Young doctors

Exam period is making feel a bit peckish. Ok I don't know what peckish means but I feel like I just want to be active and do lots of things.
Only got one more exam to go where the examiner is not allowed to fail you, but it's just that feeling that you know you still have exams that inhibits you from feeling totally free and doing 'holiday stuff'

Meanwhile, I've been watching a lot of medical shows. I don't know why I'm all into it now, but maybe it's cause of that curiosity of what life is gonna be like in a couple of years.

So it all kind of started when Channel Nine put on this new show called Young Doctors, which basically is a camera following interns around Newcastle hospital as they work. First time watching it, the thought of doing the stuff they were doing made me really excited, and at the same time, it makes you realise how long you still have to go.

Anyways for some reason Channel Nine decides to fill the time slot with Celebrity Apprentice and Big bang theory. So after 2 episodes the show's gone missing, and on the channel nine site it doesnt say anything. Apparently some people say that it's coming back on next week.
So I still felt like I hadn't gotten my medical fix, and I stumbled across a previous version called Junior Doctors, made by BBC in England. And the show is REALLY GOOD. I really like it. It's so much more genuine and real, and english doctors seem so much more humble than doctors over here. It doesn't just show the good side of being an intern, but the bad stuff too.
The Australian version seems a bit more glamorous and one of the doctors goes out to get her eyelashes done before going to work. Amy went nuts over that when we were watching it together. She's currently doing a clinical placement in Ingham, and she works 14-15 hour days each day. But on the upside it sounds like great fun and I've just been dying to get my chance to do that sort of stuff.

BBC version


Australian version


I like Adam from the BBC version (2nd from the left) and the asian John is a really funny awkward guy.

Anyways I've finished all the episodes (there were only 6 any) and now I've moved on to watching Amadeus. Wow if Mozart really was like that, then that would have been extraordinary. I feel like I've got a new appreciation for classical music. Started learning moonlight sonata by beethoven as well.
Music just isn't what it was. Especially pop music nowadays. It's all about hooking up and getting this girl and that guy. Not like the 90's and 00's where it was all about raw emotion. Although I must say I'm really enjoying Coldplay's new album. Really colourful and happy music.

Looking forward to summer

So I finished exam 2 of 4 today. prac exam was alright and I've only got end of phase exam and OSCEs left to do. Feeling quite relaxed =)

My light at the end of the tunnel are summer holidays.

Just a couple of things I'm looking forward to:
- Gold coast trip!: Going up to GC to spend a week jetskiing, theme parking and chillaxing on the beach with some of the guys. We got this awesome apartment to stay in which overlooks the beach and ocean. Gold coast accomodation is actually so cheap.


Pretty nice eh!

- Christmas time: Christmas time is always a time I look forward to, and it seems that people are more merrier. Looking forward to attended the christmas services and for some reason carols are such a nice thing to listen to now. You just know its christmas time when you here them. A couple of my friends in class a few weeks ago started singing carols and it made me miss christmas.

- Rural clinical placement in Wodonga: Really looking forward to this. Going to be doing a placement for 2 weeks in wodonga with a mentor doctor. Wodonga's just across the border in victoria. Albury is on the other side of the border. Looking forward to spending 2 weeks with totally clinical exposure. I think it'll make me see the bigger picture when I study for stuff.

- Australian open: Since I was in VIC anyway, will probably be going to melbourne to watch the australian open. I wanna get the quarter finals night package which is about 215 bucks for 4 night matches. I hope they're gonna be really good ones, cause during summer when the australian open is on, you always wish you were actually there for epic matches. Especially Nadal vs Verdasco. I wished I was there sooo much for that.

Might also go to hong kong and china with family during late feb/early march. Tickets are so cheap right now. Cathay pacific return to hong kong is 750 and qantas is similar too, although I dunno if I trust qantas as much. Although it is the A380 and apparently it's really good to fly on.

Back to blogging

It's been pretty much more than a year since I blogged, but when I went to check my email today, I saw a new post by Bosco. I read it, knowing that I wasn't going to spend the time studying, and it just took me back to what it used to be a year and a bit ago. When blogs were abundant and that's how we shared our lives to people we didn't see as much anymore.

So I started going back to read my own blog to see what's changed in a year. I saw this comment by belle which said 'you don't blog anymore' and it sort of made me feel good on the inside =) thinking that my blog was read and enjoyed.

Well what's been happening since a year ago.... hmmm well, the girl I mentioned about 2 posts before (back from a year and a half ago) well we ended up becoming really tight. It's funny now cause I forgot what life was like without her. Before we knew each other. Sometimes we tell each other how weird it is that a year ago we were just complete strangers who sat across the table from each other. I guess I'm going into a lot of private pondering, but that's why I've missed blogging so much. Its just a space where you let all your thoughts flow into words.

Hmmm what else has happened. I've quit my work at talent 100 to pursue a job which gives me more satisfaction in what I'm doing. I guess that just basically means I'm unemployed, and I'm fortunate to be in the position where I don't really need a job (thanks parents!) but I've applied for a couple anyway. I've applied for douglas hanly pathology clinic which basically applying to be the guys who take tubes of blood from you for blood tests. I also applied for boost, but I don't know why now. My mum mentioned that a new boost was opening in Ashfield and they needed staff so I figured I might as well. Maybe it was because I wanted to be a vibrant bright worker, and I wanted to experience what it was like to do a job where you had to clean this, and scoop that, rather than sitting on a chair and answering student's questions. I've always had an appreciation for people who have manual labour jobs like that, whether they work in restaurants, or juice bars. It just seems they are always on the go, scurrying around with no stop. And people who do that for a living, I just imagine them going home at the end of the day to their families and whatnot, I don't know, maybe it's because my mum's in that sort of job too.

What else has happened in the last year...

Origin match, which was amazing


Amy's oldest sister gave birth to Joanna. She's such an adorable baby. I enjoy playing with her so much.



Hospital sessions with our class group. They've been really nice. I'll miss them




Baked my first cake. Haha!

Hahaha I'd like to think there were other things that I did, but that's all the images I have on this computer. I guess one big change that's happened is that it's become really hard to stay in touch with people. I remember in the last days of high school being so compassionate about being in touch with people in uni and throughout life. I guess it's what happens when you don't see each other anymore on a regular basis. Family time has also become so so much more important to me now. I play basketball with my dad at the local courts once or twice a week, and I must say he's not bad for his age. We play pick up basketball with people who are always there, and its a good way to get him fit and healthy. I also go walking along the bay area with my mum on saturdays, and it's such a nice place to walk. I definitely recommend it.



Look at that view.

Anyways, I had an exam today which turned out to be atrocious. I think I failed it, but the only comforting factor is that everyone found it so hard, so surely medfac won't fail everyone.
So onwards continues to month of torture, with 3 more exams to go. Really actually, it's not so bad. People who do other courses have way more exams than us, I just sometimes forget that. Prac exam is on friday so I need to work hard for that. Good thing is that I only need around 35% to pass, cause my previous prac results were above passes. Ahhh medical course surival... you'd be so happy just to pass.

It's felt great to get back on the blogging wagon again. I hope for anyone who might be reading this, that you are well and happy with where you are and what you are =)

Till next time!

Old Gold

While I was cleaning up my desk in the living room, I stumbled across a coupla things that made me really laugh.

Back in year 5, I attended this creative writing class since creative writing was gonna be on trial for the selective school test. So each week our teacher would tell us to write something (story, letter etc.)

So i find this whole stash of writing pieces on my desk shelf. Most of the stories i wrote were somehow relevant to what happened in my real life. Out of the whole pile, my favourites include:
- a writing piece on how to make lamb cutlets
- a story about how a boy ripped his pants playing soccer and ran all the way to the toilets in embarassment to hide (which actually happened to me in year 3)
- a diary entry on how i want to become a mathematician when i grow up. Reading this really made me think, this kid was such a retard. Just to share a bit of it

"I plan to become a mathematician when I grow up. This has been my goal since my teacher first praised me for my maths work. I also like using my brain which makes maths seem like a fun subject to me. Sometimes my relatives email me maths problems. I always turn on the computer to check my email eagerly to recieve more maths problems. My teacher gives me problems as well and I work them out. She also explains how to solve the problem. I love maths"

- This letter addressed to my friend Dante. The first bit goes:
"Dear Dante, I would like to thank for making me a much happier person. When I was in class 2C I had no friends except for Daniel and Oscar. But one day you invited me into a match of soccer and our friendship began. I loved having a match of soccer every afternoon with you and all your friends. It made me so happy"


Something else I found when sorting through was my desk junk was this photo I bought from luna park cause I thought it was the funniest thing ever. I think it was during year 10 while on the wild mouse with Betty.

On the 2nd time around I realised that they actually take your picture like in space mountain at Disneyland, hence my well timed pose. I really don't know what Betty was doing though.

End of semester recap

I've just taken this antibiotic and i can't lie down afterwards for 30 minutes for some reason. I don't want to do my long-need-to-be-really-done-by-now-already assignment, so I thought I'd do a long time not done blog.

For most people, it is now stuvac and uni these days are so empty. For the med kids, there's still 2 more weeks to go until out little break. Exams are in exactly two weeks for us, so really need to start studying.

But anyways, a lot of things have passed by since the last time i've blogged and I just wanted to post down my thoughts and feelings on my first semester of uni and also I wanted to photoblog a few things i've done recently.

T&F(Thoughts and feelings) on the first semester of med: First half of semester was something that didn't hit me that hard as a really significant change. Workload wasn't that much and everything I was learning was still pretty ok. Med's pretty interesting and we're usually just working away in lectures and computer labs like these

People had told me heaps of stuff beforehand, so I guess some of the new things i had to adjust to were somewhat expected. Adjusting to uni gap breaks was a little bit weird at first cause there was no more of that lunchtime basketball, or lunchtime chilling in the common room.
Discovered people's passion of hating on ruse. I learned to let it go. There should really be a fb group which goes "the awkwardness when someone mentions that they're from ruse" But med people in general are pretty cool and cheery people. Still getting to know people and starting to form tight friendships with them

Second half of semester was so much more overwhelming when the 2nd years started coming in and joining our classes. You look at them and you just go omgsh. how smart are they all. and they all work so hard and know all this stuff. how do you even find the time to do that.
There's this girl in my Scenario Group (Basically a bunch of people you are with 2 times a week, to go over and discuss what we've learnt with the help of a facilitator- usually a GP) who i swear is the combination of peter chen, simone, jackie, ruilong in terms of work ethic, and smartness. My mind was just blown away. What made me even more amazed was that she is the nicest person i have ever met. There cannot be a single person who hates her. It's just impossible. She's polite, she's helpful, she's caring. When we first started, she emailed me to ask how i was finding everything and to see if there was anything she could help me out with. She went on to say that she knows 1st year can be tough and that if I was having any trouble, she would be there. My initial reaction was just :O woah. I was really touched by her caring nature. Not only that, she brings baked cakes to class every time, she's always cheery, annnddd i could really go on forever.
I see 2nd years and I think to myself, yeah that's where I want to be in a years time.

Anyways since uni have started, the beginning was really relaxing and watching footy, driving around and going for maccas runs was a very regular thing

Night driving is one of my most favourite things to do. The feeling of independence hasn't worn off yet, and its just so soothing too. Traffic frustrates me though

During the semester term, I decided to fly up to queensland for a weekend to meet neha and mariya. Made trips to brisbane and gold coast to see em and hang out n it was really good.

went all around brisbane with mariya. south bank, city central, XXXX brewery tour, suncorp stadium, city central clubs, brisbane casino (just to look of course), south bank cinemas and much more. Can't believe i crammed so much into a day actually, but it was all good.
Went off to the GC the next day to meet up with neha and for it being my first time in the GC, i just thought it was a really nice place to live. Water channels are every so really serene and beautiful. Not many people live there either so its heaps quiet.
Made a quick trip to Neha's uni Bond, and their campus is nice as

Being a tourist moment for me, we had to go to surfers paradise to check it out. So caught the bus there from bond and spent the rest of the arvo there lying in the sun and chatting. Sadly i had to say goodbye and leave for the airport shortly afterwards.

Another final thing i thought was worth mentioning was a med charity event a few of us did a few weekends ago. It was a kind of spoof on amazing raise, and if some of you had read bosco's blog, you would know a bit about it. Basically the real amazing race around sydney, with the challenges being wacky daring things we had to do. One of them was to take 5 different photos. Jump photo, striking a pose at channel 7 HQ, a skateboarder smiling sweetly at one of the team members, posing in front of lindt cafe, and running pose at martin place station.

Really enjoyed that saturday even though the weather was dismal.
Thought it was worthy to mention that Kelly got off the bus to buy some sushi while we were still on it, and then ran back to get on the same bus again. Pretty impressive even though we were stuck in traffic.

Anyways i think thats enough blogging for now.
Good luck for your exams everyone. Have a safe happy holiday

Song memories

Was talking to sy about this last night.i thought it was a really interesting thing. wondering if people get this too

for me, certain songs just remind of certain time periods in my life. mainly because that song was played in some way or manner during that time, and since then its tune will always be stuck with that patch of time. whenever the song comes on, it just takes me back to that point in time.

for example -
slide - goo goo dolls & save tonight - eagle eye cherry. reminds of the autumn of '07. jero played these songs on his phone repeatedly during our hike and we all sorta sang along. it just reminds of this beautiful crisp morning we had, just soaking the nature and all of it in.

chasing cars - snow patrol. reminds me of the winter of '07. everyone used to be really into this song during then. it was played during our musical afterparty and we just all belted out the lyrics. it'll forever remind me of the good times we had in musical

big girls don't cry - fergie . haha this reminds of the summer of '08/09 . i think it was played during our valentines day dance and the school as one started singing along. girls n guys included. it just reminds me of the great fun we had at school and the great people.

there's plenty more. but you probably get the point.
anyways thinking about this sorta stuff drifted my mind to the amount of crap we get for going to ruse. and sometimes i joke that i actually went to brisbane state high school. nowadays i just cop it, cause i realise it's nothing to be ashamed of. to me high school will forever be filled with good memories and the great people. i wouldnt have had it any other way.
it's easy to hate, but it feels better to love.

as some random deep person said:
"Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose."

that's all from me today.
have a great easter break.
take care

Hug Someone

I get up this easter friday morning having just dreamt of being in some live shooting game called "numbers". was very weird indeed

anyways i happened to pick up a book which connie got me during year 10 called "change the world for 10 bucks"
and it's a really nice book. you suddenly feel the need to be an environmentalist and be an active community member. makes the world seem like a much better place as well.
the book contains 50 simple everyday actions which if enough people do, they will change the world.

one of the pages is called hug someone which i thought was nice so i'm just gonna share it.

A friend of mine has
never forgotten seeing his
father kiss his grandad's
hand as
he lay in a coma
just before he died.

It was the only time
he had ever seen
them kiss

And the only time he
hugged his father was
when his sister died

It wasn't that they weren't
close, just that they were
grown up,
they were men, and
Australian, and only
death could take down
all the barriers

But children do it
instinctively - they want
to touch and be touched
to hold and be held.

So if there was one bit
of advice we'd give
everyone reading this
book, it would be this

Touch someone you love

Hold Them

Kiss them.

It's the one piece of magic
we call all do, every day.