Dear Santa...

(Some of the nurses that made working on xmas worth it.)

Exactly one year ago... I was driving back from work, having spent christmas Eve doing a night shift in hospital (offered to take it up for a colleague since he was Christian and I wasn't). The most peaceful morning that I've seen in the nine years of Dumbland, a frosty, super-quiet morning, with a clear bright sky, and empty roads. By comparison, I left hospital today after a night-shift (not by choice!) Got into my car, turned on the ignition, lit a cigarette, and said to myself: "Damn, that was a shitty call. Ah well, just another f^*%!#@ day, let's get home".

I keep going over this whole new year's resolution every year. Forget about the BS'ing like quitting smoking, being a better person, blah blah. What can we really ask for? Are we greedy enough to keep asking for more or is it just part of human nature? I mean the fact that I'm blogging somewhat means I'm well enough to have a computer, internet, and surely enough decent clothes, car, and roof on top of my head. So should I ask for more while there are people that are eating the scraps off the road?

My wish list for the new year:
1. A happy year
2. To be able to settle down in kuwait.
3. Pass my US Medical Licensing examination and get accepted for US surgical residency.

My personal wish list for the year:
1. Find the person whom I truely love, the kind I yern to cuddle with at night on a sofa while watching a nice movie, keeps me happy when I'm sad, listens to me when I need to talk, and knows what I think of just by the look in my eyes. The kind whom I can call my best friend whom I'm in love with, if you know what I mean.

I Do ...

Nip and Tuck, Kuwaiti style

A hernia by definition is a protrusion of an organ through a viscus. Say what? Anything that goes through a defect of the wall it's containing (an example is your toe going through your torn sock would be a hernia too). Not much a biggie, and can be fixed electively by bringing a patient someday for a scheduled surgery. Sometimes it complicates when for example your intestines get stuck through a hernia which might be around your belly button. And that's exactly what we admitted a lady for a few calls back. A defect around her belly button present for years but only recently started causing pain and occasional vomiting (signs of bowel obstruction).

Day 1: Doctor I only wanna be examined by a lady doctor. Fair enough, she's old, old-school, and probably shy. Lucky for you we got a female doctor on the team.

Day 2: Blah blah blah blah blah blaaaaaah. Damn she's the nagging type. No maam, we have to do some tests to make sure the pain and vomiting isn't from something else.

Day 3: Doctor I'm kinda getting bored from being in the hospital. What's next? WELL maam, we have to schedule you for surgery, but we need to fit you into a slot on the elective surgery list since you're not having any complications anymore (turns out the pain and vomit was from nasty gastritis all over her stomach and not from the hernia itself). At the same time, our next two lists are absolutely full, but we'll try and fit you in.

Day 4: Doctor, while fixing the hernia, can't you also fix this weakness in my abdominal wall which shows a bulge everytime I cough? Sure thing maam, but you have to realise we need to find a bigger slot to fit you in cuz this surgery requires more time than the simpler hernia fix. When? We're not sure yet

Day 4 , two hours later: Any news yet? No, we're not sure yet

Day 4, 4 hours later: When? I don't know

Day 4, 8 hours later: When? I DON'T KNOW.

Day 5 (just before the consultant who leads the team arrives): Doctor, since we're on the topic I've lost about 10Kgs in like 10 days, but how about you take off another 10Kgs off my tummy (hinting for an abdominoplasty, they chop off some of the excess skin, tighting the skin with some nice sutures, and make you look a tad-bit cuter but with one heck of a long scar). Maam you realise, the skin we remove only takes off about 2-3Kgs max, it's cosmetic not therapeutic.

Day 5, 15 minutes later: Doctor, I want the hernia repaired, the defect fixed, the abdominoplasty, and gastric bypass (a major bariatric surgery where they by-pass your stomach so you eat less and lose alotta weight). Maam, you don't need it. Doctor, but my brother did it! Maam! MAAM! you need alotta tests before this surgery, and you're not in a condition which necessates you to undergo such a major surgery, and besides you're not fat enough to need such thing. Doctor, I know, but my brother did it, and so I might as well do it. Maam, why don't you do your own freaking surgery then!

il-kuwait habbat! people just go with the flow no matter what or how, at whatever cost. They eat and grow their asses fat. They develop diabetes and high blood pressure, end up screwing their kidneys and eyes. And instead of eating moderately and excercising, they go for the easy way out by doing a major surgery like gastric-bypass (which can statistically kill you!) so they lose the weight and continue sitting their asses, making fun of Halima on TV (while in reality they're just jealous).

Whatever dude!

Doo Re Mee Fa Sol La Si..

I love music. Usually in all of its forms if it's good (and I include in that heavy metal and psychodelic if I have to). Heck show me a good tune with a great beat and I'll dance to it (if no one is watching!).

My first music collection, which was at the age of 13 (and please don't ask why) was Elvis. On the good all cassette tapes, I had all his albums, and new most of the lyrics. I lost them to a girl who asked to borrow them a couple of years later, and never saw them again. I used to record ALOT of tapes off the radio cause I never like listening to a whole album, whereby there'd only be one or two good songs. When I travelled abroad for my undergraduate studies, I got major into hiphop and R&B. Even then I didn't like the mainstream stuff, most of what I had were either stuff that won't get onto the billboard for another 6 or 8 weeks, or underground remixes or re-dos. My favourite stuff was off Timbaland, original beats and tunes that just made my mood for the day.

What I liked about hiphop then was the music that was made for the fun of it. Good tunes, good beats, and great lyrics. Ludacris was one of my favourites, rapping about fun stuff. Nas was one of my favourite lyricists. Never was a fan of the whole Tupac and Biggie debacle, but none the less had an appreciation for their artistic work. I was on a mission then, get the music to which my friends would salute me on for their greatness, even if it meant them coming back in two months and saying "Hey! I remember you playin this tune a while ago and we all used to hate it, how the heck you knew it's gonna be a hit", cuz it'd just bring a smile to my face as i'd say in mind "thanks, but I told you" :-)

Time pass by, flavours change, and videoclips got into play. That whole bling bling, my b1t(*$ and my ho's, my cribs and my 23 inch wheel certainly did not appeal to me. Meanwhile there was this wave of ecstacy loving going on in Europe with a huge wave of drift sweeping slowly but with greater difficulty throughout the US. It was the drift of house music. Although starting originally in windy city of Chicago during the 80s, it only picked up recently when people were looking for something a little bit more laxed than the heavier and faster beats of techno, electro, and dance.

Now I'm the kinda person who likes change. One of the first reasons I did medicine (and possibly computers as plan-B) was the fact that in these two fields everyday is a new day. It's an endless ocean of experience, knowledge, and new facts everyday, and greater depth than probably most other fields people indulge in. Going back to music, the same rule applied with me. I like new tunes, beats, as long as it's good. So... started checking out some of the better and more known house tunes. Liked them, definitely nice beats, progressive and up-lifting (the kind that make you speed up on the highway, or chill and cruise on the beach if you're in the right mood).

Yet still I rarely listen to the commercial mainstream, and if I were to, I would have listened to that song way back before it's release. Most of my current music collection is from underground re-re-re-mixes of simple tunes that became an unbelievable mood turner due to great DJs like Deep dish, Hed Kandi, Mylo, Daft Punk, and the likes of them...

By now (that is if you're still reading!) you're probably wondering what the hell am I trying to get to. Answer is, nowhere. I'm just trying to justify why I listen to what I listen when people get into my car and beg me to change my music. It's because you haven't listened to it, fool!

For starters

For starters... dunno what to say. A doctor who just started working in the State of Kuwait after years of living in Europe. Trying to live through the hippocracy of this nation, where everyone thinks they're the best, and everyone does wrong while complaining about how everyone else is doing it too. (yeah I'm in sort of a bad mood today cuz I'm on-call tomorrow ;-P )

One thing for sure is trying to get used to the life in here. It's certainly easier is if you're looking for the easy way out. But if you wanna work hard and play by the book, then welcome to your nightmare.

People, lend me your ears. Four major issues I came to realise since I came back. One: Was6a (connections, people that know people that know some people to get your sh1t done), as long as we have it we never have things running fairly and the way they should. Two: Everyone looks for their own benefit, even if it's on the careless expense of others. Three: everyone's dream these days, especially in the last five years is one thing.... MONEY! Dunno how, where, or why they just need it or want it, and it kinda explains why this whole freakin country looks like a mafia town to a complete stranger. Four: the golden issue in this country, nobody is held accountable for their actions, from high-ranking positions, and down to the cleaner who's not cleaning the hospital floor properly.
I mean was6a is everywhere, everyone looks for their own, and money is what most people aim for at the end of the day. But when all of the above is done in the wrong way, and when caught nobody's held accountable, that's when you lose faith in the system. Because there's no system.
I'll be posting examples every now and then of such issues whenever I come across them. In the meantime, keep checking this blog for some food for thought. For the maincourse, please follow me to the sushi bar...