Semester 3 Ends... And Other Things

Phew.

Semester 3 has finally ended - and accordingly, I am 30% through my medical course.

It's funny how time has a way of passing by you when you let it. All I've been doing for the past 14 weeks was just attending lessons, going out, and basically, well, living.

I can't help but feel that as I progress through the course, I've become more... At ease? It's not really complacent, nor is it being nonchalent - it just seems as if medicine has become more integrated into my life. And I wonder if that's good or bad.

Somehow I find that becoming more immersed into something means being less objective about it. It would mean that I might become more accepting of what is being thrown at me by the lecturers, tutors, doctors and even other medical students.

Now that sounds weird because I suppose you should be happy that people are willing to teach (Read: impose upon) you their actions and the rationale behind them... But I have this nagging feeling that I should be doing that for myself with minimal influence from others.

Sigh. Independent streak in me.

I hate following crowds. I hate being another one of the same. I hate doing things the same way everyone does. I hate being stereotyped. I hate people making assumptions about me.

In some sense, I wanted to be a doctor because that might make me somewhat different from others; but it's more likely that I will just become another person in a really large group.

How boring. I need something to spice up my life.

Oh well, guess I'll deal with that somehow. I mean, me using "hate" is already a pretty odd occurence. Hehe.

Anyway, I've looked back at my post history and see only "incident" posts for the past couple of months.

I wonder if its because I am being more shallow; or because I have grown to realise that memories might be much more important than the lessons we take from them. Am I turning into something more sentimental? Perhaps that is what they mean when they refer to wisdom - mixing thought and emotion seamlessly.

I can't promise more analytical posts - to be honest I think reflecting is best done from within - but I might try to make the blog seem like less of a Soap Opera. Haha.

Whatever this phenomenon is, let's hope that it's not some deeeeeeeep desire to get attached or something. Where's Freud when you need him?

Heading back to Singapore on the 14th of June. Should arrive at Changi Airport at 9:30 pm on QF 009.

Urm. If you do decide to come and fetch me please let me know in advance; otherwise it's perfectly fine to not come - it's not as if I'm returning with a girlfriend/fiancee/wife for you guys to assess. = )

Till then~

Rural Placement Warragul Redux!

Rural Second Week!

Phew. First off, I have to say that I enjoyed the 2nd Year Rural Placement tremendously and I thoroughly miss it now that it's over. No work, slack life, crap talk. All the things that one can wish for.

The second week seemed to fly by much faster than the first, and in no time at all I found myself on the way back to Melbourne. Without further ado, here's what I did then.

Monday was the usual drive back. This was quite easily the worst day in the whole of the Rural Placement. We had a four hour lecture on First Aid Level 2 (I have no idea that there IS such a thing as Level 2 First Aid... So don't ask) which took up the majority of the day.

The highlight of the day was after lessons were over and we had sports sessions! Football and Netball (For the girls) was certainly fun and refreshing - especially in the cold night air.

Anyway, remember the song that we sang last Friday for the "Life Story" thing? Apparently someone recorded it and burned it onto a DVD. Watching that horrid video was probably the longest 5 mins of my life. Watching it a second time nearly drove me crazy - we all looked like idiots in that video.

Tuesday was the hospital day. Exciting, interesting and just plain awesome. It was the day that made up for the complete lack of clinical teaching during the first week. I was attached to the Emergency Department (YAY!) with Daryl for one shift from 8 am to 3 pm.

Wow. It was incredible.

We saw all sorts of patients coming in. People with casts, kids with breathing problems, adults with heart attacks, someone who memory loss... Best of all was that I got to do all sorts of investigations and examinations on them. Blood sugar level, ECG (Note that you can place ECG leads closer to the centre of the body to minimise artefacts due to muscle contractions), auscultation, cast removal.

Daryl and I also visited the other wards of the hospital and we were able to interview a patient with pneumonia. Haha. Suffice to say I made my first "diagnosis" based on examining the patient and viewing his X-Rays.

All in all, the day was great and we brushed up not only our clinical skills but also our ability to network and communicate with both patients and doctors.

We headed back to the Caravan Park after the hospital visit and had a soccer match. As usual, I was targetted for irritation by Jenn. The unsuspecting me was happily dribbling a ball when she started running towards me. I intended to dribble past her when she suddenly grabbed my arm with both her hands and dragged me back. Needless to say, I lost the ball. At least she was laughing hysterically - and I thought it was kind of funny too.

Dinner was with the 3rd, 4th and 5th Years at the Bukhara Indian Restaurant - voted the best Indian eatery in Melbourne (Or maybe Victoria) by The Age. "Fine" dining indeed. The portions were pathetic even though the food tasted good. I'd take ABC Restaurant at Duku Road any day, thank you very much.



I just remembered another super random thing that happened. Jenn came to our place, opened the door, and said to me "I don't hate you Yuan Hwa" for no apparent reason. Win...?

Wedneday was an interesting day that started out really poorly. We had a forum on Complementary Therapy in which the speaker didn't turn up - which meant that we had to discuss it amongst ourselves. We also spoke to someone with spinal injuries - it was interesting but somewhat draggy in the end.

Following that we went down to the "fat cattle" market as part of a compulsory rural cultural experience - and it was certainly a heck of an experience. To make a long story short, it basically involved us looking at cows while stepping in their shit.




Fortunately, Jenn decided not to try anything funny this time.

The afternoon was spent at the local pharmacy where Daryl and I revised our drug names/uses. Oddly enough, the pharmacist referred us to a computer when we wanted to ask him some questions regarding drugs. ArGh. Someone remind me why we have pharmacists again if all they're gonna do is make us look stuff up ourselves?

We then returned to the Caravan Park and that was where Jon, Daryl and I became Xin Yi's models.

Obviously, that's where the first photograph in this post came from. She apparently took the photograph while I was looking at the nice afternoon sky. The rest of the photos were posed for though.





Haha. I look like some punk. Basket.

Anyway, we went on for our usual Netball game where a super weird incident happened to me. It was pretty cold that night and my hands were literally numb from the cold and the impact of catching netballs. Apparently, Jon concurred with me and touched my hand to see if I could feel them (THIS IS NOT THE WEIRD INCIDENT BASKET. I KNOW ALL OF YOU WILL ASSUME SO UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED).

That was when Jenn approached me with both her hands stretched out. For some reason, I stretched out my hands too and held hers. We stood there in a daze (Or maybe I was the one in a daze) for a while before Daryl broke us apart by shouting, really loudly, "What are the two of you doing?". Ok. To this day, I still have no idea WHY that happened. What was she trying to do? What was I trying to do? To be on the safe side, I shall assume that I am thinking too much.

Thursday was like the calm after the storm. We had clinical skills tutorials the whole day. The only thing barely interesting was when Jon, Daryl and I sang, out of tune and in high pitch, a selection of songs from my computer. Haha. It was really great fun. Thanks for being spontaneous guys.

We headed over to the girl's place to show them our "talents". Apparently, Jenn took a video of me doing an emo rendition of All 4 One's "I Swear". I hope that video doesn't get out into the public - the humiliation and shame is deadly; and the Life Story video is already bad enough.

Friday was nothing much. Pack up and go home day. Zzz...! I felt so sad when we had to leave. It had been a great two weeks!

Looking back, rural was more than anything I could've ever hoped that it could be. The company was excellent and the work was literally non-existent. Still, if you ask me what memories I would have on this placement years from now, it would undoubtedly be all the funny stuff that Jenn did to me.

And I'm left wondering why me.

Well, exams are in four weeks and it's back to school tomorrow. Don't expect to see many new posts!

I should be back in Singapore by mid June. Till then!

Rural Placement Warragul

Woot!

Just came back from my 1st Rural Placement week at Warragul, about an hour's drive from Melbourne central.

How do I say this... It was fun! Met lotsa "interesting" people and had many amazing experiences. Haha. Daryl, Jenn, Jamie & Wing!

Anyway, this Rural Placement thing is apparently a significant part of the Medical course here at Monash Uni (I went to Mildura last year, the photos are still there - I hope).

First off was the crazy, long drive there. If you haven't driven on long, straight roads with lots of scenery, you can't claim to really have driven before. As usual, my buddy Jon Goh and I set off on a bright Monday morning to the Warragul Caravan Park.

Upon reaching there, we discovered that Xin Yi & Becky were late (The first of many "late" episodes to come) and our schedule for the day was thus delayed.

Mmm... The rest of the first day was pretty boring and unmemorable except for the icebreaker/introduction "game" we played. Somehow Jenn came up to me and said "I heard your play WoW, what character do you play?" Needless to say I was caught unaware and blabblered.

A girl who actually knows what WoW is?! They exist! Anyway, this blog entry will contain many, many more of Jenn's weird personality quirks because I happen to remember lots of them. LoL.

Tuesday.

As far as boring days go, Tuesday, fortunately, qualified as one of the better ones.

We had a GP visit in the morning to interview patients and observe a practice in a rural area. Had a couple of patients come in, mostly with chronic conditions - I noted that they are mostly old people.

The GP also told us that he owned an apartment in Melbourne City and also, he probably owned a Ferrari. Dang. Rural sure is good money - too bad it's also boring as hell... Or maybe hell isn't as boring as Rural.

My house of three dudes also cooked on Tuesday. Teppanyaki Chicken, Steamed Egg, Stir Fry Vegetables, Fruit Platter. HAHA! MEN make the best cooks. Really. There is simply no competition.

Today was also the most embarrassing day in Rural Week.

I was happily singing in the shower (Like I always do) because I thought that the walls are sound resistant and the sound of dripping water would drown out my voice. So imagine my surprise when I exited the toilet, head wrapped in my Spongebob Towel, and see Jon, Daryl, Megan and Jenn there smiling at me. I assumed that it was my towel when they started laughing and said they heard me singing in the shower...

Oh shit? LoL.

Not to be conceited but I think I sing pretty ok. Though I was quite shocked as good friend Jon didn't warn me about the sound leakage! WtF... Call yourself a friend. ArGh... At least I entertained a few people.

Wednesday was a slightly more interesting day. Jon and I first met up with this old lady from whom we elicited a Life Story. To be honest, I thought it was quite monotonous and dull. It just seems that a Life Story is only significant to the person who actually wrote it.

We learn lessons from other people, find their lives interesting, but at the end of the day it's just that - a story. Nothing more, nothing less. A story with a beginning, an ending and hopefully, some morals to teach. Then again, I might be wrong.

After the visit at the nursing home we proceeded to a dairy farm. Ahh... The smell of fresh manure in the air. *Cough*

As someone who literally downs milk by the gallons, it was pretty interesting to see where the milk actually comes from. Apparently, the cows are all pregnant and they are kept pregnant for nearly 300 days per year. Personally I thought that was somewhat cruel (?) and it just might put me off milk someday - that and the fact that a cow's udder and anus aren't really that far away from each other.

Thursday was just the craziest day ever.

It was Indigenous day where we organised a BBQ with the Indigenous people living in Warragul and examine healthcare from their perspective. Suffice to say that I didn't find the adults that much interesting because they were mostly feuding over the past transgressions of the Australian Government - I believe that while future generations should be aware of past mistakes, we shouldn't ever be blamed for them.

So this means that I got to hang out with the kids - and do kids say the darndest things...

I also got to try my hand at spear throwing (Which I was pretty good at) and the boomerang (Jon's floated off into the lake and I valiantly waded in to save his toy).

We went home really late and had to prepare for a Life Story presentation - where we share the Life Stories of the people we interviewed with the rest of the students here. Xin Yi so brilliantly composed and wrote a wonderful song for us to sing - and also resulted in a lot of last minute practice for the big day tomorrow.

Friday! (That's today)

Ah. A slack day if there was ever one. It was pretty much the presentation and then home. We weaved the tales of the past and sang the song that Xin Yi wrote. Oddly enough, a few of the interviewees were so touched that they cried (Including mine) and it was then that I realised how I was wrong about what a Life Story means. It seems that everyone wants to leave a piece of themselves after they pass away - a legacy to remember them by - and telling someone your Life Story is a particularly good way of doing that.

The look on my interviewees face as Jon & I presented her with the really, super ugly diary that we rushed through the night before really made me feel all warm inside. It felt good to have made someone happy - and I'm sure this is what made me want to do Medicine in the first place.

People. They say that as far as Rural goes, it's not where you are but who you're with - and boy did I meet interesting people at this placement.

I've been acquaintances with Daryl, Jamie and Wing for a while now but I've never really known much about Jenn. Haha. And she's one quirky person.

First off she seems to subsist on fries & chips. Monday's lunch was Smoothie & Fries at KFC. Tuesday's was the same thing at McDonald's. Wednesday's dinner was Fish & Chips. Thursday's breakfast was Kettle chips... Wow. To be honest I was surprised (Which is why I took so much notice). This diet isn't just bad... It's plain awful. High fat, high sodium, low fibre. The kind of food that doctors beg their patients not to eat. Told Jon Tan to advise her to eat more healthily to prevent diseases and constipation.

Secondly she is ridiculously terrified of crossing roads. I'll admit that I haven't met people who weird phobias but being scared of crossing a road is just... Different? She would squeal everytime she crossed a road and I remember one particular time when she berated me for looking towards the direction of traffic while we crossed a two-way street - apparently I was supposed to look the other way to ensure that no cars came from that direction... Dots?

Third. She watches soccer (And came over to sleep in my house's sofa bed for the Man Utd match on Thursday morning. Needless to say, us three guys were kinda shocked...), plays games (Age of Empires II) and has drawings of a penis for her computer wallpaper. I'm beginning to doubt everything that Jon Tan told me about this girl...

Finally, Jenn is also pretty random. We both happened to be overseeing the painting area during the Indigenous Health BBQ when this feisty little girl enquired if the two of us were attached to each other. Ok. So a 6 year old just asked a weird question and I was wondering what the world was coming to when she further added that she had a boyfriend in Prep School. WoW?! I thought that my surprises were over until Jenn asked her if she was going to get married to her boyfriend soon - at 6?! Yep. Women DO come from Venus.

Mmm... Although I said lots of "bad" stuff I must ensure you guys that Jenn is really a very nice person. Just quirky. Haha.

Jamie... Always arguing with me - and somehow I can't ever find a decent rebuttal in time. Really weird sneeze/cough too (I can't tell at all). Funnily enough, she just seems to laugh at every single thing that I say (Is the word "constipated" funny at all?) but helping me with the art on the diary places her back into "friend" territory.

Wing can eat more than most guys but still stay slim... (I must get the secret from her and sell it as some book to all the ladies out there)

Daryl's a really fun guy to hang around with. Haha. Our house is kinda fun with all three of us talking crap most of the time. Good to have laid back guys to talk to. I can't stand people who are uptight or think about doing work all the time.

Anyway, that's it for Rural Placement Week 1! I'm heading back to Warragul for the next coming week. Hope it'll be as fun as this week was.

Nice New Songs!

Haha. All Chinese. Those of you Banana Man? Too bad. =x

First up!


刘畊宏 & 许慧欣 - 心动心痛

词:刘畊宏/陈剑龙
曲:周杰伦

宏:黑夜渗透了想念
偷不走微光闪现的千种画面
我背着伤痛离开
孤单拖着记忆支离破碎
欣:原以为不会改变
眼泪在脸颊上干枯失去知觉
合:我的心挣脱了爱
跟随着夕阳埋进了海洋
合:为什么相爱的人却又为爱而纷争
现实的翅膀扰乱原本幸福的气氛
我有我的过错
我有我的疑惑
藏在面对面的折磨背后
为什么让爱躲进乌云密布的天空
随着风漂流在外一点一点的散落
慢慢远离的梦
渐渐冷却冰封
心痛都当初相遇的心动

欣:原以为不会改变
眼泪在脸颊上干枯失去知觉
合:我的心挣脱了爱
跟随着夕阳埋进了海洋
合:为什么相爱的人却又为爱而纷争
现实的翅膀扰乱原本幸福的气氛
我有我的过错
我有我的疑惑
藏在面对面的折磨背后
为什么让爱躲进乌云密布的天空
随着风漂流在外一点一点的散落
慢慢远离的梦
渐渐冷却冰封
心痛都当初相遇的心动
宏:慢慢远离的梦
欣:渐渐冷却冰封
心痛都当初相遇的心动

Really nice song. What peeves me off is that this song has been out for over a year! Just discovered it. Basket.

It's the classic kind of duet. My favourite sort of song. Nice lyrics too. (Always thought Chinese songs had much more profound lyrics than English songs)


Next up!

S.H.E - 触电

风走在我们前面
甩裙摆画着圆圈
花美得兴高采烈
那香味有点阴险
你在我旁边的旁边
但影子却肩碰肩
偷看一眼
你的唇边
是不是也有笑意明显
明明是昨天的事情
怎么今天我还在经历
一丁点回忆都能惊天又动地
想问个愚蠢问题
我们再这样下去
你猜会走到哪里
但请你不要太快揭开还沉默的情话
先让我多着急一下再终于等到解答
太容易的爱故事就不耐人回味啦
像这样触电
就够我快乐熔化
我们就耐心培养萌芽不要急着开花
反正有长长的日记等我们去填满它
在被全世界发现以前先愉快装傻
就这样触电
一直甜蜜触电
直到爆炸

像一年四个季节
都被你变成夏天
我才会在你面前
总是被晒红了脸
像一百万个秋千
在我心里面叛变
被你指尖
碰到指尖
我瞬间就被荡到天边
明明是昨天的事情
怎么今天我还在经历
一丁点回忆都能惊天又动地
想问个愚蠢问题
我们再这样下去
你猜会走到哪里
但请你不要太快揭开还沉默的情话
先让我多着急一下再终于等到解答
太容易的爱故事就不耐人回味啦
像这样触电
就够我快乐熔化
我们就耐心培养萌芽不要急着开花
反正有长长的日记等我们去填满它
在被全世界发现以前先愉快装傻
就这样触电
一直甜蜜触电
直到爆炸
但请你不要太快揭开还沉默的情话
先让我多着急一下再终于等到解答
太容易的爱故事就不耐人回味啦
像这样触电
就够我快乐熔化
我们就耐心培养萌芽不要急着开花
反正有长长的日记等我们去填满它
在被全世界发现以前先愉快装傻
就这样触电
一直甜蜜触电
直到爆炸

Early morning song! Wakes you up upon listening to it. Haha. I'm surprised that S.H.E. is still alive. Good thing their songs still stick to the same old formula (i.e. My type)

Lastly, many thanks to Yi Hui (And Wei En) for introducing me to Chinese songs - without which I'd never have known what I'm missing.

100th Post!

Hey everyone!

Rest assured that this blog will not go quietly into the night.

I've been really, really busy ever since I returned to Australia. Three Projects (Group Leader for 2 of them), exams, lots of lectures, etc. All these are occupying my time.

Sadly, that's not the reason why I never update my blog though, it's just that those stuff are too mundane to talk about. Sigh. I don't lead a crazy life like some of the rich little girls in Singapore who publish more sordid details of their life online than most paparazzi do to celebrities.

Regardless, I'll try find more things to post about.

Exams are in 2 days. Wish me luck.

Oh. And I had a haircut. Looks REALLY weird. LoL!

Death & Dying

Mmm...

I've been having random epiphanies recently. Things that just come out of the blue in the middle of the night or when I'm alone.

I'm no stranger to these "visions", if they can be called such, since I've had such experiences before.

Anyway, what I meant was that I've been thinking about death and dying perhaps a little too much for comfort these days.

Take a scenario for instance.

I'll lie in bed trying to sleep when I suddenly sit up in terror, realising that what I'm doing now isn't going to last forever.

It just dawns on me that someday, I will just lose consciousness and never recover from that. That everything that made me... Well, me, is going to be lost to the ravages of time and the fragility of life.

That's a pretty horrible thought at night when you're alone.

I won't lie to anyone. Fact is that I'm scared. I dread the day that I will pass from this world, and everything about me - my memories, my perspectives, my personalities - will disappear.

I just love living so much.

Now I'm not exactly a Buddhist, but from what Dad tells me, it all has to do with this concept called "attachment".

As you tread through life, you gain connections with the things around you - be they animate or inanimate; and you get comfort from knowing that while such things may change, the likelihood of that change being rapid and shocking is much lower than something more gradual.

So I'm attached to this world. Sigh.

I wonder if I'll be able to let it go when I'm all old. To think back and say that it has been a nice, long trip and that I have seen enough.

To be honest, I'll say that I can't at this point in time.

Perhaps that's why people turn to religion. But it's something I'm not ready for yet.

Yet this isn't all bad news - I also realised why I said that saving lives was the reason why I wanted to become a doctor.

Because you can have all the hope in the world - but only while you still live.

A Quiet Mama's Boy...

That was a reply from one of Terry's friends when he queried them on what he(?)/she(?) thought of me.

To be honest, it's not as bad as it sounds. What's wrong with being reserved and filial? Both "qualities" probably don't fit the stereotype of someone on the cusp of adulthood - but I find them pretty much desirable.

Of course, this is discounting the fact that those might be the nicest things he(?)/she(?) could say about me. Perhaps I also looked like a conniving, malicious poseur suffering from mispositioned teeth and malnutrition. If so, I thank him(?)/her(?) for not saying that out loud.

Anyway, the point is that the little comment made me think about something.

It's known as loving and accepting who you are.

I'm not going to deny it really. I'm quiet before strangers, truly a Mama's and Papa's boy, slow to anger, totally uncool, desperately casual in my dress sense and politically incorrect.

That's who I am - and it's who you will see whether you're an Indian, Chinese, Malay, Eurasian, Elitist, Beggar, Friend, Foe, Alive, Dead, Animal, Alien, etc.

I never put on a mask - and I see no need to.

If I don't like you, I won't hide it. If I dislike something in society I'll speak up.

It is simply part of who I am - and I'm proud of that.

Though I believe that it's a really bad idea to hide your true persona behind fallible facades that might fail anytime, I can certainly see why.

Acceptance of course. Both by you, and by the people around you.

Many of us look in the mirror each day and hope we can alter some physical flaws - but hey, that's pretty normal. What's bad is trying to change your personality - or invent a fake one - to conform to the demands of others.

There are 6.5 billion people in the world. And the only thing that can thoroughly distinguish us from someone else is our personality. It is our unique identity.

So show it. Or lose it.