Holidays are here. I'm back in Sydney until sometime after christmas, which leaves me with the longest holiday period for at least 2 years.. 3.5 weeks!
Still, I'm feeling rather down about the fact that i'm still in uni, thus am supposed to be given regular uni breaks- ie, 6 weeks! (Or more depending on the uni and course i gather)
And the fact that term starts on the 2nd of January. That's right.. the SECOND of Jan. The day after New Years..
Which leaves me with the dilemma of spending NYE here in Sydney, or going back to Adelaide..
Several factors which influence my decision are floating through my mind. I don't have accomodation next year and still have to find something. I want to prolong my return to Adelaide because next year i'll have no holidays basically.. (boo hiss!) Aside from a 6 week vacation block.
Hmmm... decisions.

So, I've spent my holidays so far being sick with some sort of food poisoning, battling with crowds (or maybe just the usual mob) trying in vain to buy christmas presents, and catching up with a few people whom i haven't seen in months.

So far I've seen Erica, who is engaged and is frantically planning her wedding in April. I've never seen her so stressed before! It's unbelievable actually..
Ed and Phil. It was great hanging out with both of them, kinda reminded me of the old days of IT.. except that most of the conversation was about future plans, and work, and Ed's horrible week at work entertaining chinese head dudes.
Met up with Ian as well for lunch. Except by that stage, I had a headache from walking around in the sun and being poked in the eye by the Myer makeup people. Still, it was a good lunch, and he's still the same as when i last saw him... but with different hair..and pink bracelets..
And next Saturday there's a pre-christmas cuz shindig which should be good. Strictly no adults invited! is the motto. Very tongue in cheek because the average age of the cousins would be around the 30s.

Anyways, I guess there's still Christmas shopping left to do, and more catching up.
A strange though occured to me that as i spend each year away, the number of people i see becomes less and less. I wonder if there will be a point where i'll have noone to catch up with? It's just hard keeping in touch with people. Harder still when there's so much difference in the worlds each of us live in, profession-wise as well as location.

Today, I was frantically in the middle of my annual packing.. Getting ready for my annual moving.. When i stumbled across a shirt that I had NEVER worn this year. I had wanted this shirt for ages- months and months last year, before finally putting my misery to rest and purchasing the shirt.

It's weird.. I wondered, what makes us have that insatiable desire for something in a shop?

Anyways, what makes us want something so badly when we see it or think of it? Hmmm... It's happened before too- I had a desire for a black non-woolen autumnish coat that was 3/4 length that i could wear on top of normal clothes. And i found one, for a ridiculous price, which i paid for. (After consultation with an aunty who happened to work near the shop's vicinity.)

And again, i haven't worn it AT ALL this year or last year! In fact, I think i've only ever worn it 2 maybe 3 times.

Am i the only one like this? I hope not.

Perhaps I should just come to terms with spending money on things i just won't wear.
And forget the angst of indecision..

I feel like i'm in limbo.
After the aftermath.
And other such poetic sayings... still doesn't get rid of that weird waiting feeling.

I wish i was there.
And 10 years old.

I'm a pessimistic person by nature...
And i'm used to people saying to me when i'm negative about exams and things, 'You'll be fine. You're great! You're awesome! So don't stress! etc etc etc'

And i'm semi-reassured. And semi- shrug their comments away.

But recently, someone who i quite respect and who i thought knew me, told me that i'm not okay. I'm not ready for exams. I'm going to barely pass, if lucky.

So what does a pessimistic person say to that??

I don't know.
I must admit my ego is quite non-existant atm.

Thoughts that make me laugh..

While in theatre, performing an abdominal laparoscopy the surgeon said (half to himself half to the medical student),
"Ahh...
so there's the sigmoid colon there...
Old man sigmoid....
Sigmund.."

An Incoming transmission from Ambos to us(the hospital)
A>Incoming..
H>This is hospital receiving..
A>Yeh, hi. We have a 57 year old woman who had chest pain, was in VT, was given midazolam and defibrillated with 100J which returned her into sinus rhythm. We are 10mins from the hospital. Over.
H>Ok. Thanks.
Nurses look at me. I look blankly and thing *oh crap* as well as *How exciting*

30 minutes pass... still waiting for the ambulance in casulty.
One of the doctors walks in.
"Don't worry, the ambulance will be here in another 10 mins. They've had to change a tyre"
Chorus of Doctors, nurses and myself: "WHAT?!?!?!!?!!!"
Doctor chuckles..
"Only kidding"


45 minutes pass.... Casulty is a bit crowded with 3 doctors, 2 nurses, and 1 medical student milling around. The ambulance finally arrives.
Anaesthetist runs out to the ambulance and then runs back in shouting,
"It's SOPHIE!"
Suddenly there's a mad scramble for the doors leaving the casulty doctor and I looking at each other blankly.
*Queue tumble weed*

Apparently she's a "frequent flyer". Well known to the doctors for being a perenial complainer and pain to treat. Hence the mass exodus.

They don't show that on ER. =)

A quote from an old text book:

"The variety of foreign bodies which have found their way into the rectum is hardly less remarkable than the ingenuity displayed in their removal.

A turnip has been delivered per rectum by the use of obstetric forceps.

A stick firmly impacted has been withdrawn by inserting a gimlet into its lower end.

A tumbler, mouth downwards, has several times been extracted by filling the interior with a wet plaster of paris bandage, leaving the end of the bandage extrusing, and allowing the plaster to set."

Bailey and Love 1943, A Short Practice of Surgery.

=P