Break a leg, huh?

Yes, the image above is depicting my left foot. Yes, heavily-bandaged looking, in a half-cast. What happened, you ask? I met a CAR ACCIDENT: what a highlight in my otherwise monotonous life. If you happened to follow my Twitter updates ( which prior to the femes blogger Cowboy Caleb's wonderful little promotion, nobody really bothered about it) you probably already knew, but my buddy Harlie has been bugging me to update my blog about what has happened, and I've been granted too much medical leave, hanging around at home. So here you go:

"Before you cross the road, remember to look to your left, then to your right", that age-old advice that they've tried to drill into your head since you're a toddler are the very instructions I have failed to follow last Wednesday.

The story goes a little like this: I have two jobs, both temporary positions. Job A was with my ex-employer, who needed help to co-ordinate the works in shifting their office, and they needed more than just my brawns. Job B was a waitressing gig, at this small eatery which only operates in the evening. They don't pay much, but the boss and his wife are really, really cool people. Plus, loads of arty-farty types in this country's small art scene comes over: just last week I managed to strike up a conversation with a guy who's doing post-production work. I'm shamelessly doing some networking. But I digress.

And so I was trying to get from Job A to Job B, a little after 4pm. Job B starts at 5pm and I was running late already. And so I was awaiting for the ONLY feeder bus that will bring me to the MRT Station: now anyone who works at Toh Guan Road would tell you what a bitch Bus 183 is: the bus operates on a 15-20 minutes frequency, but sometimes you can wait up to 30 minutes for the friggin bus to arrive. On mornings it's chocked, bus after bus.

Bus 183 finally arrived, which was then I realised I've left my wallet at my workplace. Tardiness has always been part of my nature anyway, so I forgave myself quickly. I ran my way back to the office building, took the lift up, grabbed my wallet, said bye to the ex-colleague who was shaking her head in reaction to my tardiness, and took the lift back down. From the ground floor's lift-lobby I saw another Bus 183 approaching my bus-stop. It was a miracle for it to arrive in such a short time-frame! I made my dash across the road for it.

Little did I know, within the next few seconds, a car came my way. It all happened in a flash: I was knocked down, I fell on the road. I was very much conscious: no brains-splashed-over-road, no bones-sticking-outta-leg moment. When I tried to pick myself up my left-foot was throbbing madly, and Thom Yorke was still moaning in my through my earphones in one of those depressive Radiohead songs. The driver popped himself out of the car, and he looked totally helpless, not knowing how to react, only managing to splutter "Are you okay?"

He and a few pedestrians came dragged me to the side of the road. Some lady from a ground-floor office had rolled out an office chair and she made me plonk my arse on it. My left-foot was still throbbing mad and when asked whether I required an ambulance I replied "Yes, please". I made a few phonecalls while I await: first to the colleague of Job A and then to the boss of Job B. I told the colleague to come on down to retrieve the quotations/documents I had with me. I was the only waitress that night for Job B so he had to hurriedly find a replacement.

One of the witnesses that had helped me was telling me that it was my fault because the driver was actually driving real slow. A kid came forth and asked "what happened?" and witness said "you must cross the road carefully, okay". Yes, cross the road properly, kids. Or you may end up with a throbbing foot, cannot walk, like this stupid jie jie here.

The Civil Defence Ambulance came. My first ambulance ride. How very exciting: a mad childhood dream came true for I've always wished to ride on one of those vehicles that goes Bi Bo Bi Bo (or Ba Boo Ba Boo, whichever way you were educated). A buncha paramedics placed me on a stretcher : either I was way high or they were really good-looking.

Mr Driver passed me his namecard and I passed him my number. I told him "Don't worry lah, it's not your fault", but he told me to update him anyway.

As the ambulance drove away, they informed me that they were sending me over to NUH. I passed the good-looking lady paramedic my Identity Card without her asking for it. She then informed me that according to the traffic law "the pedestrian is always right", so I'm able to seek for compensation if required.

I guessed I was surprisingly calm, coping with my first mishap as a young-adult who still behaves like an irresponsible teenager half the time. Called my Financial Advisors and asked them whether the investment plans I had with them had any medical benefits. Nah, unless it's death or permanent disability. KNN. One of them told me I could actually use my Medisave to foot the bills.

It was a long ordeal in the A&E Department of NUH as the doctors tried to reach a verdict on my condition, and I wheelchaired myself around the place, made conversation with a random Malay family, and complaining constantly to the father ( who had came down an hour after I called him) that it was damn sian, but still managing to joke and laugh around with him, him calling me names like stupid girl and 小猪.

It was only when The Mother rushed over to the hospital, 4 hours after the mishap, did the waterworks started flowing when I laid my head against her familiar body.

I'll continue about my hospital stay the next time, lah.