Is it only 2 hours into my shift?! Looks like it's gonna be a long day :(

Not sure which is worse -- a really busy day that makes the time fly by, or a quiet one that bores the heck out of you. Okay, after thinking about it for a sec, I realize the latter wins hands down. Duh. :)

We've got med students with us once again. 3rd years who haven't done orthopaedics yet. When did rotations in A&E start switching to the 3rd year? During my time, we went to the ER in our 4th year, after doing a 3-month stint in ortho. It helps when you have background knowledge at least, 'cos A&E cases have lots of ortho problems. Oh well, someone's bright idea, I suppose. ;)

The Asian Blog Awards have been announced. My congratulations to the winners for the Best Singapore Blog! And thanks to Phil for keeping the list of nominees on the page. :)

I saw a delayed telecast of "Newlyweds" yesterday -- it's last week's episode, repeated on Tuesday afternoon. ( I completely forgot to record last night's installment, aargh! Too caught up with "CSI:Miami" I guess :P ) Anyway, Jessica Simpson belches ad nauseum, a rather nasty habit considering she's being filmed for broadcast over MTV. She's a major whiner, and even husband Nick admitted she's "spoiled". Don't take her camping! Her sister-in-law, Lea, who's married to Nick's brother, Drew ( are you confused yet? ), is also a whiner, which surprised me, 'cos I once read that Lea and Drew are childhood sweethearts, from a small town, that she's very sweet and down-to-earth, etc. So what's with all the diva-esque behaviour? Maybe Jessica's a bad influence on her.

Last night's episode -- which I saw the tail end of before realizing I didn't set the timer (darn it) -- is the one with Nick and Jessica fighting over whether Nick can go to the Playboy mansion for a party. The wife doesn't want him to, but he eventually does, of course. Caught some shots of pole dancers and the usual bevy of skimpily-clad ladies. Believe it or not, Hugh Hefner, the founder of Playboy magazine, is in his 70s or 80s, but has a constant harem of 5 young women to keep him company. I saw this in a feature on New Zealand TV, and all the girls are blonde, very chest-heavy, complete ditzes, and extremely complimentary of Hugh's, ahem, prowess in the bedroom. One of them mentioned threesomes and foursomes too. Many guys, no doubt, consider this the ultimate fantasy, but from my point of view, I think of it as a grand-daddy sleeping with his grand-daughters. Gross.

Thankfully, TV isn't all about trash. The most recent episode of "Monk" was easily among the best in the series so far. I saw it at 12:30am, after a tiring shift, but it was so good I was fully awake till the end. It's the one with Adrian Monk going to Mexico to solve a ( what else? ) bizarre death. But the show doesn't always revolve around the investigation per se. Rather, it dwells on different aspects of Monk's severe obsessive-compulsive disorder -- this time, his insane need for Sierra Springs mineral water, preferring instead to die of thirst before drinking anything else. The beauty of it is, Tony Shalhoub does such a fine job of making Monk lovable instead of annoying, that you can't help but feel overwhelmingly sympathetic. My mom and I must've said "Poor thing!" at least 10 times within that 1 hour. And the script was priceless! Definitely one of my all-time favourites :D

Another fav of mine will be ending its first season on cable next week. "CSI: Miami" may not measure up to the original "CSI" ( set in Las Vegas ) in terms of storylines, but with regards to style and flash, Miami has it down pat. Before my computer crashes from memory shortage ( it's a hospital terminal :P ), here's the official website link:

CSI: Miami

Or, if you don't want to install a Flash Player, you can go here:

CSI: Miami Page on TV Tome

I like David Caruso, who plays the head of the CSI team, Horatio Crane ( how's that for a name? :) ). I didn't catch him during his heyday on "NYPD Blue", but wasn't impressed at all by his forage into Hollywood films. Luckily, he's been rescued from languishing for all eternity in B-grade flicks by Jerry Bruckheimer's top-rated franchise, and infuses Crane with a simmering sexiness, thanks to his gravelly voice, cool lines and nice threads. Does it sound odd if I say I love the way he stands? ;) Seriously, if you watch him closely, he always strikes a pose, which I find absolutely delicious. :D

My biggest fav, though, is Rory Cochrane, who plays Tim Speedle , aka "Speed". I only started to pay attention to him in the last month or so, 'cos he seems to be garnering more screen-time nowadays. Most women may go for Adam Rodriguez, the guy who specializes in working crime scenes located in swamps, but I prefer Cochrane for his quiet, understated portrayal, as well as his interesting looks. He's half-Indian, half-Irish, with "an incredible voice" according to the webpage below. Does that mean he sings? Be still my heart! :D I can't pinpoint what it is exactly, but there's something about him. Who knows, if a Hollywood bigwig sees what I see, he/she may cast him in a blockbuster or breakout role soon, then everyone else will know what I mean.

Rory Cochrane

Here's another link, with very nice photos. :)

Rory Cochrane Website

Continuing this entry ( it's now 2:30pm ).

Forgot to mention that the photos from my holiday are finally out, and look fantastic! I didn't go to my usual developer at Heartland Mall, opting instead for Photo Finish at Great World City. Does it matter really? Anyhow, the pics came out looking so great I think I may stick with the latter outlet from now on. :) New Zealand is just full of exuberant blues and greens, and I was extremely sunburnt, but never looked happier. :P Some of my blog's readers are people who know me, so I'll show you the photos the next time we meet, all right?

And a big thank you to an old friend, who also went to NZ last month, and who bought me a LOTR T-shirt with Aragorn / Viggo Mortensen on the front! In full armour / kingly garb, no less! Must quickly iron and wear :D

Also paid a visit to my soon-to-be-ready condominium yesterday. Looks very impressive, and I can't wait to jump into the 2 Olympic-sized swimming pools, woohoo! Was told it'll be completed sometime in March / April, which means the actual shift will be in April / May. I have to defer my A&E exam yet again, but only till August, which is when the local version will take place. Oh well, this move will be permanent, and the location is excellent, with lots of facilities. Hope to invite friends and relatives over as well. :)

15 minutes to go till 4pm hits. :D