No more dr Oz bloke, just me

aka Dr Charlotte Charlatan

Monday, January 02, 2006

Down, out and depressed

Been feeling down over the festive season.

Somehow my plans for the future seem to have gone up in smoke for the moment.

Job wise I'm becoming increasingly angry and disgruntled.

Was looking at my retirement plans and realise it's much easier to plan for my children rather than me.

Realised that living longer means needing more money for retirement. So what's the point in living longer?

Met up with old classmates and everyone as just talking about making money.

I think it isn't such a bad idea to just drop dead from some arrythmia right now. Then my family can get some money from my life insurance policies as well as half my flat paid for by the home protection scheme.

I'm probably worth much more dead than I am alive.

19 Comments:

At 8:53 PM, Blogger uglybaldie said...

Hey Bro. what's with this melancholy?

Just look at me. I'm retired, happy, and merry. Life couldn't have been better. Plan early, have good children, teach them well and the state will take care of their tertiary education.

Perk up my friend. At least you ARE a professional. Imagine what it's like for the taxi driver or the garang guni man. Have you considered Canada? That's a good second.

 
At 11:06 PM, Blogger Dr Oz bloke said...

I've been waiting for my landing card for Canada for 2 years now.

Applied in 2003. No news from them yet. There is a big backlog apparently.

Anyway yeah, things are not so dire. If I decide to take "risks" and do some "stuff" I can make in excess of 20k a month.

it's all up to whether I want to take the risks. Well if I am staying in SG, then I'll go for it.

 
At 3:10 AM, Blogger angry doc said...

Selling Subutex? ;)

 
At 3:11 AM, Blogger Dr Oz bloke said...

Subutex too much hard work. Serving the poor man on the street is not much good frankly.

Better to serve the high end market :)

 
At 4:10 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Earn your profits from the Rich patients... then give back to society thru' volunteer work or the church's community service arm (providing medical assistance) or mission trips

See? Problem solved. :)

 
At 4:12 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

hi doc
I've always respected and admired physicians like your kind self, and frankly, if my family could, I would have considered a path to being an allopathic physician myself. But alas, family situation didn't allow that here, and so I had to pursue a path to a different "doctor", a PhD.

I am only in my 40s, and so am a long way off from retirement (if at all possible in stressful SG here). I do sincerely wish the best for you and family, and hope you will find blessings, peace, joy and good wishes for 2006.

Yes, I am "that" Seamus you mentioned briefly.

 
At 6:40 PM, Blogger uglybaldie said...

Good morning Bro.

Hope you are well and better today. Yes, it's normal to have mood swings.Give yourself a break. Bring the family for a short cruise and you'll feel better.

I don't know what "risks" you're talking about but the old medical adage still rings true: the benefits must outweigh the risks. Whatever it is, it's better to be contented with what you have now and not take unneccessary "risks" that will bring more problems than the rewards.

20K a month sounds good but you can also make do with 10K isn't it?

 
At 6:49 PM, Blogger Dr Oz bloke said...

It's true that the problems that come with the risks may outweigh the benefits of 20K.

It's a judgment call as to how much extra risk I am taking on compared to the risk I already take at the moment.

Anyway one step at a time.

I wonder how Seamus Phan found my blog. I thought only you (uglybaldie) read anything I wrote :)

 
At 6:58 PM, Blogger uglybaldie said...

You have more fans than you think!

Anyway, I found that 313 views have been made on your profile.

Me? I got 94 views without writing anything on my blog.

Looks like we aren't the only fellows with alot of free time on our hands ;)

 
At 8:15 PM, Blogger Dr Oz bloke said...

Where did these people come from?

Anyway 10k? Ideally 10K in Oz would sound like really good music to my ears. Don't you think?

Hopefully I can still go.

 
At 9:06 PM, Blogger uglybaldie said...

Hopefully, rules change and who knows you may really end up becoming a happy aussie bloke!

I was thinking that if you are a medical graduate of their universities, you shouldn't encounter much problems isn't it?

You don't need 10K A$ to survive there. Don't forget the chicken run, the fruit orchards and the channels and rivers where you can fish for your dinner. And you don't even need bait to fish! Gasoline is cheap. Booze is plentiful. No stress. No one is thinking of making big bucks. Everyone just want to really LIVE.

 
At 5:02 PM, Blogger Dr Oz bloke said...

Yep you're right, which is why I think 10K a month in OZ is MORE than enough :)

Whether I am a grad of their universities doesn't really change things. It's not so much where the degree is from, but where you have practised medicine most of the time and in what specialty.

It's just one of those things where professions are concerned.

Like I can guess you can't just go over to Oz and be a stock broker right? Got any exams and stuff to clear?

 
At 11:37 PM, Blogger angry doc said...

Oz, it just occurred to me that it might be prudent to delete this post. If you die of dubious circumstances in the near future, this entry might be cited as evidence for suicide and deny your family of the insurance claim.

Yes, I very KS.

 
At 2:30 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

hi I have a little retail pharmacy in singapore and trying to survive. If you have any lobangs maybe we can work together and do some trading. Just asking :)

 
At 2:55 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

A$10k net take home pay <-- Of course that's Good monies, lah! Grossing up 40% for tax...

 
At 5:38 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

it's even more depressing for a small fry

 
At 6:23 AM, Blogger uglybaldie said...

Frankly, I really don't understand you docs. Christ, you fellows are supposed to be DOCTORS who are expected to have a steady heart and mind. We count on doctors to console and advise us when our health is down the tube. But here, two of you are whining and one is even contemplating about the futility of life!

The whole thing boils down to "detachment" and "contentment". You must detach yourself from ever feeling sorry for your patients so long as you have done your very best for them. That's professionalism. And be "contented". If you can't afford to drive a Merc. a Nissan would do just fine. If you can't afford to stay in a bungalow in district 9 or 10, a comfortable HDB apartment would do just fine as well. Every job has its difficulties. Doctors are also not exempted from the vicissitudes of life. It is how you go about handling the emotional trauma and the problems of life that matters.

 
At 5:56 PM, Blogger Dr Oz bloke said...

Uglybaldie, you are absolutely right!

For that matter I am happy with a HDB flat and my toyota corolla. I have no desire to live in a condo or stupid house (that I would have to spend more time cleaning :)) or drive some ostentatious BMW, "european driving experience" that gets stuck in CTE jams most of the time.

Damn dumb if you ask me.

Actually it's not about the money. It's about the weather, the scenery, the clear blue skies, the open spaces, the seasons that I desire in life.

But if you live in Singapore you shouldn't be hoping for these things. In SG money is the single pursuit of every Singaporean. Otherwise there is nothing to live for!

I got kinda down because my dream of migrating seemed to go further from me.

I'm back on track at the moment, the application is in and in 2 weeks time I'll know the answer.

Doctors have their ups and downs too. And sometimes it can be tough having to deal with negativity the whole day and night while you aren't in the greatest of moods.

After all we always record our patient's "complaints". Can you imagine listening to people complaining the whole day, everyday?

I think it's good enough if I can hide my personal feelings and stay professional on the job, console my patients even if I can't successfully console myself. It doesn't happen all the time. But frankly in SG, I do feel that besides the money and my family, there is very little else to life.

Maybe I'm just the sort who likes a quiet lifestyle in the suburbs. Reminds me of my childhood in Hawaii.

 
At 6:21 PM, Blogger uglybaldie said...

OZ,

I hope things turn out well for you this time.

You are a good man but you were never a Sinkaporean. Me, I am a seasoned and hardened one.

Good Luck!

 

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