Archives

Friday, April 29, 2005

honestly I didn't really know what to expect from the paper..just glad its over...so now we've got a week off!:)I went out after the paper to celebrate end of exams/louisa's bday in chinatown!we had chinese dim sum buffet!pretty worth it..there was ha gao, sui mai and a lot alot of other dim sums to choose from..people would come around on trolleys to the table and we'd get to pick whatever we wanted..haha but we were so greedy we basically tried EVERYTHING!!there were four of us and I think we had nearly 30 different kinds of dimsums..the food was a bit oily but it tasted very chinese!there were desserts too..mango pudding and honeydew sago and cheng teng and egg tarts!!:)

ugh was so full after that..we sat there from 12 to 230 i think..just eating continuosly..but it felt good to be able to eat chinese food again!haha i had clinical session in the hospital in the afternoon and was so sleepy..we walked around a bit after lunch in chinatown and I had to leave for my clinical session at 330..I didn't really feel like leaving at the time (mostly cos I felt injustified that this was a makeup lesson for the one the tutor missed on friday) but in the end I'm glad I went:)

clinical ended at about 530 and I rushed back to randwick to catch a 645 movie with gloria and louisa...we watched the interpreter!!!we couldn't stop talking about it after that..the plot's really cool and not something I would normally understand..but the way it was filmed makes it easy to follow and pretty addictive:)

anyway exam ended on tues..I've spent the last couple of days attending a first aid course..quite useful..but pretty tiring as well..I'm just glad its over:) now its really HOLIDAYS!!:)might be going to blue mountains this weekend but still undecided..

Oh something funny happened yesterday morning..We had just ended mass and were sitting down to breakfast when one of the cleaners came running into the room..she told the principal that there was an animal in one of the bathrooms!heh we were all curious so we all ran down to see and I actually saw a possum!!hehe so cute..it was standing at the window sill, leaning on a toilet paper roll..it didn't seem hurt..it must have squeezed throught the grills to get to the sill..haha maybe it was hiding from the cold or something:) I took a picture of it!will send it to you once my internet at creston is fixed..haha we ended up not chasing it away or doing anything to it..we just closed the bathroom door..it was gone when we checked again later that morning..haha but it was really cute!looked a bit like a giant squirrel..

anyway gotta go now!sadly the internet at creston is down until may..sigh so i gotta come to the library everytime I need the internet..yes so thats the reason for the stagnant blog..sorry guys!anyway miss everyone lots!I can't wait to go home :P

lynn: yeah i felt so lousy after that!:(!but the makeup lesson was great:)learnt a lot from it:)
weibin: hahaha yep singlish seems to be catching on at my college. now everyone knows me as the blur girl. and they randomly add las and lohs which sound extra funny with their aussie accents.
ruth: yep I've been here ONLY 8 weeks!:P alright 10 including easter break and the week before class..sigh..feels so long..can't wait to see u again dear!:)
yahui: hah yes cookovers are great:) but only if the cooks know how to cook..not like me!:P
cheng: :)
~me~ at 3:44 PM

Friday, April 22, 2005

hello all!sigh was supposed to have clinical session at the hospital today but the tutor didn't show..so disappointing..we all turned up at the hospital but the there was some kind of mixup with the tutor..so its postponed till next tuesday..quite annoying..cos we had all travelled all the way there and I felt like I wasted my whole afternoon..the train got delayed by a half hour on the way back (train delays are pretty common here..but I think it got delayed today cos a woman threw herself off the track :( quite sad...) so it took about 1 hour 45 minutes to get back to campus..yeah so it feels like a pretty wasted day :P still kind of annoyed at the hospital for screwing up..and I guess I was look forward to today cos we were supposed to learn clinical examintaion skills.. :)

anyway I should stop complaining..the week hasn't been too bad..One of the singaporean year one med students had his 21st bday yesterday and he invited us over to a home-cooked dinner!!very yummy!!he cooked curry chicken and fish and yong tao foo soup:)yeah he cooked really well!then we had ice cream and chocolate bday cake we bought for him! but the poor guy ended up getting icecream thrown at him.. :P

At creston, we take turns each week to tell the others a little something about home during supper..so louisa and i were telling the creston girls about singlish last night..it was actually pretty funny..and speaking singlish reminded me a lot of home..Haha singlish sounds vulgar to me but the aussies say it just sounds funny..we told them what "chiobu" and "yandao" meant..and were teaching them some simple stuff..they were quite bewildered at the random adding of "la-s" and lor-s" to sentences..

anyway, I've been trying to mug most of the week away..my paper's next tuesday..its quite scary to think that EVERTHING we covered in the last 8 weeks is in one paper..and the questions they ask are mind-boggling..I had a look at last year's paper and its pretty ridiculous the stuff they expect us to know..they clearly want us to do ALOT of self-directed learning..like I said earlier they concertrate on teaching a lot of the communication skills (which is really good)..but they should also teach us a bit of the informative stuff..right now, we're just doing a lot of self studying..

alright dinnertime!ciao!:)

enping: haha yes thank you I think I did make a very convincing cigarette:)yeah I do have the video but you can't even tell that its me!haha only the top of my head's visible..I was getting ash on my hair from the smoke... :)
cheng: haha erm..thanks dear. :) i hope so too :P
~me~ at 6:08 PM

Sunday, April 17, 2005

Hey everyone!!can’t believe how fast time suddenly seems to be passing..no don’t worry I haven’t forgotten about this porr abandoned blog..just been pretty busy this week..

Finally completed my group project last week!!It was fun working with my tutorial group mates but a relief that its finally overJ our presentation went pretty well..the video (in which I had to dress up as a giant cigerette) worked immensely well..now I’ve just got my draft portfolio due this Tuesday and my end-of-course exam the week after next. Whew.

Anyway, I’ve spent most of the weekend mugging..been reading about the immune system and inflammation all weekend :P pretty confusing at first but it all feels so incredible when I finally get it!God was so smart to have thought up all the little details involving our bodies..I feel so amazed and blessed everytime I think about itJ yep so I’ve been pretty much a nerd this weekend..I did watch "Run Lola Run" with my collegemates yesterday night though..great movie!!It shows the different paths our lives can take in the simplest of change of actions. Cool.

class has been interesting lately..My monday was interesting..I had a good day at the hospital!I spoke to my first patient!We visit patients in clinical groups but one person takes a turn at speaking to a patient each week. In a 2 hour tutorial, we spend the first hour going over effective communication techniques, then one or two people get to speak to patients and we return and discuss about the conversations. The patient I spoke to was an 80 -year -old man with a serious lung infection. He was spanish and so couldn't really understand me at times. And his lung infection had affected his ability to talk properly so it was hard for me to make out the words as well. Sometimes I feel bad that we intrude on the patients during our rounds..but we make certain that the patients are completely willng to speak to us before we start conversation..the patients who do not mind speaking to us are all so friendly and optimistic..My classmate talked to this other patient (he had a multitude of chronic illnesses) who commented himself that he probably would die in the next 4 years..but the patient didn't seem upset at all..

yeah anyway, my conversation went well..the tutor said I performed well in that I adapted to the conditions by speaking simpler english and performing proper body language to show the patient that I understood him and was interested in what he was saying..heh but she told me to speak louder!I think most of my classmates see me as pretty quiet..guess I haven't really warmed up to them yet..but its hard cos we have different tutorial groups for different classes..so I don't see the same people on a regular basis..but I do feel more comfortable at creston now as compared to when I first came I guess..:)

alright back to mugging now!take care everyone!:)

meiling: haha yep I felt recharged after the retreat!still do:) haha I hope I can handle the assignments. Seriously, the other students are all so smart..anyway, take care dear!!:)
weibin: haha yeah thanks I had a wonderful experience at the retreat:) and erm..
ruth: hey dearJ yes I’ll be going back in july:) thanks for your LONG mail. Will reply soon!!miss you lots and lots!!have a great 5-WEEK break!!lucky girl:)
lynn: haha yeah thanks for the mail!!so happy to hear from you:) take care dear:) will reply soon*hug*miss you!
~me~ at 1:53 PM

Monday, April 11, 2005

Hello!!apologies for the stagnant blog as of late..I’ve been busy this couple of weeks with a couple of big assignments finally due this week..plus I was away for the weekend at a retreat!

The retreat was great. I don’t know quite how to describe it. I feel spiritually charged from the weekend and somehow closer to God. It really made me reflect a lot on my life and my actions..It was pretty short..one and a half days..but I got a lot out of it:) there were talks,meditations (kind of like long homilies on certain topics), rosaries, stations of the cross, benedictations..we had a pretty packed schedule..there was always something to do and think about.

It took place at this place called bargo, an hour's drive from sydney..it was basically a big house specially built for retreats..with a chapel and a lot of rooms and a big dining area..and there was a nice garden out back for us to walk about too..we didn't leave the house at all..it wasn't formally a silent retreat, but we told from the beginning that retreats were generally more silent than normal..I was a bit uncomfortable with that at first, but I soon began to realise why it was neccessary to maintain the silence..so we would have more time to think about God and to talk to Him instead of others..The retreat was about spending time with God and improving our relationships with Him, not with other people...although I did get to meet some nice people as well of course..:)

Retreats aren’t for everyone I guess..I just wanted to experience one and see what exactly it was like..and I’m really glad I went:) although I’ve now got a mountain of work..alrighty gotta go people!have a great week!:)

Mandy: HELLO!!haha yes it is exciting..but I just wish I could be at home with my sister right now during this exciting period :P sigh..but yes yes I still can’t really believe I’m gonna be an aunt:)
Pips: haha erm..what the heck are you talking about??!
Lynn: yo!congrats on finally finishing exams!!:)you must be enjoying life now..:)hah yeah my collegemates were all telling me how brave I was for actually getting rid of those HUGE roaches..ugh.
Serine: SERINE!!hello:) nice to see you hanging around:)how are you?take care ya!
~me~ at 10:05 AM

Tuesday, April 05, 2005

hello all!

My arm's kind of achy now cos I had three injections yesterday!one MMR test on my left, and two om my right arm..a bloodtest and one for whooping cough!Part of the neccessary immunisation for medical students..haha I actually found it quite funny, cos I was sitting in the chair while one nurse injects me on my left arm and another nurse took blood from my right at the same time..

Sigh I actually kind of enjoyed having less people around last week..I've actually enjoyed the last week a lot more than I've enjoyed the first 4 weeks..cos the people who have remained here over easter are basically the international students, so I guess I click a lot more with them than with the local aussies..kinda miss the peace and quietness..haha and I'll miss having the computer more often..

Anyway, I spent most of the weekend attempting to make my room feel closer to home!I painted my room..but not like an entire wall..just some designs..my room now has lots of stripes and dots!!don't think I'll ever get the chance to paint my own room in the future so I just thought I'd have a bit of fun:)they don't normally allow the students to paint their room but cos my room's old and gonna be renovated at the end of the year anyway, so I can paint!!yep cos the renovation's gonna involve painting over the walls and changing the cupboard doors..at least it feels abit more cosy now:)

And I just found a HUGE cockroach in my room. I was sitting at my desk and it was crawling up the wall in front of me. I managed to toss it out of my room and my neighbour complained that she didn't want it in the corridor!haha so we attacked the cockroach with insecticide. It was pretty determined, and somehow refused to die so I ended up smacking it with the underside of my slipper. Ugh. the cockroaches here are HUGE.

ok gotta go get some work done now. got a couple of assignments due this week. happy mugging everyone!
~me~ at 8:18 PM