Whose lin(v)e is it anyway?

I like to watch Grey's Anatomy very much. I always admired how George was the first to be “awarded” the liscence to kill, being the first amongst the surgical interns to do the first surgery, although it’s just a simple appendectomy. I always admired Dr. Montgomory (however you spell it), being such a great gynaecologist yet still as beautiful as ever. And not to forget the model Izzie Stevens, damn she’s “too beautiful to be a doctor”, so said by her colleague, Alex. Of course, there’s the Mc Dreamy and Dr. Grey. There’s no wonder it’s an Emmy award winning TV series.

And there’s the new TV series aired on NTV7 8.30pm every Thursday night, 3lbs. I heard about it before I came back for holiday. Amazing neurosurgeons they are. I haven’t really been amazed by this new series as how I was by Grey’s Anatomy, but no doubt, it’s quite interesting.

There’s also this series called House M.D., I watched a few episodes. My friends said it’s by far boring compared to Grey’s, that how atypical every episodes are, patients coming in with unknown symptoms and getting diagnosed before they’re given treatment. It’s always either Dr. House had it wrong, or his team made the mistakes. And towards the end, they managed to save lives.

Previously, I was captured by another Emmy award winning series, ER. But after 2 years haven’t been able to hear about or watch the show, I have not much memories of the show. All I remembered it has really captured the heart of audiences with the all the seemingly real emergencies. Bizzare, yet really captivating.

There is no doubt, how all these television series has really motivated a lot of youngsters to choose the path as a doctor. No, I’m not here to say: “Doctors in real life, has nothing similar at all to all those show.” I have no idea, really. I’ll just leave it to the doctors to compare what real life doctors are to the ones I’ve seen on the television series. I’m sure, there are those who discourages students nowadays to stop regarding medicine as the ONLY option after Form 5 or STPM, no, not only doctors, but people of the other fields.

Well, I’ve seen, and I’ve known acquaintances, who did everything they can to enter a medical school. I know of a classmate who left for Australia when we were in Form 4, and I heard he’s now doing medicine in University of Western Australia. And of course, there’ll be more who are now studying medicine in Melbourne University and Monash University. Besides, there are also some who made it to the medical school of University of Otago, New Zealand. Not to forget, the option to do medicine in Russia. Aah…. There’s the Moscow Medical Academy, Russian State Medical University and etc. Yes, I know friends, I know people who are now living their dreams of doing medicine and walking towards the life of hospitals, patients and medicine.

And there’s another phenomena. Parents who hoped so much to have their kids grown up and entering universities are overjoyed when the results of university application were announced. The new intake of students into local universities will be reporting on the 1st of July. And this time round, there are definitely youngsters of 20s who flocked to the banks to open new bank account or the clinics to do medical check ups. The faces of the overjoyed students, yet at the same time filled with all the hopes and anticipation, really got to me. I remembered how I was when I entered university. It really was a big gap from secondary school into university. But having an elder sister in one of the local university did, in one way or another, helped me out, even though our courses are not really crossing each other’s path. Still, I have roughly gotten myself prepared for the “orientation”. Nah, I’m not saying anything about “ragging”. There’s too much views and uproar in The Star already. But really, personally, I enjoyed the orientation. No, not the common university orientation where all freshies are being shouted at by the seniors or being kept awake until 2am at night, I was saying the orientation we had in the faculty. No doubt, it was a nightmare back then, when I really was on the brink of breaking down, however, it really is something worth remembering. Erm, Okay, so I got side-tracked a little bit.

Now I was wondering really, why medicine? Aren’t there any other courses which really are, in my eye, better than medicine? I mean, come on! You’ll be still in your good old medical school, attending lectures and following doctors around, when you know, your acquaintances who do engineering or law or finance are already driving a car around Kuala Lumpur, pocketing income of 4 figures every month. No, no, no… I don’t want to be the person who discourages students taking medicine. There are already such people out there. But really, I do really want to know what students nowadays are thinking. No doubt, the doctor-patient ratio in Malaysia is still not favorable and not up to the WHO standard, but how many did really think about it thoroughly?

I used to dream about becoming a pilot. I like to fly. I want to fly. I am flying now alright, at least 8 times a year. But I’m just a passenger and I haven’t fulfilled my dreams of controlling a plane. And I suppose I will never get to realize that dream. Recently, I’ve come to know of some corporate peoples, as in people who are already working. I envied their lives. I wanted to be one of them too. I wanted to have to shop for tux and coats and bush jackets. I wanted to deal with finance, I wanted to be in the finance, I wanted to be rich… (who doesn’t want right?) No, I’m not saying everyone in business gets to wear those smart looking clothes, it’s a sweeping statement, I know. I’m just saying, I really wished I could be like those who worked for corporate company or own one. But it all did come down to me, that I only fancied dressing in the smart-looking clothes. Finance is not my cup of tea. But who knew, I could be one if I opted that path.

I was brought up in a well-read family. I was exposed to education early. Literally. I have come to know about Chinese characters, and pronunciation, and writings even before I was born. I knew what “Good morning, teacher” was, and I was taught about ABC. Yes, I’m not bluffing. Well, maybe not about what I know before I was born, but I was born in a family of teachers. Both my parents are teachers. So I’m not bluffing when I say I was exposed to education early. Back then, even though we stayed in a town outside the city, I was sent for English tuition as young as I was 4. I mean TUITION, not kindergarten. It’s a class held twice a week, each session for 2 hours. My parents are well educated, they had foreseen how education is important for the future then, as in now. I remembered how I have been taught to be the best, to be the top student. No, I’m not saying I AM one, I’m just saying I was TAUGHT to be one. So really, my childhood wasn’t really spent with a lot of games and there wasn’t really much for me to remember apart from some story telling competition and tuitions… My childhood was blank... literally…

As we grew older, I have come to realize what my parents did was right after all. If it had not been that, I suppose I would be anxious of what I want to do with my life. I might have thought about doing medicine as well, but my results might not been good enough, seeing how I would be if my parents wasn’t strict about our results. I might just go to colleges and take up accounts or business since I really do fancy men in coats. Or I might try to get myself into an aviation school, or apply to be an air-hostess… speaking about that, I would really be one if I hadn’t been what I am now. I’m tall enough, I’m hot enough. HA-HA. No seriously, I wouldn’t have known what I would become if it had not been for my parents.

But come to think about it, I had friends who told me I’m not living their dreams, I living my life. Parents might have given me my life, though it might also be a reward for having “fun”, but it’s something I should be controlling myself. So far, though I have been much appreciative and happy of what I’m studying, I realize it’s something my parents always dreamed of as well. No, no, no, my parents are not the I-want-a-doctor-in-my-house kind of people. They’re basically the ones who are “as long as you have a professional career, I’ll be happy” type. I wasn’t devastated when I wasn’t offered a medical scholarships after my SPM, I wasn’t pressing my dad to send me to Russia nor International Medical School in KL, I took what came to me. (But then, if I were rich enough, I would have asked to be sent to the UK. HA-HA) Mum told me back then, that maybe I have something better awaiting. And I guess I was really that Mummy’s-boy. So, in one way, I guess I am living their dreams and not of my own.

There’s news over Sin Chew Jit Poh the other day. A straight As student wasn’t offered his dream but something of livestock management instead. He admitted that his family wasn’t well off so he had been hoping to be accepted into a local medical school. I guess, in one way, if you’re well off enough and are able to scrap up 300k, you’ll be having an MBBS from Russia, or any partner universities of International Medical University in KL. And there’s also a friend of mine, who was also in the same shoes. He was better off though, being offered biomedicine or something I think. But had it not if he’d got the “capital” to go on the paper, I’m fairly sure he’ll be the coursemate of my other friend in Russia.

But then again, I guess it’s pretty much a question of whose live is it anyway. It might really be the dream of the youngsters. It might also be the dreams of the youngsters’ parents. Yeah, I know… there are those who are forced into medical school and came out complaining it’s a nightmare of 5 long years. Not to forget, my cousin-in-law told me about the housemanship, a more than horrible nightmare. Maybe not the nightmare you get after watching those Korean or Japanese white ghosts, but something you live every single day. Sometimes, I do wonder if you really need to sleep at the morgue, as there are rumors (or jokes more likely) spreading, that medical students who can’t do that won’t be able to graduate.

Then again, I really do respect those who are brave enough to take up medicine and chose to sleep with the bodies. It’s indeed a tough course. When I asked a medical students in Crimea State Medical University how it was back when I was in Form 5, he said I’ll need quite some preparation. It could’ve been the culture shock alright. But I personally do think the course itself is a challenge. Wonder how doctors are able to memorize all the names of the puny vessels in the brain, like those in 3lbs. Or how Dr. House managed to diagnose a life-threatening sickness despite it’s just a headache and some tremors at the corner of the eye.

So whose right is it to determine? It’s not as if medicine belongs to someone. But frankly, it does take some qualifications to pursue the degree. And I guess the discouragements by people “qualified” enough ought to be taken into considerations by those who didn’t do well. I’m not saying one cannot do medicine. I’m just saying it takes a lot to sacrifice for it. Passion alone is not enough. Nope, it’s definitely not enough.

Thanks for reading. Have a good day.