Fun In A Foreign Land

I shall stop with the grandmother stories (for eg pls refer to my last post :P) so just briefly, will ya?

Anyway, we decided to have a barbeque saturday afternoon - yes omg in the very hot summer weather, its nuts I tell you - as the aussies love their barbie so much :P [barbie is their slang for BBQ]

Although the walk to the nearest supermarket (wic is like 30 mins away) and back and then another 30 mins to King's Park where we are having our bbq was super tiring, it was fun. The park was beautiful. They have bbq pits available in the park and they run on electricity, not charcoal!

Ok must stop being long winded... *slaps self*

On sunday morning, we went to visit Scarborough Beach. It was beautiful, like those in postcards. The weather was burning hot, but once you step into the water, it was so cold.. weird. lol. Ren told us that a few weeks back there was a shark that appeared near to shore and attacked someone. And he told us this after we got out of the water! o.O Luckily, they have cars and helicopters patrolling the area for sharks. Cool eh?

That night we decided to have a 'reunion dinner' with some frenz. And guess what we ate? Pizza. lol. But it tasted pretty good though. We had red wine too, but I don't fancy much the taste. Then after circling around the town for some sort of event with random landmarks provided yet finding nothing in the end, we gave up.

In the end, we went to a fren's fren's fren's house to hang out. yeah I know, funny. It was abit like crashing ppl's party. -_- The guys gambled while we girls played mahjong. After that, they started playing drinking games. Lucky didn't kena many times so just got a bit tipsy. Eh their liquor damn strong wan leh. 40%!! Chivas and Red Label =/ haha so proud of myself that I didn't puke :P Anyway, dont think will be doing this again very soon. Aint my style. Plus *cough* must prevent alcoholic liver disease. haha..

On monday, it was Australia Day. Yes so ngam also first day of CNY. We went to watch fireworks at Swan River. Wow there were so many ppl. Imagine this, all spaces along the shore were crammed full of people. Anyway the fireworks were beautiful and lasted for around 40 mins I think.

And today! we had introduction to preparation for clinicals classes. It felt really weird joining another class. It felt like we were infiltrators trying to blend our way into the crowd. haha.. The phlebotomy lecture was not bad. We had the afternoon free and spent it frantically trying to find more possible choices of houses.

Yeah bad news. We didn't get our dream house. It was apparently taken. And they didnt even inform us even though we made sucha big effort to fill in that ridiculously long form. gah! Now feeling kinda worried abt accomodation.. They don't seem to trust students sadly. why?? Hope we can find a house and settle down soon. That gnawing worry is eating me up inside.. =(

Anyway, I guess that's all for now. The past few days have been really fun. But now classes are officially starting so I better be on my toes. Gotta read up a bit ade. So cya next time! Wish me luck with house-hunting! ^^

PS: Oh ya, almost forgot, wish all my readers a Happy Chinese New Year! although there isn't much cny spirit here..

PPS: All photos are/will be loaded up at facebook. Am too busy to put them here la haha.. so check out those okie.

PPPS: And can you believe it? I've been in Perth for more than one week! The fun days passed fast certainly, but there were days where the going got tougher, and those days seemed drawn out. I can't wait till things smooth themselves out..

For The Past Few Days

I'm typing this in Microsoft word first and when you see this on my blog, (yes you are reading it now) it means that I've managed to get proper internet to post this on my blog.

DAY 1 (sunday)

And yes, all the hundred possible worrying scenarios did NOT happen, thank god. Everything went smoothly, from the flight, the customs, airport pick up and settling down temporarily in Currie Hall – well everything except one, Debbi and I couldn't use the internet provided here because the telephone cable head here is smaller than the one they use in msia. =/ I guess we'll try to see if we can get an adapter or whatever it’s called.

Unfortunately, there were no seniors to help us around as most are them are still not back from summer break. =( sigh, feel kinda lost around here.

But with some luck, we got to know this coincidentally also msian guy staying next door to Deb. His name is Ren and he's from UNSW but doing his internship here temporarily in Perth. He really helped us a lot, showing us around Currie Hall and showed us a place for dinner too as most of the shops are closed for summer break. It wasn't really near (well to someone lazy like me haha) and it's a Chinese restaurant! Guess what is my first dinner there? Char Kuew Teow! Which costed a freaking AUD10!! =( The portions are really huge and we couldn't finish so just tapau back to reheat later la haha.. Looks like Deb and I should have shared a plate instead.

Oh ya, I haven't talked abt my first impression of the place eh. Well, it looks like a really nice place so far and omg I love the abundant greenery here. Very beautiful!! The trees of different shapes and sizes, the exploding colour of the flowers, the different types of shrubs... The population here is pretty diverse too.

DAY 2 (monday)

Well we had to open a bank account and get a cellphone line so off to the city we went! We had no idea how to go or even get back, just that we are supposed to take the 102/107 bus... Did many silly mistakes, met some nice people and a nasty one as well bah!

The city is really nice. The streets are organized and well connected for pedestrians.. A lot of ppl walk around here… I walk till my legs sakit ade.. =/

The coins here are confusing and have interesting shapes. The 50 cent coin is a large hexagon! The 2 dollar coin here is much smaller than the 1 dollar coin! Weird.

Tried to call home with the calling card, heard they say it's much cheaper.. but weirdly Optus seems to be charging me a bomb for trying to access their Perth number. (you need to call a perth number before you key in the number you wanna call) sigh, so until I sort this out, won't be able to call much. My emotion was mainly ='( this when I found out the cost of that 10 min call.

DAY 3 (tuesday)

Mainly all we did today was registration. So many things to do and papers to read. I still haven't sort that out lol. My face looks very round in my student card – and hah! I tot I lost weight! :P I got my Smart Rider card too, so will be able to take the bus with the student concession price. Yays. International students have a 40% discount.

Erm what else did we do? Oh ya, we started looking for houses online. Wrote down a few possible options. Three of us will be sharing a house – Deb, Xin Nee and I.

DAY 4 (wednesday)

Finally, a free day! And we finally got our full internet access activated at the uni. Tell you what, the procedures are really complicated. o.O So will be able to access blogs and facebook whatsoever. But we are allocated a limited internet quota per day, 10MB. I guess that's ok for normal browsing. Felt so nice to be able to surf the net again. This is what happens when you get addicted to the net and it is your only source of communication to the outside world.

We also went to see 2 houses today. The first one in the morning wasn't really nice. While the second one in the evening was gorgeous. It was more expensive naturally but I think it is our dream house... They have walk-in closets here! wow! Now to find out how to apply for it..

DAY 5 (thursday)

Today was mainly orientation - and no, it wasn't like those dirty grimy orientation week we had in imu - though I half-wished it was! Serious! Anyway, this was the first time we saw the medical faculty which was isolated from the rest of the campus but nearer to one of the main teaching hospitals. It was a pretty nice place I guess.

Anyway, we had to do lots of high tech computer stuff and listened to a few pretty confusing explanations about the classes/units we will have in the year ahead. @.@ And omg, again a ton of stuff to read. I haven't started on any of that yet. haha.. will leave that for the weekend.

Classes officially start next tuesday (monday is Australia Day btw) and then it will be about 2 weeks of preparations sort of classes before official rotations kick off! My rotations are in the following order: Medicine Specialities (Geriatrics, MSK), Surgery, Psychiatry and lastly Medicine. Hmm am not sure whether I like this order yet but can't do anything abt it as we are not allowed to switch. Oh and most of us are alone in our group too, as in not with the other imu students. Hope I will be able to manage!!

DAY 6 (friday)

Which is today. Finally managed to send in our application for the lease of the house. It's an online application with ton of things to fill in.. omigosh it's so difficult and complicated to get things done around here. Even need points for identification eg. pictures of drivers license or passport. what!

And you know what, this doesn't even guarantee you will get the house!! NO! I think the main point of ppl who are interested are asked to send in their applications is that the house owner will get to pick who they want to lease their house to. Good for them of course, but very complicated for newbies like us. =/

Sigh I wonder why I never get to know abt the stuff that is done differently in australia... well gotta experience it myself then!

Oh ya, you must be wondering how come I can post this now. Deb and I finally just bought a cable thingy that lets us use the hostel internet. Finally!! after so many days...

I guess that's all for now. The day hasn't ended! We will be going to explore the city at night later... yeap the shops in the city are open till 9pm on fridays. I wonder what new things we will see!

Okay this is getting pretty long-winded so I will write more in the next post.. Till then, take care!

PS: For my friends who are concerned abt me, thank you so much. :) I haven't been coping well the past few days but things seem to be looking up! I hope the rest of the days will only be better!

First OZ Post

G'day Mate! :P Anyway, greetings from OZ! I won't be writing much in this post, just to mark my first blog post in Perth!

Anyway, I am still trying to settle down (not an easy task in a foreign land!) and get proper internet so anticipate my next post... be on your toes! hehe..

Take care, all my family and friends. :)

A To-Do List

And with my female mind that can have thoughts running amok in 100 different directions in one minute, I can visualize almost 100 possible scenarios that might go wrong when I reach aussie.

hey! I think I said that when I went to KL too. Looks like I'm too much of a worrier. Worry too much la *whacks self*

So here's my To-Do List to remind myself what to do when I get to Down Under.

1. Arrive in grand style at Perth International Airport. ok ok kidding :P
2. Get settled down at Currie Hall (my temporary accomodation).
3. Open bank account and deposit bank draft. Apply for atm card if needed.
4. Register for a phone line. (Telstra, Optus or Three, my frenz?)
5. Meet Sally and officially enrol myself at UWA. Get as much infomation abt course.
6. Scour for available houses. This is one big worry! Seemed to not have much choices on the website!
7. Move into house once everything is settled. Buy daily neccessities (which is a lot! crockery, bedding etc).
8. Apply for internet service provider if needed.
9. Settle down to life in Perth and don't forget, clinicals.. will hvta start studying again soon. I had forgotten alot of the stuff I studied last time T_T shyt

Well I guess that's all for now. Will add more if there's anything I left out.

And guys, I guess this will be my last post in Malaysia. *nostalgic nostalgic* Tmr will be heading to KL and flying off the day after. Do anticipate my next post in a foreign land! I shall update as soon as possible I can get my hands on an internet line okies.

Take care, everybody.. wuwu.. And see you soon! :)

Three More

Okay there are about 3 days left before I take off from Bolehland to Down Under. So what do I do in these few days? What do others do?

Some people become obsessed with packing. (dunno pack what till need to pack so many days? pls enlighten me! did I forget something important in Packing Oveseas 101?)

Some people spend all their quality time with their loved ones.

Some people gorge themselves on Malaysian food.

Me? I did none of the above. Coz:

1. I managed to pack all the important stuff in 1 day - geng mou? Now only adding bits and pieces that I might have forgotten. Can you believe I bought so much stationary till the total was around rm40?? And the prices are cheaper too coz I got my sis to buy from the Koperasi from her school. Nvm la, I heard stationary in aussie is even more expensive.

2. I had the luxury of almost 6 months of holidays to spend with my loved ones. So considered already spent more than enough time? Now, I'm eager yet worried abt starting a new adventure! Starting over in a foreign land really reminds me of the time tat I first started out in kl. Of coz, that time at least the people and food were still malaysian with their lahs and ai mehs. Gonna miss that haha!

3. Sadly, no such chance to gorge on outside unhealthy food coz mostly eating at home these days. But actually when I was in kl, the food I missed the most was those cooked by mum. Not those famous char kuoy teow or laksa or what. Hopefully I will be able to recreate at least some of those dishes in aussie! oh ya, I did eat some of my fav instant noodles like Cintan Original and Mi Sedap? does that count? lol.

Okay you guys must be wondering. So what did I do?

Let's see. I got my hair cut. (love how light it feels now, and the cute side fringe! hehe) I went to a temple to pray. I applied and got my credit card. (yes it's a supplementary one and only for emergencies and big stuff) I bought lots of stationary, I am a highlighter person haha. I went to visit my grandparents.

Hmm that seems to be all. Not a lot also hor?

Well, the whole family will be going down to KL on saturday since my flight on Sunday is a super early one - 8am! So that means I'll hvta be at the airport at least around 6.30am just in case. Besides, for international air asia flights, counters close 1 hour before.

And dear friends, those who said they will come send me off - if it's really inconvenient and at such odd hours too - I won't mind if you guys can't make it. [aikz say so much is dont want them to see you cry only paisehnya] It's the thought that counts. Thank you. :)

Oh ya, before I end, here's a shout out to friends that had already flown before me or will do so after me. I'm not sure whether they will read this but anyway:

Li Shan, Kee Ping, Eugene, Beh - Good luck and all the best in NZ/OZ! Have a safe journey and enjoy yourself there. Tis a new adventure that we shall embrace wholeheartedly! Remember to work hard and play hard at the same time! Till the next time we meet again, take care! ^v^

Medical Oath

Guess what? While rummaging through my stuff to make sure I had not left out anything important (I pack until dunno what else to pack ade - ideas anyone please?), I found the paper on the Medical Student Oath which we all took while starting medical school.

Can't believe I still have it. Anyway, am gonna post it here so I can throw the paper away refer to it when I want to haha.

It is a pretty solemn yet inspiring piece compiled and edited by Ericson - my guess is that he compiled it from many thoughtful pieces on the medical profession - so here it is!

As I enter the medical profession

I will remember that I am a member of a larger community

With responsibilities to the sick and well

I will respect and be ever grateful to my teachers who have planted the seeds of knowledge

Which I shall nurture forever

I will not be ashamed to say "I know not"

And to ask for assistance when the skills of another are needed

My colleagues will be my brothers and sisters

And I will not permit consideration of religion, nationality, race, politics or social standing to

intervene in my duty and interaction with patient and colleagues

I will respect the privacy of my patients

For their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know

I will remember that medicine is a multifaceted discipline

Combining art and science, with the aim of preventing disease when possible, treating when necessary, and above all, expressing genuine warmth, compassion, empathy and understanding to patients and families

I will maintain the honor and noble traditions of the medical profession

And strive to be a person of goodwill, high moral character and impeccable conduct

I will remember that in order to properly care for my patients

I must also take care of myself, both body and spirit

If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art

Respected while I live, and remembered with affection hereafter

I make these promises solemnly, freely and upon my honor

Here am I, ready for my vocation, and now I turn onto my calling

Inspiring, isn't it?

Medicine is really not merely an occupation, it is a vocation.

I pray that I'll be ever humble and ready to learn and hopefully, will be a competent and caring doctor in the years to come.

Prep

Time to resume regular blogging - did you miss me? Pls say you did haha! Anyway, I just got back to penang yesterday.

And now there's less than a week left before I fly off to a land called Perth. And around 4 days left for me to start speed-packing. I did pack some clothes before this but now I am at a loss, what is it actually am I supposed to pack?? With the limited luggage allowance, every kg is precious!

How come everybody seems to be sooo busy packing? We can't carry that much either! Those who had already packed/or packed before this - mind giving me suggestions on what are the other essentials we need besides the usual culprits of clothes and toiletries? *sigh confused*

Okay, here are some questions that I often get regarding my leaving to aussieland. Have been answering them countless times so I'm just gonna write it here so anyone who's interested can check it out lah ok.

• When are you flying off? - 18th January 09 (this Sunday) from LCCT

• Where are you going to continue your studies? - Uni of Western Australia (UWA) in Perth.

• How long will you be there till you graduate? - I still have 3 more years to go. =(

• Have you found accomodation? - Not yet, I will be staying temporarily in the hostel while looking for a good place to stay.

• Who are you going with? - From my batch, only Debbi. There are another 3 from the next batch though.

• Have you thought of what you wanna specialize in? - Frankly, it's too early for me to say. I think I'll only be able to decide when I have gone thru all the rotations so as to see which department is right for me. And yes, I need to graduate first!!

Okay, that's abt all I can think of for now. Sigh so long didn't blog ade, the words can't seem to come smoothly. Cracking my head to think of what to write.

Aihs nevermind. I better indulge in watching tvb shows and try my best to pack first. Toodles!

PS: Whoops, almost forgot the countdown. 5 more days left!

PPS: Oh ya, must say thanks to all the members of the extended family who gave me angpows as a token because I was going overseas! yay~ but the money goes to my parents of coz as my money comes from them also! huhu..

A Lil Trip

Greetings again! Any of you wondering what's the reason behind my temporary MIA-ness from cyber space?

Yup, I'm away from home anddd *cue for drumroll* I am in Seremban!! Will be staying for a week and this will be my last little trip before I leave for aussieland.

And yes, I was busy savouring every moment with Dear hence the lack of posts. Feel so happy just to see him once again.

Don't you feel like the absence in between never happened at all? Everything just fell into place once I saw him. Everything was so familiar. :)

And yes, Happy 2nd Anniversary, Dear dear! Maybe I'll write a lovey dovey post later if I feel like it hehe.

It's still a bit unbelievable that we made it this far. Hoping fervently there will be many more happy years to come! ^^

Welcome 2009

So this is the first post of the year 2009. Alas there were some unexpected news that dampened my festive mood. But I shall try to put it away and hope for a better year!

Anyway, here's a review of last year's resolutions and maybe a new set for the new year.

1. Try to procastinate less. Things should be done when there's time, not at the last minute. [hmm not sure if I managed to accomplish this]

2. Study harder for sem5's system courses and of coz, eos5! Must do well and get that elusive A!! [well I did do well even though it's not an A, it's okay]

3. Try to lose the weight that I put on when I entered med school. [yes done!! yay~]

4. Try to exercise more often. At least once a week. [I did persisted until the later half of the year when I started my 6 months long break]

5. Try to adopt healthier eating habits. More veggies, fruits and less carbs, meat. Less frequency of supper as I always go straightaway to sleep after supper. [haha fail! I guess I must cook more healthy stuff to eat when I'm in aussie la yeah]

6. Try to be more forgiving and not mind petty things. Frustration over stupid small things never did any good, did it? [did have some improvement but I think I can do better]

7. Must try not to make harsh (but sometimes truthful) remarks that I'll regret later. Be kinder! [ditto!]

8. Spend more time on the important things in life - my loved ones. [I think I spent more than enough time ade with my break]

9. Last but not least, make this year a happy year. It might be ordinary, but it will be a year full of happiness. =) [I guess I did accomplish this one!]

Compared to the previous years' attempts, I guess I did make some advancement with my 2008 resolutions hehe.

Without further ado, here's the new set for 2009. I don't think I'll write specific ones, my new set would be like a mix of hopes and dreams for me.

Do well in clinical school. Pass exams. Procure more knowledge. Adapt to life in Perth. Make new friends. Keep in contact with the old ones. Be independent. Eat healthily. Exercise more. Spend less. Be more patient. My loved ones are safe and happy. Be less petty. More tolerant of others. Procastinate less. Maintain my relationship well with dear despite being in a LDR. And of coz, the most important of all, BE HAPPY!

May all of us have a wonderful 2009! I'm keeping my fingers crossed :)

PS: 17 more days till I'm off!