How's it goin?

One of the things I've never really gotten used to whilst living in this country is the nationwide habit of saying 'How's it going?' or 'How're you doing?' or something along those lines without actually expecting or acknowledging an answer. I've caught myself time and time again in situations where a friend (or more likely an acquaintance) says 'Heya Helmy, how's it going?'. Right after I say 'Hey there whateveryournameis, I'm doing fine thanks!', I realise that there's nobody in front of me anymore and that Mr/Miss Whateveryournameis has moved on, leaving me to ponder the extremely obvious question of 'why can't they just say hi and nothing else?'. Must be an English thing, along with queueing, fish n chips, comedies which I don't quite get (except for My Family), excellent plays and musicals, miserable weather conditions and castles.

I've just been on ward rounds throughout the whole morning, and my legs are killing me. The fact that I'll be going in later this evening does not bring a smile to my face. If I really really think about it, I don't actually have to... but it's one of those things that's expected of you, and if I'm truly honest with myself, I do realise it's one of those things that are of more educational value than most other activities over here.

The consultant I'm currently attached to is the quintessential image of what most people perceive doctors to be. He's elderly, quite well-to-do, knowledgable, has an old school aura about him, wears thick specs which are attached to a wrinkled face bearing a grandfatherly grin, and above all, he's got (absolutely, positively) the worst handwriting I've ever seen. I can spend 30 mins staring at a sentence he wrote, and at the end I'd probably be able to decipher 5 words (bearing in mind this is a 30-word sentence and not a 5-word one!), if I'm lucky! And it's not surprising considering he himself has trouble reading his own handwriting. God forbid any emergency arising that might require someone to check a patient's notes with his scribbling on it.

For five decades, Yasser Arafat was the most prominent face of the Palestinian opposition to Israel. Starting out as head of the PLO and carrying out attacks against Israeli targets, he later become the leader of the Palestinian Authority, after parts of the West Bank and Gaza were returned to Palestinian control. He passed away earlier this morning, leaving behind a legacy that isn't as clear as one might expect. I won't bother writing out my thoughts about the Palestinian issue at this point, but it will be interesting to note who will succeed him, especially when you consider the rather fractious state that Middle Eastern politics is in and the fact that no other figure in Palestine enjoyed the international exposure and influence that Arafat had.