Researching universities as I help my son(s) with the college application process, I can't help but occasionally feel a twinge of envy as I see the infinite possibilities that lay before him. The choices he has & the myriad of opportunities is way more than I could ever have dreamed of when I was his age.
I find myself wishing that I, too, can go back to college, this time not to study Medicine, but to take courses like Film Studies, or Film Production, or Art classes to help me flex the rather atrophic creative muscles (if any!) in me.
Oh, don't get me wrong...I have good memories of Med School (apart from the studying. And the lectures. And clerking patients. And exams. :) ). I look back fondly on times spent in the college hostel, participating in inter-faculty sports and especially of being a part of putting plays together (which was probably my favorite extra-curricular activities - a sign that I perhaps went into the wrong field, hmm?).
I loved the camaraderie of working together with the cast & crew of each & every production I was involved with & the adrenaline rush one felt on opening night, and the exhilaration one felt after the final curtain call of a job well done.
Aaahhhh....those were the days....
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Impressions from China - 'Avatar' pulled from 1,628 Chinese movie screens - latimes.com
One word: UN-FRICKIN'-BELIEVABLE.
'Avatar' pulled from 1,628 Chinese movie screens - latimes.com
Posted using ShareThis
'Avatar' pulled from 1,628 Chinese movie screens - latimes.com
Posted using ShareThis
Sunday, January 17, 2010
"Don't Be Evil"
I read this article about Google's threat to leave China & for some peculiar reason, it reminded me about the doctoring situation in Singapore. I've been getting negative vibes from reading about complaints left, right & center about doctors' overcharging for their services, bad outcomes from aesthetic procedures, death from liposuction, doctors being late at their clinics, and so on & so forth. Being a doctor in Singapore does not seem to be something that is looked upon very favorably at the present moment.
Much of the negativity is probably justified. However, that doesn't take away the disheartenment I feel and even some sadness to see my profession being given a bad name. It seems like the media has focused on the bad apples rather than the good ones, which doesn't help matters at all.
I guess for me, Google taking a stand for their beliefs against the Goliath that is the Chinese government is akin to those family practitioners in Singapore who slog on & practise good medicine & not succumb to the temptation of the all mighty dollar by going into aesthetics exclusively, which many have done so.
Whether or not Google will follow through with this threat, who knows?
I, for one, am hoping that they will. Although it may not make economic sense, it would leave some spark of hope that for some, money is not the be all and end all of everything, and that standing up for one's beliefs and doing what is right is more important.
Don't Be Evil.
Do No Harm.
Sound very similar to me.
Much of the negativity is probably justified. However, that doesn't take away the disheartenment I feel and even some sadness to see my profession being given a bad name. It seems like the media has focused on the bad apples rather than the good ones, which doesn't help matters at all.
I guess for me, Google taking a stand for their beliefs against the Goliath that is the Chinese government is akin to those family practitioners in Singapore who slog on & practise good medicine & not succumb to the temptation of the all mighty dollar by going into aesthetics exclusively, which many have done so.
Whether or not Google will follow through with this threat, who knows?
I, for one, am hoping that they will. Although it may not make economic sense, it would leave some spark of hope that for some, money is not the be all and end all of everything, and that standing up for one's beliefs and doing what is right is more important.
Don't Be Evil.
Do No Harm.
Sound very similar to me.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
18
My first born turned 18 last week, the legal age of consent. He is old enough to die for his country, drink alcoholic beverages in certain states/countries, gamble in a casino, buy cigarettes (in certain countries), get married (!).
I can feel him slowly pulling away. He is becoming independent, a separate entity from this nuclear family. He spends more time with his social circle of friends than he does with us.
As I reluctantly & slowly untie the maternal apron strings, I wish him well & trust that we have raised him to be a responsible and upright human being, with a good heart, and a keen spirit to do well & to do good in the big, wide, and sometimes, scary world out there.
I am proud of you, My Son. In the words of a famous Vulcan - Live Long and Prosper.
I can feel him slowly pulling away. He is becoming independent, a separate entity from this nuclear family. He spends more time with his social circle of friends than he does with us.
As I reluctantly & slowly untie the maternal apron strings, I wish him well & trust that we have raised him to be a responsible and upright human being, with a good heart, and a keen spirit to do well & to do good in the big, wide, and sometimes, scary world out there.
I am proud of you, My Son. In the words of a famous Vulcan - Live Long and Prosper.
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
The Big Screen
Avatar was an amazing experience. To call the experience "watching a movie" would not do it justice. The storyline was admittedly predictable & rather cliched (sorry, Mr Cameron!). However, all was forgiven by the jaw-dropping, newfangled CGI technology that was used in the making of this blockbuster epic (last count: more than 1 BILLION USD in ticket sales worldwide!!!)
Watching it in 3D made it even more awe-inspiring. What made it even more special for me was being able to see emotion on the animated faces of the Na'vi; and (I know this sounds strange) that James Cameron even made sure that Jake Sully's paraplegic legs looked appropriately atrophied!
The Avatar story reminded me of what happened to the Native Americans on the plains of North America hundreds of years ago. At the same time, it echoed currently trendy (and deserving) calls to save the Earth from the ravages of Mankind.
I enjoyed the movie, cliches and all, with its hopeful ending.
Another movie that I recently watched and enjoyed, this time on DVD, was The Blind Side, based on the true story of American football player Michael Oher. An African American teenager abandoned by his drug addict mother, he is taken in by a wealthy white family, the Tuohys, and goes on to fulfill his potential both academically as well as in athletics. He was recently drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2009 NFL Draft.
It is unabashedly a feel-good movie, full of hope & inspiration.
As you can tell, I love these kinds of shows where the underdog ends up triumphant, the heroes end up saving the day, and where good defeats evil. Much better than the gore & violence of movies like "Inglorious Basterds", or "Kill Bill" (not a Quentin Tarantino fan - sorry) or any of the other thousand and one horror movies out in the market today.
Next up - Sherlock Holmes - which is supposed to come to the big screens in Beijing next week *fingers crossed*...
Watching it in 3D made it even more awe-inspiring. What made it even more special for me was being able to see emotion on the animated faces of the Na'vi; and (I know this sounds strange) that James Cameron even made sure that Jake Sully's paraplegic legs looked appropriately atrophied!
The Avatar story reminded me of what happened to the Native Americans on the plains of North America hundreds of years ago. At the same time, it echoed currently trendy (and deserving) calls to save the Earth from the ravages of Mankind.
I enjoyed the movie, cliches and all, with its hopeful ending.
Another movie that I recently watched and enjoyed, this time on DVD, was The Blind Side, based on the true story of American football player Michael Oher. An African American teenager abandoned by his drug addict mother, he is taken in by a wealthy white family, the Tuohys, and goes on to fulfill his potential both academically as well as in athletics. He was recently drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2009 NFL Draft.
It is unabashedly a feel-good movie, full of hope & inspiration.
As you can tell, I love these kinds of shows where the underdog ends up triumphant, the heroes end up saving the day, and where good defeats evil. Much better than the gore & violence of movies like "Inglorious Basterds", or "Kill Bill" (not a Quentin Tarantino fan - sorry) or any of the other thousand and one horror movies out in the market today.
Next up - Sherlock Holmes - which is supposed to come to the big screens in Beijing next week *fingers crossed*...
Monday, January 04, 2010
Impressions from China - Snow
The snowfall yesterday lasted almost 24 hours & left us under a mantle of white...lovely to look at, but treacherous to traverse. It seems that the Beijing municipal government isn't terribly good at snow management, seeing that they typically get very frigid but rather dry winters, instead of the 12 inches that landed on us yesterday.
Flights were delayed, & the streets, especially those not considered highways or main roads, are difficult, not to mention dangerous to navigate on. Inexperienced drivers going too fast or accelerating too quickly find themselves skidding on the slippery surface, especially when the cars & tires are ill-equipped to be handling snow/ice covered surfaces. Add to that the rather lousy driving skills & etiquette of the typical Chinese driver & you have an accident waiting to happen.
Today in the city, I saw hordes of workers armed with snow shovels, gardening shovels & even brooms attacking the heaps of snow. Human labor in China is so much cheaper than buying a mechanized snow plow, it seems. I saw two workers standing on the back of a pick up truck next to a pile of salt, sporadically shoveling salt on to the roads as the truck moved slowly onwards in the city. Astounding.
More snow is expected on Friday, and temperatures are expected to plunge to as low as -16 C, as winds from Siberia blow into town. Let's hope that the current load of snow is cleared before the next load arrives.
As it is, driving around is already such a pain, as we have to go at snail's pace most of the time because of all the uncleared snow & unsalted roads. Yes, snow is pretty...but damned inconvenient to live with. Maybe I should invest in a pair of cross country skis.
Meantime, it looks like tonight is a good night to enjoy a mug of hot chocolate (or a glass of port)to warm up the innards, snuggle on the couch under a cozy throw, and watch a good movie with The Significant Other.
Flights were delayed, & the streets, especially those not considered highways or main roads, are difficult, not to mention dangerous to navigate on. Inexperienced drivers going too fast or accelerating too quickly find themselves skidding on the slippery surface, especially when the cars & tires are ill-equipped to be handling snow/ice covered surfaces. Add to that the rather lousy driving skills & etiquette of the typical Chinese driver & you have an accident waiting to happen.
Today in the city, I saw hordes of workers armed with snow shovels, gardening shovels & even brooms attacking the heaps of snow. Human labor in China is so much cheaper than buying a mechanized snow plow, it seems. I saw two workers standing on the back of a pick up truck next to a pile of salt, sporadically shoveling salt on to the roads as the truck moved slowly onwards in the city. Astounding.
More snow is expected on Friday, and temperatures are expected to plunge to as low as -16 C, as winds from Siberia blow into town. Let's hope that the current load of snow is cleared before the next load arrives.
As it is, driving around is already such a pain, as we have to go at snail's pace most of the time because of all the uncleared snow & unsalted roads. Yes, snow is pretty...but damned inconvenient to live with. Maybe I should invest in a pair of cross country skis.
Meantime, it looks like tonight is a good night to enjoy a mug of hot chocolate (or a glass of port)to warm up the innards, snuggle on the couch under a cozy throw, and watch a good movie with The Significant Other.
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