Week 5

Player's got to play on her escalade ;)

Week 4 was fine..hot-hot-cold became scorching!

Mr Evil and his buddy are two absolute charmers.

Mike Cooke & Sandun De Silva (from LT) - absolute hunnies; I got treated to coffee by one and free magazines by both!

Week 4

Time really does fly when you're having fun. We're still on surgery, landlady's son is still cute (things are hotting up a *tiny* bit there) & I've seen everything in SL I've wanted to see (Jaffna & Trinco aside).

Heavy fighting up North has meant a number of army casualties (60) have been flown in for treatment. It's heartening to see the struggle amputees go through - I'm surprised there's only one angry one - the rest are smiling away, trying to be as cheerful as possible for the benefit of their comrades. It does mean we've got ten patients on the floor as the unit has run out of beds.

Sad stories aside, J & I managed to have a relaxing weekend in the Hill Country. Kandy & Nuwara Eliya are both stunning in different ways (lots of waterfalls, yay!) & it's a great shame we couldn't chill for longer. This weekend we're off to a Sri Lankan nightclub replete with female stripper (Onyx) & plan to head down South, to Hikkaduwa, Galle & Mirissa. Fingers crossed we can visit the turtle sanctuary one last time.

PS Gallery Cafe is lush & the food at Sheraton & the Intercon Tandoori WINZ!

;)

Week 3 eh? Still can't believe we've made it so far. Things have been picking up, what with the re-invigoration from the weekend away (Sigiriya was amazing - we climbed right to the top) & the introduction of a NICE surgical team to the proceedings.

Am really looking forward to the next two weeks - the team seem helpful & willing to teach. Our trip to the hill country, aka Kandy & Nuwara Eliya is also on the cards; this weekend, I do believe :)

Tripping aside (incidentally, Cora De Lang's Barefoot installation is very reminiscent of a classical migraine aura/a drug trip - do go and see it)...life is good. Amaya Lake was a treat, the relatives are still taking me out & the heat hasn't been so bad of late.

Take care,
x

Secrets & lies...

In deference to Rhythmic and Cof25's recent confessions, I thought I'd let slip a few secrets to keep the bored amongst ya (Skurj, I'm looking at you!) entertained. In order to keep you on your toes, I've slipped one little lie in there. Let me know which one you think it is!

I have a recent allergy to fish, meat and poultry. Behold the commencement of a veggie diet with eggs & the occasional cutlet/smoked salmon thrown in.

I still have an ongoing Japanese obsession - I *love* everything about that place. From the ongoing conflict between conformism and individualism to the method belieing the madness. I've read pretty much every fictional account of the place, in addition to being a total geek for everything from Tamagotchi's to tea ceremonies. I've tried and failed to learn Japanese in the past - once I've got French and Sinhala under my belt, it's gonna be next.

I have several minor low-level OCDs - hence the love of sushi & abhorrence of shopping in places where clothes are not stocked in size, style & colour order. I'm slightly anal re: cleanliness in my own home & won't allow the eating/drinking of coloured substances in the bedroom unless it's for amorous purposes.

I have a navel piercing.

I have other body piercings.

Aloha!

Just a quick update on what I've been upto.

1) Seeing lots of clinical stuff.
2) Feeling the resentment from the colleagues - thank f*ck I'm changing wards next week.
3) Experiencing an attempt at the latest LTTE flex - getting themselves admitted into Colombo hospitals cos no one is willing to host them privately. We had two suspects in outpatients attending with a police officer. One translated between the (tamil) doctor & the 'ill' one. The venom from which he spat out our language whilst refusing to even *look* at me was pretty astounding - racists are a tragic yet fascinating bunch.
4) Hanging out at the nicest coffee shop (Coffee Stop) ever with Mr Scourge (a total charmer!) - you guys should come!
5) Reading lots of SL literature - collective review to come, but the 1994 Booker-nominee 'Reef' is an amazing read. Highly recommended.
6) Going on a diet. No less than 30 people (some complete strangers) have taken the trouble to call me 'fat'. Being eaten by mosquitoes is my other bugbear.

7) Planning the aforementioned trip to the Ancient cities. Going to be staying at Amaya Lake, which is lush :)

Ayubowan

Evening Folks!

Yours truly has finally made it to CMB. It's way hotter than I'd ever imagined it to be (and they say it's the COOL season..liars).

My accomodation is serviceable - CMB 8, can't ask for much more than that. It's directly opposite the hospital. I'm staying with a lovely host family with two cute sons and a daughter around my age. Nice.

Work is interesting..whilst the patients on the ward are interesting (excellent signs, symptoms & stories out here - mitral stenosis, COPD, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, hardcore rheumatoid arthritis, infective endocarditis, kasippu-powered labourers from Kelani Bridge) & polite, the attitude of the staff leaves a lot to be desired. I get the feeling they're nurses due to status/financial reasons rather than for those of altruism.

Most of our patients are from poor backgrounds. Some are really unlucky, i.e. homeless/deserted/both. One of our chaps had reflux & couldn't afford a pillow. I asked the nurses & attendants whether they could get him one (a reasonable one, IMHO)...

...'not our problem'.

The stench from patients wetting themselves & the ward floor with various bodily fluids & body odour signals..(half our fans are broken, meaning the stench is near putrid)..

...'not our problem'..

What exactly do you guys do, safe for swanning around in starched-up peacock hats?

Alas, life in Colombo is treating me well so far. I've been to the bare essentials - Barefoot, Odel, Crescat & MC. I've swum at Otters, having had the cultural experience at Gangarama Temple (stunning!) and the National Museum, before living it up @ Dehiwala Zoo, the Mt Lavinia Hotel (wedding!) and various favourites old and new (Ginza Hosen, yay!). I've especially liked spending time @ the Commons, Vihara MahaDevi Park & Tea Breeze @ Arkipelago.

Next weekend will see yours truly hitting up the cultural triangle (Anuradhapura, Sigiriya, Dambulla and Polannaruwa), with Kandy & Nuwara Eliya as to-dos in the weeks to come. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a gem-pit visit (Ratnapura) and a day-trip down South. Also going to have some spa time (Amaya/Sanctuary) & some well-earned R&R.

Guess I'll be seeing some of you next week?
Tschuss!