Eating.....at home and out....

So much food at my place..........

My city harvest cell group! Angela is the one in the middle, right side.

During the past weekend, housemate FH's parent's came over to visit for a couple of days.

When they first arrived, my jaws literally dropped open- they seemed like they were moving house or something. You see, they brought so many things from home- some supplies for their daughter- and plenty, and I mean plenty of cakes. Her mum can bake cakes very well. So yeah, our tummies were truly satisfied during that couple of days. (and also yesterday when they came back from Genting). Besides the cakes and kuih and groceries they bought (which filled up our entire fridge), we went out to eat a couple of times.

And we had breakfast and lunch and dinner all sorted out for us the few days that they were around. What a homely feeling :) ( I was too in a rush to have breakfast this morning though) Curry chicken, chicken soup, mmmm.....

The first time at a restaurant in Sri Petaling ( I forgot the name), on Saturday night. Last night, we (me, my housemates and the parents) wanted to eat at the Kuchai Lama food court (FH'ssuggestion), so her dad drove us all the way there to eat, after having heard that it was popular for its huge variety of food. But we had trouble locating the place, and drove around the area for at least 15 minutes. When we thought we found the place, there was no food court greeting us, only the run down 'pasar malam' surrounding the food court, and a huge empty ground in the middle. We later discovered that the food court has been demolished a couple of weeks ago. Meh....all the trouble to drive all the way to find the place, only to find that it's gone. So we ended up eating at a restaurant nearby.

Right now, I just returned back from a farewell dinner for Angela, organized by our City Harvest cell group. For the first time, I could feel the fellowship, and it was great :) I was a bit weary at first, because I had to wake up early tomorrow, but yeah it was worth it. Angela is going back to Penang tomorrow, and don't know whether she'll be returning or not. *sad Anyways, I ordered chicken chop with satay rice, which tasted quite nice. RM10.50 quite costly though.

Food, food and more food...


p.s. I didn't even need to utter a single word about what I've been feeling lately (this past whole month). My mum really knows me well. Last night, she literally took the words from my heart, I was surprised. She was very exact in pointing out the core of my problem. And I didn't even tell her anything about the problem. What a relief. Love you, mum!!

p.p.s One person who can really cheer me up, is housemate Rachel. *hugs

???????

Today has been a 'what the.....' day for me.

From the moment I hopped out of bed until now......things have been going totally wrong.......

a) when I stepped into the Vista elevator to go to lecture......my entire bunch of keys dropped into the gap in between the elevator and the ground. I don't know why of all places, the keys just have to drop in there. I have yet to retrieve them.

b) When I tried to check whether the keys are at the lowest floor- I almost got my head chopped off vertical gullatine style (by the closing elevator door).

c) The management promised to send someone to check- but no response up til now

d) We ran out of gas at home- I called the people to send some gas over to our place- but they never arrived

e) And now worst of all....found out late this evening that my mum went MIA ( with handphone off and everything). Not a single person knows about her whereabouts now.


Latest updates:
1) It turned out that my mum went shopping. She left her phone at home, and Celcom just had to choose that time to have their services disrupted. There's a bit of a family problem- wouldn't elaborate on that.
2) The gas arrived safety at our place yesterday evening
3) I just got back my bunch of keys!!

Me, myself and I

Some old pics that I dug up from my photobucket album

I realize that sometimes it's hard for people to get to know me or understand me better. After all, I am more of an introvert type- prefering to keep things/opinions to myself and saying things to myself in my mind rather than saying it out. As a result, people tend to see me as quiet. Plus the fact that I always tend to think very carefully what I want to say and whether it's appropriate for me to say it out first before I actually say something. Throw in the fact that I hate offending people. But the irony is- I still end up offending people anyways, with the few words/sentences that I use. And add in the fact that I always have this serious look on my face, no matter how I'm feeling (even when happy). Hey, it's my 'default' look ok? ;)Smiling actually takes conscious effort on my part, so if I smile at you, it's a meaningful one, meaning I really appreciate you. :)

I don't know about you- but I personally believe that having a natural sense of humour is a gift from God. Some people have this inborn ability to make everyone laugh and cheer up and feel at ease in their presence. I'm not one of them- although I wish too.

It does get frustrating sometimes, when I try to crack a joke- but am greeted by total silence. And then I would think 'oops....have I said something wrong?' Or like just now when I tried to create a light conversation with my housemate- and she thought that I was being too sensitive about an issue.

I guess I'm just a naturally intense person, who doesn't lighten up easily, and so people tend to become 'intense' too around me.

Do you readers know one of the main reasons I blog? (besides being an outlet for expressing my thoughts through writing and as a journal for memories).

Yes.....I blog so that people can get to know me better. I'm sure that many of you can attest to the fact that you know me much better by reading my blog. ;)

Although I'm someone who gets easily frustrated about things, a careless and a quiet type- but I'm also just someone with a simple mindset- with full of love and warmth to give people- but unfortunately not displaying it too well.

Eating disorders

Anorexia. Obesity. Two conditions that are the exact opposite- but arise from the same thing- food (too much or the lack of).

Anorexia nervosa- the eating disorder whereby the person still thinks they are fat, when they are most definitely not.

This disorder affects mostly young females who think that it's fashionable for women to be as skinny as possible.

At the other end of the scale, we have obesity, when your body stores too much fat, and this can potentially lead to health problems such as hypertension, heart diseases, diabetes, etc.

It's important to strike a balance in our diet(eat less fatty food, more vegs, less calorie intake) and in our lifestyles (more exercise!) , so that we don't end up in either extreme.

And you know what people with these 2 eating disorders have in common? Insecurity about themselves and low self-esteem.

It's a cruel world out there, you've got to admit. You get judged every single minute for everything that you do.

Sometimes I do get weary of having to put on this facade for everyone to see, just so that everyone would like me. For any small mistake that I make, I know that someone wouldn't be happy with me and will like me less. Does everyone feel this way?

A case study

Case studies.....part of a medical student's life.....
Here is a chance for you medical students/doctors/anyone else to practise your diagnostic skills.

Firstly, this is a real case study. Patient is......yours truly.

(let's skip the personal details part)

Presenting complaint:
Intense pain on the left eye

History of presenting complaint:

Onset: Left eye slightly red ( but noticeable) starting a few days ago.
Acute pain developed on left eye one day ago.

Characteristic of pain: Pain is pressing type of pain, like something is pressing on the eyeballs.
Pain occurs intermittently at regular intervals (too frequently to count), each episode lasting for at least half an hour.

Aggravating factor: exposure to sunlight

Relieving factor: rest, closing of eyes

Have you done anything about it? Went to see a GP last night. He suspected conjunctivitis and gave me gentamycin teardrops.

Progression: Slight improvement today, intense pain still when exposed to sunlight

Does it affect your daily routine? Yes, I cannot concentrate on studying!!

Besides pain, any other symptoms? No, not even itch. I thought conjunctivitis would cause eyes to itch.

Any worries? Worried that it might be something more serious than conjunctivitis. Suddenly, the gift of sight, which has always been taken for granted, becomes all the more precious.


What is the diagnosis?

I myself do not know actually. Does a GP really know much? What if he had misdiagnosed me?
Should I go to see an eye specialist?

Stardust..

I just returned from watching the movie...

And it was.....Awesome.

I was thoroughly entertained, I really enjoyed the movie. It may seem a bit too fairytale like for my liking, but still.....the entire story warmed my heart. The ending, especially, even though I predicted it from the beginning.

Well, basically the story is about.....a star. More specifically, a 'fallen star'. And a young man who was in search of a star to bring back to his love. I shall elaborate no more, in case I give too much away.

And let's just say that love is unconditional.

Michelle Pheiffer is aging fast! I remember the times (when I was much younger and loved her movies) when she looked so gorgeous. Well, she still is now, but I guess age is sort of catching up to her. Claire Danes was great. I don't know Charlie Cox ( had to search online to find out his name) , hopefully he will receive more recognition from now on. Brilliant performance.

p.s. Can you fall in love with a star?

p.p.s Can a star have a heart?

My Mock OSCE

Yep, the dreaded OSCE which I had been talking/ranting about for the past couple of weeks is over.

After many practice sessions, and many days worrying about it- it's finally over.

We were tested on 4 stations:- 2 physical examination ones, and 2 history taking.

I did quite well in the Cervical lymph node palpation station. It certainly did help that Dr. Daw Khin Win was there. She was very reassuring, nodding and acknowledging my every step. I couldn't really answer the questions she asked about TB though. She said ' You did quite well' and it boosted my confidence.

Behavourial Science station was- let's just say a bit of disorientation on my part. For one, my dumb brain didn't think of holding the tiny slip in my hand upon walking in, and so I had to waste time (one minute according to Dr. Ranjit) searching for the damn thing in my pocket. See the stupid things I do?
Another minute taken to settle down- according to Dr. Ranjit again. The patient was rather cooperative though, in that once I apologized for the delays and troubles she went through, she calmed down almost immediately. I did manage to take an entire fever history from her. But when I reached the Q&A station- there were mostly questions on lymph node enlargement. For a certain period of time, I almost thought that I was in the wrong room/ saw the wrong set of equestions. I think it's because I forgot/didn't have time to ask her about any other symptoms bothering her besides the fever.

Next- examine the patient with right pleural effusion. Dr. Htin Aung just had to be the examiner. Gah. I knew the sequence, I knew the steps. So I was doing the steps methodically and hopefully confidently. He asked me a question about tracheal deviation which I wasn't able to answer. In the end, I didn't finish auscultation! Dr. Htin Aung was looking at me and finally said ' Do you know that the time is up already?' Well, at least he didn't yell. I have to practise on time management. I didn't even start with general examination - which some people did. And yet I still couldn't finish.

The history taking station was ok. No examiner inside...just patient alone. Patient seems a bit irritated at times. But I managed to finish asking all the components, which I never managed to do during the normal CSU sessions.

So yeah....that's it about the mock OSCE. :) I have to do well for the real OSCE exams! I need more practise than others, since I tend to be slower than other people and have weaker hand and practical skills.

eta: I know my blog has been rather pictureless lately.....so my next blog post will definitely consist of pics, even if random ones :p

A time of renewal

Now is a time of reflection, renewal and self-evaluation for me.

I learn things about myself that I never realized before.

Now, if only those things are positive.

But like any other human, I'm not perfect.

And I have to try to improve myself.


p.s. pics of Sunway pyramid= hopefully up within the next few days?

Hey....just a quick update to let you readers know that the blogger is feeling better now.....full and satisfied after a trip to Pasar Malam which took up the entire night. There's no better feeling than having random stuff like chicken drumstick, meatballs, wanton mee, icecream and mango drinks in your tummy.

I still have these mood swings which seem to overtake me these past few days, and feel a little frustrated about certain trivial things, but other than that, I'm fine.

Ashamed...

Omg- today has to be the worst day ever.

Especially this morning, I just feel like hiding myself in the room, just hiding myself away from the whole world. That is how embarrassed and worthless I felt this morning.

Now I get it, I am just a stupid, useless little being, who doesn't even know how to double check on things properly, someone who just takes things for granted.

I should be ashamed of myself.

Frustrated!!

I'm just uber frustrated with myself right now.

Despite the fact that we had long weekends 2 weeks in a row.....I can't manage to finish my Haemato notes. And tomorrow GI is starting already. ( Can you tell that I'm feeling really frustrated about this?)

What can I blame it on? OSCE practises? Things just cropping up one by one? I only can recall clearly this weekend.....Friday night, went to M206 Raya open house. Saturday, went for a 5 hour MUET exam which began early in the morning, and went straight to Carrefour for grocery shopping. Come night, I was just completely exhausted. Today- had to literally drag myself out of bed for church in the morning and then replacement cell group in the afternoon.

And I ended up being in a crappy mood for almost the entire day. Could blame it on lack of sleep, hah. I admit that I haven't been sleeping well lately. I'm a night person and just love to study at night, and combine this with the fact that all my activities the following day are usually held in the morning. I only have myself to blame for this. I know I should learn to readjust my timetable/schedule, but I always fail to do so. And in the end, I suffer the consequences when I feel/look like crap in the day and give others an impression that I'm always stressed.

And I'm sorry for everything that I've done wrong to anyone. I'm sorry for making anyone feel upset with me, I really didn't mean it.

Urgent notice:
Need seniors to guide me for mock OSCE!! Any senior available next week ( I know that Repro and CNS exams are coming up very soon- and that Repro exam is on Wednesday ) do contact me yea!! ;)