Revenge of the Fallen

One of the cartoon series that I was extremely fond of during my younger years was Dragon Ball Z. I was so obsessed back then, I even watched several episodes that didn't have subtitles nor dubbed in english, even though i couldn't understand a single word of japanese. Even now, I still find the battles amazing. And now that I'm older, I've realized that the battle sequences were the only things the series had going for it. Everything in between pretty much sucked. Preposterous to downright silly story lines, littered with corny jokes and tiresome dialogue. Overextended, boring expositions that only serve to lengthen the running time. Many times, I wished i could fast forward the show when I'm watching it on TV. If only they cut out everything else and just showed one battle sequence after another, then Dragon Ball Z would have been an excellent series.

I know you are wondering... Why the heck am I talking about Dragon Ball Z when this is supposed to be a Transformers review? Because I feel pretty much the same thing with this movie. In typical Michael Bay fashion, the movie is filled with explosions, special effects, hot women, and heavy artillery. A showcase of women, military, and weaponry. The shots during the action sequences are superb, all that eye candy can really overcome one's senses. To put it bluntly, the action sequences are downright orgasmic. As for the rest of the movie? The plot sucks. The characters were written poorly. Some jokes weren't funny, and some were even offensive. Heck, some scenes that weren't meant to be funny were the ones that I thought to be funny. All the cheesy dialogue nauseated me. The scenes in between all the mayhem were overly long and unnecessary, they only made the movie less satisfying. Just when you get pumped up with adrenaline because of all the action you're seeing on screen, it all ends abruptly. You get another boring scene. another failed attempt to portray characterization and to elicit sympathy. If only all the fluff were taken out, if the scenes in between all that noise were shortened... heck, if they only showed one action sequence after another, then we'd have a more cohesive, and ultimately more satisfying movie.

But I still liked the movie... a lot. I know... WTF?!, right? How the heck can I like this movie with all the complaints that I have? Because I grew up with the Transformers. I loved the series to death, and seeing those giant f*ckin' robots for the first time on the big screen two years ago was a wet dream come true. I was a skeptic at first, but as soon as I saw the first robot transform, I was filled with awe. And upon watching another Transformers movie, I was filled with the same level of awe. Yeah I'm incredibly biased with this one. If this wasn't Transformers, I would've trashed this movie to death. But alas, nostalgia can really dull one's senses, and dulled senses made those action sequences even more intense. Nostalgia + Michael Bay signature action sequences = one incredible movie experience. Just throw you common sense out the window and take this movie for what it really is--- a summer popcorn flick (and it's not pretending to be something more than what it is, so critics should give Michael Bay and Co. a break), and you'll walk out of the movie theater entertained. You may not really like the movie as a whole, but to some degree, I'm willing to bet that you'll be entertained.

Dreamscapes

Dreams can be really weird sometimes. At times, dreams are ordinary and believable, sometimes they are completely out of this world. There's this theory that dreams are manifestations of one's subconscious thought, and yeah, some of my dreams do seem to reveal my hidden desires, but some of the dreams I have come out of left field. They don't make any sense at all.

I have always been fascinated with dreams. Way back in college, I even did a research paper on the subject--- but I didn't really get any definite answers. The general consensus seems to be that dreams are manifestations of the unconscious. But that conclusion leads to even more questions, and to many, even doubt. Take this weird dream I had last night:

From what I can remember, it started with me flying through space, but I somehow ended up in an igloo on top of Mt. Everest. Some of my friends and relatives were there, along with a few strangers. It was a rest house of sorts. One of my cousins was skateboarding on the icy ground, he couldn't stop and subsequently fell off a ledge. Then somehow, the place was a became an icy movie theater, i was in a balcony, looking down at the audience below... and there was an event: it was a movie premier. Then the screening had to stop because the stars of the movie have arrived. They apologized for being late, because there was a storm outside. Then the movie started playing from the beginning again. Then my mother was coming up from the ladder along with my aunts, and they were all wet because of the storm. Then I told them I had to go down to get something important. She told me to be careful, the path is slippery. As soon as I got off the ladder, I was no longer in Mt. Everest, I was in some weird town. I sat on the wet ground, and suddenly a truck passed by, which almost ran over me if I hadn't moved quickly. Then suddenly I was in some living room. I was seated on the floor, then a huge dog was all over me. i thought it was going to bite me, but it only sniffed me all over. It then said something, then proceeded to suck my balls.

I'm not kidding.

Just to make things clear, there's no way I'm having thoughts like that, even subconsciously, and never in my wildest, most horribly nauseating fantasies do i even wish for some dog to suck on my balls. Symbolism perhaps? If things in our dreams are symbols, what could they mean? On a scientific perspective, the subconscious theory seems more plausible, along with conscious thoughts, things that we are preoccupied with, manifesting themselves even in our sleep. But I don't really think my conscious nor my subconscious thoughts could be related to that dream i just had. Are dreams merely random images? Do they make sense at all? Are we putting too much thought into nothing? Seeing that there are no definite answers, dreams remain to be in the realm of mysteries for now, and would therefore pique our curiosities indefinitely.

Of Least Concern

Another day in the emergency room. Usually exhausting, at times benign. Always unpredictable.

It was around 9 PM when those two stab wound patients came in. I've encountered a lot of trauma patients, and I have been trained regarding the proper management of such cases. Both Patients were hypotensive, but one of them already has parts of his intestines eviscerating from the stab wound on his abdomen. And he had a lot of other stab wounds on his back, which could account for the probable massive blood loss. On ausculation, his lungs didn't appear to be injured, but I ordered an immediate chest x-ray just to be sure. An emergency exploratory laparotomy was indicated. The other patient only had a single stab wound. Auscultation revealed a possible pneumothorax, but since he was more stable, i first administered fluid resuscitation and ordered an immediate chest x-ray.

While waiting for the results, i referred both patients to the surgery consultant on call. I was surprised by his response. First he asked me if there was a vacant room available. I told him there was none. He said how can the patient be admitted at the hospital when there's no available room. He reminded me of the "no room, no admission" policy. i told him in such emergency cases, a patient can be admitted even if there's no vacant room. Then he told me we lacked supplies at the operating room, and I said I already checked the supplies at the operating room. The hospital did not lack the necessary supplies. Then he said that he would need blood for the operation, and without waiting for my response he told me that's it's better to just stabilize the patient and transfer him to another hospital as soon as possible because we cannot operate on the patient. WTF?! Good thing one of the nurses had the foresight to check if we had available blood at the blood bank, so I told him that blood was available in case a blood transfusion was needed. Then this surgeon sounded irritated. Even more when I told him that I could do the operation for him if he would allowed me. He ran out of excuses, so he just told me he'll be at the hospital in thirty minutes.

Searching for an anesthesiologist was another problem. I already called all the anesthesiologists on deck at the hospital. Some said they had an ongoing case, others said they were out of town and that they wouldn't make it in time for such an emergency procedure... but i doubted if these anesthesiologists were telling the truth. It has always been such a chore finding an anesthesiologist in a government hospital. The others simply didn't answer their phones. I had no choice, so I just called their department chairman and told him the situation. I told him bluntly, if he can't find an available anesthesiologist, he had to administer anesthesia to the patient. I didn't care if he found me disrespectful. A patient's life was at stake, I've had about enough of these consultants and their stupid excuses.

The x-rays were done after that. The patient's chest x-ray was unremarkable, but the other patient had a massive pneumohemothorax on the left side. And whereas previously he didn't find it difficult to breath, after the xray he was almost gasping for breath. So I did an immediate closed tube thoracostomy without referring him to a consultant. It was an emergency and I've done the procedure dozens of times, so I didn't bother informing any consultant. Several supplies were not available, but miraculously, I managed to improvise. Afterwards, the patient became comfortable, although he complained of pain in the left lower quadrant of his abdomen. Palpation of the area elicited tenderness. Since the stab would was on the lower ribs, an abdominal injury was possible. I could have done an abdominal ultrasound to rule out an intraabdominal injury, but it wasn't available at the hospital. The chest xray didn't show any signs of pneumoperitoneum, so I decided to just observe the patient. An exploratory laparotomy could also be indicated if symptoms progressed.

And then Mr. Surgeon on duty came. He ordered the nurses to bring the first patient to the operating room ASAP. I mentioned the other patient to him, and that I already inserted a chest tube. He didn't seem to care, but when I told him about the abdominal findings, he told me to transfer the patient to another hospital while it was still early, because there's no way he could do another laparotomy. Christ. Is he aware of how difficult it is to transfer such a patient? Especially when the mentioned patient lacked sufficient funds? I can't just transfer a patient when I have already managed his immediate concerns. Most government hospitals already have their hands full, and they would not be inclined to accept a stable patient. What the heck. Screw him. I chose to continue with my present management. I knew what to do anyway.

The patient was stable when I endorsed him to my reliever. Ultrasound was still pending, but all abdominal symptoms have disappeared. Before I left, I referred the patient to another surgeon, who was more amenable. When he saw the post thoracostomy xray, his words were "perfect placement". He looked at the patient's chart and commended my management. He then asked me if I was already done with general surgery residency, and if I was just moonlighting while waiting for the results of the exam administered by the board of surgery. i told him no, and he seemed surprised. He told me that I more capable than a lot of doctors who have already finished surgery residency. I couldn't help but smile. I was extremely pissed a few hours earlier, and all those miserable hours seemed to have vanished suddenly. It's great to end one's tour of duty on a high note. It makes the whole day seem fulfilling, even when it's not.

I understand why a lot of consultants don't really want to accept patients at the hospital where I'm working. For one thing, they are not adequately compensated. Most of these patients don't have money, and I guess they often get promisory notes as payment for all their efforts. i understand where they are coming from. Of course I want to receive just compensation as well. But these consultants are aware of this fact when they signed up. They are aware that it's a local government hospital, therefore majority of the patients that they would receive won't really have sufficient funds. If such patients would always be the least of their priorities, or worse--- if such patients won't even be a priority at all, they shouldn't have signed up in the first place.