Why Doctors Earn a Lot

A few Saturdays ago, due to exceptionally poor braking technique on the bicycle, I ended up with some pretty nasty, though ultimately harmless, injuries. As luck would have it, the batch of recruits we were taking then were due to have their Graduation march and parade the following Monday. It seemed to me a very bad idea to try and wear a LBV when there was a big open wound on one shoulder, so I took medical leave for the first time since enlistment. Geez.
I had to pay the doctor a good fifty dollars. It seems terribly expensive. The doctor made only the most superficial and general observations, prescribed a bunch of non-essential medications, most of which I didn't even use in the end, and breezed through any questions. Not to put down the medical profession, but I could have done this particular call myself. The only difference would have been that I wouldn't have had the authority to make out a certificate requesting medical leave. Damnit. I guess it's the price to pay to prove yourself a genuine sick case.
Does it have to be? If integrity were a more common thing in society, perhaps we could trust people to recommend themselves for sick leave without abusing the authority---but of course, History has demonstrated that it is not so wise to trust so much in human nature. That does not rule out exceptions in specific cases, when perhaps a supervisor is willing to accept his/her charge's claims of not feeling well as genuine without a professional opinion, based on the specific circumstances. In general, however, it would seem that the monopoly of the medical profession over medical leave is indeed a necessary evil. It is not a perfect solution---a physician might be inclined to give medical leave out freely to family or friends, for instance---but it's a roughly workable on, and better than nothing. Even if the added content of the "professional" opinion doesn't amount to much, the fact that the patient was willing to go to the trouble and expense of getting it supports the thesis that the medical problem was genuine.

Why I Cycle

Everyday life is a pretty dull, and possibly rather tiring, proposition. That is why I really enjoy taking my bicycle out for a spin on the roads once in a while. The sheer sensation of speed, even at a measly 20 kilometers an hour, and the rush of wind against my skin inspire such a thrilling sense of freedom; the traffic whizzing by, the strain in my calves and volume of oxygen going through my lungs, remind me, with satisfyingly immediacy, that I am, after all, still alive after the grey monotony of everyday life.

(Draft Essay I)

Manoeuvre and pedal

Vélodrome sprints are pure poetry in motion.

One tiny bit of serenity

Labrador Park is a nice place. Especially around sunset. The calming sound of the sea surrounds the observer ... but then again it's serenity on a tiny scene. Looking not much further out, the petrochemical furnaces of Jurong Island crowd in from the west, while numerous anchorages clutter up the east.

How would sir like his bike?

Like one of these, perhaps?
This collapsible bike, in particular, looks and sounds rather cool.

Century ride

Actually solo century rides aren't really that fun. Probably still beats staying home alone 48 hours straight though.

Went along Clementi, Upper Bukit Timah, Woodlands, Admiralty, Sembawang, Yishun, across Lower Seletar Dam, through Seletar Camp, passing by Seletar Airport, to Jalan Kayu and then Sengkang West. And then rushed back via Mandai, pottered around Bukit Panjang, and finally came back home the same way.
The weather was brilliant. Light clouds and mild sun. The best sort of weather for going outdoors.

The scenery was quite refreshing too. There was the submarine building near Bukit Panjang which still looked quite cool after the n^{th tune} seeing it. There was the convention-centre-style Republic Polytechnic campus. Come to think of it, the RJ campus was rather in the same style. Convention centre. Large, imposing, somewhat impersonal. Only of course on a smaller scale, so it didn't come out quite so imposing and impressive. Then there were the large clusters of black-and-whites near Sembawang, and of course Seletar Camp. Seletar Airport was small and quiet. Not at all what I would usually associate with the word "airport". The architecture was in the same style as the surrounding black-and-whites and the whole place felt more like a ferry terminal in scale (guess the two are rather similar in organisation). But then again there are more such airports around the world than huge International ones. Just that I potter around the latter rather more. Sengkang West felt somewhat like a frontier town. Still under construction, dusty but moving rather quickly.
So you see, Singapore is not all HDB estate after HDB estate. There are different places. If only one looks. Of course some would say that pointing to these small patches as evidence of diversity would be an act of gross exaggeration. I beg to differ.
Now, if only I hadn't lost my wallet.