The art of bullshitting

Hill-climbing bulls in Timor-Leste. Don't worry, I'm not referring to your droppings, it's just figurative speech :)

"We are well taught in the art of bullshitting," said my friend who had gone through med school with me one fine day. It was during a morning coffee break I wasn't supposed to have (I told my colleague I was going to the loo, but really, it was time for my caffeine fix) and it was an accidental meeting with her at the open-air cafe. She was asking me how my first few weeks in Radiology was and I replied that the Ultrasound posting I was in was not well received by my stomach, dreading that I won't do well in the upcoming exam next year. Obviously some level of bullshitting is needed in any exam according to her, and I concur ;)

Well taught bullshitters - really? Well, maybe not me, not at med school at least. In med school we were repeatedly taught to be well versed in the art of showmanship - to act like we know about things when we actually don't know much about them :)

Bullshitting came later during my housemanship, the first year of being a proper medical officer. A senior colleague tutored me on how to lie to the radiologists to get their approval for an urgent CT or MRI scan. But then again I usually get their approval just by telling the truth most of the time.

I once got acquainted with a conman (actually he got himself acquainted with me to get to my money, of course) when I was window-shopping in a market. Being a rather professional conman, he bluffed his way to the wallets of too-many-to-mention army personnel by telling them he's a doctor in the army - he even had an army officer's uniform with a name tag bearing his name to make everyone believe him!
Even worse, he's gay and not only he got his way to their wallets but into their beds as well. Wow, now that requires another special set of skills!

Luckily I figured out his true form in time (thank God I'm not his 'taste', haha) because of his shady qualifications and apparently dismal command of the English language. But before disclosing that fact to him I managed to tease out from him the ways by which he makes people believe his every word and persuasion. Yes people, I learnt from the best (sorry Whitney, no pun intended).

It was quite a long time ago and I don't intend to bump into another conman anytime soon, or ever. So guys, don't trust a stranger straightaway, have your suspicions checked, and don't be oblivious to potential danger before it is too late - just like the old Malay saying sudah terhantuk baru terngadah (literal translation: you look up only after your head has hit something). Trust me, or would you trust a conman instead?