I’ve been asked to blog about many things. Nurses’ Day Celebration @ TTSH, MOH Nurses’ Merit Award @ Mandarin, Neuroscience ICU Promotion Party, National Day Parade, my exposure @ The Alfred ICU (Melbourne), etc. I’ve drafted a few, deleted most, decided on one that conjoins all, which was and will be the core of it all. Food. I’d like to think that I eat to live, but many of my compatriots would beg to defer. ‘David super kuat makan’, most would say. Where the Chinese would translate my name to ‘Da Wei’, which absolutely coincidentally means ‘big appetite’. None of you will disagree that we are big on food, and calories are always calling out to us each time we lay our eyes on them. The initiation of the cephalic phase, then comes the salivation, increase in gastric motility, chicken wings turning into little dancing queens, chanting our names to sink our teeth into their juicy, tender, succulent meat. It’s finger lickin’ good… 62226111. ‘KFC Delivery, How may I help you..?’

As I was saying (3 hours ago), food is pertinent for survival. It’s the basic of all necessities, our best friend. What happens when it becomes our enemy?

I miss her, really. Life goes on, I know. But it’s hard to comprehend that with the advancement of medical technology today, nothing can be done. This is what happens when life gets the best of us, and when what we as nurses have to offer for our patients depletes. Our body degenerates, spirits battered. We are biological beings too. We are vulnerable to the same bugs that gives you the flu. We are susceptible to those Met-Resistant-Sickening-Arses. We are too at danger of hitting cars-in-oma street. We are after all, humans.

Humans - of or characteristic of people as opposed to God or machines, especially in being susceptible to weaknesses.

“My dearest Vijaya, you are an inspiration to me. Not only as a nurse, but also as a person. How you persevere in your care of your patients during your times of sickness unknowingly, held on to your end of the bargain fulfilling your duties. It has always been a pleasure working with you and knowing you. I’ll miss the times we used to chat during our night spongings.”

It causes me to think, of the value that we place on each other. On the importance and meaning we weigh on our actions. Is it worth it? Is it worth it to say that one is working too slow? To laugh and scorn at people’s mistakes? To nibble on a person’s past? Is it worth it to make enemies? Life is definitely short. It’s shorter for some.

Food. What happens when food becomes our enemy? We refuse to see it, taste it, chew it, nor swallow it. Our basic requirements of carbohydrates, fibres and proteins diminishes. Thus, leading to death. So we must eat. We must not make enemies. We must have a clear conscience. Forgive.

It’s when we work so hard that we forget to eat, no? Day by day, it goes by and somehow we suddenly realize that we are tired. Tired of all the complaints that comes from relatives, the long hours that we put in completing our tasks. Just so tired of the constant changes in protocols and the introduction of new ones, which most times we doubt it’s applicability. So tired of the relentless discussion about hospital acquired infections caused by healthcare providers’ ignorance. So enervated of unfulfilled promises, of feeling unappreciated from within and about. Was there something that could have been done differently?

Well, life is full of surprises. Yet some surprises surprises us of how unsurprising it is. I’d like to be stupefied, to be bewildered. And i’d like to know that we’re not forgotten.