AsianPersuasion
Wednesday, April 16, 2003
Check this link out....it's cool..*giggle giggle*
Dirty Talk
My Brush with the dreaded SARS
On Sunday night i felt like I had a fever and since my mother only has an “ovulation” thermometer that doesn’t go past 50F, she figured it would be a good idea to take me to the hospital. Hence, the nightmare began.
When we arrived at the Malaysian General Hospital (this is the ONLY hospital in Malaysia treating SARS) they gave my mom and I face masks…after, like, 20 minutes….and they also sent a complementary wheelchair over to the car where I was waiting…then I suddenly realized the wheelchair was for ME! I almost died of embarrassment! I was like, are you kidding? There are people staring at me! So I sent the wheelchair man away.
Then we were made to sit in this scary dirty SARS confinement room.
I could handle seeing the "sanitary" hospital sheets crumpled up all over the floor and the hair on the floor but the spot of dried blood splattered on the curtains…was a little TOO much. I was like, um...if I dont' have SARS now...I'm gonna get it tonight! My mother’s pleas for us to wait (for the doctor) in our car instead were sharply denied: (
We were told to wait for 30 minutes to and hour. I thought I was surely gonna contract SARS in that sick-ass room! I was SO scared I was imagining my funeral and my dying words…Ay, Ap, Es…would you guys come to my funeral if I died? I would hope so…morbid thought, I know…but please come…this is your official invitation.
45 minutes later, the doctor arrived with his nurse in tow. They looked like Scully and Moulder. They were covered from head to toe, wearing pink aprons, pink shoe covers and pink head covers. They had some serious head gear on as well….each of them had on a thick layer of three face masks each (the thin cloth ones) and also a clear plastic face shield that covered their entire face! I’m not quite sure if they were getting enough oxygen. The doctor was definitely younger than me…which wasn’t very comforting. I thought, great, an inexperienced doctor who doesn’t know shit about SARS. I was in hell!
So anyways, the pre-pubecent doctor took my temperature, blood pressure, looked in my throat, and asked me if I was experiencing “runny nose” YES “dry cough” YES “trouble breathing” NO. Then he listened to my breathing. I had to "take deep breaths" for like, 10 minutes. I felt like such a retard breathing so heavily for that long….so I started to like, exaggerate my breathing, for amusement I guess, after a few seconds of "drama" breathing...I realized that maybe it wasn't a good idea to sound like I was wheezing...so I stopped. I don't know why I did that... must have been the tiredness and Tylenol mixed together. A strange moment.
After another drill of questions, the young doctor said he had to go consult another doctor by phone….goody! Another 30 minutes of waiting in the scary SARS room.
They finally came back with good news. I could go home…just common cold symptoms, nothing to worry about….but if my temperature were to rise above 38C then I had to come back…( I will pray every night for good health so I never EVER have to go back to that hospital again). Unfortunately, they also said I have to stay indoors at my house for 5 days *grumble grumble*
Don’t get me wrong my fellow international friends. We have great PRIVATE hospitals here with specialists and well-trained surgeons and doctors. If you can afford it, go to any other hospital besides the General Hospital in K.L.
So, it's been three days now....and there is no sign of SARS...I'm in the clear...Fhew! I haven't felt that worried about death in a long time. Even so, the uncertainty of this deadly virus and how easily it is spread from victim to victim is unsettling ...especially because it's so close to home...too close.
Monday, April 14, 2003
Allan’s House
After 5 sleepless nights in Singapore, at my friend Allan’s house, I finally came home to my comfy bed and bedroom.
My stay in Singapore at Allan’s was totally cool. His parents actually have a REAL relationship…I’ve never really seen a husband and wife of 27 years (or more) giggle and joke with each other and speak to one another like they are real pals…it was wonderful to watch. No wonder Allan turned out to be such a sweetie!
I stayed at his house because IF I get the job in Singapore, then I might live at Allan’s for a while…because I’ll be poor. So, hopefully they won’t charge me too much to live there. It’s a great place to live. In the room I stayed in they have air con, big closet, nice bathroom (shared with Allan’s sista), phone line and cable tv connection. They also have a sweet internet hook-up, of three different computers logged online 24 hours a day. The house is three stories high so it’s not like everyone is living on top of each other all the time.
I’m totally grateful for the wonderful hospitality Allan’s family bestowed upon me….but….their guest bed, HAS to go. I don’t think they realize the extent of the evil-bed. Firstly, the bed is higher on one side so it sloped to my right…so I was forever feeling like I was going to roll off the bed. Secondly, I could feel most of the springs jabbing into my back with every toss and turn. My back ached the entire time I was in Singapore and actually still hurts today…it especially sucked because I had my interview after a sleepless night! What to do?
Nevermind…everything else was perfect. It was actually nice not staying at Andy’s house for the first time ever...weird at first…but pleasant (that's where I got dengue fever!)
The interview
Ok, so...let me break it down for you guys...it was a sweet-ass interview. I mean, maybe MTV is always nice to the people they interview, I don’t know but they were super cool to me.
In the elevator up to the 4th floor (where the office is) I was praying and saying my affirmations the whole way up, taking DEEP breaths and trying not to hyperventilate.
I was SO incredibly nervous. My palms were sweaty, my heart was thumping so fast and hard I thought for SURE someone would sense it. I was just praying that my palms weren't gonna be clammy when I shook the executive producer’s hand.
Luckily, the producer who interviewed me three weeks ago came out first and sat with me in the waiting lounge. I was totally thankful for our little chat (before meeting the head honcho) because it calmed my jumping nerves a GREAT deal. It was fate!
When I finally met the dude, CheeK, he looked and was dressed exactly as I pictured a 30-something executive, working for a young cult tv station such as MTV. The funky glasses, the old school New Balance tracksuit jacket, jeans and running shoes...essential "cool-wear" of the 21st century. And you KNOW I have the same exact outfit! I was told specifically by and ex-MTV employee NOT to wear a suit or corporate clothes…so I wore jeans and a pin-striped button down shirt.
CheeK asked all kinds of questions, mostly about my past experience in tv production. He also asked some questions I expected like, what kind of music I like, which bands are my favourite, blah blah. I fucked up on one question though..he asked what I thought were classic music videos and I forgot to mention Wham and A-ha...damn. I said something else, i don’t remember.
Anyways, it all turned out well in the end. He said he thought I was "fine for the job" when I asked what my chances were at the end of the interview. So, it was a positive experience all around : ) I was secretly wondering if all their interviews went that well.
Well, they’re letting me know by the end of this week. Fingers crossed...I’ll be in Singapore by next month...If not, another year in Malaysia I guess...or...maybe...Denver...hmmmm...
