community immersion program

1. find something that you like

2. do it

3. do it with other people who like doing things you like to do

If only I can foresee things ahead of me…

Dear blog,

To tell the truth, I’m a little bit scared of this year… There are too many ‘what if’s’ and I never like them. When I was taking a siesta earlier, I suddenly thought of what I need to do this year. I am such a planner that the idea that nothing in the next few years will be certain is quite painful.

First, I need to pass the exams and I don’t have a good record of passing med school exams. I just get so anxious having to do them that I almost always expect the worst to happen. Lo and behold, the worst comes.

In addition to the exams, I need to tackle the internship issue. I can’t afford not having a job and I can’t stand not knowing whether or not I’ll get an internship position. Every international student who wanted an internship position in NSW last year received a place, but I don’t think that is a guarantee as it is getting much harder to get a position anywhere with the medical student tsunami. I have no other way than to apply everywhere. Next week, I am planning to put in an application for NZ. It will be my last option, but I need to be prepared or otherwise I’ll be unemployed after 200k education.

I’ll end on a good note as I don’t want to be too depressing. One of my favourite websites, Apartment Therapy, had a post the other day on the Lego company office in Denmark complete with pictures of a giant slide. I want a giant slide in my house…

 

Ta,

N

A GIANT SLIDE!!!

The giant slide in the Lego office. Image courtesy of Apartment Therapy.

Fourth (and hopefully final) year

Dear blogosphere,

I decided that this is a good time to update since:

1. I’m at the practice with internet connection that is not as crap as the Telstra dongle.

2. It’s lunch time and I have no patient scheduled until 2pm.

 

Since the last time I updated, there have been a few things going on. My weight loss program is still going strong, however I’ve lost the website and the password for my weight tracker. Currently I’m about 93kg, which is 3kg lighter than the beginning of December. I still go swimming almost daily, but today I was having some chest pain while I was swimming. I think it’s a musculoskeletal chest pain, not painful anymore now, but I could only swim for 45 minutes instead of my usual 1.5-2 hours. I’ll have to do a bit more tomorrow to balance it out. I feel like my weight is plateauing but at least I’m still active and not gaining weight…

Other than my weight loss program, I’ve also been accepted for my elective and selective. My selective is up first in July and I’m going to Darwin for cardiology followed by my paed elective in Singapore. This is very exciting, because that means I can get everything finalised ASAP and don’t have to worry about it before the exams, which are gonna be my last med school exams for me in June. Have your fingers and toes crossed for me. I’m starting OSCE practice tonight by reviewing the clinical examinations.

I have a lot of things that I need to get done, but I should be OK. I made a list the other day of what I need to do. Finish my written assignment this weekend, finalise elective and selective in February, apply to NZ internships also in February, finish my research project and have everything written in March, blablabla. It doesn’t look fun and it won’t be, but I’m so looking forward to tackling them especially because I can already see the finish line.

Don’t worry it won’t be all work and no fun. I’m heading back to Zegong in April for a friend’s wedding and to renew my passport. There is another wedding that I was originally supposed to usher for a couple who happened to be undergrad friends/ex-housies in the USA, but now that is no longer happening as it is right before the exams. I’ll just give them a shoutout here when the time comes… Sad, but I suppose that’s the reality. You can’t have everything that you want…

Take it easy,

*N

New Year of Blogging

Dear blog,
I thought having a Christmas and New Year break means having more time to blog. How wrong can I be? Very…

I’ve been a bit lazy in my blogging department for the last few months, but I think I’ve been the opposite in real life. Since the last time I updated, there have been a few changes in my life. I better outline them here.

1. I’m about 3 kg lighter. YAY! Been very good with my exercise program and diet. First week, I lost 1 kg, but the I gained a couple during Christmas. Ever since then, I’m down to 93 kg from the original 96 in the beginning of December. My regime includes 1.5-2 hours of swimming followed by light bike riding. In the beginning, I could only take 30 mins of swimming, but thankfully my stamina has built up. Diet-wise, fewer desserts and more water seem to help. I have such a sweet tooth that I don’t know how I haven’t had a dessert since the New Year…

2. I’VE BEEN ACCEPTED TO CARDIOLOGY IN ROYAL DARWIN. This will be in July after I pass my last med school exam in June. Fingers crossed. I sent my application for paediatrics in Singapore, so fingers tightly crossed for that one. I’m very much looking forward to authentic Asian food in Singapore, especially after being ‘stranded’ in rural NSW for the last few months.

Actually, I shouldn’t complain about being here. It’s such a nice little town and my co-workers and preceptors have been nothing but amazing. I can thank the practice I’m at for reviving my once lost interest in general practice. I can definitely see myself being a GP, especially because it would give me time for other business ventures (I’ve been busy planning for a patisserie & cafe in a distant future; a man can dream really).

I don’t know what else to write, except to wish everyone a HAPPY BELATED NEW YEAR and here’s to achieving your goals in this new year.

Ta,
*N

Summer!!!

Dear readers,

I know it has been awhile since I updated this page, but it’s been extremely busy. I’ve been working hard in the clinic twice a week, looking for electives, working on my research project, assignments, etc. Gosh, I am so looking forward to the summer break.

A few things that I have done so far:

1. I have decided that I want to go to Singapore for my medical elective possibly in paediatrics. The GSM is a rural and regional focused med course, so I figure I probably need a little bit more experience in urban medicine and nowhere is better than Singapore for this. Think about it, good food, good shopping, somewhere I can speak the languages.

2. To complement my elective in Singapore, I am applying for a selective at the Royal Darwin for cardiology. I am crap in cardiology and I’d like a little bit more exposure and practice reading the ECG, picking up murmurs. So that one should be a lot of fun.

3. I’m not going home because my parents decided that they want to visit my sister in the States for the Christmas holiday, so I’ve put in my resume to the local pharmacies to look for a summer job. I have my doubts that I’ll get any call, so I’ve decided to go with Plan B.

4. PLAN B. My plan B entails a study program and a weight loss program. This will be my last summer of no responsibility, i.e. no need to work. I’ll take as much advantage of it as I can before I enter the workforce in early 2013 hopefully.

Study-wise, I probably need to catch up on a few things, possibly get ahead on assignments, etc. It should be good I think. Obviously I’ll still take parts of the break off, but I think 2 weeks of break should be plenty.

Weight loss program-wise, due to the increasing gestation age of my food baby, I’ve decided to pretend like I am training for a triathlon. I’ll get a swimming pass to the local pool, I have just fixed my bicycle this morning, and I just need to invest on running shoes. I’ve even created a ticker for this thing. Wish me luck and if anyone wants to visit me here, more than welcome to…

Week 12

I can’t believe that I am 12 weeks into Phase 3. Since I last posted in July, a few things have happened. GP practice is going very well and the same goes to the ED. I’m having a great time in Leeton and I think I’m getting a lot of good learning opportunities. Joined the choir as a tenor, which is interesting since I’m so used to singing as a bass.

I’m currently in Wollongong, housesitting for a good friend who is getting married in France. This break is going well, with the exception of my ruptured dental abscess. I’m in so much pain right now, but hopefully I can schedule in an appointment with a dentist tomorrow or Tuesday. Will update later on.

Ta,
N

And my new life has started…

Hello WORLD, I am back.

After grueling months of exams and the move to my rural placement in Leeton, I have finally gotten my life back. I would rather not talk about the exams just because everyone would probably know how the word HATE does not justify my experience.

Leeton, where I am starting my year-long rural placement, is a town with population of 11,000. So far I think this is the smallest place I have lived at. Another med student and I have been given a heritage cottage to live in courtesy of the council. I must say, I love this little cottage. Two good sized bedrooms, a cozy lounge, a modern kitchen and a large bathroom, oh and some olive trees and rosemary bushes in the yard. I may need to learn how to pickle my own olives. Leeton is pretty much a foodie heaven; yippee me! The largest producer of citrus in the Australia, headquarter for SunRice and Berri Juice, a lavender farm around the corner, what else can I ask for?

Placement-wise, I have had a session of parallel consulting, which has been pretty interesting. I feel like I probably need to have a separate post for this purpose. In the meantime, it is almost bedtime and I have to go.

Cheers,
N

Macaron God… NOT!

HAPPY EASTER EVERYBODY!

I rediscovered my kitchen creativity and my affection for MS Paint today. I figured I’ll just use the drawing I made since it pretty much summarises my Easter long weekend, which has been splendid if you’re wondering.

Enjoy!
.

I’ll trade you my manic depressive for your schizohrenia

Let me clear the air up first. No, I don’t think I have/want schizophrenia or any diagnosed mental illness for that matter. Fingers crossed it stays that way.

First order of business, apologies for not writing for a while.Gen surg was quite busy in Nowra and the lack of internet was frustrating. That was compounded by my Experia x10, which is supposed to be my WordPress machine, broke. It’s lying on the floor awaiting my parents arrival to take it home to Indo to return to the dealer. My second reason was due to my mental health rotation, which was quite stressful really. That brings me to my second point.

I DO NOT LIKE PSYCHIATRY! I think the main reason why is because it scares me in so many ways. First week in there, I felt like I was the patient. I had no swipe card or key access and had to be let out by the nurses. When a door closed behind me (mind you the doors were big and heavy), it would slam every time. I came home everyday feeling like a clinically depressed person and would continually start existentialistic or nihiistic or pessimistic arguments with my housemates. In the end they would tell me that psych rotation was messing with my mind.

Psych also scares me due to my family predispositions to mental illness. I have had a couple of relatives who have been hospitalised in a mental institution. Suicide attempts are prevalent in my family to the point of mom telling me when I’m home who else in the family has attempted suicide this year. I am pretty sure there are some cases of pro-dromal schizophrenia in the family (albeit covered up by the ultra-religious nature of the persons; i.e. the belief of seeing the devil or hearing the voices of the Holy Spirit). Now, that’s even scarier to me. I mean, my normal mood is slightly manic (a lot of arm movements when I talk, the affinity to doing random things like hopping or mewing), I have flights of ideas and thought blocking sometimes, and I have internal convo with myself; I’m OK with those, but I don’t want a full blown mental illness.

I am now done with my psych rotation thankfully. I’ve returned to my baseline, but honestly I wouldn’t touch REAL psychiatry with even a yardstick. Let’s end this with a lighter note, shall we? I really wouldn’t want to trade my manic characters with even the slightest of schizophrenia. No, thank you.

Write soon,
N