Almost to the end of 2008

Updating my blog from Mannheim (Magi´s home)
Had a Polish Xmas (her family migrated from Poland to Germany 20 years ago)
and some motherly pampering from Magi´s mum (nursing my cough and cold, home cooked meals ^^)
Next stop, Nuremberg to meet Shie´s friend
5th Jan will be study time again

Cant believe after this week, I will turn 24
May next year be good for me in terms of studies (pass all my exams) and HEALTH (omg...i m sick of getting sick...been sick for quite a while (infected a good number of ppl as well) and felt crappy. now i m just starting to spring back to HEALTH again and i want to keep it this way >.<)

There has been a change in my elective arrangement...again
Made Wedad quite upset for ffk-ing her UAE plan (well i think it is the better option for us. i dont wanna even imagine us disagreeing in UAE. She is a good friend but for a month long elective... i dont think i can take it.)
I´ve arranged 2 venues:
Malaysia (with UNICEF)
Singapore
I have yet to receive any formal acceptance from both sides. so i m still keeping my fingers crossed until the day that I am set to hand in that elective forms to my university.

Clinical project is still hanging in the air until I learn how to do an audit.
I wish I was born a genius. gahh..
I need a "Audit for dummies" guide book

What else can I update here?
Hmmm
There´s something (or rather someone) I would like to tell u, my dear friends but the time is not right YET
Be assured, u will know about it from me ok?

Other than that, I miss home a lot
After talking to mum & dad & the aunties, I felt even more homesick
Gahhh!
I felt slightly guilty for not calling home that often for the past few months.
Exams has been rolling all the time and I am constantly kept on my toes.
Next year, my exams will at least come every 6 weeks..I dont want another 2 weeks Oncology stint anymore...exhaustive lah. Didnt even get to layan Yilin that well when she came visiting cos i was busy nerding for Oncology!
Anyways, I promise I will call home more often next year! (ah that´s a resolution!)

I was thinking "maybe next year Xmas holidays, I will go home to see the folks" then reality hits, and I have come to realise that I will be preparing for my Final MB Part 1 around this same time, next year.
Hope it will be smooth then!

I am kinda dreading the Belfast weather at the moment considering Mannheim is not too cold since it is in the lower latitude. And that darn weather made our house in Belfast too cold as well...I think that can also be attributed to inadequate insulation. U can ask Yilin about this. She has been with me for 5 days in Belfast..the week before I left for holidays.
(Oh..congrats to Yilin for doing so well in her 1st term exams in London! Now ur folks can be assured that u r really serious about ur law dream)

Speaking about ppl who came to visit me, I was absolutely thrilled that Lydia came to visit me (with Wei Lynn, of course) in November, 2 weeks before my Psych exams. Old timers catching up! Would haf been perfect with that Nadia bum around though! Although i felt very sorry for all the things they had to endure during the trip like missing flights, taking the ferry, vomiting etc. Aiyoyo! But it was all good craic overall right? (some pics r on facebook!)

Hmmm
I have nothing much to say about 2008..I think it has been a good year for me overall. Not much complaints..would haf ranted it all out already!

I shall welcome 2009 with open arms!

2 series of good events & 1 unfortunate

I accidentally deleted my flight ticket for Frankfurt (for xmas holidays)
Damn....
Keeping my fingers crossed now cos I will try to contact aerlingus 2mrw. hopefully they can help me out! -_-" stoopid girl

Neways!
I passed my Psychiatry! Phewww! Mediocre pass...bleh~
BUT STILL PASSED. Point taken!

I have got a reply from UNICEF M'sia! ^.^
This is only half the good news which will be complete once the other person replied me regarding my request to volunteer for them over Summer 2009 when I am back home!
I will definitely be quite over the moon if they let me! super excited

Cancer studies for the next 2 weeks then exams again.. -_-"
Yilin is coming for the week so I am feeling super excited to be able to c a family member! But Belfast is too cold and wet and gloomy at the mo. sheesh! Not the perfect weather for sightseeing though. but oh well we will make the best out of it ok?

Jam packed weekend post psychiatry! Gonna properly enjoy myself b4 intense cancer studies.
Rights need to hit the sack now. Had 1/7 full of activites and poor sleep 2/7 so I m pretty wrecked at the minute. I know it is not like I carried bricks while I was studying but u get what i mean eh?
Adios...Update more soon when I am more alive~

Now into Psychiatry Week 3, I still feel quite unproductive apart from the fact that I have got all my cases which are compulsory to hand in (no I m still writing up on them, not completely typed yet). Where's my motivation??
My classmates claimed that apparently every1 is slacking off in psychiatry especially after we have just finished our intense paediatrics about 2 weeks ago. So that gave me a little assurance that I m quite "normal"!
I just need enough motivation for me to pass my Psychiatry exams on the 1st attempt! >.<
Thankfully I am assigned to one of the best SHO I've ever met. She gets me going by giving me things to do, recommending all my cases, explaining some topics to me and arranging my timetable and activities. Phew! At least!
Made some new "friends" in the ward as well and coming to realise the importance of keeping our sanity....that's the last thing a person will want to lose (i reckon).

My other 2 issues are:

My audit :
After much emails with my supervisor, I have come to a conclusion (with some advice from wedad) that I will just have to hold my horses now. I will have to wait at least until I get taught on how to do an audit in GP attachment, THEN only I can properly start it. (The reason why I wanna settle it fast is because I wanna have MORE quality time back home during Summer holidays next year instead of worrying about it and spending time in Belfast sorting it out when I can be enjoying myself!)

My electives arrangement:
Got rejected by HK because they dont have vacancies for the time & the department that I wanted. Too bad lor.
A Korean classmate was nice enough to offer me to do electives in korea since her mum has contacts with this person who owns hospitals in Korea. Would love to go but I can't speak Korean.
Cambodia is quite not in my list as for now since that particular Children Hospitals that I want to go only accept 1 person at a time. Bleh.
America is not a good choice since I don't have USMLE, I won't be able to assist in procedures and therefore I can only stand and OBSERVE.
UAE might be a fun IF the cost is not too high and if the accomodation can be sorted! (Hope to hear good news from Wedad about this!)
What's next?
I would love to go home but this is a chance to travel somewhere so I don't want to regret if I didn't take this opportunity!
But at the same time, I came to realise that after my elective attachment period, finals written paper is just about 3 months away! EEK!

Was deciding on Singapore (based on aunt's, dad's and xinli's recommendations) then my angmoh friend remarked that I should try something new and be adventurous!

The verdict, now I will be applying for:
Abu Dhabi (UAE) for 4 weeks with Wedad (depending on the cost)
AND
Singapore (with NUS) for 4 weeks in September (hope to get some motivation/good teaching in preparation for finals)


Now I have to drag myself to do my Psych Long Case after spending my afternoon reading the US election news and deciding on my medical elective attachment!!!
Need a big boost for my new found laziness..S.O.S!

Psychiatry 1st day & I had already felt sleepy in class & always "pancing ikan" in class.
Sheesh!
my study mood hasnt arrived!
went to bank to sort out my tax exemption form but I had to get my national insurance number 1st b4 i can do that. damn mah fan!
Hope to get somebody from uni's GP department to be my supervisor for my audit! *keeping finger crossed!*
Had a nice sushi dinner (with Shie,Jiat & Pat)as a big complement today! Feels very bahagia whenever i eat sushi/japanese food! dunno why! maybe just bcos i m "tam chiak" (just like what lili tong said)
oh & i have to mention the gales today. so kuat man until i felt like i was filming Twister !

Got some pictures from my godbrother today..i so want to be at his wedding to witness it all!
Saw pictures of my godmother & godfather(pa)...almost cried.
Every1 is getting older including my own parents. Wished that I was at home helping out with some errands and just to accompany them to watch some taiwan hokkien drama.
I remembered last summer when I was back, my godmum(ma) wasnt happy with the tailor made clothes that she wanted to wear for my godbro's wedding. She said she doesnt know what colour suits her & since noone was free to accompany her to shop for the cloth, she just simply chose it & pa didnt know what's the trendiest colour either. It broke my heart thinking that I couldnt help her out with such simple task. it is not like she NEEDED help but u know I like to accompany them so that they don't feel lonely & felt left out by the younger generations.
Even with my own parents, when I was home I always try my best to accompany them to simple things like seeing the doctor, encouraging them to go for blood tests, going for a walk in the taman, having dinners/suppers at the hawker stall, going to the temple to pray and also to help them to pass some encouraging advices to my brother.
And i didnt do much this summer for my grandaunty *regrets*
I really hate to think that I will be so preoccupied with my job and miss out on simple things like this in life. Grrr!

I will spend my life working & sorting out other people's life (part of my job & I m more than happy doing it)...but what abt my own one?

Had been thinking of moving to england for my training to get down the latitude..a bit too cold here..cannot tahan sometimes. not that it is like an oven in england but i know the weather there r kinder than the ones here. but ppl here is definitely more friendly hands down!

But I might not get the foundation training rotations that I wanted over in england since I graduate here in Belfast, so there are better chances getting the rotations that I wanted here.
I have to choose either career or a new life.

Then again do I want to go back home after 2 years foundation training?
Still dunno. I wanna do my postgrad examinations 1st in UK at least b4 heading on!
Then I m stuck between career and family.

Ok I m thinking too much now. I m not even required to make my decisions now just yet.


Gah! I miss home lah (as usual!)

P.S: On another note, I m glad that a friend has decided to open up to me. u know who u r. I just wanna say "thank u very much" ^.^

Paeds exams SIAP!

8 weeks of continuous motivation & hard work (quite!)...now it is OVER (well almost until we c our results for paediatrics exam next week!)
My 1st long case in my life wasn't as smooth as I wanted it to be...should haf done better lah. it was in that 1st long case in my life that i did my 1st cranial nerves examination in a child.
As i put it I got drilled into the floor, blended & juiced and finally they decide to drink me! Ok i shld stop complaining..at least i didnt get DiGeorge's syndrome (1 classmate got that)! :S
Written paper...wah really hafta thank my classmates and yeepei that helped me with the past years.
Yalar thats my life now study-->exam & this cycle will continue until forever?

Well to b honest, I quite enjoyed myself at paediatrics. I like interacting with children so i guessed it is only right that i like it! Ahh now I will miss those hide & seeks and ticklings, lending my "earphones" (stethoscope) to the kids & kneeling down when i take histories & examinations. None of my friends here haf children so basically i got no chance to kacau the kids unless i go to paediatric ward! haha *evil* i miss my little cousins (including that 2 tai chek lou)
ahhh children..they remind me of simple things i tend to miss out in life sometimes ---> fun, simplicity, happiness, compassion and patience.

Went out with my classmates for dinner & outing today..okla not too bad. still a bit not natural around my ang moh classmates. still cannot understand 100% of what they said sometimes. my ears & brain something wrong!

Moving on, there's a few things i need to settle like my elective (no reply yet) and audit (what topic!) and some other things like buying toilet rolls, vacuum-ing the house and must remember not leave/display more than 2 pairs of my shoes downstairs! hahaha..
badly need a quilt as well..damn sejuk now..and a cute strawberry umbrella (cos my very strong arms broke the current one i had)

thankfully for my long weekends...i shall try to straighten some things out b4 Psychiatry posting starts on Monday! ^.^

p/s: oh i was quite embarassed when my LOUD se7en's Passion ring tone rang when i was out with my ang moh classmates. they must have think I m so ah lian! hahahahaha am i? *i know u r nodding ur head!*

Some pics for updates:

Shie Ling's Bday

Craigor Paeds Grp A 2008
(Will upload a better pic of this from others' camera!)