Tag after a hiatus

The Music Shuffle Meme
1. Put your iTunes/ music player/ phone on Shuffle
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must put down the song name no matter what.

After you’ve answered all of the questions, tag 5 other people and then let them know they’ve been tagged to the meme themselves.
*******************
1.What would best describe your personality?
Sar-vivor - Phua Chu Kang

2.What do you like in a guy/girl?
Forever - Hillsong

3.How do you feel today?
Don't say you love me - M2M

4.What is your life's purpose?
All for love - Hillsong

5.What is your motto?
100 years - Five for Fighting

6.What do your friends think of you?
Hark the Herald Angels Sing - Jewel

7.What do you think of your parents?
Inside Your Heaven - Bo Bice

8.What do you think about very often?
I'm Just a Kid - Simple Plan

9.What do you think of your best friend?
Dreaming of You - Selena

10.What do you think of your crush?
My Immortal - Evanescence

11.What is your life story?
The First Noeal - Charlotte Church

12.What do you want to be when you grow up?
Hymn to the Sea - James Horner, OST Titanic

13.What do you think when you see your crush?
Hallelujah - Hillsong

14.What do your parents think of you?
You are Awesome in This Place - Hillsong

15.What do strangers think of you?
Somewhere Over the Rainbow

16.What will they play at your funeral?
The Time has Come - Hillsong United

17.What will you dance to at your wedding?
My God - Hillsong United

18.What is your hobby/interest?
****Selah - Hillsong United

19.What do you think of your friends?
Amazing Grace (bagpipe instrumental)

20.What song do you listen to when you are sad?
Oceans Will Part - Hillsong

21.What song do you air guitar to?
Heart of Worship - Matt Redman

22.What should be your signature karaoke song?
We Fall Down

23.What is your greatest desire?
Through It All - Hillsong

24.What does next year have in store for you?
Superman theme - John Williams

25.What's your outlook on life?
Ye Qu (Nocturne)- Jay Chou

26.How will you die?
If I Let You Go - Westlife

27.Do people secretly lust after you?
All of My Days - Planetshakers

28.The best advice you will ever get
Let Us Adore - Hillsong

29.What will I be doing for the next 3 months?
Ordinary Day - Vanessa Carlton

30.What do you think of the person who tagged you?
Every Move I Make (Na Na Na)

31.What will your future mother-in-law be like?
Ni Bu Jai (You're Not Here) - Wang Lee Hom

32.What is the favourite song of the doctor who will help deliver your baby?
Sovereign Hands - Hillsong United

33.If you wrote a book, what would it be about?
The Polar Express - Tom Hanks

34.What sort of world ruler would you be?
Southampton - James Horner, OST Titanic

35.Will you ever get a dog or cat?
It is You - Hillsong

36.What would you say at your Oscar/Nobel prize acceptance speech?
If We Hold On Together - Diana Ross, OST The Land Before Time

37.What is your superpower?
You're the Only One

38.Why are you attracted to enigmatic brooders?
All Rise - Blue
************************

I tag anyone who reads this blog.

My 1st mock paper :p

Leong GWK, Looi JK (2008), A case study on laughter - The best medicine? Or a potential cause of death? Annals of MED3062, 1:1-2

Abstract
Laugther has long been considered as an activity to stimulate the release of endorphins (endogenous morphine) in our body, which brings about a sense of happiness. In our case study, the effects of laugther were examined as it is unusual that an intense bout of laughing will cause syncope. Syncope can be considered as a natural protective mechanism which kicks in when cerebral perfusion is reduced. By falling onto the floor, the effects of gravity is eliminated and hence more blood can be channeled to our brain. Our evolution has not caught up with the current living environment, where the presence of many sharp objects might pose hazards when fainting occurs.

Aims
The study was devised when the 2 researchers had nothing better to do after returning home from a dinner cum talk on asthma, and felt inspired to conduct an experiment on the respiratory and neurological system.

Method
A 20 year old female patient was stimulated via MSN with a statement that she likes lalas. This was followed up by another statement that she has old taste, since the researchers were told that she was excited to meet up with a distinguished guest of our university from Australia (who happens to be an elderly gentlemen), so much so it was rumoured that she wanted to hug him if possible. The researchers waited for the subject to respond.

Results
True enough, the subject called up one of the researchers and started laughing and hyperventilating non-stop. The duration of the incident was recorded to have lasted 2 minutes before the subject hung up. The incident was witnessed by the subject's housemate, who was at hand to provide assistance when the subject experienced syncope as a result of hyperventilation, laughter and suspected vertigo attack preceding the syncope. The researcher's consider themselves fortunate that the subject did not refer the incident to an ethics committee, which would have barred the researchers from conducting such nonsensical experiments in the future.

Discussion and conclusion
A literature review conducted reviewed that the only related study so far was performed on a man. Findings from this case study may prompt the need to find out more about the effects of laughter (good or bad) in females via a larger study, since it was shown that women handle stress better than men. Also, there is also a need to exclude the diagnosis of hysterical attack in this case which fits the above description.

No doubt the benefits of humour cannot be denied. However, the risks of inducing intense laughter in a patient with a medical history of vertigo cannot be ignored. More studies will need to be conducted before laughter is being labelled harmful to health in these and other related groups of patients. All in all, we hope that this case study will not discourage people from laughing more.

Also, the researchers will bear in mind to take a proper history and perform a thorough physical examination, to ensure that the subject does not have any risk factors if recruited for future studies, which may include pregnancy, allergies, chronic alcoholism or altered mental function. The researchers may also consider some form of mass stimulation with rescue medication back up to improve the power of such studies if ever conducted in the future. No confidence intervals / statistical methods were employed because the researchers did not fully understand the principles of evidence-based clinical practice as classes on it were conducted too early in the morning.

References:
1. http://yougotanna.blogspot.com/2008/07/1.html
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lala_%28disambiguation%29
3. Bloomfield D, Jazrawi S, 1995, Shear Hilarity Leading to Syncope in a Healthy Man, JAMA, 293:2863-2864
4. Taylor, S, 2000, Biobehavioral responses to stress in females: tend-and-befriend, not fight-or-flight, Psychological Review, 107(3):411-427

My brain is among the clouds

1. Was sick yesterday. Have been feeling tired and the urge to sleep alot too lately.
2. Was stressed over post-V&P interview, now have to decide whether to return the membership form on Wednesday.
3. MCR (ie monthly practical exam) went on longer than expected as there were 2 students doing it today (examiner was busy last week due to AMC visit.. but the case we were assigned was GIT / abdomen. How do you find an abdominal case in an outpatient clinic of which majority of patients come in with hypertension . diabetes?)
4. As a result of the MCR, I was unable to attend bedside teaching today. Our surgical bedside tutor was damn pissed coz as a result of some miscommunication, other group members didn't clerk patients beforehand 2 be presented. As a result, all had to bear the brunt of various not so nice words coming out from him lar.. "atrocious, unprofessional, worse than the group before this, horrible, lazy, not seeing enough patients, how are you going to become good clinicians, disappointing, last time we all camp out in the wards to look for cases and now u guys would rather sleep instead of showing up for ward rounds etc" And needless to say, there was a lot of explaning to do lar, since he also walked from the wards all the way up to the clinical school to hammer the faculty staff..

Overall, a lousy day for me.

Addendum: Thank you to someone (you know who you are) for cheering me up with this:
Ah Beng was asked to make a sentence using 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Not only did he do it 1 to 10, he did it again from 10 back to 1. This is what he came up with...

1 day I go 2 climb a 3 outside a house to peep. But the couple saw me, so I panic and 4 down. The man rushed out and wanted to 5 with me. I ran until I fell 6 and threw up. So I go into 7-eleven and grabbed some 8 to throw at him. Then I took a 9 and try to stab at him. 10 God he run away.

10 I put the 9 back and pay for the 8 and left 7-eleven. Next day I called my boss and told him I was 6. He said 5, tomorrow also no need to come back 4 work. He also asked me to go climb a 3 and jump down. I don't understand. I am so nice 2 him but I don't know what he 1.

The Dark Knight

Went to watch The Dark Knight with a few batchmates last night. Although it's super long (2.5 hours), I must say it was money well-spent on an awesome show. Never knew that watching Batman can be this exhilirating.

However unknown to many, residing in Sri Samudera was someone, who at one point in time back in Melbourne probably (or at least he thinks he does) bore some resemblance to our favourite cape crusader lolz

Umm.. ok, maybe not..

Of conversations and a run in the gym

GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. says:
holidays was abit redundant
GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. says:
ie no work done
GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. says:
though i tried.. lol u had fun?
S says:
i had a very good break
S says:
didn't study much, however got lots of time to think
S says:
and lots of time to change myself
S says:
so, ya...i'm done being a fool and i'm done acting stupid too
GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. Public holiday. says:
oh?
S says:
yeah, believe it or not... i have changed
GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. Public holiday. says:
in terms of?
S says:
everything...
GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. Public holiday. says:
except height haha..
S says:
yeah...that's true
GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. Public holiday. says:
i was expecting a "GARY!!!"
S says:
haha....it will come soon...sometimes soon along our conversation
GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. Public holiday. says:
ya, haha.. bt wats d reason lar
S says:
well, i was thinking too much, i was very childish and as the result...i hurt those people who really mean alot to me...i don'T want to be like that anymore
S says:
all those were just foolish acts
S says:
now that i got second chance, i will not ruin it anymore
GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. Public holiday. says:
*nods* hehe.. wish we all think like dat
S says:
why? what makes you say that? it seems like you had similar experince...
GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. Public holiday. says:
haha.. at times lar i guess
GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. Public holiday. says:
knowingly or unknowingly..
S says:
you mean you did act childish and hurt lots of people feeling, or...someone who means alot for you...hurt your feeling?
GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. Public holiday. says:
i think it cuts both ways
S says:
definitely...and it hurts so much
S says:
when i feel hurt, the other person felt the same way...
S says:
it's not fair for them
GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. Public holiday. says:
its give and take lar
GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. Public holiday. says:
whether u like it or not
S says:
again, you are right
S says:
Gary, congratulations! I'm really impressed with you and your way of thinking
GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. Public holiday. says:
thinking and putting it into action are 2 different stories ya
S says:
it is
GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. Public holiday. says:
slowly lar.. it has 2 start sumwhere
S says:
of course
GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. Public holiday. says:
n besides, nobody's perfect
S says:
i think you have grown up alot
GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. Public holiday. says:
ya.. and fatter too
S says:
not really, la...a bit only
GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. Public holiday. says:
bt still haf my own childish mindset on certain things
S says:
it's ok to be childish sometimes
S says:
you know...correct me if i'm wrong, but one thing that i notice last semester and all this long, was that you were actually someone who felt very insecure from time to time, do you think so?
GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. Public holiday. says:
in a way yes
GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. Public holiday. says:
but learning 2 deal with it lar day by day, 1 step at a time
S says:
yes, i can see that
S says:
i saw it today how you can slowly managed your feeling of insecurity
GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. Public holiday. says:
?
S says:
you know when people are insecure, they are unstable
S says:
that's how i felt when talking to you all this long...but i felt that you were much more stable today
GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. Public holiday. says:
u'll b surprised if i tell u dat past few months or so my emotional instability fluctuates
GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. Public holiday. says:
haha
S says:
yeah...i don't think i need to say much, you know yourself best
S says:
but no, i'm not surprised, i knew it all along that your emotional instability fluctuates a lot
S says:
that's why i didn't talk much with you last sem
S says:
i wasn'T in a very good emotional state as well...
S says:
i wasn't trying to avoid anyone, but i need my own time and i don't want to make anyone worried....that's why i withdrew myself from everyone
S says:
Gary, r u back?
GaryLWK86 - Making a difference. Dream big. Public holiday. says:
yea.. bt wanna to sleep dy.. tired
S says:
ya, me too
S says:
i was about to tell you that i want to go to sleep too
S says:
maybe we can talk again some other time
S says:
good night
S says:
bye
____________________________________________________________________

I can usually only run 1.5 km on the gym's threadmill, but for past few weeks (despite some weight gain), I've been desiring to run more. I clocked up 2.8 km on a few attempts. Duno lar.. on those few occasions, just felt like wanting to keep on running more and more, despite my legs giving in already. And surprisingly the more I ran, the leg power seemed to somehow have a backup source of energy just when it appeared to be running out of steam. Got reminded that in the race we are currently running now - no matter what comes our way, how hard, hopeless, empty and miserable it may seem, it is in such times that one realises that there is a need to press on and go for broke until the end of the finish line.. There is a need to desire to see some things come to past at the end of the day.

Reminded of my theme song at the beginning of the year..

So wrong..

Went to the surgical ward for the 1st time today.. and being just the 2nd day back from holiday, felt like the blurrest person on the face of the planet.. It was a female surgical ward, and I was clerking patients for an afternoon bedside teaching. It was an old Malay lady who was admitted for appendicitis lar.. due for surgery that evening. Took her history but later realised that I needed to do a physical examination on her too.. At the same time, she requested to borrow my handphone, which I said I didn't bring, so she turned to another stranger who happened to be a relative of another patient in the ward and kindly lent her his phone. She even offered to pay that guy back, which he refused.. Duno lar, as much as a friend told me that we are bound by professional guidelines, coz if anything happens we could be dragged into the mess, still feel not so happy lar, as in - "Why the barrier of being afraid that this elderly lady doing something to your phone? Couldn't it be practised as a simple act of showing kindness, rather than sticking to a rule which even sounds vague and subject to debate.."

Anyway, back to the physical examination. The surgical ward is unlike the medical ward (beds in medical wards are crowded into cubicles surrounded by blinds each, while surgical wards only have screens, and the beds are lined up parallel against the wall like a corridor). Before I proceed, I approached one of the staff nurses and HO's on the wards. "Hi, *trying very hard to smile* and act innocent good morning ya, I'm a medical student, and I'm posted here for the next few weeks or so.. I was wondering ar, coz you guys don't have blinds right? So how ar if I wanna do physical examination, coz it's a female ward.. any idea how the previous batch of students did it?" The female houseman said she doesn't know, the staff nurse commented that if it's only minimal exposure, then the patient probably won't mind lar..

So I proceeded with my last minute abdominal examination 15 minutes before the supposed bedside teaching, without a chaperon (coz it's abit last minute for me to save face from getting scolded by the tutor..) and with the patient's permission, exposed her from the lower border of her breasts all the way down to the pubic region.. The thing is, it was visiting hours. Relatives of the patient just beside us, and other patients ended up turning their heads towards our side as if there was some kind of free show.. and hence, got told off by the Ward sister for not using the screens.. super embarassing..

And on another note,
Me (holding an X-ray film): Hi Dr R, I'm a medical student. It's my 1st day and I'm abit lost. I was wondering whether could you tell me where is the X-ray..box.. Oh, it's there behind you.. (*swt*)
Dr R: It's not working. Maybe you can hold it up against the sunlight with the window as the backdrop..

Oh well, and to top things up, here are some photos from JB which somehow to me seem just either 'sesat' or wrong..



Acknowledgement: Photos courtesy of Anna

Don't quit

One day I decided to quit.
I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality. I wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.
'God', I asked, 'Can you give me one good reason not to quit?'
His answer surprised me.
'Look around', He said. 'Do you see the fern and the bamboo?'
'Yes', I replied.
'When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them.
I gave them light. I gave them water.
The fern quickly grew from the earth.
Its brilliant green covered the floor.
Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.
In the second year, the fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.
And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. 'But I did not quit on the bamboo.' He said.
In year three, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit.
In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. 'I would not quit.' He said.
'Then in the fifth year, a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant. But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.
It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.
'I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.'
He asked me, 'Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots?'
'I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. Don't compare yourself to others.' He said.
'The bamboo had a different Purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful.'
'Your time will come', God said to me. 'You will rise high'
'How high should I rise?' I asked.
'How high will the bamboo rise?' He asked in return.
'As high as it can?' I questioned.
'Yes.' He said, 'Give me glory by rising as high as you can.'
I left the forest and brought back this story.
I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you.
Never, Never, Never give up.
For the Prayer is not an option but an opportunity.
Don't tell the Lord how big the problem is, tell the problem how Great the Lord is!

Thanks Chloe for the encouraging message at a time when I needed it.