Myopic Vision

One of the things that I genuinely miss about India is the ready availability and good quality of health care services in the country. While this may meet with raised eyebrows, those like myself who have lived (and still live) in India will know the extent of the truth I speak. There are so many doctors in India and many of them are really good. Sadly NZ like some other developed nations is badly lacking in this area. There is a shortage of doctors and healthcare here is really expensive. A reason why I hate being ill and I don't frequent the doctors. Three weeks ago I developed a sore throat which got progressively worse and very painful. So after a week of suffering, I decided to try and be sensible about it and visit my GP. The visit was brief, the examination even swifter and she diagnosed me with a throat and chest congestion. I was put on a course of antibiotics and sent on my merry (well not so merry) way. The cost of this visit including the medication was $85. A couple of

Somewhere between moving countries, getting a job and my life sorted, I lost touch with the family news doing the rounds. When I finally read my emails there was a flurry of excitement and even a blog entry on my cousin Mark. Mark who is in his early forties, still good looking and quite charming in his own way has a new girlfriend. While he hasn't exactly made any announcement about this latest development in his life, the family grapevine has ensured that the news has been suitably spread via email and of course a blog entry. Mark is the eldest of my cousins and was the first in our generation to get married. 12 years of marriage and an expensive divorce later, it seemed like he would not be in a hurry to get back into the dating scene. We all love Mark dearly and this happy news has naturally caused a fair dose of delight. I don't know what his ladyfriend is called, but I hear that she seems nice and makes him happy and that's really all that counts. I think Mark is incr