tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296989352024-03-14T00:33:03.399+13:00just a little girl...in a Big sheep world$aLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15596806629991336885noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29698935.post-54286085817843934692007-06-26T11:07:00.000+12:002007-06-27T18:58:36.171+12:00"Wanna play boardgames tonight?"<div align="left"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080335996889626002" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RoD6rCI8dZI/AAAAAAAAAC8/vw-w7S8ooxk/s320/DSC02947.JPG" border="0" />That's exactly what made my weekend. The sheer desperation of 9 med students with nothing to do on a Saturday night...the thought of playing boardgames seemed rather appealing. In the cold of the night, Nadia, Bal, Dhivyan and I walked the 15 minutes to Carlton House, Grafton (one of the other uni accomodations close to med school where most of the Imu-ers stay) where the others - Kit Chung, Kim Zhuan, Subha, Gayatri & Kevin, were.<br /><br />And the games began! <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RoD71iI8daI/AAAAAAAAADE/DoajUc3LT9g/s1600-h/DSC02944.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080337276789880226" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RoD71iI8daI/AAAAAAAAADE/DoajUc3LT9g/s320/DSC02944.JPG" border="0" /></a><u>Game</u> rather..cos what started out as scepticism about the new game we were being introduced to playing - <em>Shadows Over Camelot</em>, soon turned to <strong>obsession</strong> as the night wore on and we started honing in on the game. Being quite an avid fan of your typical boardgames such as <em>Monopoly</em> or <em>Risk</em>, this was the first game I've played where everyone had to work together and collectively win the game. Pretty interesting eh?<br />[<em>In the above pic: Bal, Nadia & I</em>]<br /><br />It took a while for <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RoHxYALEJEI/AAAAAAAAADs/SwzpRnOnHwo/s1600-h/DSC02948.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080607249316193346" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RoHxYALEJEI/AAAAAAAAADs/SwzpRnOnHwo/s320/DSC02948.JPG" border="0" /></a>some of us to shed our inborn desire to gain <strong>sole</strong> victory haha but before we knew it we were hooked! We kept at it for 5 hours straight...and pretty soon it was <strong>3am</strong>. Not your typical Saturday night but everyone there that night would agree, a truly satisfactory one none the less :p.<br />[<em>the pic to the right is of Kit-chung (with his 'hyperthyroid' eyes) and Subha</em> <em>(NOT Shubha hehe she'll get this)</em>]<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RoHrMQLEJDI/AAAAAAAAADk/URsqBaDpilQ/s1600-h/DSC02950a.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080600450382963762" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RoHrMQLEJDI/AAAAAAAAADk/URsqBaDpilQ/s200/DSC02950a.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And here is a picture of moi because as we got better at the game, one player was dealt the '<em>traitor</em>' card and this person's mission was to secretly foul everyone elses plans and ensure that they didn't win the game..and guess who was the best traitor of the night? HAHA<br />Now everyone's talking of how they should watch out for me...Umm guys, it's just a game??<br /><br /><br /><br /><em>P.S. Thinking at the end of the night that I'd played enough boardgames to last me a looong time, we ended up spending our Sunday playing <strong>Risk</strong>! Haha goes to show you can never underestimate the extent of boredom.<br /></em><br /></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RoHqyQLEJBI/AAAAAAAAADU/jfiFXZHuoq4/s1600-h/DSC02950a.JPG"></a>$aLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15596806629991336885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29698935.post-60944964818351391682007-05-03T20:48:00.000+12:002007-05-03T21:38:06.455+12:00A song for you<a href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1862960652">Shadowfeet</a><br /><embed src="http://lads.myspace.com/videos/vplayer.swf" width="430" height="346" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="m=1862960652&type=video"></embed><br /><a href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.addToProfileConfirm&videoid=1862960652&title=Shadowfeet">Add to My Profile</a> <a href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.home">More Videos</a><br /><br />Brooke Fraser - "Shadowfeet"<br />~ NZ's very own<br />This is a beautiful song.<br />For the people out there who need some hope in their lives.$aLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15596806629991336885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29698935.post-72818476861157849022007-04-14T11:58:00.000+12:002007-04-14T13:55:01.820+12:00What I've been up to the last 4 months...<div align="center">Sure enough when I was home...there was no blogging whatsover hehe Sorry? I spent a good 3 months back home, from early Dec till the end of Feb : *BLISS*, during which I frequented between Singapore and KL, as well as making trips to Ipoh, Batu Gajah and Kelantan (<em>yup definitely lots of time spent on the road</em>). Here's just a few things that I was up to: </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">1. Spending time at home with papa, mama & rez was <strong>great</strong></div><div align="center">2. Scounting around and trying out new eating places (<em>several times over ;p</em>) with Fariz </div><div align="center">3. Watching rm6 movies!</div><div align="center">4. OOO shopping!</div><div align="center">5. Got a new haircut (<em>with a fringe that was pretty awkward at the beginning haha</em>)</div><div align="center">6. Woohoo getting to <strong>drive</strong> around (<em>and sometimes being 'chauffeured' around hehe</em>)</div><div align="center">7. Spent Raya Haji with family & relatives at Batu Gajah</div><div align="center">8. Girly time with Her, Aznin</div><div align="center">9. Guy time with Fariz & the guys bowling, mamaking & hartamas squaring</div><div align="center">10. Travelled to Kelantan with the whole family for cousin's engagement (<em>30+ people staying in one house was eventful!</em>)</div><div align="center">11. Helped Roz plan for her big day =)</div><div align="center">12. Underwent culinary training with mama (<em>of which i remember more the taste of the food rather than how to cook it</em>) </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">I'll let the pictures do the talking:</div><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAf3Yuxx-I/AAAAAAAAAAM/accf-FZ-8K0/s1600-h/DSC00493.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053073818301614050" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAf3Yuxx-I/AAAAAAAAAAM/accf-FZ-8K0/s200/DSC00493.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053075544878467090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAhb4uxyBI/AAAAAAAAAAk/qAwIJ_zbJ8o/s320/Fariz%27s+Bday+6.JPG" border="0" /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAiA4uxyCI/AAAAAAAAAAs/CTaGdug8fqo/s1600-h/DSC02043.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053076180533626914" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAiA4uxyCI/AAAAAAAAAAs/CTaGdug8fqo/s320/DSC02043.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAib4uxyDI/AAAAAAAAAA0/I-nzoRwU4og/s1600-h/DSC02212.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053076644390094898" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAib4uxyDI/AAAAAAAAAA0/I-nzoRwU4og/s320/DSC02212.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAi-YuxyEI/AAAAAAAAAA8/DDcLssVtOIM/s1600-h/DSC02071.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053077237095581762" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAi-YuxyEI/AAAAAAAAAA8/DDcLssVtOIM/s200/DSC02071.JPG" border="0" /></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053077610757736530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAjUIuxyFI/AAAAAAAAABE/BG1VNV91evg/s200/DSC02116.JPG" border="0" /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAjjouxyGI/AAAAAAAAABM/OcasIA24oT8/s1600-h/DSC02229.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053077877045708898" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAjjouxyGI/AAAAAAAAABM/OcasIA24oT8/s200/DSC02229.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAj6ouxyHI/AAAAAAAAABU/5a81i7gttQM/s1600-h/DSC02085.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053078272182700146" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAj6ouxyHI/AAAAAAAAABU/5a81i7gttQM/s200/DSC02085.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAf3Yuxx-I/AAAAAAAAAAM/accf-FZ-8K0/s1600-h/DSC00493.JPG"></a></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053078847708317826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAkcIuxyII/AAAAAAAAABc/ZwU1B_8me7Y/s200/DSC02091.JPG" border="0" /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAkw4uxyJI/AAAAAAAAABk/z1gNTHlpdKY/s1600-h/DSC01999.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053079204190603410" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAkw4uxyJI/AAAAAAAAABk/z1gNTHlpdKY/s320/DSC01999.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAlR4uxyKI/AAAAAAAAABs/azlVi4fbS4c/s1600-h/DSC02183.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053079771126286498" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAlR4uxyKI/AAAAAAAAABs/azlVi4fbS4c/s320/DSC02183.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAlfYuxyLI/AAAAAAAAAB0/0XNeMJ3ku_8/s1600-h/DSC02223.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053080003054520498" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAlfYuxyLI/AAAAAAAAAB0/0XNeMJ3ku_8/s200/DSC02223.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAl7YuxyMI/AAAAAAAAAB8/swKJpFjJBNE/s1600-h/DSC02203a.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053080484090857666" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAl7YuxyMI/AAAAAAAAAB8/swKJpFjJBNE/s200/DSC02203a.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tHAgkPtArl4/RiAf3Yuxx-I/AAAAAAAAAAM/accf-FZ-8K0/s1600-h/DSC00493.JPG"></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><br /></div><div align="center"><br />However, I didn't get to meet up with my IMU friends and Premi! =(</div><div align="center">(<em>Sorry girls! But I'll be back in MAY! hehe)</em></div><br /><div align="center">In my next post I'll fill you guys in on what I've been up to since being back in Auckland... </div>$aLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15596806629991336885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29698935.post-1165005165816171112006-12-02T09:29:00.000+13:002006-12-02T09:32:45.856+13:00Leavin on a jet plane<div align="center">Hey peeps,</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">I'm FINALLY heading back home *grin* Will be back in KL/Singapore till the end of Jan...so I will have to apologise beforehand for the (<em>lack of</em>) posts that are to come hehe. Ya all take care yea? </div><br /><div align="center"><em><strong>Kawan2 di Msia (& Singapore) - I'll be seeing you all soon!!</strong> </em></div>$aLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15596806629991336885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29698935.post-1164278673260685332006-11-23T23:44:00.000+13:002006-11-23T23:48:57.186+13:00Let the EXAMS begin!<div align="center">Just when everyone's packed up and about left...we trailing 4th yr Auckland Uni Medics are <em>(finally)</em> starting exams. After a restless night of <em>non-</em>sleep, taking an exam wasn't exactly high on my list of <em>'things-to-do'</em>. Also considering the last major exam I sat for was when I was still at IMU (<em>around July last yr</em>), that + my night of <em>non-</em>sleep is not exactly how I'd wanna start <strong>this</strong> morning of all mornings.<br /><br />And so us IH (international hse) ppl - Bal, Yewin & I, started our dreaded walk before the hour of 9, to Grafton campus for our exam venue. Cos not only did we have an exam to sit for at 915, but that our exam <u>venue</u> was not to be released till the morning itself. Chronic right? It wasn't such a big thing considering there are only so many lecture halls they can fit 160+ students into. But still chronic right? Something about bomb-threat scares or something. Do any of you guys experience the same thing at your unis? Cos I'm finding it quite the funny actually ;).<br /><br />A stress-reliever presented itself in the form of <em>Nadia</em> this morning before the exam when she ran up to me exclaiming, "<em>SAL, we're wearing the same top!"</em> And sure enuf we were =). What a strange coincidence since we both got the tops from Msia and prob ages ago...HAHA. No, this is <strong>not</strong> where i insert a pic of us wearing the exact same top ;).<br /><br />Getting to the point *<em>drum roll</em>* the exam was pretty ok =). A few past year q's here and there, and plus out Psych lecturer (for god knows what reason) decided to officially release <u>the topics that were to be questioned for Psych in the exam</u> just yesterday - good on him, and even <strong>better</strong> for us, considering the Psych section contributes the most marks *grin*. Other than the Opthalmology section (<em>which i totally bombed btw</em>), the exam was pretty good. *BIG sigh of relief*<br /><br />Having been cooped up in my room for far too many days, it was nice to eat lunch out with my friends after. Even before our orders arrive, Nadia asks <em>"Sal...what are you doing after?</em>" "I was thinking of sleeping. Why?" <em>"We were thinking of playing monopoly..."</em> she said with a grin on her face. Since I'm the one who owns the monopoly board, you get the picture. </div><div align="center"><br />It felt just like old (<em>non-exam stress</em>) times, when Nadia, Eugene, Azri, Khairi and I would spend a lazy afternoon battling it out on the monopoly board =). A good end to a pretty good day.<br /><br />Tomorrow is the 24th hee hee</div>$aLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15596806629991336885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29698935.post-1162168836816085082006-10-30T13:03:00.000+13:002006-10-30T13:40:37.000+13:00Celebrating Raya in Auckland<span style="font-size:85%;">I know Raya was a week ago and this is probably more than way overdue but what the heck:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#009900;"><strong></strong></span><div align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#009900;"><strong>SELAMAT HARI RAYA!</strong></span></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#33ff33;"><em>maaf zahir & batin</em></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><em><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;color:#33ff33;"></span></em></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><em><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;color:#33ff33;"></span></em></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><em><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;color:#33ff33;"></span></em></strong></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;">I have been MIA for quite some time now and that I do apologise. Having realised that <em>time</em> <em>management </em><u>isn't</u> one of my strong points, it all starts to make sense hehe. With exams round the corner and my surgical run taking up my everyday...not much room to even breathe haha but that didn't mean that I couldn't enjoy Raya ;).</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">One good thing abt being busy tho was that fasting month went by oh-so-quick (<em>besides the fact that I almost fainted in the operating theatre once..and I felt like sleeping 24/7 hehe</em>). We budak2 melayu did manage to meet up a few times tho to buka together-gether: </span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">~ Potluck <em>buka puasa</em> at Azri & Khairi's place over the weekend. Khairi ajar buat ondei2, wah best dapat makan kuih Msia hehe.</span></div><div align="center"></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/DSC01548.jpg" border="0" /></span></div><p align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">[<em>(L-R): Ain, Azri, Khairi, Me, Fizah & Nadia</em>]</span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">~ Majlis berbuka puasa held by the Msian students society here - even more kuih Msia! Yum yum hehe and Msian food on top of that: ayam percik, rojak...hmmm nope, not missing Msia at all ;). </span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC01666.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/DSC01666.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC01664.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/DSC01664.jpg" border="0" /></a></span></p>$aLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15596806629991336885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29698935.post-1159651254270759602006-10-01T09:52:00.000+13:002006-10-01T23:09:44.976+13:00Everyone loves weekends<div align="center">Last weekend was extra special as the biggest event of the year at IH (International House) took place on Saturday night - <em><u>International Night</u></em>! Preparations began 2 mths prior, with the residents of IH forming groups according to their countries/cultures and set to the task of a performance as well as a 'culinary cuisine' to be prepared by each group.<br /><br />We Msians were <em>semangat </em>of course..wanting to perform <strong>3 dances</strong> and cook <strong>2 dishes</strong>! What better way to encompass the Msian culture than by performing <em>Chinese, Malay AND Indian </em>dances (<em>that was also the only way we could involve the 20+ Msians we have at IH hehe since the typical 'Dikir Barat' had already been performed last yr</em>). Being the only Malay girl no guesses for what dance I was put into ;). I did however volunteer to cook something up - <em>ayam masak merah </em>to be exact (<em>mama's recipe hehe</em>) and Han, the sole Bruneian here (who is our honourary Msian), had his recipe for <em>longan in lychee agar agar with coconut jelly...</em>hmm yum.<br />We would all look forward to nights when we had 'dance practice'...a provided excuse to get thro the day. Believe me, those were definitely nights of goofing around and mimicking each others dances, with the songs to the dance playing in our heads the entire next day. It gave us all the chance to <strong>bond</strong> hehe and by the time the 'Night' came...we were ready!<br /><br />The morning of '<em>the Night</em>' I spent with my <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC01471.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/DSC01471.jpg" border="0" /></a><em>helpers</em> (thanks Chris, Micheal & Ivan) in the dining hall kitchen whipping up the <em>ayam masak merah</em>. Woah, never have I been in a 'professional' kitchen before...you should see the size of the cooker I used! Wait a min..I'll put a pic up hehe. Will you take a look at the size of that thing! Sudahlah we had to cook for 160+ people who live at IH hehe ;). Like the hairnet look on me? HAHA please don't answer that. (<em>that's Elton - our chef, in the background</em>).<br /><br />And now on to the actual Night!<br /><br /><em>International Night </em>was considered a 'formal dinner' occasion, so everyone was all dressed up =). Here are some of my fav pics:<br /><br /></div><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/International%20Night%202.jpg"></a><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/International%20Night%202.0.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center">[<em>With my 'go-for-meals' buddy ~ Lin Hui</em>]<br /></p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/International%20Night%203.0.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center">[<em>The dashing men - (L-R):Alex, Yewin, Khan, Anil, Tung, SJ, Ivan, Junway, Foong & Meng</em>]</p><p align="center"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/DSC01505.jpg" border="0" /></p><p align="center">[<em>And the lovely ladies (L-R): Michelle, PohHwa, Moi, HsinYee, LinHui, Christine & YenYi</em>]</p><p align="center"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/DSC01520.jpg" border="0" /></p><p align="center">[<em>Me & my dessert hehe</em>]</p><p align="center"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/DSC01500.jpg" border="0" />[<em>Uda & the girls</em>]</p><p align="center"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/DSC01499.jpg" border="0" />[<em>LinHui & Uda</em>]</p><p align="center"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/P1020396.jpg" border="0" /></p><p align="center"></p><p align="center">[<em>Yewin & the girls</em>]</p><p align="center"></p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/sep-oct%20o6%20064.1.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center">[<em>Our Malay Dance</em>]</p><p align="center">And finally, the video of our performances...this is my <strong>first</strong> video on my blog so be patient with me ppl, it's a tad long n semi-clear hehe but still <em>enjoy</em>!<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tGrTv_m3Kus"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tGrTv_m3Kus" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600" height="350"></embed></object>$aLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15596806629991336885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29698935.post-1157886658618216632006-09-10T22:10:00.000+12:002006-09-10T23:35:41.596+12:00Gen Med<div align="justify">General Medicine has got to be the run where I felt most like "this is what I've been studying for all these years" cos it <strong>is</strong> the <em>real deal</em> - you have <strong>your</strong> patient in front of you and by integrating all the knowledge you've been trying to cram into your brain the last few years <strong>you</strong> have to <u>decide</u> what's best for your patient. Hard out I say.<br /><br />But at the end of the day, you feel good about yourself because it feels as if you've made a difference (or so I hope hehe). Another great thing about Gen Med run is that each 4th-yr student is assigned to their own team, and with my team not having any other students on it (i.e. 5th/6th-yr students), it meant that I had the opportunity to fill in the shoes of my house officer whenever the need arose a.k.a. I got to do <em>big<strong> </strong></em>doctory stuff hehe (or so I tell myself ;)) but it also meant that I was always on my feet - <em>everyday</em> was <u>busy</u>!</div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">I was <em>tres</em> lucky that I had a <u>fantastic</u> house office<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/Gen%20Med%202.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/Gen%20Med%202.jpg" border="0" /></a>r Lloyd McCann - the first thing he did was push a patient's folder into my hands while we were on ward round and said "Ok, you're gonna take note of what the patient says, what our examination findings are and what your impression is and write it in the patient's case notes." And I was like thinking "<em>What?! I've never done this before...I have no clue!</em>". That's when Lloyd smiled and took me through it. That was exactly what he was about - throw yourself into experience. I owe it to him that I can confidently put I/V (intravenous) lines into patients now (<em>to put it simply - able to stick needles into patients hehe</em>). He even found the time to teach us students each week, to prepare us for our OSCE exam. Hats off to you Lloyd!</div><div align="justify">[<em>Wannabe doctors - Front:Nadia & I; Middle:Yen Hun, Christine, Samadhi; Back:Marty, Henry; with Lloyd</em>]</div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/Gen%20Med%203.0.jpg"></a></div><div align="justify"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/Gen%20Med%203.0.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/Gen%20Med%203.0.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify">My registrar was nice too, her name's Sok Beh and <em>yes IMU ppl</em> she happens to be Han Nien's older sis..what a coincidence huh? She's a tough cookie, good at what she does. [<em>Pic with Sok in the middle and Valentina on the right - Valentina graduated from Uruguay and was just doing a week with us, she has the most adorable South American accent ;)</em>]</div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify">I learnt SO many things in these 6 weeks, but a <em>looong</em> 6 weeks it was that I've never been more ready for a holiday in my life! Hehe. So yup, these next 2 weeks will definitely be filled with lots of R&R and most definitely <u>more</u> blog posts to come =)</div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div>$aLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15596806629991336885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29698935.post-1157355366109404692006-09-04T19:29:00.000+12:002006-09-04T23:11:52.583+12:00M.I.A.Hey peeps,<br />I know I've been missing in action for <em>quite</em> a <strong>while</strong> now...my general medicine run has really been ALL that I've been putting my time into *sigh* till the point that I'm abt to BREAK! But thank goodness, after my OSCE (clinical exam) is over tom <em>- <u>freedom</u></em> =) and my 2 wk+ break starts on friday...I really can't wait. And I'll definitely be back on track here...so till then take care!$aLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15596806629991336885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29698935.post-1155807418035394072006-08-17T21:07:00.000+12:002006-08-17T21:47:56.493+12:00BadmintonSomething I've picked up since being in NZ is playing badminton =) Yea, my dad did teach me how to play way back when I was little me but never have I played regularly and with a proper badminton club since coming here. I look forward to badminton-night-monday...it takes away the blues of starting a new week back at work/hospital/uni, an outlet to vent out frustrations with smashes on the court ;).<br /><br />I talk of badminton because recently I played in my first badminton tournament *grin*. Karen's been busy with work as of late, so I was asked to take her place in the interclub tournament. The funny thing is, I'm not actually a paying member of the club I currently play at (as in, I'm a casual member and pay each time I attend a 'club night' to play)..I had to 'pretend' to be Karen (cos if the opposition club knew of my <em>status as non-member</em> we could possibly be disqualified fr the match hehe sneaky sneaky) and thus my name was listed as '<strong>K.S. Lee</strong>'<strong> </strong>(<em>Karen Saleena Lee hahah what a fake name</em>). At least everyone in my club got a kick out of it - calling me Karen all night hehe.<br /><br />Oh one thing I forgot to mention is the name of the badminton club I play at - <em>Takapuna Grammar</em> (bcos we play at the hall of a grammar school!), how 'intimidating' to our opponents eh? Hehe.<br /><br />We were in the 2nd cycle of matches i.e. we were replaying the same teams we had played in the 1st cycle, and the team we were playing this time round we had lost to 4-8 the last time we met. Considering most of us are 'new' players, having only been playing for less than 6 mths, <em>boleh lah</em>!</em></em></em><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC01034.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/DSC01034.jpg" border="0" /></a>Somehow this night, either luck being on our side or we indeed have improved our playing (<em>or maybe a little of both ;)</em>) we won 10-2! [<em>Pic of the happy winning team hehe T (L-R): Josh, Murry, Tim, Graham; M (L-R): Sivaa, Marie & I; and James below </em>(<em>Sorry ur not in this Sean! next time next time)</em>]<br /><br />Only doubles matches are played - I played 2 ladies doubles and 1 mixed doubles. The first match lost was the one played by Marie n I...it was a close match but oh well! Everyone had fun teasing me abt it tho - <em>"So, we've won all matches except...yours right?" </em>Eeesh geram! Hehe but nothing could burst my 'happy bubble' at winning my other matches - a first in my first ever badminton tourney ;).<br /><br />More updates on the next interclub match next wk!$aLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15596806629991336885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29698935.post-1154824628818556242006-08-06T12:01:00.000+12:002006-08-06T12:50:07.266+12:00KaraokeYup, I went for my first karaoke session ever (<u>in my life ever</u>) last night and it was a blast! It was one of those spur of the moment ideas you get when it's raining out and you don't feel like staying in any longer cos it's the weekend =). There were 8 of us in total (8 people in one room, add a karaoke set, and damage can definitely be done hehe) - Sean, Karen, Elsie, Madeline, Art, Ann, Lorraine and I; and the theme of the night (we actually had time to think of a theme hahah) was '<strong>The 80s</strong>'.<br /><br />Nevermind that the location was a tad dodgy, we <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/Karaoke%203.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/Karaoke%203.jpg" border="0" /></a>were in good company so fun it was that we had *grin*. Half of us got there earlier and decided that 2 hrs of karaoke-ing would be enough among the 8 of us, but when the rest arrived they paid for another hr...and sometime during the night, our karaoke set jammed, so we got another hr free. So yes ppl, for my first ever karaoke session, we did a whopping <u>4 hrs</u> of singing! It was midnight by the time we finished. You can imagine the condition my <em>throat</em> is in at the moment *cough cough* [<em>Lorraine multitasking - singing while looking up for new songs to sing hehe, and Maddie glad to help out</em>] <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/Karaoke%207.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/Karaoke%207.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Nevermind that we weren't the best of the best, but we gave it our all! [<em>as you can see from this pic is exactly what sean is doing hehe</em>].<br />It didn't matter if you had the mic or not, you's sing along anyway haha. [<em>Sean & Karen definitely getting into it]<img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/Karaoke%208.jpg" border="0" /></em><br /><em></em><br /><em></em><br /><em></em><br /><em></em><br /><em></em><br /><em></em><br /><br /><br /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/Karaoke%202.3.jpg" border="0" /> <p>[<em>Maddie & Elsie doing the 'typical jap girl' pose haha w Ann & Art looking on]</em></p><p>For someone who's not at all used to doing something like this, I'd definitely go again =) But one thing's for sure...after 4 hrs of singing last night, we definitely won't be going again anytime soon! </p>$aLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15596806629991336885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29698935.post-1153479773245685612006-07-21T22:50:00.000+12:002006-07-21T23:02:53.253+12:00A little dedication<div align="center"><strong><em><span style="color:#cc33cc;">To my dearest friend:</span></em></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><em><span style="font-size:130%;color:#993399;">HAPPY 22nd BIRTHDAY CHARLENE!</span></em></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><em><span style="font-size:130%;color:#993399;"></span></em></strong> </div><div align="center"><strong><em><span style="font-size:130%;color:#993399;"></span></em></strong><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/22444023962384l[1].0.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/22444023962384l%5B1%5D.0.jpg" border="0" /></a> To all the good times and fun we've had, to the laughter and tears we've shed,</div><div align="center">this friendship I will always cherish.</div><div align="center">Luv ya!</div><div align="center"><br /> </div>$aLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15596806629991336885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29698935.post-1153380099709961242006-07-20T19:12:00.000+12:002006-07-20T19:38:43.696+12:00Rainbows & presents<div align="center"><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC01100.0.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/DSC01100.0.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC01097.0.jpg"></a></span></strong></div><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC01097.1.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/DSC01097.1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC01097.0.jpg"></a></span></strong> </div>TODAY </span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;">IS </span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;">A </span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;">GOOD </span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;">DAY</span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;">=)</span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC01097.jpg"></a><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC01097.jpg"></a><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC01097.jpg"></a><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC01097.jpg"></a></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"></span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6666;"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC01097.0.jpg"></a></span></strong> </div>$aLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15596806629991336885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29698935.post-1153219004915944832006-07-18T21:16:00.001+12:002006-07-18T22:44:04.970+12:00My weekend (picture edition)<u>Saturday</u> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC01072.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/DSC01072.jpg" border="0" /></a> <p>One of our good friends, Khush, is leaving in a week for the UK to pursue his studies and so he organised a get-together for all his friends. The mood of the evening was comfortably joyful, catching up with friends over dinner, eventhough in reality the event marked something quite the opposite.<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC01070.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/DSC01070.jpg" border="0" /></a> [<em>Here's Madeline, Micheal, Karen & moi</em>]</p><p>Guess what I had for dinner? White & dark chocolate mousse hehe I know not much of a dinner but that was all I needed to keep me happy =) (<em>very happy actually!</em>).</p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>[<em>Happy ppl - Rochelle, Lesley, Sean with his big grin, & dear Maddie</em>]</p><p>Oops, I realised that I don't even have pics of the man of the moment! Sorry Khush ;) soon soon.</p><p>Sean, Arthur, Karen & I couldn't stay long cos we were heading to 'something' we had been waiting all month for - to watch <u>Russell Peters</u> perform live! If you don't know who he is, where have you been?? He has got to be one of the best comedians ever =) and he was actually going to perform in Auckland and for <em>one</em> night only. </p><p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC01077.0.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/DSC01077.jpg" border="0" /></a>As expected, his show was great...totally new material which is always good, completely stand-up comedy meaning he picked on so many people in the audience! I was sitting up in the balcony so I knew I was safe *<em>phew</em>* but I spotted my friend, Balwinder, who was in the 3rd row from the stage and he told me after that he was scared s**t that he'd be picked on during the show haha lucky for him he wasn't. </p><p>You know what? 90% of the audience were Indians, like wow, it was definitely a statement saying "<em>we represent!</em>" *<em>grin</em>* all in support of their fellow Indian Russell =). And pick on them he did hehe especially with impersonations. He would include a line or two from his previous shows, like his chinese impersonation "<em>Be a man, do the right thing</em>". The crowd would go wild whenever we recognised one of these lines...and Russell had his reply ready - "<strong><em>You filthy downloaders</em></strong>," he said. That spurred the crowd even more and he laughed saying that only in his shows could you call the audience 'filthy' and they'd clap and cheer ;) so true hehe. He was able to keep us on our toes for 1.5 hours, fantastic show!</p><p><u>Sunday</u></p><p>I met up with Nadia, since she'd been away all week at <em>Mata-Mata </em>(<em>ulu hehe</em>) all week for her GP posting, and we indulged ourselves in some <strong>retail therapy </strong>=). There was definitely some lightening of our wallets but easing on the heart & soul after a demanding week <em>*sigh<strong>*</strong></em><em>.</em></p><p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC01080.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/200/DSC01080.jpg" border="0" /></a><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/200/DSC01083.jpg" border="0" />We later met up with Karen & Sean for a stint at the driving range! We're all basically <em>complete </em>beginners so from one person to the other, <em>we didn't know what we were doing (!),</em> but we had fun doing it anyway haha.<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC01084.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/200/DSC01084.jpg" border="0" /></a> A perfect way to end a perfect weekend spent with friends.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><u><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC01086.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/200/DSC01086.jpg" border="0" /></a><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/DSC01094.jpg" border="0" /></u></p>$aLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15596806629991336885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29698935.post-1152611131181212632006-07-11T20:54:00.000+12:002006-07-11T21:47:56.596+12:00Orthopaedic surgery!On to my next run - <strong>orthopaedics</strong>! (<em>to my non-medical friends =) it has to do with your skeletal system i.e. bones, joints etc</em>). Today was only my second day but already I found myself spending the entire day in the operating theatre - *<em>exciting</em>*. One thing I definitely have to say - orthopaedic surgery is nasty! Imagine fixing fractures by drilling through the bones, plates & screws being fitted in here and there, suturing (<em>sewing</em>) up gaping wounds, tugging & pulling...<strong>nasty</strong>.<br /><br />However, I got to <strong>scrub in</strong> today! <em>i.e. I got to wear an operating gown, glove up and assist the surgeon</em>. And assist him I did...by cutting sutures! Haha about the most <em>basic </em>thing you can do...that and wipe up any blood that leaked out from the wounds. Ok those who cringed at the mention of the 'b' word, I shall talk of it no more ;). Wow, scrubbing in is a pretty extensive procedure (<em>or rather it seems that way when you're new to it hehe</em>) - first, you put on ur (suffocating) face mask and then you spend <u>5 mins</u> on just <strong>washing your hands</strong>, hence the term 'scrubbing in'. Next, you put on the gown which is <strong>sterile</strong> (<em>that fact is so drilled into you by every single nurse and doctor in the OT</em>) and putting on ur gloves is another chore cos you can't just pick it up with your fingers - you gotta pick the glove up with your hand tucked in the sleeve of your gown, never touching with exposed fingertips. And I had to put on two pairs of gloves lagi - susahnya! Struggled I did hehe the staff giving me knowing smiles which said '<em>ahh this is her first time</em>'. Then one of the nurses tied up my gown for me, oh how I felt special haha! And that was it, I was ready =).<br /><br />It felt great thought, being able to witness everything up close since I was scrubbed in - one of the patient's had a shattered leg bone and after just two hours, the surgeon had pieced everything together and the bone was held intact with a plate and screws. Wonders, surgeons can do. I can't wait till the next time I get to scrub in, let's hope I manage to get it done in under 20 mins this time *<em>grin</em>*.$aLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15596806629991336885noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29698935.post-1152099837338682052006-07-05T23:21:00.000+12:002006-07-05T23:49:00.910+12:00Casting dayAargh! I <strong>so</strong> regretted today that I didn't bring my phone along with me when I had dinner at the dining hall...cos while I was happily eating away, my friend Sivaa had texted me saying she had an extra ticket to the<strong> premier</strong> of possibly one of the greatest movies released this year -<u>Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest</u>! And I had <strong>5 mins </strong>to get to town if I wanted the ticket. It would have all worked out fine since town was only a 10 min walk away anyway, and in my excitement I would have ran all the way and made it in 5 hehe. BUT <strong>NOOO</strong>...I had to have left my phone behind in my room and by the time I got back it was close to an hour after Sivaa had texted. *<em>sniff sniff</em>* I'm taking my phone everywhere with me from now on.<br /><br />On a happier note, today was an exciting day at the hospital =). Aside from usual lectures...we ended the day with a lesson on how to put on <strong>casts</strong>. <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC01038.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/DSC01038.jpg" border="0" /></a>Never having had the 'opportunity' to have broken a bone before, it was all new to me. Hehe I was as excited as could be. So there we all were, about 18 of my classmates and I, cooped up in a teeny room...sloshing wet plaster of paris everywhere. Here I am with my <em>artwork</em> on Michelle's arm haha it turned out pretty puffy.<br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC01040.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/DSC01040.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC01040.jpg"></a><br />[<em>excuse some of the plaster spots that got on the camera lens hehe</em>]<br />All in all it was a fun experience =) . So anytime you need a cast on, call on me! Haha if I'm able to recall how to put one on at that time that is ;)$aLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15596806629991336885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29698935.post-1152015870017833992006-07-04T23:26:00.000+12:002006-07-05T00:24:30.193+12:00ED's over!Sorry peeps, been absent for a while now I know...I was unfortunately hit with <strong>ED-itis</strong> (refer to previous blog). Although I wasn't required to work at the hospital everyday i.e. I was on shift work, that made it even worse cos it resulted in my biological clock being thrown off completely! Some days I'd work nights, others morning till the afternoon...I wasn't sleeping well *phew* it was just exhausting. Because of that I realised I didn't manage to enjoy working in the emergency department as much as I could have. Oh well, at least it's over and I have my next run (attachment) to look forward to =).<br /><br />I do recall one funny moment tho that happened while on my ED run - I was partnered with Khairi, one of my fellow IMU friends, and since he lives at 'Flat 14' which is just down the road from where I'm staying (<em>I stay at International House btw...IH for short hehe for future references yes?</em>) , we would walk into town together to catch the train to the hospital.<br /><br />One morning, when I got to our usual 'meeting spot', surprisingly Khairi wasn't there (<em>as I'm usually the one that's late and not him hehe</em>) and being on time <strong>for once</strong> I thought he might have slept in. Little did I know that my 'so-called friend' had already walked off without me! Aarggh and there I was waiting cluelessly cos I didn't realised he had texted to say that he had left. I knew I was going to miss my train and therefore end up being late for handover meeting (<em>which we students had to attend as that's when the cases from the previous night are handed to the doctors taking over in the morning</em>).<br /><br />So there I was sulking all through my walk to town thinking 'How could Khairi not wait for me?'. Luckily, when I finally got on the train, it went exceptionally fast that not only did I arrive at the hospital <strong>just</strong> 5 mins late, I managed to make handover meeting as well *<em>big sigh of relief</em>*. After my *<em>big sigh of relief*</em>, I look around the room and notice '<em>eh, Khairi's not here</em>'.<br /><br />Suspiciously, he pops into the meeting room about 7 mins later. Only after the meeting did I manage to talk to him and he tells me, embarrased, "I fell asleep on the train...". He had woken up <strong>just</strong> as the train was pulling away from the hospital! And while waiting for the next train at the following stop, the train that I had been on arrived at his stop and he was thinking 'oh no, Saleena's arrived already...". Haha that was about the funniest thing I'd heared in a long time! With my smile of mock triumph I told him it'd be wise never to leave me behind again hehehe.$aLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15596806629991336885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29698935.post-1151050825914887982006-06-23T18:37:00.000+12:002006-06-23T20:23:30.870+12:00A WHOLE day at the hospitalThe reality of a day in the life of being a doctor hit me (<em>HARD</em>) just last wednesday. I was the only student on my emergency department run that had to do a back-to-back shift i.e. 16 hours of work! Yup, I knew it had to come some time so <em>bring it on!</em><br /><br />Friends offered to change shifts with me (<em>thanks guys</em>) but I was actually pretty excited about it, being given the experience to see what it takes to get through a day like that - a day totally normal when your a doctor maybe but territory unventured and foreign to a medical student.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/Photo-0381.0.jpg"></a><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/Photo-0381.1.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/200/Photo-0381.0.jpg" border="0" /></a>Wearing scrubs always gets me on a bit of a 'high' cos I feel like I'm on the set of a TV show hehe (<em>yes I still had time to take a pic..ooo looking so doctor-like harhar</em>). My shift began at 8am that morning and what a hectic morning it was - I didn't get a break till 1pm! Being in the ED (emergency dept) is really where all the action is - with people coming in thinking they've just had a heart attack or who have been in a motor vehicle accident, had an asthmatic attack, collapsed...you name it.<br /><br />By 2pm, I was getting <strong>sleepy</strong>. I look at my watch and think '<em>oh...only <strong>10</strong> more hours to go *sigh*</em>'. One good thing tho is that public hospitals here are equivalent to private hospitals back in Msia so it's all good =) .<br /><br />In the evening, I managed to work in the paeds dept and was told this offhand fact by the registrar I was attached to - he told me to look out for children with names like 'destiny' or 'miracle' cos most likely their parents were 'doped up' when naming their child ;) (<em>no offence to anyone with the names destiny/miracle reading this blog k?</em>) And sure enough I saw a child with the name 'destiny' on the children's ED list hehe and all I could think of was how her parents were like.<br /><br />Finally, 12am came and I could practically feel the comfort of my bed...I was dead tired. It was definitely an experience to be remembered (but prob not repeated any time soon hehe). ED is a pretty good department to practice your skills with the challenge of having to do it rapidly but surely. And yup I've claimed my bragging rights to having lasted a whole day at the hospital hehe.$aLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15596806629991336885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29698935.post-1150693085477799962006-06-19T15:36:00.000+12:002006-06-19T17:05:56.256+12:00Rainy daysWinter brings with it cold cold winds and persistant rain, that sometimes you just feel like you wanna stay in. <strong>Not</strong> when it's the <em>weekend</em> tho! =) My Sat night was spent watching <strong>rugby </strong>on tv<strong>. </strong>To live in New Zealand - you cannot not like rugby...it would be a <em>crime</em>. With the rest of the world being consumed by World Cup fever, winter in New Zealand can only mean rugby aka All Blacks fever.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC00978.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/DSC00978.jpg" border="0" /></a>And Sat night was the match between the All Blacks and Ireland. Oh yes, I did mention rain didn't I? Cos that's what made the match a whole lot more interesting ;) Everywhere on the field players were slipping and sliding, not to mention the ball. Haha it's funny watching huge, mean-looking men falling about all over the field, making it look as if that's how rugby is played all the time.<br /><br />The Irish were the underdogs, as probably every other team is claimed to be when up against the All Blacks, but the men in green put up a good fight with the final score at 27-17 to NZ. If ever any of you get to watch another Irish rugby match, watch out for Ronan O'Gara..he's the bomb hehe. (<em>Sorry Fariz, just rugby talk</em>). I have to say I'm pretty much warming up to the sport...as I said how can you live in NZ and not like rugby =)?<br /><br />Not wanting to face the rain just yet on our walk home, Sean, Karen, Madeline and I decided to catch a movie since the cinema was just next to the restaurant. What better way to compliment the dark, dreary weather than a horror movie? Hehe. And that's how we came to watch 'The Omen'. Wow, that's the first good horror movie <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC00980.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/DSC00980.jpg" border="0" /></a>I've watched in a long time. You know of the story - how the 'antichrist' has taken the shape of a little boy. And man, did that little boy look <em>freaky</em>. Just as I was thinking that during the movie, Madeline leans over and says just the thing to make me laugh - "He looks constipated." Haha bless her for the distraction.<br />[<em>Karen, Me, and Madeline attempting to warm ourselves up before the movie</em>]<em> </em><br /><em></em><br />Sunday brought with it the joys of <em>yum char</em> lunch...yum yum yum! And the first day I wore a <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC00982.1.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/DSC00982.1.jpg" border="0" /></a>beanie out hehe jakun lah that I even took this picture, excuse the vain-ness yea? We went for yet another movie, as you can probably guess - yup, it was still raining out. I was slightly sceptical at the choice of 'The fast and the furious:Tokyo drift', since Paul Walker had been replaced with an actor with an unappealing Texan-drawl, but surprisingly it was pretty good. The main actor and his accent didn't annoy me too much hehe but the driving and stunts in the movie were fantastic! All those car fans out there, you gotta watch this movie.<br /><br />So yup, there folks was my weekend - average it may seem, but still pretty enjoyable to me =).$aLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15596806629991336885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29698935.post-1150502700777693192006-06-17T10:00:00.000+12:002006-06-17T12:32:58.210+12:00Friday is a hint that the weekend is just around the cornerFriday marked the last day our 160+ odd 4th yr med class would be meeting for lectures on campus <em>(well till our next lecture block at end of Sept that is hehe),</em> as for the rest of the year we'd all be posted on individual runs at different hospitals around Auckland.<br /><ul><li><u>In Msia</u> - this would mean that hardly anyone would turn up on this day as, "<em>if there wasn't anything important to be said at the beginning of the week, there most definitely wouldn't be anything important to be said at the end.</em>" Hehe the epitome of slacker mentality. </li><li><u>But for the kiwis</u>? <strong>No</strong>...the last day of classes somehow translates as 'must-attend!' as the lecture hall was full! "<em>Who's that person over there?</em>" I'm asking my neighbour to my right...cos suddenly I'm seeing people I've never seen before *scratches head in wonder*. </li></ul><p>One thing I've noticed since being here is that to get into med school in NZ is 'hard-as' (<em>no, not as in a** ...the suffix 'as' is meant to emphasise the word that precedes it. Hehe kiwi slang 101</em>). Medicine is a 6 yr course here, but to get into medicine is to actually start 2nd yr as 1st yr you would be doing either biomedical sciences, health sciences, biochemistry...whatever it may be. So from all these 1st yr courses you end up with a thousand odd people who apply for medicine of which only less than 200 places are available. Hard core I would say. So you can imagine - my class is made up of the best of the best. Yikes, I'm in trouble. So back to my point, competition <em>IS</em> tough here. But still there are those who know how to have a good time ;).</p><p>It being the last day of lectures, our international student coordinator Karen Dorrian, the sweet woman that she is, arranged an IMU-buddy function for us - a day out <strong>bowling</strong>! (<em>I know, doesn't the term 'IMU-buddy' seem so dorky? Haha. Oh well. To help us settle in better with life here as well as with studies, Karen assigned us buddies in class to help us out. I was lucky enough to get Grace Tan as my buddy, not only is she fun but she's also Msian =) so that helps a lot in relating to life here.</em>) Naturally, it ended up being a battle of the sexes...and so we girls had our pride to uphold and the guys their ego to protect. </p><p></p><p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC00955.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/DSC00955.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p></p><p>Lucky enough, our lane was 'rigged' in that even if u guttered the ball...a '2' would definitely pop up on your score ;). Of course the guys were mouthing off at the 'injustice' but we girls just kept on playing hehe. I guess this fueled the guys to win even more, which they did...so yup, their egos are still very much intact. We girls still managed to have a blast so that's what mattered *grin*. [<em>Here's a pic of Nadia n I with our oh-so-cool bowling shoes hehe</em>]</p><p></p><p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC00963.jpg"></a></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC00963.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/DSC00963.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p></p><p></p><p>After bowling, we were on a role! We went straight on to playing pool...well, <em>we </em>consisted of Nadia, Eugene and I. Oh and Mark joined us too...his first time out with the imu-ers =). [<em>Nadia looking quite the happy with Mark sitting beside her</em>]</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC00967.jpg"></a></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/1600/DSC00967.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6067/3170/320/DSC00967.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>We ended the night with a good ole game of monopoly! With the latest 'here & now' edition - property prices are in the <strong>millions</strong> and currency denominations in <strong>K</strong> for thousands and <strong>M</strong> for millions. Cool eh? </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Let's not say who won (<em>cos I didn't haha</em>). </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>All in all, it was a great day of full on fun. If friday was this great, I wonder what the weekend has to offer ;).</p>$aLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15596806629991336885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29698935.post-1150347869026744392006-06-15T16:31:00.000+12:002006-06-15T17:07:58.433+12:00HI EVERYONE!Greetings from Aoteoroa! (that's Maori for 'New Zealand' btw hehe)<br /><br />Yup, guess it's true...I have been taken over by the blogger bug, I mean since everyone's on to it why not give it a go right? Right. Now it's just a question of <em>what</em> I can write...and how <em>well</em> I can write it ;) I'll try my very best to be as quirky and entertaining as I can k?<br /><br />I guess why I really wanted to start this blog was that in the few months I've been here in NZ, I realised that I've actually done and seen <em>SO</em> much, and I haven't had a chance to share my experiences with my friends. So this blog will just be a simple one - a window into my life. (<em>I hope this will also </em><em>make up for all the emails I've promised to send but never seem to get around to hehe you know who you ppl are</em>).<br /><br />Yup ok, emo moment over....let's have some fun! Catch you peeps soon$aLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15596806629991336885noreply@blogger.com2