Guess who is happiest about my chosen path?

No, not my mama and papa.

Definitely not my brother.

Me. I am happy. Not overly so.

Man, you will never guess it.

My doctor.

Oh yea.

The big man himself is in jitters.

Apparently, the moment i walked into the clinic, his nurse walked lightly by me and whispered 'We were gossiping about you just now.'

'Gossiping?' said I, ever suspicious of my medicine man. 'What did you guys say?'

'Oh, he says he is bored. (Future doctors beware. from my experience, your nurses are the one who will reveal all your bad habits and mistakes for the patients to wield as weapons in the future). He says all his sees are old patients (Hm, i thought. then why chose rheumatology?)Then we say we are waiting for Ms Choy.'

Very amusing.

Anyway, I thought, i do have some amusing things to tell him. My fanfare of entrance, however, was beaten by his quick wit.

'I have a good news, and a bad news!' I announced, as a way of entry.

'Oh,' he said drily. 'Again. Let's have the bad news.'

'Actually,' I said as I approached my punch line. 'I think they are both bad news for you...'

'why?' he interrupted, his wary-of-chiawyee radar in full mode. 'Oh my god. let me guess. You are not going overseas.'

'Very good.' said I, a little surprise and disappointed. 'But anyway,' I continued, determine to have my, even diminished, fanfare. 'My good news and your bad news is...'

'Don't tell me,' shouted my thoroughly excited doctor, waving his pen about. 'Lemme guess, lemme guess. You got into the Med faculty?!!??!!'
(The '!!??!!' is hardly exagerrated. As he spoke, you can see them dancing in circles around his head.)

'Erm, yea.'

From here came a horrendous collection of maniacal laughter from both my doctor and the nurse as I sat slightly discomfitted, my fanfare dying in my throat.

'Very good, very good,' he said, tears streaming in his eyes. 'congrats. what did you tell them? What did they ask you?'

'Oh,' I said nonchalently. 'they asked me if I support the condom?'

'What?' he said, eyes huge with the wise doctor's disdain. 'Who is that?'

i was exasperated. 'Sir, the only doctor's name i remember are prof ___ and Dr ____'

'Ok,' he accepted that. 'Hey, come listen to this,' he beckoned his nurse. 'This is really interesting.'

That's nice. I thought. I am their personal entertainer.

'Condom, really?' he said. 'Who is that?'

'Sir, I don't know who he is.' I repeated. 'Gay though', I added, as an afterthought.

'This woman is terrible.' my doctor declared.

'I told him your name.' i informed him.

He looks slightly horrified.

'Anyway,' says my doctor. 'You have such an interesting life. Even your questions are weird. (Here he mentions something vague that relates to him being bored.)'

'Then why do you choose rheumatology?'

'Huh?' said he. He glared daggers at his nurse, who shrugged and laugh. 'I didn't tell you that, did I? I was inspired by lupus patients.'

'You were inspired by lupus patients.' I repeated skeptically. 'Why, because they have poetic sounding symptoms like moon face and butterfly rash?'

'No, because lupus is really systemic.'

'Systemic lupus erythamatosus is really systemic, that explains a lot.'

'Oh, and its hard to keep lupus patients.' he added as an afterthought.

'What a sadistic man.' i said. 'You like lupus because the patients die off easily!?'

'Well', he said defensively. '15 years later everyone is alive.Anyway, let's see, how many years would that be.' he consulted his calendar without really consulting his calendar, as all doctors too (aka, it is a cue for the nurse to provide them the info.) '6 years later I must get you into my department. (It's as though he found the date 6 years later in a calendar that marks only for one year.)

'Why?' I said. 'So that I can be your little slave?Anyway, 'I forstalled him 'are you a fierce teacher?'

'Well,' he said in a really smug stone. 'I heard that before coming to my tutorial, all my students must go to the washroom.'

I wondered how to break this to him gently, and decided there is no way.' I can't really believe that. Besides, perhaps they go to the toilet because your lessons are really boring...'

His smug smile disappear.

'Opps,' I said, hardly contrite. 'It's a student's secret. Perhaps I shouldn't have told you.'

The rest are more banters between us.

As I left, he said 'Don't torture your professors!'

'Oh please.' I replied. 'I'm so angelic.'

'Yea, right,' shot back my young at heart doctor, father of two (Courtesy of the nurse). 'I can practically see the angel dusts falling off you...'

But he is really excited. Really he is. Because later, when i got my appointment card, he got the date all wrong and had to re-write it again.

At some point in in time, even the most indifferent of individuals will kneel before a higher power and ask for advice.

And if the higher power, who usually eschews banal language used by the mortal and earth-bound supplicants, actually gave you a sign like neon like flashing madly about, would it not be idiocy to ignore it?

Of course, unless the higher power flashed three neon light in different colours in a myraid of directions, then that's where the trouble begins.

'Look here!' says HP, 'Or here!' says HP again, and by the time you finish looking, your brain is in spinning turbo mood.

I turn to the mortal gods and goddess. One beloved mentor of mine chastised me.

'There is no regretting. A decision made is a right decision. You make it right. Mindset is the key.'

I was blowed over. Oh man. Was this not the motto i worked by in TSD?

So I have made up my mind. And the HP, in return for some decisiveness, gave me the greatest bonus ever. To my dear love, i am so glad for you. I am happier for myself.For once in my life, I am entering something new with someone I know.

Thank you, and thank you to all my mentors in my life.

Mr Mohamed from Peiying Primary, for beliving in me.

Miss Yvonne Lek, for boostering me.

Mrs Lim Hwee Bin, from Cedar, for supporting me.

Mdm Faridah,from Cedar, for endowing me with enough wisecracks to last the century.

Miss Angelian tan, from Cedar, from giving me everyone's most precious procession- time.

Miss Susan Leong, from Cedar, for inspiring me.

Mr Adrain Loo,from RJC, for a combination of things: Trust, time, care,patience and wisdom.

Mr Mathew Lyon,from RJC, for his madness and practicality.

And to Miss Tan Yew Kheng, who supported all my crazy endeavours, from bringing her photo to my math exam to training my telephatic command with her, thank you for your huge droplets of wisdom and faith, when none came.

To my papa, who pushed me (sometimes to insanity) and to my mama, who reined me (til sometimes I feel really slack)

And to my taciturn, silent brother. He is a mentor to me in many ways, among them, lending a ear to my whispered fears, when none others can hear.Sometimes, siblings are another part of your soul. (Or pain in the ass)

And to all my friends, though only the meagre few will read this: thank you, thank you, thank you. We grow together don't we? :)

I am here to screw with your mood.

Are you sad? Then watch this:



Are you happy? Then watch this:



Enjoy my loves!

Proclamation
The World Lupus Day Proclamation was first developed in 2004 when an international steering committee representing lupus organizations from 13 different nations met in Eaton, United Kingdom to organize the first observance of World Lupus Day. The Proclamation is a call to action for governments around the world to increase their financial support for lupus research, awareness and patient services.

Each year, the Steering Committee revises the Proclamation to reflect the emerging issues that people with lupus around the world must face every day. The Proclamation serves to give a single voice to all individuals affected by this devastating and debilitating chronic disease.

The World Lupus Day Proclamation
Please join the international lupus community in urging your government to adopt and issue the World Lupus Day Proclamation.

Whereas, lupus is an autoimmune disease that can cause severe damage to the tissue and organs in the body and, in some cases, death; and

Whereas, more than five million people worldwide suffer the devastating effects of this disease and each year over a hundred thousand young women, men and children are newly diagnosed with lupus, the great majority of whom are women of childbearing age; and

Whereas, medical research efforts into lupus and the discovery of safer, more effective treatments for lupus patients are under-funded in comparison with diseases of comparable magnitude and severity; and

Whereas, many physicians worldwide are unaware of symptoms and health effects of lupus, causing people with lupus to suffer for many years before they obtain a correct diagnosis and medical treatment; and

Whereas, there is a deep, unmet need worldwide to educate and support individuals and families affected by lupus; and

Whereas, there is an urgent need to increase awareness in communities worldwide of the debilitating impact of lupus;

Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved that 10 May 2008 is hereby designated as World Lupus Day on which lupus organizations around the globe call for increases in public and private sector funding for medical research on lupus, targeted education programs for health professionals, patients and the public, and worldwide recognition of lupus as a significant public health issue.

Proclaimed This Day, 10 May 2008

World Lupus day!!!

I'm all for the spreading awareness, but it looks a little too much like a festival. hm...Anyway guys, do remember this day and all who are harmed by the onslaught of this disease.Dove Self esteem campaign should be so associated with lupus!