Bad hair day, I suppose..

Comment from Alvin John: Did you get ran over by a lawnmover or something?


Comment from us all as his housemates: Ok, are you now a guy or a girl?

Tagged

Tagged by Chris..

1. Color of most clothes you own?
Dark blue, though I mix and match now that I'm in college.

2. Number of pillows you sleep with.
1 pillow + hugging 1 bolster

3. Where are you right now?
In my room

4. What are you doing 12 AM last night?
MSN with former CCM mates in Melbourne.

5. How old will you be in 10 years?
31

6. What do you think you'll be doing in 15 years?
Not concerned about that for now.

7. Do you have braces?
No, I don't qualify to get one done coz my teeth has allignment defects (one of my lower incisors is embedded in my nose)

8. Are you paranoid?
Yes, many times

9. Describe your wallet?
Black, with scars thanks to the keys that go in the same pocket

10. Your alarm clock?
My Motorola L6

11. Your hair?
Black, typical student cut

12. Tooth brush?
Aquafresh, colour varies

13. What color are your eyes?
Dark brown - blackish

14. Unforgettable enemy?
My pride

15. First play/musical/performance?
Electric organ

16. Last movie seen in cinema?
Pirates of the Carribean 3, funny movie.. when there were funny scenes involving Barbossa's monkey (eg got blasted out of the canon), we laughed like nobody's business started clapping, and the whole cinema followed :p Hui Sze will be so proud lolz

17. Last person you yelled at?
Can't remember. Not used to yelling at people.

18. Last crush?
Erm... NOYB?

19. Last shoes worn?
Reebok, my usual brand

20. Last ice cream eaten?
Cookies and Cream Cornetto bought from Poolside cafe

21. Last word written by hand?
My name on the box of Peel Fresh orange juice I was about to put into the fridge

22. Last time you wanted to die?
No intention of dying until my time comes

23. When was the last time you went out at night?
Last night for movie with Aiman, Jean, Chris, Yu En, David and Dwayne

24. What was the last song you heard?
One by One, by Planetshakers (not released yet)

25. What is about the opposite sex?
Let's not talk about it for now, though I hate shopping

26. What do you want to do now?
Sleep?

27. What’s the first thing you ate this morning?
Chocolate milk

28. What’s the one song you never get over?
I will be your friend, by Michael W Smith

30. Fav day of the week?
Friday (that's how TGI Fridays came about I guess ;p)

I hereby tag: Anybody from CCM or CF (be it IMU or Sunway Monash), Phil, anyone who is a Monash medical student.

To laugh or to cry, I really don't know.. You tell me..

For some reason, our faculty seems to be going through a lot of havoc.. Kinda turning out to be like some TV drama series.. What happened you asked? Let me try to put it in layman terms.

Situation:
1. Our exams are in 3 weeks time. Refer to an earlier post on deadlines and stuff.
2. Our semester has 14 weeks (compared to only 13 in other faculties). However, week 14 stuff (mainly neuroanatomy) will not be covered in exams.
3. Because some students complained that in the final week of their course, they still have assignments due up to a few days before exams (ie no time to study), the student association in Clayton struck an agreement with the university that 1 week must be allocated as study break before exam can commence.
4. Since we have teaching until Thursday of week 14 (7 June), exams in actual fact can only start legally on 15 June. Unfortunately, ours is on 13 June due to some miscommunication with exams department.
5. The student association noticed this and asked a few students (whoever they are)whether this will affect their studies. They said yes, and asked for something to be done.
6. Student association insists that exam date contradicts the agreement and demands for it to be changed. Faculty admits that it made a mistake, so our exam gets postponed to --> 1st week of Semester 2. There goes the holiday plans for quite a number of people.

The aftermath:
1. Loads of personal attacks, finger pointing and angst expressed in the discussion forum (bashing the students who brought it up, with stuff along the lines of "You cannot finish studying in time your problem lar, why our 1 month holiday with friends and family have to be ruined coz of you? Some international students already planned and booked their flight tickets home" etc)
2. Quite a number of the first years here in Malaysia were also affected (I don't know why, since it's MED 2031 for us Year 2..) I think some were actually cramming the lecture notes 24/7 to the point of almost wanna cry already, just wanting to get it over with and relax.. not very fair on their behalf..
3. Idea of a petition to overrule the decision was shot down by the faculty.
4. Week 14 stuff on neuroanatomy (which was initially not covered because it's last minute and it's a tough topic, will be included in a new set of exam papers)..

Weird mentality lar I noticed.. come to think of it.. With all the deadlines mentioned earlier (applies only to the Malaysian campus), it is going to be a nightmare and virtually impossible to cover everything in time for this exam if held on the 13 June, but yet for some reason we would rather mess up in the exam (since it's only 5% of the year) than sacrifice our holidays.. Honestly, I haven't started studying also (I've had less than 6 hours of sleep for the past 3 days).. so I don't know what to think or feel about it..

Last minute distractions which I do not need..

..especially if you only had less than 6 hours of sleep in the past 2 days..

I applied for the PTPTN (National Higher Education Fund) loan (coz I really need the money) and I thought they already processed it when I saw one of the first years getting the offer letter. Then, my mum called me to let me know that the pink card has been returned, and they ticked the box which said that my application form was incomplete, and so it was not processed. Weird. I double-checked everything before sending it in. Initially, I thought they rejected me after looking at my dad's payslip (please don't ask me why am I applying). Then, guess what comment they wrote at the bottom of the card?
"Surat tawaran mengelirukan." (ie The contents of your course offer letter is confusing and difficult to comprehend)

How dumb can they really get lar? Just because I went to Australia for one year and my offer letter looks slightly different from the Malaysian one.

Note to Chris: I'll do the tag later..

Med Wars Episode 4 - Piling Up of the Deadlines

- 1500 word essay on Critical Learning Incident - 21 May 2007 (today) - Done! :-)

- Literature review for CBP Ethics proposal - 21 May 2007 (supposed to be today, but not yet finish)
- 30 page ethics proposal form (no, our programme coordinator decided to be sadistic and let us go through the entire nightmare of filling up the entire form despite the fact that the program started 4 weeks late behind Clayton) and a 500 word detailed Health Promotion Project proposal - Submit early to our academic advisor so that he has the time to look at it. Then go down all the way to KL this Friday (25 May 2007) to meet the agency field educator to brief her on it and get her approval of it. Actual deadline: 30 May 2007
- 2000-3000 word SPC written summary - 5 June 2007 (subject to change), and it doesn't help that we got a relatively strict and demanding staff advisor..
- St John Ambulance first aid exam: this Thursday (24 May 2007)
- Formative OSCE - 7 June 2007
- 9 ring folders full of notes (Year 1 and Year 2) to study before written exams on 13 June 2007
- Anatomy read-up for tomorrow's practical (haven't done)
- Clinical skills revision for tomorrow's site visit (haven't done)
- Research for this Friday's PCL (haven't done)

I was telling my friend, with all the assignments, projects, and the constant last minute rescheduling of lectures (ie messing up our timetable) to accomodate to the schedule of external lecturers, where does the time for studying come in?
Scary? Don't you just love being made a guinea pig where they are still trying out new things and troubleshooting? ;p This is seriously one messed up semester.

Ok.. panic mood has already kicked in. Time to start asking for help from The One upstairs for time multiplication and retentive memory.

That question kinda caught me by surprise. For a moment, I was kinda stuck. Yes, I messed up. But I shall learn from this, and all I'm asking for is the chance to have another go.

There are 2 places where I intend to do my final year elective placement. One is Thailand, reason being I wanna go Hope Bangkok. Another is Mayo Clinic, Rochester in the US (felt inspired after attending the US postgraduate medical talk in IMU, hearing from of the doctors there describing how lucrative, prestigious and well-structured the US training programme is - it's also ranked No. 2 behind Johns Hopkins). You see, the thought of a 3rd option never actually came to mind.. even if it did, probably it will be Melbourne / Manchester / Edinburgh for the additonal year doing the BMedSci research degree..

As I was doing my QT, the thought of UAE came to mind out of nowhere. Initially, it did not come as a surprise since one of our Hope PJ sister, A (whom Jason and Ruth would know) will be going there on a 2-3 year job attachment (and to look for opportunities to reach out).. so I was thinking ok lar, maybe I need to be reminded to keep her in prayer.. but then, out of nowhere, this came to mind.

Coincidence?

Lame attack

It has been a while since I spammed people's blogs with prescribed lamebiotics. Ever wonder what it's like to revisit that old feeling? *Note: read from bottom up*


Oh by the way, today I pulled a fast one on my friend who is doing IT. He asked me, "How do you make a computer go faster, preferably as fast as the speed of sound?"
I answered him, "You load it into a concorde (supersonic jet)?" :p lolz

And to cap it off, a funny quote from our CF president, after I kinda shared that while in Taylor's College, we need to take an additional subject called 'Thinking Skills':
"People in A-Levels cannot think.
People in ICPU / CIMP think they can think."

So where does that leave the people who are in AUSMAT / SAM?

One thing's for sure.. I'm not really in favour of juggling SPCs, CBPs and HPKMs now.. and it's only going to get worse in Semester 4 when all the things that could not be done in Semester 3 get slotted in to make our lives more miserable.. Anyway, 1 month to go before exams.. 1 month to go before holidays.. 1 month more to think over a few particular matters that has been bugging me and make a decision about them..

Oh, and Happy Mother's Day..

Tonight..

.. is my first time learning to become chairperson of my Care Group..
The theme: The Winning Attitude as a student / in your workplace: You are your lense

Initially I was like thinking how to run it and "What in the world am I going to share?" Roughly have something in mind now (I think..), but since I'm a bit nervous (doesn't that happen to everybody when they do stuff for the first time? :p) and stressed with tonnes of assignments weighing over my head, some last minute inspiration might help.. hopefully it goes smoothly by grace..

Additional notes:
2 days before CG, as I was asking for what to share, the context that came to mind was David, the verse was 1 Samuel 17:37, 45
Message correlation with theme: David could have seen himself as just some ordinary guy, but he chose to see Himself as a child of God, who has delivered him from the lions and bears when he was a shepherd, and that's where he drew his strength and courage from to defeat Goliath.. Applying to us today, when you talk about a lense (as a device for you to see through) in the midst of various trials and challenges, do we feel discouraged and just crawl back into our shell like the tortoise? Or are we able to clearly see ourselves as David did, and let Him move in our lives today..

Double-checked with my leader, he gave the green light.. and thank God yesterday's CG ran quite smoothly.. honestly we had a wonderful time.

Question of discussion during sharing:
Overall, do you see yourself as a positive or negative person? What attitudes make you say this and what do you think can be improved upon in the future.
After discussion, I represented my small group to share. To be honest, I think I have become lame to the extent that the final sentence of the following statement can even come out of me..
My answer: Overall, I feel that we are all generally positive people. For example, me being lame may last time be seen as a liability but I would prefer to see it now as a means of breaking the ice when it comes to initiating a conversation with someone I don't know.. For Yu Han, being a bit emotional last time, he may now even be able to relate to people who are feeling down.. ---shared about 2 more of my group members' attitudes--- Therefore, since we are all positive people, we should be able to attract negative people and neutralise their charge, ok?
*Laughter and applause*

The sorry state of our healthcare system

http://blog.limkitsiang.com/?p=194#more-194

*Speechless: Expect the Unexpected*

18 April 2007 (ie more than 2 weeks ago)
Venue: Sunway Pyramid
Me, Min Chiee, Sisca, Anna, Alvin and Joo went for a movie after our mid semester exams..
Sisca: Ok, so what do we do now after movie?
Me: Duno lar.. I'm pretty DEPRESSED now, thanks to the exams, and when I am, I sometimes try to de-stress by looking for an excuse to spend money.. (Note: bad example, please do not follow :p money should be spent wisely)
Somebody: Aiyo, why lar you so stressed over the exams? 5% of the year's marks only mar.. Eh, instead of spending it wastefully, why don't you bless us by giving our stomachs a treat?!!
Me: Ya right, I'll do that if I manage to achieve the target I set for my exam lor..
Anna: So what's your target?
Me: My average has been hovering around 70 lor for last year.. So I'll be happy lar if I get that or better.. but right now main objective is to pass!
Min Chiee: Don't worry lar.. sure ok one!!
Anna: You say one ar.. we hold you accountable to your word..
Me: *thinks to self* Ya, right.. easier said than done.. we sat for a killer paper imported from Clayton with quite a lot of 1st year anatomy which we all have already forgotten and stuff which are not even in our Malaysian lecture notes compared to the Aussies.. not even sure of passing wanna set such targets.. can dream on lar Gary with more than 30++ potential mistakes..

I'll admit that exam seasons (one of those times when you really need God the most) for some reason will tend to turn out to be dry seasons for me (even last year).. will try to turn that around.. I'll just freak out when exams are around the corner (reminds me that during my days in A-Levels, it came to the point that my ex-teacher actually recommended that I make an appointment to see the college counsellor / psychologist).. Anyway, for this one, really crammed until my brain cannot take it anymore (damn stressed wei.. and yet there were still a lot of stuff left to be covered).. I know lar that this is the year of humbling for me and my pride, but whatever happens let it be lar.. I surrender this all to You..

4 May 2007 (ie today)
Venue: Lecture theatre
A few of us: What?? OMG, exam results out already?? Gary, why do you have to check MUSO at the time when all of us are SO looking forward to enjoy the weekend??!! @#%@#$^ Oh CRAP.. the borderline (passing mark) is SO high at a record of 56????

........ Like I said, whatever will be will be lar.........

A few minutes later..
Anna: Gary, *smiling, rubbing hands in glee* remember your promise last time? You owe us a very big lunch..

All of a sudden, 'thank you' just seem too small the words to use..
And I foresee a fairly BIG hole in my pocket..

Moral of the story:
1. Nothing is impossible (Phillipians 4:13), there will alwayz be hope.
2. Learn to trust (Proverbs 3:5-6)
3. Erm.. never make such a bet again in the future?? :p lolz

Road to Genting. Well, almost..

Ok lar.. since Li Wen bugged me for it, I'll give some preview first lar :p hehe.. photo taken from the bus.. sorry coz got a bit of reflection from the windows..

Camp theme verse: Acts 3:19
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

Anybody for bread?

On Sunday after returning from CF camp, went with Chris to have dinner at Hartz Chicken Buffet..
ACBC ("Act Cute Bukan Cute)
Haha.. and guess what we saw?