went to alaric's 21st yesterday. been some time since ive seen some people, like his mom and keith's parents. and unexpectedly, some ppl from NJ and NS. pleasant surprise ;p sad fact was, couldnt make it to the airport in time to see ps off. and on fri i told him i'd "see him tmr." famous last words, he got that rite. :( a tad too disappointing....

seems like there has been a recent furore over GPs performing aesthetic procedures on patients. i really wonder how med students think abt this. considering that top US med students have allegedly been fighting tooth and nail over residency(did i get that rite) places for aesthetic practice, it'd not be surprising that most, if not all, of our top yong loo lin students aspire to be like woffles wu. it IS a highly lucrative industry, what with our beauty-obsessed world and what not. but i have faith in why some of those in YLL want to study medicine (thanks mos for saying that it may not be so bad to not go into pte practice. suddenly doctors don seem too mercenary.) after hearing all those S$3000 / eye/ 15 min rip-off stories from andy and samuel, it's really not so reassuring. and there isnt a need to regulate prices i heard. hmph, licensed to rob.

makes me wonder what is the true motivation for the study of medicine. year after year many ppl tear their hair out over a much coveted spot in YLL - i wonder what's all the motivation behind all that? does the school purely admit people who are just academically brilliant, or those who are in it for the service of mankind? it's a noble calling and i knew that i am not so great so i didnt even bother. and again if those who truly have that calling cannot meet demand, then perhaps more if not most people may be in it for the moolah. i shudder when i think of the number of parents who dictate that their children should be doctors just because they view it as the epitome of success - then what about their children's dreams? and even more when people let their lives be dictated for them, the money is not too bad anyway. hmm. at the end of the day, some say the high charges are a sort of consolation for the many years of study. but when should it end and if that's really what someone wants to do, then the study shouldnt have been such a torture isnt it? the process may have been a necessary evil but it's just worse to perpetuate the vicious cycle because human beings can never put an end to avarice. that is just the nature of the capitalist world that we live in. but i must say it beats the extreme conditions in Orwell's Big Brother anytime. and doctors are human beings after all. they have their needs and wants and more dough wont hurt. knowing the rite thing is easy; doing it takes immense courage.

there's no deal if there's no demand. so those who are trying for a quick fix or instant solution to all those "beauty woes" are really the accomplice. but that's really another story altogether. evil corporations which prey on the naive and desperate. the devil takes on many forms and people have short memories.