Final caregroup of the year - Part 1

Honestly, abit stressed and panicky when arrived, coz its been 2 months since I last chaired CG. What 2 do in da following situations leh when confronted with them unexpectedly, having arrived at 7 something? Caregroup starting soon in 20 minutes. Here are some of da wackiest tips of stuff u can do, by God's grace.

1. You arrived and found out got no biscuit and 'sirap' for communion.
Answer: You run 2 da nearby convenience store, buy a 60 sen kaya bun and a bottle of Ribena :p

2. And then you found out got no small communion cups wor.. and ur assistant caregroup leader asked u 2 think creative :p
Answer: You get larger plastic cups. Later, when people bout da size of da cups, say "There, my ACL ask 2 think creative mar.. so since it's da final caregroup of da year, we want 2 think BIG 4 God in da coming year 2008, AMEN?!" lol

3. You just found out dat 2nite's worship leader will be late.
Answer: Since it's just after Christmas, ask everyone 2 share how their Christmas season has been, and what ideal gift would they want. Then, collect thanksgiving offering.

4. No offering bag.. how leh?
Answer: There is a box of Toblerone chocolates nearby - holiday edition. Pour out its contents. Then, looking at everybody, smile and say " Ok people. Since it's da season of giving, let's give cheerfully ya :p"

5. Passing the time 2 worship leader who just arrived.
Me: Are you all excited today?!!
Everyone: YEAH!
Me: So what do we do when we are excited?
Jac: Erm.. praise and worship?
Me: Ya correct! Zhen chong ming (very smart) - confirm got drink Dumex 1 Plus
Everyone: *sweat* *pengsanz* *zhadao*
Me: Anyway, let's welcome our 2 hen piao liang de (very beautiful) sisters; Chloe and Joyce 2 lead us in2 a time of worship, ok?

More talking cock on MSN

I am Gary says:
gary baru habis tengok i am legend

I am Gary says:
:p

wY^ says:
dia ingat dia legend la tu lol

wY^ says:
legend buat lame joke

I am Gary says:
ya betul

I am Gary says:
nanti dia buat satu movie baru

I am Gary says:
dipanggil 'I am lame' - Malaysian edition

wY^ says:
*swt*

There's a Malaysian sequel to I Am Legend, and it's called ' I Am Lame' says:
haha ok change nick

wY^ says:
i am lame movie star

wY^ says:
kita berikan tepukan gemuruh kpd dia

wY^ says:
clap clap clap

There's a Malaysian sequel to I Am Legend, and it's called ' I Am Lame' says:
yay haha

There's a Malaysian sequel to I Am Legend, and it's called ' I Am Lame' says:
tq tq

wY^ says:
yah...i thought u suppose to appear jadi headline of newspaper

There's a Malaysian sequel to I Am Legend, and it's called ' I Am Lame' says:
pertama sekali saya ingin mengucapkan terima kasih kepada idola saya

There's a Malaysian sequel to I Am Legend, and it's called ' I Am Lame' says:
iaitu will smith

There's a Malaysian sequel to I Am Legend, and it's called ' I Am Lame' says:
dulu saya pernah tanya dia "Will u allow me 2 bcome Mr Smith? lol"

wY^ says:
ok..kita commercial break

There's a Malaysian sequel to I Am Legend, and it's called ' I Am Lame' says:
oi oi

wY^ says:
yah

wY^ says:
he will gandingkan u with mrs smith

R.I.P. Sunway - End of another chapter

Two brothers decided to dig a deep hole behind their house. As they were working, a couple of older boys stopped by to watch.

"What are you doing?" asked one of the visitors.

"We plan to dig a hole all the way through the earth!" one of the brothers volunteered excitedly.

The older boys began to laugh, telling the younger ones that digging a hole all the way through the earth was impossible. After a long silence, one of the diggers picked up a jar full of spiders, worms and a wide assortment of insects. He removed the lid and showed the wonderful contents to the scoffing visitors. Then he said quietly and confidently, "Even if we don't dig all the way through the earth, look what we found along the way!"


Their goal was far too ambitious, but it did cause them to dig. And that is what a goal is for - to cause us to move in the direction we have chosen; in other words, to set us up for digging!

But not every goal will be fully achieved. Not every job will end successfully. Not every relationship will endure. Not every hope will come to pass. Not every love will last. Not every endeavour will be completed. Not every dream will be realized. But when you fall short of your aim, perhaps you can say, "Yes, but look at what I found along the way! Look at the wonderful things which have come into my life because I tried to do something!"

It is in the digging that life is lived. And I believe it is joy in the journey, in the end, that truly matters.

from S.A.L.T. website.


I learnt a lot this year 2007 - year of building humility. I fell down a lot this year. I got hurt, disappointed and frustrated with many things this year. However, through little steps of faith I survived this year. I try my best to acknowledge that I can give thanks for a lot of things this year despite the ups and downs. Many reflections.

I admit that an initial preview of what I can expect of JB (both from my course and Hope JB) - left me stunned and reluctant to move from where I am standing now. Many things came to mind.. (Some things like; Repositioning me for what?! If I don't learn some Mandarin and Hokkien I will DIE!! :p) JB will be a challenge, 2008 will probably be a year of expansion. More things to do. More challenges and headaches to overcome. Greater targets to attain. In the midst of all this, I can't help but ask myself where am I now, and where am I heading, hoping 4 some clearer direction, since at this moment I'm probably being swamped by just too many things. Duno lar..

"You are like a flash of lightning that came during a calm period just before the storm, and left just as quickly."

That's what my CG leader likened me to. Need 2 move on again after another short transition, just when I was about to get settled. Another repeat of Melbourne. Yes, we did not have as many outings as Melbourne. Yes, I did not get many chances to get to know people as closely as I would have liked to. But still, I'm going to miss this place. A lot, as I go into this week chairing the final caregroup of the year. Sigh.

A Monash medical student's 12 days of Christmas :p

On da 12th day of Christmas my doctor* gave 2 me:
12 tendon hammers
11 stethoscopes
10 tongue depressors
9 crepe bandages
8L chlorhexidine
7 opthalmoscopes
6 really lame jokes
5 latex gloves
4 auriscopes
3 lab coats
2 cadavers
and a good luck when we're in JB :-)

*replaces 'true love'

Currently watching:

Filler post - More nonsense

During caregroup, when everybody is introducing themselves in caregroup. Warning: only for professionals, otherwise will scare your visitors away :p

Visitor: Hi, my name is __________ but my friends like 2 call me 'Ah Girl'.
Me (seated next to visitor): Oh hi, my parents also like 2 call me 'Ah Boy'.

Visitor: Hi, my name is Haruco.
Me: Oh, nice 2 meet you, u can call me Naruto.

Lame jokes:
1. (inspired by a certain monkey) There are 10 fishes in a dish tank. When 1 fish died, what happen to the water level? Answer: Go up. Why? Because all the fishes cried. Pfft.

2. A tourist went 2 Spain, and decided 2 have lunch at a restaurant next 2 a bull-fighting ring, where matadors put on a show in front of spectators. He asked the waiter for the restaurant's specialty, and got a huge, round, dark brown coloured ball on a plate in front of him. He asked the waiter what is it. The waiter said, "Oh, it's beef testicles, senor." He took a small portion, and enjoyed it. The following days it became a regular order for him. Then, on the 4th day, the ball shrunk and became very small. The tourist asked the waiter, "How come today's specialty became so small already ar?" The waiter replied, "Si senor, sometimes man win, sometimes bull win."

Lunch quotes:
Me: Eh, finish the salad lar. Just now u go and stack so high, don't waste food. Pizza hut expensive leh.
Ben: Don't want lar. Full already.
Me: U dowan 2 eat, I eat lor.
Ben: Why? :p Izit coz ur mum said the children in Africa are suffering? You know, I got a friend who rebutted each reason why you should not finish your food.
Me: I'm listening.
Ben: First and foremost, even if you cannot finish your salad, it does not mean you are going to pack it and send it there. Even if you are, they may not eat it as it may have already gone bad. Secondly, even if you finish the food, you are most likely to overeat, and when you overeat u end up becoming drowsy and sleepy, may end up crashing your car into a tree, get admitted 2 hospital and hence cause more people to become sad and emotional over what happened 2 u. Thirdly, if everybody eats more salad, then Malaysia will experience a shortage of vegetables and may have 2 end up importing vegetables from other countries. Then, you will be depriving people of those countries of even more food and make their famine worse.
Me: Whatever..

Let it shine

Monash Malaysia medical faculty - night

Since Ben and Anna have been putting up Christmas invites, I'm tagging along :p


In case the words are too small,we are having Christmas service, 25 December from 10.30-12.30 am at the abovementioned venue (some place in Bukit Bintang, since a combination of 3 centres will be attending - PJ, KLCC, Serdang), with special programmes in store. Interested? Let me know via a phonecall or email 2 arrange transport.. oh, and bring a present worth around RM7 for gift exchanges..

Sumbody's birthday :p lolz

This blog post was saved as a draft on 1 December itself.. U urself know who u r lar.. simply go and ruin Ben's and my surprise.. no we did not 4get, just pretended 2.. anyway, a song dedicated 4 ur birthday :-) enjoy!

5.00 PM, 28 November 2007
No phone call from the faculty 2 re-sit supps.
I SURVIVED YEAR 2!!!!!! I'M GOING 2 JB!!!!!

Picture personality test

sounds quite accurate..

The Yellow Shop

Went 2 SS15 2 cut my hair today.. haven't really done that since I was studying in Taylor's.. walked along one of da streets, when I noticed the hairdresser's place where I used 2 get my haircut was no longer there, replaced by an office building..

Last time I was there (it was on da 2nd floor of one of the shoplots), it took me 2 hours just 2 get a hair cut.. aiya, u will know lar when u r qualified 2 bcome a grandma.. anyway, i usually ended up waiting 4 more than an hour if she has customers (usually some aunty) perming their hair.. (If u r wondering what I was doing at such a place, I was so stingy that time, I didnt want 2 pay more than RM10 4 a haircut, so I rather wait - til I discovered the Indian barber across the road)..

Friendly grandma.. she would ask me bout my course (doing A-levels back then), my family, hometown etc.. long chats we had usually made me 4got how super long I took just 2 get a haircut, but nevertheless I didnt really mind, I reminded myself 2 bring newspapers 2 read whenever I dropped by.. her daughter who was studying in Chinese school would then run up 2 me and ask me 2 help with her primary school maths homework. lolz

Compared with hair saloons u c in shopping complexes and stuff, hers was a simple setup.. old magazines stacked on the cushion. the whole family lived there - in fact the saloon was practically their living room. Nevertheless, simple people living simple lives. Contented. Sleeping on mattresses on the floor. Surviving in the midst of brisk development in the area. No signs of headaches. And here I am wondering what in the world is going 2 happen tomorrow, or whether I am going 2 b able 2 achieve / get my hands on this or that..

They have probably moved on. I probably should as well.

Listening to..

I like this song.. inspired by watching Grey's anatomy - earlier episodes from da very first season..

Foot circle =)

Run Through the Rain!

She had been shopping with her Mom in Walmart. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful brown haired, freckle faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the Earth it has no time to flow down the spout.

We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Walmart. We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I get lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child come pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

Her voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in. "Mom, let's run through the rain," she said. "What?" Mom asked. "Let's run through the rain!" She repeated. "No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied. This young child waited about another minute and repeated: "Mom, let's run through the rain!" "We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said. "No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm. "This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?" "You said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!'"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. You couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If God lets us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said. Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories... So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories every day! To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.

I hope you still take the time to run through the rain!

2 down, 1 2 go

*opens exam paper, wonders why there are no Short Answer Questions, 102 MCQ questions??!!* :p

Ok lar.. honestly, felt a sense of peace while doing the paper.. not stressed at all, although half the paper I duno how 2 answer (was shooting here and there). Can hear Ji Keon sighing behind me so many times.. all the negative energy flow :p lolz

I just realised 2 things:
1. If I put an answer the first time based on gut instinct, never change the answer coz whenever I do that, 99% of the time the 2nd answer will turn out 2 b wrong.
2. If a friend who usually does better than me already has almost 30 mistakes, what more me? super alot of mistakes lar.. i duno, but then.. the more i go back 2 check the answers, the more stressed up i become, so I shall not bother til after Wednesday.
3. I got only 1 day 2 study Year 1 stuff.. but I will rely on God's grace :-) Wednesday merdeka!!!!!

Exam in just over 12 hours

Thanks 2 Mosquito 4 da encouraging SMS..

I got a big headache (need panadol) after cramming 20 lecture notes and 1 chapter of anatomy yesterday (new record). Slept at around 2, woke up 2day feeling terrible. Ji Keon even more siao, anatomy of Head and Neck in 3 hours.. :p It's like a rush.

Why headache? Coz I only managed 2 cover just over 1/3 of year 2 stuff (what more Year 1 haven't started much), and out of the 1/3, I don't remember much, coz the stress has oxidated my brain cells :p The year 3's in JB have warned that if we don't start early, we will be digging our own grave.. Well, like a friend said, this time Monash dug the grave for us with the assignment pile-ups. If I don't pass, then I can say bye bye 2 going 4 church convention in Kuching in December, as supplementary exams are during that time.

My QT yielded 4 verses in the past week. I mentioned 2 in an earlier post. And despite that I'm still suffering from headache. It's like during last week's CF where we were sharing bout the feelings of being blindfolded and led 2 walk from one end of Building 6 2 another, then up the stairs.. Despite being led by the voice of the person in front, some of us still feel around 4 pillars with our outstretched arms and steps with our feet..

I think it has come 2 a point where God is probably fed up dy n had 2 smack me during this morning's praise and worship with

Psalm 121:1-3
I lift my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber;

Nothing much I can do dy.. stayed back in church til 5pm coz of the rain.. thanx 4 everybody's prayers though.. we'll c how it goes, still abit of fever though.

p/s: Chris, bring ur guitar. Either tomorrow or Wednesday. I duno y, just a thought that came 2 mind. Maybe I'm suffering from thought insertion :p lolz

1. I just studied thyroid and peptic ulcer drugs a few days ago. I did the formative quiz on MUSO and got the answers wrong. Was reading on MUSO how the Aussies' debate and discussions on certain topics show their depth of understanding of the topics they have studied. Felt like an idiot.

2. 3 days to 2nd year exam on Monday, and I have only finished 25% of 2nd year's work. And on Wednesday I have a 1st year + 2nd year combined paper. Haven't read much for that. And I'm super sick and fed up dy of staring at books from 10am til midnight non-stop. Mental block and can no longer absorb anymore.. Fever. Headache. Agitated..

While Clayton had all the time in the world to study from books and grasp certain concepts, here we are trying desperately to memorise as much bits and pieces of lecture notes as possible to be able to regurgitate them out in time for the exams.

All I know is that I don't want to sit for supplementary exams in December (ie I DESPERATELY want 2 pass.. 4get the results, at this point I will be happy if they don't phone me by 30 November).

....

Why in the world am I even bothering 2 rant it here.. Go away.

OSCE blunders - duno whether 2 laugh or cry

Slept at 1am, woke up at 5.30 am staring at the ceiling, stoning.. duno what 2 do.. tried 2 sleep back, but then it was freezing 4 some unknown reason..

Ok lar.. this is it so I thought, since we did not have much time 2 practice due 2 work overload, juz go in and c how..

Station 4 - Urinary system. Look at the patient and wondered how come so familiar wan? Then when patient looked up, turned out 2 b Shu Yi.. Didnt know how to proceed with the history coz patient was in super alot of pain.. only managed 2 reach family history..

Station 8 - Haematology station, explaining blood test results to patient (iron deficiency anaemia):
Patient: Ok, so what is this ferritin and iron saturation ar?
Me: Erm..
*stoning.. why does 8 minutes take so long to pass by - ended up simply crapping sumthing*
Patient: So what do you suggest I do ar coz I've been feeling very tired leh..
Me: Erm.. take iron tablets?
Patient: but i live in rural area leh.. my family is poor and husband busy, I have to look after the 3 kids..
Me: Erm.. do u take red meat (ie beef)?
Patient: No. Expensive..
Me: Erm, mayb u can try green leafy vegetables?? got non-heme iron kua..
Patient: *blank look on the face*
*sweat*

Station 10 - Cranial nerves of the eye
Me: Hmm.. looks like easy station..
*walks in, looks at simulated patient*
CHUA LI WEN!! WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING HERE??
*heart stopped 4 a moment and immediately suffered mental block - somehow bitemporal hemianopia became bilateral hemianopia and the medial retina fibres which cross at the optic chiasm became temporal fibres.. pfft*
Note: Now u know y doctors r discouraged from treating their own relatives or friends, as it may affect their objectivity.

Station 11 - Respiratory station:
Me (running out the door after the station): Wait, what is this around my neck? This does not look like mine.
Examiner: Ya, come back with my stethoscope!!

Throbbing headache after OSCE.. went back home 2 sleep but couldn't. ended up stoning in bed, staring at the ceiling 4 more than an hour..

Stuck in a moment

.. actually, kinda more like lost in transition..

duno lar.. feeling emo, suffering from cold, fever, insomnia and stomach upsets.. probably the effects of studying til 3am and waking up at 8am.. super unprepared 4 the exams..

I dun like transition phases.. as in having to move on after a short period of time.. in 2 months time it's goodbye undergrad campus life, hello hospital phase in JB..

It's like 1 year i was in Aussie, then 1 year here in Sunway has been so stressed and zoomed past so FAST that I just did not even have the time to sit down and ponder or reflect.. yes, i am thankful for many things this year.. but didn't like that feeling of having 2 uproot so fast, not knowing what 2 expect for the next 3 years..

It's just.. me, and my difficulty accepting the need 2 move on from point A to point B.. I'm thinking too much, maybe I should go and re-read the SPM novel Terminal Tiga :p

QT verses of the week

Psalm 46:1-3
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging."

Isaiah 41:10
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Faculty lockdown

6 days countdown 2 da OSCE (ie practical) on 7 November.

We had our first discussion today and a bit of practice based on the questions they released for us to prepare, hoping 2 continue our tomorrow and next week. Look at the questions also felt like dying dy, some of them look like history taking stations, but you just cannot guess what nonsense they are going 2 throw at you. Example:
Part A
Discuss contraception with Mrs X, answer her questions appropriately.
Part B will be given 2 u after u finish Part A.

No big deal wat, we thought, since from 2-8 November they will only seal off the learning suites and we should be able to still use the Histopathology lab to study, practice and print stuff.. at least that's wat we thought..

Today, apparently, they said during the 1 week period, access to admin staff and ALL LEARNING FACILITIES will be off limits to students. They want to use the histopatho lab for quarantine, so it will be locked up (cannot even come to study) and to prevent leakage of questions, they will be cutting off the internet access too??!! No borrowing of medical equipment for practice will be allowed after today.

WTH??? even da library will be super packed with other students studying..

and 15 lecture notes are missing (ie not given) on the repro system - considering the fact that it makes up 25% of our exam on the 12 November. Currently chasing the lecturers 4 them..

Crap, super S-C-R-E-W-E-D...

Addendum: In an about turn, the faculty decided now that the histo lab will be opened on weekends and Tuesday. yay!

So Orange :p

Pre-exam prep talk

My MSN personal message: Can someone tell me how 2 finish studying 2 years of work in 2.5 weeks?

Conversation 1:
Ivy (former CG leader, final year med student): You just have to accept the fact that you cannot possibly finish studying everything.
Me: Ya, lolz. but that does not mean I cant try, right?
Ivy: You wanna die ar?

Note: Honestly, I think now feel like half dead dy..

Conversation 2:
Joo (classmate): Gary, I cannot help you coz I duno the answer too.
Me: U no need answer wan lar.. coz u too old dy.
Joo: How is age relevant 2 da question?
Me: Coz u too old dy, so old people tend 2 b a bit kurang siuman and ask stupid questions..

Later..
Joo: Gary, r u very rich?
Gary: No, y?
Gary: U wanna bcome rich izit? Later I buy 4 u kaya ball..
Joo: Crazy

Ok ok.. back 2 studying!!!!!!!!!!!

Not something I need at this point of time

Can someone enlighten me how am i going to finish studying all these in 2 weeks?


Screw ups.. the overload of assignments this semester, and as I came home late at midnight yesterday, hoping 4 a nice quick shower and then hitting the books, power at the condo went out. That was just the beginning, as cockoraches started coming out from the exposed ceiling tile - not one, two or ten, but the entire colony!!! Cockroach wars! By the time power got restored around 2 am, the toilet looks like a nuclear warzone after we emptied 2 canisters of insecticide.. I counted around 150? crap, how 2 study???!!!

Last day of classes

We had a party on the last day of classes. And the dress theme was 'School Nerds'.

The mad dash towards portfolio submission

Monday, supposed to submit a collection of assignments worth 30% of the whole year's marks..

8.15 am - Woke up and realised that I was late for assignment meeting.. crap.. could nto really do much at home coz hostel internet broke down..
8.30 am - God, why is it raining so heavily??
8.40 am - Rained receded a bit, walked under the rain.. luckily on the way Sue Wern saw me and gave me a lift to uni..
9.00 am - Went and top up print quota RM 20

..and later spent duno how long printing endless pages of reflective essays and HLSD interviews.. sent the edited version of the 3000 word Health Promotion report to our academic advisor for proof-reading.. He said it was ok, only got a few things to edit. Then, found out that we were SO over the word limit with 3800+ words.. need to chop.. opened the file, and I was wondering, "I thought yesterday I spent the whole day editing the sections b4 sending it off 4 my group member 2 do referencing, HOW COME THE SECTIONS LOOKED DIFFERENT??!!" No time 2 really bother dy lar.. spent the entire lunchtime adding appendices and editing til 3 sumthin.. printed my additional pieces of work earlier (man, colour printing already burnt a big hole in my pocket.. RM7.50 for 5 pages in the additional pieces of work..

Then, they dropped the bombshell.. we printed double copies of the HLSD interviews already, now they tell us they wanted a photocopy of the consent forms as well.. so went 2 office to submit other assignments first 2 clear some stuff out of the way, they turn me away and ask me get everything done then only submit at one go.. felt like blowing up on the spot.. so I ran to the bookstore 2 get stuff photocopied. stupid bookstore, u know rite at some shops if u photocopy more than a certain amount they give u somethin like 5 cents per page.. Here dun have, RM9.20 (10 cents per page), super expensive.. if not coz its raining and I was in a rush, I oso dowan 2 do it there..

Then another bad news, they wanted a second copy for the 2 additional pieces of work. *pengsanz* i'm not going 2 print out another set of coloured slides.. total waste of money. so i went 2 photocopy, that guy said sorry come back in 10 minutes, he needs to go to the toilet.. WHAT THE..

There was a LONG queue after 10 minutes, so there I was waiting.. super cannot stand dy.. dun care lar.. for additional pieces of work, just grab CF posters which happened 2 b on the wall 2 supplement my reflective essay (convenient :p)

4.55 pm - Submitted assignments just in time.. there was a super long queue at the office, and those who ended up submitting after 5pm although they were waiting there for ages apparently will be penalised 5% of their marks.. what nonsense.. with last minute notices that we will have to make double copy for everything, now they say its our fault?? Hello? I'm supposed 2 b practising my OSCE practical exam leh b4 tomorrow's mock exam..

I'm tired, cranky, sick (headache, cold, fever and whole body aching) thanks to 4 hours of sleep per day for the past week rushing this project. Apart from a Mars bar for snack, I did not eat 4 whole day til dinner.. Last but not least, I'm FED UP with all the nonsense they are putting us through..

but..

Guess I'm being taught to be thankful for little things that come my way.. postponement of the deadline (otherwise it would have been due last Friday and we would have all died miserably), a carpool in the rain, the fact that our academic advisor said our HP essay is ok, how fortunate it was that I managed to submit b4 the office closed the deadline and started penalising people..all happened by God's grace.. Guess I'm not being appreciative or learning it that well though..

An observation..

..of what exams and assignments stress does to you.

People not responding to Hi's and Bye's anymore.
People frowning and not interested to talk to you.
People rushing to finish their lunch so that they can go and study.
It's just people..

Oceans will part (the same goes for my studies and assignments?)

This year has promised so much and yielded so little in terms of what I expected. [sigh..] Frustrating, so many things has happened, that quite a lot of people I know are on the verge of burning out already. Me too.. I think I lost count of the number of times I broke down last week.

But for all that has happened, I am indeed thankful for the little pockets of encouragement that has come my way.. though my second (supposedly last) year as an undergraduate student on campus b4 going 2 JB 4 clinical years was ruined by the faculty.. H-E-L-P, I want to see this final killer week through despite 6 assignments due..

I will worry about my exams (less than a month away) later, since I have not started studying any of my 1st and 2nd year notes at all. When will all this madness end?

LAMP camp day 2

Woke up early for devotion, morning exercise and then breakfast..


Then my group went tree-climbing :-) ya, like monkeys.. i tell u, its so hard to hoist myself up there. The harness was like causing pain to my thigh area, and when they adjusted it I got stomach cramps..
The hardest part was when u r stuck halfway between the ground and the top. Had to force myself to SCREAM and continue while shouting praise songs like some madman in the jungle :p but in the end it was worth it as I managed 2 reach the tree top (yay! :-))
Ya, this is me hugging the tree like my bolster.. Man, I missed my bolster..
And this is me after tree climbing.. super dirty and tired..
Ok.. after lunch, we had orienteering..
Jo and I were paired in a group (Liang took the photos).. We had to navigate with a compass, count number of steps, calculate bearings etc to get from one checkpoint to another and retrieve a clue (sounds like jungle version of Amazing Race :p)
Anyway, funny part was when we came to the last checkpoint, it turned out to be a decoy.. Where was the actual checkpoint you ask?
Look closer.. Honestly, I can't believe how blind we turn out to be :p lolz but it was fun, haha..

Debriefing actually asked a few interesting questions.. Which of the equipment did we use the most? The compass was not of much help, as you can't really see what is ahead of you.. The map seemed a more reasonable option, furthermore the checkpoints you can compare with what is shown on the map.. Checkpoints on the map are like different stages in life. The map is like a guide, don't you think? Think word of God.. Up and downhill contours.. sound familiar? :p As for the compass, what does it describe of God? Pointing the right way? Never changing (yesterday today the same)? So ya, there needs to be a balance between experience and knowledge of what to do..
Choose a card containing characteristic (ie Hope, Faith, Perseverance etc) which you felt the camp has impacted on you the most, pray about it with a partner..
What we aim to take back to our university?
ok, we closed with a session appreciating the trainer guides who were with us for the past few days.. and of course; group photo!

Belated post - LAMP Camp Day 1

During the 1 week semester break, I had the opportunity to go for a 2 days 1 nite Leadership through Adventure Ministry Programme (LAMP) camp organised by the Monash Christian Fellowship for committee members, assistants and KG leaders. So we went to the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM). oh, and along the way Shu Yi, Li Wen and co. had to endure a dose of lameness :p We got lost, but we somehow arrived there in the end..


We started off with a game which required us to constantly be alert at all times :p

After that, we had a session which required us to set goals, ie what we desire to gain and achieve in this 2 days of camping..
Then came the application part, we were given 2 rubber rings, and we had to plan how to get from one checkpoint to another by taking turns to throw the rings to our partner (ie from checkpoint 1 to 2, do you want 2 have 2-3 small throws and ensure accuracy, or take the risk of missing with 1 big throw?).
Oh, we played traffic jam. lolz (remember Monash medical students transition camp?) Anyway, Joseph (ie engineering student) came up with the solution on solving the problem (haha, sorry lar.. but i oso forgot dy how to do it - long time dy).. Anyway, the important thing was that during the game, a few of us were trying to chip in ideas. I guess that sometimes it can be frustrating when working in a group if one's idea keeps getting rejected. Hence, it is important for the leader be aware of such situations - to assure everyone that all decisions made are for the group's benefit, and that everyone's ideas are appreciated. During the 2nd part of the game, we were blindfolded, and the eagerness of wanting to finish the round fast and break the record of the 1st round nearly caused us to forget the initial way of solving the game. Overconfidence can lead to complacency at certain times, especially if a particular task seems so familiar that we forget to exercise caution.



Then, we had lunch, before heading out for mountain biking.. Man, I tell you, that's actually more exercise in 2 hours than I had actually done in a month (can die wei, no wonder the hill is called 'Steroids Hill', super steep wei..

but our efforts were not in vain, as we were rewarded with a couple of nice things to admire..

and guess what? stupid leeches were everywhere! 2 in my shoes, then when I was taking my bath, one tried to climb up the bathroom door into the pocket of my pants..
and the butt of all jokes, guess where did one of it bite me?
Before dinner, there was an activity to test our creativity, balancing 20 nails on 1 nail hammered into a block of wood.
Definitely for engineers :p but we came up with a masterpiece!

Not much to do at night, the instructor took us deep into the jungle and left us there for 1 hour (without our watches and handphones) to do QT.. big challenge for me, coz I'm actually afraid of darkness and whatever nonsense lies behind the trees making funny noises. However, it was a good experience for me lar.. funny thing was when praying half way, for some reason I just sensed that something is going to happen, then all of a sudden there was a bright light shining from my right.. I was like, "Ok, what in the world is this?" turned out to be a 4WD of the park ranger. *pengsanz* lolz