Friday, January 23, 2004

blogger's block

i cannot believe this. i have bloggers' block! oh, you know, that affliction where a blogger *shock horror* can't think of what to write about on his or her blog. it's absolutely terrifying!

i was just telling nick that i have so many things to write about that i can't decide which to pick. i mean, they all sound so "rant-y" and "rave-y"...good stuff to put in blog entries, no? don't believe me??? see for yourself!

1. getting shortlisted for a trip to watch hillary duff live in LA

i have won my fair share of radio and whatnot competitions in the past. the first thing i've ever won was a LFO "summer girls" cd single and a signed postcard from jien and azura, formerly of disney buzz. since then, i've picked up countless cds (the worst of which is busted's self-titled debut), merchandise (the most useless of which is an mtv most wanted pin thing) and t-shirts (the ugliest of which is "willard"), mostly from competitions that i joined with no hope of ever winning.

same for the hillary duff one. i mean, i'm not even a fan. sure, i watched lizzie mcguire, and i thought the video for "so yesterday" was rather cute, but i know nuts about the girl, don't really like her music, and think she's a rather annoying little brat. same goes for any blonde under 18 doing a britney. i was so sick of studying the night i smsed in the password for the contest - "metamorphosis" - just to avoid reading about ionic equilibrium again. the following night, the dj, jeremy ratnam, called me. the conversation went something like this:

is this lishun? yes... hi, this is jeremy from double j. do you know what i'm calling for? um...hillary duff? that's right! and where will the concert be held? *thinks* dunno... well, it's actually LA. so, tell me the title of her album. metamorphosis? right! and the name of her first single? so yesterday? good...and her current single? *thinks frantically* um...um... "let the rain fall down...lalala" come...come...what? err...(whispers to roomie) what's hillary duff's new single? roomie on headphones: huh? um...i dunno! it's "come clean". and what's the name of the chimpanzee in lizzie mcguire? what chimpanzee? good...there's isn't one! well, come to the power 98 studio on monday for the final round! good night!

rrrrrright.

so i went to the studios, and met the other 2 girls competing for the prize. only then do i find out that it's a trip for ONE, and that if i win, i'd have to hop on a plane at the end of the week.

guess what the mystery task was? we had to wash our permanent marker-ed feet with water, with no help from our hands. their very own version of coming clean. what a pun. everyone groan with me. one, two, three...*groan*

obviously, i didn't win. if i did, i'd be on a plane to LA by now, and would be watching a teeny bopper do her thang on stage tomorrow night. at least i'm home stuffing myself silly during chinese new year.

you win some, you lose some.

2. weird traditions for chinese new year

chinese new year intrigues me. why the chinese put themselves through so much pain and trouble every year is a mystery. the marrieds sweat over packing ang paus, fretting over whether they have given the right amounts to the right people's kids. the elders sweat over running around after their grandchildren. the materialistic generation of kids (which does not include moi, of course) sweat over achieving their ang pau target of RM500. and the 20-somethings sweat over those questions of "when you getting married ah?" "got bonus last year?" "got boyfriend already or not?" and "eh, i think it's time your father gets a 'datuk' title-lah..."

*shudder*

not to mention that odd tradition of bringing "buah tangan" when visiting relatives, only to get a bag of goodies in return. one can't help but think that the whole point is to exchange everything you bought for something that everyone else had bought. but then again, that doesn't really qualify as a point. so what IS the point?

3. fickle-minded people

don't get me started.

you see? it's impossible to pick ONE of the 3 choices to write about! absolutely impossible! i feel my brain drying up just thinking about them!

it's so hard having bloggers' block. *sniff*

lishun at 9:54 PM

|

Tuesday, January 13, 2004

a poetic take on medicine

i am not a poetic person, regardless of what some people may say. my poetry is mostly made up of everyday words that describe events rather than feelings, scenery and whatnot.

i also view the medical profession as a rather wooden thing. routine, mundane and very emotionally draining. in other words, i don't see it as something that can bring me much joy, but more of a comforting rut to slip into and live out the days of my life in peace.

this all changed the moment i started reading the book.

first of all, let me tell you how i choose new books to read. the cover is very important. i know there's that "don't judge a book by its cover" thing, but let's face it. the cover is the first thing that grabs your attention. it is only after it arouses some interest in you that you actually pick up the book and read the synopsis at the back.

anyway, first i look at the cover. then, the synopsis. however, i am not one to be fooled by those little paragraphs that "sum" up the story and then end with a question like, "what is susie going to do?" in the hopes that the mini cliffhanger would compell you to explore the book further.

i usually close my eyes, flip the book open at a random page and start reading. if i continue reading till the end of the chapter/story/whatever, the work of literature has passed its test and i will borrow it/buy it/continue reading it for free at the bookshop.

back to the book.

its cover was nothing spectacular. it was brown, with hardly intelligible (word usage?) lettering on it. in fact, i would have passed it over if not for the title. "letters to a young doctor".

first thought: cheesy. some copycat of that more famous book, "letters to a young poet". probably full of letters from a surgeon father to his son. can't be a daughter. no one thinks of fathers passing on the professional legacy to a girl. oh, no indeed.

the synopsis was none the more useful. full of praise, obviously - who puts criticisms on a cover of a book? - and not providing much insight into the real contents of the book. still, i found myself flipping to a page and started reading.

the tale of a family asking the doctor to administer a larger dose of morphine to a suffering old man greeted me. he is in pain, they said. give him more morphine, end his agony. kill him. he is ready to go. the description of the doctor's thoughts totally gripped me. suddenly i was that young doctor, fighting a battle between mercy and professionalism. ethics and feelings. self and work.

i finished the story and checked the book out of the library.

my description of this book hardly does it justice. for once a book actually aroused feelings about the medical profession that i had never felt before. is it really possible that what i thought to be a lifeless career can be so colourful? can i really find this kind of satisfaction from my future profession?

for those interested, the book is, as mentioned, titled "letters to a young doctor" by richard selzer. he is/was a surgeon who was, indeed, inspired by "letters to a young poet". i recommend it highly to those who share my preconceptions about the medical profession.

lishun at 11:00 AM

|

Tuesday, January 06, 2004

happy new year!

yes, i know, super belated new year's greeting, no? =)

anyway, here i am, back in singapore, and back into the swing of things. am feeling much happier now that routine has set in.

spending new year's here was supposed to be a sad occasion. all alone, with most of my hostel friends not back yet, and the ones who were back weren't exactly party animals. however, it was a relief that two of my best pals came around to spend new year's with me.

we shopped in the day, "partied" at night...taking in the spectacular fireworks at the esplanade together with 90,000 other people. as we stood there, looking at the sparks and colours, i suddenly felt so grateful to be alive. it was good to be breathing. it was good to have friends. it was just...good.

and as i looked back at the past year, it wasn't so bad anymore. looking to the future, i actually felt excited to start my final year of JC.

therefore it was with enthusiasm that i faced moving day. although the mood was sombre the day before when moe came to clear up some doubts (they really shouldn't have come), i guess most of us were glad that the day had finally arrived.

the new hostel is absolutely gorgeous. like a hotel. like a condo. with rules as strict as the ones at prison. hehe. well, it isn't that bad la. i actually like it there. =)

don't have time to write anymore. shall maybe add more later.

anyway...happy new year!

lishun at 7:13 AM

|