Eat! Run immediately! No more appendicitis!
It's actually quite exciting to think how life changed without my appendix. For one, I can run around after meals without having to worry about appendicitis. Adults often told us to sit down and take a slow walk after meals, to allow digestion to proceed. I was the naughty one, always running around, playing squash after meals. There was once I even played squash immediately after eating KFC!
There's the saying, "once bitten, twice shy". In a way, that doesn't apply to me anymore, does it? I no longer have an appendix to worry about. That's undoubtedly quite a warped logic, but how would one deny the truth within.
Nonetheless, I'm very fortunate to have survived through the whole ordeal, where my appendix had reached such a critical stage of inflammation to be on the brink of exploding inside. It's even more terrifying to think I actually had a mild relapse of appendicitis on the 2nd day of my 'A' Levels, which ultimately ended up being diagnosed as gastric flu. I'm still going to (indignantly) blame the pain for my results, which could've been better. Yes I still haven't gotten over it, damn.
Speaking of 'A' Levels, the J2 students will be having their Prelims very soon. I have plenty high hopes for many of my juniors, whom I believe can do very well. Please do not falter in your studying, for you might just regret not studying for that 30 minutes, or regret talking too much for that 1 hour. While prelims may not be an accurate representation of the 'A' Level standard, it will somewhat be very different from the other examinations you've been through thus far. Make the best use of it to learn, find out your mistakes, and learn again.
Frankly, I don't even think many of my juniors read my blog. I just hope these words make it to them somehow, someway. I know how regret feels, and I don't want any of them to have regrets when it all comes to an end.
Another case of Life’s fragile stories.
Driver braked, but train couldn't stop in time
2 Republic Poly students killed after being hit by train near Upper Bukit Timah
WHAT began as an uneventful and sleepy start to the day turned into a traumatic experience for a train driver.
Guiding his empty train from Singapore to Johor Baru where it was to begin its service yesterday morning, he saw to his horror two teenagers sitting on the railway track in front of him.
He immediately blew his whistle to alert them and get them to move away.
When Mr Goh Sheng Yao, 19, and Miss Clara Lee Jing Yu, 20, failed to heed the train driver's warning, he applied the brakes - to no avail.
This is because a moving train takes about 400m before it can come to a full halt. (See graphics above).
So the driver had to watch helplessly and in horror as the train mowed down the couple in front of him.
Mr Goh and Miss Lee, both Republic Polytechnic students, were killed on the spot.
The incident happened yesterday at around 5am, at the track near The Rail Mall in Upper Bukit Timah.
Ms Shahriza Embi, a spokesman for Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM), which runs the trains, told The New Paper on Sunday that trains cannot stop immediately after the brakes are applied.
She said: 'If train drivers see an obstruction on or near the railway tracks, be it people or animals, we will sound a whistle.
'Sometimes, there are people who don't see the train coming so we have to alert them.
'We have emergency brakes, but the train will still move 400 to 500m before it stops. If the train stops suddenly, the impact can cause it to derail.
'So if you're within the braking distance, then it's too bad.'
The morning shuttle between Johor Baru and Singapore was cancelled. Four other train services were delayed for between one and two hours.
Empty train
Ms Shahriza said there were no passengers on the affected train, which was headed towards Johor Baru to begin the 6am shuttle service between JB and Singapore.
She said: '(Initial) police investigations concluded around 8am so it was too late for the train to go to Johor Baru.'
Passengers who bought tickets were offered refunds or transfers to trains at later times.
Ms Shahriza declined to name the driver or let him speak to The New Paper on Sunday, citing company policy.
A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesman said the impact of the train severed Mr Goh's left leg. He also suffered an open head wound and multiple body fractures.
Miss Lee had multiple body fractures, and her right leg was nearly severed at the knee.
The SCDF spokesman said: 'They (Mr Goh and Miss Lee) were already dead when we arrived (at 6.08am).'
Republic Polytechnic's corporate communications director, Mr Khng Eu Meng, declined to comment.
The polytechnic sent an e-mail to its students yesterday morning - a copy of which was obtained by The New Paper on Sunday - offering counselling to students affected by the tragedy.
Both Miss Lee and Mr Goh were studying in the polytechnic's School of Hospitality.
She studied hotel and hospitality management while he studied integrated events management.
Mr Goh was said to be an outstanding student - his name appeared in the polytechnic's academic roll of honours last year.
Police investigations into the unnatural death are ongoing. Witnesses can call 1800-255 0000.
Why?
As spooky as it sounds, the above just took place not far from my residence. I'm unable to comprehend the motive for such actions. Was it a suicide pact? It holds the highest votes, given no other reasonable explanation to why they might be out there in the dark, sitting on the railway tracks.
Both persons had a bright future ahead of them - one even a Dean lister. So why?
Both were bubbly and cheerful, as described by close friends. So why?
It strikes fear into my heart, to know people's personalities could possibly change with such drastic magnitude.
Sigh.
I curled up in agony, winching in torment.
For a moment, I thought I really was never going to make it. It was so impossibly tough to carry on, I had thoughts of giving up. Not the first; hopefully the last. That ordeal throughout the weekend had etched itself so dearly in my life's history I'll never forget the entire spate of events.
It was the 31st, a Friday which all of us gladly looked forward to. It wasn't because of the start of a new month, but being freedom-conscious workers, it was actually the weekend approaching. I was, as blindly as ever, swallowed by the whole TGIF atmosphere it never dawned upon me that day, the last day of July, marked such a terrible start to the weekend.
I donned my Team JJ Squash Jersey, gleefully making my way out of my camp, anticipating the wonderful afternoon ahead playing Squash with my friends. It was a perfect day, - perhaps too perfect to be true. It was five minutes past four, and I had only just alighted at a bus stop near my alma mater. As I took steps down from the stairs of the bus, steps on the concrete footpath that was only recently constructed, steps across the junction that handles the never-ending flow of vehicles, and steps leading right to the front-gate of the college, it came.
A subtle, yet unavoidable tinge of pain streaked across my abdomen, taking me by the utmost surprise. I had been on such a clean and healthy diet for weeks before, nothing could explain this surreal yet realistic surge of panic and emotion. I dismissed it, assuming my intestines just playfully twirled without harm. From there, nothing surfaced throughout the Squash matches and little chit-chats I had with my friends. It was just me, over-imagining things. Or so, I thought.
The sky was setting in with a tone of dark blue, welcoming the night darkness. It was half-past six, and the gloomy atmosphere didn't make things any better. I had settled down nicely in the corner of the bus, making plans to meet my clique for dinner. My afternoon had gone on well, and the evening looked promising too. A nice dinner, complemented with updates on each other's lives - it was a long-missed occasion, and had spiced up my mood to welcome the silent night.
As much as we want things to go our way, it never, or very seldom, happens. Dinner meet-up was no exception, so I wasn't the slightest surprised, or even disappointed. It was getting hard to keep our schedules in sync. Dinner was a lonely two-person affair, and we just settled down at a food store near my residence. By then, the pain had become annoyingly noticeable. As usual, I dismissed it thinking it would settle down when food was served. Hunger, perhaps?
It was only halfway through the meal, that I begun to accept the realism of the pain. It had undesirably made it stand of not going away, and I was left with no choice but to request dinner with haste, so I can rush back home in anticipation for the toilet. No, it wasn't for the sake of shitting, but I was consumed by nausea. And so I began flushing out my insides, in multiple successions, until the last was out. I had effectively rendered my earlier meal useless, for everything went down the pipes. I thought this would allow some respite from the discomforting pain.
I laid down on the bed, hoping for the pain to subside. Gulping down cups of water, hoping the fluid would ease the intestinal movements. It was all in vain, and the pain only intensified. I scavanged the house for some painkillers, and ended up downing a packet of powder meant to ease the stomach and its areas, promoting digestion and all. With the clock striking nearly eleven, without any medicine or painkillers, I could only persuade myself to last through the night, with great hopes of a better morning. And so, I didn't manage to sleep the whole night.
The sky lightened up at dawn, and I was still desperately trying to alleviate this tiresome pain. When morning broke, I rushed to my mother, hoping she would have some form of medication I could take. At that point in time, I was willing to take anything. I could've felt my eyes tearing in joy when she held a packet of tablets meant for abdominal pain. It meant immense relief for my stomach, and I hastily swallowed the tablets with gulps of water. And the morning zoomed past with me finally getting some well-deserved rest. The medicine had worked, I thought.
With the scorching sun rays infiltrating my room, I was finally able to embrace and appreciate the warmth contrary to the despondent cold the night before. The pain had prominently subsided aplenty, but it was still undeniably there. In addition, my nausea had gotten worse - I had promptly vomitted out everything I consumed; from water to food. It was half past three, and I was pretty disinterested in the pain given the rightfully enjoyable weekend. Yet, I was finally persuaded to make a trip down to the clinic, to get some proper medication for this hateful pain.
At the clinic, after pointing out the location of the pain in my abdomen, the doctor promptly suggested appendicitis. Now, that wasn't anything new at all. Fact being for the past five to six times I've been to the clinic with abdominial pains, doctors had pointed out the possibily of appendicitis. But every time, it had clearly ended up in a case of unfortunate gastric flu. It had never ended up in appendicitis, or so the track record shows. Needless to say, it was only normalcy to think gastric flu again. I was given some medication which served as a painkiller and to ease the nausea.
After consuming the medication, with plenty of water, the pain had subsided much more. I was never feeling nauseous again. It was as if things were finally taking a turn for the better. Of course, I gave no chances and proceeded to lie on the bed again. If this was going to be the final stage of recovery, I was going to make the best out of it, leaving no loopholes.
But as I said, things hardly go the way you want them to. At half past eight, the pain suddenly surged. It was as though a Magnitude 10 earthquake rose from the epicenter of a Magnitude 2 earthquake. Not a very apt analogy, but point proven. I was suddenly consumed by so much pain I could hardly move. It wasn't anything similar to the pain before. It was a much more terrifying and unfathomable pain. I curled up in agony, winching in torment.
My parents immediately brought me to A&E. Our first stop was at Alexandra Hospital. A&E stood for Accident & Emergency, and I believe there indeed is a grey area when it comes to determining what is an emergency. Ultimately, it's up to the nurses call to decide if a case ought to be admitted immediately or put onto hold, deeming as second-priority. Now, I didn't fully understand the guidelines by which the A&E staff abided by, because they had apparently assumed my evident pain to be not important. A lady who has a cut on the finger, contrasting with my obvious torment, which would warrant an emergency case? The nurses at the above-mentioned hospital voted for the former. I was put on hold. I was experiencing the worst nightmare of my life (although having been through only 19 years), and it was not even deemed more severe than a cut on the finger. That was quite a shocking revelation.
Thirty minutes had elapsed, and I was still not registered, despite my father making futile attempts to raise the urgency of my case. It was enough for me, and enough for my parents. They took back my 11B from the counter (which at this point in time, was still left on the waiting list), and brought me to Gleneagles Hospital instead. There was too much a difference in the treatment. I had only gotten down the car, and the nurse hastily brought me to sit down on the chair, taking my vitals. Within the next ten minutes, I was laid down in a holding room, where the doctor had been called immediately. Everything happened in swift succession that within 20 minutes, I was given an injection with pain killers. For the first time in the past 2 hours, I was able to lie down normally, in a relaxed posture. Albeit still with pain, it was so much less severe I smiled, thanking the doctor.
I pointed out the possibility of appendicitis, and the doctor proceeded to do a routine blood test. It was all done so efficiently I could imagine myself dead, if I had waited back at Alex Hosp. Thirty minutes later, the blood test report came back - and it was not normal. My blood was abnormally high in white blood cells count, and we decided to call down a specialist. It was approximately after another thirty minutes, did he come down. I was not too concerned about the waiting time, since the pain killers had worked such magic. And after his inspection, my fear had come true - I was diagnosed with appendicitis.
It was half past ten, and I barely had energy from the past ordeal of torment. The specialist had immediately ordered for my admittance into the hospital, and had also promptly arranged for an operating theatre. I was going to have an operation at twelve midnight. The realization shocked me terribly. But, I was already half-dead, seeking for any form of salvation. Come what may. I was wheel-chaired into my ward, and changed into the typical patient clothings. This was all too fast for me to grasp, but I had just given in to fate, killing off all attempts to fully comprehend the situation. For the next hour, I laid in bed with my family beside me. I had lost track of accurate timing, for suddenly, I was transferred to those mobile-bed things. Time for the operation.
Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is a medical emergency. All cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of peritonitis and shock. Reginald Fitz first described acute and chronic appendicitis in 1886, and it has been recognized as one of the most common causes of severe acute abdominal pain worldwide.
The nurses wheeled me into the operating theatre, and it resembled the ones on drama serials. The big glass lights above the operating table, the metallic operating table itself, and the whole tray of tools. I was scared. I was scared of what was going to follow. They were going to cut me open, to remove the appendix. Those were the thoughts of the immature me, one who was still new to operations and what nots. I had never expected myself to end up in one myself, and I was completely mentally unprepared. The waiting time in here felt extraordinarily long; minutes felt like hours. It felt like almost eternity.
Then, a female doctor came, and told me she was my anasthetist. Her exact words were "I'm going to put you to sleep". I was actually very terrified by those words, since they often had the connotation of euthanasia. I was expecting something more gentle, like "I'm going to give you some anasthetics, so you won't feel a single thing." I was, so afraid. She gave me some fluids through an injection, and then covered my nose and mouth with a mask releasing pure oxygen. And before I knew what happened, my consciousness faded.
For that one odd hour, I was being operated on. They had made three holes into my abdomen, using laparoscopy techniques to remove the infected appendix and clean up the pus.
When I regained consciousness, I was being wheeled out of the operating theatre. By then, I was in such a drowsy state I didn't know what happened. Before anything happened, I lost consciousness again. This time, it was a long sleep.
I opened up my eyes, watching the warm blue sky lightening up. I was so affectionately shone on by the morning rays. As I looked at my abdomen, I saw three huge wound dressings, presumably the holes created during the operation. I was pleasantly surprised that everything was over, that I had lived through the whole ordeal.
The events that ensued weren't of much important anymore. It was almost being brought back alive from death, and I only smile faintly to welcome the better future, without the appendix.
Crisis Core – Final Fantasy VII
Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII
I must admit, I'm very slow. Although this game had been released for quite some time already, I have only just completed it.
It was, really awesome. The VII series will always be the best among all the FF editions!
Internal section shuffle.
There had just been a reshuffle in sections within my unit. I was posted to my desired section, which I say was quite the surprise. Although everything seems to be in order, I feel obliged to voice out my thoughts.
Firstly, I think I owe TS members an apology. I really did not want to join TS, because the job scope was entirely out of my interest area. Computing had only been my interest all these while, and I never intended to further my interest in it since JC. It had been a hobby, a small part of me who still appreciates the other work in the unit better. My further studies in university contrasts greatly with the work of TS too. As many people claim, I'm a perfectionist. I do give my 101% in whatever work I'm in. But I think the level of interest and my mood comes into play at times. As much as I will give my 101% in TS work, I never liked it. I never wanted to do it. If I had a chance, I would have pulled myself out of those projects. I'm sorry TS members, I just couldn't fit the role. I'm sorry the internal shuffle resulted in some unhappiness within TS, with the entry of an unexpected person. I know it's partly my fault everything ended up this way. The obvious way for things to change, would be for me to enter TS, something which I dread. I hope things do get better, for I believe that that member has become more sensible, so to speak.
And to other unit mates, whom may or may not have heard about this saga regarding me. I wouldn't be surprised if there are people who are displeased with how I made such a huge fuss with my section shuffle. Tongues will start wagging, and words still start flying. Let's just say, I ain't that insolent brat you all may be thinking. It just so happens I got caught up in the TS projects, and unexpectedly got pushed to the wall, leaving me with no choice but to bring the issue up.
My life in the new section has kind of begun, and I'm starting to feel much happier than I previously was. Perhaps, I really have taken a liking to writing. I want to improve, more and more. And one day, I will show the very people who thought otherwise, the stellar work I can also produce in this section.