Today, I was having a lighthearted conversation with two colleagues of mine, and found it to be an amusing one indeed.

Colleague A (let’s call him Mike) was char-ing – in other words, scolding Colleague B (we’ll call him Tim) in a totally non-serious manner over his inability to recognise and remember fellow batchmates even after 2 years of learning together, and placed the blame on Tim’s DOTA addiction. An excerpt from today’s conversation-

Mike: Mimi (a fellow girl batchmate) did really well in CSU today, even the lecturer commended her.

Me: Really? That’s great la, coz everyone in my group got plenty of comments and some of us were so nervous, we said the wrong-est things!

We had just been taught how to break bad news to patients earlier in the day, and had to practice on Simulated Patients with pretty convincing acting skills.

Tim: Mimi? Mimi..Mimi..Hey, she sounds familiar la, who’s she again? Is there even a Mimi in our batch?

Mike: What la, Mimi also you don’t know? (And Mike proceeds to describe her and point out her group of friends, but poor Tim, trying hard to recollect,  still looks really lost. After a lengthy description, Mike is exasperated and “HAIHS” in frustration) Aiyah, you ah!! Always so antisocial with your DOTA and if you’re not playing DOTA then you’re studying! etc etc. In fact, I doubt you can even name 20 people in our batch. Come la, name them! Name them! Seriously!

Tim: Sorry man, I really find it hard to keep a tab on who’s who in our batch. There’s just so many people and I’ve always been really bad at names. (And here comes the Golden Sentence . Mind you, he was completely serious, not a trace of  funny in him. Brace yourself, I found great difficulty containing my laughter) Give me any bacteria, virus….every single muscle of the arm or leg and I can remember them for you, anytime,  but when it comes to names of people ah…Haih!! Can forget it la!!! I’d rather remember them bacteria!! Campylobacter pylori, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus viridans, Klebsiella pneumoniae……….(Tim proceeds to rattle off a whole long list of bacteria and muscles, of which the rest of the above was drowned in my laughter)

Only in med school, folks…only in med school. Pun intended.

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