yay

i was abit of a crazy spendthrift today.

i bought a new blue strippy top.
trimmed my hair.
went to norwood in the evening - got myself a witchery top that i actually saw 2 weeks ago but was too expensive then to buy it. and now its 40bucks off! so i felt that i had to.
oh, and a new adidas sports bra.

and i made a mean dish today! lamb kebabs!! it tasted really good. except the funny thing was.. I forgot we had no bamboo skewers at home, so I had to use toothpicks.

there were AT MOST 2 cubes of meat on each toothpick. it looked like a kid's meal. but it tasted yummililousssss! i think garlic and herbs make most things taste good. oh. add lemon to that list.

i'm not sure if i am looking forward to saturday.
vic made it sound like there is 'something' going on.

hmm i guess i will just wait and see.
at least martini is stuck with me!!!

la clique!

(click on picture for link to laclique's website!)

It's been a really long time since I've watched a fringe performance. The last one was some jazz concert back in 1st year - exactly four years ago can you believe it? This time around, we settled on la clique, after hearing rather eccentric rumours about it.

"This woman can play a flute with her vagina!!"

I guessed we were really curious!

I don't know why but alot of people thought it was an erotic/sexual type of performance. I found it simply hilarious and light hearted most of the time - with some sexual connotations scattered here and there for comic relief. BUT the 'demin guy' which you can see on the ads at many of the bus stops around town.. he was so skillful and smooth! Only one word of advice: do not sit in the first row unless you are prepared to get splashed by water.

Other than that, I really did enjoy myself. Or.. maybe I'm a simpleton who's easily amused.

And that lady, she could play a WHISTLE with her v-jay-jay, not a damn flute. The boys were so disappointed.

please rain.. just a teeny bit?

It's hot hot hot! The walk home was like an instantaneous suntanning session. Very annoying. I had sunblock cream in my bag, but taking into account the fact that it takes 20minutes to kick in I decided to just increase my risk of skin cancer.

Today's common program was on O&G. Screening for ovarian cancer (nonexistent unless you count CA-125), cervical cancer (vaccine and pap smears) as well as breast cancer (mammogram) My level of interest declined as the afternoon went by. Kept myself awake by doodling on my friend's notepad.

Oh I think I need to email the coordinator for the rural GP program. Everyone else I know that is going for rural GP has gotten their letter. BUT I HAVE YET TO SEE ANYTHING! this worries me. a great deal. maybe they forgot about me. boo hoo.

Alrighty. One last day of Cardio! Before the weekend. Which reminds me, should I go in on Sunday to get my patient for the writeup? Or is that way too eager? Shall play it by ear. Hopefully I can get a patient tomorrow or something.

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On a totally random note:

I think I need to do some self-evaluation soon. I can't stand myself sometimes!
Extremely good at procrastinating tasks at hand, Not putting in my 100% in rotations, Not particularly giving and generous to others, Tendency to see the worse side of things.

I've become an old.jaded.cynical person.

Eeeips.

cardio!

i wished my hours spent in the hospital weren't so damn long. I was at the hospital for 11 hours today. I'm not sure about you but that is bloody long. My feet aches and my brain is off to bed. Oh well, I did learn stuff.

Oh oh oh! and I TAUGHT and supervised the 4th year student who was on cardiology with me how to put in gelcos!! (iv catheters) He failed the first 2 times but managed it pretty smoothly on the 3rd try. I must admit the first 2 attempts were on old and wrinkly patients with poor skin elasticity and texture. I was abit apprehensive when he asked if I could put the gelcos instead. My mind was thinking "if I bloody don't get it this, I am going to look so so so dumb." THANKFULLY i got it in, and the 4th year thought i did a sleek job! *giggles to self* Oh well, i know i know. I'm so easily amused.

We also introduced ourselves to Prof (of cardiology) and all he said was "Welcome and I hope you survive this rotation."

So promising.

And during the afternoon unit meeting, angiograms were doing their little dances in front of my eyes. Rexson (4th year student) and I kept questioning each other. Top questions included:

"Is there a stenosis?"

"Where the heck is the lesion?"

and best of all...

"is that the right or left circulation?" -.- you can tell how good we are at cardiology hey.

Alrighty i have to go.

lup dup lup dup...whooooosh!

news!

James Blunt is coming to Australia and New Zealand this April/May! And since Adelaide is one of his stop, I'm going to attend it! :) His voice is pretty unique and I really like his songs! I guess that's enough reasons to attend a concert yoh?

And.. it's friggin' hot today. The flies are not out, presumably because the heat has dehydrated them into little dried flies - uncapable of moving and annoying the hell out of human beings. I praise the heat for that.

I got a free environmentally-friendly-cottonish-material bag from one of the grocer's in central market. The grocer lady must have felt I was super killing the planet, with my compulsive packing of every item into plastic bags. I don't know about you, but I love love love it when the corn is separate from the broccoli, and the mangoes ain't in contact with the grapes. So she gave me a bag, hoping to convert me to a more eco-friendly person. we'll see how that goes.

Gonna play badminton later! Yay. that sounds good to me :)

nearing the end.

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After a rather nerve wrecking case presentation to the very smart and knowledgeable bunch of doctors at PICU on Wednesday, it's nearing the end of my stint at PICU. I presented on this 11 year old boy suffering from disseminated staph. aureus infection (pneumonia, vertebral osteomyelitis, epidural abscess.) I couldn't believe that I could rattle on non stop about epidural abscesses, especially when I realise that I hardly know a thing or two before preparing for the presentation.

Anyhow I followed my plan and baked cookies and banana bread. The cookies were really well-received; my registrar ate 6. She must have either really liked the cookies or the stress of enduring a night shift really got to her. Victor brought a batch of my baked goods for his team and they were well received too! yay. I'm a happy camper.

And then it was assessment time today. Yay I got my first A of the year! Pretty happy about it. Further considering the fact that I managed to thoroughly enjoy my time and learn heaps makes it all the sweeter. And as vic puts it, "that's absolutely awesome."

Yeap.. so now, onward to Cardiology! I feel a run of tachycardia already.

tuesday blues!

YAWN....
(not kid from PICU)

woke up earlier to research on some stuff.. gosh this whole studying business is really tiring. How do you spend your day in the hospital..and still be expected to come back home and study? not to mention do all the other normal things that people do like socialise, do housework, go shopping...

anyway i have decided that i am going to bake some stuff for the PICU stuff on thursday, coinciding with valentine's day. and if there are any leftovers (hopefully not) I will bring them to common program or something. I'm sure I can always count on my friends to eat up the cookies.

have a case presentation due tmr.. not sure how much detail to include. sigh. i'm so not good at convincing people with my vocal skills.

sometimes I look at the teeny babies in PICU and I wished my life was as simple as theirs. they just lay in bed and get nursed all day long. some of them are shooo cute, you'd hardly believe they have been ridden with illness. I have a really bad habit at the moment. It's called I-must-press-the-fontanelle-when-I-see-one syndrome. Thankfully PICU patients are well sedated on the M+M formula (midazolam & morphine) so I can happily indulge in my sick habituations.


[[A fontanelle is a anatomical feature on an infant's skull. Fontanelles are soft spots on a baby's head which, during birth, enable the bony plates of the skull to flex, allowing the child's head to pass through the birth canal. The ossification of the bones of the skull cause the fontanelles to close over by a child's second birthday. The closures eventually form the sutures of the neurocranium. Although there are the two anterior and posterior fontanelles, there are two more fontanelles of interest, the mastoid fontanelle, and the sphenoidal fontanelle.]]

alrighty. it's almost time to get ready for yet another day at the hospital. seeyaaaaaa.

new chinese year.

Well, I did spend some good time with the med peeps for reunion dinner. But most of thursday and friday were spent running around the PICU. quite a few interesting cases and they all kept me busy. I'm starting to feel a teeny bit sad because I only have a week left in PICU! This has thus far been a really enjoyable elective. Not sure how I'd rate it, it's definitely better than my MHU and SHU rotations, as well as my previous electives (neurosurgery and radiation oncology). I'm not even sure myself what a 'good' elective/rotation means.

Good teaching?
Good learning environment?
Good medical team?
Good timetable?
Good ... food? coffee?
Good fellow medical students?

Well, I'm the only lone med student in PICU. The nurses are extremely dedicated. The consultants are fabulously knowledgeable. PICU is like this little small bubble of a really good place. I get to run around the place checking up on patients. I chase up blood results, call the lab, amongst other brainless stuff. Oh wells, but I still find it fun. I must be getting weird.

Anyway, my cousin just sent me some pics from home. Oh I do miss celebrating CNY at home! In fact, I miss celebrating this more than say christmas or other ang-mohed holidays. oh wells, it proves to show i'm still cheena at heart. heh. but anyway, my very talent cousin did something to the colour bit of the pictures. they look cool, don't they? And my granny's very artistic maid has made numerous red packets dangle from every nook and corner.

Alrighty, enough crap. Time to go!

what to do?

I got to do an external elective at the start of next year. It can be almost anywhere in the world except in Adelaide. I have thought about it and decided it would be (in no order of preference)

Singapore - because it's home and I don't have to spend extra on accomodation. My mummy will feed me. However, SG doctors have previously irked me. My 3 weeks in SGH did not bring back too many fond memories.

Australia (another state) - environment is familar enough but yet still interesting. Melbourne? Perth?

USA - the good places have solid foundation in research, supposedly good teaching. And I can tour USA when I am done with the elective! Downside: probably one of the most expensive options.

India - cheap? Many patients, maybe more hands-on experience. Can also tour india, ride animals, blah blah.

I guess I would just speak to my parents and see what they say. Sometimes life has too many choices. *sigh*

Anyone with an opinion?

sunday already!

and we start the weekday routine once again. it's really hot and stuffy in my room. My fingers are inching towards the control for the air-conditioner. eeeick.

point 1: business in the PICU really picked up over thurs and fri. In the end I left at 6+ on friday, which if you know me well -- is REALLY REALLY late for daphne's standard. But there was truly alot to see and do and learn. So it was worth it, despite the fact I was standing on my feet for nearly 10 hours. whooooo. so proud of myself. I administered the milky white sedative! (that starts with the letter P. P for propofol) heh heh. ok i'm really cheap thrill. leave me alone.

point 2: we has semi-resumed badminton sessions! played on thurs and friday. yay! felt great to be once again acquainted with the game. might do the waterfall gully to mount lofty trail sometime in the next few weeks. It's 8km return, which should be okie if you go in a group.

point 3. having CNY eve dinner on wednesday with med school peeps. should be good.

point 4. i got a new toy! hahahaha!

point 5: my dear friend Ian, is freezing in Southampton. See lah, don't want to bring more winter wear. tsk tsk! But he sounded happier for some strange reason. Maybe the cold has gotten to him. heh.

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on my way home from the hospital on friday, I looked up into the bright blue sky and discovered this! Some plane must have done it. And I wasn't sure why but I smiled to myself when I saw it.

uncertain to what was written - boopers? coopers?