Chasing Dreams

My Beloved Sammy

2010-02-15T18:27:00.002+08:00

Today while talking to my parents, they gave me the news I have been dreading to hear all week..My dog Sammy passed away...

He was initially diagnosed with having chronic renal insufficiency when I was back in December but this condition was something that can be managed. Unfortunately he had to be the few that deteriorated quickly and he has been sick for the past 2 weeks plus. He was even admitted for drips and all for flushing out the toxins. But his red blood cell just kept dropping and the only maintenance treatment for that was a blood transfusion which is not routinely done in Malaysia especially for big dogs. My dog is extra fat some more compared to other Labradors.

Everyday my parents keep giving me updates but his condition was just getting worse and worse. My fear was that he would have to be put to sleep which would have been very hard for everyone. He passed away with minimal suffering at home on his blankie.

I know I will miss him soo much but he will remain in my heart forever. He is my first dog and my memories of him will be cherished always. I love you my baby boy !!!

2010-02-14T10:15:00.003+08:00

Wishing everyone a Happy Chinese New Year and may this year bring lots of luck, joy and love for you all...

and also

Happy Valentine's day.. Hope love is all around for everyone!!

The real start!!!

2010-02-07T15:54:00.005+08:00

OMG now I know I really have started Year 5 already......

I just had my first day of Specialty Surgery and I am starting off with 2 weeks of Ophthalmology followed by one week of Urology and another week of ORL (Ear, Nose and Throat). I feel it is a jam packed run because how are we supposed to learn anything in just one week. I am already overwhelmed by the amount of things we need to know in Ophthalmo.. Man this is going to be one crazeee year!!!!!

Ophthalmo is kinda interesting to some extent for me..The fact that I did not sleep despite having lack of sleep shows for sure..I don't mind the whole concept of it as the anatomy and pathology is confined to the eye only but once we have to do the examination using an ophthalmoscope or even worse the slit lamp...just kill me.... I don't understand how they can actually see so much from just that small hole in the ophthalmoscope.. I have to get the hang of it by this Friday as we have to draw each other's optic disc and vessels and stuff..The worse part..Can't even fake it because the examiners will double check it....*sweat*

Oh well..it is going to be an interesting 2 weeks I hope.. I have to get back to my silly GP assignment..I know I should have done finished it during the weekend but I did improve from last year as I typed something at least during the weekend...But long way to go still.....

One change i finally did over the weekend was the download Google Chrome as my browser instead of IE. I got so sick of IE as have the time the page won't load or the page cannot open. So annoying... I love Google Chrome now!! Yay!!! *thanks for telling me about it* :)

OO and sorry for the change in font size and colour..I realized the font was kinda small and the colour was too pale. I shall remember to standardize..

A day of cooking!!!!

2010-01-31T17:37:00.002+08:00

Today was a day in the kitchen for me but I surprisingly enjoyed it. Before coming I learnt how to make this Indian desserts called 'payasam' from my grandfather. So today I thought will be a good day to try it out...

The end result was not too bad I guess but way thicker than the original. The process took like one hour and I just pulled my high stool in front of the stove and sat there stirring and stirring. The taste was there but it was just too thick. Better luck next time I guess. But I am glad I tried it out and my housemates liked it I hope!!!

It was a day filled with Indian cooking as dinner was Sambar or Dhal as it is commonly known. I made so much but luckily I have someone to eat it all !! ;)

I am actually starting to like cooking a bit more but I dunno if its just a phase. But I know its something I can't do day in and out. I should take advantage and cook more now I guess..Haha

The start of reality!!!!

2010-01-24T18:24:00.006+08:00

The weekend is nearly gone and this week reality kicks in!!! I already started classes last week but since it was just lectures I could still zone out from time to time.. This week its back to hospitals. Well not quite yet as my first run is General Practice but its just as bad. One good thing is since we have quite a few other things on next week, I only have to go to the clinic for 5 days. Woohoo!!!

On Saturday, James. Mui How, Bee Ling, Kee Ping and me went to Sylvia Park. We just walked around and watched Avater 3d. Well for some of us it was a second time but this is one movie that was definitely worth to watch again. I must say the 3D version was really good. The movie was some how enhanced and brought to life by wearing those ugly looking glasses. And surprisingly the effects were just right. I was worried it might be too much and I'll end up having a headache later on. I loved the movie even more this time around. :)

Guess wat?? I went a bought a 1 TERA external hard drive. I finally came to the realisation I will never be able to back everything up with my current 250GB external. I first though I could just burn my shows into dvds but god knows how many I would need. This way I can just back everything up in my external and worry about sorting it out later which I just must must do!!!Mui How can now install Windows & for me and *fingers crossed*, its not soo laggy anymore.. Thanks Mui!!!

I am blogging from James's room while the boys are playing Dota at the table..Hahaha..I keep hearing..'I'll take care of it' and of course some not so sugar coated words when they are not winning..Haha..Boys and games and their gadgets!!!!

Happy Birthday!!!!!

2010-01-20T20:31:00.003+08:00

Happy Birthday Mui How!!!!!!!
Hope you have a great year ahead and all the best for everything you do. May all your dreams and wishes come true.. :)
Have a great boring day at home kay :) Love ya..Mwah!!!!

Phone call from miles away!!!

2010-01-19T21:36:00.003+08:00

OMG I am so so so happy I finally got to talk to Lingwei. A normal chat on msn some how turned into a phone call that lasted hours. short I would say considering we had so much to talk about...I have missed you so so much...Hope to talk again soon..Love you so much darling.. :)

From dreaming to reality :)

2010-01-19T21:29:00.003+08:00

Thank you for making this trip special..Love you both.. :)

Auckland Auckland!!!

2010-01-19T19:29:00.005+08:00

I am back in Auckland after a wonderful one month break that I had back home..Only complaint was it was way too short. I got to spend time with my family, relatives and friends but no matter how long it is it will never be enough..
Holidays was the same as usual with lots of eating, shopping ( I love MNG and thankfully its on sale whenever I go back :) ), and of course watching movies. I would have loved to watch more and am happy that I watched Avatar and 3 idiots the Hindi movie which was simply fantastic. I loved the movie to bits and couldn't stop laughing even after the movie..

I also didn't do many things I wanted to do like organize my laptop..Wasted time doing other things instead and now am suffering with an almost full laptop and external hard drive and a slow laptop..Must do something about it before classes begin or not I am surely going to suffer..Everything is every where..As much as I love clearing my room and the kitchen which I am obssessed about keeping neat..when it comes to my laptop..the last thing I want to do is arrange the files ..But i guess I should start soon if not it will just pile up..If only I can get some one to do it for me..*hint hint* :)

Classes have begun and its back to the usual routine..Get up, pack a miserable lunch ( only cause I am too lazy to cook a good lunch..so definitely my fault ) , try to listen and understand the lectures being given, come home, cook dinner, chat and off to bed.. It is kind of relaxed now but once runs start its going to be so hectic..not to mention this is my last academic year and my final exams are at the end of this year and we have a couple of the hardest runs..See whats in store for the year..can't blame me for not looking forward to this year aye!!! But anything is possible..I just have plan properly and take one step at a time and I believe it will be fine.. Never give up without even trying..

The weather here is very pleasant now..I think one of the best times but its too hot in the house..Outside is nice and windy but in the house its just hot and my bathroom is like a freaking sauna..Am actually thinking of getting a fan for my bathroom but come winter I know I will regret it and want a heater instead..Brr am not looking forward to winter..

I finally went to One Tree Hill that day..Its a big park with lots of walking trails and animals and a monument called the Obelisk on a small hill. I can see it from my window but had not been there before..silly rite.. I had some nuts from last year which I completely forgot about and it didn't taste too good when I ate it so instead if throwing it away I thought I shall feed the birds. I think their stomach would be able to handle the nuts even if its expired I hope..Well I will know if suddenly dead birds turn up in the park..Oopsie.. So James wanted to run there and Kee Ping agreed to but I knew I would never be able to run at their pace..and Mui How of course wanted the easy way also so both of us ended up driving there and fed the birds while waiting for James and Kee Ping.. Then we all drove up to the Obelisk. The view from there is quite nice. I just realised how populated Auckland is as every corner I turned, there were rows and rows of houses or some building or rather.. I must remember to take my camera the next time.. and maybe even try walking..hehe..

I should get off to bed if not its unlikely I will be up during lectures..haha..But feeling guitly as I just ate a whole bar of Kit Kat despite eating a proper dinner..Cant keep this going or I will come back as a ball in March.

Nitey nitess!!!

New Year Resolution perhaps??

2010-01-02T10:16:00.002+08:00

Just barely 24 hours into the new year I had a very enlightening chatting session that made me think about alot of things...( Yes its all because of you!!! But thanks for everything) :)

When I look back at last year, I feel unhappy about the small things that kept affecting me. This year, I dont want all those to happen again and just hope to achieve better control of my situation. I hope to get a balance in everything hoping that it will be a good bright year ahead...I believe its possible..Yay!!!!

Happy New Year!!!!

2010-01-02T00:51:00.003+08:00

2010 is here!!!!!! Happy New Year to all.... :)

Hope this year bring lots of luck, happiness, love to all and may all your dreams and wishes come true.
And yesterday was also the first birthday of my blog. I know I have not been an avid blogger and neither shall I make resolutions that I cant keep so I decided i shall blog when I can and feel like.

2009 was a crazy here full of new experiences for me..some good and some not so good. I hope to learn from my mistakes and make this year a wonderful one.
I also would like to thank everyone who has been there for me last year and made it a bearable year. From family to friends, could not have done it without you guys..Thank you so much..

Happy New Year once again and hope this new year brings smiles and a new beginning with a new outlook to everyone!!! :)

Belated Deepavali!!!

2009-10-24T17:50:00.004+08:00

I know I am one week late but I just got in the mood after receiving a package of goodies from home yesterday from my beloved parents..
Last week itself I had just gone to the temple and visited some relatives for lunch. I even tied a saree to the temple but some how it just did not feel the same without all the murukus and Indian sweets.
It so happened that some one from Malaysia was coming to Auckland on Tuesday and my parents sent a package containing all the food I love through them and what was even better was the kept it a surprise from me. They contacted James and asked him to pick up the things from the people who came over as I was in Hamilton. James just told me I had a surpirse waiting at home but I had no clue what it could be. At last when I came back on Friday.....boy was I excited..I was so happy...
Thank you ma and pa for sending this...
Thanks James for picking it up..

All the stuff from home and the package of sweets James bought from one of the Indian shops here...Yummy!!!!

(I am going to be so fat after eating all this)

Today, James, Keeping and I had walked to the back of the house and suddenly realised we have a pretty blooming rose plant..I picture of that..

Gone Holidays Gone!!!

2009-10-03T18:35:00.003+08:00

My 2 weeks of holidays are gone!!!Just like that..Won't say it was totally unproductive. I did go to Christhchurch and then had to get all my car stuff sorted out. Also tried to get some studying done. Very little however.

Have to go down to Waikato tomorrow for my General Medicine posting.It feels like so long since I have been in the hospital. Actually only 4 weeks including campus learning week but I guess GP and anaesthetics kinda counts as non-hospital postings alos... This is going to be a full on hospital run with 6 LONG case histories. Definitely not looking forward to that.
And going to have to leave my cosy home and stay in a hostel all over again.
Anyway I am sure it will be a good experience..

I don't think I will be blogging much until after exams as there will be no internet in Waikato and then when I am back home should be busy studying.
It was a good week of blogging. Will be looking forward to after exams to blog more with pictures too!!!

xoxo..

Day with smiles!!!

2009-10-01T16:14:00.003+08:00

Yay!!!Got my car fixed and renewed the registration already. Everything is settled hopefully with no more problems arising in the future. Of course had to cough out money which I hoped to use for other better things (for myself perhaps!!like shopping) but instead had use it for the car. Oh well..the car is part of me also so never mind I guess..I feel the car is somewhat lighter and turns better..I am sure its just me consoling myself..Haha

Went to the library to kill time while waiting and tried studying but was not too successful. I seem to be taking ages just to read one thing nowadays. I really want my momentum back...if not I am going to cram everything in the last minute and that will be so awful and tiring!!!!

Oh oh I have a new found sinful dessert that I absolutely love now..I bribe myself to study knowing the fact I can eat it later..Its grapes, kiwis and sometimes apples with custard. I simply love eating custard just like that but with the fruits oh its so yummy!!!

Maybe I will have some tonite..Hehe

Yet another day!!!

2009-09-30T17:05:00.003+08:00

I seem to be blogging everyday now surpisingly as this is my break from studying..Hahaha

Today thankfully was a much better day than yesterday..Went hunting for place to fix my car and got a couple of quotes that were a bit more acceptable than the one I got in Honda yesterday. Picked the cheapest which was a place Bee Ling found for her car( thanks so much babe!!!owe you one) and decided to get everything done tomorrow. So tomorrow is going to be another day of getting up early again and sending my car and studying in the library while waiting..At least I will get some studying done I suppose instead of finding excuses to do everything else when I am home..Hopefully everything gets settled tomorrow.

I realised the more comforts you have in life the more you end up spending to keep up and maintain it..Like my car for example..But cant complain..It is so much easier having a car..I must be prepared to come out with the money to keep it in shape also..

Also managed to meet with Beth, another 4th year from here. We have been having a coffee sessions whenever time permits. She is a really nice girl and always so helpful. It was good meeting up with her. I have started to love coffee even more and now am in the phase of drinking caramel machiato.. :)

And OMG..the weather is absolutely awful now..It keeps raining every 20 minutes and it is so heavy like back home..Apparently the lightning and thunder is something new and does not happen much here in Auckland..And I thought I ran away from all that..
Where are those nice sunny days that Spring is supposed to have?
I hate the rain..it makes me feel so miserable...

Hope tomorrow is not this bad and I dont have more complains!!!!

An unexpected day!!!

2009-09-29T15:08:00.003+08:00

Who would have thought this day would turn out so unexpectedly..
It was a nice sunny morning when I had to get out of bed to give my car for renewal of the registration and a service which was supposed to go without a hitch . I had planned on studying in the library while waiting for my car to be done. I thought I had it all nicely planned but instead...
Around mid day it started raining..just a few showers at first and then it started to get really heavy..Thank god Bee Ling, Kee Ping and James were nearby and they sent me to the service centre..
And then Honda tells me that I need to replace a few parts in my car for them to be able to reissue my registration and it cost a freaking bundle more than I expected.

Now tomorrow I need to go look for other car garages to get a cheaper quote and decide and fix everything by this week before my bloody registration expires and I go down to Waikato...........

Well its not that bad I suppose but I had my week so well planned out and this just ruins all my plans..

Hopefully everything gets settled fast and at a affordable rate..*Praying hard*

Is there a best time to study?

2009-09-27T09:33:00.004+08:00

I am so good in finding excuses not to study now...
When its a sunny day all I want to do is stare out my window longing to be outside either in some garden laying on the grass or window shopping along Newmarket
When its a gloomy or rainy day all I want to do is snuggle up in my warm duvet and sleep...
So when is the time to study?
I guess soon enough I will start panicking about exams and forget about all these needs and just study....
Haiyhh..exam..exam..

On a happier note..went to the temple today after such a long time. Felt so contented after praying and also from all the good food I got. Another plus point to go to temple... :)

Rural Posting at Kaikohe

2009-09-24T18:24:00.009+08:00

GP posting was an interesting experince. It was an eye opener to the setting of general practice in New Zealand which is so different from Malaysia.
After 2 weeks of urban Gp at Mt Roskill Medical Centre where James and I had a wonderful time thanks to all the doctors and staff there, we had to go about 4 hours north from Auckland to Kaikohe for our 2 weeks rural GP. It was really like some UK country side and we even stayed in a cottage on the farm.
I definitely gained lots by this rural posting in both thoery and clinical skills wise. The doctors and staff there were so friendly and encouraging that I got to try many new things. I even went to the Northland prison for half a day..but no nothing exciting happened there..Hahah thankfully i suppose.
Just some pictures....

The orange trees just outside the cottage

The small fireplace in the cottage

My room

So cute rite..It was a hot water bottle cover.

The living room of the cottage. The TV actually had Sky TV(cable TV) and we spent practically all our free time after coming back from the clinic just watching TV.. :)

Pig out session on Friday Night

Nachos at Kerikeri

James and me at the rugby match between Northland and Auckland. Decided to go for it as we were there in Kerikeri at that time and it was the highlight as this was the first game this year to be played there I think.

Just one picture from the rugby game. I did not really get the whole game but enjoyed the whole atmosphere. I still prefer soccer..

On the way to Paihia, Bay of Islands

Me at Paihia

The cows at the next door field. They always stare at us when we drive pass...

Our main Nurse Coordinator, Daryl. She was like an angel always helping us about.

Dr Robertson, the owner of the cottage we stayed at.

Dr Robinson, who was in charge of us.

The unique toilet at Kawa Kawa..

The entrance to the prison.

Trip to Piha Beach

2009-09-24T17:55:00.005+08:00

Some time ago(I have forgotten the date), when Mui How came up to Auckland, we went to Piha Beach on a nice sunny day. The sun was strong but the wind was even stronger unfortunately so we had to layer up. It was a beautiful day nevertheless and we had so much fun together. One trip that I will always remember..

The best picture..We all had our unique way of jumping that some how portrayed us.

Us with some of the food we packed..We had lots of food..

The 3 boys..We all agreed that they look like they are some survivors in the desert.

Bee Ling and I...

Of course I rarely caught or hit the volley ball..

Advertising the ball as a new hand phone. Just one of the many fun silly games we played..

Piggy-backing and racing..This was the start when it was all good. Later I had to piggy-back Mui How back and I could barely manage 5 steps despite him being just a few kilos more than me...

Resting..James's shadow also in the picture.. :)

The view from one of the small rock hill we climbed.

The view from the other side of the rock hill..

All our names connected somehow..

Us girls doing what we love doing!!

View from one of the look out spot while driving back..

More Pics from Chrishchurch!!!

2009-09-24T17:19:00.007+08:00

I am just in the mood to put up all the pictures I have all of a sudden. So the next few posts are mainly just going to be pictures with few words.

It to celebrate the new template also.. :) I hope this one does not go bonkers like the last template.

Mui How and me at Lotus Heart. Its a vegetarian restaurant at the heart of Christchurch city. It has a very Indian theme but all the workers are locals dressed in Saris.. Very nice ambience and food was good too.

The Botanical Gardens..not my best jump.

On a bridge at the Avon River which goes around the whole city.

Sumner Beach..Brrr the wind was soo strong.

World Peace Bell at Botanical Gardens

Some pretty pink flowers outside Mui's house

More flowers at the Botanical Gradens..

And even more flowers at the Botanical Gardens.I know I took lots of pictures with flowers..but it is Spring after all. What is more beautiful than all the colourful bloomed flowers.

View of the Estuary and Sumner Beach from Aunty's house

The snow capped mountains ..

Clock Tower at Sumner Beach

At the Cathedral Square. I don't really know what was it there for..

The main church in Christchurch.

Christchurch Tram

Bridge of Remembrance.

Christchurch!!!!!!

2009-09-23T18:53:00.003+08:00

Hello from Christchurch!!!!!
Blogging from Mui How's house. Its so nice and quiet here but cold too. Had a wonderful time staying with Mui How and my aunt here. And also James joined us after his trip.
Christchurch is a small town compared to Auckland. The whole town can be walked in just 1 hour i think. The view away from town is lovely especially the Sumner beach and snow capped mountains of the Kaikora range.
My god back to Auckland tomorrow ad have to start studying..:(

Some pictures from the trip.

Dinner at Korean House

Mui How cam-whoring at the Botanical Gardens. It took me ages to get a shot like that.

Cathedral Square

Randomness at home!!!

2009-06-25T00:28:00.003+08:00

I have been home for nearly 2 weeks now and it is time to leave!!!!As soon as I reached back it just felt like I never left at all..This time it is going to be harder to readjust in Auckland as I clearly know all the comforts at home that I will be missing. This 2 weeks have been so heavenly with everything being done for me..and the food..OMG..I miss home food sooo much!!! I decided to pack back as much food as I can to last me for the next 5 months so my bag this time is going to be filled with just curry powders and ready to eat meals..I just hope it all gets thru the customs. *fingers crossed* But this also means I have to start cooking. It is not all toegther bad I suppose but not my number one thing to do. Well when u want something bad enough you would work towards it, so Indian Food will be my motivation..:)

I don't even know what I have been doing for the past 13 days apart from eating lots... Time just flew past so fast. I just managed to meet up with all the important family and friends. It just feelt so good to see everyone again.
~my parents, dogs and relatives. God I miss them so much!!!
Thanks everyone for the short, squeezed, quick meet up sessions:
~Kajen, Dejun and David for the dinner at Seremban. We just spoke and spoke to catch up on all the gossip and dramas. Believe me we did have a lot of stories to exchange.. :)
~Lingwei for the lovely pedicure session and the quick shopping at Bangsar after.
~Aaron for the rushed meet outside Edison Chen' Shop in Bangsar..
~my Besties for the very few outings we had. I wish we could have spend more time..

This is something I have to mention.. I saw EDISON CHEN!!!!!It was all coincidental that Lingwei and I were in the right place at the right time. Kinda thanks to Aaron also I suppose..hahahah. He was down to officiate the opening of his shop here in Bangsar. We some how managed to get a good spot where we could see him and he even looked at our direction once. Lingwei and I did go a bit crazy after seeing him as he still looks good. And to think we all have actually seen more..*wink wink*

Well I am going to make the most of the next few days and satisfy all my cravings for the next 6 months. I am already thinking of my trip back home in Dec and I haven't even gone back to Auckland..Sigh!!!!!!

3 Words!!!!

2009-06-15T00:42:00.000+08:00

HOME SWEET HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

From Psychiatry to ED

2009-05-20T17:59:00.002+08:00

Yay!I finished my Psychiatry posting last week. The 6th week was one hell of a torture from trying to complete my log book to finishing the case history and yet still having to go to the hospitals. And Murphy's Law has to come in play as that week was probably my most interesting week out of the whole 6 weeks but I could not enjoy it fully as was trying to complete everything else. It wasnt all procrastination, I could have finished some of it earlier but well...The last day was just horrible..Arghhh..I am very happy having my slow heart beat as that day my heart was just pounding and pounding, rushing from Middlemore after my cat to hand in the log book to Auckland. One good thing was I did well for my CAT. Thanks to the format James gave me..One happy outcome at least.

Well the weekend and the past few days have been busy with setting up the new house. I am moving into a house in Royal Oak (about 15mins drive from where I live now) with James, Bee Ling and Kee Ping. Its a nice house mostly furished but with minor faults that is unnnoticeable on the first look. Slowly making it more homey and to suit our style. I will put up pictures when its all ready:)

ED!!!!Emergency Medicine is very interesting. I quite like it actually. Its all fast and quick. Patient comes in...Assessment done if patient is serious or not ...investigations....treatment depending on urgency....either discharge once better or refer to other specialities....
And me being a night bird, the night shift suits me fine. I went in yesterday from 4pm till 12 am and did not find a single moment where I had to find something else to do which is exactly the way I like it. :) And there are no reports to write or log books to fill in. Just small topics to cover with some background reading and observation. Hopefully this 2 weeks go smoothly and I enjoy this run. Need something like this especially after Psych.

And yup I am very free thats why found time to update the blog..Hahah.. :)

Psychiatry

2009-05-04T18:59:00.002+08:00

Psychiatry is just different. Especially right after doing Gen Surg..it’s a whole 180o turn the other direction. As it was kind of my first exposure to psyc illnesses, was very blur at start. I do know a bit more now but there still heaps moreto go. I realised a disease is diagnosed based mainly on the signs or symptoms which can be masked or hidden by the patient. Diagnosis and management is hugely based on the feedback from the patient or family. It’s a very interesting field but with lots of grey area. Slow paced though with nice working hours. Will write more about it when I end the run in 2 weeks. Need to finish up the log book and do my CAT.

End of General Surgery

2009-05-04T18:58:00.001+08:00

It’s a stale post as I am finishing my Psychiatry run in 2 weeks but just had to say how much I enjoyed the whole experience. I had been attached to the Head, Neck, Breast and Endocrine team and learnt lots there thanks to the doctors in that team. Stayed on call a couple of nights till 10 plus pm but loved every bit of it. Highlights were: doing a few sutures on a patient and holding the camera for a laparoscopic appendicectomy. Can’t wait to do this run again.
Also had my first CAT presentation. It went okay I suppose but my vascular consultants are just too nice. Lots to improve for my next presentation definitely.
POGS Book(Little Green Book of Hell)- well being brillant at procrastinatingas usual , I had to burn the midnight oil finishing up the histories in the book which took longer than expected. I know I always say I have learnt my lesson but I think this time I really did. It was pure torture rushing to finish it!!!
Overall Gen Surg: 9/10 :)

Dad's Trip to New Zealand.

2009-05-04T16:42:00.007+08:00

This post was meant to be up weeks ago but just got caught up doing other things and did not have time to blog..(like choosing a car)
Will just keep it a short post with more pictures.
The next day after Dad arrived; we drove down to Rotorua and stayed there for 2 nights. Visited the Thermal Village one afternoon. Just had a nice relaxing time. Rotorua is a very nice place. Small quaint town..loved the row of restaurants especially at night with the lights. The lake was right in front of the hotel and the view was amazing. Next time must drive up to Taupo and also go for the hot water spa.
On our way back, stopped over at Mata-Mata to visit some family friends. Mata-Mata is the town where Lord of the Rings was filmed. We had to go for the Hobbiton tour to see The Shire. (what was left of it anyway). The place was scenic with hills and valleys. Tried imagining Gandalf and Frodo walking there.. But many of the structures have been taken apart and only few of the hobbit holes remain as the property is actually owned by a family. Interesting tour nevertheless
The rest of the stay was just filled with going out around Auckland and eating good food and of course shopping for souveniers.. I really enjoyed his stay here and will be looking forward to the coming visits that my parents are going to make.. :)

ps: Forgot to mention the package of goodies my dad brought. The main thing was the muruku, the sweet my grandfather made and the chocolates my dad brought!!!Yummy

The row of restaurants
The view of Lake Rotorua

Me in front of the lake

The Geyser at the Thermal Village

Maori Cultural Dance

At the Hobbiton Movie Set

The remaining Hobbit Holes

Lake where Bilbo's birthday party was held.

At Bibo's house..Bag End

View from inside Bilbo's house

The window where Gandalf catches Sam eavesdropping.

Can you spot me???

Bottle feeding the lambs..they were so greedy.

The cute lambie..

My New Baby!!!!!

2009-04-26T18:28:00.005+08:00

I got a car!!!!!! A silver 1300cc Honda Fit 2002!!!!! Feels really good as I actually researched everyting and made the decision myself with of course frequent calls to my dad and James as always being there to help me...Its going to be so much easier but newer things to worry about with the insurance and not getting lost. Knowing me I am bound to do it quite a few times as my sense of direction is well......(wont go there)...but I am so excited..really miss my Kelisa back home..Have upgraded a bit now..not such a small car..:)

I'll blog about all the other things later like end of Gen Surg, psychiatry posting, dad's trip and many many more..got I really have a lot to blog!!!! Just wanted to put this up first. :)

Not very good pic angle..will take more later..

Happier Note!!!

2009-03-24T17:25:00.004+08:00

Well on a happier note..these few days I seem to be meeting some very nice old ladies. I went to talk to them for my POGS and got hugged and blessed by 2 old ladies in just one day. After weeks of pogging, suddenly I have met some very nice poeple. Not to say the one I talked to earlier weren't nice but definitely did not get hugs for it.

I see this as a push to interact and bond better with patients but I know the boundary must be kept as well.

Lesson of the day: Follow my instincts!!

2009-03-24T16:11:00.002+08:00

Just had to blog today to remind myself that sometimes my instincts are correct. Kinda annoyed at how the day turned out as if I had stuck to my original plan, I would have watched an interesting procedure but instead had quite an uninteresting day. I also learnt that communication is important.
Will keep this in mind......

First 3 weeks of General Surgery

2009-03-18T18:08:00.002+08:00

I am already in my 4th week of General Surgery run. Time really flies. I am sorry I haven’t updated in ages. Just can’t find the time to update or more like the free time is used for better activities like sleeping and eating. Haha. I haven't been extremely busy or anything but just tired from getting up early. Getting used to it though.

I finished my first 3 weeks in the vascular team and am now in the breast, thyroid, skin and upper GI team. Vascular ran by really quick. My team had 2 consultants, 2 registrars, 2 house officers and 2 students. Everyone was really nice and very willing to teach even the other team’s house officers. I learnt heaps about vascular problems as I never really took an effort to know much about this system before this. I have improved on the blood vessels anatomy (something I used to skip reading in IMU), the pathology and treatments. I found it all a bit boring and monotonous in the beginning but as time went on, it really amazed me how well connected and contained our blood circulation was and yet an occlusion or dilation in one part would not cause an affect elsewhere.
My daily routine was be at the ward at 7.30am ( I get up at 6.30am now- not ungodly hours anymore :)), have ward rounds with the team until about 8.15 am then either go to theatre or clinic. Afternoons were pretty much free unless surgery was going on. So I would go hunt down patients for POGS (case histories that we have to write up), find patients to draw blood or put IV cannulas in or just something to do. The house officers in ward 41 were really helpful. They kept encouraging us to try taking bloods and putting cannulas in despite failing many times. I have successfully taken blood from a patient but have yet put a cannula in. I have tried many many times but unfortunately it didn’t go in. Poor patients for having be pricked many times. Nick(the other student on the team) and I practised putting cannulas on each other first before trying on patients. I managed to put one in on him as he had nice big veins. Unfortunately my veins were terrible and even after having the tourniquet on for 15 minutes, no veins popped out. I am a hard patient. Hahah.

Clinics were very useful as I would follow the one of the registrars or consultants inside the consultation room and see a patient. Learnt how to do peripheral vascular examinations with all the pulses, listened to many carotid bruits and felt many abdominal aneurysms. I also became aware that sometimes nothing can be done to treat the condition either due to other risk factors or the mortality risks. This was quite sad as the patients basically just had to carry on with life knowing soon they won’t be around anymore. That’s life..learning to accept that one day we will have to leave this world.

Theatre was a whole new truly enjoyable experience. I watched many vascular surgeries and even scrubbed in a few. When we scrub in we actually assist the surgeon on the operation which basically is just holding the equipments and cutting the sutures. It really makes a difference though when you scrub in as I learnt much more than from just standing at the side and watching. I sadly don’t have a picture of myself with the pink hair cover and the blue shoe cover and the dark blue scrubs. Should try and take one. Haha. One thing if I become a surgeon, I will spend millions to get a comfy shoe. Standing for all those hours is no small matter. I had terrible heel pain for the first few days and then I started carrying my sport shoes with me and it wasn’t so bad. I received a few comments about my pink shoe though. Hahaha.

I really enjoyed my vascular team and met some great doctors there. I was very happy with my consultant’s review and assessment. He is just too nice. :)

My current team consist of 4 consultants; each specialized in a different area, 5 registrars, 3 house officers and 3 trainee interns. It’s definitely a much bigger team but I am sure I will learn lots from all of them.

Being in hospital, makes me feel more passionate about the career I have chosen. Being able help someone feel better is truly satisfying when it is achieved. Despite all the hard work that is to come, I am looking forward to all the years ahead.

Year 4 Campus Learning Week.

2009-02-20T21:05:00.003+08:00

I finished my first two weeks of campus learning today and it’s so tiring having about 6 hours of lectures a day. 2 hours of lectures in IMU was sometimes bad enough and now 6...arghhh. The lectures were okay but a bit here and there. IMU lectures are so organized and thorough. But lectures here are quite relaxed. Firstly no need to wear FORMAL attire. So everyone is in shorts, t-shirts, singlet and flip flops (known as jandals in NZ). The students quite readily ask questions and participate in discussion. Even the lecturers are easy going and ask to be addressed by the first name. I got to know some of the other 4th years slowly and they are friendly and helpful. The class has about 180 students and is very diverse. One thing I found about them is they all eat very little. Most just eat fruits and yoghurt for lunch. Just that!!!! They even just scoop and eat the watermelon straight without cutting it. Found it really interesting. The Kiwi’s especially go outdoors any free time they get. Be it just 20 minutes but they will surely start tossing a ball or Frisbee around. And we IMU students usually would just stay in class. Haha.

We had 3 days lectures on Maori and Pacific cultures. We even visited a marae (the Maori gathering house). Their traditions and practices are very interesting. Oh and the nose rubbing greeting is called a “hongi”. I hope to learn more about their tradition in the coming years.
Today since we were done by lunch, Sharon, James and I went to Queen Street. It was raining and the wind was so strong that the umbrella that I just bought last week (using it for the first time today) got over turned and broke. It is all misshapen but still covers my head. I did notice though that, lots of people seem to be using broken umbrellas. I guess the same thing happens when you buy a new umbrella so might as well stick with the broken one. On our way back, we just ended up eating Korean food. I ate this tofu soup with rice and it was delicious especially since it was nice and hot while it weather was cold.

I am starting my first run next week. General Surgery at Auckland City Hospital. I am feeling very excited and nervous at the same time. Two of us will be attached to a team consisting of a consultant, registrar (mo’s in msia), house officer, intern and trainee intern. Sound like Grey’s anatomy huh!!! Wonder if I will see any Mc dreamy’s or Mc steamy’s. Haha. But Chase is of course the most important!!!!! :)

The broken misshapen umbrella...

My Auckland uni student ID and name badge for the hospital..

Cookies from Mrs Higgin and simple superb. Its even nicer than Famou Amos and you can smell the shop a mile away. Yummy.

Weeekend away.

2009-02-20T20:47:00.004+08:00

I haven’t blogged in nearly two weeks. I know for a freshie blogger that is bad but have been pretty busy with classes. Just briefly what I have been up to..

Okay 2 weekends ago, the Waitangi weekend, I went to stay over at my distant relative’s place. They are really nice people and had some great home cooked food. Thought I will never say this but I actually miss tosai, idly and sambar lots. They wanted to take me to this beach up north but due to the traffic we had to turn back and went to the Auckland Luge instead. Its something like the one in Sentosa Singapore but the view is all nice green hills and blue skies. I obviously could not take any picture since I was too busy driving that thing and trying to race with their 10 year old son. Haha. Still a kid sometimes!!

The next day we went ice skating at this indoor rink which was something like Sunway Pyramid just without the crowd watching. The atmosphere was really cool as it was dim and nice songs were being played. I have skated twice before in Pyramid but am still not very stable so I just skated at the side. After a few times, I think I got too confident and went a bit too fast and whoosh....ended up on my bum. The most embarrassing part was I could not get up as the ice was so slippery and the side did not have any support. Luckily someone was near and helped me up. Haiyhh. I was pretty sore for the next couple of days.

I ate Nando’s for dinner that night and guess what...they have like 5 vegetarian options. The burger was good. We went to Mission Bay after that to get ice cream from Farrell’s. It was nice but I am still love Baskin Robbins. The sea was really calm and with the moon reflected off its surface plus with Rangitoto Island in the background...ahhhhh... (am running out of words to describe nice scenery).
Some pictures from that weekend...

The escalator taking us up the hill..
Me coming down..

The picture is not very clear but the scenary there with the houses was beautiful. Took this picture from the car.

Ice skating rink. Lingwei, you would have loved it.

The moon light with Rangitoto at the back.

Trip to Mission Bay!

2009-02-01T17:39:00.006+08:00

Yesterday afternoon, after contemplating on going to many places we finally decided to go to Mission Bay which is about 20 minutes drive away. Some of us wanted to take a taxi while some others preferred to take the bus. So the 8 of us who wanted to take a taxi got 2 taxis and left first. I am still amazed how such a nice place can be so near a city. The view is simply beautiful with only the blue of the ocean stretching for miles and miles with bits green from the islands. I just love going to the beach. All the excitement from the people there and the sea breeze coupled with the sound of the waves is lovely. There were so many people there just relaxing, playing, cycling and eating ice cream..Yummyy. I have yet to try the supposedly delicious ice cream there. And there were so many people walking their dogs. My 3 dogs would have fit right in since the dogs here are also kinda chubby. They would have loved it. Miss my doggies...sob sob. Next time I would love to live in a city near the sea. Not just any but one that is clean. Hahaha.

Anyway upon reaching, we found a free spot and played a bit of Captain Ball. Somehow all of us had it in our head that we wanted to go cycling. So we started hunting around for place that has bikes for hire. And hunted did we, as we ended up walking for about 40 minutes or even more maybe to hire a bicycle. We got 6 single cycles and one tandem and cycled back to where we were and met up the rest. I really enjoyed cycling along the coast. It was a bit of a challenge manoeuvring the cycle at first as there were many people walking on the path also plus there were no handbrakes..To stop you had to cycle the pedal backwards. After an hour we returned the bikes and went back in time for dinner to Grafton Hall. I had a really nice time. I am also getting to know my other batch mates better and am glad for that as they are nice people.

The Auckland Domain. The park opposite my hostel and faculty. Not related to the post ya.

The flowers were so pretty..

At Mission Bay

Hooi Ling, Me, Sharon, James, Emily, Jade and Kee Ping

Me, Bee Ling and James

Me with the helmet ready to cycle!!!

The bicycle was so cute. It reminded me of something Mary Poppins would ride.

All of us!!

Hello from Auckland!!!!

2009-01-27T17:27:00.009+08:00

Its been exactly a week since I left home. So far everything has been good. The place is really nice and quiet. Ideal for studying. Weather is pleasant though it can get chilly when the wind blows. I was staying with my mum in the hotel until she left on Sunday and then moved into Grafton Hall ( my hostel). The hostel on the other hand is well.....the place is neat, tidy and very well kept but the room is really small. Well to me at least since I have always stayed at home. Don’t think my room at home is huge but definitely bigger than this. And the shower...aiyhh. Need to get used to having to take all my stuff and go to the bathroom first then the shower. The shower head is crazy some more. Just need to adjust in.. Have been walking around a lot and a lot.. Would never walk like this back in Malaysia since I have a car. Hahaha.

Started orientation today. More of a induction organised by the lecturers and staff of Auckland Uni to familiarise us with this place. They are all so sweet and welcoming to us. We have about 7 posting (they call it run here) with 6 weeks of lectures spread out for the whole year. My rotation starts off with General Surgery after 2 weeks of lecture followed by Psychiatry, E Med, Lectures, VACATION, Locomotor, General Practice, Anaesthetics,VACATION, Lectures and finally General Medicine. We are posted to 4 different hospitals around Auckland with the nearest being about 10 mins walk from where i stay and the farthest Waikato about 1 hour 30 mins away. But they provide you with accomodation and we have to stay there during the week. The seniors said the room is nice and big. Yay!!!But i got Waikato for General Med which is supposed to be the toughest and some more its my last rotation.. Well everything can’t be perfect rite. But thankfully Kee Ping and I have the same time table just a few different venues. Glad that I have somebody.

I am really looking forward to attending their lectures and going for rotations. It all sounds very exciting but I am sure once I start it will be hard work. But I always believe if u are looking forward to something, no matter how hard it , u will always be optimistic and keep a positive outlook.
Going to finish the post with some pictures from before leaving to the send off in the airport and finally Auckland itself.

The state of room before packing!!! It like a tornado hit my room..haha

After everything was packed. So neat rite!!!!

Mui How and I flew together. The first few to come for the send off.

My relatives. Few are missing from the picture..

My family!!! :)

Lingwei!!!!!

Fel!!!!!!

Aaron..

David Lee..

De Jun..

Erin.. She was promoting Aussie with her T-shirt!!!

Kajen..

The four of us againg. But this time sending me off. We sent Tze Meng off in 2006 i think..

Thanks so much everyone for coming to send me off!!Meant a lot to me. Am missing you all loads. Love u guys..Mwah!!

Auckland

View from the Sky Tower at 220 m high.

View of Queen Street from my hotel balcony. Queen Street is one of the main streets here.

Monday, 26 January 2009 was Auckland Anniversary Day. The seniors took us to the Harbour to watch the sails. Auckland is also known as the City of the Sails.

This was the biggest Navy ship i think.It actually sailed off.

With Emily and Sharon

"Hottest Hunk"!!???!!

The dining hall.

My tiny room. Just one cupboard to keep my clothes. Can u imagine!!?? with all my things some more..hahaha. But am managing so far.. Lets see how bad it gets when the fedex arrives.

The Day Pigs Flew!!!!!

2009-01-19T00:10:00.002+08:00

January 18 2009....Definitely a day to remember..............Because FELICITY THONG finally drove me around. We got our driving license in 2005 but I have been driving her around ever since. She always told me she will only drive me the day pigs fly. So i guess today is the day.
Thanks darling for being there for me. You helped me sooo much with simply everything. I am going to miss you lots. Love you loads and loads.

Evening Tea with My Family

2009-01-17T01:01:00.003+08:00

For the fun of it I thought of organizing an English Tea Party for all my relatives. It somehow also became my going away party. The theme for the day was English and everyone was required to dress with the theme in mind. Everyone very enthusiastically stuck to the dress code as much as possible I would say!! Thanks. I tried to recreate the English tea menu as much as possible but definitely added in some Indian, Italian and Malaysian style food. How not to?? Hahaha. It started as a tea party and ended at supper with everyone eating, taking photos, talking, and then eating again..yups.. I was really happy with how everything turned out that day.. Going to miss all them soo much. Love you all.

The carrot cake. Love the words on top!!!!

Cup cakes from Delicious!!!

All the food...

My niece, Vrinda with a pretty English dress.

My cousin, Dharmini posing..

My nephew already posing for the camera and he is just 3.

The little piglet!!!!

Tak tentu arah!!Even my cousins pose that way!!!

Cheers to G3 for stating it.Hahaha

Thanks everyone for the superb party.

Memories of 2008

2009-01-02T01:04:00.046+08:00

Since 2008 was a truly memorable year for me I would like to blog about some events that I am sure to cherish.

The very first time i drew blood. Mui How and I were doing our GP Posting at Klinik Kucai and suddenly the doctor asked us if we would like to learn how to draw blood. The doctors asked us to try on each other and after doing it once under their orservation we were asked to try by ourselves. After two unsuccessful attempts, I finally managed to draw a minute amount. I definitely know I need lots more practice as it wasn't a smooth and painless procedure as it should have been.

Mui How pretending to scream in pain..

( though i think it was really painful..)

My Bangkok Trip!!!! One word to sum up this trip........SHOPPING!!!!!!! This was the main agenda with sight seeing just to fill in the gaps. My cousin said i was like an ant in a candy jar. Hahaha. But I did enjoy the temples and elephant ride in Ayuthia. The ride made me feel like a princess as the cars actually stopped to let the elephant we were on pass. I definitely will visit Bangkok again and this time equipped with more cash and extra bags. :)

Yoges and I at the reclining Buddha statue

Dad standing near the sleeping Buddha statue at Ayuthia

Our favourite shopping mall!!!

Go Green Campaign!!! The SRC organized this campaign to increase environmental awareness. From getting the abandoned tree to cutting endless amount of paper leaves plus the Amazing Race Go Green Style, it was definitely worth the effort put in. The t-shirts were a huge success as well. This was the last event the SRC had organized. Love you guys!!!

Me, Lingwei and Fiona.

Pretty Avinder

David holding Min's green tie

Aditya also not wearing anything green...

Kajen, Sheah Lin, me and James

The SRC family potrait.

Flash cards and study buddy!!! MSK got a lot of us studying using the Netter’s flash card. I some how started revising the flash cards with Mui How and we ended up studying together after that. The late night studying session at Mc Donald’s with James and him forcing me to eat to stay awake was torture then but something I will remember.

IMU Ball, Sensational Symphony!!! My first and only ball I attended while in IMU. Getting there was quite a journey by itself with having to walk through the mall and in the rain wearing my dress!!! The night went well and I had a great time with my friends.

My 2 closest girl friends in IMU..Love u gurlies..Thanks for always being there

SRC doing the tak tentu arah pose.

Me, Fi, Caryn and Lingwei fooling around!!!

PMS Results!!! Something that caused a lot of drama but ended well. I didn’t realize then that my choice will bring about many changes in my life later in totally unexpected ways. Well the future is always a mystery…
My 21st Birthday!!!!! I celebrated it many times with different people but I will definitely hold each celebration dear. Thanks everyone for making this a memorable 21st birthday..

Celebrated it with Fel first...

With my bestie, Felicity. Missed you lots Dhash..

Fel pretending to drink..

Cam-whoring in the car as usual!!

With the SRC after that..

On the cake was written, Happy Birthday Auckland Babe!!!

The guys posing!!

Avinder and Harnesh

I love this pic!!!

And then my closest group of friends in IMU threw me a surprise party at Delicious!!

Surprised me at the IMU car park.

Opening my prezzie!!!

A book with all our pictures!!I will treasure this forever.

Thanks for everthing!!

And lastly celebrated it with my family

M106 Farewell Party!!
It was quite a sad feeling as this was probably the last time I would see many of my M106 batch mates. M106 ROCKS!!! I wish everyone the best and may all your dreams come true..

Europe Trip!!! This trip was just awesome. There were soo many things I loved about Europe that I don’t know where to start or end. 3 weeks is definitely not enough so I am sure to go back in the future.

Stone Henge

London Eye at the back

Bums and balls!!!Hehehe

Louvre in Paris.

Monalisa...

With Aunty Jannet in front of Notre Dame Cathedral.

The stained glass inside

The Arc De Triomphe

Eiffel Tower

View at night

Calvin and I at Disney Land Paris

Jack Sparrow!!!

Getting shot by some Commander!!

Sacred Heart Cathedral

Clogs Factory in Amsterdam

The famous Dutch windmills

Yummy Belgian waffles..

Behind the Leonidas chocolate shop..Delicious..

The fairy tale town, Bruges in Belgium. It was so pretty.

London Bridge

Old Trafford!!Go Red Devils!!

The muscular silver man at Covent Garden!!

Medical attachment in Bangalore!!! I still can’t believe the trip actually materialized. James, Mui How and me started planning it so long ago plus with so many obstacles I am so glad it went well. This trip was a first for many things. First time traveling overseas with friends, first time staying alone in a hostel, first time being totally in charge…..
Learnt a lot medically and non-medically and it gave me a clearer picture of what to expect in NZ. Will never forget all the fun times we had. Thank you James and Mui for making this such a memorable trip.

Our first time alone in the auto

Playing the credit card monopoly..

Nandi Hills

Wonderla. The largest amusement park in India.

Posing wearing scrubs outside A&E during the night shift where some 'fun' stuff happened!!!

Playing cho dai di ( dunno the spelling). Something we did whenever we could as playing cards openly in Bangalore is illegal.

Finally learnt to shuffle properly.

Mui How and me with our new shoes..

Had a stopover in Singapore as our flight was from there.

In the Clinic at Singapore

I am sure there were many more memorable events throughout the year. Hope 2009 is as eventful and wonderful as the last.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!

2009-01-01T01:38:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year everyone!!!!!! I wanted to mark this new beginning by starting my blog. 2008 was a wonderful year and here's to the new year being even better than the one before filled with lots of love, joy, luck for everyone.. May all your dreams come true and all the best in everything you do.

A special note of thanks to Mui How, James and Fel for helping me create this blog. Thanks a lot!!!!

Will be writing more later. Hope u enjoy reading this blog and dont get bored with my rambles.

Thanks for reading!!!!

Happy New Year..Love u all!!!!!Mwah!!!!