In this dream I'm sitting in Outpatients Area 2 at Royal Darwin, where I usually have my clinics. Somehow I know that this is an ICU outpatients clinic, which is a bit of an oxymoron..
I pick up the next file from my usual maroon box of files and call the patient. No-one answers but there's a baby in front of me. I pick him up and take him into my office, and no parents seem to be with the baby. It's a happy gurgly chubby baby of about 9-10 months, and I bounce him up and down on my lap, whilst reading through his file. All I can see are normal antenatal records, and there's no mention of why this baby is in my ICU clinic.
Suddenly my boss Tsin comes into the room.
"Nancy! What are you doing? What's wrong with his baby?" He demands angrily (very unusual as he's usually such a mild man).
"I don't know why this baby is here, I'm just trying to figure out what's wrong with it."
The baby starts smiling and laughing on my lap, then it suddenly falls to the left of me and hits the ground with a thud.
I panic and look down. The baby is having a generalised tonic-clonic seizure and appears to be frothing at the mouth.
My head runs through A...B...C... but I'm frozen in action. I crouch down on the ground and try to turn the baby on its side.
"What are you waiting for? Start CPR!" Tsin shouts at me.
"But.. but.. he's still breathing and has a pulse.." I protest feebly.
"I don't know what you're thinking, just hurry up." He glares at me so I put my hands around its skinny little chest and start compressing its chest.
All of a sudden he stops seizing and looks almost peaceful in my hands. For a brief moment I wonder if he's dead. Then Tsin says "Where's the drill? We need it now!"
As I'm thinking "what drill? why do we need a drill?" He pulls a big green drill that looks like something from Bunnings out of his back pocket, and snatches the baby from my hands.
He puts his hands over the baby's skull and feels for the fontanelle. Then he drills directly into the fontanelle and the baby screams as clear CSF runs out..
Then I wake up, horrified.
Tuesday 29 March 2011
Thursday 17 March 2011
The importance of being thankful
Is the world really coming to an end?
Starting with the Queensland floods, which were in progress as I was driving up to Darwin, there's been such a spate of disasters. Cyclone Yasi, the volcanic eruption in Indonesia that postponed my Bali trip, then Cyclone Carlos, and now the Japanese disaster. One can't help but feel like the world is really falling apart. When I was young one hardly ever heard about natural disasters. Sure they happened, but always somewhere far away and so removed from our lives that they hardly seemed real. Now everything's instantly available, and thus we are constantly reminded of what terrible shape the world is in.
I feel so awful for the people of Japan, many of whom probably never thought that a nuclear disaster of such a scale could happen in their technologically advanced country. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were so horrific but somehow it was easier to accept psychologically, as there was an "enemy", someone to blame. There's no-one to blame for this disaster - nature chose that place to strike, and it so happens that the nuclear reactors are involved. I wonder if the scientists in the nuclear plants ever projected what would happen in this situation - did they predict that this could be possible? It would be chilling if things were just left the way they were, even if people were aware that this could happen.
If the world really is coming to an end, I must say I feel grateful for what I have been through in this lifetime. There is no time better than now to recapitulate all the things I appreciate in life -
... delicious food (this list would be too long)
... philosophical conversations with strangers
... really wonderful books that transport one to another world
... my piano and violin
... the music of Chopin and so many other great composers (a few current favourites: Meditation by Tchaikovsky, the G major violin concerto by Mozart, Clair de Lune, Salut d'amour by Elgar, the Dvorak violin concerto)
... amazing vistas I have seen - sunsets in Darwin, the Himalayas, Tibetan monasteries with their yak butter lamps and prayer flags, the salt plains of Bolivia.all the crazy experiences I've had while travelling
... frangipani trees
... all the people that have supported me in my studies and career (special mention to my Yr 12 German and chemistry teachers, and to the truly inspirational doctors I have met - Dr Roach, Dr Ong, Dr Kliman & Dr Collins)
... all my pets - Ashley who was with me for 15 years, and Kody who has brought so much joy to our family in the last few months
... let me try the food list now - cookies & creme ice cream... red bean sticky rice dumplings.. ayam goreng at Mamak.. hand made taro balls... cendol, faluda, ais kacang and all other icey drinks.. durians.. fried stinky tofu.. 1000 year eggs.. Rapid creek markets.. green papaya salad.. pad thai man in Krabi.. fresh tuna sashimi... freshly baked bread.. gorgonzola.. smoked salmon.. Campos coffee.. Bees Knees coffee.. kim chi pajeong.. unagi don.. fresh salads at Bagan.. whole fried snapper with lemongrass and chilli at Chat Thai.. ricotta pancakes with honeycomb butter and caramelised banana... fresh edamame.. tomatoes from the garden.. eggplant curry.. coconut oothapam... pongal, dear pongal... paper masala dosas.. besan laddoo... rice with curd and pickles.. mango lassi.. larb... black glutinous rice pudding.. I could probably fill up a whole page with food, but I'll stop now.
... and finally, my family and friends. Thank you all for being there for me at different stages of my life - so many people have passed through, some have stayed for a long time, others just for a little while. Whatever little contribution you have made to my daily life or overall life, whether we laughed or cried together, shared a life changing experience or an ice-cream.. it all matters, and I wouldn't be who I am without you.
This sounds like some sort of acknowledgement at the end of a book (except the food list is too long to be in one), but really I am just thankful on this day that I am alive and healthy, and that I've had such a great life so far. Let's hope the world keeps it together for a while longer, so I get to travel to a few more places and eat a lot more food!
Starting with the Queensland floods, which were in progress as I was driving up to Darwin, there's been such a spate of disasters. Cyclone Yasi, the volcanic eruption in Indonesia that postponed my Bali trip, then Cyclone Carlos, and now the Japanese disaster. One can't help but feel like the world is really falling apart. When I was young one hardly ever heard about natural disasters. Sure they happened, but always somewhere far away and so removed from our lives that they hardly seemed real. Now everything's instantly available, and thus we are constantly reminded of what terrible shape the world is in.
I feel so awful for the people of Japan, many of whom probably never thought that a nuclear disaster of such a scale could happen in their technologically advanced country. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were so horrific but somehow it was easier to accept psychologically, as there was an "enemy", someone to blame. There's no-one to blame for this disaster - nature chose that place to strike, and it so happens that the nuclear reactors are involved. I wonder if the scientists in the nuclear plants ever projected what would happen in this situation - did they predict that this could be possible? It would be chilling if things were just left the way they were, even if people were aware that this could happen.
If the world really is coming to an end, I must say I feel grateful for what I have been through in this lifetime. There is no time better than now to recapitulate all the things I appreciate in life -
... delicious food (this list would be too long)
... philosophical conversations with strangers
... really wonderful books that transport one to another world
... my piano and violin
... the music of Chopin and so many other great composers (a few current favourites: Meditation by Tchaikovsky, the G major violin concerto by Mozart, Clair de Lune, Salut d'amour by Elgar, the Dvorak violin concerto)
... amazing vistas I have seen - sunsets in Darwin, the Himalayas, Tibetan monasteries with their yak butter lamps and prayer flags, the salt plains of Bolivia.all the crazy experiences I've had while travelling
... frangipani trees
... all the people that have supported me in my studies and career (special mention to my Yr 12 German and chemistry teachers, and to the truly inspirational doctors I have met - Dr Roach, Dr Ong, Dr Kliman & Dr Collins)
... all my pets - Ashley who was with me for 15 years, and Kody who has brought so much joy to our family in the last few months
... let me try the food list now - cookies & creme ice cream... red bean sticky rice dumplings.. ayam goreng at Mamak.. hand made taro balls... cendol, faluda, ais kacang and all other icey drinks.. durians.. fried stinky tofu.. 1000 year eggs.. Rapid creek markets.. green papaya salad.. pad thai man in Krabi.. fresh tuna sashimi... freshly baked bread.. gorgonzola.. smoked salmon.. Campos coffee.. Bees Knees coffee.. kim chi pajeong.. unagi don.. fresh salads at Bagan.. whole fried snapper with lemongrass and chilli at Chat Thai.. ricotta pancakes with honeycomb butter and caramelised banana... fresh edamame.. tomatoes from the garden.. eggplant curry.. coconut oothapam... pongal, dear pongal... paper masala dosas.. besan laddoo... rice with curd and pickles.. mango lassi.. larb... black glutinous rice pudding.. I could probably fill up a whole page with food, but I'll stop now.
... and finally, my family and friends. Thank you all for being there for me at different stages of my life - so many people have passed through, some have stayed for a long time, others just for a little while. Whatever little contribution you have made to my daily life or overall life, whether we laughed or cried together, shared a life changing experience or an ice-cream.. it all matters, and I wouldn't be who I am without you.
This sounds like some sort of acknowledgement at the end of a book (except the food list is too long to be in one), but really I am just thankful on this day that I am alive and healthy, and that I've had such a great life so far. Let's hope the world keeps it together for a while longer, so I get to travel to a few more places and eat a lot more food!
Sunday 6 March 2011
Dream in Bali
This is the dream I had on my 3rd night in Bali.
The dream starts inside Coles, where I'm standing at the fridge to the side of the fruit & veg section, usually full of cold drinks. I'm looking up and down the display and there's the usual coke, red bull, iced tea etc. My eyes settle on the top shelf where there is a row of NT-unique iced coffee (I think it's called Territory's Own?).
As usual I'm amazed at the selection, standard iced coffee, skim, double shot, chocolate etc. There's a big sign underneath one end of the row, advertising "Special! IV salbutamol, $3.49 per bottle."
I'm puzzled and look around for someone to explain why the iced coffee is advertised as salbutamol. Then a short squat Indonesian woman grabs my arm in a vice-like grip and hisses "Be quiet! This is not how we do things in Bali!"
I'm startled and allow her to drag me away from the drinks fridge. She pushes me down a few aisles till we come to an entire aisle filled with kaya of all different colours in different sized jars. She says, "Quickly! Choose one!" I look around, not sure what the differences between all the jars are. As I hesitate, she grabs one off the shelf and gives it to me. It's filled with luridly green kaya (the colour of radioactive stuff on the Simpsons). The jar itself is a weird shape, with a very narrow neck and I wonder in the dream how I could possibly put a spoon down the neck to get the kaya out.
"What are you doing? Now you must choose a tart shell!" She points to the opposite side, which is full of tart shells in different shapes and sizes. I grab one and it's so crispy it shatters in my hand, scattering crumbs all over the floor.
Silently she drags me away from the kaya / tart aisle and we head towards the checkout. As we get there I look to the right and see the IV salbutamol again.. then I wake up.
The dream starts inside Coles, where I'm standing at the fridge to the side of the fruit & veg section, usually full of cold drinks. I'm looking up and down the display and there's the usual coke, red bull, iced tea etc. My eyes settle on the top shelf where there is a row of NT-unique iced coffee (I think it's called Territory's Own?).
As usual I'm amazed at the selection, standard iced coffee, skim, double shot, chocolate etc. There's a big sign underneath one end of the row, advertising "Special! IV salbutamol, $3.49 per bottle."
I'm puzzled and look around for someone to explain why the iced coffee is advertised as salbutamol. Then a short squat Indonesian woman grabs my arm in a vice-like grip and hisses "Be quiet! This is not how we do things in Bali!"
I'm startled and allow her to drag me away from the drinks fridge. She pushes me down a few aisles till we come to an entire aisle filled with kaya of all different colours in different sized jars. She says, "Quickly! Choose one!" I look around, not sure what the differences between all the jars are. As I hesitate, she grabs one off the shelf and gives it to me. It's filled with luridly green kaya (the colour of radioactive stuff on the Simpsons). The jar itself is a weird shape, with a very narrow neck and I wonder in the dream how I could possibly put a spoon down the neck to get the kaya out.
"What are you doing? Now you must choose a tart shell!" She points to the opposite side, which is full of tart shells in different shapes and sizes. I grab one and it's so crispy it shatters in my hand, scattering crumbs all over the floor.
Silently she drags me away from the kaya / tart aisle and we head towards the checkout. As we get there I look to the right and see the IV salbutamol again.. then I wake up.
Saturday 5 March 2011
Eating places
Sari Rasa
A modest little Indonesian joint inside one of the malls on Cavenagh St, Sari Rasa might be the only Indonesian "restaurant" in town. There's plenty of places to get satay, lontong and such at the markets, but this is a nice place to sit down. The food is padang style (pre-cooked and ready to serve in bain maries) and one makes a selection from the variety on offer.
At my last visit I tried beef rendang which had a delicious sauce but the meat was slightly dry, not quite falling apart at the prod of a fork; fish curry, which was made with chunks of unidentifiable white fish in a broth with strong notes of chilli, lemongrass and tamarind; and sambal eggplant, whole grilled baby eggplants which are then halved and served with a mild chilli paste. There was also on offer chicken curry, spicy chicken, a green bean dish, twice cooked eggs and a lamb curry, and the usual suspects of fried rice and fried noodles.
The inside is a bit dark, and the plastic tables rather reminiscent of a cafeteria, but the serving ladies were so nice and the food adequately delicious, it was well worth the trip into the city.
My friend's kitchen
My first thought was, what a strange name for a Vietnamese restaurant! The logo is an evil looking smiley face, and dazzlingly bright flower patterned melamine bowls and plates make the place even a little weirder. The position is great though, with the tables look out onto busy Mitchell St, making it a perfect people watching spot.
The menu is pretty standard and reminds me of those really old style Chinese restaurants catering to Western tastes. There aren't any really dishes that I usually love to eat at Vietnamese restaurants - spicy Hue style beef noodles, rice noodle salad, grilled lemongrass pork, prawns on sugar cane, etc.. Instead there was like the same "satay beef, curry beef, beef with black bean sauce", followed by "satay chicken, curry chicken, chicken with xyz sauce", which was a bit disappointing. Pho was the only "authentic" thing on the menu but we decided to share a few dishes instead.
The fish with chilli and lemongrass was reasonable - a huge plate of pan-fried fish simmered in a spice paste along with red capsicum and celery hearts. The vegetables & tofu dish was a bit boring but perfectly edible, with the fried tofu being the highlight (slightly sweet exterior with a soft silken centre), which made me wonder where they got such delicious tofu in Darwin.
With no drinks other than the standard cans and bottles, I was left wanting my three coloured ice...
Boatshed cafe
This is a funky cafe on the Cullen Bay main street, considered a "posh" area in Darwin. As one drives into the Cullen Bay precinct, there are all these new-looking modern apartments that just look so out of place in Darwin (especially when I live in the slightly decrepit northern suburbs!) The cafe is decorated like the inside of a boat, the high ceilings lending an airy feel. The tables spill out onto a verandah overlooking the marina, and it's all very cosmopolitan (would not be at all out of place in Sydney).
The coffee came in a large cradle-worthy bowl, which reminded me of the bowls I used to drink at La Petit Creme in Darlinghurst. It was very decent coffee too (Grinders), among the best I've had in Darwin. I had the big breakfast, which really was big enough for two with a pile of bacon, two sausages, scrambled eggs, a whole grilled field mushroom, two halves of roast tomato, a handful of baby spinach and two massive slices of toast. I think that was enough protein to last me for the next week!
A modest little Indonesian joint inside one of the malls on Cavenagh St, Sari Rasa might be the only Indonesian "restaurant" in town. There's plenty of places to get satay, lontong and such at the markets, but this is a nice place to sit down. The food is padang style (pre-cooked and ready to serve in bain maries) and one makes a selection from the variety on offer.
At my last visit I tried beef rendang which had a delicious sauce but the meat was slightly dry, not quite falling apart at the prod of a fork; fish curry, which was made with chunks of unidentifiable white fish in a broth with strong notes of chilli, lemongrass and tamarind; and sambal eggplant, whole grilled baby eggplants which are then halved and served with a mild chilli paste. There was also on offer chicken curry, spicy chicken, a green bean dish, twice cooked eggs and a lamb curry, and the usual suspects of fried rice and fried noodles.
The inside is a bit dark, and the plastic tables rather reminiscent of a cafeteria, but the serving ladies were so nice and the food adequately delicious, it was well worth the trip into the city.
My friend's kitchen
My first thought was, what a strange name for a Vietnamese restaurant! The logo is an evil looking smiley face, and dazzlingly bright flower patterned melamine bowls and plates make the place even a little weirder. The position is great though, with the tables look out onto busy Mitchell St, making it a perfect people watching spot.
The menu is pretty standard and reminds me of those really old style Chinese restaurants catering to Western tastes. There aren't any really dishes that I usually love to eat at Vietnamese restaurants - spicy Hue style beef noodles, rice noodle salad, grilled lemongrass pork, prawns on sugar cane, etc.. Instead there was like the same "satay beef, curry beef, beef with black bean sauce", followed by "satay chicken, curry chicken, chicken with xyz sauce", which was a bit disappointing. Pho was the only "authentic" thing on the menu but we decided to share a few dishes instead.
The fish with chilli and lemongrass was reasonable - a huge plate of pan-fried fish simmered in a spice paste along with red capsicum and celery hearts. The vegetables & tofu dish was a bit boring but perfectly edible, with the fried tofu being the highlight (slightly sweet exterior with a soft silken centre), which made me wonder where they got such delicious tofu in Darwin.
With no drinks other than the standard cans and bottles, I was left wanting my three coloured ice...
Boatshed cafe
This is a funky cafe on the Cullen Bay main street, considered a "posh" area in Darwin. As one drives into the Cullen Bay precinct, there are all these new-looking modern apartments that just look so out of place in Darwin (especially when I live in the slightly decrepit northern suburbs!) The cafe is decorated like the inside of a boat, the high ceilings lending an airy feel. The tables spill out onto a verandah overlooking the marina, and it's all very cosmopolitan (would not be at all out of place in Sydney).
The coffee came in a large cradle-worthy bowl, which reminded me of the bowls I used to drink at La Petit Creme in Darlinghurst. It was very decent coffee too (Grinders), among the best I've had in Darwin. I had the big breakfast, which really was big enough for two with a pile of bacon, two sausages, scrambled eggs, a whole grilled field mushroom, two halves of roast tomato, a handful of baby spinach and two massive slices of toast. I think that was enough protein to last me for the next week!
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