electives and etc.

First, feeling relaxed, and happy to be gaining some experience from my family doctor, Dr. Bibiana Teo. I am doing my electives in her paedetrics clinic right now. She was very nice to me....letting me sit beside her and observe her tending to young patients. And during the intervals when there is no new patient, she would tell me about her experiences or teach me new things about childhood diseases and such. The only downside to this is that.....when you observe the same old thing everyday, children and babies of all ages coming in with their parents, their parents answering questions for them...and half of the children being taken to the back room for nebulizing treatment (to clear up their airways). Once in a while, you have babies being brought in for their vaccinations. But most cases, it's just the common cold- running nose, chesty cough, fever and all that. And there are some cases of hand, foot and mouth disease as well.
Yesterday, a little girl came in with internal injuries to her private parts as a result of exercise related injury. Today, a baby threw up all over the floor. And listening to infants and toddlers wailing away....not exactly music to your ears ;)

My personal weight loss regime is...well...it's too early to tell.
I have being going to the gym almost daily now....and exercising furiously on the treadmill, cycles and steps. and doing situps as well. And besides that, I've been watching my diet as well, trying to eat less meat and more vege, and saying no to snacks. I really really hope that this works out!! If not, I'll be very frustrated.

Now it seems like everyone has a boyfriend. I need to get myself a boyfriend too!!

Also...the feeling of being underappreciated is starting to return....trying to shake it off.
But thanks to all those of you...mostly from other batches who actually show me that you're true friends, being concerned and asking me about my results.....I really appreciate it :)

Time to sign off for the moment, let me leave you with some celebrities who decided to proudly show off their baby bumps at the recent Academy Awards. Good for them!

Jessica Alba
Cate Blanchett
Nicole Kidman

Results....results....

Results. Just the mere mention of the word would send your heart into tachycardia. It could be anything...from exam results, to clinical test results, to pregnancy test results, to HIV test results. But results would always make you feel nervous as you wait for them to be released.

Last Wednesday, I had not one, but two results released at the same time. My End of Semester 3 exam results and also my T4 level test results.
You see, earlier on in the morning, I want for an annual checkup and had my blood tested for T4 (thyroxine) levels. I was to call up SJMC at 3pm for the results.

Of course for me, my End of semester exam results was much more important. I didn't sleep well the night before, I didn't really have the appetite for lunch. All I wanted to do was to get to uni to collect my result slip ASAP. The wait for 3pm was like torture, every second seemed like eternity.

Anyways, finally 3pm arrived, and I trudged slowly to IMU to collect my result slip. ( I so happened to be in KL for the day, just returned from Bali the day before and was going back to Kuching the following day). My legs were feeling wobbly and I felt drained of all my energy.
I met up with batchmates who were also on their way to collect their results....they seemed surprisingly calm. The instant I tore open the envelope and set eyes on my grades, my heart sank. Not desirable grades, that's all I can say. But the most important part of the result slip was at the bottom....'Congratulations, you've passed the End of Semester 3 theory and OSCE components. You're now eligible to proceed onto Semester 4. ' That was all I needed to know.
Never mind the less than impressive results that I got.

Well, I learned that only 6 people failed the exam. Initially, I admit that I had this selfish thought that 'Well, everyone passed. So what is so special about me passing my exam? What is there to be proud about?' But then, I have to keep in mind that....God's grace is sufficient for us to get through all the hurdles in life. I should be grateful that at least I passed and I can fully enjoy my holidays and do my elective ( in a clinic).

Well, as for the 2nd result....I actually forgot about it in all the excitement of the day...and ended up calling the hospital the following day. And.... I was shocked to learn that my thyroxine levels were in a disarray. Hormone imbalance. I haven't been taking the correct dosage of my medication ( 1 tablet the first day and 2 tablets the next) and as a result..... I am now hypothyroid, which explains my substantial weight gain lately.

I've to hit the gym daily from now on, and avoid fatty meals, and take more veges and fruits. No more chocolate or icecream or the like. Argh....what choice do I have? I really admire those people who have extremely high metabolic rates and just simply can't get fat no matter how much they eat.

Trip to Bali

Beautiful sunset...


At a temple...


One of the beautiful beaches in Bali


baby turtle!!




with traditional Bali dancers



I wasn't crazy about the snake, as you can see...



pictureque volcano in the background


I just returned back from a great and relaxing trip to Bali, Indonesia last week. I went with my mum and Uncle David for four days, from Saturday (16th Feb) till Tuesday (19th Feb).

This being my very first trip to Indonesia, I was anxious to discover about the culture of the people there. I found out that they were mostly Hindus, with the rest being Muslims and Christians. And devout Hindus they were! Almost every shop has an offering plate placed in front of the shop, maybe as a sign of worship and offering to the Gods. The Balinese are very friendly people. They greet you with a smile, and welcome you into their land with warm arms.
They tend to be a bit overenthusiastic though, when it comes to selling their goods....we'll come to that part later...

We stayed in a hotel called Aston Inn, Tuban. I was satisfied with the quality and standard of the accomodation, quite comfortable and cosy, decorated with my favourite colour, light purple. There is a spa (although we didn't utilize the service) and a swimming pool, which was vacant most of the time, except for the final day of our stay when a couple of people were shooting a scene from a soap opera there. They even had pick up service to and from the hotel to the airport, which we didn't know about until too late.

The first day, we went horse-back riding, which brought us around the town of Bali. We ended up at a market in the centre of the town, where I bought some DVDs.

The following day, we hired a personal tour guide, who drove us to several tourist attractions. Our first stop was to watch a traditional Balinese dance, called the 'Barong' which tells about the eternal fight between good and evil. I didn't quite understand the performance though. Then he bought us to a Batik making factory and a silver factory before driving us all the way up a mountain for lunch. The scenery there was great, as it was facing a huge volcano ( which I think is dormant). But the lunch itself was expensive! Then we drove down, and stopped by a cocoa plantation and a well-known temple on the way back. It was intriguing and fascinating to watch the way the Balinese live their lives. Their lifestyles seem so much simpler compared to ours. They bath in holy water to cleanse themselves before a big occasion (e.g. wedding, graduation)
And when it comes to selling their goods....they never give up. They go to the extent as to pull and drag you into their shop and have you look at their goods. And there is no such thing as a fixed price in Bali, at least not in markets or roadside stalls. Their initial pricing would be rather expensive.

A typical conversation at a store in Bali would be like this...
You (pointing to a wooden carving): How much is this?
Store owner: 100,000 rupiah
You: Wow, that is so expensive! Can't it be cheaper?
Owner: You tell me the price. How much do you want it to be?
You: 50,000 rupiah?
Owner: Oh no! No way. That is too low a price. I would 'rugi' that way. 70,000 rupiah then?
You (starting to walk away): Then I don't want it. I'll only buy this carving from you if it is worth 50,000.
(After a while)
Owner: Ok, ok mam, 50,000 rupiah it is then.

So, you win again!

The third day, our plans of sleeping in was twarted when a taxi driver we met the night before offered to bring us to a some nice beach in the morning for watersports. We ended up renting a Glass Bottom Boat to Turtle Island, where we saw some baby turtles and some huge 17 year old turtles. Add in a parrot who seems desperate to peck you, a bat and a snake which the claimed to have had its venom removed.... But my mum fell seasick so it wasnt' that enjoyable.
However, when we got back to the main island, I did manage to squeeze in some parasailing. It was just a random decision on my part. Thinking back, I didn't know why I was so brave. Anything could have happened while I was up their in the air. And I almost landed on the water. But it was fun.

In the evening, we went to a highly recommended place called Jimbaran for sunset dinner. That was worth it. It was great having a scumptuous dinner of barbequed fish in the shores of a sandy beach, and watching the sun slowly set in front of you as you slowly enjoy your dinner. And watching the waves crashing on the shore....it gives you a calm and relaxing atmosphere. That is what I call a vacation!

And oh yeah....throw in some traditional Balinese massage as well! On the third and final day of our stay in Bali, we decided to try out the Balinese massage....the third day in a more high class place, meant for Japanese tourists. It can be quite painful at times, but relaxing and soothing on the whole.

On the whole, I really enjoyed my trip to Bali!! The people are friendly, lots of things to do there....go for massage, bargain shopping, high class shopping at Sogo... or water sports for the more adventurous. No wonder the Japanese love to travel to Bali.
Info.... 1 ringgit is equivalent to 2700 rupiah. Don't forget to bring your calculator! And your bargaining skills ;)

p.s. Enjoy the pics!!

p.p.s I passed my End of Semester 3 exams!! Didn't do too well, but at least I passed, and am eligible to proceed on to Semester 4. More about this in a later post.

p.p.p.s Have to really be serious about going on a diet now. More in a later post as well.

Post exam celebrations

Finally the End of Semester 3 exams are over!!

If you want to know how it went....

Multiple choice questions were ok....

Extended matching questions (EMQ)was ok....(except that I still didn't bother to study Anti-hypertensive drugs, ugh...

Modified essay questions (MEQ) was TERRIBLE for me. I could only answer the Haemato question with confidence. The other 3 questions were just a complete blank for me! I made a silly mistake for the osmotic laxatives question- when I mistook it for upper GI laxatives!!

OSPE was hard too, but not as bad as MEQ. Anti-asthmatic drugs...I studied thoroughly and thought that I know my stuff.....but when the question came out regarding anti-asthmatics in the form of a confusing diagram..... I totally blanked out.

As for OSCE (clinical exams) the first day I consider myself lucky, because my stream(stream D) had all the nice and lenient examiners. Dr. Sasikala, Dr. Sri Kumar and Dr. Rajesh's wife ( I forgot her name). Sasikala kept on telling me to skip steps to save me time and she tried to help me out in answering the shifting dullness question. Sri Kumar's station was palpation and auscultation of the precordium. And I can't believe that I actually missed out the most important thing of all in that station....locating ( or trying to) locate the apex beat!! Instead, I moved on straight to palpating for thrills in the four valve regions. Sri Kumar didn't say anything. And I only realised what I missed out when I finished the exams for the day. The patient for the second history taking station of the day was very helpful though. He actually told us students what exactly to ask him!! Respi station was fine.

Today- the tides were turned. When Neha and I were standing outside our first stations ( which were both PE stations), she suddenly pointed out the huge sign on the door she was standing in front of. It read 'Please do not knock the door'. We looked at each other, knowing that we were doomed. (Read : a lecturer named Htin Aung is inside the room if you see that sign outside the door).
And the very moment I flipped open the question for my first station- my jaws literally dropped open. For the very first time (in the history / recent history) of IMU- rectal examination actually came out as an exam question.
So far- nobody had ever predicted that it would come out in a real exam. Seniors have always told us that it was unlikely to come out, because they don't have enough models in the CSU. But my batch was 'lucky' enough to get the question today. Luckily though, I did practice on a rectal model a few times with a friend of mine last week, so I basically knew my stuff, although I got stuck when trying to figure out the word 'median sulcus'.
The peripheral arterial disease station was fine.
My very last station was the Htin Aung station. He scolded me for leaving the remaining of my sticker on the table. After I finished all my stuff ( palpating the cervical and axillary lymph nodes) Htin Aung just smiled and asked me to take a seat. He asked me casually whether this was my last station and how did I think I did? 'I don't know' I answered. 'How come you don't know? You did inspection and palpation....' he said. Then he went on to talk about Myanmar ( his home country) and having coffee after this with the patient.
It was only when I left the station I realized that I was palpating the axillary nodes on the wrong side of the patient!! I don't know why he didn't even bother to scold me about it....since he reprimanded other students for palpating using the wrong hand. My only conclusion was that he was just anxious to go get his cup of coffee?

Anyways.....yeah, the exams are over now!! And I can finally sit back and relax, go online, check Facebook, check message boards, watch downloaded 'Survivor' and 'Lost' episodes.......

But well....overall I hope I did ok for the exams.

We'll find out next week....

Happy Chinese New Year!!

I know it has been a while since I last updated my blog.

Wish that I can say that it's because I was too busy with my revision. Heh.
But in actual fact, I was just too lazy to update :p

I would just like to wish all of you readers a very

Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year!!

May the year of the Rat bring you much joy, luck and prosperity!!

GONG XI FA CAI
XIN NIAN KUAI LE
WAN ZI RU YI
ZU NI SHEN TI JIAN KANG


p.s. Yay for 'Lost' season 4 finally starting!! I took the time to download and watch the first episode, 'The Beginning of The End'. It was great- although would've enjoyed it even more had I not read anything about it beforehand. Great acting by Jorge Garcia. Yep, it was Hurley-centric.

Yay for Survivor Micronesia : Fans vs Favourites premiering soon....this Thursday.

Did anyone watch the auditions for the latest 'American Idol' season?

Claire Bennett cutting her toe just to test whether it can regenerate back. Gross.... But I like the fact that the latest season of 'Heroes' takes us to different parts of the world....ancient Japan, then the borders of Mexico, then US. And to hear Japanese, Spanish and English all in one episode. Cool stuff.

And finally, yes I'm back in Vista. Not alone though, don't worry, had reunion dinner with housemate Rachel and her bf and sis.

And nope....my revision isn't going as well as it should. Love how everyone else is so confident. Well, what can I say? We had so much time to prepare...... and yet I just couldn't make full use of it. Sigh.