Love To Save

I have found another excuse (albeit a noble one, I must say) to blog. *procastinate*

Jokes aside, it is this. Digi is going to donate 5 dollars each if you go to this site Digi - Love To Save, choose a cause (be it Medical, Nature or Social) and enter your email to register.

And voila, with such simple a task, you would have donated 5 dollars to a worthy cause! And you can't even say no money coz it's not even your money! :P

Hope you will take just 5 mins (maybe even less, if you are agile enough :P) of your time to help a worthy cause! :)

Exercise

Guess what? I had been very diligently going jogging once a week for 5 weeks already! I must say, I'm quite proud of myself. As I used to be quite a typical sedentary medical student hahaha..

Of coz, my stamina is not excellent, that's why I hvta slow down and rest between intervals. But I can slowly feel some gradual tiny improvement so that's good. :)

Why am I doing this? Well besides the obvious reasons of health (I need more exercise!!), I was hoping I would be able to keep the fat at bay too lol. I feel perpetually hungry here (not sure whether izzit becoz of the cold) but I scared of getting fat lah!! Cannot be like imu times, just eat and let it grow fat haha.

(omg I miss maggi goreng so much... ajimal's maggi goreng the best!! T_T)

If I would to give one more reason, it would be I'm kinda lonely bored here so I'm treating this like a project. Gives me something to concentrate on. A goal of sorts. So I don't think about other things too much..

Oh and do you know that actually you feel more alert after exercise? Not more tired as most people would think. I hope that would help me in my studies somehow. haha.

Might add in some other exercises as well... to tone up all this flabby fats. =/ Hope I would be able to see through this project of mine.

I think this is one of the stages in my life that I'm having sucha healthy lifestyle. Lots of vege, fruit, less meat and some exercise! wow. *amazed with myself lol*

End Of Gen Surg

Finally! I found the leisure of my mind to sit down and pen a more proper update instead of bombarding you all with humour-saturated sites or love-mushy videos. lol.

Anyway, so today was the third last day of my surgery posting (hmm sounds weird, 3rd last day but you know what I mean, don't you) and cliche as it sounds, I can't believe how fast 8 weeks just whizzed past!!

So far, it's the best posting I had so far, was fortunate to have fabulous teaching from a great team who were encouraging. Oh and my groupmates are the loveliest ppl ever. :) I learnt tons in these 8 weeks! I saw stuff that was just mind-blowing.

I got to know what the roles of different members in a team do. And most importantly, I now know a little more abt what is expected of a junior doctor. Gotta slowly inch towards that goal of being a competent doctor. Coz I really don't want to look like a fool who have to ask what CXR stands for after at least 3 yrs in clinicals. true story apparently. :P

My current record for procedural skills stand at: 2 catheters (M & F), 2 cannulas and 20 bloods! Which I'm quite happy with. I just love the adrenaline buzz of getting something like tat right. lol am hooked on it.

Oh and today was my turn to present the afternoon ward round. I did so much better compared to last time. Although there is room for improvement (ie be more smooth in oral presentation) but at least there's improvement so I'm glad. :)

Did I tell you abt the neurosurgery I saw last week? It was removal of a more aggressive recurrent meningioma. Pretty cool. And I can't believe they use screwdrivers, drills and what-nots in the head!! haha reminds me of carpentry! And drilling a burr hole is really the same, there are small bits that fly off!

I also like the emergency side of things. I like going with the team when they go to review patients in ED. It's interesting to try to figure out the diagnosis. haha might keep in view emergency as an option in the future!

The only regret I have is that I didn't have enough opportunity to take more histories and do more examinations. We're always rushing off to another tutorial, another operation, clinic etc. Endless things to do. Oh well, I'm pretty sure we will get more than enough chances in Gen Med.

Anyway, after this, there is a one week break which they kindly term as "vacation" but is so totally not coz it is essentially a study break as there are exams coming up!! I better start crackin down on them soon coz some are them are really marfan (ie shitty) and I'm really slow when it comes to reading lecture notes. My brain just don't like processing them >.<

After this week break, my next rotation will be... guess what? Psychiatry!!

I learnt a lot in surgery but I think I'm ready to move on to something new. And this will definitely be a whole new ballgame surely. Definitely will be all about taking histories lol.

Okay!! That should suffice as a proper update. Up to you guys punya expectations ka?

EDIT: Decided to add in this picture since it's related.

these are my general surgery teammates - lovely ppl :)

L-R: Evan, Ian, Tom, Emma and Me!

haha yes, don't crack any height difference jokes.

I know I'm vertically challenged (in the lacking department) and they are all on average quite tall. lol.

General surgery is over!! time to stop procastinating and start cracking on those notes T_T

Love Story

Hi guys, I promise a proper update coming up soon, but before that, please watch these two short clips shot by Wong Fu Productions.

A very cute innocent love story. I likey~ :)

HK - Dream Line (prequel)

The Spare (sequel)

PS: I normally don't do monthly anniversaries but since this matches the videos very well, here goes: Happy 29th month anniversary, dear dear! ^v^

mymomisafob.com

Naturally, as someone pointed out, there is a site called mymomisafob.com as well!

In my intervals of dealing with demands of a surgery rotation (read: reports!! with painstaking literature reviews, reading up for tutorials, ward work and don't forget, exams acoming!), I have resorted to some good ol' humor in these sites.

And today, because I'm nice like that, I'm going to bring to you again some classics from mymomisafob.com. ^^ Enjoy!

Post #1: Girls have expiration dates?

me: so, for my birthday… (starting to tell her plans)

mom: (interrupting) you need to really get married this year…

me: mom, i'm only 26 and i don't want to get married right now. we've talked about this so many times!

mom: yeah, well, you should get married soon. you turning 27, have 3 years to find good man and get married

me: huh?!?! um, why 3 years?

mom: girls no pretty when they pass 30. no guy going to marry you when you expire.

Post #2: Rape prevention tactics

Be sure to wear lots of underwear, so if you get rape it'll take them longer and you can escape.

WTH! priceless!

Post #3: A lesson to learn

Scene: School parking lot after class ends. My mom points out a Chinese couple making out near the bathrooms.

Mom: Aiiiiiiiiiii-YAAAAAAAAAA! Can't they do that behind bushes or suuumting? If you eveeeeeeeeeeer get boyfriend, don't let me see do something like that!

Me: Don't worry. I wouldn't dare to.

Mom: Good. Because if you do, I take picture and send it to grandma. And then when grandma get heart-attack, you pay hospital bills!!

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omg I thought I was gonna die laughing! *lmao* I know I'm not supposed to laugh at the fact the grandma getting a heart attack but the fact that the mum would risk that just to make sure the daughter wouldn't do that is just so funny! And not because of the heart attack as well, but the hospital bills! what the lol.

Haha I'm so thankful that my parents never talk to me about those stuff!! especially in that way! :P

mydadisafob.com

Yesh I know I shld be posting real posts abt moi but I was taking a break just now and checked out this funny link from pinkpau's blog. You MUST have a look!!

My Dad Is A FOB! Click here please!

F.O.B. stands for "Fresh Of the Boat"; according to urban dictionary, it refers to immigrants who once came to America by boat. In its general sense, it may be applied to any immigrant; but recently, there seems to be a consensus to apply it only to Asian immigrants.

So the site is abt hilarious stuff that happened btw dads who are FOBs obviously and their not so FOB kids lol.

Not convinced? Let me show you some hilarious gems that I found.

Post #1: It ends at “O”

Me: dad, i need some money.

Dad: why!? what now?!

Me: well prom is coming up soon…and a bunch of friends and i want to rent a condo at the beach.

Dad: …who is going, who are you going to share the condom with. how much is it?

Post #2: Stand by me

I told my dad to pick me up in the morning/afternoon as long as he was free.

Yes madam. because u r my sweetheart. i.ve reserved my whole life 4 u. i always standby. Dad

Post #3 (also my fav): The birds and the bees…and Secret Victoria.

Dad: Kimson, i have to remind you EVEY time. What is your focus? You want to be pregnant, disgrace family, with 5 kid and no daddy? Your focus is always school. Bring home the A, not the baby. You stay away from boys! they just good to carry heavy "tings" for you. like textbooks. and fix things. like leaking refrigerator.

Me: WHAT?

Dad: Have you fix drip yet? Ask your mexican friend help you move a little to turn off ice maker. Anyway, i remind you that no sex until marry.

Me: whatever dad.

Dad: And for you that is maybe 30. No boy like you anyway. You need PHD. Bring home the diploma and a nice vietnamese docta. Then we will see.

Me: DAD!!!!!!! OKAYYYYYYY.

Dad: You don't okay me. Okay for little scrub. You say yes dad. AND DON'T LET ME SEE YOU GO ONTO SECRET VICTORIA on computer! you buy that red sexxciting and boy go crazy! I don't Like!

Me: oh my god!!!!

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Now, tell me, isn't all those just too hilarious for words?! *rotfl*

How Great A Woman Is! =P

rotfl! guys, let's just say you had fair warning *evil laugh*

PS: I'll update more later when I am not so tired. Been really busy lately. Meanwhile, amuse yourself with this quote then lol.

Labour Of Love: Part III

Hey it's been a long time since my cooking posts, hasn't it? Time for another one! :D

First up is this new dish I tried - Lemon Chicken.

it doesn't look nice though and kinda failed too.

I put too much lemon so it became quite sour. maybe will have another go next time.

Next up is just nong shim noodles turned into quite a healthy meal.

spicy, the way I like it.

I added tomatoes, green leafy vege, spring onions, egg and fish slices to make it more nutritious!

Not bad for an instant noodle meal, right? ^^

Next we have a picture of a full meal I cooked ages ago. I think I overdid it on the amount. (now better at estimating haha)

steamed chicken, stir fry vege, fried egg and sausages

I think I probably ate all that in 2 meals tho haha

(yeah I'm bringing lunch boxes to hospital everyday, really saves lots of money hehe)

Okay, finally something new and tastes nice! Guess what?

A chinese favourite: Fried rice!

I fried overnight rice (apparently thats better) with leafy vege, carrot slices, meat and tomatoes.

But after this I never added tomatoes anymore coz it makes it too watery.

Last but not least, aglio oglio pasta, my own style! ^^

doesn't it look absolutely yummy? My stomach is grumbling just looking at this pic.

Basically the same thing, but instead of adding other sort of vege, use mushrooms (i love love shitake mushrooms!!), carrot slices and some spring onions.

Don't forget the meat haha and for some extra flavour, I added basil leaves and parsley as well! Squeeze in some lemon juice for that tangy taste!

close up shot! Me trying out the macro mode of my camera. Looks nice, doesn't it?

After frying, coat it well with olive oil and sprinkle on some cheese for that extra oomph!

And voila, you have a delicious dish on ur hands!

So that's it for now. I have a few more dishes I think and might try more new ones when I get bored of eating the same food over and over again. So watch this space for the next part of Labour of Love!!

(lol. I think I sound like some tv cooking show host or something. :P)

A Week of Work + Play

Hey hey, I know I've been a bit slow on the blogging horizon the past few weeks but I really have been busy. yeah yeah busy is an overused word in a medical student's dictionary. That page is probably all ragged and dog-eared now.

Okay before I digress. What did I miss out in my previous post?

Oh ya!! I went to watch Stomp 2 weeks ago! It was pretty good but imho, it was a bit short for 80bucks each. It went for about 1 hour and 45 mins. And I was kinda expecting them to use more of kitchen utensils (the tinkling sort ya know?) but they used more of the big tongs sort of thing. Debbi said she saw a korean version wic used more of kitchen utensils so I might keep that in my list of things to check out when I earn my own moolah. haha.

My favourite bit was when they bring out these sinks with dishes and water in them. And they made music with them. That was lovely. And the funny part was when they let out the water in the sinks into a bucket in front of them and it totally looked like they were peeing!! lol.

But on the overall it was great. :) sry I dont have any photos coz cameras were not allowed.

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And I had a blast last weekend. It was Seng Chye's birthday last friday and we decided to hold a steamboat party at our place. We invited the seniors as well.

everyone having fun. Seng Chye is doubling over with laughter I think.

He brought his guitar as well. his singing is so good!

And tada here's the cake!

chocolate marble cake, yummy!

love how we made the candles form the number 24! cool~

It was a really fun party. After a delicious steamboat (which I miss so much!), we played charades. so funny man. lol.

And then, saturday was just a day of fun! ohmygosh the seniors asked us out for karaoke, dinner and clubbing!! I finally found out that there are some times where karaoke is cheaper! 9 bucks for 3 hours is certainly cheap in my book compared to our 1st time there.

Seniors also let us try some drinks. I quite like Muscato and Baileys. Baileys is like chocolate whee! lol! They also brought us to this club where its mostly asians. haha I feel like I'm back in malaysia there! Music was pretty good too, I know quite alot of the songs. And the best thing abt it is that smoking is not allowed here. yay, nonid to breathe someone else's secondhand smoke!

I think I'm getting old, my knees started to ache after sometime dancing. Well at least that definitely fit my exercise quota that week! :P

We went to grab some Mcd after clubbing coz we were positively starving. And they came to our hse to eat and chill for a while. And somehow we started talking crap and gossiping till morning. Haha I thought that was really fun, I miss talking crap to ppl who could understand me without having to try to watch my language (no lahs, mahs, abothens etc). =(

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shit half of my post disappeared, blogger is apparently having maintenance!! But I tot autosave is on, aihs..

Anyway, I will try to rewrite whatever I wrote just now. *brain, fai fai remember!* See I am so nice!

Ok so for the medical aspect of the week.

Nothing much really happened, pretty mundane stuff really. Oh I got to witness a "code blue aka medical emergency" last week. Pt had a cardiac arrest and they were trying to resuscitate him with CPR. Unfortunately, they couldnt save him. It wasn't my 1st time seeing this though (saw 2 simultaneous ones at sban last yr) so I wasn't too traumatized. but it was kinda sad though.

Well that kinda wraps up the week.

And I just realised, thanks to Deb's tip, that apparently I have exams in 1 month's time. oh my! It's a formative exam for Infectious Diseases, Pathology, Pharmacology. Sigh, looks like I really got to catch up with those lectures ade.. And they aren't exactly my favourite subjects either, especially the way they teach them here. =/ But looks like an even busier next few weeks for me! Got to fit studying those units into everything else.

Okay gotta go! Take care, everybody!

PS: Hello Uncle Lai Shouk! *waves* I didn't know you were reading my blog until I got ur email some months ago. (I keep forgetting to mention it here) Btw, you still haven't reply my email on how you got my blog address in the first place!! I better be careful of what I write here, eh? lol.

Going Well

Heylo! I'm back again. I know, it's been slightly more than a week since I last blogged but I was really busy.

Last week was just a flurry of activity that I don't really rmb. But lucky we have this journal that we hvta write down what we did each day so I'll just review them now eh?

Well, I'll just write down the highlights of the week okay.

And guess what? I cannulated my 1st patient! omgwtfbbq. It was almost a success, as in there was flushback (means got blood flowing into the tube) but somehow it couldn't advance so must have hit a valve or smtg, which couldn't be avoided b4hand. But I really need to do more for practice though!

Surgeries I'd seen: Creation of AV fistula, part of kidney transplant and... exploration of gunshot wound! (yeah he was shot by the police - he even had a few police escorting him the 2 days he was in hospital)

Hmm and I finally got a case for my case study. Nice lengchai irish guy that had appendicitis. :P Good simple case really. hehe. And dont forget the many tutorials!! But the teaching is really good for my team so it's all good. :)

Anyway, now it's week 4 and there are 5 medical students in my team, so we hvta take turns each day (till week 8 I reckon) to present the later ward round to the consultant as the "junior doctor". And today was my turn.

I think I did okay, as in I did know mostly what was happening to the patients - its just that the way I presented to the consultant could have been better. Need to get my communication skills a bit up! And more practice! :)

Haha okay, that's all for now I think. We just received a 100-paged notes abt liver surgery o.O and we are supposed to read it up for the tute this thursday. Huh?? Dont think I can make it even if I breathe it 24/7 for the next few days. lol.

So cya guys next time! Miss u all dearly!

Busy Yet Happy

It's been quite a few days since I last wrote here. Have been busy when it's time to be busy and lazy when it's time to be lazy :P

Anyway, it was supposed to be a long weekend for us here (public hols today, Anzac day - the day where they commemorate the ppl who died in the war) but I had to go into hospital on saturday so it kinda became like a normal weekend for me.

Before I get too ahead of myself, let me give a summary of the week.

Watched a laparascopic cholecystectomy, a parotidectomy, had a suture workshop (I need more practice!! I wonder if I will get the chance to do?), multiple tutorials, ward rounds, went on my 1st on call, clerked someone with an acute abdomen, took blood from an inpatient, learning how to function like a junior doctor and probably other minor things that I'd forgotten.

But suffice to say, surgery rotation is certainly a busy one. But I'm certainly learning and enjoying being busy. :P

Anyway, so yeah that was the week. And my saturday was supposed to look like this. Liver transplant at 4am and ward round with resident at 8am. [the resident called me and said the consultant specifically ask a med student to help with the ward round. HELP? Us?? I reckon it's because the rest of the team will be in theatre. but still what can I do to help? carry files? lol.]

But here is how it turned out instead. News of cancelled liver transplant received b4 sleep.

And suddenly got a text and call at 9 smtg in the morning saying the liver transplant is going to happen soon. Tried my best to rush to hospital but alas I forgot it was a public holiday and the bus only comes every hour. Wasted half an hour waiting at the bus stop with Debbi. (I invited her to go see see also ma haha) In the end, she drove us there. thks :)

When we arrived, the surgery was already well and underway, couldn't get to see much coz there were 3 surgeons, 1 assistant and my grpmate already scrubbed in around the patient. Lucky for me, after sometime, another consultant approached me and asked whether would I like to scrub in to assist when the donor organ arrives.

I must admit, in my mind, I though: "Err I thought it comes in a box right? Need to do what woh?"

And boy was I wrong. Apparently, the surgeons who harvest the organ really just simply chop out the organ and then send it. And the surgeon here hvta clean up the fat, diaphragm etc and ligate unncessary vessels before putting it in the patient.

And that was where I come in. I hvta help by holding out the important vessels while the surgeon works his magic. And being so close up with the liver means I got to see lots of anatomy. And he quizzed me on the vessels too, which I must admit, I failed terribly. :P Well its not that easy to see when it's all a pile of gunk floating in the basin.

But it was a really cool experience. Being able to hold the vessels and touch the liver (which feels very firm btw). And this time, I felt like I was really helping. Really doing something as part of the team. It was awesome!

And that was the medical stuff for the week. Lucky I get 2 days to relax and recharge. really need it. And tomorrow it starts again, but the funny thing, I'm happy being busy for once!

Maybe I'm slowly adapting to life here or maybe it's just a turn of things for the better.

And notice that I finally used the word "happy" since I got here. :)

Zhe-pers

Today my groupmates and I were discussing the mnemonic for the branches of the facial nerve. And they mentioned the one the surgeon mentioned yesterday during the parotidectomy yesterday.

Branches of Facial Nerve are: Temporal, Zygomatic, Buccal, Mandibular and Cervical.

And they were saying something like: "Three Zheppers Bit My Cat..."

And I asked: "What are zheppers?" My mind was thinking of something vaguely like zippers. *inserts face with a question mark above it*

And guess what it was? You won't believe it. Zebras!!!

Who the hell pronounce zebras not like Zeee-bras but Zhe-pers??

Go figure! hahaha. Am still trying to figure out the aussie tongue :P

Nature's Walk

Quite often, the walk back home during the evening helps me clear my head from the clutter of the day.

Looking at the rapidly darkening sky with the sun setting in the distance, its few rays glowing yellow. Taking a few deep breaths, breathing that fresh air. And the trees which looked so luscious yet mysterious at the same time. Trodding on the ground, which feels so solid under my feet aching over the day's burden of walking/standing on it.

And drinking in that wide openess of the land. I felt free somehow, as if anything could come true if I will it hard enough.

It is during these walks when I'm the most clear-headed about what I want in life. It is during these walks that I realise the hunger inside me for these dreams to come true one day, the sooner the better.

If only I could keep this feeling of freedom inside me... and never let it slip away - the power of believing in your dreams.

First Week In Surgery

Hi guys, I'm back after what I can only describe as an intense week. I was having mixed feelings when I started surgery.

But now after one week, I'm enjoying myself. The hours are long, the work tough but I'm learning. My consultants have organized quite a lot of teaching sessions for us and we are probably gonna work through the whole "Lecture Notes for General Surgery" book in the 8 weeks we are here. Which is gonna be amazing coz this will probably be the first time I read an entire textbook. lol.

We are expected to be around for quite an amount of hours. Ward rounds (can be twice a day), on calls, meetings etc.

Can you believe it, in the 2nd day of our posting, I already got to scrub in and assist the surgeon for an exploratory inguinal canal operation? Nah, didn't do much coz I know practically nil abt surgery, only held the opening open with retractors and cut sutures for the surgeon. *Note to self: must rmb to leave some suture left when cutting it. Not the time to be neat haha*

And!! I also got to do a catheter on another patient pre-op. so funny la the surgeon ask me whether I wanna do a catheter onot and I said "Errr.." coz felt abit hesitant as never did on real patient before yet. Then he said: "that means yes!" lol.

But it was great. :D I finally got over my fear of doing a catheter. I made some silly mistakes (they are very big on being aseptic here! my gosh) but hey, I'm sure next time I'll do better. Can't wait to practice more! Next hurdle to cross would be a cannula. woah, tat would be scary. o.O

Luckily, this time my group mates seem to be really nice ppl. So I'm happy. And the girl stays very close to me so she gives me lifts home when its late and there are no more buses. thank you! :)

Well, that would be about all for now. I sense a difficult week ahead so its good I'm all rested this weekend hehe.

I'll try update more on my experiences coz I'm sure my frenz like to read abt them. Let's hope Time is kind to me. Oh ya, and I have the mental and physical capacity left to blog. :P

PS: Btw some of the messages you guys gave are hilarious! I really LOL at some of them.. loving it :)

A Break And A New Start

The long easter weekend just whooshed past like that. In a flash. Well, fun times always fly. =)

Anyway, here's a summary of what I did in the past 4 days.

Went to the beach on friday morning.

look at the waves! beautiful and strong ^^

Then 4 of us imu peeps went to Caversham Wildlife Park on saturday morning.

Although it was supposedly a "wild life" park but a big part of it was kinda like a zoo. But at least there were some open enclosures that let us get close to the animals!

check out this cute koala bear!

they sleep 20 hrs/day so mostly is just sleep and stone haha..

Then I went to a uni mate's 21st birthday party that night.

Tried this alcohol drink called Mai Tai. Pretty good for something that sounded like some cheap drink back home haha.. Was a cocktail of pineapple and orange juice with some liquor I dunno lar. And damnit, I'm allergic to alcohol again!

And for sunday dinner, we had a cookout at our place. And guess what we cooked up? (pun :P)

msian all time favourite - nasi lemak!! yummy indeed~

And last but not least, I went to meet a primary school friend for dimsum on monday morning. Food wasn't all that great (I definitely had better at a much cheaper price too in msia, I miss good msian food T_T) but the company was great. Lots of jokes and laughter. :)

So! That was how I spent most of my 4 days of break. Pretty packed, huh?

Now it's time to come back to reality. Just started surgery today and looks like it's gonna be a busy busy 8 weeks ahead!

I heard teaching for my team is good though (and quite a lot of things seems to be organized for us!) but I will hvta buck up to meet their higher standards too. o.O

So expect more nerdy times ahead!

PS: For more pics of said events, check out my facebook, thks.

PPS: Oh and we learnt how to scrub in today! Rather fun! Hope we get to observe many interesting cases and assist if possible. ^v^

In Between

I'm up early on a friday morning which is a public holiday here (good friday) coz we are waiting to go to the beach. But the others haven't reply yet!

Are we going or not ah..? Or else I wanna go back to my comfy bed liao...

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Yeah I haven't been updating the whole week not becoz I was busy. Coz this week is Campus Week and it's filled to the brim with boring mind-killing lectures. Seriously, I just stone through most of them, then wake up occasionally to copy something. lol.

I can't believe I will say this but I miss the lectures in imu!! *shocked face* lol.

Have a long weekend ahead, my new rotation Surgery starts next tuesday! Apparently heard the consultants on my team are quite strict but at least the teaching is good. hmm looks like I better buck up.

Okla, update more later. Tats.

Labour Of Love: Part II

Hi guys, time for part 2 of my cooking series! Are you excited?

I'm definitely improving, well at least on the time spent part. Taste? I'm biased so I can't judge but I think I'm not bad for an amateur lah. hehe :P

Okay without further ado, here are they!

Stir fried vege with sausages

and one of my favourite dishes in the world, sesame oil chicken!

I liked it so much that I cooked it 3 times ade since being here. lol. Well it reminds me of my mother's cooking, cannot meh? A little slice of home. :)

Next up is a repeat performance.

Spaghetti Boulognaisse with melted cheese on top

and an extra omelette I made

And I had a craving for sushi the other day. But sushi here is too damn expensive to enjoy it to my heart's content. So DIY!

Looks nice, doesn't it? alas, I bought the wrong vinegar, so tasted a lil weird.

But no worries, I bought the correct one already! (well hope it is)

As usual stir fried vege and chicken with worchestire sauce (spelling?)

and new star of the day is Ginger Onion Fish!!

I made this long ago with Kee, so decided to try it again. Success! Yummy indeed! :D

And last but not least, also a favourite since Bukit Jalil days.

Fried noodles!

I liked maggi goreng alot but didn't buy the paste coz not worth it.

But fried noodles are yummy on their own too!

So that's it for today's cooking session. What do you guys think? ^^

Lost Then Found

I was supposed to blog abt this sometime ago but in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, I forgot until now.

Anyway, a few weeks back, by an unusual stroke of luck (from someone who is usually not that nice to me), I managed to get into a spot for phlebotomy. Oh phlebotomy? that's just a cool ass name for taking blood. :P

Well, unlike in Malaysia, where doctors are the ones that take blood samples from patients, here they have people specially trained for it. They are called phlebotomists and they do outpatients' clinics as well as inpatients.

And for this year, we have this logbook where we have to do a set number of phlebotomies, catherizations, injections and cannulations. And for phlebotomy, we have to contact said department and arrange a time with them as they can only take 2 students at a time.

So actually at that time they were fully booked up until april but I managed to get a spot!

And yesh, I managed to take 6 successful blood samples (out of 7!! sry lar 1 fail jor) and only needed a little instruction on the position of the needle with 2. Isn't that fabulous??

That day was one of the best days I had so far in medical school here.

I need more of those sort of days. Where I feel the burning passion reminding me of why I chose this line of work in the first place.

Coz it's so easy to get lost in clinical school.

To be truthful, I haven't been myself the past few weeks.

I was lost.

I can't exactly pinpoint the reason but I can somehow trace it back to an incident that happened sometime ago. But I shall refrain from telling tales.

Anyhow, in those weeks, I felt I was just like a mindless robot, going through the works everyday, without any of the enthusiam that I had earlier. I was just wandering around in circles, without any destination in mind. And god knows how we need a goal to keep us going on in medical school.

But it's good that I realised it earlier on. It's still not too late...

Time to get down to what I came here to do in the first place.

Post MSK

Msk exam is over!! Whee...

It wasn't easy but it wasn't totally difficult either. Do-able would be a good description. But I realised there were quite a few of red herrings included inside.

For eg. patient comes in with blah blah typical features of osteoarthritis. Then suddenly mention that patient got erythematous rash on face. Haha want to trick ppl to definitely say she has SLE lar!

Anyway, some of the pictures included inside are very blur!! Even though enlarged ade cannot see clearly lah. These sort of pics especially xrays, must print wan, cannot photocopy!

Weirdly, the examiner told us that the exam was not timed. Which means we can take as long as we like. So funny right? And the most zha dou thing was about 10 ppl received questions papers with the even pages missing. -_- And I was one of the 'lucky' ppl. haha. We had to wait for the examiner to go photocopy more.. And she just left us alone like that, trusting us to be honest.

A few ppl started discussing the questions.. until a girl couldn't tahan anymore and directly just shoot them by saying "it's not very fair, you know, discussing the answers. yes you three there!" *points at them* o.O wah.. that's very blunt. No worries, I didnt cheat at all. I believe one's pride is really important, especially when one is kinda like representing one's country in a way.

Anyway, my point in saying all this is that I feel that this exam has lost part of its worth somehow. The fact that it's not being timed and no supervision. I shouldn't have stress out so much abt it. lol.

Oh well, talk so much, I'm also not sure how my results will be too haha. wish me luck k.

Now, I need a bath, some rest before dinner. Finally gonna have a karaoke session later! I miss it!! woots.

Sweet Surrender

This is just a temporary interventional post. while I bide time to mug for exams =/

They say chocs in Aus are really nice, especially Tim Tam.. So I decided to try this one out.

black forest flavour! sweet surrender series

they have many flavours and I plan to slowly try one by one hehe

you will see a very round zzzyun the next time you see her! =(

pretty good but I was expecting more awesomeness.

Maybe some other flavour eh? hmm...