Student again

Oh my….

To be picking up the dental books again is just so difficult.
Any graduated dentists still remember these? Leukotrienes, Nikolsky’s sign, Beta receptors and blockers, describe Reverse Towne’s, properties of amalgam, innervation of Parotid gland, etc etc.
Difficult but exciting at the same time.

MJDF exam – 4th April 2011 (Monday)
Entrance fees – my one month worth of salary.

And I had never been the studious type. Not throughout my university days. My coursemates can testify that I still play computer games and go places during Study Week (smug).
So, God please help me.
Like You already had, many times in all the different exams of my life.

Coz this time, it’s very expensive =)

Rainy thoughts

For many years in my life, the sound of water drop on the zinc rooftop announcing the arrival of the rain, would be greeted by a smile on my face.

Cool air outdoors somehow always managed to seep its way into my room via gaps under the door or windowsills, eliminate the need of the environmental unfriendly (but I still use it every night) air-conditioner.
The fresh smell of rain and the increasingly loud sound of the pattering rain on the rooftop calmly drives way other voices.

For many long years.
Until recently.
Sigh.

The rain awaken the light sleeper me. Those days, I would welcome the rain with a Hello, snuggle comfortably in my blanket and hope to quickly fall back asleep with all the lovely elements the rain brings.
This time, with my eyes wide open, I basked in the smell, the air, the sound. Most importantly, the sound. There’s only one thing on my mind.

Gauging from the sound of the rain, I’m imagining how heavy the rain is, how fast is the field reservoir gonna fill up, and will my car be flooded. again.

At wee hours in the morning, I caught myself walking out to check the cars and water level, praying along the way ‘God, let it be not too heavy.’
Oh, since when did I unlearn enjoying the rain?

I went back to bed, and funny enough, I dare not fall asleep. I listened to the rain and almost immediately decided to chat with the One friend up there. We spoke of many things, mostly those that mattered to me, from daily struggles to stuff unspoken. I think He listens to me, because He slowly tuned down the volume of the rain beating against the roof zinc.

Finally, I fell asleep and I remember the last thing I heard just before I did, was only the dripping sound of water from the pipe outside.

Celebration worth

Just when many things in life needed some tweaking work, 6 officers were surrounding one particular bed in the hospital ward, silently celebrating.

Last week. “We have a baby in the ward.” Mind you, that patient is 72 years young. He is frail, he can’t feed himself, he can’t hear properly, he speaks a different Chinese dialect no staff in clinic able to communicate (thus we speak Malay with him), like a baby, he (has to) wear pampers. Oh, he’s our patient.

 

My boss is particularly concern about him. He checks on the ol’ man twice a day, if not 3 times. Today, there were 6 of us in the ward.

“Uncle, ada makan??”

“A..i..r… k…o….s…o…n….g….”

“Uncle, can you eat? Milo or milk? Porridge?” When I speak in Cantonese or Mandarin, I will get a blank stare. Not quite sure if it’s because uncle can’t hear well or because he doesn’t understand me.

Well, we all wanted him to take food. Feed himself, get nourishment.
Let’s try again. I saw a tin of oatmeal beside his bed. I am sure he is too weak and frail to look to the side and noticed a tin of food. I took the tin and gently held it in front of him.

“Uncle, can you eat this?”
He responded slowly “Kalau mau lui, saya tak mau…”

My colleague said “Tell him somebody gave it to him.”
And I did.

“Oh, I would like a cup of it then.” He casually said it as if ordering a cup of teh tarik in coffee shop.

There is a bun on the table too. My other colleague opened the package and placed it in his thinning hands, which with much effort, he held it.

“Eat la, eat la” “Uncle, makan!” multiple encouragement in multiple languages were expressed.

Uncle slowly broke the bread, and placed one piece inside his mouth, and chewed with his gum pads (for he has no teeth). He was eating for the first time in a very long time. While his jaw was masticating slowly, he turned his head like a lighthouse looking at the 6 weird officers, shamelessly staring at him and grinning encouragingly.

The ability to eat is a milestone itself.

For uncle, or at least to me, it is worth giving thanks for.