hey babes,

it sounds damn stressful at the moment.... and if i were there with you i'd sit at the kopitiam with you n listen to you bitch bitch til the cows come home! but i can't do that physically yet (i'm coming back 31st july!) so just wanted to post something to put things into perspective.
i get really sick of medicine as well..... i know it's different since i'm not working yet but i always think i may want to have a drastic career change or something. at the moment i'm working on an audit project and it does give me a lot of perspective when i'm under stress.

the audit involves quite severely disabled children, quite a few of them have epilepsy and have uncontrollable seizures. they're developmentally delayed and can't walk or talk like children of their age. it's heartbreaking to see their parents taking care of them.... even though they're great parents, i would never envy their position. imagine carrying a baby for 9 months only to find out your child is so disabled that all you can do is take each day as it comes? they know that if they try to plan their baby's future.... there won't ever be *much* of a future. their child won't ever be normal, won't grow up, sit for exams, go to university, find a job, marry and have their own children.

every time i'm having a hard day, i tell myself i'm lucky to be stressed.... to have a life and a future i can actually *feel* stressed about. i have the privilege of sitting around and bitching to nick, or my friends. i can use the phone and call my mom to talk to her. if i need something to cheer me up, i can buy a book, go for a walk, go shopping or enjoy a movie.... simple things that other people can't even do and will never get the chance to experience. these children get admitted so frequently that all the nurses and doctors know them by name... they get 10 seizures in a row without stopping, and i feel bad when i curse the fact that i have to wake up in the morning to drag myself to hospital. there will always be hard times ahead, and believe me when i say that the hardest times you can face will have nothing to do with your job.

so sweetheart, take a deep breath and be a trooper! play your bitch boss's game. there are better ways to get ahead than sucking up..... and remember that your job is not your life (even though you're spending most of your life at your desk at the moment). we love you and we'll always be here to hear you moan and whinge!