Monday, September 11, 2006

9/11

Time really flies.. 5 years have passed since the terrorists attack in New York on 11th September 2001... whereby two American Airlines planes crashed into the World Trade Centre towers causing both the WTC towers to collapse. So many innocent lives were killed.... :(

I still remember what I did on that particular day. I might not remember what I did last month, but the event that took place on 11th September 2001 was still "fresh" in my memories... I came back home quite late that day (11th September 2001), helping out my colleagues who were on call in the emergency theatre. My theatre finished around 6 pm but since there was a major emergency case coming in soon, so most of us stayed back to lend our helping hands. The emergency case was leaking or ?ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm which we normally referred to as Triple A or AAA. This sort of case has bad prognosis with very high mortality rate.

I still remember my colleague giving the drugs during induction time and I was looking at the monitor, monitoring the vital signs. Upon seeing the heart rate coming down and the arterial blood pressure decreasing in trend, I quickly alerted my other colleagues. But just within seconds, the patient went into almost asystole on table. CPR and chest compression was commenced immediately. I can't remember how many ampoules of adrenaline & atrophine were given during CPR. The patient went into ventricle fibrillation (VF) several times and defibrillation performed. CPR was commenced back again after defibrillation. We all took turn to do the chest compression (it was exhausting to perform chest compression alone, and those who had experience doing real life CPR will know what I mean). We performed CPR for quite a while before we finally gave up & pronounced death on table. We had done our best and there was no mismanagement. The death was inevitable cos this was a high risk case and the prognosis was very poor in the first place with very high mortality rates. After the surge of adrenaline event, I went home around 8 pm, exhausted and tired.

I reached home around 8:30 pm and checked my email (still using dial-up during those days), and the news regarding 9/11 came up on tv. I didn't really pay attention at first cos I thought that was some sort of staged documentaries. Only a while later, I realised that was a real life event... Although I didn't know anyone personally who involved in the tragedy, but the pain and the anger that I felt was real. Since then, things were NEVER be the same again. But I really hope 明天会更好 (A Better Tomorrow) as the title of the song that I posted earlier on. I didn't realise today was 11th September when I posted that post near midnight. What were you doing or where were you on 11th September 2001?

35 comments:

mistipurple said...

chupppppp!!!! read later.
i represent alphabet corporation and every liuliu!!

mistipurple said...

sombre post. feel bad chupping like dat. :(

i reached home and was shocked to see the news on tv also. i msged my colleague and almost everyone close to me. i was horrified and remembered having moist eyes a little. couldn't put all that massive report in. too unreal then.

my prayers to the departed, and to the loved ones living, may they be brave to carry on, till it's their time to call home.

Anonymous said...

honestly? I can't quite remember the day's events. but I know I was at home when my brother asked us to come watch TV, it was broadcasting on CNN live. we watched the 2nd plane crashed into the tower. and the collapse of both towers after that... how sad.

L B said...

I was having a late night dinner, and coffee, at Taipan, and when we were driving back, there was some major black-out in the Subang area!! Really major like.. But, we didn't know about anything until after we reached home, and some news of that filtered thru. The next morning, went over to Angchai's house, and we watched CNN with mouths aghast!

Chen said...

misti,
wah.. u are fast :)

that was indeed a shockening piece of news. Heart breaking to us, even more to those who are involved, especially the families of the deceased :(

may,
I didn't have astro during those days, but watching the news from the local tv channels :(

LB,
I see.. u were still in Malaysia during those days? or u came back for your 4 months summer vacation?

seefei said...

i remember i was busy smsing all my fren in my hp address book... i dont how i felt that day, guess i was shock, numb and totally sick from a tragedy of such a scale.

Anonymous said...

I was jobless at that time...
Went out to fetch mum, then reach home just tuned into CNN
I spend my days after that honed into CNN until I got a job...
mmmmmm

Pink Cotton said...

:(

ya sad event..

me me me! i can remember wat i did back then too! :P

i was cun cun watching cnn at 11++ ...and i actually watched the 2nd plane crashing into the 2nd tower...LIVE!

cos after the first crash,the cnn reporters were already there capturing every moment on live tv...keng huh?

but it was like watching an action film lah!!...i didnt even knwo who was the culprit behind these monstrous acts and why they did that until the very next day and i realised i was watching a very significant history in the making :P

Chen said...

seefei,
that was indeed a shockening event, and I hope no similar events will happen again in the near future..

zeroimpact,
I seldom watch CNN nor any other news channel on ASTRO. Very bad hoh?

pink cotton,
PC was still an innocent teenage gal during those days :P err.. u were not curious what happened meh at that moment? :D

nyonyapenang said...

it was about dinner time and i was at home when i saw the clips on the tv. it's just unbelievable!

13th Panda said...

I was still studying then, I too, thought its some film at 1st..hmm

sad event..what will happened to the world with terrorism..hmm

cooknengr said...

Whats up Doc. I saw the event live on TV.I was doing sit ups while channel surfing, saw the first tower on fire on Spanish channel, I thought it was a movie, but all other channels were showing the burning tower which we all though was an aviation accident. As I watch, the second tower was hit right in front of my eye..and I was stunt. Then WTC came down as I watch. On my way to work, on the radio, the Pentagon was hit. Two childhood friends, Kuchingites narrowly missed the event. One lives in New Jersey and work in NYC, his daily train exit at WTC...the good Lord spare his life as he played Ponteng that day. Another friend who was returning to SG after a business trip missed it as I had him come out to visit CA a during the weekend instead.

Anonymous said...

It's ok doc
I don't watch CNN anymore edi lo

Redsponge said...

911...unforgettable event...

My bro called home from spore telling us abt it at ard 9 sth...

And, my parents and I switched on TV and waiting for the news.

All I can remember is that...my legs were cold. So cruel...the two towers jsut collapsed...

ya, exactly like what you said...everthing changed after that!

sad!

L B said...

As usual lah, I was lepakking in MYS loh.. Started that year's vacation mid July, so was still in MYS till mid Sep that year.. I remember I was worried whether I could fly back to Italy too then. Unfortunately, no problems. But lots of empty seats..

Chen said...

nyonya penang,
yeah, in just split of seconds....
aiyh...

13th panda,
yeah... the world is no longer safe.

Malaysia today is not the same as Malaysia 5 or 10 years ago.. Nowadays everytime we open up the newspaper, we will see news regarding robbery, rape, murder, kidnap, quarrel etc etc...

cooknengr,
that was indeed close encounters (about your friends)...

Chen said...

zeroimpact,
now boiboi watch cartoon?
*cabut*

red sponge,
and not forgetting..
everyone becomes paranoid following that event..
and the hoax regarding bomb in KLCC as well not long after that..

LB,
Unfortunately??
woooo.. u mean... u hope u don't have to go back to Italy? ;)

ah nel said...

i was at home and the next morning my colleague talk about i just knew what happen...

Anonymous said...

Doc...
I like cartoon... I still watch them a lot...
:)
come come watch with me with popcorn and coke

Anonymous said...

yah, but it looked like holiwood movie at first..

only to be a hot news the next day cause i also watched the first news right after the event! almost midnite that time

Fantasy "Sticky" Flier said...

Aortic Aneurysm that 2 words alone can tell you how bad it is. Doing CPR on a dummy is tough enough, I wouldnt want to be in your shoes. I was watching the whole story live on CNN, I tuned in after the first plane strike, saw the 2nd plane strike, then saw both towers collapse right there. It was all so surreal, actually seeing people throw themselves off the buildings. It was particularly impactful for me as I was just standing on the top of tower 2 a year ago before that. There and then, suddenly 20 years of having to serve National Service (for home security) in the army all made sense.

Kristopher said...

I was having a dinner function when i saw the tragedy in CNN. At 1st, i though WOW!! what movies is that? until i saw that the channel that is CNN... It is a selfish act....

Babe_KL said...

just like you i remembered that evening clearly. some how that evening we were lounging at home early. then we received a friend's call to ask us to check out CNN. the next thing i knew, i had to logon quick to confirm then check on my friend who is residing in NYC. thank goodness she came online shortly after receiving my mail. she said she wasn't sure what had happened. she had to walked across the bridge to get back to her bf apmt which can see the WTC from the window. she cant get back home as the transportation network got shut down as the same with most of the roads. we kept each other company for a few hours updating each other. i only got to bed around 3am, even then... i could hardly sleep a wink.

JoeC said...

911, what can I say, I believe that at that time I did not quite understand what I was watching in TV, I knew that it was live but at the same time seems so surreal to me, between real and make believed, it was certainly something no one anticipated.

I still remember that I was too puzzled to be shocked but only later did the feelings set in. To watch it live and seeing the 2nd plane crash into the buildig tells you the extent men will do in the name and a holy book.

The world since then have become a sad place to be, we ask ourselves why? why must this happen? Can we not resolve in peace?

Chen said...

SA,
yeah, I have read your post this morning ..
so many innocent lives were killed that day..

aneurysm is an abnormally enlarged and ballooned out blood vessel, and aorta is the largest main artery in the whole body. When abdominal aortic aneurysm is ruptured, this is a real and true medical emergency..The patient can collapsed and died within a short period of time. Imaging the weakened huge major blood vessel bursted or ruptured and the blood started pouring out non stop.. that’s why the prognosis is poor with high mortality rate if the aortic aneurysm is ruptured..

ah nel,
oh.. so u didn’t know about the big news on the same night of the incidence ..

zero impact,
Woh.. I haven’t watch cartoon for ages liao.. The last cartoon or animated movies I watched was “Spirited Away”.

mr goober,
Many of us didn’t realize it’s a true event at first, cos none of us will suspect such thing will happen.
Sad, sad :(
Hope history won’t repeat again.

Chen said...

FF,
at times during my “bad” day, I will have few patients collapsed in a row… like doing 2 or 3 CPR a night when on call. Man… that was tiring. My arms and upper limbs ached the next day…

After that incident, things were never be the same again.. Everything has changed..

20 years? wow, u serve in the National Service for so long already?

kristopher,
Those who are involved will receive their punishment sooner or later..
if not.. they will have to face what they did during the Judgement Day.

BabeKL,
I chatted with a friend in Canada too during that period of time..
Thank God nothing happened to your friend. This reminds me of the tsunami that hit Penang few in 2004.
Many of us were sleepless too that night…

JoeC,
Let’s continue to pray for world peace..

ah nel said...

duno ler as tat time house no astelor... ;)

LX said...

I was on my way back from BM tuition in Pujut 4 and was listening to the radio (that time still got London's Capital FM) and when reporter was on air, the background noise was obvious.. it must have been some live report from US. That night, we didn't sleep and watched from CNN live. My aunt that time was actually in Washington and I think somewhere near the Pentagon. She witnessed the American spirit.. how everyone came out and helped everybody kinda thing.

Anonymous said...

Spirited away is good
I like that animation too
I can watch it over and over again
:)

mistipurple said...

spirited away! i remember especially the part showing their backsides sitting on the high stool eating and eating away. haha. but then again, it could all be my imagination. :P

Chen said...

ah nel,
I also don’t have astro at that time leh.. the news was broadcasted on all the local tv channels.. TV1, TV2, TV3 etc.. I also watched the news from TV3.

lynnx,
Everyone in NYC lived in fear at that moment… Life is vulnerable..

zeroimpact,
I watched it few times too ..
I have the dvd as well as the comics.

mistipurple,
pengsan… u wanna turn this into a food post again? :O

yeah.. that scene exists… regarding the girl’s parents who ate the luxurious meal on the high stool before they were transformed into pigs !!

ah nel said...

house oso no tv worr...how ler??? ;P

i think i was addicted to japanese drama tat time so no watch tv... ;)

Unknown said...

time flies so fast... that time i still in Penang. I was came back home late after work, just after bath my friend called me n ask me switch to CNN. When I switch to the channel I thought some kind of movie, but after few mins the 2nd flight hits another tower... that time i was... speechless n I just can pray everyone are safe in the building.

Chen said...

ah nel,
no tv can listen to radio :P
sure boh house no tv?
u already cakap the reason why liao.. u r addicted to japanese drama series, that's why u didn't watch tv !

kenny,
Yeah, without realising, 5 years had passed.. Seeing the 2nd flight crashed the building at that moment was indeed a heart breaking experience.. :(

ah nel said...

opssss...