The Mad Student

1st Anniversary

2009-05-10T19:23:00.002+08:00

As soon as I clicked 'Done' I realized that this might just be a lil too cheesy. heck. It's my 1st anniversary with Kerf and I can't believe how time has just bulleted past us.

It seems like yesterday that I last blogged. But blogger.com claims it's been 3 weeks!

How have we celebrated our anniversary? Well, the bf made me perfect pancakes this morning and there were flowers too. Being the sweet thing that he is, he booked a sought-after Jap restaurant 4 weeks in advance! (yes, that is the only way to get a booking at that restaurant) But for the wrong night. Lol. We're going for dinner tomorrow night instead. Yu-U is the name.

So the pediatric students have just survived workshop week, which was week 5 of peds and involved lectures and tutes the entire day. Tiring I tell you. Im so glad I'm done with years 1 and 2 of med. Clinical years are way cooler.

Pediatrics has been fun but stressful so far. I mean 500+ pages to finish memorizing in 9weeks??? On top of that we've got to spend time on the wards etc. And we don't get a study break before exams =( Following 4 tv series kinda helps with the stress levels, but recently Heroes and Private Practice finished their run!

I've been in a quandary as to whether or not to stay in Melb for the June hols. The folks have persuaded me to return. I suspect it's coz this year the bro is in Adelaide doing Dentistry so they're mightily bored in their now-very-quiet home. Oh well, upside is I get to escape the winter cold for 2 weeks. Hopefully being back in the sunshine will help me regain perspective and maybe, just maybe, I'll get through some of my ebook and NewScientist collection =)

Random musings after Peds week 2

2009-04-18T11:42:00.002+08:00

I think that as part of our medical course, the faculty intends to initiate a smooth internship and doctorhood. In third year they added a couple of weeks to the start and end of the semester. This year, our Easter break went from 9days to 5 days. Yes, it's just 4 days, but I'm feeling it! It has come and gone, and I can't believe it. It doesn't help that the bro has 2 FREAKING WEEKS OF HOLIDAYS.

So what did I do over easter? Well, the bf and I initially planned to head down to Mornington and stay overnight. But the hotel we wanted was fully booked. Then the weather wasn't uplifting. So we ended up going to DFO for a shopping spree, heading to Mt Dandenong to watch the sunset and have dinner, played badminton (actually, the bf didn't come for this), cooked dinner for friends etc.

Oh and we watched 2 documentaries: Born into Brothels & Sicko.

The former was filmed in Culcatta, India, by an angmoh photographer who had been living in the slums of india intermittently. Told the story of a bunch of kids who were born and raised in brothels. An eye-opener, but lacked depth and dimension.

Sicko, on the other hand, was fantastic. Very well-researched, well written, witty, hilarious (and any other superlatives you can think of). Michael Moore did a wonderful job educating us on the ills of the American healthcare system. I thought it would be a heavy documentary but it wasn't! It was very informative, but written in such a way to facilitate the diffusion of information into my Easter-afflicted brain.

Blink blink. Back to school. I guess it helps that I'm liking Peds so far =) And it also helps that I've got stuff to look forward to each week. Right now, the highlight of my week is the 50mins of Tudors.

For those who haven't heard of it, it a historical drama about the life and times of King Henry VIII. Notorious for lobbing off the heads of 2 of his 6 wives and divorcing another 2, this showtime series has proven that there was far more to Henry than the portrait our high-school history texts paint (usually involves a grotesquely obese Henry). While Showtime has taken every effort to be true to history, one thing they have not done is make Henry fat. I'm kinda happy about that actually.

Recently, I've been going thru somewhat of a zen-phase. I've been reading blogs on productivity, technology, time management:

http://unclutterer.com/

http://www.productivity501.com/

http://zenhabits.net/

All jewels in their own right.

One of the suggestions I picked up on was to rid my desk of wires. Mx: Logitech Cordless V450 laser mouse (AUD $50)
Review: 9.5/10 stars. Took out 0.5 stars because I would have preferred it 1cm longer.

Till next time =)

Long-overdue Updates

2009-04-09T18:15:00.003+08:00

I know I haven't blogged in a while now. 4th year happened, which so far has consisted of watching babies being born and, as of this week looking after them. Not to mention trying to keep my head above everything and not lose perspective. Easier said then done.

O&G was fun, but I kinda got bored after a while. But not before watching lots of surgeries and discovering that I really, really love being in theatre, being gloved and gowned, and looking at my bloodied gloves later. Just makes me feel alive and like I've actually done something you know? It's not a feeling I get often as a medical student. And the cool bit about surgery, esp. laparoscopic surgery, is that it's really like playing a video game. I stand beside the surgeons and remember how as a child I used to watch the older kids in the arcade playing their stuff. It's the exact same feeling; the yearning to be like them, to have tokens to play the game, to be good at it. Here's the best part: the surgeons actually make a living out of playing!

Just started pediatrics this week. Haven't seen as many kids as I hoped, although I've been hanging around ED. The waiting is not really fun, neither is it terribly productive as I don't study well in hospital. But despite all this, pediatrics seems really interesting. I was in the nursery two days ago and a midwife let me cradle a newborn. It was a magnificent feeling you know, holding a tiny life in your arms. Too bad it didn't show on my face though.

Midwife: Are you alright? You look terrified!
Me: Yea, I'm fine

2 Mins later

Resident: You sure you're alright?
Me: Ok. I'm really scared of killing this thing. He looks so fragile...
Resident: Mmm, better not kill it. A lot of paperwork otherwise.

Although 4th year has been pretty demanding, I'm really thankful for being able to find time to gym, follow the Tudors, Private Practice, Gossip Girl and Heroes! I've also managed to get thru a fantabulous novel:

Best book I've read in ages.

I'm living with the bf this year which has been really great and time-saving so far (no more driving to city to meet him coz he's 10m across the living room). It's also good in that I get my own Personal time whenever I desire (capital P because it's so important to me). All I need to do is suggest that he inhabits his room for awhile =) Before we made the move, friends cautioned us of the dangers. For example, more things to dislike about each other, more things to fight about etc. Thankfully that hasn't happened. We actually fight less now. Possibly because we've been forewarned so we're more attuned to potential problems, or possibly because I get all warm and fuzzy in the home setting. I'm not sure. Kerf thinks it's due to this book I've read:
I seriously think everyone should read this. In a relationship, it's too easy become someone you're not and screw up a good relationship because there cure no 'guidelines' as to what you should or shouldn't do/say. A lot of the 'rules' in thus book are quite common-sensical, but they serve as a good reminder as to how you should treat your partner.

Main downside of living together is that he's become too accessible! Hmm, I don't feel like studying, think I'll go see what he's up to. Result: less studying done.

The bro's in Adelaide doing Dentistry this year. Lucky ducky, he got 3rd round offers! Glad he's enjoying it. It's probably a blessing in disguise he didn't get into med.

Current activity: Blogging and surfing the net using Tablet mode handwriting recognition.
Current favourite webby: www.bookdepository.co.uk
Current mood: Happy. Restless.
Currently reading: The Art of Speed-reading People

Updates from my little island

2008-12-19T10:44:00.005+08:00

So exams ended on 24th Nov. I got back on my not-so-sunny island on the 5th of Dec. Did quite a bit of window shopping, hanging with the bf and bff...yada yada yada. My life had been uneventful until i read this piece of news:

"Even Jessica Alba's Not Quite Perfect Enough!"

(This could have been the tagline for the movie The Day The Earth Stood Still)
http://en.terra.com/lifestyle/articles/html/hof3387.htm

These shots were taken for the 2009 Campari calender. Notice the unmistakable airbrushing? I mean, although Alba does look better in the airbrushed version, she looked pretty awesome in the originals too! Was there a need to make her look surreal? Or like Barbie, whose ultra-slim figure represents a ridiculous standard for a body shape? (http://www.articlecity.com/articles/kids_and_teens/article_378.shtml)

Notice they airbrushed the waist and hips, but went light on the boobs? Her centre of gravity looks kinda off after airbrushing...

What sort of message is this sending to impressionable adolescent girls?

I just lost my appetite. Literally. Need to lose weight! Need to become anorexic!

Holiday Plans
I'm off to HongKong on Saturday, 20th Dec. Hoping that the shopping will be awesome, and that I won't put on too much weight while there.

12 days to exam

2008-11-12T18:55:00.004+08:00

12 days to exams. Or to holidays. Whichever way you look at it. I've been a little distracted lately, looking for a house around Noble Park which is reasonably near a few hospitals. It was just impossible to find in Clayton, but Noble Park was a different story! The bf and I saw 5 houses today in the area. 4 of which were brand new. We've sorta decided on one of them =)

Hope this works out.

Recently watched: The Notebook, Taken, Forgetting Sarah Marshall

The Notebook
Beautiful, BEAUTIFUL story. The first hr was a little yawn-inducing, but we got through it (helped by the knowledge that it did win MTV's Best Kiss award 2005). It was worth it. The idea that a man can love his Alzheimer-stricken wife so much as to move into a nursing home with her when he himself was perfectly healthy, be introduced to her every morning like a stranger, and retell to her the amazing tale of their love day after day, in the hope that it would induce even 5mins of lucidity in her...now THAT is love.

Taken
A tale of serendipity really. Ex-CIA agent's daughter gets kidnapped by a mafia ring specializing in prostitution and he has 96 hrs to find her, if ever. Quite a well thought out movie.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall
I hate slapstick humor, thought that Superbad was SUPERBAD and that 'I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry' was SUPERBAD too. But I loved this. It was refreshing to see Kristen Bell as a Hollywood hottie like she really is, and not as a sadistic, morbid bitch who's busy throwing balls of electricity at people (think Elle in Heroes; the sadistic bit was quite a turn on though, but sadly we don't see it in Season 5).

Currently watching: Gossip Girls, Private Practice

Gossip Girls
TRASH. Except the clothes. Those are to die for. And perhaps more affordable than the Sex & The City garbs.

Private Practice
Very entertaining medical drama which explores various ethical issues pertaining to medical practice, as well as the sex lives of the doctors. So Grey's Anatomy = surgery + sex, Private Practice = medical ethics + sex. Creator Shonda Rhimes, the only other person the 2 shows have in common other than Dr. Addison Montgomery, seems to have gone Ctrl C + Ctrl V and tada.....new series!

What is wrong with you?

2008-09-03T14:27:00.002+08:00

"WHAT is wrong with you?"

"What is WRONG with you?"

"What is wrong with YOU?"

"WHAT is WRONG with YOU?"

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

Ok, so here's the phrase said in 5 different ways. The difference is the word that is emphasized, the similarity is that it often crops up when couples fight (SATC et al., 2004).

Despite having only 5 words, this phrase says a lot:

"The problem is not with me, it's with YOU"
"Why are you acting like such a jerk/bitch?"
"I can't understand what's going on in that head of yours!?"
"Why can't you be more normal? Like me..."
"I blame you for all of this shit."

In all of the above, the assumption is that you are right. But what if you assume that you are wrong instead?

Watching couples quarrel on tv, I came to the sudden realization that the bf has never said that to me. Because he assumes that when I'm unhappy, it's his fault. When I'm throwing a tantrum, it's because he deserves it. Don't tell him this, but sometimes it really isn't his fault. It's the hormones (again, not my fault).

I admit that I assume that I'm right more often than I should. But shouldn't we? Isn't that what confidence is about? Can one be truly confident and yet assume he or she is always at fault? But if all of us assume that we're right, how are relationships supposed to work?

Maybe that's why they don't nowadays...

(SATC = Sex & The City)

the harm of help

2008-08-25T21:19:00.005+08:00

so someone you care deeply about is struggling with something which you are well-equipped to help them with. how much help would you give? would you just sit back and wait till they ask for help? what if you know that they won't ever ask. is it more morally questionable to watch them descend deeper into the abyss or to swoop in and start directing the set? and then there's the issue of feelings. how do you extend a helping hand without hurting the person's ego and stuff? and when the person takes your hand but is unable to get a firm grip because of distractions, how far would you go to hold on to them? would you risk making the person momentarily unhappy for happiness in the long run? if so, what if the person doesn't see what you see in the 'long run'?

love is tough. but isn't tough love tougher?

how much is too much?

HOSPITAL CHART BLOOPERS

2008-08-23T00:02:00.001+08:00

(Actual writings from hospital charts)

1. The patient refused autopsy.

2. The patient has no previous history of suicides.

3. Patient has left white blood cells at another hospital.

4. She has no rigors or shaking chills, but her husband states she was
very hot in bed last night.

5. Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.

6. On the second day the knee was better and on the third day it
disappeared.

7. The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be
depressed.

8. The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993.

9. Discharge status: Alive but without permission.

10. Healthy appearing decrepit 69-year old male, mentally alert but
forgetful.

11. Patient had waff les for breakfast and anorexia for lunch.

12. She is numb from her toes down.

13. While in ER, she was examined, X-rated and sent home.

14. The skin was moist and dry.

15. Occasional, constant infrequent headaches.

16. Patient was alert and unresponsive.

17. Rectal examination revealed a normal size thyroid.

18. She stated that she had been constipated for most of her life, until
she got a divorce.

19. I saw your patient today, who is still under our car for physical
therapy.

20. Both breasts are equal and reactive to light and accommodation.

21. Examination of genitalia reveals that he is circus sized.

22. The lab test indicated abnormal lover function.

23. Skin: somewhat pale but present.

24. The pelvic exam will be done later on the floor.

25. Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities

Random updates

2008-08-21T17:41:00.007+08:00

So I'm 6 weeks into Semester 6/10. You might have realized that already from the date of my last post. Between then and now, quite a few things have happened:

1. I flew back to aussieland on the morning of 12th of July. Arrived at night to find rat poo greeting me on my bed. And the carpets. And toilet. And closet. And clothes. And kitchen. And living room. And on the sofa. To say it was everywhere would be an understatement. Because it was EVERYWHERE! Yucks. And there was no hot water because while we were on holiday, our boiler decided to do the same. Thank God for Kerf who braved the howling wind and cutting chill to coax and cajole the boiler back into service. Armed with hot water and disgust, we mopped, scrubbed, vacuumed and washed the house till 5am. And we didn't see a single rat all night.

2. Gran passed away 4 days after I got back here. She deteriorated really quickly and when I got the call that she was critical on the 14th, I flew down to the Gold Coast the following night where I got to see Gran for the last time (and she got to sniff me for the last time because she never opened her eyes while I was there). At 5am on the 16th of July, I lost the only grandparent I've ever had a decent conversation with. I was pretty upset that when she left, none of her family was with her. My aunts and uncle had gone to bed from sheer exhaustion from looking after her in hospital for the prior 2 weeks), I contemplated staying up the night but when I checked on her at 1am she seemed stable (and I was exhausted from the past few days) so i went to bed. I've known Gran for ages but I never knew she was so big on the whole 'dying-before-breakfast-to-leave-your-family-3-meals' thing. I didn't even know it existed! =( We had the funeral 7 days later, which wasn't really a good idea as we realized on the 7th day.

3. 1 rotation down, 3 to go. I completed my respiratory rotation 2 weeks ago. It was pretty good - the registrar was big on teaching, the patients had lungs which played music, and ward rounds started at half past 8 =) Started Aged Care/Gen med which is good too with ward round actually worth going to.

4. Watched 2 movies recently: Million Dollar Baby and Juno.

I love Hiliary Swank, but I would never have watched Million Dollar Baby had I known how acutely depressed it'd make me. Seriously, I felt like I needed morphine after the movie!

Juno on the other hand was a darling. It made me realize the importance of sex-education (as in teaching kids about sex, not having sex while being educated.). During this scene where Juno goes for an abortion, she meets a schoolmate camping outside with a sign saying 'Every Baby Wants to be Born'. They chat, and the girl randomly tells Juno that fetuses have fingernails. On hearing that, Juno flashed a pensive look at the camera, but went in nonetheless. Only to come racing out minutes later, telling her best friend that she couldn't do it, citing, amongst other reasons, the fear that the fetus would scratch her vagina with its' fingernails if she aborted it. I wouldn't have bought that if say Jessica alba had said that, but coming from Ellen Page's mouth, it sounded 101% believable. I'm officially a fan.

While chatting to a close friend the other day, I randomly asked her how happy she was. Being med nerdballs, I turned our Pain scale of 1-10 into a Happiness scale. She rated 5/10. Then it was my turn. I chose 8+/10.

Sometimes it takes a simple question from someone to make me realize how much I have to thank God for.

Cute Taxi Logo

2008-07-11T18:25:00.004+08:00

En route to Morton's Steakhouse yesterday, I encountered a taxi with this cute logo:

I mean, how many of us would be able to afford a Bentley in this lifetime? So the next best thing is...

...driving a Toyota with a Bentley logo!

Foodie review: Werner's

2008-07-08T20:16:00.004+08:00

Since I've gotten back in June, I haven't had my craving for 'teer kah' (pork trotters) satisfied. Blame inflation, for it has caused a dramatic reduction in servings. Now in order to fill my tummy, I have to order 2 bowls/plates of whatever. It can't be the gym-ing that has caused this appetite explosion right?

But at 7pm tonight, my craving was finally satisfied. I had a massive pork knuckle ALL TO MYSELF at a cosy joint along Upper East Coast Road (opposite Siglap's Killiney Kopitiam).

Yummy...it's really not as dry as it looks. Texture was perfect. Taste was enhanced by the sour-ish veggies on the right. $19.50.
Fried Cheese & Cranberries. 8/10 on orgasmic scale. $8.80
Dad's well-done steak. Tasted very different from other steaks because they didn't bathe the meat in the traditional mushroom/red-wine/black-pepper sauces. Instead, they buried it under fried onions, so it had the BBQ-ed taste. Dad couldn't get enough of the wedges.
Jon's lamb chops in rosemary and lemon sauce. Again very unusual taste! Palatable even for a lamb-hater like myself.

(All photos in this post were taken by the Samsung Omnia)

Unforgettable Taxi Ride

2008-07-04T22:19:00.002+08:00

This afternoon, I dropped off my new MNG skinny jeans at Siglap centre for alteration and tried to hail a cab along upper east coast road to get to the MRT station. Within 2 mins, a cab pulled up metres from where I was standing and a slender, long-haired and heavily made-up lady got out. She was Chinese and looked about 30, though clad in a teeny-bopper-sized neon pink tank top and a short denim skirt.

I jumped into the taxi. As the taxi-driver drove on, he suddenly remarked to me:

Eh, just now that woman siao (crazy) one!
Taxi uncle

Oh? How come?
Me

She ah, ask me if I want her services leh...say she usually charge $80 but will give me $40 only. I told her I dowan...but she somemore say hor that her skills very good.
Taxi uncle

Lol! Times are hard I guess.
Me

I told her ah, my taxi-driving skill also very good! But she very insistent! So I told her I got wife. Then hor, she ask me, "Uncle, your wife how long already? Not sian (tired) ah?" I say, "My wife free one, but you I got to pay money!"
Taxi uncle

*Laughed until abs hurt*
Me

$40 sex, anyone?

Omnia: Everything you can Wish for

2008-07-04T11:17:00.003+08:00

It's been a week since I got my hands on the Samsung Omnia (or rather, since raw power came into my hands). And I'm loving it.

The OMNIA, meaning 'everything' in Latin and 'wish' in Arabic, was unveiled at the CommAsia 2008 2 weeks ago and wowed spectators with its functionality. With all the hype surrounding the new 3G iPhone slated to be launched in the 3rd quarter of this year, any phone with a sizable touch screen is wont to be compared to the iPhone. And any phone-maker worth their weight in salt should be clamouring to jump onto the touch-screen bandwagon. Enter HTC Touch Diamond, LG KE850 Prada and Samsung Omnia to name a few.

The HTC touch Diamond retails at SGD 1,098 without a contract. This is the same price as the Omnia. I had no difficulty deciding on the Omnia over the Touch Diamond as I have heard that the latter lags quite badly and besides, the larger screen size of the Omnia gave it a huge edge over the Touch Diamond.

Over last weekend, Singtel was offering the Omnia at SGD 768 with a 2-yr contract. If one signed up for an added service such as SMS plus - $2+ a mth for 6 months - Singtel shaved off an additional SGD 300. An awesome deal right? So all in all, I paid SGD 368 for the Omnia, inclusive of a $100 trade-in.

The OMNIA

Screen resolution: Fabulous. I haven't compared it to the HTC Touch Diamond but I don't see a need to because I don't need anything better! I mean once the resolution reaches a certain threshold, any further improvements has little impact on the overall experience right?

Touch-screen Sensitivity: Since the Omnia doesn't have a keypad *horrors! how to sms liddat?!?* the responsiveness of the screen is the be-it and end-all of the gadget. I was happy to discover that the screen is indeed very responsive; better than those Besta Chinese dictionaries I used to have, but slightly inferior to my Lifebook T4215 Tablet PC.

Dialing is no problem because the number pad on the screen is reasonably big, however,chubby fingers would find it a tad difficult to sms as the keys are smaller. The solution is to rotate the phone horizontally such that the keys expand a bit. But even so, I doubt anyone with clubbed fingers would be happy with the keypad.

Camera: Significantly better than my previous Nokia 6288 which had a 2MP camera. However, I thought my Canon A80 5MP camera produced sharper images. (The truth is I haven't loaded the pictures onto my comp yet so I can't give a fair review of this function)

Lack-of-lag: 9/10

Looks: 9.5/10 (since I think the iPhone is 10/10)

Weight: This phone may be like the Incredible Hulk in terms of raw power, but when it comes to tipping the scales, it's really more like Jessica Alba - light and slender, yet not too anorexic.

Verdict: I've never been happier with any mobile phone before. 9/10.

Is Scrawn The New Brawn?

2008-06-09T12:38:00.004+08:00

Too fat for Paris
http://www.theage.com.au/news/fashion/too-fat-for-paris/2008/06/05/1212259007491.html
(Picture taken from stated website)

I came across an unsettling article in The Age today. I mean I live in a culture which espouses healthy values, but do we really value health? In our endless pursuit of beauty, many have fallen into the quagmire of eating disorders (as I'm writing this, I'm tucking into a lunch of mixed stir-fried vegetables, Tofu and ultra lean pork. Is something missing or what?). Girlfriends who are already serial head-turners embark on weight loss projects, cutting carbs, then meat, then my self esteem as I start to wonder what I am if they consider themselves 'fat'.

Now the epidemiology of this pathological body image is set for a tectonic shift to include the other half of our species. Let me demonstrate what I mean. The model above is 6'2" (1.88m) and weighs 76kg, giving a BMI of 21, which is right smack in the middle of the healthy BMI range. But BMIs can only tell you so much. Your eyes, on the other hand, are way better telling you if someone needs to fast. Albeit glazed to shield my retina from the abs-ilicious specimen, they tell me he is not, by any stretch of imagination, fat. Yet he is "not skinny enough for the Parisian scene - where lean is the new mean.". Yes yes, we're no longer hunter-gatherers so muscles have become obsolete. But I'm a firm believer that they still have a place, especially around the chest and abdominal areas of a male body. Call me traditional, but perhaps its pretty awesome for a girl to have a guy put his sculpted arms around her, you know, adds to the sense of security and all that? I'd rather have that anytime than a guy whose shoulder you can't lean on because it cuts. What do you think?

Of Monsters and Morons

2008-06-08T19:07:00.004+08:00

It's staring at us menacingly in one eye while the other is fixed on our pockets, searing a hole through our wallets. The monster in question is the current fuel price personified, which has been featured rearing its ugly head in recent weeks by the media:

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/350252/1/.html

As of Friday 6th June 2008, it closed at USD138.54 a barrel.

This price hike (or rather, *hiking*, because to use singular here is to be delusional) has translated into changes in all our lives. Singaporeans, having been raised as pragmatists with an eye for a bargain, have been heading in droves (pun intended) to neighboring Malaysia to get their cars filled up and, since they are already there, their shopping bags too. I mean, we go where the wind blows right? And in Singapore, the wind always blows in the direction of a good bargain.

However, across the causeway, our friends have been up in arms over this:

http://www.thoughtdissector.blogspot.com/

See post (Tuesday, 3 June 2008: Again, oppositions are stupid! )

"Malaysia has no responsibility in any way to subsidise those kiasu and kiamsap (stingy) Singaporean fuel price as they are not Malaysian.

In 1965, they have decided to leave us and to establish their own country, and since then has taken a lot of advantages over their "bulliable" neighbour. Recently, they have LAWFULLY claimed their stake and ownership over Pulau Batu Puteh, whose original title belongs to Malaysia.

Perhaps, it is the low intelligence of the Malaysian side which allowed such things to happen. Also, Malaysia also has to supply Singapore unprocessed water at a very cheap price and buy back the processed water from Singapore at a higher price. How can such things happen when Malaysia supplies the original water? It makes no sense, and it is nonsense!

Now, as a party which claims to represent the rakyats, DAP says that it is not a wise move to have a two tier fuel pricings. It is ridiculous. The taxpayer's money should solely be used for the benefits of the Malaysian citizens - not being corrupted by individuals, or to subsidize non-tax payers! I cannot imagine seeing people with such mindset running the country because they simply forget: Charity starts at home. You don't feed the poor while you can't even feed your family. It is plain logic and they failed to see it.

The subsidy shouldn't have existed in the first place. Singaporeans come and buy very cheap groceries before returning to Singapore - like pampers, rice, etc etc. And because also of their spending power, the prices of things in JOhor increase accordingly, making JB as one of the most expensive cities to live in the entire Malaysia.

And Barisan Nasional isn't that smart either. Just that they realise their mistakes and try to mend for them.

Perhaps, Singaporeans will hate me after reading my entry. It doesn't matter, since they always like to look down on people. I tell you, live within your means and do not rob others from their privilege and opportunities. You are always welcome to apply for Malaysian PR if you like Johor so much and want that subsidy! :P"

I've been wondering, ever since having read the post, how Singaporeans could be labeled as 'kiasu and 'kiamsiap' for their chosen coping method. Why should we be labeled as such for our adaptability in the face of adversity? After all, the very quality is the reason we've gone from 3rd world to 1st in a generation. Won't any person with a modicum of intelligence choose to pay less for more (assuming all other variables are controlled for, of course =p)? Not to do so would be bodoh (stupid) and boh nao (no brains).

Speaking of such, these adjectives are apt for describing the Malaysian government's coping methods - as of tomorrow 9th June 2008, foreign cars will not be allowed to refuel within 50km of the Malaysian border. Ok, they don't want to subsidies our fuel expenditure, I get it. What I don't get is why Singaporean cars won't be allowed to refuel if they are willing to pay unsubsidized Singapore rates for petrol at Malaysian pumps? I mean JB is a big big piece of land (note the deliberate avoidance of the words 'town' or 'city') where people can easily get lost and drive around for hours. Lets say you are driving back to Singapore from KL and you suddenly remember that Yong Peng has yummy yummy Char Kway Tiao. You make a little detour for high tea. After lunch you realize that while the smell of Char Kway Tiao directed you there, you can't really smell Singapore and there are no signs to direct you back. Then how? Bo bian (can't be helped) lor, you drive for a couple of hours and find a sign which says 'Awas! Causeway 30 km' You leap for joy until you notice the cute little fuel tank on your dashboard flashing. Oh no. You push on until 2km from the causeway, your car sputters to a stop. Lol, gg.com (as the Malaysians would say). Its 6pm on a Friday evening. Theoretically you could call your best friend in Singapore to come rescue you with a can of petrol. Just that at 6pm on a Friday the Causeway will be so jammed that you might be best friends no more once your car starts.

SO, unless Malaysia can not put oil in their Char Kway Tiao yet keep it as tasty, I probably won't be heading there too much now. Oh, did I mention I spend an average of 300+RM on a shopping trip there? Maybe this season MNG Singapore will make a bit more out of me.

When Stroke Strikes

2008-05-27T16:29:00.004+08:00

There's a patient in the Neurosurgery ward who died last Friday. From stroke. The only problem is that she didn't die fully. I saw her today. She smiled at me. I asked her how old she was. She smiled at me. I asked her when she was brought into hospital. She smiled at me. I realize she couldn't talk. "Ok, each of my fingers stands for 1 day, nod when i have the correct number of fingers held up." I stuck out 1 finger. She nodded vigorously, still smiling. 2 fingers. She nodded. 3 fingers, she nodded. I realized that she was there, but she was gone.

How does one not die fully? Well, the smart alec answer would be: the same way in which one can have type one-point-five Diabetes Mellitus - they both boil down to a matter of classification. Type 1.5 Diabetes, otherwise known as LADA (Late autoimmune diabetes in adults) is a Type 1 diabetes which presents in adults instead of children. The 0.5 stands for the fact that it is neither a true type I or II diabetes, but somewhere inbetween; in limbo. Just like my patient.

She was alive well one morning but by afternoon collapsed with a massive stroke involving both the anterior and middle cerebral arteries of the left brain, causing her speech centres as well as her motor and sensory centres for the right side of her body to shut down. Her right arm and leg were completely paralyzed, so was her right face, turning her smile into somewhat of a grimace. Like the look you give when someone has played a bad joke on you. Only that you aren't really you anymore. Whatever other people say about that, its pretty much as good as being dead really.

She appeared happy though. Eerily happy. Oblivious to her newly acquired disability. My clinical skills tutor says its because her comprehension centre in the brain had been knock off. So ignorance is indeed bliss.

The tutor then embarked on a tirade against the British and Australian governments for their abysmal efforts in public stroke prevention by endorsing health campaigns and screening tests for the number one risk factor for stroke: Hypertension. Stroke is the 2nd most common cause of death and disability in Australia. Wouldn't it make perfect sense (if not cents) to increase public awareness of the lifestyle changes needed to circumvent this tragedy?

I've glad that I've managed to cook without buying any salt this year and I've since sworn not to buy any more light sauce (liquid salt) for the rest of the year. I'm not sure how, but the 2.5 bottles in my cabinet is gonna have to last me that long =)

Gourmando Review: The Point @ Albert Park Lane

2008-05-26T10:45:00.007+08:00

Ok, I tried finding a pretty picture of the place in daytime but it didn't work out. The boyfriend and I had a 3 course lunch there last Saturday =)

Skate (fish that has been cooked such that the meat is loosened from the bone)

Kerf's initial order: Gentle on the taste buds (perhaps too gentle) with a hint of sourness. Meat was a tad overcooked. Knife was way too blunt to allow elegant eating without having sauce flying.
Overall score: 6/10

Porterhouse Steak

My intial order: Supposed to be medium rare but was more medium than rare - tough on the outside and slightly raw inside, albeit without blood. Challenging on the masseter and temporalis muscles. The sauce was slightly below expectations (although being stronger, it was more agreeable to my tastebuds than the fish's sauce); I thought I detected a hint of bitterness too. Overall score: 6/10 (Black Angus in Singapore has better steak)

Kerf and I ended up swapping our mains 3 minutes into the meal =)

The desserts saved the day:

Hazelnut Parfait

Beautifully done! 10/10. Best hazelnut dessert I've tasted.

Chocolate tart

This one's a bit hard to rate because hey, its chocolate. Its good by default. 8/10 because although its good, its not any better than chocolate desserts I've tasted elsewhere.

Conclusion: The ambiance and service were faultless (it overlooked a lake!), but I don't think I'll ever be coming back for the mains. Desserts maybe. Then again, considering this meal was $40/person, I might need to think twice. I mean I could have an equally good meal at Giorgios and have spare case to go shopping with right?

Where your kidney has gone

2008-05-04T14:45:00.004+08:00

July 2006

"Shhh. Don't make too much noise when we get in there alright, Faith? Your mommy's tired and needs some peace."

"But...but...Mommy has been sleeping for so long! She didn't even wake up for my birthday party last week."

Jansen lowered himself to his daughter's level. "Baby, I hope you won't blame your mommy for that," he began. "Remember how mommy used to have to clean her blood using that machine we have at home every day? Well, its not working anymore. Mommy needs a new kidney.

"Where do new kidney's come from?" Faith inquired. "Darling, I'll tell you when we get home ok? Let's go in and tell mommy how much we love her first."

They entered the ward where Lindsay had lain for the past 4 weeks. It was a reasonable-sized room with a single bed and an attached toilet. A large window let the afternoon sun in, perhaps serving as a reminder that the beautiful world beyond the beige-coloured walls of the hospital still existed; that the world hadn't stopped.

It pained Jansen to see his wife in this state. What had happened to the beautiful cheerful girl he married? There she is a voice inside his head whispered. Her kidneys were already failing when you met her. Nothing has changed.Except that everything had changed.

Shortly after they married 6 years ago, Lindsay's kidney function deteriorated to the point where she needed dialysis. She had been diagnosed with Type I diabetes at 5 and kidney damage was almost unavoidable. But apart from the need to be hooked up to the a machine by bubble-tea-straw-sized needles for 4 hrs 3 times a week, she lived a regular life.

And he loved her. They planned to have children together and went to their specialist to discuss a management plan for Lindsay's pregnancy.

"There is no way I'm going to let you carry a child in your current condition!" they were told. It was too late. Lindsay discovered a month later that she was 6 weeks pregnant. 8 months later, Faith was born. Faith, a reminder of what they needed most.

Now Faith was 5. She was a big girl. Everyone told her so. But no one told her what to expect when she entered the room. It had been 2 weeks since she last saw her mother. Her dad had a full time job so she had been sent to live with her grandparents in the country.

The last time she saw her mother, she looked normal, even though the doctors had said her kidneys were not working. Now, her skin looked yellowish and her legs appeared twice their normal size. Did kidney failure make one fat?

"Mom?"

"Mom, can you hear me?"

Lindsay struggled to open her eyes. "Y..Yes baby...How was your birthday party yesterday?

August 2006

A kidney became available and the transplant took place within 24 hrs.

December 2006

Lindsay woke with a start, only to find Faith's large hazelnut eyes pouring into hers. A cheeky grin lit up her face - she had rolled up a piece of tissue and tickled her mom's nose with it as she slept on the verdant grass under a tree. Summer had just arrived and the young girl had been pestering her mom to take her out for a picnic with gran and gramps.

Lindsay wiped the sweat from her brow and sat up. Faith jumped back in alarm, missing Lindsay's grip by inches.

"You can't catch me!" she teased, laughing and running toward the lake on the other side.

"Oh yea? We'll see about that!"

"Can you see that?" Jenny turned to her husband Phillip, poking a long thin finger in his side excitedly. "Wha?" he grunted, casting his eyes in the direction of her other finger.

The old couple sat in silence, watching their daughter and granddaughter race across the slopes.

That evening, after dinner, Phillip retired to his study to take a call from David, Lindsay's brother who lived in the States. His voice was quiet and strained, "...son, I wish you were here today...Lindsay...she..she ran. Its been over 20 years...I...I didn't think I'd see that again in this lifetime." Beads of tears rolled down his cheeks, staining the handwritten thank-you letter for the donors' family.

That's where your kidney has gone.

Disclaimer: Names have been changed for confidentiality reasons.

What boredom does to me

2008-04-13T07:35:00.004+08:00

So i spent my evening hunched over 3 chicken drumsticks, armed with forceps and needles, honing my suturing technique. Man was it challenging, mainly because chicken skin isn't meant to be sutured and also because my foreceps were the dodgy plastic sort which didn't hold too well.

Pig's trotter's next! (Why do I suspect suturing pig's trotters would be way healthier than eating them?)

Movie Review: Awake

2008-04-13T07:13:00.002+08:00

What do you do when you have been immobilized, lying on the cold hard surgical table, waiting to be spliced open for a heart transplant, and suddenly realize that you can still feel pain? He forced himself to focus on his beautiful newly-wed wife; her smiles, their happy moments. The pain becomes bearable.

What would you do then if the most horrific physical pain then becomes matched with the most unimaginable emotional pain? He discovered his surgeon was in cahoots with his wife to kill him for his money.

What would you do if the surgeon told you your 22 year old son, heir to a multi-billion dollar commercial behemoth, had rejected his new heart? She killed herself, so that he may live.

Countless reviews have whinged about the effort put in to keep awake while watching Awake (pun intended). But let us be fair. If you watched the movie expecting some fireworks-worthy romance between Alba and Christensen, you might be let down. Yet, against the backdrop of countless new releases revolving around boy-girl love, I didn't mind that one bit. This movie reminded me that the most powerful love need not always be that between husband and wife, or a girl and her man. But that a mother's love for her son could be just as unconditional and self-sacrificing, if not more.

Rating: 9/10

Easter @ Adelaide 2008

2008-04-07T17:06:00.022+08:00

The housemates plus Mel and I packed ourselves into Kel's new Honda Jazz (also known as 'Baby") and drove 750km Northwest to Adelaide last Friday. It was my first time on a 8.5 hr car ride and I surprised myself by not developing DVT (deep vein thrombosis).

We arrived at 11pm Adelaide time and checked into Glenelg Hostel where I discovered another reason why people spend their lives chasing after rectangular pieces of plastic with numbers printed on them - holidaying on a budget sounds hip and happening, but pretty much uncomfortable. For AUD25 a night, we slept in a room with 6 beds, 2 of which were occupied by male strangers. And there were 2 power points in the whole room. 2 POWERPOINTS! Did I mention there were 6 of us? Which meant 6 mobiles and 5 cameras to charge, not to mention the fact that hair-dryers aint battery operated yet. If anything, I was reminded of how fortunate I am for life God had me born into. He He could have had me spend my life dodging bullets, or scavenging for food as a gamin. But He didn't. Instead I worry about putting on weight, that occasional zit and whether I should study Neurology or watch a movie.

Its funny how we were reminded of His love for us, 2000 years after giving us His son.

Day 2

Visited Chinatown, which consisted of 1 short street. I was impressed that there were a few food courts there with a decent variety. Melbourne needs a few too!

I chanced upon CameraHouse and picked up a Sony Cybershot DSC-H3 there. It has since come to be known as 'Ashley'. Despite its small frame, this beauty packs quite a punch:

• 10x optical zoom (useful for spying on people/animals)
• 2.5" LCD screen
• Max shutter speed of 2000msec and aperture of 9.0

All this and more for AUD399. (It was AUD569 just 2 weeks ago)

Then we checked out the big big market:

Had an awesome lunch of Fish & Chips @ Fish out of water:

But we were greedy, so after lunch we...

Unfortunately, those were too small, so we found...

(Yea yea, we know who is the greediest now)

Evening was spent at Semaphore Beach where we watched the awesome sunset in the not-so-awesome cold.

Don't understand why some people act as though they've never seen the sunset before =p

Checked out a 70's-styled chic joint called Spatz which was about 5 mins from the city. Kel and I agreed that it looked way more whore-house than chic-joint, with red, blue and green lamps. The food was expensive and reeked with mediocrity. Yet the joint was packed. Says a lot about the nightlife scene in Adelaide.

Their dessert looked good though

Day 3

Drove for 1.5hrs to Barossa Wine Valley, one of the main attractions of South Australia, where we spent the day tasting wine, touring wine yards and of course, cam-whoring.

The Winery

Food Glorious Food!

After lunch (at 4pm) we had to decide democratically where to head to next...

Day 4

Woke at 4am and drove 1.5 hrs to the pier where we (car included) caught the ferry to Kangaroo Island.

View from the ferry

Talking about having one's nose in the air

Ma...where are we going?

Next stop: Sandboarding

After sandboarding and lunch, we rushed to see the Amazing Rocks

Day 5: Last day on Kangaroo Island

Looking for guidance on planning our itinery

As true Gastronomics, we let out stomachs decide and eventually found ourselves at the bee farm:

We arrived home on 26th March.

THE END.

Rumspringa

2008-02-17T05:56:00.004+08:00

Medical
In Amish tradition, adolescents go through a rite of passage at aged 16. Before they can be baptized and live contentedly in the Amish way for the rest of their lives, they first need to know the alternatives; premarital sex, drugs, alcohol, unleashing their inner fashionistas, skipping prayer sessions, using modern appliances etc. This period of experimentation is called 'Rumspringa', which literally translates into 'running around'.

Amish or not, we all have rites of passages in our own cultures.

The process of initiating 'med-lings' into the medical fraternity involves another form of Rumspringa - running around the wards with little supervision. This, like the Amish version, surely requires a leap of faith from the fraternity; the conviction that we have been sufficiently well trained such that in spite of having watchful eyes shut for a few moments, we would still turn out alright.

While patients have faith in doctors, doctors have even greater faith in doctors-to-be. I was in surgery the other day. A 'lap chole' (laparoscopic cholecystectomy or removal of the gallbladder via keyhole surgery). Having already witnessed one earlier that day, I was rather confident that I'd mastered the renowned mattress stitch which plastic surgeons use, just by watching once. The surgeon agreed. 2 stictches in and he decided to take over from me. If its any consolation at all, he did say my horizontal mattress stitch was 'beautiful'. What he didn't say was that it was pathetically slow and my handling of the instruments was spastic and clumsy. Hey, at least I put 2 stitches in a living, breathing person in my first week of clinicals!

Somehow, I'm not sure that patients would have as much faith in their doctors if they were aware of how much faith these guys had in doctors-to-be.

Personal
Had a delectable dinner on Valentine's day. Venue: Steakhouse @ Pier 35. Dress code: formal. Company: excellent =). I love Rumspringa. You would too!

Recently,I've watched quite a few movies. Here they are:

1) 27 dresses
Heigl was brilliant in this light comedy. Despite a thin-as-blotting-paper predictable-as-melbourne's-winter plot, i was sufficiently entertained in the 2 hrs to keep me from constantly checking my watch.

2) Elizabeth, the Golden Age
This epic story of the Queen would have been a royal flop if not for Cate Blanchette's screen presence. Wait, actually, it was a royal flop in the US. Bottomline: People like history movies, not history lessons!

3)P.S I Love You
If you can look past the cheesy title and Hilary Swank's previous screen credits in the Karate Kid and Boys Don't Cry, you might just discover her versatility and get treated to a poignant romantic comedy in which the male lead dies after the first 10 mins. Plot outline: Couple unhappily married, husband dies from brain tumor, wife realizes she loves him dearly, finds out that he's written a truckload full of letters and handed them to people around her before his death with instructions to deliver them to her at specific times, she obeys the commands in the letters, which takes her to old haunts for new experiences. She finally is able to let go.

4)Sweeney Todd
Did you know that Johnny Depp can sing?! He's got an incredibly sexy singing voice at that too! And that Helena Bonham Carter (also known as Mrs Tim Burton) slips right into the skin of his demented landlady who abets him in concealing his murderous tracks by making meat pies out of his victims. She too can sing a bird off its branch. Verdict: worth watching twice at least.

5)2 days in Paris
Crappiest romantic comedy I've ever seen. Resembled a home-made film. And its plot was...*drumroll*...to see if I could keep awake despite having had a long day. Verdict: Not recommended to anyone except masochists and insomniacs.

"Welcome to the first day of the rest of your lives"

2008-02-05T19:03:00.000+08:00

So its the start of clinical school. Togged out in our finest office garb to clothed the nakedness of our medical repertoire,we third year medical students infiltrated a number of teaching hospitals across Melbourne. All 266 of us.

Perhaps its a little early to blog about the transition from pre-clinicals to clinicals after just one day of being in the hospital environment; we did not even make it to the wards! That's been scheduled for next week. Yet the intensity of the third year curriculum and the immensity of the body of medical knowledge has begun to gnaw at me. The past 2 years ave been fairly structured; we attended lectures and tutorials and studied whatever was fed to us for the exams. This year, we're playing a different ballgame. With sparse lectures on our timetables (if any at all!) and tutorials becoming increasingly self-directed, the demarcations of what we need to know has become blurred. We're kicking the same ball on a new turf and by new rules that are being spelt out to us this week. Its intimidating yet simultaneously exhilarating.

Of all the lectures we have had today as part of the initiation process, one left an impression. The lecturer commenced his speech with "Welcome to the first day of the rest of your lives". Then i realized that this was the first day of the rest of my life.

Just watched: Sweeney Todd. Strongly recommended to anyone fan of blood, gore, hunks and babes who sing. (I personally found Johnny Depp's singing voice extremely sexy.)

Laughter, the best medicine

2007-11-06T11:46:00.000+08:00

When I was in a dilemma about whether to choose Monash Medical Centre or the Alfred hospital...

Becky:

Hey Josh! You've been to the Alfred right? What does the inside feel like?

Josh:

Becky, the Alfred is not a vagina.

Ramalama Bang Bang

2007-10-21T17:11:00.000+08:00

'...unzip my body take my heart out.'

That is exactly what the faculty has done to us poor year 2 meddies - turned us into report crunching ghouls with dark eye rings from the lack of horizontal time and pale from the lack of adequate nutrition and sunshine - all for completing the 5.5 billion assignments due last Friday.

At last it is done! We can enjoy the last week of school (by not going, of course) with a peace of mind.

Here's how I've been celebrating (apart from engaging in porcine-like activities):

So I think I can Dance

2007-10-14T10:39:00.000+08:00

Reflections

2007-10-01T19:32:00.000+08:00

I can, in blithe ignorance
Spew insipid judgments
at every chance; on matters I know nothing of
But I do not.
For I know some things are beyond my loft.
Do you?

Some you may call your friends
'Never shalt our friendship end'
Yet when darkness falls
It dims them all
And it is a stranger who holds out his hand.

I never really looked your way,
How then did you know me?
To know the cure was in green tea...

Nuggets of Wisdom

2007-01-29T15:54:00.000+08:00

This will be a post of quotes. Quotes from Tuesdays With Morrie by Mich Albom, a story about a dying college professor who, in his last days, acts as the bridge between life and death; sharing with us experiences from life's great journey, and telling us what to pack on the next.

Nugget of Wisdom no. 1

"What I'm doing now," he continued, his eyes still closed, "is detaching myself from the experience."

Detaching yourself?

"Yes. Detaching myself. And this is important - not just for someone like me, who is dying, but for someone like you, who is perfectly healthy. Learn to detach."

He opened his eyes. He exhaled. "You know what the Buddhists say? Don't cling to things, because everything is impermanent."

But wait, I said. Aren't you always talking about experiencing life? All the good emotions, all the bad ones?

"Yes."

Well, how can you do that if you're detached?

"Ah. You're thinking, Mitch. But detachment doesn't mean you don't let the experiences penetrate you. On the contrary, you let it penetrate you fully. That's how you are able to leave it."

Nugget of Wisdom no. 2

"Everyone knows they're going to die, but nobody believes it. If we did, we would do things differently."

So we kid ourselves about death, I said.

"Yes. but there's a better approach. To know you're going to die, and to be prepared for it at any time. That's better. That way you can actually be more involved in your life while you're living."

How can you ever be prepared to die?

"Do what the buddhists do. Every day, have a little bird on your shoulder that asks, 'Is today the day? Am I ready? Am I doing all I need to do? Am I being the person I want to be?'"

He turned his head to his shoulder as if the bird were there now.

"Is today the day I die?" he said.

Nugget of Wisdom no. 3

It is my unior year, 1978, when disco and Rocky movies are the cultural rage. We are in an unusual sociology class at Brandeis, something Morrie calls "Group Process." Each week we study the ways in which the student in the group interact with one another, how they respond to anger, jealousy, attention. We are human lab rats. More often than not, someone eneds up crying. I refer to it as the "touchy-feely" course. Morrie says I should be more open-minded.

On this day, Morrie says he has an exercise for us to try. We are to stand, facing away from our classmates, and fall backward, relying on another student to catch us. Most of us are uncomfortable with this, and we cannot let fo for more than a few inches before stopping ourselves. We laugh in embarrassment.

Finally, one student, a thin, quiet, dark-haired girl whom I notice almost always wears bulky white fisherman sweaters, crosses her arms over her chest, closes her eyes, leans back, and does not flinch, like one of those Lipton tea commercials where the model splashes into the pool.

For a moment, I am sure she is going to thump on the floor. At the last instant, her assigned partner grabs her head and shoulders and yanks her up harshly.

"Whoa!" several students yell. Some clap.

Morrie finally smiles.

"You see," he says to the girl, "you closed your eyes. That was the difference. Sometimes you cannot believe what you see, you have to believe what you feel. And if you are ever going to have other people trust you, you must feel that you can trust them, too - even when you're in the dark. Even when you're falling."

Ello! I tell u no pok...NO POK!

2007-01-25T00:10:00.000+08:00

Just for laughs

2007-01-23T00:51:00.000+08:00

I didn't realise it then, but this was a premonition of the quality of food to come.

Quite obviously, French aint in vogue here. The money's on 'French Toasted' next.

This is darn funny-ner.

I sure hope the Coke flavour beats strawberry.

2 New Toys Makes 1 Happy Girl

2007-01-21T20:03:00.000+08:00

15 days in KL and 300km later, I'm back on my sunny island. 40 malay words and 2 new toys richer.

Toy No. 1

Imagine the car pictured above in purple... May I present my sleek Proton Gen 2 powered by Campro engine and designed by Lotus, the European sports car manufacturer which Proton devoured.

With its stylish curves and quirky colour, this baby makes its parents proud. However, the step from the aesthetics platform to the comfort one is rather steep;
driving it gave me a taste of what it would be like operating a motor boat.

Toy No. 2

The Sony Walkman NW-S205F is an intelligent mp3 player with a built in pedometer and calorie counter. Designed to fit snugly into the palm for singly-handed operation, this little beauty rates high in aesthetics and practicality. Ideal for sports fanatics who recall clumsily fumbling with a (insert name of mp3 here...perhaps Zen Micro?) while on the treadmill. Not fun.

Did I mention that this is an mp3 player? MP3 mind you! Because I've been told it resembles the male apparatus. Or the substitute for it.

Yesterday, when I told a friend that I went to get a Sony Walkman, she exclaimed, "What?!? From an antique shop??"

Fortunately, whatever the NW-S205F lacked in creativity of nomenclature or the tragic resemblance it bears to the shaft, it more than makes up for in operation.

As of 9.15pm 21st Jan 2007, this proud owner has nothing but praise for the gizmo.

Discourse on the standard of English in SG

2006-12-26T22:10:00.000+08:00

I can still vividly recall an incident from transition camp in secondary school...

Come evening time, we lined up outside the toilet for our baths. Being the spoilt brat that I was, I refused to bathe in the cubicles they had cordoned off for us, preferring instead to wait for the handicapped toilet to be vacant. My classmates were less fussy, and as they streamed out of the cubicles, one of them passed me and asked:

Ha? Becca? U haven bath yet ah?
Classmate

This memory clings like fur to fabric because until then, I had not come across such atrocious grammer. Reacting without thinking, I replied:

It's 'bathe', not 'bath'.

She was affronted and ignored me for the rest of our stay in camp.

As if to top this experience, our principal addressed the school shortly after, saying something along the lines of:

I'm very happree today...because later got assembree.

Sadly, this is how the average Singaporean speaks. Comprehensible? Barely. Hilarious? Very.

Today, at a food court, I discovered a new type of meat.

Excuse me, what sort of meat is that?
*Caucasian tourist asks, pointing to a dish.*

Pok.
Hawker Lady

Pardon me?
*Caucasian tourist*

Pok! Pok! Pok! Pok!
*Hawker lady, very impatiently*

Mr. Caucasian appeared deep in thought for a while, before exclaiming:
Oh! You mean pork!?

Ya. Pok la!
*Hawker lady*

Thanks for tuning in to Comedy Central.

I recently chatted with Joshua after we returned from KL.

I is very happy wif my grades...u leh becky?
Josh

Ok lor.
Me

I really is very happy la...
Josh

Huh? You've spent a grand total of 3 days in KL and u come back speaking like that?
Me

Ya la. KL is a very retarding place.
Josh

Don't fucking have kids if you're screwed up.

2006-12-20T20:23:00.003+08:00

The golden rule of parenting:

Your kids are not your punching bags.
If you can't deal with your freaking negative emotions, please just jump off a building. Swallowing 20 tablets of Panadol would do the trick too, albeit with alot more suffering.

Children Will Listen

How do you say to your child in the night
Nothing is all black but then nothing is all white?
How do you say it will all be alright
When you know that it mightn’t be true?
What do you do?

Careful the things you say,
Children will listen.
Careful the things you do,
Children will see.
And learn.
Children may not obey,
But children will listen.
Children will look to you
For which way to turn,
To learn what to be.
Careful before you say,
Listen to me.
Children will listen.

Careful the wish you make,
Wishes are children.
Careful the path they take,
Wishes come true,
Not free.
Careful the spell you cast,
Not just on children.
Sometimes the spell may last
Past what you can see
And turn against you...

Careful the tale you tell.
That is the spell.
Children will listen...

How can you say to a child who’s in flight,
Don’t slip away and I won’t hold so tight?
What can you say that no matter how slight won’t be misunderstood?
What do you leave to your child when you’re dead
Only what ever you put in it’s head
Things that your mother and father had said
Which were left to them too.
Careful what you say, children will listen
Careful you do it too, children will see and learn.
Oh!

Guide them but step away,
Children will glisten.
Temper with what is true
And children will turn,
If just to be free.
Careful before you say,
Listen to me.
Children will listen...
Children will listen!
Children, children will listen

(End)

Looking @ you, I see where I inherited the fucked-up-ness from.

Kerf, I'm sorry for all the times I've hurt you.

The distance between heaven and hell.

2006-12-18T15:23:00.000+08:00

This novel has been a good companion as Dad drove the family 300km to KL. In it, a character asks 'What is the distance between heaven and hell in kilometres?'. My ans: ~300km.

I've never been so glad to be back on my sunny island.

I am a kite.

2006-12-07T14:09:00.000+08:00

I am a kite. This much I'm sure of. I used to think I was a lucky kite with no strings attached. I thought I was free to fly. Today I'm no longer sure of this.

My passivity in testing the limits all these years had me lulled into believing that I was not controlled by strings. After last night, I realised there is a ROPE attached to this kite.

What happens when you try to cage a sparrow?

What is the half life of alcohol?

2006-12-07T11:43:00.000+08:00

I asked Josh this question last night. Still feeling stupid for doing so. What I really wanted to know was how long it would take for the alcohol in Hooch (250ml, 5% alcohol) to be metabolised, so I would know how long I would have to stay in the pub before driving home.

Too bad I didn't get the answer I was looking for, so I didn't dare drink (I've since checked my PCL notes and found that 1-2 standard drinks will be metabolised in 2-3hrs.)

A few hrs later, I found myself lost driving along Bedok Reservior Road. Haha, missed the turn into Eunos Link. The reservoir looked creepy at 3am. It didn't help that I grew up reading Russel Lee ghost stories about drivers feeling as though they've run over something in the wee hours of the morning and getting out of their cars to find a boy under their cars offering them his intestines. Urgh.

Just for laughs

2006-11-30T10:29:00.000+08:00

Need revision for Neuroscience?

2006-11-26T16:55:00.000+08:00

What do you want to be when you grow up?

2006-11-25T11:15:00.000+08:00

"Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief,

Rich man, Poor man, Beggar man, Thief!

Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief,
Rich man, Poor man, Beggar man, Thief!"

What do you want to be when you grow up?

The A-levels have just ended for most and the time has come to give serious thought to this question. Perhaps you might be unwilling to force yourself to choose, after having to do so in MCQ after MCQ. But let me just say that having to answer this question is a blessing - it represents that degree of certainty in our lives that allows us to plan for the future. But then again, planning for the future gives us expectations, which oil the slope called disappointment.

Amongst the meddies in Melbourne, our discussion of this question takes on another form; "What do you plan to specialise in?". Our answers always brim with hope and promise. Yet, since coming back to my sunny island 5 days ago, I've had 3 people answer the former with caution that conceals any modicum of hope they might have once had. You know how we have a PSI index to measure the severity of the haze here? If we had the same index to measure the miasma of despair amongst young Singaporeans, it would have to be in log-scale. And if I got a dollar coin every time I hear someone say 'fat hope' or 'better don't hope', I'm convinced my tax contributions would be astronomical.

Perhaps one day, the guys at Oxford might just add the word 'Singapore' to their dictionary as a synonym of 'Excellence'. Looking around the island, its not difficult to see a nexus between the two; our airport boasts over 250 awards of excellence in 25 years, our government is amongst the least corrupt and most efficient in the world, and our nascent Biopolis has been creeping onto the world map by virtue of pockets of scientific breakthroughs. The price we have had to pay for these achievements is high - our obsession with excellence has given birth to an education system which has pushed generation after generation of Singaporeans to breaking point. This is a system which is architected to sift out the elite, at the expense of the rest.

Do the ends justify the means?

What I've been studying lately.

2006-10-29T11:07:00.000+08:00

Deliberative model of the Physician-Patient Interaction

A rich tai-tai (picture Rosie from Phua Chu Kang) strolls into The Beautiful Life clinic...

Dr Chong
So, tell me what you don't like about yourself?

Patient
My boobs. I'd like to upsize them to F-cup

Dr Chong
Erm, I don't think F-cup would suit you. I'd recommend Jessica Alba-cup.

Patient
Dun want la...I want F-cup.

Dr Chong
Why F-cup?

Patient
The bigger the better mah. Then I got the right to wear low-cut tops, like Pamela Anderson. *Winks at doctor*

Dr Chong
Actually, that isn't the right value to have. Don't you think that exaggerated size is aesthetically repulsive? I think so. You are not going to have anything other than Jessica Alba-cup.

This is how the Deliberative model can turn into the Paternalistic model.

Paternalistic model of the Physician-Patient Interaction

Patient
Give me a few good reasons why I should get that vaccine.

Dr Chong *To the nurse*
Grab him and hold him down. *Forcibly jabs patient*

Dr Chong *Wags index finger at patient*
You'll thank me one day.

Movie Review: Step Up 2006

2006-10-25T14:09:00.000+08:00

Storyline: 3/10
Acting: 7/10
Dancing: 9/10

Overall rating: you do the math. mine sux.

Monday squandered. Tuesday wasted. I really should be studying, but my values have changed ever since that converstation with Kerfern. I want to seize every opportunity to hang out with people I'll miss for the next 2 yrs. I don't want to leave this place with regrets. But how do I balance living and mugging?

Dinner last night was yummy! Pasta, with extra sugar. I was touched that the chef, who dislikes sugar, added more in after remembering that I like my pasta sweet. Haha! Other than crazy 24 hr shifts, I now have diabetes to look forward to as well.

Reflections II

2006-10-20T20:19:00.000+08:00

Lasts

Last. Duration. End. The last day of school. Memories that will last a lifetime. I prefer to use the word as a verb. But...

There have been so many 'lasts' (noun) this week. Each one more tear-inducing than the last; the last lecture of the year, the last PCL, the last anatomy dissection. I'm tempted to wish that this year would never end, but the smart-alec part of me once told John that things are enjoyed best when there is a fixed amount of time alloted to them. (Like you wouldn't want to be 21 forever right?) Eternal life is the worst curse.

Having said that, I still feel profoundly sad that the academic year has ended. 2006 has been a year of tremendous growth, induced by great transition. It is the year I learnt to live, and to let live. God has been kind to me.

Let the tears rain down from heaven,
that they may ease the pain.
No memories shall be forsaken.
Nothing is in vain.

Reflections

2006-10-12T18:13:00.000+08:00

Have I stopped to smell the flowers on the way home?
Have I told people around me how much I appreciate their being there?
Have I made a friend smile today?
Did I thank God for everything he has given me today?
Did I help someone in need?
Can I say I have lived this day without regrets?

The answer to most of the questions is 'no'.

What's holding me back?

Rojak

2006-10-11T19:40:00.000+08:00

Sorry for the blogging hiatus! The past month and a half has been such a blast; there have been so many things going on in my life that if I wrote a post on any of them, it would have been doing injustice to the rest.

However, feedback from my dear readers has made the above stated reason appear invalid. So here's a brief history of the past 1.5 months (expect a patchy fill of the lacuna!):

Been Hanging out wif the other 2 musketeers

Kerfern & Kary
These are the reasons why I dun wanna go back to M'sia next yr. No one has changed me more than the person on the left, and no one knows me better than the babe on the right.

KARY's 19th BIRTHDAY

19 stars bearing birthday wishes from 19 friends. While I was folding them, I thanked God she was only 19. I'm not too sure I would have succeeded making 91 stars!

Kerfern, Ken and I surprised her at her house on 4th October with a cake Kerf had spent the entire night baking (12am to 6am leh!). I was so touched, even tho it wasn't for me.

Med Ball (which I didn't turn up for...yes, I've kicked myself for it already.)

Ling, John & Mel. More reasons why I dun wanna go back to M'sia next year.

Jon, Kerf & Josh.

Josh. My dear brother Josh. Not having this great study buddy next year is akin to losing a limb. I'm gonna miss his scintillating wit, his kwai-lan-ness, his teases and his brotherly love. Brother, I promise to blanjah you at KL ZOUK next year.

Nostalgia

2006-08-18T22:46:00.000+08:00

The story of life

I have often heard many a praise,
of a place in the clouds, covered in haze.
Heaven its called, a beautiful name-
A realm in which our Lord God reigns.
Its grandeur I’m told is surpassed by none,
with verdant fields, sparkling in the sun.

With flowers clad in brilliant red,
lying row after row, bed after bed.
With birds so pure, so innocent, so sweet
Devoid of vile, of anger, or greed.
God lived in harmony with his surroundings
But slowly and stealthily, lonliness crept in.

Perhaps he soon grew weary of peace,
It was then he knew, something was amiss.
God wanted someone that could converse with him,
Thus, he created the human being.
Adam came first, followed by Eve,
For one without the other simply cannot live.

Next He created the Garden of Eden,
But in it lay hidden, Satan the Serpent.
Satan was jealous of God’s new creation.
He plotted to orchestrate their perdition.
By sowing his seeds of evil in them,
The beginning it was, of their end.

From the moment Eve bit,
The apple laced with misdeed,
It contaminated her tongue, body and soul.
She became too filthy for Eden to behold.

God then decided that they had to go,
For good from evil they did not know.
Stepping into the world they had to learn,
To experience every emotion before they return.
By climbing and falling time and again,
They became adroit at playing life’s games.

The world was not a pleasant place,
Though it seemed so on the surface.
But God was with them night and day,
A guiding star, lighting the way.
In times of hardship and despair,
the Lord God was always there.

The journey of life was hard and long
Often they felt they couldn’t hand on.
Yet memories of Eden remained vivid and strong,
Knowing one day, their sufferings would be gone.
With gritted teeth and heads held high, hand in hand they walked-
Towards the end.

Rural Week: Part 1

2006-08-04T15:26:00.000+08:00

In the week commencing 30th July to 4th August, I was squatting out in the Australian bushland. More specifically, out in Rawson, Gippsland. Cool? No. COLD. Someone googled the average winter temperature for the area and found the figure 15 deg. cel. The actual temperature was around 1.5.

Rural week was actually quite a bit better than I had expected. Although we were packed 3 to a room, I have no complaints for my room mates were the funniest people I had ever met! I don't remember laughing more in my life than I have this week. Every night, we would gather for discussions on a range of topics ranging from the Isreal war to relationships. It may sound mundane, but its anything but mundane when you put Hyacintha and Shahara in the same room. Here are some excerpts:

No. 1
I can't believe there are more cows than humans in this place!
(Shahara)

Precisely! I feel so conned! City of Rawson. City of Moe. City of Tralgon. Do they even understand what the word 'city' means? I'll show them what a city is. They call this a city? I say its SHITTY!
(Hyacintha)

No. 2
On Monday night...

I can't wait! We've got 3 nights to go before we get back to civilisation. (Hyacintha)

Huh? You forgot to count Thursday night.
(Me)

Oh that's not counted coz I don't plan to sleep on thursday night. I want to stay up to look at my watch and count down the number of hours till 2pm. friday!
(Hyacintha)

On Thursday night...

What if the staff suddenly tell us that we've got to stay the weekend coz the bus isn't working?
(Me)

I don't care. I'll get on a cow and ride home.
(Shahara)

*Laughing* What about your luggage?
(Hyacintha)

Easy! I'll put it on another cow...it doesn't matter. I'm going home. (Shahara)

No. 3

There are f**king blood stains on my quilt.
(Hyacintha)

Erm, this is a honeymoon destination and yours is a double bed...*Hyacintha tries to kick me* So what's the differential? Could it be a**l sex?
(Me)

Some time later, we find ourselves discussing married men having affairs outside...

All it takes is for another women to open her legs.
(Hyacintha imitating her granny)

*Groans*
(All)

Yes, she can say it so matter-of-factly and then just walk off.
(Hyacintha)

Thank You gals for making the week so bearable for me! U've turned a *&^%$##$%^ rural week into a memory worth cherishing.

Summary ratings for Rural Week:
Food: 5.6/10
Activities: 6/10
Living conditions: 8/10 (considering its rural, of coz)
Company: 20/10

Picture time!

Ben's 2nd childhood.

They are the reason I survived rural week. Sue Wern, John, Kary, Hyacintha.

Honeymoon pic of Kary and Daniel.

The meddies trying out wheelchairs.

Beautiful scenery of Rawson.

These people turned hell into heaven. Kary & Hyacintha.

How reliable is this?

2006-07-09T20:37:00.000+08:00

I opened one of the rare emails from Jeff and found a test from Tickle.com. Here's the result:

When it comes to love or money, you're a Hopeless Romantic

The Love or Money Test

Brought to you by Tickle

Superman Returns

2006-07-01T15:33:00.000+08:00

Fridays are Dad's bachelor's nite out. Fortunately, I was saved from a lonely evening at home by XC who watched Superman Returns with me. (Thanks to the kind soul)

Movie Review

A groovy, hunky, Superman (Brandon Routh, 10/10 stars) returns to earth after a 5 yr search for Krypton proves futile. He's welcomed back by some heart-breaking news: His beloved Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth, hotter than Katong Laksa) has a son and is about to be married to a certain Richard (also rather handsome, 8/10 stars).

On a nondescript ship not too far away, the sinister Lex Luther (Kevin Spacey) is plotting to destroy the world with his newfound knowledge -the magical crystals he nicked off Superman's little island can:
1. Grow land when mixed with water (like Seamonkeys)
2. Inherit the properties of its neighbouring materials

The plan: to grow a continent made of Kryptonite which would displace the Americas. On this land, Superman would be powerless (possibly due to an anaphylactic reaction to Kryptonite).

Things to look out for:

1.The one and only romantic scene between Superman and Lois occurs quite early in the movie when he takes her for a spin at night (in the air of course).

2.While a prisoner on his ship, Lois incurs Luther's wrath and he tries to kill her. Her son, Jason, saves her by sliding a grand piano across the hall, killing one of Luther's men.

3.The scene where Superman is in the ER and is eventually pronounced dead.

Rating time:
Acting:
Superman (8/10)
In my opinion, the role of Superman hardly involves any acting. The job requirement probably reads: Blessed in the aesthetics department, full stop.

Lois Lane (9/10)
Kate Bosworth pulled it off decently. However, in many scenes, she came across as a stressed up housewife, rather than as the high-flying, Pulitzer-Prize awardee.

Lex Luther (9.9/10)
The 0.1 pt was taken off because only Dr. House deserves it. Other than that, he was the perfect villian.

Script: 8.5/10
1 pt deducted for Superman's bland dialogue. When Lois asked him if she would see him around, he replied, "I'm always around. Goodnight Lois." This was repeated twice. I half wished him to sound like Dr. House, but then it wouldn't be romantic right? The other 0.5 pt was deducted because I didn't feel the movie deserved it.

Overall Rating: 8.85/10

Living it up

2006-06-28T08:54:00.000+08:00

So its the hols now. (this statement is supposed to explain why I've not been blogging too frequently) I'm back on my little island, enjoying the heavenly food, taking advantage of the Great Singapore Sale, cursing the weather and nursing a drippy nose. In between all these, I've also been trying to get in touch with my old friends who have so rudely ignored me due to their impending exams. (U're not forgiven, U hear me!)

Luckily, yesterday I found some people who weren't bogged down with exams. (Enter the Monash Meddies) We met up for dim sum buffet lunch at Harbour Front, bickered about what to do after that, toured the island in Joshua's yellow Mazda which just screams 'PLAYBOY', and eventually ended up cycling the afternoon away at ECP.

An excerpt from our outing:

Ling: Eh Josh, did I leave anything in your car?
Josh: Err, you don't seem to have your brain with you...

(Joshua paid the ultimate tribute to Dr. House with this statement.)

Here r some pics for my dear readers to enjoy =)

Say hello to Josh's doggie Cysqo (pronounced CISCO), one of the most obedient dogs I've met.

Josh dared Ling to destroy this pretty thing for S$50. That's so him to want to ruin something beautiful. When he found out I was from CHIJ, he remarked, "Yea I'm familiar with CHIJ gals...I pass them to my St Pats friends when I'm done with them." What an A**.

Don't ask me why Kel is looking at John so lovingly. Thu Huong, you've got competition. Hang on tight!

Josh actually looks pretty here. The next time he complains about the dearth of chio bu-s, I shall ask him to take a look in the mirror.

Where has the attention-seeking John I know disappeared to? I didn't realise modesty was in fashion...

Ling, your right to complain about this photo has been waived when you stopped me from taking a nice one of you in the restaurant. (She did look so glamerous in the lunch outfit)

Dinner was eaten at the Laguna hawker centre. We had the good fortune of Thu Huong's company (John's gf), who lit up our evening with her cheerful personality. Thanks for coming all the way from Tuas!

Let's spin in this whirlwind!

2006-05-21T15:50:00.000+08:00

We've just completed a whole week of microbiology lectures given by a certain female lecturer who is a doctor-hater. She's pretty freaky, yelling at us not to ignore a fever, and imitating a poor gal who had a bad throat by coughing into the mic.

This comimg week is Immunology week. My favourite topic! At least it was, until I reached the 'Different structures of antibodies' in my prereading. Felt like being whacked across the head while reading that bit.

Living with a Death Sentence

2006-05-15T17:04:00.000+08:00

Despite how The Australian has been lambasting Monash's new medical course over the last 2 weeks, there r still aspects of the course which others can't match up to. Once such facet is our fortnightly stakeholder tutorials, where a member(s) of the public come in to give us a talk about something, be it asbestos-induced lung cancer, recounting a gang rape, discussing abortions, and most recently, HIV.

In our stakeholder tutorial today, 3 HIV positive people came in to talk to us about living with the disease, how they were infected, and the treatment they are currently undergoing. 2 of them were gay men while the third was a heterosexual lady who had been infected by her ex-boyfriend.

The whole talk was so poignant, that it radically changed my view of HIV positive people. I admit that previously, in some shadowed region of my consciousness, I discriminated against such people, albeit not outwardly. Something in me always went 'Bleah...I'd never get it, why should I care?' I've since learnt that this is the acme of complacency. That lady who spoke to us NEVER went out to get HIV, nor did she ever dream of getting it. Life bit her in the butt somehow.

Its not fair.

Oh yea, I miss Singapore

2006-05-07T18:35:00.000+08:00

I miss watching the sunset over dinner at East Coast Park.

The end of poverty

2006-05-07T17:23:00.000+08:00

Been reading this book the past week...not nearly done yet. Its the brainchild of a renowned economist, Jeffery Sachs, who is adviser to a certain Mr Kofi Annan of the UN. Its interesting the way he presents himself as an unconventional doctor; one who heals diseased economies. Its even more heartwarming to know that there's a solution to eradicate poverty in this world.

Everytime I go shopping at Clayton town and see the loaves upon loaves of bread, piled from floor to ceiling, which are about to expire in 24 hrs, I feel like a stinking bourgeois shitbag; an accomplice in a genocide perpetuated by our the developed world's indifference. As Bono put it:

"Fifteen thousand people dying needlessly every day from AIDS, TB, and malaria...This is Africa's crisis. That it's not on on the nightly news, that we do not treat this as an emergency -that's our crisis."

Perhaps some may extinguish their guilt by telling themselves that it is by no fault of theirs that a whole continent is in flames; they did nothing to light the fire. This may make them feel better, if their moral framework decrees that an act is different from an omission. On night I forget to leave the heater on when I retire, I wake up with cold blood coursing through my veins and I feel the same. Indeed, it makes me feel better, and I'm free to spend my day worrying about what to wear to uni, what to have for lunch, that my hair is being messed up by the strong wind etc. Tucker Max once said that he hoped they served beer in hell. Well, I hope they serve bubble tea in hell. I, and you, yes you, may well be heading there by virtue of our callous omission.

And we all made Merry...

2006-04-29T14:36:00.000+08:00

Fridays. Statistically, this is the day when the population's mortality rate decreases. No prizes for guessing why. Its also my favourite day. And Jasmine's birthday.

Come 6pm, the S'pore meddies trooped into Robert's Hall for a feast of Chicken Rice, courtesy of MJ/Kerf etc. Jasmine should feel damn honoured lor! I like Apollo Char Kway Tiao k? (Hint: My birthday's on 11th July) *wink wink*

After the feast, we were consumed with pangs of guilt, and headed for badminton to work it all out.

I would have blogged on thursday, had there not been a traffic accident which cut of all the power supply in the area. Hohoho, and I didn't have a torchlight. Oh well, went to sleep at 7pm. 7PM! Speaking of deprivation...and I wasn't even granted the simple wish of a good night's sleep, for at 8.30pm, I was awoken by the fire alarm. It had me running out of the building in pitch darkness and greeted with the sight of 2 fire engines, only to be informed at 9pm that a ^%£$%^&* b******(s) released a bottle of fire extinguisher into the stairway, triggering off the alarm.

I seriously thought I was gonna die in some explosion and my family wouldn't even have a body to take back. At that moment, I realised that I wasn't ready to die yet. I'll also probably never have the courage to risk my life and join MSF (aka Doctor's Without Borders) so serve humanity. What a rude awakening X 2.

Nightmares

I had a nightmare on Wednesday night. Dreamt that I was getting back my exam results which were graded out of 10 (10 being the best). Ended up with:
1.6 for Higher Chinese
<5 for Math
6 for C.Lit

*Shakes fist at heaven, yelling, "How many times do you want to traumatise a girl in a week???"

1st Hospital Visit

2006-04-26T17:50:00.000+08:00

Bused over to D. Hospital today. Decked out in a pant-suit I suspect I was overdressed, considering the docs weren't nearly as formally clad. Well, I didn't bring my ID card, and suddenly I remembered 'Catch Me if You Can', where Leo pulls off pretending to be a doctor despite not having attended med sch just by acting professional, which inspired me to put on the full pant-suit upon alighting the bus.

Got to interview 2 patients. Bumper harvest! The 1st was an Aborigine who had had his appendix removed the night before. The other was a 60+ yr old white male who suffered from hypertension/osteoarthritis/menier's/cancerous tumor in colon. I won't go into details on the condition(s), but is was pretty fun. And tiring. Especially because I was in those 'power shoes' which are freaking high.

On another note, there's something I can't get out of my head! On Monday night, after badminton, YH/John/Ling/Kel and I trooped toward Mess Hall for dinner, during which our conversation turned to the movie 'Memoirs of a Geisha'. YH made a sublimely interesting observation (I always knew he was a science person!): It seems that whichever movie Zhang Ziyi stars in, she gets screwed like hell. It happaned in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and again in House of Flying Daggers. Now in the Geisha movie too. wth? She's undeniably good at it, I must say. *Some raunchy scenes from House of Flying Daggers flashes across my mind*

City...the place to be

2006-04-22T15:07:00.000+08:00

Remember the story of Town mouse and Country mouse? Well, I've figured out that I can relate better to the Town mouse. Having spent a large part of my youth in the city, I longed to get away to the countryside and live life in oblivion. In Perth, I got my wish, and quickly realised that it wasn't all that chimerical after all.

To cut a long story short: I went to the city today (2nd time since I've arrived in melbourne) to meet up wif Fong Chin and her family. Had lunch at a little pizza + pasta place. Was too full to do myself justice by having dessert at the ice-cream parlour.

Found out that my cousin had a chiongster girlfriend. Cracked me up.

Came back to the little surburb of Clayton only to find that the S'pore meddies were meeting for dinner at Monash Pizza. Damnit! Went along anyway. Ended up eating placenta-looking sweet&sour chicken from the dodgy chinese restaurant next door.

Returned home to chat with mom and watch TVB!

Currently watching: War and Beauty. I seriously think that this show should have been named Warring Beauties. Its about these few concubines in the palace bitching for the emperor's favour. Unbelievable. I'm beginning to appreciate the 21st century more.

Exams over. 5% Doctor!

2006-04-21T16:54:00.000+08:00

Had my first med exam today. Well, its not really an exam, considering that its worth a mere 5%. Shh, don't let other faculties know we actually studied for this! It was pretty good. Yay, won't get kicked out!

Another piece of good news: NUS DENTISTRY SHORTLISTED ME FOR INTERVIEW! Don't know why but I'm so thrilled, even though I probably won't even turn up. I mean, come on, Med is all I've wanted in this life and probably the next, and now that I'm FINALLY in, I'm not about to give it up so easily!

But then again, during a particularly boring sociology tutorial yesterday, I had one of my usual out-of-body experience while being enlightened by the tutor (put simply, I was daydreaming). No prizes for guessing what I was dreaming about; I suddenly thought about what life would be like had I applied for dentistry at UWA. Yes, I'd be with my beloved family, enjoying mom's sometimes-nice-sometimes-not-so-nice cooking, fighting with Jon over that last chicken wing, playing Need For Speed with him on X-box...oh, dreams. Then I thought about the 2 million a yr after tax income of a dentist, the 9-5 working hours, the shorter journey to specialist training, and, for a split second, and intoxicated as I was, I actually wished I was doing dentistry at UWA. And when I get home, surprise surprise: Mom's asking if I regretted not doing dent, and Dad tells me about the offer. Was that ESP or what?

Its great to feel so wanted once in a while.

Currently reading: Hope in hell: Inside the world of doctors without borders. Its a pretty good book, though a tad too dry at times. I wished the author had included more short stories focussing on particular volunteers. Abit too explicit at times, especially when discribing the Rwandan genocide. Not for those with a weak constitution.

1st GP site visit

2006-04-07T18:44:00.000+08:00

I've been through alot of 'firsts' since arriving in melbourne. So for the record, here's another one.

Today's GP visit went smoothly. I was expecting to see a run down old shophouse-like-clinic, yet was greeted with a very pleasant old cottage that had been refurbished (complete with parquet flooring etc). The interior was very homely, not at all like a conventional clinic.

I got to see around 11 patients today. Literally, as I wasn't allowed to interview them. Of the lot, only 1 belonged to the normal weight bracket. Another was slightly overweight. The rest were massive. In the olden days, men fought bloody wars to expand their countries. Today, we've gotta fight fatty wars to shrink ours.

3 of the patients had depression. Bolded so it doesn't come across too nonchalantly. Its a terrible condition to have, especially given our current treatment options which, by the way, do FAR more harm than good. But that is another story.

I also found out my GP did acupuncture! Its an eye opener, really, to find that the Australian healthcare system is so open to alternative treatments. And we Singaporeans fondly call our little country 'the island where East meets West'. We are fooling ourselves. Especially when oriental medicine and western medicine in Singapore are not encouraged to meet. Western medicine will always be gao gao zai shang (far superior) and oriental medicine lian shi dou bu ru (not even worth a shit), given the way things are in Singapore; our healthcare saystem and laws do not protect TCM physicians, they are poorly paid, not highly respected etc.

'Growing old is inevitable. Growing up is optional'

2006-04-04T16:22:00.000+08:00

Wise words from an angmoh in my tute. Sort of explains why the kids here in uni are so childish. *Throws arms up in air*

Had a formative exam today. I personally found the questions quite crappy! Like 'What are the most important risk factors and protective factors of Mary's drinking problem'. Thinking along biomedical lines, I wrote something like RISK FACTOR: LIVER CIRRHOSIS. PROTECTIVE FACTOR: REDUCED RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. You will never guess how smart I felt writing that, especially the latter part. To my horror, the answer was RISK FACTORS: BREAKDOWN OF MARRIAGE, LOSS OF DRIVER'S LICENSE. PROTECTIVE FACTORS: FAMILY SUPPORT, BEING EMPLOYED. WTH?

Learnt something else recently: In Roman law, a person's ability to testify was intimately linked with the possession of testes! This was because he was swearing upon is testes, which would be crushed if he lied.

8cmX10cmX10cm is the number I DON'T WANNA HEAR!

2006-04-03T12:49:00.000+08:00

Just had a sandwich, oops, 2 sandwiches actually, for lunch. Total volume 8cmX10cmX10cm.

Did anyone say I'm a small eater...?

We're having a formative (ie. practice) exam tomorrow. Studying sucks when you don't know what to study.

Singhealth Seduction

2006-04-02T08:50:00.000+08:00

Perhaps its just me, or did anyone else feel seduced to join SingHealth?

Here's the story:

Friday evening 6pm. The Singapore Monash Mob trudges wearily into Lecture Theatre 3 of Unimelb, wet, cold and hungry. Then suddenly, a video of spanking new hospitals (INCENTIVE 1), handsome young doctors(INCENTIVE 2a)and pretty nurses (INCENTIVE 2b), flashes on and we're treated to eye candy for the next 20 mins.

Learnt some interesting stuff, like doctors who train in a popular speciality get S$1000 ripped off their already miserly paycheck, and doctors who train in an unpopular speciality get an extra S$1000 (which brings their paycheck 1mm closer to being 'decent').

Starting pay of HOs wasn't new to me, only God knows why I kept staring at the S$3000 figure, instead of looking at the Consultant's pay! Apparently its 10+k for a consultant, which VERY LUCIDLY explains why doctors flock to private practice! Yes, yes. Medicine isn't all about $$$. But after going through 5 years of medical school, and another 6-10 years of speciality training where you work 30-50 hr shifts and get paid pittance, $10k is just not sufficient compensation. Its like buying our youth at flea-market prices. And all this discussion if for people who actually GET TO SPECIALISE.

What about the HAVE NOTS? Well, they probably get to enjoy the sweetness of paying back their study loans over a far longer period:

NUS med school fees: S$17.5k/annum.
X5 = S$87.5k

1 year salary as a HO: S$36k
1 year salary as a MO: approx S$54k.

How long will a doc take to repay his/her loans? You do the math. Oh, and by the way, a foreign trained doctor has loans of up to S$500k.

In view of all this, what with the rush to go back? My Chem teacher was wrong when she said that metallic bonding was the strongest of all. I've come to realise that family ties were far stronger.

Nobel Prize, anyone?

Any med wannabes out there?

2006-03-29T13:30:00.000+08:00

Damn...took a bus to the GP today...decided to call before I arrived only to find that they were closing! Wasted $2.40 and 1.5 hrs. They could have told me earlier if they picked up the phone yesterday!

Medicine really isn't all fun and drama. It only looks good on medical dramas like Healing Hands, where the doctors drive Maserati spiders, BMWs and Mercedes, and live in too-good-to-be-true condos. Or on Nip and Tuck, where the docs live in luxury, drive nice cars, and screw around. Right now, medicine for me means trying to figure out how chromosomal disorders work and getting Mendel's Laws into my oh-so-impermeable head. It also involves summoning all my willpower to drag myself out of bed at 7.20am, and hopping around my room trying to eat my breakfast and get my jeans on simultaneously (yes, I suspect multitasking is part of our med training) and sprinting into the lecture theatre at 8.05am, only to be poisoned by an overdose of sociology by 10am.

But, and I mean BUT, I'm NOT REGRETTING IT. I don't think I'd be enjoying Law any more than this.

To all med wannabes out there: Med's not what it seems...Though it CAN be wicked fun AT TIMES (not all the time).

PCL - Breast Cancer

2006-03-20T16:13:00.000+08:00

At Monash, we've something called Patient Centered Learning (PCL), which is very much juz a mutation of the Problem Based Learning (PBL) used widely today. So basically, every week we get together in our little groups with a tutor to discuss a problem.

The topic this week was Hereditary Breast Cancer and we were given a short story to read, about a certain female (Jenny) whose mom and aunt had the said condition and who was paranoid about getting it too. Then we began discussing the treatment options. Apparently, the main form of treatment is mastectomy, or removal of the breast. After this procedure, the patient has 90% less chance of having the cancer recur. This is where it starts to get interesting.

The tutor suggested that Jenny should have her breasts removed in order to dramatically reduce the risk of getting breast cancer. WHAT THE HELL??? Aren't people afraid of getting breast cancer because they stand to lose their breasts? And now we're talking about losing their breast to prevent cancer! Oh well, being shocked frequently is part and parcel of the journey thru med school.

Yes, Let's shoot those MCPs

2006-03-13T15:18:00.000+08:00

The S'pore med gang went shopping last friday. In a little chinese shop in Clayton, we spotted this cute little piggy-bank, shaped like a pig, with the words 'DOCTOR' on it. Since Ling's b'dae was coming up, I contemplated buying it when a S'porean med guy said:

Mr D Why not get the one which says 'NURSE'?

Me Huh? Are you suggesting Ling will never finish med?

Mr D What? Female doctor...Nurse...same thing mah!

Me You *^$)*( MCP

We managed to stop antagonising each other during the rest of the shopping trip. Until we got back to campus.

Mr D I strongly feel that women should just stay at home and make babies. That's what I expect my wife to do.

Me Wow. That's real generousity.

Mr D What

Me I mean, you'll be working 36 hr shifts right? So she'll be making babies with every other guy but you! Isn't that generous of you?

Mr D
*Mumbles under breath*