Colourful Language

Laughter The Best Medicine...

To test her English, boss asked her to create sentences with: Green, Pink, Yellow, Blue, White, Purple and Black.

She answered, “I hear phone Green Green, then I go and PINK up the phone and I said, Yellow, Blues that? White did you say? Oh wrong number, don’t Purplely disturb people and don’t call Black, ok?”

Boss said, “U can go Black now n wait for phone Green Green.”

What Happens when you drive the opposite direction in an F1?

Nothing!...If you are on the F1 Simulator!

Last week, I signed up for the SingTel F1 simulator with my wife, since I will not pay to wait just to see fast cars zoom by me.

When my turn came, I hopped into the simulator - a live size F1 car with 3 computer panels in front of me showing the tracks and my "view" during the "race". Soon, I was flagged off (by the technician) and I quickly gain speed reaching some 80kph quickly. I did not see the sharp corner and ramped into the wall. I "survived" and losing no time, I executed a 3-point turn to bring my vehicle back on track again. Soon, I see the track ahead of me again... I stepped on the accelerator and "zooooom", I was off again. This time, I negotiated the turns well and picked up speed on the straight road reaching some 240kph... It was exciting and I looked set to complete the first round in very good time... My heart was racing...

I was interupted by the technician. I was rather annoyed actually, breaking my concentration as I was racing a good race. He said..."ah... sir... you are going the wrong direction...". My heart sank but soon the feeling of disappointment turned to ambarassment. I did get back on the race and completed the 2 rounds in 6 mins 36 seconds - a very bad time. I was having some motion sickness by the time I ended.

When I regained my composure, I thought to myself, what other lessons can I learn here. The familiar management quote of "It does not matter how fast you are moving if you are heading the wrong direction!'. How TRUE!

In real life, let us not be hasty. Spend some time to ensure that you are in the RIGHT direction first before you start your race of LIFE! Good luck!

Is there a Way we can put the NKF saga behind us and start donating to worthy charities again?

The NKF saga left a bad taste in many of us. Till today, many continue to question whether is it worth the while to donate to charities...

I spend some of my time helping out at the Community Chest of Singapore SHARE Committee looking at ways to engage the working public to donate a small portion of their paycheck to some worthy charities supported by the Comm chest.

We need new ideas on how we can engage donors to give generously again... welcome your ideas!

A Tender Touch...

Today, I revisited the reason why I am in public healthcare.

I stumbled into healthcare as another job some 15 years ago. I was lucky to have a boss and now an informal mentor who told me very early in my career to "stay focus on the patient". There were many times that I have looked across to "greener pastures" during times in healthcare when things got confusing but then I learnt long ago that "the grass is always greener on the other side". When I took the time to "relook" at what I do in healthcare, I am often encouraged that what I do benefits the patient. Not quite the same way a doctor may diagnose and treats the patient but in the way a patient experiences medical services.

About 4 years ago, my grandmother was diagnosed with lung cancer and she was hospitalised in the hospital that i work in. She suffered badly as the disease ravaged her lungs. She was often breathless and in continuous pain. To relieve her pain, strong painkillers were prescribed but did little to alleviate her pain. There was a moment... a moment that I remembered well to tell me that healthcare is not all about science, it was also (sometimes more so) about care, compassion and genuine concern. As my grandma was grimazing in pain, a nurse came up to her, put an arm around her and rubbed her shoulder and told her in hainanese (my grandma's dialect) that she will be alright. At that moment, my grandma seemed to experience relieve and comfort seemed to have descended on her. Perhaps no medicine can do that, but a genuine tender touch made all the difference. This is healthcare.

Today, in the midst of my many meetings, I thought about what I do and took comfort that the effort that I put in my job has been worthwhile. As I looked around me and saw my fellow colleagues giving of themselves, I silently smiled and assured that Singapore healthcare will get even better - not because we are better organised or science has improved (even these are important) but more because we have so many people who care enough about patients.

To all my colleagues in healthcare, cheers and thank you for all that you do!