No longer a student

Being a medical student and a doctor is definitely a big jump. ...leap, even. The one thing that makes all the difference ,..... Responsibility. Gone are the days when we can just fold our arms and watch from a safe distance as all the drama unfolds in the ward.



When i was a student, i would be excited at the prospect of exciting ( usually complicated ) cases ,like impending eclampsia, as there is ample to learn from and ideal for case reports. Now.... I pray.. and pray some more ...often having to stay awake the whole night watching her BP.. because if anything happens, its my head on the chopping board. RESPONSIBILITY ..... what a powerful word.

The most important things we must have as a student are yr Oxford handbook ( or any pocket references) , loads of paper to write yr long winded history and yum cha buddies , for our extremely often and long breaks.

As a doctor, I cant live a day without my pens and my phone. Even food and sleep take a back seat in priority.I am basically a reporter and will just scribble what my seniors say.... regardless if it makes sense to me or not. The phone is for all those nurses and fellow doctors to call you at ungodly hours to ask you to review a bloody CTG. Of course , I make calls all day too... to inform my MO of complicated cases etc..etc..
Pocket reference, ... time is so short, I hardly even have time to think.
Yum cha??.... you can forget about it...



I know i am just raving... maybe its because I am in O&G. It used to be my favorite subject, but now, I just cant wait to get out. Peads is next... and I heard its paradise ... I cant wait..haha,,

I haven had the chance to take photos of Terengganu... ( i know i'm being lazy) ... but i hope to do it soon as it has great potential for lovely shots with its beautiful beaches.

Happy Birthday Jae Ann !!

A few of us meet up in Starbucks to celebrate all the December born ...


The December oldies..




I know what you are thinking....Starbucks is probably not the best place to celebrate a birthday, but we needed a place to open till 12 midnight...since Jae ann does not officially becomes 24 years old until midnight :)





But hey,,,... a lil warning. When you open your box of cake to cut it,... they will switch off all the lights and invite everyone....and I mean EVERYONE... including those sitting outside to sing you a birthday song....haha... Wei shung was so embarrassed, he ducked his head, looking for a hole in hide ...haha


shock ( or embarrassment? ) when everyone started singing with the lights off..




Well... last night was a blast... thanks guys..... Happy Birthday again to all of you.... Cheers

The stages of grief..

SHOCK

I was talking to a personal from Ministry of Health about my houseman posting

MOH: Nama you Lin Tzi Quen ..kan ?..
Me : Ya,..
MOH: You punya hospital di Kuala Terengganu...
Me : Oh...sh*t..





DENIAL

Wah.... cannot be right ?..... Did i hear correctly? Maybe I should wait for the official letter to come.... Heck.... I dont even know where it is...





BARGAINING

Maybe its not too bad there..... I mean, Pulau Redang is just there and its a tourist hotspot.... Sedaya College medical school is also there, so there will be lots of pretty girls.... Leshien loves the beach..... maybe she can come visit me for the holiday...
Its not too bad....rite??





ANGER

*&^*&%*%$^ Stupid MOH.... of all the bloody places in the freking country you had to give me a god forsaken town.... basket .... throw your mother's smelly shoe....





DEPRESSION

..... bugger.....

Paris

Everyone has a " Place I want to see before I die" list... and Paris was sitting way up there on my list. I guess its the perception i had since i was young that Paris was lovely, posh and very romantic....

What better way to celebrate my birthday .... than in the City of love ....

We hopped on the Eurostar and we were in Paris in 2 hours 15 minutes....now that's quick. It was already night when we reached there and the first thing i wanted to see was the Eiffel tower.



Eiffel tower, being one of the most recognizable monument in the world , is arguable one of the most photograph structure we know. I have seen it dozens of times in photos..... but that did nothing to prepare me when I saw the real thing. All i could utter was " Oh my God...oh my God..."
Walking up the Eiffel tower.... yes... walking..

It was truly amazing.... and apart from leeshien, nothing has taken my breath away like it did. .. No photograph can do justice to this great monument.... you must see it to truly appreciate its splendor

View from the top....


Arc de triomphe

Up next was Arc de triomphe which was only 10 minutes walk away from Eiffel tower. This monument was built my Napoleon to celebrate victory over war and has been the centre of many historical occasions. Its also the starting point of Champs de Elysees which is a straight road which brings you to the Louvre

Champs de Elysees

After seeing all of these, we kind of lost track of time and we frantically running around looking for the metro to catch the last train.... we only had 15 minutes.... die.. Since it was so late, the nearby station was closed so we had to run to the other stations or risk walking 1 hour back to our hotel at 1am....so not funny... Thankfully we caught the train but found out the last train was not until a few hours later.....basket... What a way to celebrate my birthday

Sacre Coeur

The next morning... we started with Sacre Coeur which was built as a dedication to the casualties of one of France's many many wars.... Come to think of it, the French do fight alot, dont they? Hmm... i thought the phrase "Make love, not war " was coined by the French ....



The french not only like to fight with other people but they also like cutting off their king's head... poor King Louise . Hence the French revolution and democracy of france as we know it today. This place Place de la Concorde is were all the citizens will crowd will gather to watch the execution....

Place de la Concorde....not a bad idea for a hat..




Nothre Dame

Nothre dame , which is made popular by the disney movie "Hunchback of Nothre Dame".... apparently its a true story ....

The backside of Nothre dame

Louvre

I dint not enter the Louvre..,as i am not a art buff... apart from Mona Lisa, I am lost. The pyramids are very beautiful tho... Those who have read the Da VinCi code will find something to relate to as Dan Brown described it to perfection.

Is the Holy Grail under the pyramids?...


Paris definitely cannot be seen in 2 nights. We were scrambling away and we only managed to see the many monuments and did not have the chance to enter them ( no money actually).... Thankfully the Metro in Paris is really quick and we managed to move around without hassle.


Food wise, PAris is known is the gourmet of the world and if you have money, you can get the best here.... notice the catch "if you have money".... we just made to do with bread and tap water...haha... but do try the cafe Paul. Its quite popular in London as well as their pastries are amazing.


People watching .....so hamsup...

The one thing I noticed in France is not many people can speak english and they like people watching... Just look at the cafes... Considering the very fashion conscious ladies ( read: very sexy and gorgeous ) in Paris, it seems obvious,... :)





Many people told me Paris is overrated. To a certain extend, I agree. Not that I did not had fun, i had a blast. But Paris will only be enjoyed to its capacity if you are not a struggling student , or jobless houseman. Its filled with great art for those who appreciate them, a huge Louise Vuitton for those who can afford, depth of historyfor those who are interested ....

and have a little more money to spend than on bread and water :p




But the fact is this...... Paris is very ,..very ,..romantic....

London...

What an amazing city... Spending about 5 weeks here, you just have to fall in love with this place.




Its underground is just great and its really easy to get around the city but its rather expensive. Unlike some tubes in certain countries ( ahem) which is totally useless....





But at night, it really comes alive with its many beautiful buildings and monuments....The night life is also happening , as you will see pubs full of people drinking and clubbing and girls dress sexy but sometimes absurd...






The eye of London, Big ben , westminister... its all here ..lovely


In the day, from the hills of Greenwich , there is an amazing view of the city as well as seeing where the latitude is 0 degrees...


Can you see KL?








I am going to miss this place. Sadly, all good things must come to an end.


I will miss you ....







I will miss you...

Oxford... the land of smart @sses

Oxford....

The first thing that comes to mind is my trusty , life saving ( mine and the patients) ....Oxford Clinical Medicine....



Oxford is basically , a small town, with a lot of colleges. 36 of them to be precise . Therefore, the main tourist attraction is to see all 36 of them....well... at least we tried.

So off we went... Rosalyn, Evelyn, Aaron, leeshien and I...to oxford, which is just 1 hour train ride from London.



Walking around, we were surrounded with old old buildings , of which many are colleges and young young people, of whom many are students.



Almost every college has lovely grounds with a beautiful garden. The more famous ones , like Trinity, Christ Church and Lady Margaret have huge gardens ( size of fields actually ) .... must be the "I am more famous and better that you " rivalry between the 36 colleges.



We also went punting ( sampan rowing in Malaysia) ... along the river which connects the colleges. We get to see all the backside of many colleges..... hmmm...
It was expensive , ... 5 pounds a person for a 20 minute sampan ride...





I do realize that the eateries are mostly packed at all times ... because there is absolutely nothing else to do in Oxford except chilling out with a meal....
No shopping center, no cinema, no musicals, ....no wonder their students are so smart. There are absolutely no distractions....




After awhile.... I started to get bored. How many colleges and gardens can one see in a day??... surely not all 36!!

Students were giving us " What the heck is so interesting about my Uni" look.....

and I was having a " Why the heck am I so stupid and cannot study here" look....