An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines normally contradictory terms.

Here are a few examples..

Bittersweet

Pretty Ugly

Original Copy

Virtual Reality

Living Dead

Open Secret

Organized Mess

Controlled Chaos

Deafening Silence

Quiet Riot

Was watching a movie with my sis when one of the characters mentioned the word “oxymoron”. Decided to check out what it really meant since I though it was a type of moron. Something like super moron, uber moron or ultra moron. Ok, that was lame. Hah.

私はもう一度同じものを食べるか？または何か他には？

それから私は、全世界の飢えた人々だと思う。

だから私はそこにある何か食べるようになる。

にもかかわらず、私は食欲がない。

場合であっても同じことが日常だ。

私はまだ食べている。

ので…

私は生きるために食べる。

I’ve been having writer’s block or should it be called blogger’s block for quite a long time. Perhaps it should be renamed as “depression”. Work’s been bad the past few months. Overworked, underpaid, the usual shit. Guess after moping around and showering myself with tons of self-pity, I’ve finally decided to stop, pick up my life and start writing again. Hopefully.

Anyway, it’s not that I’ve been doing absolutely nothing these past few months. Infact, I’ve read quite a handful of novels since June. Let me list them out for my own sense of satisfaction..

1. Playing for Pizza by John Grisham

2. Misconceptions by Terry McGee

3. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

4. The Pact by Jodi Picoult

5. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

6. Where Rainbow Ends by Cecelia Aherns

7. Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult

There you go. A great accomplishment since my attempt to regain the skills of “light reading”.

And yes, I think I’m starting to be a fan of Jodi Picoult’s works.

And slowly converting Cindy too.

Haha.

“…I was just on the cusp of having one of those bone cleansing cries a woman should treat herself to at least once during a lunar cycle.”

~ Julia Romano in My Sister’s Keeper, by Jodi Picoult

Well said. I guess some of us females really need an outlet to release the stress and PMS we go through every month. Perhaps the stress and frustration leaks out together with the tears. And yes, I guess you guys can blame it on the hormones. But then again, not everything is due to PMS, ok? Sometimes, it may actually be your fault.

Anyway, am having a bad week at work. Will probably need a few rounds of bone cleansing cries this lunar cycle..

When I was much younger, i.e. secondary school days, I could finish a novel in 1 1/2 hours or 2 hours max. Sweet Valley High, Famous Five, Hardy Boys, are just some of the many series I used to read. Then I moved on to more grown up authors, such as John Grisham, Michael Crichton etc. Ranging from 300-500 page per book, reading used to be such a leisurely thing.

Until now. Medical school spoilt my reading habits and skills. Not to mention working life.

I’ve been trying to read this book I bought in Australia 2 years ago entitled Misconceptions by Terry McGee. A wonderful and gripping storyline about medical malpractice  and a messed up family and social life; except the fact that I’ve been reading it for the past say, 2 weeks, and have yet to finish the 462 pages in that book. Not to mention the 3 weeks I took to finish reading Playing for Pizza by John Grisham.

My attention span has currently been reduced to 5 minutes per session. I have to keep re-reading the same lines each time I restart, because I can barely remember where I last stopped. Sometimes, I even forget the first half of the story by the time I reach the middle of the book.

A comment by my colleague sort of enlightened me recently. Actually it was an observation from her friend as she was more into non-fiction and spiritual books so when her friend lent her a novel, she took forever to read it, and never even finished it. According to her friend, you’re not supposed to read every single word in the novel. Just skim past the storyline, stop and read in detail the interesting parts, and skim through the rest. Simple.

That got me thinking. Perhaps when I was younger, I was happily “skimming” through the books I read, but after med school where every word matters and all that crap, I can no longer read a novel as a leisurely thing, and because I am trying to read every single word in the novel and process it like a studying material, it has made reading so so slow for me, and also taken the joy out of cramming in a novel just before bedtime.

Anyway, I am trying to regain my skills of light reading, and hopefully, I’ll be able to get back in form or at least something near it in the near future. Haha.

Who are the most prone to suicide among doctors?

According to CN-, it’s the psychiatrists and the anaesthetists.

I wonder why.

We’re both so screwed

Two weeks ago, my pastor mentioned this joke during his sermon. I had planned to look it up earlier but got carried away with work. Anyway, here it is…

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated the Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow and red vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.

Then using God’s great gifts, Satan created Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream and Krispy Creme Donuts. And Satan said, “You want chocolate with that?” And Man said, “Yes!” and Woman said, “and as long as you’re at it, add some sprinkles.” And they gained 10 pounds. And Satan smiled.

And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure that Man found so fair. And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat, and sugar from the cane and combined them. And Woman went from size 6 to size 14.

So God said, “Try my fresh green salad.” And Satan presented Ranch Dressing, buttery croutons and garlic toast on the side. And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast.

God then said, “I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them.” And Satan brought forth deep fried fish and chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained more weight and his cholesterol went through the roof.

God then created a light, fluffy white cake, named it “Angel Food Cake,” and said, “It is good.” Satan then created chocolate cake and named it “Devil’s Food.”

God then brought forth running shoes so that His children might lose those extra pounds. And Satan gave cable TV with a remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering blue light and gained pounds.

Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition. And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fried them. And Man gained pounds.

God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and still satisfy his appetite. And Satan created McDonald’s and its 99-cent double cheeseburger. Then said, “You want fries with that?” And Man replied, “Yes! And super size them!”And Satan said, “It is good.” And Man went into cardiac arrest.

God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery.

Then Satan created HMOs.

~ Author Unkown

Just to let you know, HMO is not our HO-MO or Junior MO. Found this on wikipedia…

A health maintenance organization (HMO) is a type of managed care organization (MCO) that provides a form of health care coverage in the United States that is fulfilled through hospitals, doctors, and other providers with which the HMO has a contract.

Saw this posted on the friendster bulletin board by a friend…

1. The stethoscope
2. They can give you the gift of “missing them” because they are always at work
3. They can give you a free medical consultation
4. You save yourself the embarrassment of going to a doctor with a water infection!!
5. They are smart!!
6. They know their anatomy well (know what works and where)
7. They are heavy weight party people in the weekend
8. Let’s play doctor!!
9. They are well trained to listen.
10. They know how you feel, or at least pretend to!!

I don’t quite agree with the reasons, but it’s kinda funny nevertheless…Haha.

Burke: What is your problem?
Cristina: You know everyone’s back. Everyone’s back except her. And I listen to her. Everyday, about her McLove life, her McDreamy, her McCrap. And the one day, the one day I have a thing she disappears.
Burke: Meredith, this is about Meredith.
Cristina: She doesn’t know yet.
Burke: Meredith?
Cristina: She’s my person.
Burke: Right. And if Meredith doesn’t approve, then what?
Cristina: No, no. This, This is not about getting her approval, its about…
Burke: What?
Cristina: Telling her makes it, makes it… If I murdered someone she’s the person I’d call to help me drag the corpse across the living room floor.
Burke: Okay, now, you’re likening someone here to a corpse. I’m done.
Cristina: She’s my person

~ Drowning on Dry Land, Grey’s Anatomy S03E16

Sigh. I wish my person worked in the same place as I do. It would be easier then to get her to help me drag the corpse around. I miss my person

My siblings gave me a spongebob thingamabob for Christmas and I forgot to bring it back to KL when I went back. I kept asking my sister to look for it and to bring it down with her when she came in January but she kept saying that she couldn’t find it. I specifically asked her to look at the cupboard under my desk in my room and she kept insisting that it wasn’t there. Finally when I came home for CNY, I decided to look for it meself. I opened the cupboard and lo and behold…there it was. Can you spot it?