Just like the eminent PM LHL, who has been at the helm of this little red dot for a decade...for me, it's been nearly a decade of 'repairing' the human body. Guess I'm showing my age by penning this post but I can't resist as it's been a very interesting day of reflection. Deep thoughts often open up the floodgates of penmanship in me, unlocking the writer's block in me and of course allowing me to revive my blog once in a long while.
Why the sudden impetus to write on this calm, windy Saturday afternoon here in the balmy tropical island of Singapore? Probably the recent conversations about life and death due to Ebola Hemorrhagic Virus with my Nigerian doctor-friend who is fighting in ground zero in combination with the joyful announcements of the successful Singaporean contingent in the just-concluded FRCS (GS) examinations in KTPH.
Spent nearly half the decade of 'doctoring' in Malaysia before settling in Singapore. Eternally-grateful for the teachers from both countries who have enlightened me along the way, gifted me knowledge in the human body and honed in me the skills necessary to be a good general surgeon. Sometimes I do miss practising in Malaysia, the hustle and bustle of a Malaysian general hospital where we truly see the meaning of 'general' in general surgery.
My happiest memories of being a clinician were those of patients grasped from the jaws of death, those turned around from the light at the end of the tunnel and their subsequent walk out of the hospital. It's been a wonderful, fulfilling journey and I pray to God that He will give me much wisdom, ability and opportunities to minister to the ill.
Nostalgia aside, life is very different now. The focus is excellence in the highest level, fighting alongside the best minds in this tropical metropolis. Be it persevering in the war against cancer, suppressing my adrenaline rush to remain the calmest mind in the face of a surgical emergency, teaching the brightest young minds in YLLSoM or calculating p-values and confidence interval...I am grateful for being allowed to flourish in this institution. Truly I have now understood what is meritocracy and what opened doors mean....
My twin passion in professional life is in general surgery and public health and my quest is to leave a great legacy for many female surgeons and public health practitioner a few decades down the road. So before that could come to fruition, please pray for me as I prepare for the largest battle of my professional career in a few months' time. I may not know what God has in store for me as these are kairos moments but I know that He is always there for me through it all....
