Reunion

For many of us, the last time we met was just over 20 years ago at our graduation ceremony.

That seems like many lifetimes ago for me. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined the life experiences I have had, nor the places I've seen or the countries I've lived in. Then, our main concern was to get through the next night call, crossing our fingers that we wouldn't have too many admissions or get too many pages (I have since discovered that the pager service in Singapore has been discontinued....man, do I feel old & decrepit).

It was great fun getting together with my ex-classmates. I think about half our class showed up - more than expected. I couldn't recognize some of them & it was awkard being said "Hello" to by a familiar face whose name I could not recall! There were a few whom I had to ask close friends to help me identify! Memory is getting terrible. But for the most part I could still remember their names, with a bit of nudging at the ol' brain cells. Most had more gray hair, some with a lot less hair on their heads, some extra pounds (including moi) & a few more wrinkles. Many are senior physicians, with impressive reputations in their own fields. Many are GPs with their own practices or medical groups. But being together again that night, we left our "other lives" outside the door & for a couple of hours, we were med school classmates again.

We had such a great time that there is talk of organizing another get together - not 10 years from now, but 5 years maybe.

I am looking forward to the next one....

Hope

It's been years since I've seen such cohesion among Americans all over the world. The last time was on Sept 11, 2001, when the world stood still, & Americans despaired & united in tragedy when the World Trade Center buildings collapsed under the attack of terrorists.

Today, it was elation I saw, as Barack Obama was elected as the 44th President of the United States, the first black president of this country. He won by a landslide & from the footage shown of the multitudes celebrating, I shared in the joy & hope felt by the American people. Obama represents a new age in American politics, where hopefully, diplomacy wins over brute force, & open-mindedness triumphs over insularity.

I hope, with all my heart, that he will live up to the expectations of those who voted for him today.