, cataract operations are gruesome, don't let anyone EVER operate on your eyes (just kidding, it's all squishy and stuff and I think it's gross!) July 11 Old Lady Basher...This morning at some undescript time I woke up, saw an outline of a person lying next to me, felt safe, turned over and went back to sleep.
I promptly had a very surreal experience - I was busy shopping in "Boutique a la Woolworths". I reached the front of the checkout queue without anyone there which was odd. The next thing this nasty looking old lady come stand next to me at the counter. She proceeded to light a cigarette and the lady at the till joined her. I nearly died! I thought it's illegal to smoke in shopping centres? So I put out the cashiers ciggy with my bare hands BUT the old crone nipped her bud on my arm.
The pain and agony was explicit and I hit her with all my might...
At that EXACT moment I hear a familiar voice (that of the shadowy outline) screaming in pain. "Why did you hit me, I'm not a little old lady!"
Apologies to all Hamsters who were harmed in the making of this nightmare. July 08 Confessions on a blue suitMuch like Superman, I have also been absent from the planet for the past couple of days. Well okay, not really, but since moving we have been without internet access and as I type I am once again saddened by the loss of this good friend!
Our house is finally taking real shape, I'm on to decorating now. I have spent a fortune on furniture, and off course I'd like to buy MORE!
Yesterday ended the hunt for the perfect (affordable) tea pot. I was not prepared to spend R500 on a Noritake that the help would have destroyed a week later...My well organised cupboard btw, will never be the same again!
The move wasn't that easy though, there were tons of hiccups, including me flooding the kitchen because the washing machine's drain pipe was blocked and the curtains being somewhat 25cm too long (sigh)
Monday sees the start of Ophthalmology for 2 weeks, then I am going away to Bushbuckridge (aka the "rural" bundus) for 2 weeks and then Urology for 2 weeks. I will savour my lastl "easy" block, because soon to come is Medicine and Obstetrics! The good news is that I am over the hump for this year, and if all goes well, I should indeed qualify by the end of 2007 (although I still live in fear at the start of every academic year that I am going to get a phone call something along the lines of "sorry, we made a mistake 5 years ago by granting you admission to our faculty").
Anyway (I say this word way too much I think) hopefully with varsity up and running I'll be able to have more frequent access to a PC with internet.
BUT before I forget, I did like Superman Returns - pity he didn't say much, but then who cares - I WANT A BLUE SUIT!  |
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