An eye for Istanbul

Have been saying some time that I'm planning a trip to Istanbul... and I'm finally going next week. After a few weeks of rants, half-threats and pleas, I've managed to garner enough days of leave to fly off to Istanbul for about a week. Since I joined the department years back, tere has always been a severe shortage of manpower here - well, there's a severe shortage of doctors everywhere - but it's particularly acute in our department. That shortfall is made worse by the fact that my head of dept is continually trying to expand the services.

But I shall not rant. Shall limit myself to one good rant about my department in a week.



It's been a while since I've been abroad ( last trip was to Shanghai almost a year back and my lonely passport has been shedding tears in my cabinet ) and I'm defnitely raring to go. Already have my bags packed despite the fact that I'm not travelling till the end of the week. Unfortunately as I removed some of the things in my backpack, I realized that the contents in mine certainly aren't as prepossessing as the contents of Will's backpack. What can I say? Doctors can be boring.

1. Black ink pens
2. Highlighters in pink, yellow and green - for my notes
3. Clinical Anesthesiology by Edward Morgan, Maged S. Mikhail
4. Drugs and Anesthesia by Margaret Wood
5. Assorted notes
6. The daily newspaper - usually either the Star or the Straits Times, depending on availability
7. My name tag and my chop - important for verification and the all important medical chit
8. Nestle Instant Cereal packets - and the occasional oatmeal
9. Fork and spoon
10. An umbrella for those rainy days

And shockingly...
11. Condoms!

Uncertain how it got there but I actually stared at it for five minutes. It was unopened of course ( hell, if I've been having regular hot, sweaty sex, there wouldn't be as many rants :) ). Wishful thinking on my part during some crazy period of my life?