it's nearly 2008.

view of the pacific ocean hokkaido, japan



I know I say the same damn thing this time every year - time really passes so so fast! I have completed 4 years of medical school, gosh who knew I had that in me to do that? I have been a legal adult for a good few years. I have been in a stable relationship. Best of all, everyone around me have been blessed with good health.

It's hard to recollect the year in entirety using a few sweeping statements.

Yet it suffice to say that all I really wish for the new year is for the good stuff to stay good, and to improve on the not-so-good aspects. That's all I hope. Oh, and one small teeny wish - to pass 5th year!!! (after that, imagine the sweet sweet tender feeling of being in 6th year!)

I have so many things to be thankful for, so many people that have touched my life and helped me along my way. Whether you are an old friend or a new acquaintance, whether you'd laughed through my pathetic jokes or made those tortorous 7.30am wardrounds abit more bearable, I still thank all of you.

Ok, enough thanking here.

I still have so much to do, so much I have yet to experience.
May the year ahead bring all of us happiness, love and satisfaction!

Happy 2008!

back from outerspace!

yeah japan may only be 7 hours away from little old singapore but once you land on it, you feel like you are miles and miles away. Everything is different, every experience is new and exhilarating. From the types of vending machines they offer, to the fresh seafood, great biscuits and chocolates, hell even the milk tasted better.

I just you just have to be there to feel the difference. Or maybe the bitter and cold winter got to my head. haha. I gotta upload the pics soon but I have to do a million other little errands for now. so hang in there folks.

Anyway a weird thing happened. My Maths tutor from NJC (Mr Chan Yew Fook) ADDED ME ON FACEBOOK! gosh, you can't run and hide anywhere with these new techy internetish stuff we use these days. not that I have anything against Mr Chan, in fact I think he was a brilliant tutor, partly responsible for our class performing so well in that subject. (the other parts are hard work and a little bit of brains) but it's just a teeny bit weird chatting on facebook with a previous figure of authority I suppose.

Enough crap. Just for those of you who don't know (including me up to 2 days ago or sth), you can actually check your banding for the papers in the 4th year exams (MEQ, MCQ and OSCE). Just log onto the MLTU website and look under course assessment. I think most people know it already but I thought I'd better do a 'public' announcement.

and that's that for now. Need to sort alot of other things. seeya! :)

joy to the world! :)

despite all the serious doubts about myself, complaints about the format of the exam paper and countless bad stories from the osce...that ultimately resulted in the plummeting of my morale..

I PASSED!!

5th year here i come.. 5th year here i come..

this is such a big relief..! now i can go on my holiday to japan in peace. it's amazing how i use the word relief, rather than happiness or delight or glee or something with a happy connotation.
oh and since vicky has no blogging spirit in him, let me tell you he passed too! :)

*runs off to eat beef noodles for lunch*

rain rain rain!

it has been just pouring and pouring. gosh, welcome to the monsoon season! where rain doesn't stop and you have to waddle outdoors.

at least there hasn't been any major floods. last year was bad.

on the other hand....

my poor Kangaroo Island (7 times the size of Singapore no less) has been suffering from BUSHFIRES! so far only a few humans dead but the sheep community haven't been so lucky. oh well, kangaroo island is a beautiful place, i hope the fire wouldn't destroy it. com'on firefighters! put em' out!

heh.. i can't really blog about malaysia yet because i have yet to get the photos from Mr Victor Chia. *ahem!!! GIMME MY PICS* but soon..soon i will.

meanwhile i'm gonna continue my massive dvd watching! :) it feels so good. My sis and I would snuggle under the blanket together on my bed and both of us would share one headphone and watch the dvds together.

and results is gonna be out next week!.. prolly tues/wed i think since the BOARD of EXAMINERS meeting is on MONDAY. oh dear, all the bad memories of all the crappy things i said, did and wrote in the exam papers are all coming back to me. and i guess they will continue to haunt me until i know if i make it to 5th year

GOSH!....

it's thursday!

i have been back home for a couple of days. really feels so good to sit in your old room!
anyway guys, i will be heading to KL (and malacca for a day or two) with vic this friday. gonna stay with quinnie.. and probably catch up with all the med people who live in kl! pakyeap, jessica, su chuen.. yeaps.

should be fun. except i forgot to bring my camera back from adelaide. dammit. so i have to use the vic's camera, which should be fine i suppose...

so seeya all when i'm back! :)

hello world.

*stretches my arms* i slept so soundly last night. slept without any worries or stress. it was SO GOOD. everyone should try it. haha. oh well and so the summer has finally arrived! it is VERY VERY HOT outside (about 37degrees) and I need to pack my luggage, pack my room and put things in order before I fly back home tmr! YES TMR!... so happy. not that singapore is any cooler.. but at least i am home. and the freaking flies dun stick onto your face and dun move for the life of you.

i could talk ends on about the osces.. (dysphagia??!!) (stupid CXR?!) ... oh well. it was really stressful and funny whilst it lasted. just gonna end here with a little joke made by my dear old porkchop.

senario:
patient presents with dysphagia (swallowing problems) and after asking him a whole load of questions, porky decided that the diagnosis was pharyngeal pouch.

porky:
ok sir, it seems to me that you have a pharyngeal pouch that is causing you these problems.

patient:
oh.. okie. so what should i do?

porky:
well we are going to run some investigations to confirm the diagnosis.

patient:
that is great, what sort of investigations will i have to undergo?

porky:
first of all we will do a barium enema on you.

porky (1 split second later, after realising the change in mood in the room):
OH NO I MEANT BARIUM MEAL...

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HOLIDAYS ARE HERE!!

LIFE IS GOOD AFTER ALL.


*runs off to play!!*

morning!

heh i knew my decision to sleep more last night was a good one.

woke up today feeling heaps better. decided there's no point crying over spilled milk. i'm just wanting to get Cs for the papers. oh gosh.

anyway it's time to look through more ECGs! and CXR! and EUC, FBE, LFT, TFT, ABG, XR of #...

dammit. so many abbreviated terms for med. hmm.

oh and not forgetting HIV, HBV, HCV... and erm.. MRI? CT? CTPA? ...

heh heh.

oh shit.

the 2 papers in the past 2 days have been.. challenging, annoying.. and difficult!!.......

i'm really worried.. the impending doom of failing 4th year could happen!...

i should really shuddap, go study more, practice more physical exam and hope for the best.

eeeeurgggh.

now, this is getting awfully scary.

how my pre-exam mood fluctuates.

2-3 weeks before exams: stressed, trying to study, some distractions present, mind is thinking "oh still have some time, should be able to do it"

1 week before exams: shit!! have so much more to study, and i have forgotten alot of what i have studied.. HOW HOW HOW? *flips thru past year papers*... can't do them!

2 days before exams: still studying. still freaking. and very worried about the prospect of failing the year.

sigh.

gosh

it's monday already.
SWOT is half over. exams are twice as near.

and in 11 days time everything will be over!!.. 11 days! that's not even 2 weeks!..

I CAN DO IT!.. i have to. i can't give up... not yet!


haha. i liked how inspirational i sounded. :)

PS: do my test if you have the time.. or if u got bored of ploughing through notes!..

yawn

it's my baby sister's 20th bday! happy birthday little one!... welcome to the 20s! :)

Anyway, that aside.. i still have a mountainload of notes to go through. my head feels like it cannot hold anymore information already!.. it's so scary!..I guess if i keep reading it, something HAS to sink it ..right?

we have been eating alot of instant mee. eeeick...and alot of take aways!.. hai. oh well.
but today i made chicken soup.. because it's good for the soul! and the mind i think. it tasted really good so i guess that's all that matters :)

haha, vic and i threw our poor turtle toys into the washing machines..they went spinning' mate!.. now they are drying. they smell nice :)...

ok back to the notes.. @.@

PS: victor is a smelly boy. when i was getting some blank paper to feed the printer, he thought i was trying to STEAL his notes. grrrrr.

it really is the end of the school year.

sometime during april this year, i stared at my "MLTU (medical learning and teaching unit i think) - used to be called MEU (medical education unit)" online timetable. It was bare, even though I had finished surgery at that time because the folks at MLTU isn't the best when it comes to efficiency. Results/Lecture notes take a while to be ulploaded. This is something that we have all learned to 'accept' over the past few years here in adelaide. and when we do not accept the nonsensical 'technical errors', we all pull our hair in frustration and bitch non-stop about it.

I distinctly remembered thinking to myself: "damnit!... when would the end of the school year approach? Would I be able to fill up this list with some decent grades?"

In a blink of an eye, ok maybe a few more blinks than that, I am absolutely DONE with the year. like done. like no more medical home units and surgery home units for a long time. i think the med/surg placements in 6th year are probably the closest thing to them. it's just plain surreal thinking about it. It wasn't too bad whilst it lasted, but I want to move on. I want to learn new things (say O&G, peds etc etc) and I want to gather fresh experiences under my belt. In fact, I felt like I couldn't sit still and wait for all this exam crap to pass so that 5th year could start rolling in.

As I handed in my last assessment form for the year to Ann Francis (the lovely lady sitting at the front desk of clinical studies in Eleanor Harold), it was a true sign that, YES I AM REALLY DONE for the year.

I am just hoping I wouldn't have to repeat all this!! O.O

because...

1. If your doctor told you TODAY that you were pregnant, what would you say?
say? NO WAYYYYY.... freak out or something.

2. Do you trust all of your friends?
depends on what sort of trust we are talking about. trusting my life.. versus trusting my friend to turn out for dinner as promised.

3. Would you move to another state or country to be with the one you love?
yes, because i am a hopeless romantic.

4. Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?
yes, or else if everything is random.. life would be harder to comprehend.

5. Name two things you would NOT tolerate in a relationship?
disappointment and .. infidelity?

6. Which one of your friends do you think would make the best doctor?
well, hopefully all of us!

7. Are you afraid of falling in love?
no....

8. Is there someone who pops into your mind at random times?
my dead grandpa. heh, no just kidding. no one really.

9. Would you stop talking to your friends because you hooked up with a new person?
no!

10. When was the last time you flew in a plane?
end of june. SGP - ADL flight on SQ...

11. What did the last text message you sent say?
to quinnie.. telling her how much the photocopying cost.

12. What features do you find most attractive in the opposite sex?
intelligence and humour.. oh and NICE VEINY ARMS! *slurp*

13. Fill in the blank. I _______ you in my life
would like to punch

14. Att or Single?
attached.. attached... very very attached.

15. If you were to wake up from being in a coma for a long period of time who would you call?
hmmm would i be waking up without my memory or with?
if i lost my memory.. i will be calling for HELP!
if memory is intact... calling for mum and dad.

16. How many kids do you want to have?
now? zilch.
in the future.. 2 i guess?

17. Love Someone?
yesss. plenty of people.

18. Where was your default picture taken?
erm. vic's smelly couch in adelaide!

19. What's your middle name?
wen hui?

20. Honestly, what's on your mind right now?
i should be studyiing. mugging and studying.

21. If you could go back in time and change something, what would it be?
did better for the A levels?
but im happy the way life was... and is at the moment.

22. Shoe size?
hmmm.. US 8. ( i know..big feet! sob)

23. What are you wearing right now?
trackies, t shirt...

24. Righty or Lefty?
LEFTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!... LEFTY! YAY!

25. Best place to eat?
Iggy's in singapore... in adelaide.. hmmm. the Manse?

26. Favorite animal?
Goat and turtles

29. Favorite juice?
most fruit juices... except banana and papaya.

30. Have you had the chicken pox?
No..

31. Have you had a sore throat?
what kind of qns is this? yes of course.

32. Ever had plastic surgery?
not yet. lol

33. Who knows you the best?
the smelly victor..

34. Do you get along with your family?
yes..

35. Do you wear contact lenses or glasses?
both. glasses because it's convenient and it makes me look geeky. lenses when i go out or have make up on.

36. Ever been in a fight with your pet?
no pets before.

37. Been to Mexico?
no.. but i would like to :)

38. Did you buy something today?
hmmm. i bought subway for lunch. and den 6 cans of red bull and 1 packet of shapes.

39. Did you get sick today?
no...? sick of studying.. does that count?

40. Do you miss someone today?
i miss my family..

41. Did you get in a fight with someone today?
does pretend-fighting with victor count?

42. When is the last time you had a massage?
LONG time ago. in june in sg.. i think.

43. Last person to lay in your bed?
me myself and i

44. Last person to see you cry?
umm. i can't rem the last time i cried..

45. What was the last channel you watched?
channel 10.

46. What are your plans for the weekend?
study.. and freaking out for the exams.
oh and go marketing for fruits and vegs :)

47. Who do you think will repost this?
no idea? don't think anyone else is as bo liao.

48. Are you happy?
no... i need to study!

49. Who was the last person you hung out with?
the boyfriend.

gosh

sometimes, i think i am the one who needs reminding!.. thursday would go down in history as the last day of 4th year med!... and i was so busy studying and doing stupid things (group presentation for radiation oncology) that i forgot it WAS the LAST DAY!.. at the beginning of the year, i could not phantom how ANYONE can go through with 36 weeks of clinical years, with only 3 weeks break in between.

but guess what? all of us did! :) i wouldn't say 4th year has been an easy feat.. learnt alot of new things, some things changed while other things stayed the same. but i would like to think that we have all got out of it stronger and wiser in one way or another.

4th year was a good time to start thinking about future career options. oh, that's what surgeons are like. *chop slice chop, scalpel please!*ooooh, physicians and their 'holistic' discharge planning *should this PT go to a nursing home? or dom care? ACAT assessment please!!*,.. and who can forget the PSYCHIATRY people? gosh.. and then there was ACC. ahhh, good times..

now i have to concentrate really hard till the exams are over. that's not going to be easy!.. but i'm sure we will all be okie!.. good luck guys.. study hard!...

IMPT IMPT!!!...

South Australian summer time (daylight saving) for 2007-2008 will be observed from 2:00 am South Australian standard time on 28 October 2007 until 3:00 am South Australian summer time on 6 April 2008.

Don't forget to turn your clocks forward one hour at 2:00 am on 28 October 2007 then back one hour to 3:00 am on 6 April 2008.

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service brought to you by the girl-who-has-nothing-else-better-to-do.

a post to distract me from studying..

surfing online and look what interesting things i found!...

starring from tod's: i like the buckle look. and the colour. woo hoo! classic look.

from chloe: look! so white, so pristine.. with key&lock too! chunky look. heh heh.

from fendi: recall what i said about the buckle? neutral colour (but probably wouldnt go well with the asian skin tone)

last but not least.. JIMMYCHOOS! ahhhh! for that gala-ball/executive dinner/charity ball that i will never go for.
otherwise, nice to oogle at :)

alright. end of oogle session.
go and study everyone!!!..

Question at hand -->
what does everyone do to keep themselves sane during the intensely stressful SWOT period? blog surfing? blogging? running? eating? sleeping? watching TV? playing games?

would lurve to hear from you :)

@.@

hmmm. After re-reading my latest entry and noticing the comments from my friends - I realised I might have kind of over-reacted to a small matter. Call me sour-grapes or whatever you want, I think I have the right to vent.

Guess life can be extremely unfair.. and extremely out of your own control.

Oh well, even if said med student gets A in one miserable rotation, his/her medical career is probably not going to be affected by it. If he/she continues to be that incompetent, surely fellow doctors would notice it. It's just a matter of time.

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and I want to bake! any good recipes anyone?

vents of frustration

how.. tell me how one can retain knowledge about things?

i swear i distinctly remembered the holistic management of COPD and asthma. However, as I read through my old (like from 2nd year med) notes, I freaked out at how much at

1) how much I seemed like I used to know.
2) how LITTLE I know at the moment.

This is NOT GOOD! NOT GOOD AT ALL!

and.. I found out that the way consultants/registrars have been dishing out the As have been WAY crazy. How can an idiot who cannot even interpret an X-ray of a wrist fracture be allowed to be considered an A student...???!?!... especially since A = above expected for a 4th year student.

WHICH PART OF MISDIAGNOSING AN X-RAY IS ABOVE EXPECTATIONS?!

argh.

i shall retreat.

and return to the old dusty notes.

the things med students do..

to keep themselves entertained can be oh-so-silly!

i got vic's (bigger) leg hung loose. and i was trying to see how many knee reflexes i could elicit at one stretch. so his poor leg was like overwhelmed with sensory input!.. jerking on and on and on. he was trying his best to contract his muscles, clench his jaw and whatsoever to try stop the reflex from occurring. Whilst I, Miss Sadistic, happily strike the hammer on his patellar tendon repeatedly. I was laughing myself silly. I was on a ball...!

oh..the things we do to keep ourselves happy (and insane)

don't worry guys. vic had a go at my legs too.
seems like my legs are less responsive than his... te he he