back from london!

yay i'm back. the cold and lack of moisture was getting quite unbearable. the flight there was ok; there were probably only like 10 chinese people. but coincidentally, the cute chinese guy was sitting just behind us! woohoo. BUT. the flight back was totally shitty.(thankfully i still managed to watch movies!) it was so full and there were two or three babies who wailed and screamed and cried through the flight. before i sound like a cruel baby-hater, i'm usually fine with babies crying but a few babies making so much noise was too much to bear. and it's so funny how we always sit next to chinese people. but this time the guy was not very cute and he's married. too bad. haha damn i sound like such a bimbo, checking guys out during flights. but you cant blame me cos it was a 14-hour flight man, gotta find some entertainment right.

we did alot of touristy stuff. like visit the tower of london, westminster abbey, st. paul's cathedral, windsor castle, buckingham palace (and watched the changing of the guard in freezing temperature)etc. and we went to harrods (!!! KRISPY KREMES!! FINALLY! they're VERY nice if you need to know.) and walked down oxford street almost everyday cos our hotel was near there!!! but the stuff there is like 3 times the stuff over here so there wasnt much to buy :( and we went to watch les miserables at queen's theatre with jasmine, her mum and caroline! we were supposed to be in the upper circle but they upgraded our seats at the entrance! so we ended up at the stalls. excellent. and the musical was really good, though the storyline confused me a little.

then the interviews. well they were moderately fine i guess. ucl's was not very good cos they asked sth abt ANIMAL TESTING which was only like what, one line in my bmat essay?! as for imperial, there were FIVE interviewers in the room. NOT funny. there were only 3 names up on the list in the waiting room so imagine my horror when i stepped in and lo and behold! i see a whole crowd of people in the room. but i still had to go through it anyway. and half of the people who went for interviews at ucl on 25th were from rj, it was like back to school man! and i met anna banana!


krispykreme! | donuts donuts donuts donuts!!! | jasho,her mum,me, caroline
jasho | les miserables | saw this outside westminster abbey
protests | big ben | british museum (gorgeous isnt it!)


view from the plane | london from the top | imperial
harrods | tower bridge | london eye
same thing | seagull | at windsor

plus, some REALLY FUNNY things we found in chinatown! i wonder if it's safe to eat like, fruit curry. sounds very diarrhoea-inducing.

it's a bit strange to find out that back in school, people were actually talking about/ looking at me a lot more than i would have expected. i guess that's what happens when you live in your own world and don't really pay attention to anybody around. sigh now i'm thinking like 'shit. maybe i really screwed it up a while back.' but realistically, there wasn't any other way to handle it... right? i shouldn't be bothered since it has been a really long time... and my sister thinks i should be able to do much better than that. aiyahhhhhh!!! this is a bit irritating. at least this holiday has come at a good time. need a break.

chinese new year is coming! this year will be spent a bit differently from the past 18 years. i'm a bit sad that i'll be missing the malaysian food and pigeon poop but i'm definitely going to have fun anyway! my pineapples tarts!they are my absolute favourite cny biscuits! don't they look yummy? haha but i didn't actually make them. i only cut the pastry shapes, brushed egg yolk on, put the pineapple on top and ate the chow tah/ broken/ ugly looking ones. i don't think my auntie wants to share her secret recipe with me :(

errrr i don't have anything else to say for now.....
except that the thought that i might be close to ballack does sort of induce a fuzzy feeling............ in my stomach. oh god i think i'm going to be REALLY sick. bleah. as always i am appalled at bird's taste in men. haha! oh well i hope that girl is going to be alright in uk. heh heh i'm going to watch movies there and back! the selection looks pretty good... but i'm going to have to wrestle my sister for the headphones.

eek blogger is being cranky. i'm using the laptop now cos the other computer is probably dying due to excessive use. (not me, my brother) and wth, i get blogger in CHINESE! and i cant figure out how to change it cos i cant really understand the er, fan ti zi! the computers are all conspiring against me! just when i need to research for interviews and plan my london trip! evil!

anyway, this. is how my desk looks like now.

even worse than during prelims and As! must. start. packing. holy cow, how am i going to wake up at 6 freaking am tmr!!! must. start. packing.

meanwhile, i've been trying desperately to find info on medicine and ethical issues. and i'm failing miserably. i think i'll probably only watch movies on the flight back. so i researched on down's syndrome cos i figured it might be a talking point for them interviewers, and i'm horrified at how little i actually know about it. makes me wonder what kind of a sister i am! but oh well, i'll have lots of time to read up abt it when i get back. for now, just grasp the main issues. yes. must prioritise.

i think i do not sound coherent anymore. so i'll just go and research a bit more and see you all till 28 jan! happy new year in advance :)

btw ymw, remember to get german sausages!! and enjoy your germany trip! imagine, so close to ballack!

ACHTUNG ACHTUNG!
sometime next week we shall descend upon the land of bratwursts, beer and BMWs (and heidi-you're-in-or-you're-out-klum)!!!! muahahahhaa ooh i'm psyched! especially since my sister can go! we always have a lot of fun and do stupid things together! :D

went to the clinic this morning with the doctor. haha i really think she's so nice :) actually almost all the doctors and nurses in the department are great! haha so today in the clinic we saw quite a few cases. i was telling jasho yesterday (when she mysteriously appeared at the office) that i don't want to be a paediatrician. but i changed my mind for a brief hour today cos the kids were so sweet and adorable!! if i met kids like that everyday, i would definitely enjoy it a lot. but i changed my mind again cos then we saw a couple of patients who were not doing very well. it just makes me feel very very very sad whenever i see kids who are really sick. then you see how much the parents love them and it breaks my heart cos it's really so unfair that anyone has to suffer like that :( :( sigh. so i'd rather not handle kids in the hospital.

hmmm and i think a hospital attachment is a really good thing cos it reminds you how lucky you are. i mean i'm sure everyone complains about how they're not rich enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough, not cool enough, not skinny enough, not tall enough etc but really really, i think health is the most important thing. oh and having a family that loves you for being the arse that you are. everytime i see these sick kids, i'm always very very thankful that my sisters and i are healthy. we might be a bit odd in character but we're happy and healthy so that's good. oh and please: try not to marry/ have kids with your first cousin! seriously hasn't anyone studied about inbreeding?? haha i know it sounds a bit odd and random but my doctor was telling me about a couple of cases of children with really serious genetic diseases because of 'inbreeding'. actually i always thought it was illegal to marry your first cousin but my parents say it's not. oh well. have kids at your own risk!

and to educate all our fine intelligent readers, here's a disease i was just reading about. there was a boy in the clinic who had it... and being my curious self (!) i googled it!

Kawasaki Disease is an illness that involves the skin, mouth, and lymph nodes, and typically affects children who are under the age of 5. The cause of Kawasaki Disease is unknown, but if the symptoms are recognized early, kids with the disease can fully recover within a few days. If it goes untreated, it can lead to serious complications that can involve the heart.

Kawasaki disease occurs in 19 out of every 100,000 kids in the United States. It is most common among children of Japanese and Korean descent, but the illness can affect all ethnic groups.

This illness can't be prevented, but you can help your child by learning the telltale symptoms and signs, which typically include a fever that lasts for at least 5 days, red eyes, a body rash and severely-chapped lips and mouth. If your child shows these symptoms it's a good idea to call the doctor.

The symptoms of Kawasaki Disease typically appear in phases.
The first phase, which can last for up to 2 weeks, usually involves a persistent fever that is higher than 104 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius), and lasts for at least 5 days.
The other symptoms that typically develop include:
-severe redness in the eyes
-a rash on the child's stomach, chest, and genitals
-red, dry, cracked lips
-swollen tongue with a white coating and big red bumps
-sore, irritated throat
-swollen palms of the hands and soles of the feet with a purple-red color
-swollen lymph nodes

During the second phase of the illness, which usually begins within two weeks of when the fever first begins, the skin on the child's hands and feet may begin to peel in large pieces. The child may also experience joint pain, diarrhea, vomiting, or abdominal pain.

Doctors can manage the symptoms of Kawasaki disease if they catch it early. The symptoms typically disappear within just two days of when treatment begins. Usually, if Kawasaki disease is treated within 10 days of when the first symptoms begin, no heart problems develop.

But if the illness goes untreated (time period can vary, but likely for 10-14 days and sooner in young infants), it can lead to more serious complications that involve the child's heart. Kawasaki disease can lead to vasculitis, which is an inflammation of the blood vessels. This can be particularly dangerous because it can affect the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart.

In addition to the coronary arteries, the heart muscle, lining, valves, or the outer membrane that surrounds the heart can become inflamed. Arrhythmias (changes in the normal pattern of the heartbeat) or abnormal functioning of some heart valves can also occur.

There is no one test to detect Kawasaki disease, so a doctor typically diagnoses it by evaluating the child's symptoms and ruling out other conditions.
Typically, a child who is diagnosed with this illness will have a fever lasting 5 or more days and at least 4 of the following symptoms:
-redness in both eyes
-changes around the lips, tongue, or mouth
-changes in the fingers and toes, such as swelling, discoloration, or peeling
-a rash in the trunk or genital area
-a large swollen lymph node in the neck
-red, swollen palms of hands and soles of feet

If Kawasaki disease is suspected, a doctor may order tests to monitor the child's heart function, which can include an echocardiogram, and other tests of heart function. A doctor may also take blood and urine samples to rule out other conditions, such as scarlet fever, measles, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and an allergic drug reaction.

Treatment should begin as soon as possible, ideally within 10 days of when the fever first begins. Usually, a child is treated with intravenous doses of gamma globulin (purified antibodies), an ingredient of blood that helps the child's body fight off infection. The child may also be given a high-dose of aspirin to reduce the risk of heart problems.

http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/heart/kawasaki.html

was doing some after lunch research on the nhs when i suddenly realised... the golden globes just ended! i was only mildly interested in the winners since most of the movies haven't even been shown in singapore. but i'm definitely definitely going to watch brokeback mountain and transamerica when they finally open. heehee i don't know whether you're a celebrity junkie like me... but i'm fascinated! haha actually i think maybe i should sign up for an internship with like hello! or something :D

hmmm first... the dresses i like! haha i kept trying to imagine people wearing gowns like that at prom. HAHA eva longoria looks hot in almost anything i think... i don't understand why she was in mr blackwell's worst dressed list. (as you can tell, post A levels has been so incredibly dry that i'm lapping up all the rubbishy gossip and news)

then there's the girl from lost. i can't stand that show. but i have a thing for green.

jessca alba! who can't act for nuts. ah her hair is the same length as mine! but she looks better in it :(

ok and here are other random photos!

felicity huffman (transamerica. i think she won!) and marcia cross who i really like for some strange reason...

adrien brody the ugliest lead actor i have ever seen. he made king kong all the more unbearable.

zhang ziyi. oops wait. it's ziyi zhang. she looks a bit bicep-y.

heath ledgerrrr (and michelle williams... isn't it cute how they met on the set of a gay cowboy film AND fell in love???) i think he looks scarily like tom hanks here :( :( :(

johnny depp stars in johnny and the really bad hair day

i do realise my posts are becoming more frivolous and rubbishy, but i'm bored and there really isn't much else to talk about. i'm so bored i even bothered to colour their names.......

oh! i've suddenly thought of something to do! bye bye :)

haha sorry i missed the 403 gathering... but i had to help my mummy at the clinic and mari-Van the licker gets priority since she's leaving soon :(

anyway on saturday we went to try on really strange hats and i found a nice red one that i would definitely wear if i met camilla for tea one day. scarlet woman! oops that was a bit harsh :S but did anyone read december vanity fair with kate moss on the cover?? there was an article on camilla parker-bowles and i must say- she was rather pretty when she was younger.

yesterday at emergency was really fun! i saw the most random cases... hmmm but i did feel quite scared cos if (for example) a bird flu case waltzed through the door, i would have primary contact! gasp!! i can see the headlines: girl on hospital attachment is first bird flu death in singapore. choi choi choi!!! ok never mind. but today is a quiet day and the other doctor i am supposed to follow is nowhere in sight so i decided to come back to the office. shall work on data soon since i am OFFICIALLY paid for some of my work. yippee! so far i have earned less than 50dollars.

oh yes. i do feel the incredible need to talk about project runway last night. cheh i thought kara saun should have won. perhaps my taste in fashion (what little there is) is really off. but seriously, how could you pick this:

over this??? granted this dress was really hard to walk in but it was prettyyyy what.

as for wendy pepper, i was looking for a picture of her booby dress but maybe it's too x-rated since i could only find this picture. heh but i think this model is really hot. oh i am such a sucker for reality tv. bah. and look who i found!!!guess guess guess guess guess guess guess guess guess guess guess guess guess guess guess... it's jude law's sister! honest! i guess he got all the good-looking genes.

stuff!

have been very lazy to blog the past few days. hah. i guess it's also cos my weekend was PACKED and i was out most of the time..

so friday at mt elizabeth was more exciting! we got to see colonoscopies and gastroscopies.. it was quite eeky at first but after seeing like 2 or 3 we sort of got used to it. the doctors i came into contact with are all quite funny. one was quite eccentric and another was really nice, he helped us arrange some job shadowing at the different departments in the hospital so that we could look at more stuff!! there was a particularly hilarious incident: dr lim got his nurse to check if the patient was still awake before the colonoscopy (and they usually call out their names to check). but somehow the nurse got confused after dr lim called her "darling" (he calls his nurses that) and she called the patient darling REALLY LOUDLY. haha and dr lim's expression was priceless man. the whole room burst out laughing! then we got to explore the pharmacy in the afternoon and the head pharmacist/person in charge of the pharmacy (?) brought us to the wards to look around.. and we saw a newborn baby being brought out of the theatre!!! so cute! so that was prob the highlight of the day. haha.

we met siok for lunch at dintaifeng! she's going back real soon, like tmr. it was good seeing her again, got to catch up a little and walk around.



i like happy stripy shirts.

then there was funkyfishes gathering on saturday at karent's house! havent seen some of them in ages! and ymw the lousy girl was so anti social she didnt want to come! :( i like hanging out with them. somehow there's always stuff to talk about with people even though we havent seen each other in a while/arent exactly close. and we played really stupid games like the drinking goggles thing! and taboo. haha it was fun! thank goodness we scraped the BOTANIC GARDENS idea cos it was so hot! nutty weather. but i like it to be sunny; rainy days are so gloomy.


group pic

last night was top model. heehee i always love watching it! even though i think tyra banks is really artificially nice and can be slightly annoying. but anyway... so far my favourite model wannabe is jayla: so chio right????? haha i like dark hair! as for the winner, XXXXXXX...

~attention! this photo has been deleted temporarily due to the considerable distress it has caused to some of our fine readers. it will be restored to its former glory at the end of the season. apologies!~

don't you think she looks a bit.... blah? (oops sorry if you didn't want to know the ending) i never liked any of the winners. tyra banks has weird taste.

rah which one do you like?

haha and i'm seriously considering a makeover after i saw this! like WOAH.

hmmmm... i wonder how much a makeover like that would cost though??

yesterday's afternoon tutorial was quite fun! it was freaky cos at the start i was thinking about how the tut groups are all so dao and unfriendly when suddenly! (ok not really suddenly) the guy next to me started talking to me! yay ended up talking to all of them! i am POPULAR!!! muahahhahaha :D haha i didn't really want to strike up conversation with them at first cos they ARE technically at lessons and might find me disruptive. but anyway they all seemed really nice and genuinely interested in my attachment and uni applications etc. i suspect there is another reason why they were nice to me. shall not elaborate. haha but considering that they are at least 4 years older than me, i thought they behaved pretty much like my other friends. oh no. this just occured to me: my sister's lecturer told her that how we behave and think at about 21 or 22 years old pretty much remains the same for the rest of our lives! shite.

btw don't you think lindsay lohan looks absolutely GHASTLY? eeee i can't believe they'd dare to put that on the cover of their magazine. i mean nothing about the picture is nice at all! except maybe the background :P

oh to the smiley face person/thingy, do i know you??? anyway i assume you're interested in the bit where i join tut and ward rounds right? well actually i only applied for a VOLUNTARY (ie no moneyyy) research project under this doctor. but it only starts in feb so she said i could follow her around everyday until the project starts. erm i suppose you can just write in to a certain department and ask if you could have an attachment. depends on your luck what you get to do and see i think :D

i just typed this super long entry and the freaking com died on me. hurray. i dont know why, but it keeps trying to dump its memory.

ymw dont laugh at me! :( ahah i seriously thought the quid is some form of currency. simple logic what.. it's like dollars and cents! hmm well maybe not huh. haha but at least i asked YOU so i wont seem stupid in london. heh.

anyway i'm feeling better today! not too worried/upset/apprehensive about medicine anymore. i guess i just have to get used to the environment in the hospital/clinic and then decide if this is what i really want to do with the rest of my life. and yes agreed ymw doctors (or house officers to be exact) dont exactly earn alot! but then if you're a specialist, it's a different story altogether! you just have to slog it out for a few years and then enjoy life later. ah then maybe i'll marry a doctor!

went back to school today to collect the annoying cca record thing and er, sign up to be a relief teacher! HAHA. please dont laugh. and i looked at the list and everyone signed up for at least 2 subjects! so just to be safe, i put math AND physics. must've been crazy. well i'll just wait for the call (if i'm lucky) and try to squeeze my way out of the physics situation later. gosh. anyway i was walking through the school to get to the pe dept (which is so far into the sch i almost died in my gorgeous but uncomfortable pointy shoes) and i saw the j1s having fun in the canteen. then i thought about all the hilarious conversations we had with people (like kaming and yanglin--haha, eating instead of mugging for physics s which was so late!) i dont like being on my own now cos i have no one to talk to, nowhere to draw eddies/ronnies/scotties and i feel compelled to make my own decisions. the bad (or maybe good) thing about school is that everything is sort of settled and we just have to follow the timetable and go around attending lectures, tutorials, breaks etc. so now i have trouble being the decision maker. welcome to the real world, bird.

so it was another day at the endocrinology clinic. much more interesting patients today. there's this old man and his daughter (i think) who drove the doctor up the wall. this guy is so funny, he actully saw 6 or 7 different doctors without telling each doctor about the other doctors, so he's eating like so many different kinds of medication and some of them interact and stuff. so the doctor spent like 45 min trying to settle his problem. tmr morning we'll get to go to the endoscopy centre and see cool stuff!! and hopefully the afternoon will be fun at dr lee's. sara says the nurses are very nice and er, some male patients are quite hilarious. i told my mum about this guy who said "itchy there>" and she thinks it's really funny. well not too funny for the affected party. HAHA.

and then i met jasmine for dinner!! lousy girl cant take pictures properly.



haha somehow we click and it's fun to hang out with jasmine although we're not really close and all that. but we're freaky sometimes. we bought the same pretty pointy shoes from charles and keith and i have a feeling we're going to look like twins in london cos we're planning to dress similarly for the interviews! (not on purpose of course but we just somehow want to wear a pullover/cardigan kind of thing over out shirt!) heh, must hang out with jasho another time cos it was so short!

oh no bird's entry really made me feel very sad for her.... didnt it?? anyway...

i don't think medicine really has financial benefits... sucks to those who want to be a doctor cos of money. i think that's a really lousy excuse for becoming one. and i'd be seriously worried if i were your patient. if you really want to earn money go do business and go on some money-spinning venture. hah i remember gan saying how a doctor's hourly rate is less than a worker in mcdonald's. so yeah think about it (although i hardly think i'm going to change anybody's opinion)

and i do sort of miss school. no not the people. more like how structured life in school was. see there are lectures, tutorials, cca programmes, fixed breaks etc. working is weird (or maybe just my experience) you sometimes know where you have to be at certain times but you can't always be sure, you don't know how long a ward round is, when you can have lunch (!).... i dunno. i think i'm a bit of a baby.

oh and bird the chao1 ji2 smart guy was only at ucl for clinical so he doesn't know what pre-clinical interviews are like. the website i linked has quesitons i think... you just have to sift through lots of shit. heehee and told my parents about the 'QUID' and they think you're very funny! :D

hmmm so today i followed a tutorial in the morning. no goo goo boys leh. heh going for another one after lunch so hopefully there will be. the students all seem so serious... they hardly talk to each other. well. then going to join another doctor in his clinic. tmr i'm free and easy... probably work on data. and monday i get to go to the emergency department! should be pretty cool. crap it's so cold in the office my fingers are gonna freeze right off my hand.......

[ymw do you know that you're like FAMOUS now?! the whole world knows you got into cambridge med!!!!]

DID NOT SLACK AT HOME TODAY!!! finally. went to mt elizabeth with sara today for our attachment. quite an eye opener. the clinics there open at like 9 am and the doctors usually finish with their last patient at like, 4.30 pm!! goodness gracious. that's how early! but then, the doctors probably put in ALOT of hard work before all of this. uncle wilson was talking to me about why i want to be a doctor. and i realized that i have NO FREAKING IDEA. very disturbing. ok yeah there's the standard i want to save lives and be noble blah blah blah but i think half the people who do medicine are probably there cos of a)the financial benefits, b)it's a family thing or c)they have no freaking idea like me. (the other half cos they are really passionate about medicine.--good for them!) well when i was younger i really thought i was going to be a doctor when i grew up, thinking that i might find a cure for cancer or what. but then people started telling me how terrible the job actually is and all the other kind of shit. and if i really want to be a doctor, i have to be prepared for the heavy responsibilities that come along with it. i hate this man! why cant i just remain in jc all my life. and not have to bother about choosing what the hell i want to do with the rest of my life. i have never been a good decision maker and i dont want to make a decision which i'll regret! and i always do things which i end up regretting.

anyway, i stayed at the endocrine clinic and sara went to the dermatologist's clinic. it's only the first day, but er, an endocrinologist's job is not very exciting. :( but at least i learnt about diabetes and the various illnesses that come along with it.. and worked my brain a little. oh yes, there were alot of indonesian chinese too. cos they're having their holiday and so they all come at the same time. so i got lost half the time when they were speaking malay. and there was a girl who's probably my age who has a thyroid problem! it really freaks me out whenever i read about people my age who have diseases/illnesses/etc cos it could very well happen to me too..! and i really admire these people for their courage to pick themselves up again after being struck with some disease. i dont think i'll be able to smile and continue to live life like nothing has happened. and i am really afraid of dying cos there are so many things that i have not done. i'm a chicken i know.

well i hope thurs and fri will be more exciting cos sara got to see like FIVE laser surgeries today! and she says it's very very interesting. oh yay, something to look forward to :) meanwhile, i'll just spend my time thinking about WHY MEDICINE?!!! shall not worry too much, i'm sure God has a plan for me. (but then again, i cant just sit and wait for something to happen. argh!!!!)

on a side note, i've been seeing throngs of orientation people (i really miss school now.) on mrt trains and just hanging around places. and i realize that i'm not wearing my school uniform anymore and i feel old and sad that i have to pay like what, ADULT'S FARE for my train/bus rides. sheesh. time passes really quickly; it feels like orientation was just yesterday! and in the blink of an eye, i have hung out with ymw for 2 bloody years! i never knew that school meant so much to me. i guess it's just that i feel kind of weird and aimless now that i dont have any sort of schedule to stick to. and although i never hung out much with people in rj, i think i still prefer to see familiar faces around me. at least i didnt have to worry about getting a job or finding attachments to do. (or interviews. sheesh i have absolutely NO IDEA how the ucl and imperial interviews will be like. can anyone HELP ME?! but i'm very excited about going to london! i'm such a country bumpkin.) i think i'd prefer to study many subjects and keep my options open rather than decide on ONE PATH to take and then that's it man, i have to keep going even if i find out that i made a silly decision. back to square one: i just dont want to choose what to do in university. and with the rest of my life. omg i'm such a child.

off to sleep. goodnight!

irrelevant: beware of the MOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHA. wallace and gromit is SO FUNNY.

this is joan's card: cool right? (except the lines aren't parallel!) haha jasmine is very very talented...

and this is the back: i like the 'mosfos' bit! :D hmmm i seriously doubt her ncc juniors can beat our uber-cool card!

and my sister's baby elephant... she loves elephants so when i went to the zoo i bought her this! damn cute right???? haha i hope the arse-y one is doing ok at obs :(

ah the end of another tiring day at pseudo-work! actually i think it's only really tiring cos i've to wake up at 630 every morning :( but well today ended early! waiting for my mummy to pick me up then have to get ready for dinner... thai food tonight :D oh but i'm a bit sad cos my younger sister has gone to obs.... i hope it's not raining much over at ubin (hah as if spore is that big) if not she'll be so miserable.

anyway last night we had a mini softball gathering. and i mean mini haha but i had a lot of fun! and we made a card for joan! harhar we watched pirates: 'my father's bluhd. my bluhd.' ok never mind.

today was pretty interesting cos i followed a tutorial for med students around the paediatric ward. heehee you see all these 20+ year old boys holding out rattles for the babies and going goo-goo-ga-ga. hmmm so now i know what tutorials in singapore are like and what lectures in oxford are like. to compare? well there's a reason why oxbridge is so desired. aye and so many doctors i meet keep telling me medicine is really tough and horrible and that i shouldn't pursue it. so discouraging :( :( i suppose if you have only a little bit of interest, it's best not to choose it. but i think i'll like it! and i can see that my parents really enjoy what they do so.... oh and i met 2 med students from australia and they were telling me how medicine in australia is REALLY REALLY a lot more fun compared to in singapore. hmmm.

oh and my paediatrician was so nice today! see there's this chao1 ji2 smart new HO in the department who was like some top uk med student. so when she heard about my imperial interview, she asked the chao1 ji2 smart guy if he knew imperial people etc so that i can prepare for my interview! so nice! but well i think you can find some interview stuff here.

i realised i didn't talk about my cam interview in dec! it was quite scary. my dad took me to starbucks to chill out before the interview but i was so nervous i couldn't eat and the coffee tasted gross... then the worst possible thing happened! my trouser buckle broke!!!! gasp!!! at least there was an extra button and zip to keep it there or else i would have caused serious alarm and panic at starbucks. so my dad the calm and cool one immediately rushed to all the nearby shops to find me a safety pin. luckily boots had it! but good grief! they cost like 3pounds a pack! haha my dad almost fainted when he saw the price. but being a dad he had to buy them. and i was saved! now i have 49 extra safety pins which i don't know what to do with. then the interview... terrifying! it was so cold walking to the interview rooms so i didn't take off my coat when i entered. but i proceeded to boil and steam throughout the next half an hour. well shan't go into details but now i'm wondering how the other ppl i met did at interviews... the northern ireland guy with really weird eyes, the other singaporean guy, the cool girl in her bubble skirt, the pretty girl in the red coat, the hot boy, the dao/nerdy girl, the funny anglo-indian guy who went after me etc etc. oh actually in 2 hours i did meet quite a lot of ppl huh?? i'm so friendlyyyy! haha! oh my mummy should be here now! must pack up. yay one day break from work!

looking through a site jo gave me... good grief!

Why medicine/why do you want to be a doctor/ what first made you realise you wanted to be a doctor?
What appeals to you about the course here?
What are the main qualities of a doctor?
How do you cope with stress?
How do you fit in to a medical team?
How do your work colleagues see you?
What do you think are your worst qualities?
What do you think are your best qualities?
What are your Strengths?
What are your Weaknesses?
How would you cope being older than your peers (for mature students)?
How do you cope with studying?
What would you do if you don't get in?
Whats wrong with the NHS?
What problems exist in the NHS other than lack of funding?
What would you do to differ this?
What qualities did you think you have which would make you a good candidate?
How did you handle stressful situations?
Build your ideal doctor?
How would your best friend describe you?
How would your parents describe you?
What do you want out of life other than to be a doctor?
How long do you think it takes to become a consultant surgeon?
Were you interested in any other professions before that?
Besides communication skills, what other skills must a Dr posses?
Can you learn communication skills?
What would you prefer in a Dr - Good communication skills and bad clinical skills or good clinical skills and bad communication skills?
How have you developed your communication skills?
How did your GP posses good communication skills?
How would you fit into a medical team?
What makes a team work?
Are you a leader of a follower?
Did you have any leadership experience?
Should there be a leader in a team?
What would you do if a member of your team wasn’t pulling their weight?
What would you do if they did it again?
Would you involve a 3rd party?
Are you stressed at the minute?
How did you find your examinations?
Are the grades you attained good enough?
How do you revise?
How did your work experience make your choice to study medicine stronger?
What would you do if you never got in medical school this year?
Have you considered a GAP year?
What advantages are there of a GAP year?
How would you adjust to University life?
Anyone else in the family a doctor?
Are you the 1st to go to uni?
How did you go about finding out about a career in medicine?
If your friends were sitting in the corner how would they describe you?
What would make you a good doctor?
What do patients expect from their dr?
Where do you see medicine going in the future?
Characteristics of a doctor?
How doctor should treat patients?
What area of medicine did i see myself going into and how long would it take me?
What have you to offer?
How are you going to finance medical school?
What age will you be when you're practicing medicine?
Why does one measure blood pressure, and what does it reflect?
Have you ever measured blood pressure, how?
A patient is lying in bed, his pulse is racing and his blood pressure is difficult to take, what's wrong with him?
What would you do and how would you treat him?

wow! 66! ymw, i'm quite sure YOU are the one who's popular. look, even someone's interested in what you got into!!! HAHA. anyway, something really funny happened today i HAVE to tell it to everyone. YMW FINALLY GOT MSN!!!!! hahahaaaaaaaaa. i was laughing so hard when the pop up said ymw had added me to HER MSN.

on a side note, i saw a gorgeous bag at cine today while out with sara. now i'm really really regretting not buying it. :(

and we watched wallace and gromit today! it's hilarious! i cant decide if it's good or not, but i guess it's entertaining.

and i met beekee at HAAGEN DAZS today!! what a place to meet your old friend. she was working there and then i was looking at the icecream and suddenly she said "are you elizabeth?" quite freaky cos like. WHAT A PLACE TO MEET SOMEONE! haha.

still need a job!! ANYONE WANTS TUITION?! MATH AND PHYSICS SECONDARY AND JC! dont worry, i'm not that dumb.

argh i'm so boredddddd! the guy who's supposed to pass me data to work on is nowhere in sight! aiyah i woke up early so that i could clock in hours!!! the office is freezing.... and i've almost finished eating my packet of guay neng gou :( :( :(

i've got nothing to do now... except read some handouts on the research project i'm supposed to conduct. but it's not particularly interesting. argh argh argh. the worst part is there's no reception in the office so i cannot sms anybodyyyyyy. and i don't think i should be using the main phone to chit chat. ooh maybe i should try msn. what a joke.

and i'm really curious as to who else got in! someone tell me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

haha this is really weird... it's only 8+ in the morning and already more than 20 people have visited our blog. i had no idea BIRD was so popular...

anyway:
heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee
heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee
shall not elaborate yet.

today is day 4 of pseudo-work at the hospistal. i say pseudo because my first 3 days have been non-payable. have just been following a really lovely paediatrician around. i wouldn't say it's fun since i've mostly been in the icu and it's really really sad to see the kids there. but it's definitely interesting... and at least i sort of know what medical students have to expect.

oh i've gotten lost in the hospital quite a bit. don't dare to tell my dad cos he'll definitely laugh at my poor memory and lack of sense of direction. well since i've been around the wards, i've to dress 'properly'. i think i look really dorky :( and because i haven't got proper work shoes, i've been running around in crappy heels and horrid flats. bah blisters, pins and needles. today is just office work so i get to wear jeans and sneakers! hooray! now i can walk very fast to lunch. haha i'm always excited about lunch cos i like to explore the food places. i've been to the kopitiam that's pretty ex and the staff canteen with nice teh bing and ban mian. i actually really like this 'cafe' at faculty club cos when i was young i'd always go there and eat chicken chop! my dad can't understand why i like it.

yesterday my dad and i decided to play tennis after work. but it rained :( so we went to the gym instead. i was happy when i peeked in cos there weren't any big muscly men! only old-er men and women. heh i thought i wouldn't embarrass myself too much. then one of the old men went to change and when he came back in his sleeveless shirt, he HAD big muscly biceps. eeeeeeeee. (unrelated point to note: i think fbts and pe shirt combo is still the most flattering) then the old-er lady on the treadmill next to me ran further and longer than me!!!!!!!! aiyah. i'm unfit. so i did embarrass myself in the end.

yay sunday night with the softballers!

i was feeling bored so i decided to post pictures! (ok i'm very slow i know) i need to find a job. and do something constructive. and at least make sure that my brain is STILL working normally. took the basic theory of driving test today and i.. passed! oh wow, yay. so now what. I NEED A JOB.



class outing (sort of) to send mdm yeo off!! had a wonderful time hanging out with the funkyfishes. it's nice to see familiar faces. of course, familiar faces that i LIKE. :)



tuktuk outing to er.. marina square! before the guys go for ns. that place is quite ulufied. even after renovation.

very VERY late entry. but at least it's here.

i am sick AGAIN!! crap. and i thought i'd be protected after taking the flu jab. i must be really weak.

ha i havent updated since like, forever! so i went for metamorphosis conference last week. it was good :) finally, praise and worship that is NOT DEAD! with good worship leaders, good music and good company. i was in the same group as sarabird.. (thankfully) and our group was made up of 8 girls and 1 guy. HAHA. turned out that the other guys somehow couldnt make it. but it was good, easier to talk and bond :) oh yes, and grace lum's sister esther was in the group! it's a small world after all.. let's see. there were praise and worship, rich miller's really good messages, project X (how cool is that! haha it's just evangelism on the streets btw, not some project superstar kinda thing), gross GROSS orientation style games, and er.. i really cant remember. but being an all-girl group, (barney was in charge of some juice game.) we avoided every game except the lousy whacko thing and the grand finale (major waterbombing). HAHA. thank goodness, although the water bomb finale was quite gross too.(soapy bombs, soy sauce bombs etc.) but amid all the fun we had, we had really productive cg time too! i told someone (but i cant remember who) that i've never prayed so intensively in my entire life! haha, but it was all good. and i really want to go on some mission trip sometime. oh yes, and we celebrated barnabas' birthday too. the one and only precious guy in our group.

and there was laos outing yesterday! we played daytona and went bowling. HAHA. bowling is like the worst thing that can ever happen to me. but it was fun; at least we were all embarrassed together. heh. and john's bowling style is hilarious. i'd post the video up here if i could. haaa, but no i wont be too mean. then we went to eat at changing appetites. the food's ok, and i think i aggravated my sore throat eating fried stuff. (so now i sound hoarse and my throat hurts like shit. i sure hope the flu jab actually WORKS.) went to walk at esplanade for awhile after dinner and we were talking abt random rj people... i think i actually miss school. but i'll talk abt that another time.

ok, should go to sleep now. goodnight!

aw my sister has gone back to uk :( she was only back a week this time. so short right? but still we had a lot of fun together. we pigged out in malaysia.... and then we had our cycling expedition. we cycled until our backsides screamed with pain! oh and we went bowling and totally embarrassed ourselves. watched many many csi episodes...we went shopping too! made full use of the sales :D heh and i convinced her to buy this gorgeous khaki double-breasted coat. when you first pull it off the rack, it looks very dick tracy... then you put it on and it's just.... class! and it comes with a belt so it looks extra posh. and only $100! damn good deal!!! i kept telling her BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY but she was apprehensive cos she has tons of coats already. i won in the end. i hope she'll let me wear it! haha but actually i don't think it's really warm enough..... but never mind! it looks great and she can layer like mad underneath!

and we ate a lot of good food! katong laksa, sixth ave prata, prawn mee, the best chicken rice we have found... and my mummy made siew yok! woot! oh we also went for jap buffet at honjin jap restaurant but i think it is quite lousyyyyy. it's $48 per person for the oyster buffet (and they only gave one miserable oyster! horrid! but i guess it was a giant oyster) $20 more if you want sakae. anyway the buffet selection wasn't that good.... i just ate a lot of sashimi. they didn't have tuna belly :( hmmm i didn't think the tempura was good.... sushi was so-so, actually most of the food was pretty average. oh a major gripe! they didn't have my absolute favourite fish roe sushi!!!!!!!!!!! i was so upset. not worth 48! but luckily they had some uob (or is it oub?) dining privilege so it was 2-for-1. i think a good jap buffet place is hanabi. near coronation plaza. about $30. they have the roe sushi! but if you want real quality you should go to shimizu at this club near acs(i). their sashimi is soooooo good! but that alone costs as much as a hanabi buffet.

anyway twiggy messaged me! yay!!! i love hanging out with her.... we have the most ridiculous conversations. haha and sarah the mad girl where in the world have you gone????