New Year in ICU

No photo with today's post. Taking photos in ICU whilst working, with patients' families around, is probably not wise. Probably won't pass the "Herald front page" test. Well, blogging whilst at work is not as bad I suppose.

4 patients in the 6 beds unit at the moment, one of the busiest nights so far.

So what I was doing at midnight? was explaining a patient's condition to his family. If medicine is a calling, the moment was pretty meaningful.

La Doublure - The Valet

Think this is the first time I've come across a French comedy. The plot is quite simple, yet hilarious at times with unexpected surprises. In my view, comedy at its best.

The only disturbing thing is the theatre was full, with people at least twice our age. This film deserves a wider audience.

Photo link

Welcome to the two nici turtles

Welcome to the big white hair turtle and the little green hair turtle to the Superturtle family. Thank you margaret (my sister)!

Apart from the xmas dinner at home, xmas eve and xmas this year was rather unusual..

1. Kinsey showing on Sky on Christmas night, yes.. there were other movies on.. but non of them really caught my attention.

2. Margaret decided to get Se7en out from the video store.. and yes, watched that on Christmas day too. Can't believe the film is nearly 11 years old.

Other memorable moments will stay in my memory, without needing an entry into the blog to remind myself.

Most Reverend Patrick Dunn

The year was 1995, Bishop Dunn's first (school) year as the Catholic Bishop of Auckland. As-a-matter-of-factly he addressed St Peter's Form 7 class. His message however, was a breath of fresh air.

12 years down the track (he was appointed on 24.12.94), his message remains clear and get straight to the heart of the issue.

I quote from the Weekend Herald, because it's not in the official media release on Catholic NZ's website....

"A society that fails to esteem the heritage upon which its very foundations and way of life are based loses its way. It becomes one without a sense of identity, definition or direction, where people are vulnerable to passing ideologies, and political persuasions."

"In the Auckland CBD a few cute angels hover over Queen Street, but the city's flagship Aotea Square displays not a trace to signal that Christmas is here. Go to Sydney if you want to see what Christmas means" (Photo of Christmas Tree at GPO, from flickr)



Ah.. the Pohutukawa tree shot was taken on Rangitoto island.

Prime

Lust, or love? I suppose the ending of this flick implies afterall, the latter has more weight in director Ben Younger's mind.

The last paragraph of the review on Boston.com sums it up very nicely - "The great tensions in ''Prime" are not romantic but lifestyle-driven. The keepin'-it-realism of Lisa's parental and religious wishes is incompatible with David's open-minded, post-collegiate drift, which is at odds with Rafi's very adulthood. Lisa, Rafi, David, and even nasty little Morris have to ask whether how we live determines who we love and who loves us. Put that way, Younger isn't paging Woody Allen. He's channeling Carrie Bradshaw."

Photo from The New York Times

materialism

Thanks to today's Herald for reprinting a piece from The Independent, introducing me to a their online website I otherwise haven't been to. I also didn't know the Herald people edit other people's piece (presumably to fit the layout) too.

I love the commercialisation of Christmas. For any non-religious person like myself (although having spend 10 years of my schooling in two Catholic schools, some of the teachings and values must have, by osmosis, absorbed into my mind), it's the time of the year to have a break, have sometime with families and friends, and an excuse to shop around.

I probably wouldn't go as far as to take an atheist's viewpoint however. For any practising physician knows there remains far too many unanswerable questions - "why now?". Of course, one should strives for evidence, for scientific reasoning, for facts.

Of many things science fails to explain, is one's taste, love, and affection.

Link

hard candy

I like experimenting with the depth of field when shooting. Yet the first twenty minutes or so of this movie was so full of it that it wasn't funny. I did felt a bit groggy by the end of it.

The start was pretty smart but that didn't last. "Sadistic cruelty"? (as noted by the rialto people) - probably a bit overrated.

So it's Thursday, and we're left with the final lineup of movies for X'mas 06. No "Love actually" but "the holiday" comes pretty close.

blowfish sushi

I've rang blowfish more then two times now in the last couple of weeks and got told 9:30pm is the best they can do, yes, of course it was on of those spur of the moment thing. The late start would have been perfectly fine if I was in buenos aires.

So, I thought lunch is a better bet and surely it was.

The menu is extensive, their website showed a trimed version of it. I thought the term "Real california roll" was interesting.. I never really got to understand why people like it soo much, well, I grew up thinking futomaki and inari being the only sushi variety.

Everything was just what you expected, probably a bit better, than you would expect from a joint like this. It will almost certianly outlive the building's previous occupants.

Try out all the sakas, the one with the floaty gold bits was nice.

The only complaint is their cheesecake, just a tad too chunky.

Oh.. I thought Rinoa Heartilly will do a better job in gracing the wall but then, it's not really blowfish's style.

Meet cute

It's probably no coincidence that I've watched five out of eight films produced by Nancy Meyers on the big screen - for they all belong to the same genre.

Kate Winslet's performance was simply amazing. As one of the critic says, she plays "an alternate version of what Bridget Jones might have been had she been allowed to retain a shred of her Englishness and dignity". Boy, I love that English accent.

It bugs me that it only has a critics review average grade of C+ in "yahoo movies". It is at least a B+, considering this is arguably the best xmas movie of 2006 (Casino Royale, while equally is a B+ or more in my books, is not exactly a "xmas" movie..)

Love should be just like it is in the movie, after Iris finally dumps Jasper that is.

Photo from Yahoo Movies

sushi train - viaduct

I always wondered when Auckland will see something similar to Makoto Sushi Bar next to the Avillion Hotel in Sydney. Finally, sushi train have opened their branch across the ditch a few months ago.

The variety of sushi was impressive, certainly more then when they first opened. The place was full on the Monday night we visited - a healthy sign.

Service was prompt and friendly. Food was overall not bad. The only complaint would be their liberal use of mayonnaise, they must have got a special discount from the supplier...

Hazelnut espresso cookies

Finally been to nosh this afternoon. Once there, it's easy to see why Newmarket fresh didn't really stand a chance to compete in this fierce gourmet food market battle.

For me, who can't cook, they have all these ready made that you can just grab, pay, and eat. If you fancy making your own Hazelnut espresso cookies, you'll find all the ingredients there too.

Tucked away in GI, as Glen Innes is affectionately known as by locals, you get a sense that this place is here to stay.

Hamic

A flower instead of a number for your table. This simple invention immediately sets this cafe apart from the rest, something the Metro people didn't mention when they picked this place as best cafe in Milford. In fact, you get a sense that having uptodate magazines is high on their checklist. How many people read magazines in cafes - provided you're not by yourself.

coffee? ticked. food? ticked (I had field mushrooms, very nice). Service? double ticked. The latter just might be because I was there with a regular. Regardless it's certainly not one of the many banal cafes.

open on Christmas day

This year we finally see a significant number of restaurants in Auckland willing to open on Christmas Day.

Yes, it is a public holiday. Yes, it is a day one should spend with one's family, and yes, traditionally mum or whoever happens to be the "motherly" figure in the house will do the cooking.

One blames commercialism. But the reality is, there are more couples parting ways then getting hitched these days.

Some, with family, would appreciate a decent meal away from home. Travellers are classic examples.

Where would I wanna be if I'm visiting Auckland? probably the Langham.

Christmas always involves a bit of a team effort in our household. My sister, as usual, decorated the Christmas tree nice and early.

bibimbap

With 40+ Korean joints in the city, you must be living a pretty secluded life if you haven't bumped into one. A shame if you haven't figured out your favourite one yet.

Choi's in Sommerville remains one of my all time favourites, it's been opened for as long as I can remember, well before Korean students feature in the city campus. Run by a husband and wife team (+ a few others in the kitchen I'm sure), this place means quality.

Soh in Short Street breaks into the Korean restaurant scene over a year ago with their upmarket interior/food/price. A breath of fresh air, really.

And with the students rampant in the city, you'll find the likes of Cafe Favourites, Minsokchon and numerous others dotted in the city center. The former provided us with a bit of a hit and miss experience while the Bibimbap from Minsokchon was exceptionally good.

a heartwarming day

Today was my last day after a 6 months rotation in geriatrics.

During this time, I was most humbled by the courage some of the patients managed to muster in the time of sickness. The serenity they displayed when faced with grave prognosis. Their placidity in the hours before death.

No, I wasn't specialising in palliative medicine, but those were the most memorable moments.

It's always sad to leave a place you've got to know it so well. In fact, I've been around for as long as the new hospital has been around. Started my first year in the old hospital. Then in my second year, became the last CCU house surgeon of Auckland Hospital, followed by being the first CCU house surgeon of Auckland City Hospital.

Today's farewell was as heartwarming as the one I got from CCU 3 years ago. Dr D was just like uncle Nigel - simply inspirational.

I'll miss ward 61. I hope the first year house surgeons would come to enjoy their work despite the feeling of inadequacy that goes with being a newbie. Hopefully earlier than when I finally did in the end of my first year. I wish them every success.

Bolton Hotel

There are 4 different types of pillows to choose from. The selection of the mini bar is simply impressive. Early in the morning, as you see, a list of events are provided in a note tucked under your door.

Will I stay in the Bolton next time I'm in Wellington? Most probably, if just simply for their bed. Just like the Sunday Star Times, you don't have a choice, but it's pretty good already.

Oh, I didn't try out their award winning restaurant. Nicolini's in Courtenay Place can easily beat most Italian joints in Auckland.