Weekend in Dublin

I have spent the last 3 days in Dublin. I heart Dublin. We drank Guinness, sat in cosy pubs listening to traditional irish music and even gave hurling a go.

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My favourite place was by far the Long Room Library in Trinity College. It is a beautiful establishment, which left me in awe. I have never seen so may books in one place and also such ancient books. This would be my heaven. I could live in this room...in a tent...forever!

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Isn't it magnificent? The room is 64 metres long and holds over 200 000 of the world's oldest books. It was built in 1732 and the shelves are lined by marble busts of great philosophers and writers.


LMM

xoxo

Happy Friday!

This is sheer brilliance at it's best! Gotta love Nando's...

LMM

xoxo

Man Booker Prize 2011 Shortlist

I am on a mission to read the 6 books shorlisted for this year's Man Booker Prize.

Jamrach's Menagerie - Carol Birch
Half Blood Blues - Esi Edugyan
Snowdrops - A.D. Miller
The Sense of an Ending - Julia Barnes
Pigeon English - Stephen Kelman
The Sisters Brothers - Patrick deWitt


You should join me and at least read one of these books!


LMM

xoxo

Feeling Bleh

I am having a bleh week, actually make that a bleh month. Nothing in particular....not enjoying my job...waiting to hear if I got the new job in Cape Town...not exercising, eating badly, have gained a few extra kilos...feeling unmotivated...

...basically just BLEH!

But the cherry on top had to be a few days ago. I was on the tube going to my Bookclub. I was reading my book. I was listening to my iPod. I was basically minding my own business.

Little Miss Medic:   (doo-doo-doo....minding my business)

Random Lady: Excuse me (taps me on the arm)

LMM: (doo-doo-doo)...ooh.... (take earphones out)

RL: Excuse me, would you like to sit down?

LMM: No thank you, I am fine standing.

RL: You aren't pregnant are you? (makes universal big-belly-pregnant sign)

LMM: No, I am not.


ARGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

Great way for life to kick you, whilst you're already down!

So I need a bit of inspiration to get through the rest of the week...

Hope your week/month is going better!

LMM


xoxo

Foreign Patients

Seeing a patient who's first language is not English can be quite an ordeal. I once saw a Polish man, who was so drunk that he couldn't not say anything except make a incomprehensible moaning sound. I am sure, had he spoken English, we would have been in the same predicament. At 3am in the morning, there is no chance of getting a translator, and since I could not rule out a possible head injury, I had to admit him overnight, to see if his state changed once he was more sober.

This morning I have just seen a French patient. He spoke English fairly well, but was very anxious and so spat out his words at a rapid pace.

Little Miss Medic: How can I help you this morning?

French Man: I am very worried, that I might have HIV. My body is itching all over. My penis is fine, my pee is fine, my poo is fine, but I am not fine...

LMM: Alright. Itching is not commonly a symptom of HIV. What other symptoms do you have?

FM: I have a sore throat and my chest is burning, but my pee is fine and my poo is fine...

LMM:  Let me look in your throat then. ( I grab a box of tounge depressors...) OK just open your mouth and say "Aaah"

FM: But I have a pain in my ball (he grabs his scrotum, in case I don't understand the word "ball"), the pain is just in the one ball. It is not too bad. But me pee is fine, my poo is fine.

(I drop the entire box of tongue depressors on the floor, trying not to laugh!)

FM: Don't worry Madame, I will pick them up (he bends down and at lightning pace gathers them all up)

LMM: Thank you. Let us do the HIV test so we can see if you really need to be so anxious about it all.

FM: I am very scared! I did something stupid. I am so scared. I love my life, I do not want to lose it...

LMM: The test is negative...

FM: ...so scared, why did I do it?

LMM: The test is negative!

FM: What? Negative? Oooh ( he leaps out and grabs me into a bear hug) Thank you, thank you!

LMM: It is a pleasure.

FM: You save my life. You really did!

LMM: Ah it was nothing!

FM: No, you are wonderful thank you.

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Gotta love the French!

LMM

xoxo

Black Tuesday

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"Black Tuesday" was the name given to the 29th of October 1929, the day the Wall Street stock market crashed and $30 million was lost. It signaled the beginning of the 12 year Great Depression.

It now symbolises something completely different to South Africans, as today has been renamed "Black Tuesday" due to the probable passing of a secrecy bill, called the protection of information bill. To many it is a step back and Nadine Gordimer, Nobel Prize winner and famous author, compares the suppression of freedom of expression under the ANC to the apartheid era.

'The state security minister, Siyabonga Cwele, rejected calls to include a "public interest" clause to allow for the revealing of secrets, saying: "The foreign spies continue to steal our sensitive information in order to advantage their nations at the expense of advancement of South Africa and her people." '

                                                                                                      -The Guardian-

Foreign spies?...really...this isn't Mission Impossible!

I as a South African, am grateful to the press and media, as I am able to keep myself informed and it holds our ruling party accountable for their actions. Now that information will be kept "secret", who know what shenanigans will go on?

It is a very sad day, and am aptly clad all in black as a symbol of my protest.

How do you feel about this?



LMM

xoxo

The Help

Last night I went to watch The Help. It was amazing, heart-wrenching, hilarious and so moving. I left the cinema looking like puffy eyed raccoon, I literally cried the whole way through. I read this book last year and it was my highlight read of the year. Astonishingly, the movie was everything the book was. It brought the sass of Minny to life, showcased the evilness of Miss Hilly and inspired me through the sheer bravery of Skeeter and Aibileen.

The story is set in Mississippi in the 1960s, where racial inequity was rife. Skeeter, a young journalist, returns home after graduating and tries to slip back into a life of bridge parties, social balls and hairspray. She struggles with daily life in Jackson and slowly the timeless tradition of the help raising white children and running a household, becomes glaringly obvious. She decides to write a book bout the help's stories; how they have their own toilets, are better mothers to their employer's offspring than they will ever be and what a day in their lives is really like. She gains the trust of two women, Aibileen and Minny, who are the first to forge their way into uncharted grounds of trusting and meeting with a white person to share their toils and hilarity's.

This movie will have you in stitches due to the "terrible, awful" and have the tears streaming down your face as Aibileen enforces the belief of "you is kind, you is smart, you is important."

A wonderful movie that will appeal to everyone, even The Boyf enjoyed it.

9/10

LMM


xoxo

This weekend I...

• went to a dear friend's 30th birthday party, which was amazing, but made me think about my approaching 3-0 :(
• went to watch The Help
• spring cleaned the bathroom...armed with yellow gloves, powerspray and my iPod (for those of you who live in SA, DO NOT take your domestic cleaners for granted, I never will!)
• ate a yummy bacon and egg fry up, courtesy of The Boyf
• bought Christmas stationary from Paperchase

stamp


novelty stickers
• bought the Michael Buble Christmas CD...I love this man!

What did you do?

LMM

xoxo

Syringing Ears

Syringing some one's ears has got to be one of those tedious tasks that no-one enjoys. This job is usually done by your GP or an ENT specialist. Sometimes people come into the A+E to have their ears syringed, which is highly irritating as it can sometimes take up to 30 minutes to properly dislodge the wax or whatever else is in their ear. The only time it is vaguely exciting, is if someone has a foreign object or bug in their ear. I once got the hugest cockroach out of a patient's ear in Barberton, it was amazing...and disgusting.

The Boyf has been complaining that his right ear was painful and I had noticed that he often didn't hear me well and always turned the TV on full blast. He begged me to syringe his ears. I know that he last had it done about 5 years ago, by a mutual friend, when they were medical students, and he warned me that the crap that came out of his ears, was both horrifying and repulsive.

Being his girlfriend, I did not really want to see this, as it wouldn't really improve the romantic part of our relationship. Alas, there was no one else to do it and he kept saying he couldn't "hear" me asking him to put his dishes in the dishwasher or to take the rubbish out. It had to be done!

I got some warm water and the process began. Nothing happened for the first ten minutes and then...

I was expecting worse, but it was still pretty nauseating!

Tip of the day, get your ears cleaned out by someone you don't know, and do it on a regular basis.



LMM

xoxo

And the winner is.....

Congrats to the lovely Bronwyn. I am sure you will love using this product and be sure to let us know what its like!

Anyway, back to another mundane day at work...BLEH!


LMM

xoxo

I heart flowers

This week I have been lucky enough to get 2 bunches of flowers. I love lillies, my lounge smells AMAZING!

Thanks to Jane and Aimee!


LMM

xoxo



P.S: Don't forget to enter my latest giveaway, ends this tomorrow.

A+E Favourites

There a few patients that LOVE coming to the A+E. We have 3 patients that each come about 3-4 times per week. Yesterday they were all there at the same time.

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Mr Brown - an alcoholic, who believes that the water in his flat has been posioned. He mostly comes just to drink from the water cooler. He says he has never tasted water so good. He was so drunk he couldn't stand, but insisted on stumbling around. After falling on his bum in the middle of the department, he proceeded to roll himself a ciggie and smoke it.

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Mrs Purple - comes in daily, sometimes 3 or 4 times, always by ambulance. She wears a purple tracksuit everyday. She always claims she is dizzy or that her lips are tingling. She is also armed with a walking stick and should she not like you, she will deliver a swift blow to the head.

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Mr Green - a sweet man. Also an alcoholic. Always comes complaining of something minor. After you have told him he is ok, he asks for a sandwich and a cup of tea.

I actually enjoy seeing these patients. Although they are wasting NHS funds, they are real characters and have their own problems.



LMM

xoxo

Product Love

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Maybelline's Forever Strong line promises up to 7 days wear, which I can personally guarantee, it does not chip! This colour, Rose Poudre 130, is a perfect nude shade. I wear it when I am in the A+E, as bright nail polish is frowned upon.

The perfect Autumn colour and blends nicely with everything! Try it!



LMM

xoxo

Interview Time

I am finally starting to plan my move back to South Africa, YAY! Now that involves finding a job. Yesterday I had my FIRST interview. First interview ever! After being a doctor for 5 years, it is a bit unbelievable that I had never had an interview. This one was a telephonic conference call with a panel of 5 people, super scary! So let's hold thumbs I get the job!

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LMM

xoxo

November Giveaway

I am always on the hunt for new make up products and this one caught my eye recently at boots. Why wouldn't it? The packaging is a shocking neon orange.

Scandalous Brush: So big yet so precise, our MaxDensity™ brush reveals lashes you never thought you had. 30% wider and denser, with more bristles to capture and coat even the smallest lashes. Combs through clumps for perfect definition

Scandalous Formula: Triple collagen + keratin formula with shapes and plumps even the thinnest lashes

Scandalous Look: More lashes revealed, corner-to-corner, who needs falsies? +300% instant eye opening impact. Reveals your natural assets like no other!

All you need to do to win this awesome mascara is leave me a comment and "like" my new Little Miss Medic Facebook Page.


Good Luck!

(Winner will be chosen at random next Thursday!)




LMM

xoxo

P.S I love you

This book covers my worst nightmare. Finding the love of your life and then losing them tragically. I had watched the movie when it first came out, but wanted to see if the book was better.

Holly and Gerry are soul mates, until Gerry is diagnosed with a brain tumour and passes away. Holly is left alone and doesn't quite know how she will carry on living without Gerry. One day she receives a package that Gerry had sent her before his death. Inside are 11 envelopes, one for each month coming up. They each provide her with a quick message and usually with a task that she needs to perform. Some of the tasks seem silly and pointless, but each has a purpose to show Holly that she can forge her own way and survive without Gerry. The book has some great characters, who are there every moment beside Holly; Denise and Sharon, her 2 BFFs, her 5 siblings, and her new friend Daniel.

I enjoyed this book and would definitely like to read more of her work.
7/10


LMM

xoxo

Little Miss Pin Cushion

Little Miss Pin Cushion is a 30-something year old female who comes into the Emergency Department every few weeks. She swallows things. Mainly needles, sometimes batteries and even small razor blades.

The scariest thing is that she lives in a Psychiatric Hospital with 24 hour care, yet still manages to get her hands on needles etc.

Before swallowing stuff was her thing, she used to throw herself off buildings and has had over 15 different fractures, with surgery on her leg, arm, lower leg and forearm.

She has had over 100 abdominal xrays...

                                                                 open safety pins

                                                            lots of pins in her stomach

                                                                 more safety pins



Unfortunately the pins/safety pins/needles never perforate her bowel and she ends up going home after she has pooped them out.


Fun times!


LMM

xoxo

Back to Mud Island

I am back from Amsterdam, we had a wonderful trip and I am sad it's over, but I am excited to get back into a routine and have a "normal" life for a while.

Here are some pics...

                                             Beautiful Autumn leaves everywhere!

                                                   Burgers from a vending machine

                                               What is Amsterdam without the sex?

                                                     Windmills outside Amsterdam

                                                           Heineken Experience

                                                            Canals of Amsterdam

                                     A day on a rented bicycle, the only way to do it!

                                                                   Yum yum!




Happy Friday!


LMM

xoxo