Au revoir 2012, bonjour possibilités...

Laurence Binyon wrote "For The Fallen" in September 1914, as the Battle of the Marne took its toll on the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front.

Since then, an extract has become the "Ode of Remembrance" that people are more familiar with.

I am using these hallowed words with the utmost respect as I reflect on the year that was.

"...At the going down of the sun..."

As the last rays of sunshine set below the South China Sea, 2012 was a great mixture of ups and downs.

Quoting from an image of a heart beat rhythm from one of the EMS pages I subscribe to, "if your life has no ups and downs, you are dead."

In June, there was a possibility and opportunity to drastically change my career path; I applied and was invited to go through the interview process to become a helicopter pilot. Made it all the way until the end, but ultimately didn't succeed. Had to do a flight simulation and a psychological interview.

In October, another opportunity came about that I grasped with open hands, but will have to wait until the end of January 2013 for the results; the International General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety (or NEBOSH course). 80 hours of study crammed into 10 instruction days and a 2-part exam process which included two 2-hour written exams and a week of work later, a 1000-word health and safety report. My brain was fried and mushy!

"...And in the morning..."

I made a stack of new friends through the year. Some are still here at the end, others have moved along. The Rogues' Gallery from a lifetime ago also hung about for the most part, some deciding that our friendship was not comparable; if you're from FB and are reading this, thanks for sticking around. Even though we sometimes catch up but rarely talk, please know that I have rarely deleted people (in fact, less than 10) through the years.

My dear cousin Steph married her childhood friend and elementary school classmate Edrick in a beautiful ceremony in Jakarta, Indonesia in July. The whole family (mum's side) came back from the USA and Singapore for it. Ate waaaay too much food (we were staying at the Jakarta JW Marriott) and all the Indonesian delicacies that is quite hard to find around here...good fun...

"...We will remember them..."

Through the year, the family has lost a few members. A few friends have also moved on with their next Journey. May your souls rest in Eternal Peace.

There are so many more things to say, but I am working tonight, so, I will take this opportunity to wish you and yours the happiest and most wonderful new year, and to remind you to cherish each moment that you have, especially with your families.

To all those serving in the armed forces overseas, to our first responders working the front lines, and the staff working to make our lives easier (taxi/bus drivers, wait staff, cleaners et al), thank you for all your efforts through the year, an especially through the holiday season, where many of us take for granted that we are more deserving of a holiday than many of you. Thank you all.

"...Lest We Forget..."

Please Keep Your Arms And Heads Inside The Moving Vehicle At All Times

Because you spin me right round, baby, right round, like a record, baby, right round, round round...

28 May 2011? Yea, one year has passed. In this time, it's just been flat chat work, work, work. I still work the same shifts (12-hours on, two days morning, two days night, two days off (which eventually reaches to one after half a day of resting up and not really doing much on that first post-night shift morning, then passing out for the remaining day to try to catch up on much needed rest...). Been with the same partner for 18 months now, and it's good; just "The Look", and we know what each other is thinking and, boom, job done.

But, times, they are a-changing...

If I may bring your attention to the right hand side of the page, you will see a Twitter feed. Some of you who are reading this have been directed here from Twitter. Some of you are old friends who come by every now and then and have a surprise (pleasant or otherwise is still being debated) that there's actually A REAL LIFE UPDATE, which you are reading right now...! So, to say hello, this is how this works;

As shared above, every now and then I do type some blog posts...how often is very much debated. I've had this blog coming up eight years now. The nicknames you see (Brunei, NASA etc) are from the years that I spent studying, then eventually working, in Australia. The Black Chinaman was a name given to me by one of the old school bouncers I used to know, Whopper. Salt of the earth kinda guy, but I've also seen him use a guy to take out ten others during a pub brawl, which was rather fun to be involved in (it eventually became five bouncers Vs 15 drunken idiots, and we won, but with much damage to the flower bushes around the premises).

I have worked in the aviation, medical and security fields in my short life, and greatly enjoyed 90% of the time. The other 10%, of course, deals with the sadder parts of the job, especially in the medical field, but that's part of life.

Anyhow, I'm sitting at work now, so I'll leave some pictures up for what's been going on over the past year:



Sir Dr Nick, Knight of The Order of Bird Poo, Class 1



Ambulance 2 on Standby with RIPAS Ambulances, HSBC Run 2012



Donating platelets for my birthday, 2012



Watching nurses trying to load stretchers; NOW they understand us Ambulance Guys...



Light show...

Another Day Ends, Another Day Starts...

It's been a while.

I'm fulfilling a "fist-bump" promise that I made with Fi a few months ago to try to update the blog at least once a month; kinda failed for April...sorry Fi...

Tonight is the second night and last shift of the current four day run, and I'm looking forward to the one and a half days off that I have after this...time's now 0243, and in six hours time I'll be sitting with a dozen others doing a Fire Marshall course, then in about 12 hours time will be on my way to Miri to sleep and eat copious amounts of seafood...:D

Past two nights, though, have been pretty busy. Probably not as busy as other ambulance crews around the place, but interesting cases all the same. Tonight's was rougher than normal (for me anyhow), but more on that later...

So, just a quick run down on what's been happening for the past few months:

December 2010: transferred from the wards to the Outpatient Department, and involved with the modification of the new Company ambulance, based on the Ford Transit van. 2.4L turbo diesel engine, pretty meaty...

January 2011: the ambulance is commissioned and I get my Class 5 license, meaning I can legally drive any vehicle over 6720 pounds (3055 kg), or the equivalent of a HR license...also endorsed for a Class 4 (MR) license. I also start with the JPMC Emergency Ambulance Service.

February 2011: went to Singapore and met up with the Indonesian cousins to celebrate our Grandma's 80th birthday. Had an absolute blast. Steph also gets engaged.

March 2011: made my fist bump with Fi. Also finally finished my extended probation period with the company, and got a pay raise...:D

April 2011: Start working on the new ambulance project, but with so many bosses to work under, it's getting a little hectic at times...got a new supervisor too, but have to wait until he finishes his probation period for things to start happening...gearing up to -hopefully- be sent to Poland for the project...

May 2011: TURNED 25! Was one of the MC's for the International Nursing Day Gala Dinner on the 14th, and had a relatively good night. And also here we are...

So, there you have it, the past six months since November...with some pictures...:p

For the ambulance project, I've gotten pretty good thanks to the information provided by Ambulance Visibility regarding what are the industry standards on how to mark out an ambulance without being too distracting...also, if anyone's interested, this is the company building our new ambulances in Poland...

Tonight's case was bad. Young mother. Five month old foetus. Spontaneous. We managed to save the mother, but unfortunately not the baby...just hope that Whoever's Upstairs holds and keeps that poor child...:(

I understand that I work in an industry that deals with life and death. We regularly transport the recently deceased from the hospital to their homes for funeral preparations, and I normally don't feel anything; clinical detachment. The case earlier really did get to me, and it still is...

May your soul, and all the souls of the Faithfully Departed, rest in Eternal Peace. Amen.

Sigh...it's now 0323, and I'm getting sleepy...might just go outside and watch the movie I got earlier..."I Am Number Four"...should be interesting...

So, finally, got a dilemma; do I save up for a new laptop, or a new iPhone (and do I go with the iPhone 4, or wait for the iPhone 5)?...

Be safe.

Lest We Forget

Thanks to Lar DeSouza, of LICD fame, for sharing with the rest of the ether the following link. It's EPIC. :D Our Valued Customers

That site is great. It's about the snippets of conversations that the guy hears while working at a comic book store. I wonder what one would look like if it were of the bouncers or staff in a hospital ward..........

Just sitting here at the hospital on a rainy night. Only three of us on shift at the moment (the fourth nurse is upstairs with a neonate patient), and as usual, when one patient called us about 30 minutes ago, the other patients at either end of the ward called too, so while the two nurses were dealing with the original call, I was running from one end to the other answering the other calls and finding out what was required; luckily, nothing major. Just a fellow who needed to pee and a kid who had a stuffed nose. The usual.

News to me: we're apparently getting a night differential now! Better start getting some more night shifts...

During the drive to work earlier, it got interesting at one point; it's raining, a bit misty, and no streetlights. There was this red Lancer that was coming in hot behind me along a single carriage section of the highway, and nearly caused me to hit the side guardrails by cutting in front of me just before a corner. Other cars were coming towards us too at that time. After this corner, it widens to a dual carriage section for another 15 or so kilometres, with a U-turn facility about a kilometre in. After this facility, there are no more street lights again. There are two other cars in front of me on the slow lane, and I'm behind the Lancer on the fast lane. Lots of water is being blasted onto my windscreen by the guy. He's still going hot, and it looked like he was going into the slow lane in front of the other cars, and doing it dangerously too. I said a little prayer along the lines of, "May God have mercy on your passenger's and the other driver's souls if you continue driving like that." Just then, we hit the dark area, and the FREAKING LIGHTS VANISH! I looked into the mirror to see if there was the Lancer doing a U-turn or something, but there were no cars on the opposite side, and just the lights of the two cars that were there before. There was also no lights (or cars) on the side of the road, and I can only assume that if the red Lancer did lose it and fly off the side of the highway into the trees, the cars would have stopped (due to the distance from what I observed). The next car was already about four kilometres ahead about to go around a corner, and even if the guy was travelling at triple the speed limit, I doubt that he would have reached there while I travelled 200m. Immediate prayers were said.

It's not the first time, and it more than likely won't be the last time either. I can only hope that whoever (or whatever) it is/was, that they can rest peacefully.......

Speaking of resting peacefully, I just realised that it's the 11th of November. 96 years since the start of The Great War, The War To End All Wars. How wrong they were, and we still are now.

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them. Lest We Forget.

Thank a Veteran, and all those in the Armed Forces, past, present, and future.

Be safe out there.