Sinister: the strokes!:)

[Kin WOO]

hellooo fellow sinisterinies!:)
loooong time no chat but here's a brief rundown on what's the haps.
Finished my 2 weeks in cancer which was surprisingly interesting.
Guess anything would be after the 4 stultifyingly boring weeks of
musculoskeletal.
Was pretty intense though - a few patients passed away during the 2 weeks
and one of the most awkward things to happen to me must be in the
outpatient clinics where docs walk out of the room after telling patients
bad news leaving me with the distraught patient. Hard to make the usual
idle chit chat then...                                      
Also did 2 weeks in my option Management of Heroin Abuse now which is
very interesting. Part of it is based in Dr George O'Neill's clinic (the
Naltrexone doc) and part at this govt-sponsored clinic (central treatment
services) which does the methadone programme. naltrexone is used to detox
patients off heroin and stop craving. it's so wierd. you get some
total skanks (sorry really bad word cos I definitely empathise with a lot
of them) and bums off the street, and then you get people who really want
to get off. Like this 20 yr old girl who was off heroin (occasionally
using speed), 4 months pregnant and living in a house with no running
water or electricity and social security wasn't paying her - I mean it's
such a heartbreaking experience.
 The ones I really feel for are those really young kids whose father are
also users and they really want to get off but forces are arrayed
against them like they're homeless or whatever. you just feel so bad that
you want to just let them stay at yr house or something.
Also saw a doc being detoxed. guess which profession? Anaesthestics!!!:)
Was pretty wierd and he was pretty stunned by everything cos his partners
were trying to get him struck off and his wife was horrified blah blah.
Felt really sorry for him too.
so yeah a REAL eye opener. Also had my one and only 2 week break for the
year where I planned to do catch-up study and plan my elective but did
neither-aarrgh!:)
but did have a really nice, relaxing break where I caught some great gigs
(after a LONG drought mind).  I saw
Stephen Malkmus (ex-frontman of Pavement) and that was a really good gig.
Have you heard of The Strokes? apparently hottest band from NYC, NME
salivating over them etc etc? (if you have, whaddya think of 'em). well i
got to interview them!!!:) For the pelican (my university newspaper) It
was pretty cool-my 1st band interview. Made sure to do my homework on 'em
so I wouldn't appear clueless. interviewed Nick Valensi the guitarist.
thought it went quite well heehee:) Also got advance copy of album ("Is
this it" which is brilliant) and free tix to their gig which was totally
awesome. I was standing too close to the stage though and I got mild
deafness the next day-woohoo! next up am trying to interview some of the
bands on Twisted Nerve for Pelican (hopefully andy votel and/or Alfie)
cool huh?
the Strokes album "is this it?" is also very excellent. was surprised
since it isn't the type of music I like normally but I love it!:) Any
other strokes fans out there.
 have now been confirmed for the London hospitals i applied to for
my elective. will be doing a month of paeds at Guy's hospital and then 2
weeks of a&e at whipps cross. all very exciting! am also hoping to visit
my friend at Harvard before that and to backpack around europe.
Am now doing a term in obstetrics and gynaecology which is cooler than I
thought. what this term basically entails is helping to deliver babies and
doing pap smears and learning about pregnancy, labour, and other 'women's
problems'.
First of all delivery shifts can be very cool (or very frustrating).
Despite all the blood and pain, nothing beats the experience of helping to
deliver a baby and seeing mum with her baby for the 1st time. awwww the
heart melts! ahh the miracle of childbirth! so yeah that's pretty trippy.
eeek have written a very long email, must sign off now
seeya, hear from you soon
Kin Woo 
          "With a star upon your shoulder
              Lighting up the path as you walk"
                                      Stuart Murdoch
















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