of The Prince and other such stories

I’ve just returned from being a member of the audience in this week’s episode of Question Time. I wasn’t able to ask the question that I wanted and there was a surprising lack of questions regarding healthcare, despite the result publications of damning reports into a couple of NHS trusts. It was a rather enjoyable experience though; both from the debate point of view as well as from the point of view of watching how such a programme is recorded.

I came away thinking that Charles Clarke is quite an impressive figure, David Dimbleby is as nice in real life as he is on the telly (just as Michael Winner is as irritating) and that I looked rather cynical on the telly.

It must be said that it’s been a week dominated by discussions about politics and philosophy, mostly driven by the fact that I have a houseguest who’s a lecturer in philosophy. And in between conversations that range from the constitution of thought to the more mundane and typically British topic of the weather, we have been closely following the results of the UMNO elections back home.

Sweetie and I have mixed feelings about the results, but we’re definitely happy with the fact that neither Khir Toyo nor Muhd Taib won the posts of Ketua Pemuda and Timbalan Presiden respectively. KJ’s win was certainly unexpected by most parties, and I think it is perhaps the most significant given the inroads this gentleman has made recently.

I have a feeling that having been given the platform of Youth chief, he (along with his reform-minded deputy) will be clamouring for change and use it as an opportunity for revamp the image of UMNO in time for the next general election. There will be a far higher number of younger faces in the next election, and the creation of an intellectual approach (with a greater presence online and perhaps a throwback to the days in which the youth movement was seen as fertile ground for discussion on national policies) will go far in converting a disenchanted electorate.

KJ is savvy enough to realise this and unlike most UMNO politicians, KJ is willing to put himself out in political skirmishes and get involved in debates and such, as evidenced by his recent debate with Husam Musa and his interview with Malaysiakini (which is worth watching).

The opposition should take note, if they haven’t done so already.

indulging in the arts

During a week which saw Liverpool demolish Real Madrid 4-0 at Anfield and followed that up by a 4-1 thrashing of Manchester United over at Old Trafford, I was able to catch a couple of performances that were no less impressive.

It all took place on a Friday; a Friday that started with me helping out with CMT interviews by sitting at an information desk to answer questions re training and the region from the interviewees. It wasn’t as boring as it sounds, as besides doing the obvious answering of questions and handing out tips, I was also privy to the interview process. It was rather educational to observe the thought-processes that were involved when the consultants sat down to choose a trainee physician. And the fact that it was held at an executive suite of St James’ Park and there was constant coffee and biscuits did help matters as well.



The afternoon saw me catching up with a close friend of mine, which I think is rather good for the system. Besides being a lovely friend, she is one of the few people I know of who really REALLY loves being a doctor, and a dose of her is just what I needed to reinvigorate my dedication to the practice of medicine.

She also came along to catch Watchmen with me, which was rather better than I had expected it to be. Granted, it was not able to catch the difference nuances of the multi-layered graphic novel that changed an entire genre, but the ethos of it was very much kept in place. The cinematography was reminiscent of the written work, entire bits of dialogue were lifted off it and the soundtrack was an aural wonder. Not quite as ground-breaking as the original work, but I think the director was able to do it justice.

The second performance of the day was Cirque du Soleil’s Quidam. It’s not something that is easily expressible on paper, but suffice to say I found the performers indulging themselves in acts that were rather mind-blowing. I think Siti and I found ourselves clapping more often than not as we watched the performers stretch their bodies to the limits of what was humanly possible over and over again. There were also touches of the morbid here and there, which (rather predictably) made me enjoy the show even more!

I did also catch the Newcastle University’s Malaysian Night last night. Not too shabby, and the performances (which consisted of your usual traditional dances) were worth watching, although I was more keen on catching up with various peeps. The food was a tremendous disappointment though (since when was Lamb Bhuna Malaysian?) and I wasn’t too pleased with the fact that the night was labelled as the Society’s ‘10th anniversary’, despite it having been in existence for longer than that.

The next performance that I’m supposed to catch is the Counting Crows gig. Unfortunately it’s smack in the middle of my night shift, so it would appear that I’ll have to find someone to buy my ticket. Which is quite unfortunate, seeing how I’ve been looking forward to catching them live. But the show after that will be Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan in Waiting for Godot, and I’m sure that that’ll be well worth the wait.

Of not very pleasant things

It has been approximately a week since Siti played hostess and proved more than capable of providing a sumptuous feast to feed the many hungry mouths present. Unfortunately, that was the last time during which I was able to enjoy a meal in recent days without dire consequences.

Following a meal at an oriental-themed restaurant at Durham (the meehoon was actually pretty good), my friend and I developed symptoms in keeping with a viral gastroenteritis. Needless to say the situation has been far from pleasant. I was feeling generally unwell during the entirety of my on-call and it wasn’t until that night that I discovered the full extent of my illness.

I must say that on previous occasions, I have tended to not have much sympathy for those who get admitted into hospital for similar reasons. But it does leave you feeling extremely drained, in more ways than one, and the feeling of lethargy and couldn’t-be-arsed-ness is only surpassed by the feeling of hunger, and knowing that anything you consume will only serve to make things worse.

Another downside is the fact that I have to postpone watching the Watchmen, a movie that I have been looking forward to watching for quite some time. Instead, I’m sitting at home, gingerly nibbling on bits and pieces to ascertain their effects on my digestive tract, and have another on-call to look forward to on Monday. A wasted weekend, albeit an extremely lazy one.