Friday, November 17, 2006
Sick
I started having a fever yesterday late noon. Like free MacDonald vouchers that sometimes come with weekend papers, I got a splitting headache and a mildly painful neck as the whole package.
Well, splitting headache is actually not the right word. Jelly brain will be more appropriate. Every little movement of my head sends the jelly inside it wobbling, causing discomfort. The back of my head is likened to the beaches of Hawaii. Whenever I stand up, waves after waves of pain rushes up. If I never had a brainstorm before, this definitely qualifies as one.
As for my neck, though I do not feel any swelling, I cannot turn in a big angle without any aches. So the whole day today, I have been turning my head like a neckless Robocop - with the rest of my upper body following.
When I woke up today, things did not improve. Neither did it get worse (as far as I can tell). As such, I did not think much about going to the clinic (actually I did go into one, but to seek information for other stuff) but was mostly resting at home and gulping down an Indian Ocean worth of water.
I did not even bother to relief my pain with panadol, mainly because I am not a fan of the pain reliever. By early evening, I couldn't take the headache anymore and finally succumb to rummaging the medical drawer for panadol. Pain had prevailed. However, as fate would have it, while I did find the box of panadol, it was empty inside.
With a craving for relief from my illness, and the enticing prospect of getting MC (since I am working next few days), I went to the doctor's after dinner.
Till now, I do not know if that was a mistake. The doctor I got was mildly humorous and sadistic.
When I mentioned that I felt as if my temperature has gone down and after she took my temperature, she said 'Don't underestimate yourself. You are still hot.'
The moment I heard that, my ego started to inflate and was almost bursting at the seams until I realised she meant I am still running a temperature.
However, she did say something I wanted to hear, 'No exercise. I don't want your temperature to increase. If I had the say, I'll put you in a chiller room instead.'
Wow. Maybe I had neglected to tell her I usually cool with anything and the most vigorous exercise I had been doing for the past few weeks was probably clicking the mouse.
'Now dig your ears and listen very carefully what I'm going to give you. Take 2 pills of X. After two hours, if fever still yet to subside, take 2 pills of Y. Don't worry about the night dose. Unless you wake up to pee, then you take. Otherwise, just sleep right through and continue the next day.
'Right, now I'm thinking if I should give you a third medicine. Hmmm...nahhh. Better let you twist and writhe in pain through the night than give something to make you feel better. Wahhahha...!'
All right, so she did not really say those verbatim, but the gist is there.
At long last came the finale. 'Are you working tomorrow? I don't want you to go to work tomorrow. Nor Sunday. I'm going to give you two days MC. If you still don't feel well on Sunday, I don't want you to work on Monday as well. Come back to the clinic.'
Yippee! Two days of MC. My first MC in light years. I would have called all my friends and organised a party to celebrate this special occasion if I wasn't sick. While I'm an advocate that the 14 days medical leave company benefit is in reality an extra two weeks worth for play, I had not utilise any of it until now.
It is a perfectionist thing. I just like my records to be free of medical leave if possible. Now that this doctor has broken the duck, I need to find ways to utilise the remaining 12 days of (medical) leave in one and a half month. Since it is no longer perfect, no point not using the 12days, if not will lugi right?
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Misconceptions
I'm at the last leg of my attachment to various departments as part of my training. It has indeed been an eye-opener, allowing me to gain some knowledge (or at least what they want to present) of the works of other departments and the culture within.
Of course, knowing about their operational difficulties is not going to get me sympathetic to their causes. Every department has their own durian to sit on and yet cannot make more than a squeak lest the 'God Meier' hears and send more durians raining. Mine department is no exception.
The fun in this attachment is not about learning new stuff. Who cares about that anyway. Not as if I will get a pay rise just by having some pitiful knowledge of other departments. The fun is in hearing the misconceptions people in other departments have of me.
The top three things commonly misconceived about me is my education, nationality and singlehood.
As most departments only get attachments from Shatec or Polytechnics as part of the course requirements, some people assume that I am from either one of these institutions. Imagine the number of question marks popping out from their heads when I told them I hold a degree.
'Oh, you study tourism is it? Here for your course attachment ah?' is the common follow up question.
'No la. I don't know if a tourism degree course includes industrial attachment or not, but I already graduated and this is my job. I majored in Geography.'
When I threw out that last sentence, more often than not I will see a storm of question marks covering their faces. Usually I will add on that Geography do includes tourism (not that most of what I had studied is relevant) and the attachments are part of my training to observe how other department works. Sometimes, when I feel particularly sadistic, I will not offer these information and watch their heads explodes from trying to draw the dotted line between my job and geography.
The next popular misconception is my nationality. This is nothing new, as referred back to my previous posting. I had been said to be a Malaysian, Indonesian and PRC and I thought I will hear nothing fresh. However, people never fail to amaze me with their thoughts. One doorman thought I am from the Philippines. Another guy actually said I looked a bit Caucasian!
My, my! How do these people gain these thoughts? A Caucasian? I would think that is kind of extreme isn't it? It's not as if I'm glaringly white like Snow White and I even got a slight tan from cycling at that time. Now, I'm just waiting to hear someone says I'm a Martian.
The last misconception regards my singlehood. Most will raise an eyebrow when they hear I'm still unattached. They are probably thinking, 26 and still unattached? Must be something wrong.
Only Auntie B is the clever one. At a rollcall, a Team Leader asked the staff to guess if I have any girlfriends, Auntie B shot out, 'One look at Cy can know he's definitely single.'
You should hear the conviction in her speech. Definitely single.
'Why? I have such a suay look meh? So hopeless until so obvious?' I jokingly replied.
'No la. You just look too innocent to have a girlfriend.' Auntie B volleyed back calmly like a Zen master.
Ahh....no wonder there is a saying that an old ginger is hotter. Auntie B is so perceptive, can see that I am an innocent one. Yes, I'm not going to argue with that. Coupled with what YH always says that I'm not as desperate enough as him (which is like comparing size of Europe to Sentosa), the mystery surrounding my singlehood is finally solved.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Time
Don't know why. Since Wednesday, I kept thinking it was one day ahead.
Today is a Thursday, I thought it's already Friday. Several times. Even with that thought in my mind, I called home on my way back as I usually do on Fridays (family day). To check if my family wants to eat out. the truth hit through my thick skull on the second ring.
It's a Thursday. No need to check.
I wonder why? Because time is passing by too slowly? That I have nothing to fill it up with? Or I just can't wait to grow old? Perhaps I'm looking forward towards my first long break from work soon.
Me against world time.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Accident
I was walking towards Taman Jurong Mac to meet the xiong dis when it happened at the junction near it. A red car was travelling on the second lane when it turned left into the carpark of what used to be Tang Dynasty. I believed that was a last minute decision as there was no signal given and it was the wrong lane to turn in from as well. Probably realised at the last minute that if he went straight he would hit the AYE which probably was not where he wanted to go.
In any case, a silver car was just streaking down the first lane at the same moment the red car was turning in and wham bam!
At first I thought it would be just a simple hit and skid accident. Imagine my horror as I saw the red car turned turtle instead of skidding from the impact. Either the impact was strong enough to turn the car over but not enough to do it with speed, or everything went slow motion for me.
I ran over with some other passer-bys to help the passengers out. It was a family of four - two young boys and their parents. Miraculously, all but the mother were superficially all right when we got them out. Even then, the mother only had a few drops of blood on her head which was probably from a small wound.
Being in an accident is bad enough. To have your family members at risk as well, I can just imagine how much guilt the father (the driver) must be having.
I did not stayed long after getting the family out as by that time around 10 people (not including the victims) were milling about, most doing nothing so I figured one less does not really matter.
I guess that is one of the mystery that comes with accidents. The time it happened, there were only two other passer-bys aside from me. By the time we got the family out, there were at least 5 more with us and 10 across the road gawking. It must be the eight wonder of the world.
Oh, do not ask me for the car plate numbers of the vehicles involved. I did not even notice the make of the cars. However, I sure given the number of people gawking, there will not be a lack of sources.