13 to 14 (Part 1 - People I'll never forget)

So 2013 has gone by in a blink of an eye. It has been a busy year full of ups and downs, being my first year back in Singapore after 5 long years.

New job, new year, new friends, new bosses, new environments, you name it.

There are a few people I want to thank:

1. My parents
    Thanks for always being so supportive in almost everything I do. I know I'm not easy to live with and not the easiest person to get along with especially when I'm tired/precall/postcall/hungry (which means pretty much half of every week). Thanks for sending me to work when I'm on call, offering to bring food for me, packing my on call supplies etc. Really appreciate it ++!

2. My brother
    You're the craziest, bestest, loveliest brother anyone can ask for! You're growing up too quickly so please don't lose your craziness! Despite what I always say, you're definitely smarter and more hardworking than me! I'm so glad we're in this together (although you're wondering why did you do medicine after looking at my life). Life without you would be so boring without your nonsense and listening to your crap after work just makes my shitty day that much better!

3. J Ong
    You're even crazier than my brother! But all thanks to your craziness + the others, you made my transition to Singapore that much more bearable - you guys actually made it enjoyable! Thank you so much for always being that listening ear and encouraging me whenever I want to give up! Your constant reminder of how awesome I am really keeps me going whenever I just want to smash my phone. Your generosity and efficiency in everything you do still continues to amaze me.

4. Teh SF
    You're the sister I never had! The amount of effort you guys put in to help in all sorts of ways was beyond my imagination. Even though things didn't work out the way you all wanted (LOL) but still really appreciate your thoughts and effort! Korea with you was fantastic! I think you realised that I probably shop more than you (but they're so cheap! unlike your -ahem-). Hope you get into Fam Med!! Then you can join Jong in his fam med master plan.

5. R
    Scariest boss I had! I remember seeing your name appear on my phone once on call and I picked it up stat, knowing that something serious has happened. First time I sprinted down from level 7 to 4 so quickly. But after getting to know you better, you're actually very reasonable, albeit with high expectations. I'm sorry for the things I've done that pissed you off, but don't be so xiao qi too!

6. Tan BH
    Mr Tan, you were the most stubborn patient I had! Everyday was a struggle with you. But I always wondered if you knew how critical your condition was. As I watched you wither away in the hospital bed, it was heart breaking. I remember talking to your sister about bringing you home the day before you died - she knew it wouldn't be long. She had tears in her eyes and I felt hopeless as she related how the medical system in Singapore is unable to help foreigners financially. I still think it was ridiculous that we were still thinking of doing the operation for you despite your poor pre-morbid. False hope I say. I hope you're in a better place now. Next time don't forget where you left your passport alright? Too much trouble dealing with the police!

7. S Shariff
    I'll never forget your lovely smile, caring words and optimism despite your condition. I still remember the first time I met you, it was after you developed an allergic reaction to FFP. You were itchy all over but thank god that was about it. You came back in a few times subsequently for sepsis and I saw the love between your husband and yourself. I am truly honoured to have been able to meet you both, as well as your sons. I forgot how sick you were until I heard you were readmitted again in Sept for confusion. I snuck upstairs to visit you, and while sitting by your bedside, you couldn't recognise me anymore and kept saying you want to change wards/bed. My heart broke into a thousand pieces as I realised that it wouldn't be too long. I never knew what happened to you after that. But 4 months later, I see you lying in ED, confused once more, with your husband by your side. You looked so frail and vulnerable, and I knew this could be your last admission to hospital. On that fateful night, I was honoured to be the one on call when you passed away peacefully. With every call that informed me about your falling BP, my heart sank a little. Yet I was glad that if you were to pass away that night, I would be the one who was there to walk the last journey with you. A chapter was closed that night, as I saw Mustafa walk in with your son. As he called my name, I knew I was the lucky one to have been able to see you through your illness till the end. Thank you for teaching me how to love and care. I hope that wherever you are, you are in a better place.

Keep calm. 4.30 will come.

Keep calm and carry on. That's what I've been telling myself the past 3 weeks. Teamwork - I never realised how we used to work so seamlessly in GS. Yet now it's like a broken record, having to pick up the pieces one by one. Everyone is trying their best. Maybe I have too high an expectation. Maybe I just have to believe that it will be alright in the end. I guess I have my awesome GS buddies to thank for making me who I am today. You know who you are.

4 months on.

I'm going to miss the camaraderie.

The laughter, the bad jokes, the insane calls (not really).

Thank you for a wonderful 4 months.

And they said GS was going to be tough.

Exceeded Expectations

Thank you!

So much learnt, so much more to go.

Redfaced

department champagne brunch with bosses is an eye opening experience.

free flow Moet & Chandon. 

go figure. 

post-34h shift. i think my body is too heaty. sprouting all sorts of lumps and bumps.

wow im not sure if i'm perspiring like crazy on ward rounds because the scrubs are too thick, the weather is too hot or i'm very stressed.

Coming Home

I remember the day I packed my bag and left for Australia. It was Valentine's Day 2008.

Sporting short hair and dressed in the most unglamourous clothes - pink long sleeve tee and track pants, I headed towards the airport, filled with so much excitement and trepidation.

As the plane took off from Changi Airport, I tried to imagine what life in Australia would be like. What new adventures await me, who I will meet and 5 years seemed such a long time back then. I remember as the plane descended before landing in Hobart, all I saw out the window was brown dried grass for miles on end. I wondered what have I landed myself into, coming to this ulu island called Tasmania.

Fast forward 5 years.

I am sitting once more in my old room in Singapore. It does not feel quite the same as it did 5 years ago. The furniture is the same yet something does not feel right. My life over the last 5 years has been packed into 5 boxes and they are currently sailing across the vast ocean, slowly making its way to Singapore. I am looking forward to finally receiving them - when my life will finally feel more complete. The things that have accompanied me over the last 5 years - they have been there through thick and thin with me. That sense of familiarity is what I'm missing right now I guess. Everything feels strange - not knowing where everything is and not having a sense of ownership over my life.

People think that moving overseas is the difficult bit. But honestly, I feel that coming home is harder. While you have been away over the last 5 years, time and life did not wait for you. People's lives moved on. We're no longer the nubile 20 year olds we once were. Leaving when I was 20 and coming back when I'm 24, things have changed.

It is not easy to come back and just fit right in. Your school friends are all working and have their own lives. No longer can we randomly meet up just because we can. All the updates I have about my friends are all gathered from Facebook. It was difficult to maintain communication while overseas. And now, coming back here again, I feel like there's a void in my life. The people I once knew in Singapore aren't who they were. We are no longer from A level graduates. We are doctors, accountants, engineers, lawyers etc.

As I'm typing this, I see Facebook updates from my Tasmanian friends and I suddenly miss them so much. The people whom I've studied and lived with over the last 5 years - thank you all for everything you've done for me. I've made some unexpectedly good friends with some of you and hopefully we will keep in contact despite the distance. It is sad when you realise you may not see some of these people ever again after graduation. Especially the Launceston ones. We've been through so much as a class and although we have had our ups and downs, you guys are like family to me. The infinite cases that we've had to write, the times we wished we weren't at LCS, the free food ever so frequently, Sally and Linda's greetings, that free bowl of lollies, tutes at the Parkes' etc. Thank you for everything and the memories.

Despite everything, family is still very important to me and having been away for 5 years, it made me realise that my parents are getting old and I need to be there for them as they have been for me. I may not be the best daughter there is out there, but thank you for everything you've done for me. I may have messed up many many times and you've always been there to help me pick up the pieces. This degree is dedicated to you both for all the headaches, tears and white hairs I have caused over the last 5 years.

So I'm counting down the days till I fly back for graduation and I'm so excited to see my second home again. The memories and times I've in this place. Basically it's 1/5 of my life so that's quite ALOT. It's hard to just walk away and pretend nothing happened because things have.

The people I've met etc have changed me. For the better (I hope). I would not exchange my experience for anything else in the world. Except maybe for a different state on the mainland. But theses 5 years have been the best. Living independently and having to survive and do everything by myself has taught me that I can live by myself and not die. I'm not as fragile as I think I am. I can do it. I miss being able to do anything and everything I want whenever I want. I feel like I'm becoming less independent now that I'm home. I don't do ANYTHING at all. Just laze around. I think I'm losing the spontaneous me. Gone are the days when I just put on my shoes and walk down to the Farmer's Market because I can. I need to stop being a sloth back home and regain my independence. Just go out and do whatever I need to do whenever I want/need to. Otherwise I will never get anything done in Singapore, waiting for things to be perfectly organised.

Final Year OSCE stations

1. Back examination - One of the hospital staff hurt his back while transfering a patient. You are the after hours intern and have been asked to examine him and explain what you think is wrong with him.

2. Neck examination - Physiotherapist presents to the GP with a ?neck lump. You are the senior medical student and have been asked to examine the patient and answer her questions.

3. O&G history - 28yo female presents with itch and vaginal discharge. You are the GP and you need to take a history, request for relevant examination findings from the examiners and explain your management plan to the patient.

4. Headache - 13yo girl presents with frontal headache that is worse at the end of the day. No photophobia, no phonophobia. Eyes ok. Discuss with examiners your differentials, red flags, important management points, barriers to management, what other history do you want to know etc.

5. Pre-op patient with new onset AF. You are the surgical intern and the ECG shows AF. Talk to patient and assess what is happening and explain your management.

6. You are the surgical intern and you need to call the rural community health worker to explain the management plan for Mr Smith, T2DM who had cellulitis, abscess which was drained and dressed.

7. Death certificate. Mr Brown, 82yo male, 5 days post-laparotomy for advanced bowel Ca. You are the after hours intern. Talk to his wife and certify the death and fill out the appropriate paperwork - we were given death cert, progress notes and 'life extinction' form.

8. Asthma management - explain asthma management plan and use of inhalers, spacers etc

9. Drug chart - opioid conversion + other necessary medications. Document in progress notes about plan for the weekend.

10. Pre-op warfarin management. Write a sheet for the patient to take home outlining your management of the warfarin pre-op. Was given a journal article to refer to if needed.

Red rocks, blue sky and crystal clear water.

So we had a long weekend last week because of the 8h day (aka labour day). Don't ask me why is it not on 1 May. Maybe Australia is just a bit weird. Plus I'm in Tasmania so instead of calling it Labour Day, it is the 8h Day. Hmm. Oh well. 

We decided the week before while we had a half day public holiday (due to horse racing) that we were going to Bay of Fires! It's one of the places I've always wanted to go to because it always looks so pretty in pictures! I had this weird impression that it would look like Wineglass Bay but with red rocks all over the beaches so if you looked down it will be red around it! 

So we were meant to head off at 8am (ie DEPART) but sab only got to our place at 8.15am. By the time we picked up Intan it was 8.20+. Could be worse I guess. :D Headed off towards St Mary's which was along the way for pancakes! Mount Elephant Pancakes! They used to have a branch in Launceston but it closed down. Sigh. So we had to make this 1.5h drive to St Mary's for it instead. Plus I missed a turn because of the dodgy signboard which misled me. Should have just followed my GPS instead!

Anyway, we had interesting conversations along the way about Islam and their traditions and taboos! It was enlightening! :) That kept me awake on the winding road there but hey the worst was yet to come. 

Finally got to the pancake place despite my wrong turn. That mistake led me down the road to St Helens (which is where Bay of Fires is) but it was super winding! So to go down that road around a mountain and have to U-turn back halfway to go back up was not fun. HAHA. Thank god no one puked! 

Mt Elephant Pancakes! :) Hungry and 尿急！

 Quaint little cafe. Decorated with many many elephant themed items! 

 Our 4 pancakes! From foreground, clockwise. Cheese, asparagus and chicken - Maple Banana Walnut - Black Forest - Cheese, chicken and blueberries! :) They were more crepe-like than hotcake pancakes! But still yummy! Need to go down to Hobart and to Margate for similar pancakes but hotcake pancake style!

Hot chocolate. Yummy! 

 HMM. the surcharge was $2.70. please feed the elephants. 

So as 4 travelers had their fill of pancakes, we headed down that winding road once more towards St Helens. I was driving at like 20-25km/h because it was just bending left and right at every turn! But luckily it was a beautiful day! Perfect for the beach! Worth my drive there! :D We were worried initially because the weather that week leading up to Sat was terrible. Rainy and cold!

Stopped by this lookout. Shelly Point! Sabrina took so many photos here and was reluctant to leave and by then it was already 12pm. It was about another 30-40min drive to Bay of Fires! So we quickly abandoned her and walked to the car but she quickly caught up. 

Bay of Fires is a long stretch of coastline and is separated into Nothern, Middle and Southern areas. We headed down to the Southern area because that's the most accessible. The Northern area requires me to drive through even more winding roads apparently. Wanted to drive back that way but Intan advised against it because she took that route on her previous trip to BoF.

So BoF is famous for their red rocks but it's not because of them that it's named BoF. The guy who discovered this area back then noticed loads of bonfires along the shore lit by the Aboriginals and thus named it BoF. And I thought it was because of the rocks! :(

 At 'The Gardens'. No idea why that name because we did not see many plants at all. :\ BUT WE SAW THE RED ROCKS!! MUAHAHAHA!!

Walked along the red rocks and found this! Isn't it gorgeous!? Those are the 3 monkeys with me! :D Jkjk not monkeys. The sand was soo fine and water so clear, I would jump in right now if I could but erm I was in track shoes then.

We decided to head to Binalong Bay after that for a swim! Sab and Alicia didn't bring their swimming gear because they thought it was going to be too cold to swim. Intan and I brought them along so we quickly changed into them and swam in the sea! There were a few big waves no thanks to the speedboats racing by. We were jumping when the giant waves came! Some crashed on us! Hahah! Loads of good fun!  

We found this secret place where you had to walk down between the bushes to get to the beach! But it meant that we had the beach ourselves! The beach in the background after the rocks was easily accessible so there were heaps of people there! The only people who came by our beach were those who had conquered those treacherous rocks to get here! 

We bobbed around and swam for about 1h. Intan and I walked across to the other beach via the sea which was fun! We felt like aliens visiting the neighbouring planet or something!

That's my feet! Super clear right! :) 

Had a picnic while on the beach. Crackers, dips, sweets etc. And then we headed to the nearby cafe for a snack before driving home again.

That's my car - 3rd from right! My baby! :)) 

Went home and had tomyum steamboat! We actually had it the day before too so this was more to finish up the ingredients! But everything was prepared already so we just needed to set things up and away we ate!

All in all, it was a good day trip! Driving almost 400km wasn't that tiring when you've got friends to keep you awake! :D The trip back definitely felt faster than the trip there. Guess because we backtracked and I knew the landmarks etc already! Now to plan the next trip.. ;) 

Going down to Hobart end March for GD's visit to Hobart. Just for the weekend. And then it's Easter!! Maybe Cradle Mountain! HEHE!!

2011 at a Glance

So it is new year's eve. And here's the obligatory post for the year!

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?

 - Went on a holidays (interstate/tasmania) with shay! 

 - See my first patient die

 - Rent my own place

 - Took the SoT

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

1. Pass 4th year without any scares
2. Gym regularly (at least 3x/wk) - probably need shay to drag me there! (sort of?)
3. Find my love for running again/start running group
4. Start launceston soka group
5. Chant regularly - morning & evening
6. Practice osces regularly
7. Study not for exam sake
8. Hopefully get offered PEG (fingers crossed)/if not gimme my intern place in launnie & PR!! 
9. Travel around more! 
10. Keep in contact with friends everywhere
11. (Find a GOOD bf)

8 out of 11 resolutions were met! That's not too bad! 

To be really honest, this year is definitely my MOST enjoyable year to date, apart from maybe first year. Everything went well, we had our squabbles but nothing major. Felt really good! Wonderful friends and tutors etc! Passed 4th yr unscathed! :) Good elective too! It is making me consider A&E as a career! 

Special thanks to Shay for tolerating me! Point 11 was a bonus! :) It's difficult imagining not going to the hospital and back with him, having someone to have lunch with, hanging out in the library all day, weekly grocery shopping trips, random road trips etc! :( Especially being my personal maid during my swotvac - cooking/cleaning/tutoring me!

As for next yr..

1. Graduate! 19 Dec 2012!
2. Visit Adelaide!
3. Hopefully decide what specialty I want to do
4. Keep in touch with old and new friends
5. Live harmoniously with my housemates 
6. Lose 5kg 
7. Work towards being a good intern
8. ? Intern place in LGH
9. Regular Soka meetings on Sunday
10. GET A LIFE!
    

 
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Vivi! Lovely girl. My happy sunshine fruit!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Nope

5. What countries did you visit?

Australia (Melb/Syd/Tas), Msia

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

More female friends? I'm only really close to A. Can't seem to maintain female friendships. Lol. I'm too tomboy I guess. I much prefer hanging out with the guys than girls. Ugh.
More time, energy, memory space, patience, understanding, rest, self-control. 

7. What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

I think 16 April? :)

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Surviving living with Shay? HAHA! That was my biggest worry of the year! What if it didn't work out? So awkward! HAHA! Phew.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Not being confident enough about myself. I keep thinking that I'm never going to be better than XXX, or that XXX will never bother themselves with me because I'm not good enough etc. Or 'why is XXX ignoring me? Is it because I'm too boring/ugly/stupid etc?'

10.Did you suffer illness or injury?

Multiple URTIs mostly secondary to Shay. And then my bout of GE for about 3 days with a temp of 39. That was not good. Followed by my epigastric pain a/w fatty food which turns out to be cholelithiasis. -.- I almost died from the pain one night. Thank god Shay went to ED to get my Nexium which took a while to work but at least I managed to sleep that night!

11.What was the best thing you bought?

Did I buy anything? Hmm maybe my new theatre shoes for next yr?

12.Whose behavior merited celebration?

Shay, ME, Alicia, JMong etc! Thanks for always being there for me! This year would have been very different if it weren't for the 3 of you! 


And of course ruth and pam! :) For the continuous support along the way! :D Although we don't really talk much online cos of the time difference etc, but I definitely feel your presence!

13.Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

youknowhoyouaredammit.

14.Where did most of your money go?

Electricity and rental! Food wasn't too bad I think. Gotta cook anyway. Oh and sydney trip! Loved loved loved it!

15.What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Sydney trip! I was almost going to fall out with Shay over it because he had an assignment due and he wasn't sure if he could finish it blah blah blah and didn't wanna go. But I forced him to finish it by making him book the tickets! We had our logistical problems too like whether to stay at our own friends' place or backpacker's. Thank goodness he gave in to me again and decided on the backpacker's.

16.What song will always remind you of 2011?

Lemon Tree. It's our go-to happy song! Even sang it in Sydney when we were singing K with his friends! LOL!

17.Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?

HAPPIER! Most definitely! :)

18.What do you wish you’d done more of?

Getting involved in my rotation. Sometimes it's not my fault. There's just nothing happening but sometimes it's due to group mates which make me feel like 'pfft forget it'.

19.What do you wish you’d done less of?

Sleeping and probably watching random movies etc. But they're usually over meals except on weekends. We've got self-control. Hehe! He's blaming me for making him addicted to so many shows like Top Chef and True Blood.

20.How did you spend Christmas?

Watching You're Beautiful and then steamboat at uncle's place! Finished 16 eps in 2 days!

21.Did you fall in love in 2011?

:)

22.How many one-night stands?

-.-

23.What was your favorite TV program?
True Blood and Top Chef

24.Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Yeah I guess. Some hate, some just annoyed.

25.What was the best book you read?

How to win friends and influence people. Read bits of House of God too but didn't quite finish it before I had to return it to the library.

26.What was your greatest musical discovery?

Christina Perri? Adele? Shay's covers of Jay Chou etc? :P

27.What did you want and get?

Everything I could ever ask for.

28.What did you want and not get?

Stability perhaps?

29.What was your favorite film this year?

Hmm watched too many.. Some were disturbing - Van Dieman's Land.

30.What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

23. Didn't do anything much on my birthday itself. Had fishhead steamboat for dinner I think. Cos bro was still having As so didn't really want to spend too much time eating out because it means he's got less study time.

31.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Better internet at home. And maybe hot water too.

32.How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?

No patient day = Black jeans, top, pink jacket
Clinical days = Skirt, blouse/dress, stockings, pink jacket

33.What kept you sane?

Shay! He's probably seen almost every side of me. The cute, annoying, angry, depressed, sick, happy, stressed etc!

34.Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

-

35.What political issue stirred you the most?

-

36.Who did you miss?

Family whenever the holidays came because I'll keep trying to see if I can fly home.

37.Who was the best new person you met?

The LCS peeps, the CGH A&E folks - no one best person I guess..

38.Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011:

Be yourself. People will love you for who you are. :)

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Err. I'll think about it. But it's been a good year. Thank you all for being a part of it! 

OSCE stations 2011 End-Yr

1. Paeds FTT with baby's weight falling off a bit associated with bouts with loose, smelly diarrhoea - DDx coeliac disease
2. post-natal depression in new mum 10wks post-partum
3. breaking bad news of grade 2 invasive ductal carcinoma.
4. phone call with RN in community hosp 2h away about lady with chest pain and initial management. ECG showed ischaemic changes.
5. Lower abdo and Hernia exam + focused history in male who felt pain in L groin but no visible lump while lifting something at work
6. counseling pt about needlestick injury and explaining occupational health protocol because foreign elective student pricked himself while disposing of cannula needle.

Get Over It: The Subconscious Stethoscope

Get Over It: The Subconscious Stethoscope: There is a lot to be said about the stethoscope, nothing screams DOCTOR (or physio!) louder than a set of tubes around your neck! In fact I...

Surrogacy vs Yourself

Started on paeds this week. On neonates for 3 weeks and then 4K. The babies are so cute! I think I'm gonna be joining all the girls before me in the 'OMG I WANT A KID NOW!' syndrome.

Is it a must to go through pregnancy before you can become a good mother? I personally would feel a bit incomplete if I used surrogacy instead. But he was like 'why do you want to go through 9 months of fatness, bloatedness, morning sickness etc?! Just get someone else to do it.' But of course only if its legal.

He asked me why I would be willing to do it (as if there really was another option). And I can't think of any other reason that isn't cliched!

It's the magical feeling of knowing you're carrying a life within you, something that cannot be explained well enough unless you experience it yourself. The process of childbirth (occasionally C-sections) is magical. I see the look on the parents' faces and it just makes my day.

It is a surreal experience. Unglam for sure. But surreal.

Nuts and More!

happy holidays~ 

we finally made a trip up to burnie! yay! so don't bug me anymore huh! hahaha! jkjk!

it was a good trip up! Good music, snacks and thankfully it wasn't raining at all even though it was gloomy all day! 

On the way up! 

we took a short break at their place just to say hi etc. and then after an extra hour's drive from their place, we reached The Nut @ Stanley! 

The first European to see "The Nut" was Matthew Flinders who in 1798 recorded that he had seen a "cliffy round lump resembling a Christmas Cake". 

There is a plaque at the lookout on the southern side of Sawyer Bay. It reads: "The Nut, discovered by Bass and Flinders in 1798, rises abruptly 143 m from the sea to a flattish top. The geological survey of Tasmania has confirmed that The Nut is the stump of an old volcano. The original core was built of fragments mainly volcanic rock ejected by explosive eruptions. Molten basaltic lava welled up the feeder pipe and in places intruded into these fragmental rocks and formed a lava lake in the crater where it solidified. As it cooled the basalt became weakly magnetised in the direction of the local magnetic field of that time. The direction and dip of this fossil magnetisation is quite different from the present magnetic field and suggests that the volcano was active during some period between 25 and 70 million years ago. Weathering and erosion since has removed all the weak rocks which built the cone so that the hard basalt of the lava pool now stands up as a conspicuous landmark. If you modelled a cone and crater in sand and half filled the crater with molten iron through a pipe from below then jetted the sand away with a hose you would get the picture." 

 us 1/3 up the Nut. Tiring steep slope. Ugh.

we finally reached the top and we were basically taking photos and camwhoring everywhere. :) that's what we do best! 

the Nut from the distance. Byeeee~. we spent the night at their place. thankfully sha7's friend is christ1na's housemate so we basically crashed their place. :) had yummy mapo tofu and beef bulgogi cooked specially by christ1na and joelene! thanks girls! darr3n had DEM shift but luckily i saw him before he left for his shift earlier that afternoon.

we left pretty early the next day because we had to go back and finish up our work! why? because we're going to sydney on wed! which means chop chop finish work then can go! :D

on the way back from burnie, we stopped by lillico beach. which is basically a cobblestone beach? mum said it looks dirty and ugly. hahaha! 

who needs a bag of pebbles from ikea when u get a beach full of them?! 

HAH. self-explanatory. 

stopped by ashgrov3 cheese on the way back! bought some interesting cheese like wasabi cheese! picture's still in my camera. will upload it once i get it out. 

and that concludes my very short trip up to burnie with a nice yummy cup of cappuccino!

back to drama-land.

Singapore Night 2011 made me feel really old. Yikes. VIP was 27 years old. The new committee ran the show and they were averaging 21 years old. All the newbies looked so young and spritely while the old people like us just hung around taking pictures with old friends. LOL! We couldn't even be bothered to wear new dresses - recycling what we wore from last year! 

joelen3 and i! that's like the best picture of me all night. it's usually like that for me. certain angles look great, others look less awesome. one day i'll become one of those who keep posing with that angle because it's the best. 

amanda, jloh and i! like my new hair colour? hahaha! supposed to be 'dark ash blonde'. just looks hazel brown to me. hahahaha! doesn't look very different from what i usually get except the red colour last year! WOOTS! hahaha!

VIP, christ1na and i! that was the after party and I didn't really have any clubbing clothes. hated it so much. was just sooooo damn tired. wanted to go back and sleep but guess it wasnt as bad when i started to actually jump around. had to wake up early the next morning too. :S thankfully i managed to wake up at 7.30am despite a late night.

it was raining so much so it dampened my spirits a little. would totally go back and visit the area again. :)

Documentaries of the Week

Oh I've watched a few docmentaries recently!

I don't know if you remember the vagina exhibit at MONA (see old post) but I saw a documentary about that! Well not wholely on that but it was part of the show. Think the documentary was called 'The Perfect Vagina' and it featured people who were unhappy about their V. They wanted labioplasty, hymen repairs and the host was exploring various ways to convince these women that surgery was not the way to go. There was a weird part where this group therapist had ladies sitting in a circle and one by one they would take a mirror and look at their V and talk about what they like or don't like about it - in front of everyone else. @.@ NO WAY am I going to do that! It's just so weird!

The host also got some of them to go to the artist and cast their vaginas so that they can see how it REALLY looks and if it is different from the way their perceive it! It was interesting to see so many women willing to undergo this (btw the artist is male). I've seen my share of Vs and I'm not too fussed about it anymore. But for a lay person on the street, exposing yourself to someone else, putting plaster on your -ahem- and then moulding it. Just a bit strange for me but still not too bad.

The group therapy was weirder. Best part was some of these ladies got really emotional and just ran out of the room. But they felt like it helped them embrace their own sexuality. Interesting huh? :)

The other documentary I've started watching is an Australian production where they send 6 volunteers on a reverse refugee journey! Most of these volunteers are DAMN racist. They HATE the refugees, think they are taking over their country, think that they don't deserve to be here and they ought to have been sent back to wherever they came from. It hurts my heart to see such narrow-mindedness in them. Being an overseas student, we have our fair share of racism too so I understand but I bet it is a 100x worse for these refugees because of their skin colour, cultural background and stereotypes in society.

It's a 3 part series and it's called 'Go Back To Where You Came From'. I don't think you can stream it from Singapore (it's on SBS - special broadcasting service) but if you can somehow get hold of it through torrents etc, it is worth a watch! :) I just finished part 1 yesterday and I'm already starting to understand how difficult it must be for them. I hope these volunteers will be able to change their mindsets after their 25 days. I literally feel like smacking some of their faces - just the things they say! OMG heartless.

Hard Work Pays Off!

HAPPINESS! :D

Got my uni results yesterday! Full marks! 4 out of 4! Which is awesome! I was totally afraid that I would fail one of the stations because it totally threw me off but after hearing from a friend that the examiner only failed one student in our session, I felt über confident that I would get 4 out of 4. The other 3 stations were relatively easy.

1. Take a history in a 25yo G1P0 22/40 lady presenting with PR bleeding. Just don't misread it as PV bleeding. Some of my friends did. And so did i initially until I saw that I'm the 'surgical intern'. Differentials and management.
2. Take a history from 50+ yo man with sudden onset chest pain with a hx of trauma to L shin after being kicked by the horse (yes we're in Australia). List of differentials and investigations. 
3. Shoulder examination of a 30+ yo male who presented with shoulder pain after vigorous window cleaning over the weekend. Dx - supraspinatus tendonitis. This was the one that threw me off because I don't exactly know how to examine a shoulder but still managed to do the basic Look-Feel-Move-Special Tests
4. Motivational Interviewing - 45yo lady who came in for >45yo screening test. Impaired fasting glucose. Explain to her what that means, the next investigation and advise her on lifestyle changes. She also had a daughter with Asperger's which made it difficult for her to exercise because she had to keep an eye on her. ><

Anyway.. So what does this REALLY mean? It means that I would most probably pass 4th year and make it to my final year of studies! And actually become a doctor! I only need 2 out of 6 for my end of year OSCEs now! :) And of course hopefully pass the written MCQ/EMQs which are supposedly harder than the OSCEs because ANYTHING can come out.

It made me think how far I’ve come these 3.5 years. It has been a harrowing journey (actually just last year) but it’s all good now. I love what I’m doing and although I still feel inadequate, I feel like I am capable of at least doing the basic for my patients now.

For example, I inserted a catheter into this patient today and although I have not done one in over 6 months, I knew what I had to do and having the consultant praise me for my good work and to see the catheter draining well is so rewarding. It was a difficult patient as well as there was a lot of swelling in the area. That made me feel like I can be useful, even now, just as a medical student.

Just had a palliative care session with the palliative doctors. It is so different - the management of palliative treatment. Why would the other doctors continue prescribing simvastatin for a patient who only has 3 weeks to live? Would you prescribe Clexane for a patient who has advanced lung cancer and is immobile? Would you prescribe anti-depressants for a patient who has recently deteriorated and is dying in the next few weeks?

How do you make a patient comfortable? What does palliative care really mean? 

I always wondered how accurate those calorie counters are because I don't seem to be able to get the right 'portion size'. I just guesstimate.

Second Semester.

So I’ve just started my second semester. What a great start! I swear I set my alarm for 7am for a 8am start but I didn’t hear a thing! Next thing I knew, I woke up at 7.58am thinking ‘OH SHIT IS THIS FOR REAL?!’ Rushed out of the house in 5min flat and reached uni in 3min! Record timing! I was the only late person. But hey, better late than never! ;)