Sober Irish

I know, the racial slurs. I get them all the time and can't say I enjoy the malicious ones. But sometimes, harmless jokes get everybody laughing.

We met a old Irish gentleman in ward round this morning, who was fortunately well enough to chat socially. So while the cardio reg was trying his hardest to obtain a history, an Irish consultant budded in and started making small talk. It didn't get any better when our consultant turned up cause he started telling jokes. Anyway, part of the history taking is asking for alcohol consumption, and the patient said he doesn't drink anymore, he's allergic to alcohol. He had been drinking all his life, but developed an anaphylaxic reaction while drinking with his brother one night and all of a sudden he has an allergy to alcohol. "can't touch a glass of whiskey," he said. And this is funny cause, well, an Irish who's allergic to alcohol.

The consultant started telling jokes and another Reg came to find the team in a sea of laughter, this is the joke the consultant told:

An Englishman goes to his doctor and said he wanted to become an Irish. His doctor says "alright, but that means we will need to do some radical operations on you; we need to perform a lobotomy, cut out half of your brain." The Englishman really wanted to become an Irish, so he agreed with it. When he wakes up from the operation, the doctor was there looking worried. The doctor says to him, "I am sorry sir, but the operation had bit of a complication, and we took out much more than half of your brain." To which the patient replied "she'll be right, mate!"

My new consultant is a very approach person, it's a nice change, and it feels pleasantly strange. He's the type of person that smiles with his eyes and coupled with a really easy going attitude, which really reminds me of Robin Williams without the crazy babbling impersonating part. You know the type of people with a quirky and genuinely infectious smile, whose looks at you straight in the eye during those prolonged laughter to see that their tickles has also made you giggle?

Perfume de Mujer (scent of a woman)

Music affects our emotions, there is no doubt about it. My poor brain is so easily influenced by music that it can lead me off a cliff like a rat following Pied Piper of Hamelin. It's just as well that we link our memory to a piece of music, the synapses between the limbic system and prefrontal cortex is perhaps more powerful than the logic and reasoning of our frontal cortex.

Some expressive music are so inviting and strong, that my mind surrenders and allow itself to be led onto the dance floor for a tango; I love letting myself wallow in these melancholic tunes so much that a string of simply constructed notes like Chopin's Prelude in E minor (Op28, No4) can bring water to my eyes.

The title is a piece of old tango music written in 1935 by Carlos Gardel. He was perhaps the most prominent figure in Tango, although prior to this point, I had no idea who he was. According to Wiki, he died in an air crash at the height of his career, becoming an archetypal tragic hero mourned throughout Latin America.

Anyway, I heard this in a Itzhak Perlman's CD today, and immediately recognised the piece that was used in the opening scene of Schindler's list. I never knew the name of the piece, but it's made such an impression on me that I've never forgotten it. Now I finally put a name on it.

This is one of my favorite scene of all times, in my mind, this is just the persona that I have always wished to be.

We start with the camera following a waiter who makes his way round the place, setting the location in a fine diner club with a live band playing perfume de mujer in the background, drowned by the social chatter about the place. Then it freezes on Schindler (Liam Neeson) as he make his appearance. Well-groomed and dressed to the nine, with an air of elegance. This got the waiters talking, who is this man? The camera focuses back on Schindler as he scans the room with his sharp piercing gaze, studies his opportunities. A pretty woman looked his way, looked away acting disinterest, but stole a peek back at him. Schindler smiles as he knows he's won the game. As the first violin solo of perfume de Mujer comes on, the camera moves to two SS officers on the other end of the table. Camera flashes on the badges, there's the reason why he came tonight. But no, there's a reserve table, someone higher up, someone more important. The SS commander officer enters the restaurant with his escort and a beautiful girl. There, his real prize of the night. Schindler makes his move.

He's handsome, well presented, graceful and elegant. Later in the scene he reveals his charm and unstoppable charisma. All class. Sigh, I don't think any of this can be learned.

50th Post!!!

50th post! Wow, that's a milestone right?

Reading some of the stuff I wrote last year, it brings me right back to the day, the situation, right then and there. I guess that's why people write these things, partly to entertain themselves, others, and to record a part of life, a memory, and a moment that can be retrieved and relived.

Just looked at the stats, my most popular post by far is Surgical Fetish. I had notice its popularity for awhile now, but it doesn't make sense. The post is about a simple surgical procedure, surely there are many better written treatises out there than my half-assed attempt. Then it dawned on me that the reason why it is popular, particularly in US, is probably due to the word fetish on the title. Given that 90% of internet traffic is for pornography, one can put two and two together and make a incredibly saucy porn regarding some disgusting but not too weird fetish.

See what I did there? This post is gonna double the traffic to this blog, if not triple. Soon I can build my own Playboy mansion. It's not that I have no faith in humanity, I just don't think it's worthy of my faith. If only I get a dollar for everytime someone stumbles onto this site looking for porn.