1st Anniversary

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

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

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

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

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?

"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:

1. "The problem is not with me, it's with YOU"
2. "Why are you acting like such a jerk/bitch?"
3. "I can't understand what's going on in that head of yours!?"
4. "Why can't you be more normal? Like me..."
5. "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

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?