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1980 @ 5am
Today is my first day in Toa Payoh Hospital. I hate first day of
hospital postings, new environment, new staff, new set of
patients etc. Why do they have to send us around? Why can’t
they just let us stay in one hospital? SGH is a huge hospital.
They have all the discipline there. Why need to send me out
here in this remote hospital. Now I have to stay in the hostel
and do you know who my room mate is: that horrible girl from
Alexandra hospital. I heard so much about her. She is very
nasty. I requested to have a change of room mate, but the
hostel supervisor said no. I'm stuck with her for now.
No sign of her, looks like she still has not moved her things in
yet. She can be nasty to others but not to me. No nonsense as
far as I’m concert. If she tries anything funny, I will chase her
out instead, the same manner she did to the other girls in
Alexandra. Duty begin at 0700hrs. I must get ready now as I
have to be down at the canteen by 0615hrs.
Today is my first day in Toa Payoh Hospital. I hate first day of
hospital postings, new environment, new staff, new set of
patients etc. Why do they have to send us around? Why can’t
they just let us stay in one hospital? SGH is a huge hospital.
They have all the discipline there. Why need to send me out
here in this remote hospital. Now I have to stay in the hostel
and do you know who my room mate is: that horrible girl from
Alexandra hospital. I heard so much about her. She is very
nasty. I requested to have a change of room mate, but the
hostel supervisor said no. I'm stuck with her for now.
No sign of her, looks like she still has not moved her things in
yet. She can be nasty to others but not to me. No nonsense as
far as I’m concert. If she tries anything funny, I will chase her
out instead, the same manner she did to the other girls in
Alexandra. Duty begin at 0700hrs. I must get ready now as I
have to be down at the canteen by 0615hrs.
Alexandra Hospital
I survived the day. Not that bad as I thought it would be. The
staffs were very nice and friendly. I’m assigned with EN Soh,
one of those senior enrolled nurse. No official orientation for
me. The Nursing Officer is on day off. EN Soh brought me
around the ward. The routines are almost the same. I think I will
do okay in this ward.
Got back to my room by 2.30pm. She’s there, sitting on her bed
reading. She looked up as I walked in.
“hi” she greets me with a smile “how’s your first day”
“okay, not as bad as I thought it would be. You’re not on duty
today” I asked her further
"Nope, my day off today. Mind you, first day and they give me a
day off. Do you know when my next day off is? A week from
now” She rambles along. “Which ward you’re in? she asked
futher. I told her.
“Geok Choo is there. The Second Year. She’s posted here
earlier. I used to hang around with her batch girls in Alex. Others
think we are sisters.“
staffs were very nice and friendly. I’m assigned with EN Soh,
one of those senior enrolled nurse. No official orientation for
me. The Nursing Officer is on day off. EN Soh brought me
around the ward. The routines are almost the same. I think I will
do okay in this ward.
Got back to my room by 2.30pm. She’s there, sitting on her bed
reading. She looked up as I walked in.
“hi” she greets me with a smile “how’s your first day”
“okay, not as bad as I thought it would be. You’re not on duty
today” I asked her further
"Nope, my day off today. Mind you, first day and they give me a
day off. Do you know when my next day off is? A week from
now” She rambles along. “Which ward you’re in? she asked
futher. I told her.
“Geok Choo is there. The Second Year. She’s posted here
earlier. I used to hang around with her batch girls in Alex. Others
think we are sisters.“
Trying to recall the straits born Chinese girl, indeed they do look alike.
Even the way they talk is identical.
“Who else’s with you? Anybody from our batch?” She asked again. And I
told her about the two girls.
“Okay, good for you. At least you have friends. Those two stayed in Alex
hostel with us for a while.” She stop for a moment then go back to her
reading.
It’s that all you can say about these two girls, I thought to myself. They
seem to have a lot of things to say about you. But she doesn’t seem to care.
Compared to my table, with a lot of pictures of movie stars and singers pasted all over the places, her table seems bare. Several books neatly arranged: The principles of Anatomy and Physiology, Nursing Dictionary and piles of notes. A poster pin up against the mirror of her study table. A woman standing facing a group of men with rifle aimed directly at her.
“Who is that woman? “ I asked her disturbed with what I’m seeing.
“Don’t know. I got it from the Nursing Journal. I can’t remember her name.
From what I found out, she was sentenced to death, labeled as a traitor
because she helped a wounded enemy soldier.” She looked at the poster
then back at me.
“You’re disturbed by the image?” She asked. I nodded. It gives me the chills
I told her.
‘No problem I will take it down.” And she did. I went out to have my shower
and when I came back, the poster of the woman replaced with that of a
gorilla.
Great! I sight. Now I have an angry looking gorilla staring at me while I
sleep. How comforting. She’s still reading. This time flipping through her
notes.
“What do you plan to do tonight? The girls wanted to go to Toa Payoh
Central to look around. We’re taking dinner at the hawker center. Wanna to
join us? ” I asked her.
‘No thank you. Going to Mac Ritchie reservoir” She replied.
“Mac Ritchie Reservoir. What’s there? “Asked her. I’ve heard of Mac Ritchie
but never been there before. Its just about 30 mins walk from the hostel.
Well depend on how fast you walk. The 30 mins can take an hour or more if
you don t know the short cut.
“For a run. I used to go there during my school days for cross country. I like to go back and start my running again"She replied without looking up at me, engrossed with her reading.
Great! She run too!
Even the way they talk is identical.
“Who else’s with you? Anybody from our batch?” She asked again. And I
told her about the two girls.
“Okay, good for you. At least you have friends. Those two stayed in Alex
hostel with us for a while.” She stop for a moment then go back to her
reading.
It’s that all you can say about these two girls, I thought to myself. They
seem to have a lot of things to say about you. But she doesn’t seem to care.
Compared to my table, with a lot of pictures of movie stars and singers pasted all over the places, her table seems bare. Several books neatly arranged: The principles of Anatomy and Physiology, Nursing Dictionary and piles of notes. A poster pin up against the mirror of her study table. A woman standing facing a group of men with rifle aimed directly at her.
“Who is that woman? “ I asked her disturbed with what I’m seeing.
“Don’t know. I got it from the Nursing Journal. I can’t remember her name.
From what I found out, she was sentenced to death, labeled as a traitor
because she helped a wounded enemy soldier.” She looked at the poster
then back at me.
“You’re disturbed by the image?” She asked. I nodded. It gives me the chills
I told her.
‘No problem I will take it down.” And she did. I went out to have my shower
and when I came back, the poster of the woman replaced with that of a
gorilla.
Great! I sight. Now I have an angry looking gorilla staring at me while I
sleep. How comforting. She’s still reading. This time flipping through her
notes.
“What do you plan to do tonight? The girls wanted to go to Toa Payoh
Central to look around. We’re taking dinner at the hawker center. Wanna to
join us? ” I asked her.
‘No thank you. Going to Mac Ritchie reservoir” She replied.
“Mac Ritchie Reservoir. What’s there? “Asked her. I’ve heard of Mac Ritchie
but never been there before. Its just about 30 mins walk from the hostel.
Well depend on how fast you walk. The 30 mins can take an hour or more if
you don t know the short cut.
“For a run. I used to go there during my school days for cross country. I like to go back and start my running again"She replied without looking up at me, engrossed with her reading.
Great! She run too!
