Kai Aun - The Home of the Crappy Lad

Greetings From Taipei

2012-01-01T22:08:00.002+08:00

Happy New Year 2012!

Pic taken somewhere near SYS Memorial Hall

The fireworks display was awesome and I'm very much impressed by the crowd control system used by the police and the Taipei Metro.

Hope 2012 will be a great year for every one!

Xin Nian Kuai Le,

Kai Aun

Happy New Year 2012

2011-12-31T19:38:00.002+08:00

2011 is coming to an end.

Too many things happened to me this year, both personally and academically.

In short, it is a very tough year indeed. (I think I said the same for 2010)

However, I do believe all these obstacles that I have faced and resolved will only make me stronger in the future.

If you ask me to sum up my entire year in a few words, I would probably say it's a mad, mad year, literally.

But still, I survived and if everything goes according to plan, next year will be my final year in med school and I am approaching the end of varsity life.

2011 - A year that I will never forget for the rest of my life.

Let's welcome 2012 and hope every one of you will have a blessed year ahead.

Cheers!

Kai Aun

A New Place

2011-12-17T08:54:00.002+08:00

Sorry for not updating my blog. It has been a while, I know.

Too many things had happened (it's for real this time) and I am glad I survived. Just for now.

In a new place now and it's Mandarin every single moment, sometimes I do miss speaking English. Haha. Oh human.

Love the weather - not as cold as Hobart during winter. Just nice. Can even wear T-shirt and shorts in the room.

Will update more.

Till then,

Kai Aun

How Do You Say No?

2011-11-16T18:24:00.003+08:00

People always say you must learn how to say No.

Especially when it is something that gonna jeopardize your future or put your safety/reputation at risk.

But sometimes, it is so hard to say No.

This is true when you're facing with something that is not 100% certain and also you know it is so hard to convince that person.

If I say No, I'll most likely offend that person. And no matter what reasons I give, I know it's a futile resistance.

And the person's argument is not totally invalid. He has his points.

Put it that way, the main problem that I'm facing is difference in opinion.

He has heaps of experience no doubt, and the road he is pointing to me might be the correct one and he does not want me to repeat the same mistake he used to make. I appreciate the kind gesture.

However, I see things differently and sometimes it's just so hard to tell someone who is so much senior than you that things have changed and I will actually benefit from what I'm planning to do.

I have been considering a few options.

One is to say no directly and that's possibly the last time we'd talk.

One is to divert the topic, leave quietly and never contact again.

One is to make up a story and convince him in a diplomatic way.

One is to give in, which I am not prepared to do so.

I don't know.

Why?

Kai Aun

Moving Out

2011-11-09T14:09:00.002+08:00

After nearly 2 years of staying at this place, I am finally moving out.

Sweet and bitter memories - some things that words cannot describe.

But I am very glad that I am moving out.

1st year - splendid and memorable.

2nd year - alone and topsy turvy.

Not pretty at all.

Who would have imagined all these would happen?

One word sums it all - crazy.

Moving house is such a tiring thing. I thought my stuff wasn't that much. Wrong. Boxes after boxes, bags after bags.

Next year will be a better year, hopefully.

Sanity at stake,

Kai Aun

Briefing Accomplished, For War

2011-10-29T18:55:00.003+08:00

Finished all the rotations/lectures/tutorials for 4th Year.

In other words, we've done with the briefing. To the war zone now.

It's do or die, again.

Perhaps I could draw from my experience last year, which is not a bad thing.

Looking back, it's really deja vu.

So fast it's a year already. Not sure if I've equipped myself with the knowledge that I am expected to possess as a 4th year medical student. We'll see.

So many things so many thingssssss.

Yes, focus on exams. And nothing else.

Other stuff can wait.

Here I go.

Prepare, prepare,

Kai Aun

Positive Relaxation

2011-10-20T08:57:00.003+08:00

This was what I told my simulated patient the other day. Had a consulting skills session and I chose to do the topic about Acute Stress Disorder.

The 'story' was about a law student failed her exams 3 weeks ago and started feeling stressed, had palpitations and headaches and doesn't know what to do.

My task was to explain it's normal to feel such way after an acute stressful event...bla bla bla...

and I put it in a simple term, "flight or fight response", which my lecturer liked it.

Oh well.

I'm feeling that way at the moment. Flight or fight. 50-50. Sometimes I feel like running away from the situation, sometimes I just tell myself hang on there, mate! Just get it done and over with.

Stress level is particularly high at this time of the year. Exam season. So many things to prepare. !!!!!!

Theory exam. OSCEs. Portfolio submission. Personal stuff to settle.

It's a public holiday in Hobart today. Great.

At least I get to take some time off and relax a little.

Positive relaxation - setting a specific time in the day to do stuff that you enjoy. Take a nice, hot shower (it's 27C yesterday, holy crap...can you believe it??), a stroll in the park, listening to some soothing music (which I am doing all the time, or rather - some sentimental songs) and that'll help you to relax your mind.

Whatever. Enough of my ranting.

I am pretty determined to finish my portfolio thingy by end of this week. I hope I can do it. If not, at least 90% of it.

Gahhhhhh.

Stress hormones are raging,

Kai Aun

Bloody Experience

2011-10-08T10:57:00.002+08:00

So I've finished my rotation for the year yesterday.

3 weeks of teaching week (just lectures and skills stuff) and 1 week of study break - then exam.

Looking back, I really enjoyed the 4 weeks of medical specialty rotation.

It was assigned randomly and I got chosen to do Haematology/Oncology.

I went there the first day and was expecting to do both, but then was told that they're now 2 different units.

As the Haem registrar was on leave at that time, I chose to do Haem to help with the workload.

Personally I enjoy Haematology quite a bit, I think I enjoyed studying it in Semester 3.

Anyway, learned some specific and rare conditions and also general medicine stuff.

Felt some big spleens and livers. Did a few procedures.

Learned a bit more about the job scopes of an intern and a resident.

Observed how consultants communicate with patients.

All in all, a great learning experience.

What a bloody experience,

Kai Aun

The Crucial Question

2011-09-30T15:59:00.002+08:00

I'm feeling pretty stressed at the moment...all because of the portfolio thingy. Need to compile all the patients' detail from beginning of semester and gawd...it's driving me crazy!

Anyway...had my OSLER (long case exam) this week and thank god I passed!

I was so nervous about this that I even dreamed about it. I hardly dream about academic stuff and this was after the first one got cancelled. I was supposed to have it on a Friday 2 weeks back but the examiner couldn't find a suitable patient for me, so it had to be rescheduled. Divine intervention, perhaps?

I prayed that I will get a good patient and my prayer was answered. It wasn't a difficult patient and I could hear quite clearly what he was trying to say (I have problems comprehending some old people's accent) so the entire history taking session was quite smooth.

I ended the history taking by asking a simple question. Somehow that question proved to be quite crucial (not in diagnosing, but more of from the emotion side of things) and it feels like I had opened the floodgates.

I then proceed to examine the patient and later on, I presented the case to my professor. During the feedback, he repeated a few times that he felt pleased that I asked that particular question.

Oh well. I guess I got the correct patient to ask the correct question. I mean, if I asked the same question to a different patient, the respond that I would get would be totally different - the patient might have no response to the question at all, and that would just be 'another history taking question'.

I can breath a sigh of relief now and all I need now is to pass my exams at the end of the year!

I need more luck this time!

You can do it,

Kai Aun

My 2nd Birthday Celebration in Hobart

2011-09-25T09:03:00.004+08:00

First of all, thank you to every one who sent me a Happy Birthday message via facebook, SMS, e-card or wished me in person. I really appreciate that.

To be honest, I did not really celebrate my birthday this year.

I am busy with my studies and at this time of the year, what I prefer to do is to focus on the exam and try to push towards the finishing line, and get to enjoy my end of year holidays.

Anyway, coming back to my birthday.

I turned 24 last Thursday, and funnily enough, the day before that, I was making myself a cup of Milo in the ward pantry and the resident walked in to make himself a drink, too. He saw me pouring a sachet of Milo into the cup (I hardly drink Milo outside, it's not so common as in Malaysia where you could order Milo ais or Milo kosong), and jokingly asked, "Drinking hot chocolate? How old are you? Still 18?"

I was stunned by that question. I replied him, "I'm turning 24 tomorrow." He just nodded and mumbled, "Good." That was an interesting conversation, really.

When I left the ward soon after that, I couldn't help but to remind myself that I'm 24 and more responsibilities are put on my shoulders. It's so easy to forget how fast time flies and I'm one year older already.

I still remember how I spent my birthday last year in a small hut in Ranelagh. This year round, I get to celebrate it in Hobart and my senior was kind enough to treat me a meal at McDonald's during lunch. That's good enough for me. :)

This year, so many things have changed. My good housemates and neighbour are no longer here, plus living in a not-so-ideal place, with all these factored in, the situation did drive me up

the wall at times.

Perhaps the biggest lesson I have learnt this year thus far is to tolerate/bear/endure. There were quite a number of occasions where I felt like bursting out and start an argument but I resisted myself from doing so.

Fortunately, it's all going to end very soon and I am very optimistic about it. I have started to make plans about it and fingers crossed, every thing shall be finalized pretty soon.

On a side note, my good old reliable watch stopped working last Sunday, which caught me by surprise. I started wearing this watch since...well I can't really remember now. I think when I was in Form 5 when my G-shock sorta got 'disfigured'. This watch was passed down from my brother. Initially I thought the battery had gone flat, but that didn't make a lot of sense to me as I just replaced the battery 2 months ago. Funny thoughts began to creep in my head - thinking that the watch shop owner might have conned me. I frantically searched for the receipt - in my rubbish bin - only to find that the receipt was lying on my table. Oh my.

Pardon the poor photo quality - the phone camera is letting me down

Brought the watch back to the shop on Monday and the owner had a look at it. Told me that the parts inside had stop moving (??due to the lubricants dried up) and to repair it, he has to disassemble the whole thing and clean it. That will set me back for AUD110. Instantaneously I told him, "Forget about it. I got another one."

Luckily, I brought a spare watch with me when I came back beginning of the year. That was after my dad kept pestering me to bring the watch with me. It's a new watch. I reluctantly shoved the watch into my bag and thank god I did listen to him. Now the spare watch proves to be useful!

Okay, enough ranting. Time to clean my room (I have been procrastinating since a month ago) and tidy up my documents - house inspection next week (final one for the year!) and portfolio submission due soon - that's enough to push me to get started.

Sun is rising soon,

Kai Aun

Defeat

2011-09-16T16:12:00.002+08:00

I think people who are sore losers should never get involved in oncology.

It's so tough telling someone "We have tried our best, unfortunately there is nothing much we can do for you medically."

It's very much admitting defeat, and like it or not, that's the fact.

I think I could accept that, personally. I do admit defeat gracefully and doctors aren't God.

Medical rotation is busy but interesting at the same time.

I feel pretty worn out by the end of the week but I think I have learnt quite a bit. 3 more weeks to go. :D

Keep the fire burning,

Kai Aun

Multilingualism

2011-09-10T21:06:00.002+08:00

In the span of 2 weeks, I had the opportunity to use 3 different languages to communicate.

English - pretty much self explanatory

Chinese - had to help read and translate the immunisation book and communicate in Mandarin with the parents

Malay - technically speaking - should be Indonesian, but heck, as long as I could understand what's written on the package of the drug, who cares?

Aiming to learn a new language, still thinking which one to learn.

It can be confusing at times when your brain is trying to process so many languages at a time.

Speak up,

Kai Aun

GP Posting

2011-09-03T19:43:00.002+08:00

So far so good, seeing nice patients and friendly staff. The GPs are willing to teach.

Had some hands on, learnt a few practical tips in giving injections.

One more week to go.

Hopefully I will be able to learn more from the practice.

2nd September 2011 - I shall remember this day.

Don't know what else to say.

Will write more when I have more things to report.

Keep it to myself,

Kai Aun

End of Holiday

2011-08-28T09:21:00.002+08:00

Today marks the last day of my one week break.

Did not do much at all, but that's fine.

Not academic wise, but at least I got many of my personal stuff sorted out. A good thing.

I need a break anyway.

Recharged, ready to rumble for the next 2 months.

Or should I say, it's do or die. :)

Will be starting my GP placement tomorrow. Hope it will be a good one.

I still have good memories of last year's GP placement. Huonville is such a nice place.

I need to clean my roooooom! I noticed I have become more lazy to clean my room compared to last year. (no more roster)

My next holiday - after exams.

When the truth is revealed,

Kai Aun

I Live to Eat.

2011-08-23T19:35:00.003+08:00

Chicken and Apple in Cola

Braised Pork and Egg

Three Cups Pork

Seafood Soup with noodles

Three Cups Chicken

Need to find something more interesting to cook...

Kai Aun

Understanding People

2011-08-18T18:40:00.002+08:00

Tomorrow will mark the end of my psych rotation.

2 weeks is rather short, if you ask me. But I have learnt heaps from the people I talked to.

I never used to sit down and think from another person's perspective.

This rotation has taught me a lot of lessons in life.

Every one has his/her own story and you tend to realize there are so many things that you don't really know without spending time talking to these people.

It's hard to dig out the past, but once you know the full story you can see why all things fall apart.

Psych. A field where you get to know the deepest secret.

Forgive me ignorance,

Kai Aun

Keeping Sane

2011-08-09T19:02:00.002+08:00

Who determines what is sanity and vice versa?

Majority rules.

When everyone says so, you ought to follow.

Even when you don't like what's going on.

Take the government of a country, for example.

If you try to voice out your opinion which is different from what the majority says, you're labelled as an outlier.

When what you say might be true and not the rest.

Interesting indeed.

So many stories heard from different people for the past 2 days.

"Insanity - a perfectly rational adjustment to an insane world" - R. D. Laing

Who knows, one day, what the so called insane have said might turn out to be true after all.

I'm a concrete thinker,

Kai Aun

Sunday Morning

2011-08-07T08:04:00.003+08:00

I realized I have posted too much of my rantings about life lately.

But that's fine. It's better to rant than to keep it to yourself, so they say.

It's Sunday and this is a good time for me to relax and chill, taking a break from my studies (which I didn't do a lot anyways).

The most important meal of the day - breakfast!

2 toasted crumpets - one with butter + jam and another with butter + honey.

Can you see the Blue Brie cheese in the photo? That's to go with crackers.

Crumpets + cheese with crackers + coffee = Sunday breakfast.

That's how a weekend breakfast should be.

I need to love myself more,

Kai Aun

The Destination

2011-08-06T19:49:00.003+08:00

I have finally finished the 4 weeks of surgical specialties rotation. Four grueling weeks, if you ask me.

Ward rounds start at 7am the earliest and by the time I reach home it'd be like 7pm. I'm not complaining here, that's the life of a medical student.

I do have to say I learnt quite a bit during this rotation and of course, there were some unhappy incidents which I will not discuss here. I mean, I chose to forget about those things and rather remember the good ones. Life is too short to dwell on bad things.

I'm moving on to psychiatry next. For 2 weeks.

For people who are close to me, you guys should know what psychiatry means to me. As a doctor you only see them for maybe 8-10 hours a day. But what if you need to see someone with a psychiatric condition all day long? (By now you should know what happened)

Life can be funny sometimes. Along the way you'd fall and hurt yourself. But that's all part of the process. What counts is whether you manage to arrive at the destination or not.

I have talked to 2 different persons this week and it's a stark contrast. One tried to instill confidence in me and reassure me that I'd reach the destination. One sorta implied that I'm not good enough but hey, I won't get demotivated by that.

I actually had a plan today to get some chores done but there were some last minute changes and I totally didn't expect it. One thing led to another but I still got my chores done. Plan A changed to Plan B - the outcome is still the same.

Which made me think life can be so variable. What you have planned might not take place but you'd still achieve what you want to achieve.

Congratulations to my friend Alicia for passing her OSCE. This one word is our biggest hurdle in medical school. But I'm very glad you did it, Alicia! Great work!

All roads lead to Rome,

Kai Aun

Failure

2011-07-30T09:03:00.002+08:00

Had a meeting with my mentor for the first time yesterday.

Didn't know what to expect really, as usual, nobody seems to know the purpose of a mentor. Academic stuff? It's a bit weird to approach such a busy doctor just to ask a few anatomy or physiology questions. Personal issues? Keep it to yourself or share it with your mates. Or talk to a counsellor. General advice? Maybe.

That's what me and another good friend of mine (we were assigned to the same mentor) had yesterday. Our mentor decided just to give us some general advice.

Failure is good, according to him. I kinda agree with him. He says most of the people do not fail in med school and every med student has this concept of needing to pass every single exam in med school. But when he/she sits for specialist exam and failed Part 1, suddenly the world collapses and he/she finds it extremely hard to cope.

He's certainly a guy with a lot of experience and he did gave us some useful insight of medicine. Do what you like, he kept stressing that. Choose a field which you like doing. It's hard when you're 49 and you suddenly realize you don't really enjoy being a surgeon.

He kept telling us to find the balance in life. Find something else to do besides medicine. Play an instrument, or a sport, or anything other than medicine.

Thinking back, I haven't really done anything other than medicine for the past few months. Every single day is spent in the hospital and come weekend, I'd be mentally exhausted and I still need to prepare for next week's stuff.

Of the nearly half an hour talk, I find his opinion on failure is the best. Hardly any doctor would talk to you about how to cope with failure, but he certainly has got it right. Failure signals something is not quite right and you will then be able to rectify things.

Lessons learned. He did ask me why did I choose to come to Australia and the situation back in Malaysia. I told him the truth and fact is everyone knows about it but no one talks openly about it back home. How pathetic.

Failure is somewhat an option,

Kai Aun

Deja Vu Indeed

2011-07-21T21:07:00.002+08:00

The deja vu feeling proved to be correct.

My intuition has been accurate.

Sometimes it just sucks when the deja vu feeling comes back and haunts you.

But that is life I guess.

At least for now, I can draw on the past experience and hopefully I can cope with things better.

Thanks to everyone who has given me encouragement and support, many thanks to Alicia and Evelyn who left comments in my previous post. You guys do make me feel stronger and able to continue with the journey ahead.

This week has been pretty busy, I generally don't see the sunlight at all. Need to be at the ward at 7am and reach home at 6pm, mentally and physically exhausted.

I can handle that. In fact, I didn't really get too much afternoon naps recently.

At least I feel I am doing something. Such is life.

By a whisker, down but not out,

Kai Aun

Persevere

2011-07-14T18:04:00.002+08:00

I have come this far.

I have to face so many changes by myself.

I tried my best.

I hope my perseverance will pay off in the end.

I have been in this before.

I know what to do.

I need to iron out the kinks.

It's not far away.

Kai Aun

理論

2011-07-09T08:20:00.002+08:00

和一個不可理喻的人理論，真的是有如對牛彈琴。

談判最終宣告失敗。

下一步該怎麼走？

也早就預料會有這麼一天，只是時間的問題而已。

我不知道該如何形容現在的心情。

沮喪？也不是。憤怒？感覺好像沒有。委屈？一點點吧。無助？也可以這麼說。

我只能搖搖頭，笑一笑。

套一句話，“一個人臉上有太多的笑，是因為心里有太多的痛。”

或許吧。

無語問蒼天。

凱安

Dream

2011-07-05T19:02:00.002+08:00

I don't know how many people dream of becoming a superstar. A singer, to be more exact.

Probably millions or billions. I'm pretty sure there's no exact figure on that.

Watching those talent shows like American Idol or One In A Million, you could see that people are doing whatever they can to impress the judges, so that they could realize their dream of becoming a superstar.

My ex-classmate Lee Kar Wei did it. At the age of 22. That's quite an achievement, if you ask me.

People say do not give up on your dream.

In reality, sometimes you just got to face the truth.

When your singing sucks and you're of that age, please stop dreaming and perhaps you should find something else to do. Something that can contribute to the society.

I think that's what the judges might say to the contestants as well, no holds barred. Stop dreaming and move on.

Sigh. Some people just think they are the next superstar.

Fact is, how many people can become Elvis Presley or Elton John?

I rest my case,

Kai Aun

4 more months

2011-07-02T13:09:00.003+08:00

It's already Semester 2. How time flies.

Exam? I don't know. I keep telling myself not to think about it. I really don't know. I hate the deja vu feeling.

4 more months.

Life is such that you need counting down.

4 more months to end the academic year.

孤獨是一種享受，寂寞是一種自由。

Kai Aun

Coincidence

2011-06-19T08:47:00.003+08:00

In life, there are many coincidences.

Sometimes they happen at a time where you think it's impossible!

But yet, they do occur.

I can't think of a good example now, but bottom line is, you just have to believe it.

What are the odds?

Kai Aun

Privacy

2011-06-16T18:35:00.000+08:00

I am watching you. Yes, you.

Kai Aun

Hole Digger

2011-06-06T18:59:00.004+08:00

My mood is kinda flat nowadays.

Exam is looming and there are so many possibilities running in my head.

Sometimes it's kinda hard to find that extra motivation.

Nadal has just won his 6th Roland Garros title, equalling Bjorn Borg's record.

What an achievement. It was befitting that the opponent was Roger Federer, a guy whom he had defeated the previous 4 meetings in Paris.

Sometimes I do try to draw some strength from watching sports, telling myself, "Look, that is the spirit you should have." Never give up. Which is why I am such a big fan of Nadal.

He loves to dig a hole for himself, as I read from an article. The writer noted that he tends to lose the first point on his service game most of the time. Perhaps that would spur him to fight harder to win his own service game, opined the writer.

It does make some sense to me.

When we're in a comfortable position, we tend to get complacent.

A kick in the butt isn't a bad thing after all.

Nadal almost always digs a hole for himself every time he plays, that is the first thing my dad would say to me every time we talked about watching tennis. Nevertheless, he succeeded in climbing out from the hole most of the time.

I never understood why before reading that article. Now that I have read it, I am able to see things from a different perspective.

Don't jump straight in,

Kai Aun

Eating Dilemma

2011-06-03T17:46:00.002+08:00

Winter is here and it's freaking cold.

I get hungry very fast. The images of snacks just keep popping up in my head.

For the past few weeks, I've been trying very hard to resist unnecessary snack time. I try to stick to 3 meals a day, with an occasional light snack in the afternoon/evening if I'm really, really hungry.

The rationale behind me keep thinking of food is because I noticed I might have lost weight. The pants seem looser, I don't know if it's just my own imagination or it's a fact. I kept forgetting to weigh myself (there's a weighing machine in the ward).

Perhaps stress did make me lose some weight. I don't know?

Speaking of which, I attended the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) clinic today.

I have read about how the top hospitals in the US run their CF clinics in Atul Gawande's book, and today was the first time I get to see it myself.

It's a bit different from what I have read from the book, nevertheless the concept remains the same.

As you might or might not know, CF patients will need higher calorie intake and they need to take enzymes to digest their food.

The patient I saw today opened the lunchbox her mum packed for her and counted the number of different snacks in the box.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5....then automatically she'd take out the number of pills (enzymes) required from her medicine box before she can eat. The parent and the patient are expert in counting total fat content in the food they eat. The number of pills required is based on the total amount of fat she's going to have for that meal.

Which makes me feel how fortunate we (healthy people) are. We don't need to calculate the amount of carbohydrates or proteins before we put something into our mouth (unless you are such a health conscious freak) and just chomp away.

We do sometimes take things for granted in life.

Seeing people with different conditions and diseases does allow me to reflect a lot in life.

Medicine, is not just about treating other people, it starts within yourself.

Kai Aun

Encouraging Words

2011-06-02T18:02:00.002+08:00

I do feel it's a shame I only get to hear this coming from a parent in my 2nd last week of the rotation.

Anyway, as they say, better late than never.

Compared to the previous rotation where people tend to look at you differently and reject you at times, this rotation is totally different.

Sometimes examining a kid is a tricky task, he/she might not allow you to touch and kids generally tend to cry when they see a stranger. Honestly, I'm more worried about the parents saying "No" after I have made the child cry than anything else.

Surprisingly, I haven't encountered any of those situations so far. Parents were more than willing to allow me to touch and interact with their kids.

The most encouraging words came from a parent yesterday. I always think parents of a kid with a special condition might be reluctant to allow so many strangers go near their child. The encounter yesterday was the opposite.

She said, "The more people see my child and understand the condition better, it'll only do more good to him/her."

That, to me, makes a whole lot sense.

We are here to learn. My mentor always says to me, "Don't worry. You're a novice and I'm a veteran. By the time you're my age, you'll know as much as I do."

Just got to accept not everyone sees it that way.

Still a long way to go,

Kai Aun

Tough Nut

2011-05-30T07:32:00.002+08:00

I may not be one, but I always believe the quote "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger".

I need to tough it out for this period of time. Too many personal issues to handle, plus the upcoming exam, just need to settle one by one.

I certainly need to rediscover the self-belief.

Kai Aun

The Invisible Man

2011-05-21T07:35:00.002+08:00

I think life as a medical student does rely a big part on luck.

Life is wonderful when you're following a team of great people.

People who would acknowledge your presence, willing to teach and more than happy to supervise you.

Likewise, life can be pretty boring and (miserable) if the team of people do not really care who you are and you're basically an invisible man in the team.

I knew life would be good when I first joined a team and the consultant shook my hand and said, "Please treat yourself as the part of the team".

Then, there are doctors who do not normally talk much but surprisingly, they would ask you to do some stuff for them. At least they do appreciate my effort.

Sometimes being an invisible man isn't that bad after all. At least you could stand back and observe for yourself, looking at the bigger picture.

Timing is right,

Kai Aun

Happy Teachers' Day

2011-05-16T09:42:00.002+08:00

Today is 16th of May, which is Teachers' Day in Malaysia.

I have just sent an SMS to a secondary school teacher of mine, whom I have kept in touch with all these years.

I actually haven't seen majority of my secondary school teachers since I left the school in 2004, there are a few whom I occasionally met at the streets and when I followed my dad back to the school.

There are a couple of teachers who inspired me back then and I certainly owe them a debt of gratitude. Without them, I would never have come this far in my academic life.

Teaching is a noble profession, no doubt about that. Perhaps I understand and see that better for myself than others because of the influence since young. My dad is a retired teacher and I could see that nothing satisfies him more than his ex-students coming back to visit him and thank him. I call this job satisfaction, which is very important in whatever career you're in.

I remember vividly when I was back in Form 2, my form teacher requested a private talk with me and I was the class monitor then. She mentioned to me about my shortcomings in carrying out the duty as a class monitor and told me what I could improve on. That piece of advice still rings in my ears till this day and I try to stick to her advice as much as possible.

It warms your heart when a teacher still remembers you after all these years and sent her regards to you. My Standard 6 form teacher certainly does. She sent her regards to me through my father during a function and the feeling is just great.

Having said that, being a teacher requires a lot of patience.

Happy Teachers' Day,

Kai Aun

Follower

2011-05-10T08:08:00.002+08:00

It's never a good sign when a patient follows you every where you go.

Heard this particular patient's name when I was doing O&G, then when I finished my O&G rotation and moved on to paeds, the same name appeared again. And again.

Even my resident who coincidentally, switches from O&G to Paeds posting like me, was surprised as well.

Ah well. Just hope that every thing will turn out fine for the patient.

I think most of the doctors do not hope to see the same patients again and again, unless they're having some chronic illnesses. It's pretty frustrating when you discharge a patient home and 2 days later he/she comes back to the hospital with the condition still undiagnosed. (It happens in medicine, not every condition can be diagnosed that straightforward.)

Follow my way,

Kai Aun

Scribbles

2011-05-08T08:30:00.002+08:00

This was what I did on a Sunday morning. Randomness at its best.

Counting down to exams. Got to shift into another gear. Or else I'd be doomed.

Paediatrics - so far so good. Kids are a bunch of difficult patients, but the parents sometimes can pose a tougher challenge to the doctors.

I'm still looking for a direction,

Kai Aun

Pot Calling the Kettle black

2011-05-06T19:00:00.002+08:00

There was a particular incident that I witnessed today, made me feel like shouting to both arguing parties. It's like the pot calling the kettle black.

It's almost 1 1/2 years since I came to Australia and I have settled into their working culture and the way things are being done.

My experience is based on just one single location. Probably that is not very objective if I were to pass any comment.

However, even my barber said the same thing to me. He's an old man in his 70s (if I remember correctly) and he was originally from Croatia.

There are a few things which I want to say, but I can't because if I did so, I'd offend the whole nation and that is something I certainly do not wish to face.

I've tried my best in giving out hints in my reports and reflective pieces and hopefully someone will pick up the clue and give it a good thought.

If you see me in Malaysia, feel free to ask me what are the 'few things' and I'd be more than happy to tell you. Seriously.

Anyway, the truth is even if I have told them (the whole bunch of people) about it, I'm doubtful it will gonna change anything.

So, why risk myself?

Efficiency and productivity please,

Kai Aun

挑戰

2011-04-28T15:28:00.003+08:00

很多時候，藏在背後的心酸有誰知？

一個人到國外念書，很多事情都要自己承擔，自己解決。

在他人的國家，他人的法律，也只好默默承受。換著是在自己的國家，解決方法又會是另一套。

忍，俗話說忍一時風平浪靜，退一步海闊天空。除了忍，還是忍。

我，到底還能忍多久呢？

我自己也不清楚。

可是，能做的，我都已經做了。

家家都有本難念的經，這句話說得一點都沒錯。

我本身很喜歡的一句日常用語是：“你看我好，我看你好”（其實是粵語翻譯，我睇你好，你睇我好）

沒法子啦，很無奈，但又能怎樣？

這，的確是我今年面對最艱辛的挑戰。能不能順利完成這個挑戰，我自己也不敢保證。

或許，唯一的精神支柱，就是邪不能勝正。

我還是抱著一線希望。

天，是公平的。

一定。

凱安

Attitude

2011-04-27T12:00:00.003+08:00

Maybe I have said this many times before, I hate repeating myself.

Some matters that can be settled in a short period of time, can be dragged until months.

I hate this kind of lackadaisical attitude.

People calling you to remind you once is embarrassing enough (from my point of view), twice is totally unacceptable.

Somehow the standard back home, calling twice is nothing. Perhaps some people have experienced calling 20-30 times and still, no action taken.

I personally have made more than 20 phone calls to TM about my Streamyx connection. It was a frustrating experience, I can assure you of that. Yet every time they give you the 'tidak apa' attitude.

Every one has his/her own experience dealing with this kind of problem. It is nothing new. In fact, it should be part of our everyday life.

How to improve like that? I also don't know.

Who can tell me how,

Kai Aun

Globalization

2011-04-20T16:11:00.002+08:00

In today's world, globalization is something you see every day. From the food you eat to the clothes you're wearing, it surely has got influence from different parts of the world.

It's kinda sad to see Malaysia where it is now, politically.

Hobart is such a small place and during a ward round with a group of doctors, you get people from all around the world. Sometimes there isn't any local Australian in the team at all, I kid you not. German, Indian, Singaporean, Austrian, Malaysian, Canadian, American...the list goes on.

It's surprising to meet so many fellow Malaysian doctors in this small place. The only thing we talked about is our place of origin, nothing further than that.

I hope you get my point here.

Fellow Malaysians earning respect from Westerners is something to be proud of. However, on the other hand, you would wonder what is going on in Malaysia?

God knows.

Still yearning for a miracle,

Kai Aun

Da Da Dum

2011-04-17T18:49:00.002+08:00

Sorry for not updating this blog. Has been busy for the past week. Paediatrics is something new to me, I have to put it this way. However, I am loving this subject.

It's already April (so fast!) and 2 more months I'll be sitting for my exams. Gah...

Haven't really started preparing for it but I hope this time will be much better than what I did last year. Fingers crossed!

Will put up something more interesting later if I have the time.

Still have to finish my reflective piece. Why do we need to do that??? !!!!

Damn. I've forgotten I need to watch Monte Carlo Masters Final today. I still need to read up a little on Paediatrics Surgery - which I'm starting on tomorrow. So many things to do.

Okay-lah. Time to go back to work.

Putting passion into words,

Kai Aun

Salmon Portion with dark soya sauce and onion

2011-04-03T17:49:00.003+08:00

I saw this recipe posted on kyspeaks a couple of weeks ago, and god knows why this is the 2nd dish that reminds me of my mum's cooking after the tau eu bak (previous post)!

I knew I had to cook this dish sooner or later.

I did not have lemongrass when I first read the post therefore I was contemplating whether or not to go ahead and cook this dish without that vital ingredient. (I know the lemongrass can make or break this dish!)

In Malaysia, you could get lemongrass almost anywhere, even at home. (Yes, my brother planted it in front of the house) Here, you really need to look carefully to find it and I spotted the fresh fruit market selling lemongrass few weeks back! :)

I bought the lemongrass today and oh yeah, they don't eat that many varieties of fish as we do so I had to substitute ma yau fish with salmon portion.

I followed the instructions from A-Z and the outcome was really satisfying.

However, I remember this dish that my mum used to cook had a little bit of sweetness in it. Perhaps she did add sugar and I'll try it next time.

Cooking isn't that difficult after all.

A change of flavour,

Kai Aun

Do I Get To Choose?

2011-03-28T17:56:00.003+08:00

I used to mock a friend of mine who did medicine because the mentor wanted her to.

I always maintain that one should choose his/her own path, not by somebody else.

However, recently, I, too, faced a similar quandary.

Maybe that's because I feel what he told me is based on his own experience, he certainly knows what he's talking about.

Good thing is, we kind of share a similar view and most importantly, the final outcome is the same.

For the past few weeks I've bumped into a few individuals who are more than willing to teach and guide me, and I certainly feel it's a blessing. Not all doctors are the same; some only teach you when you ask, some are very keen to pass their knowledge to the younger generation. It all depends on luck, seriously.

I already have a few plans in my mind. Whether or not I get to execute any of the plans, that is the million dollar question. I certainly do not want to just stick to the same road and who knows if I'll ever reach the final destination?

Life, as it seems, is all about choices.

I believe I do get to choose,

Kai Aun

Tau Eu Bak

2011-03-27T07:47:00.002+08:00

Cooked this for the 2nd time yesterday. First attempt was a success as well, that was 2 weeks ago.

This recipe is pretty similar to what I used to cook last year using the braised broth (滷汁) and the outcome is the same, just that I used to keep the leftover broth in the freezer, but for this Tau Eu Bak I basically just boil the broth till it thickens so I don't really get any leftover.

I got this recipe from kyspeaks, click here if you want to know how to cook.

Pretty simple and delicious, give it a try!

Braised me,

Kai Aun

Quote of The Day

2011-03-17T16:31:00.002+08:00

"Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

I see this every morning when I open my locker in clinical school, there's a sticker stuck on the back wall of the locker. I suppose must be by the previous user of the locker.

I think this sentence makes sense, after all. Sometimes people do not seem to care but that does not translate to they do not understand.

It happens all the time, even in the medical fraternity.

Oh well.

Hope that Japan will recover quickly. It's amazing how the Japanese stick to the rules even when facing such a big disaster. This is one nation I respect the most.

I'm still praying hard,

Kai Aun

Reality

2011-03-10T17:42:00.003+08:00

Reality is, it is never that straightforward.

It is not just about diagnosing the disease, giving correct medications and off you go.

Medicine is about taking a holistic approach and give an all-rounded care to the patient.

However, in reality, it is easier to be said than done.

I am not in a position to say change this or that.

I can only stand there, do whatever is required and back off when needs be.

Perhaps, that is the reality for me.

Sigh.

I can only pray for the best.

Kai Aun

劉若英直接

2011-03-06T16:58:00.002+08:00

作詞：廖瑩如

作曲：張起政

在朋友之間我是勇敢的

纖細敏感我也都有

愛與寂寞換句話說就能變成灑脫

我獨自經過的最後的脆弱

當初是怎麽消滅解脫

來不及痛一閃而過的自然放手

誰的最後將會屬於我

可否跳過曖昧迂回捉弄

我不追求愛要直接我接受

給我愛了就愛直接的愛

任憑直覺展開無所不在

再不要多壯烈的等待

一躍入就直接在未來

誰能愛了就愛直接的愛

瞬間彼此明白分不開

過去都被覆蓋替我找回來

並不一定的內心的缺口

非要愛填充反而墜落

別再巧合太宿命只是對號入座

誰的最後將會屬於我

可否跳過曖昧迂回捉弄

我不追求愛要直接我接受

給我愛了就愛直接的愛

任憑直覺展開無所不在

再不要多壯烈的等待

一躍入就直接在未來

誰能愛了就愛直接的愛

瞬間彼此明白分不開

過去都被覆蓋替我找回來

給我愛了就愛直接的愛

任憑直覺展開無所不在

再不要多壯烈的等待

一躍入就直接在未來

誰能愛了就愛直接的愛

瞬間彼此明白分不開

過去都被覆蓋替我找回來

Fell in love with this song recently. Rene Liu's 直接.

I love the melody of the song.

Love, as the song suggests, should be direct and straightforward.

Kai Aun

Surgery and Its Checklist

2011-03-05T06:44:00.004+08:00

I wanted to type this on Tuesday night, too sleepy and fell asleep around 9.30pm, the next day, same thing happened, again and again (until Friday night).

It's a Saturday morning now and it's freaking cold these few days. It's only beginning of autumn, mind you.

Well for the past 1 week I did my rotation in Gynaecological Oncology. Assisted in 2 surgeries and seen a couple more. Very good experience and the team was so helpful!

It was quite tiring though. I stood for 6 hours in the OT during my first assist and I can now understand how tiring it can be standing the whole day!

Speaking of which, I have just finished the book "The Checklist Manifesto: How To Get Things Right" this week. Yeap, it's the latest book by Atul Gawande.

In case you don't already know, Atul Gawande is a General and Endocrine surgeon based in the US and in this book, he talks about how having a checklist can save a patient's life, the main point being reducing unwanted errors.

He talks about how the aviation industry uses checklist to the maximum effect, as pilots do not have a margin for error. So whenever a pilot faces a critical situation, the checklist will be the best lifeline to save the day. It serves as a guide to tell you what you CANNOT miss, especially in a chaotic situation where your thoughts tend to be jumbled up and you might just go blank and don't know what to do.

I remember when I was doing my GP placement in Huonville last year, a GP told me how to survive the intern year (or houseman, if you like). As an intern has to run so many errands for the registrar and the consultant, sometimes it's not hard to miss a thing you're supposed to do and if you're unlucky, the consequence can be catastrophic.

He advised me to use a checklist. Whenever a consultant orders something during the ward rounds, draw a small box beside the patient's name. Write down what you need to order, for example, Full Blood Count, Chest X-Ray. By doing so, you will know what you need to do after the ward rounds and you can then safely tick the box after you have completed your task. Which in a way, I feel, is a checklist though not the standard checklist what Dr. Gawande was trying to propose in his book.

In the book, he talks about how using checklist during a surgery can avoid some plain stupid mistakes. He was actually invited by WHO together with other experts around the world to come up with a checklist to help reduce errors during surgery. The team had devised a checklist and it has been shown to be effective in reducing unwanted errors before, during and after a surgery.

You can read more about this initiative here.

I always feel that to err is human, however it really depends on the situation on how you err. I have seen people done stupid mistakes and to me that's really unacceptable. If you read about a recent case in Malaysia where an Indian man was falsely tested as HIV positive, it's not hard to know why people keep stressing about diligence in medicine. (I personally have seen one, but this is not a good place to discuss about it)

So, a checklist actually applies to all fields of work. Finance, aviation, engineering, law, medicine, etc. It somehow helps human to visualize the tasks ahead better, making sure you don't miss a salient point that might change the outcome of everything.

I'd say give the checklist a try.

Checked, checked, checked,

Kai Aun

A Month

2011-02-25T14:58:00.002+08:00

It has been a month since I came back to Hobart.

Things have been going well so far, though pretty slack at times.

I am sure the pace will pick up eventually, I just need to enjoy this moment.

Just need to steal time in between to do what I want to do, e.g. read books! (I have 2 to-be-finished books to read and 2 new books lying there waiting for me!) and finished up my paperwork for elective application. Gah....

Saw another C-section today. It was good though right now I think I'm so not into surgery. Haha.

However, my mentor in Malaysia keeps reminding me that the degree I'll be getting is MBBS, which means Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery. Surgery, according to him, represents half of the bulk of the total medical course and it is imperative that I know my surgical stuff.

Alright then. Time to cook dinner.

Time just flew past like that,

Kai Aun

Take A Guess

2011-02-20T13:47:00.004+08:00

What is the glove-like thing over my index finger?

Upon closer inspection....

Could you make out what is this thing called?

Kai Aun

Sit Down and Relax

2011-02-20T08:20:00.002+08:00

There were just too many events that happened within this one week.

I feel grateful that I am not mentally or physically drained and I still have the motivation to move on.

I guess it's time to sit down and relax, it's a Sunday!

I still got to prepare for my presentation.

I am doing gynae this week, gotta revise all the diseases related to gynae.

This road taken is not smooth sailing, I'm sure there are bumpy roads ahead.

I just have to tackle one problem at a time, so that I won't tire myself.

I'm officially living alone in Hobart. :) Life is not that bad, trust me.

Do not grumble,

Kai Aun

and so...

2011-02-16T18:02:00.002+08:00

the drama continues.

After the departure of a friend, another close friend has decided to change a new environment.

It's just the beginning of the year, for god's sake.

But I hope that the drama will come to an end soon. Hopefully.

I am ready for any kind of situation.

My stand on any kind of challenge (trying to provoke me) would be “超咩超？唔順超過兩招吖！”, “幾大就幾大，沙蟹就沙蟹！” and "總之有咩依郁，揸住碌竹！".

I hope every thing will be fine.

Me no pushover,

Kai Aun

All I Need Is...

2011-02-13T11:20:00.003+08:00

a LUSCS.

I've seen a normal vaginal delivery, a forceps assisted and ventouse.

I love baby checks (more than postnatal observations w/rounds).

Gah....

Tomorrow's a public holiday in Hobart. Yay! An extra day off.

Shall write more when I have the mood.

Let's peel the onion,

Kai Aun

Code Purple

2011-02-09T15:36:00.003+08:00

Was anticipating the delivery of a baby by the mother in the birthing suite (my first in Hobart - doctors and midwives kept asking me - is this your first delivery? I have actually seen a few back in Seremban years ago) and heard the chief warden announcing something through the PA system.

I heard "Code Blue, Code Blue." But apparently it's not. I must have heard wrongly. It was actually a Code Purple. Perhaps the thought of "How could it be a code purple?" made me think it was a code blue.

However, the midwife heard code purple and another midwife told me the same thing when I went for a quick drink at the tea room.

Luckily, we were in D Block and the suspicious package was found in C Block therefore the people in C Block had to evacuate.

Code Purple is actually the code for bomb threat.

You can read the whole story here.

My mind kept thinking about who the hell would want to bomb a hospital.

The midwife (very senior) I was attached to was talking to the patient about a Code Brown she experienced years ago when the Port Arthur massacre happened. Code Brown is the code for External Disaster.

According to her, the hospital at that time had to discharge a lot of patients (many were quite unfit for discharge) to empty the beds for the victims of the massacre. The assailant, Martin Bryant was sent to the hospital for treatment as well and the people were angry (they lost the plot of the whole situation) and there were bomb threats and fire threats in the subsequent days at the hospital.

Today is the 2nd time I heard about Martin Bryant. On Monday, my lecturer (a retired general surgeon) mentioned about having to treat him for burns at the burns unit (I think my lecturer was working at the unit that time) and it was really an ethical dilemma.

Would you treat a murderer after knowing he had killed so many people and the some of the victims are still lying in the hospital?

That's the food for thought for today.

Today's incident made me wondered about what happens if a similar thing occurred in the hospitals in Malaysia.

Will the hospital staff inform the police and bomb squad if they found a suspicious package, i.e. a suitcase in this case? (no pun intended)

It is anyone's guess.

Oh yeah, the baby was safely delivered, just in case you want to know. It's a baby boy :D

Different colours for different reasons,

Kai Aun

無意中聽到的對話

2011-02-05T17:35:00.002+08:00

昨天，一整個早上都在婦產科的外診和醫生一起看病人。

早上九點到下午一點半，中間沒有間斷，真的蠻累的。

這個禮拜第二次被病人拒絕，那種滋味真的很不好受。尤其是那種異光的眼神，好像我們要拿她命似的。

有時候我在想，如果今天你拒絕讓我看你，我無法從中學習，那總有一天我也會當醫生，到時候我因為今天的拒絕而無法給予妥當的治療，你是否會反過來責怪我？

可是，人生就是這樣。一種米養百種人，當然，大部分的病人都很樂於讓我參與看診過程；臨走時還不忘祝我學業順利。

昨天跟到的醫生是一位相當資深的婦產科醫生，她的人超親切的，而且很樂意教導學生，她在香港工作了十六年，我看若要用華語或粵語講她的壞話都要先三思。她是土生土長的塔斯馬尼亞人，在這間大學畢業後在偶然的機會下就到了香港居住。如今她回到自己的國土，並要她的孩子學華語！

洋人都開始發覺華語的重要性，哈哈！

看診完畢後，我還得趕去上課。那時候我其實已經遲了五分鐘，可是人有三急，就到最靠近的廁所小解。

正當我要從廁所走出來時（醫院的廁所是一間式的，應該是方便殘障人士使用），我聽到門外有兩人的對話。乍聽之下我認得出那兩把聲音，一個是婦產科的協調主任（他負責安排我們的時間表），另外一位就是那位醫生！

那主任直接就問了那位醫生，問說我在看診時的表現。

那醫生也很爽快的回答了，那主任還有特別向她提起我是國際學生，中間有一段話沒聽清楚，可是幸好不是壞的評語！

殺那間，我覺得我好像在電影情節里！電視劇不是都演兩人在廁所對話，然後有一人在其中一間里無意中聽到兩人的對話！有些還會刻意去檢查每一件廁所，確定沒有人在里頭，然後才偷偷把秘密告訴另外一位同事。

無意中聽到他們的對話後，我覺得洋人不是雙面人。當然，不能因為一樁事就下定論，可是基本上洋人個性很坦誠，好就好，不好就不好，說話不會因為怕得罪你而變得婉轉。亞洲人就相反，我們說話做事都以和為貴，盡量少衝突，所以有時候說話會變得很客套；往往都不知道他到底是不是說出心里的那句話。

婦產科真的很複雜。看著孕婦大腹便便走進來，有的毫不關心胎兒繼續抽煙，有的則太過于自責，因為胎兒身體發展有可能出問題而害怕是自己害了肚子里的孩子，讓人看了真的心酸。

還有八個星期的婦產科，希望一切都能順順利利！

母親真偉大，

凱安

O&G - 1st Week

2011-02-02T14:00:00.003+08:00

Today is my 3rd day in O&G rotation. The 2nd day, to be exact as we only had introduction and orientation on the first day.

I'm doing antenatal clinics this week. Attended Complex Care Antenatal Clinic yesterday, it was really an eye opener.

It made me realize that having a child isn't just involving medical care, it involves other aspects as well. The patients who attend the complex care clinic are those with social problems mainly, e.g. mothers who are drug addicts or mothers who are not capable of taking care of the child once he/she is born and therefore the relevant authority needs to intervene and make sure that the child is given proper care once he/she is born.

It is very sad to see mothers who are drug addicts and smokers and still doing that despite them knowing that they're pregnant. I've seen a baby boy with withdrawal symptoms last year and it still bothers me a lot.

Anyway, there is only that much the healthcare professionals can do; the choice is still the mother's.

I attended the high risk antenatal clinic today and sat in with the consultant. She's from Buffalo, NY and a little girl who came in with her mother spotted her accent and asked her about it. I realized that much earlier on but I did not really care. Still, I prefer the US accent over Australian accent, don't ask me why, it's just a personal preference. (Scottish accent is kinda terrible to catch sometimes, argh!)

High risk clinic basically deals with patients who are at high risk of developing complications during pregnancy, e.g. gestational diabetes or infections and the doctors are seeing them regularly just to make sure every thing's alright.

Went for the doctors' meeting/case presentation in the afternoon and nothing much really. Was fortunate to learn baby resuscitation from the paediatrician and that's about it.

There's a long way to go in this rotation, 9 weeks in total and I'm only at the very first week.

Tomorrow's Chinese New Year and for those of you who are back in hometown with your family members, a very Happy Chinese New Year to you and hope you enjoy your time with your family. For those of you who are in overseas or are unable to go back home, don't despair, just celebrate in any fashion you can and hopefully it'll still be a great one.

As for me, I'm going for hotpot dinner with a group of friends tonight and that's about it, really. I don't get a day off for tomorrow, no. But I do not have clinics to go tomorrow, which is a bonus for me.

Okay then, hope you enjoy your holidays/school life.

Gong Xi Fa Cai,

Kai Aun

A Tribute to Jess Lee Kar Wei

2011-01-31T04:49:00.003+08:00

If you look at the stats box at the bottom right hand side of my page, you'd see that in all of a sudden, people are coming to my blog because of my post about my ex-schoolmate, Lee Kar Wei.

That post was dated back in Dec 2005. That's about 5 years ago.

I think I should dedicate this post to her, just in case her fans get nasty and wanna bring my blog down. (I did not write anything bad about her, but not anything good either)

Okay, so I have been following this competition from the very first episode.

No choice lah, people will start talking about this show as there are a few Malaysians in it and I surely gotta keep myself up to date.

She is known to be a good singer back in secondary school days. She entered Malaysian Idol at that time and lost (it was quite a hot topic among us at that time) and I heard that she entered a few more singing competitions after that.

Her vocal is good, no doubt. I always give credit where it is due. Some of her renditions really did touch me, and I feel as a singer, she has done her job pretty well.

So, last year, I read that she had entered the Taiwanese singing competition called Superstar Avenue (or whatever you want to call it) and that is one prestigious singing competition! Right from the beginning she managed to impress the judges and soon she was labelled as one of the hot favourites to win the competition.

Luckily, she did not disappoint. Her singing has definitely improved compared to what I used to hear back in secondary school. Improvement is always a good thing and it is the only way to move forward.

People might only know her through the tele screen and do not know her real personality. What I can say is she is a good leader and organizer, the best memory being the Patriotic Song Singing Competition where she became the leader and guided us to 1st runner up. (We lost to 5B I think)

In class, she has the most powerful voice. She used to assist me in those daily class matters and there's always drama during Account class because she did not see eye to eye with someone.

Ah...those were the days.

Things have changed so much and I'm glad for her that she has finally found a stage to perform. She's definitely the talk in the town for now.

Kar Wei, congratulations once more and I wish you a successful singing career.

Signing off,

Kai Aun

Change is the Only Constant

2011-01-30T11:06:00.004+08:00

Too many things happened in the past few days.

After reaching Hobart, I unpacked my stuff and tried to sleep off the jetlag.

Went for grocery shopping and had the mediocre Asian food again.

Every meal we had reminds me of what had happened for the past 1 year.

My first day in Hobart. We carried the heavy mineral water bottles from Woolies to Liverpool Street.

Our first proper meal was in Sakura (I think). The canned spaghetti was awful.

Taking bus together, going to lectures together, talking crap together.

You always give good compliments of the food I cooked.

This year, it's not going to be the same again.

Somehow our journey together has come to an end.

I have never expected it to be such a short one. Never.

Though we are now on different paths, our ultimate destination is still the same.

That was what you told me, and I do believe so as well.

Take care and we shall strive for success together. Good luck, my friend.

*********************************************************

I first met you at the state library. One of my friends introduced me to you.

Thought we went to the same college, we have never met each other before.

You offered to give us a lift to Eastlands to do our grocery shopping.

You drove us to the property management office and also to the university accommodation office.

Thanks to you, we got a place to stay.

You drove us from the backpackers to the current house and unloaded our heavy luggages as well.

Every weekend, we would have our meals together, without fail. Every Sunday is a grocery day and we would buy all the ingredients to cook for dinner.

Sometimes we would even invite other guests to have a meal with us.

You loaned me your book for 3rd year.

Our after exam parties were crazy. DoTA, alcohol and karaoke sessions. Birthday celebrations as well.

You would drive us to friend's place to have a great moment together.

You gave me a lot of advice on how to pass the exam.

We all used to watch Top Gear on the TV and talked crap the whole night.

Now, you're heading towards the finishing line soon but you have left for a different environment.

I wish you all the best.

*********************************************************

I dedicate this post to 2 individuals who have created such a positive impact on my life during my first year in Hobart.

Without them, my life would be so different.

But this is what I am going to face this year.

People come, people go.

Change is the only constant. Life goes on.

In life, there are sure to be times where you would separate from someone you know very well, and along the way you would make new friends and life would be wonderful again.

I hope this is the case, that's for sure.

Orientation starts tomorrow and I need to get ready for 4th year.

I'll miss you guys,

Kai Aun

Back

2011-01-26T14:51:00.002+08:00

After 7 hour 15 minute of flight plus 5 hours waiting at the airport for transit, I am back.

The breeze that greeted me the moment I stepped out from the airplane was so familiar.

I will never forget the feeling. Looking back, I've spent a year at this place.

Coming back home, I was served with some big surprises. I am slowly getting used to it. Will talk about that later.

But one thing's for sure, a lot of things have changed. This isn't what I have expected, to be honest. Life goes on.

Still trying to sleep off the jetlag,

Kai Aun

Better

2011-01-17T23:41:00.004+08:00

There's too much things to say, I don't know where to start.

I am back to the virtual world after spending 2 weeks at the heart of PJ with no computer facilities, not to mention internet.

But that was 2 weeks well spent. I have learnt a lot of things in life.

I spent my Tuesdays and Thursdays in a clinic in Rawang where it is much busier than a government clinic and all patients dying to see that doctor (no pun intended). People started waiting outside of the clinic as early as 5am, just to hope to get the first queue number. (Yes, you got to take number at the clinic, 50 patients per round, and normally by 9-10am, all the 2nd round numbers have already been distributed.) The doctor works from 8am to 3pm, and in that 7 hours, he sees roughly 100 patients and he only leaves his seat ONCE during the entire period.

What makes him so successful? Is it his clinical acumen? Or his communication skills? Or the drugs he prescribed? Or the relatively cheap consultation fees?

Nobody knows for sure. What I can say is, there is always a reason behind all these.

I have just finished reading a book called "Better" by Atul Gawande.

Of all the books I had read in my entire life, this is one book I think I will recommend to every one regardless of your age, occupation and nationality.

It mainly discusses about medicine, how to improve yourself in the medical career and examples on how we have progressed so much in this field with good highlights about occasional failure as well.

Atul Gawande is a US-based surgeon and in this book, he talks on how to improve our performance and the 5 ways we can become a "positive deviant" (the most interesting part of the whole book!).

I think all medical students SHOULD and MUST read this book.

One of the ways (to become a positive deviant) is to write. Whether it is your own blog, a column in the newspaper or your personal diary, he encourages people to write.

Which I think is quite true. You never know what you wrote might be of useful advice/suggestion to other people.

I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but someone read my blog about my scholarship interview and contacted me to ask for advice. I gave the full account of my experience and she got the scholarship (I did not) and is now doing well in the States! Of course, all credits to her in obtaining the scholarship and I have no idea if my experience helped her or not.

What I want to say is sharing experience is such a wonderful thing, it is also by reading a fellow medical student's blog that I came to know about this book. Hopefully by writing my thoughts here now, you would go to your nearest bookstore and get a copy of the book and read it. Who knows that might change your perspective on medicine altogether?

I just want to reiterate, go get the book and read it. You will not regret it. Trust me.

I will share my experiences in the clinic in the upcoming posts. Stay tuned.

Who would settle for averageness,

Kai Aun

2010 Year In Review

2010-12-31T23:23:00.005+08:00

Okay, it's less than an hour to 2011. At first I thought I wouldn't be able to write this post today, but plans got changed at the very last minute therefore I think it is a good opportunity to sum up what I have experienced in 2010.

The beginning of the year was a challenging one. The very fact that I am on my own in a foreign land speaks a lot about the need to be independent and adapt to the new culture.

Living in Hobart is not that tough as what I thought initially. The people there are friendly, the place is rather small, which translates to convenience in certain sense, and the air is quite fresh = a good package if you ask me. (That also means it is a very conducive environment for study.)

Academic wise, it was a pretty rough start for me. Had to relearn neurology and the practical classes were something I wasn't looking very forward to, honestly speaking. Nevertheless, I did attend all of the lectures (even those unimportant ones where most of the people skipped) and clinical stuff was interesting!

My mid-year exam result wasn't satisfactory. In fact, it was pretty awful and that really made me feel bad throughout the 2nd semester. I had to keep reminding myself that I need to buck up for the end of year examination or else I will have to resit the exam, or worse, repeat the year.

Luckily, I passed all the exams at one go. That is the best moment in 2010 for me, really.

Also, I have made so many new friends and traveled to many new places in Australia. The party and gaming sessions we had in Hobart were really awesome and I will never forget my birthday party where somebody got drunk and the aftermath was gruesome!

The past few weeks in Malaysia had also taught me a lot of lessons in life. For one, I will make it a point to pick up martial arts if time permits because I feel there is a need to know how to defend myself. I spent a whole morning in the clinic yesterday (8am-3pm) and I have lost count on how many patients I have seen - all the cases were challenging and there were a few memorable ones - which I will share in another post...it is a reality check for me to remind myself that I must know all the fundamentals in clinical medicine in order to become a competent doctor. That's a long way to go.

I had a great time catching up with my friends in Seremban. My good friend, Alicia, came all the way from UK to Seremban just to meet the SAD gang and it was such great fun playing the poker with the guys. (Too bad JM was sick that day) How nice if Big Ass and YH were there, too. We shall have a gathering when everyone is back to Malaysia! Also, I had a simple gathering on Christmas day with my secondary school mates and every time we mention the word "PD", we would recount when was the last time we visited PD and one could only remember that time really flies...

The SAD gang (minus JM, Big Ass and YH)

What's my resolutions for 2011? I haven't thought of them yet.

But it's pretty simple actually. To pass 4th year and also to visit a new place/country.

Till then, Happy 2011 every one!

Kai Aun

Melbourne Trip Part 4 (End)

2010-12-28T22:39:00.010+08:00

This post is long overdue. I kept procrastinate throughout the holidays and I thought I should finish this post before 2010 ends.

So this post is basically about my 1 day trip to Great Ocean Road.

If you're traveling to Melbourne, chances are people will suggest you to visit Great Ocean Road and ideally you should allocate at least a day to tour Great Ocean Road.

It is not only just the 12 Apostles that are worth the trip, the scenery along the road is something one should look out for.

So, to cut things short, I actually signed up for a one-day tour together with LF and we paid about AUD70 each for the trip. (Meal not included)

We reached Swanston Street at about 8 (I think?) in the morning where the van was already there, and we departed around quarter past 8 if I remember correctly.

The tour guide is a Chinese national and the whole tour introduction was conducted in Mandarin. (Hence the rather cheap price)

As you can see above, this is one of the beaches that we saw along the way and we were fortunate to see a rainbow on that day. :)

The tour guide stopped by the roadside at one point and asked us to get down from the van.

We were wondering what's installed for us and all we could see was just a flock of birds on the ground. However, he asked us to look up at the tree and we saw a koala bear! How cool is that? You don't need to pay a single cent to enter the zoo and you can see a koala in the wild :D

Can you see the koala?

After the stop, we continued our journey and the first destination was Apollo Bay. The place is really nice and we stopped there for lunch and also to take photos.

After filling our stomach, we continued our journey to see the 12 Apostles. The weather wasn't very good on that day and it drizzled when we reached the destination.

The view of the 12 Apostles is simply breathtaking. According to the tour guide, we might not be able to see these rocks in the near future as they tend to collapse after constant erosion by the strong wave current.

The weather was kinda harsh that day and the strong wind kept blowing at us, hence the messy hair as shown in the pic above. I wished the weather could have been better as it is always a pity when you encounter a bad weather day on a one day trip.

After seeing the 12 Apostles, we then went to see the "London Bridge". Don't ask me why it is called the London Bridge, it's just a name I suppose.

The "London Bridge"

By the time we finished taking photos at the London Bridge, my jeans was kinda wet due to the rain. We finished our tour at about 5pm (I think?) and then headed back to Melbourne city.

We reached Melbourne city about 7 or 8pm and we had our dinner in one of the noodle restaurants near Chinatown. After dinner, we took a tram to Docklands to enjoy the night view of Melbourne city.

Docklands gives me the feeling of Clarke Quay in Singapore, a place where you can chill out and enjoy a pint of beer with your friends, just pure relaxing.

Strangely on that night we were there, there weren't many people and it was kinda quiet, to be honest.

This is the best shot I could offer

We then took a tram to Flinders Station and went back home. The next day early morning, LF had to catch a flight back to Malaysia while I had to fly back to Hobart in the afternoon.

That concludes my 4 days 3 nights Melbourne trip. Overall it was a great experience and I was fortunate that I had a great company throughout the trip. I think I will surely visit Melbourne again next year.

If I were to sum up the whole experience in Chinese, this is what I got to say:

四天三夜墨爾本，

旅遊趁早不要等；

美食血拼不能省，

這樣回憶才完整。

Hope that gives you a little bit of introduction about Melbourne if you plan to visit the great city in Victoria.

Kai Aun

My Holidays So Far

2010-12-21T18:47:00.003+08:00

I'm back to Malaysia for 3+ weeks now. What have I done so far?

Nothing much, really.

Eat - I eat much lesser than I would like to, honestly. I still haven't tasted roti canai yet!!!

Sleep - I think I do sleep enough these days...that is always a good sign.

Watch TV - I've been watching Gang of Guo Guang non-stop for the past 3 weeks! Ever since I got my new external HDD, I have all the space to expand my collection of all the episodes! :D

Also, TVB drama - finished watching Angels on Mission (old drama), currently watching Gun Metal Grey....still waiting for my mum to watch Can't Buy Me Love together!

Argh....I didn't know ABBA is coming to town until I watched the ad on TV today!

The tix price is kinda cheap!!!! But too bad it's on a holiday season, sure no rooms available in Genting! Maybe can go back on that night itself?

Edit: It's not the real ABBA...it's a tribute band...hence the cheap ticket price...

I hope I'll have the time and mood to post about my final day at Melbourne soon. I promise I'll get it done before 2010 ends!

Cheers!

Kai Aun

The Past and The Future

2010-12-16T18:34:00.002+08:00

I have so many things to blog about but I did not. Partly because I do not have a comfortable space to type (I'm using my laptop on my bed!) and partly because I'm so so so lazy these few weeks, which I truly believe I deserve to do so.

I am going to talk about the past and the future in this post.

Speaking of the past, I actually went back to IMU Bukit Jalil yesterday to get my certificate of completion and also academic transcript. Also met up with Mei Ying and the aunty at the photocopy shop.

Things have changed since I left IMU and while I was chatting with the aunty at the photocopy shop, there were a few Sem 1 students came in to look for 'past year papers'. They reminded me of myself, and I still remember the 'old' IMU before the renovation where we still had the cafeteria at the ground floor, the photocopy shop at the corner near the escalator and the student lounge at the 4th floor.

I still remember the times where we tried to get hold of whatever possible type of exam papers we could get, PBL faci guides and photocopied version of some popular books like Lily, Neuroanatomy Made Easy, ECG Made Easy, etc.

Looking back, that was 3 years ago. We were so 'noob' back then.

How time flies. I have already finished a year of studies in Australia and my friends are already in Semester 7 in Seremban.

I had an hour of casual chat with a Professor of Surgery the other day. He asked me about my future plans and I was taken aback with that question. Honestly, I still haven't made up my mind what I plan to do after my graduation. He told me that I should have developed a special interest in certain field by this stage and I should know what I want to do for my post-graduate studies.

According to him, medicine is no longer about reaching the degree level first and think later. Post-graduate studies is a MUST in today's world. I mentioned about a few possible choices and he gave me his opinions about the said fields.

The short chit-chatting session made me realized that I should know my future direction by now. Perhaps the reason why I am still not committed to a particular field is because dream and reality are two different entities. What I want to do in the future, I might not be given this opportunity and vice versa.

Anyway, I have some goals set in my mind and I am trying my very best to achieve them in the future. We shall see.

The future is in your hands,

Kai Aun

Home

2010-12-07T18:11:00.003+08:00

Sorry for abandoning my blog for so long.

Life has been good.

The hot and humid weather coupled with unpredictable torrential rainy days kept me reminded that I'm back to my home country.

I miss the cold weather in Tassie...perhaps what I miss is the dryness of the air. The humidity here makes me feel like I'm staying inside a steam oven.

Anyway, for the past 1 week I did some good catching up sessions with my friends.

I first met up with SAD gang for lunch and there were a few lunches and dinners thereafter where my good buddy Zen is going for the kill.

I couldn't get my old handphone start up, I need to retrieve the photo I took last time during the 'Operation Twilight.' I'll keep trying...need to resuscitate the old Sony Ericsson handphone already.

Also managed to meet up with my secondary school mates for a mamak session where we gossiped the whole night from 9.30pm to almost 1.30am! Most of them entered the workforce already, earning big bucks and climbing up the corporate ladder...how time flies!

Other than that, I've been staying at home watching TV and sleeping. I guess that's pure enjoyment - doing nothing at all. However, I shall start finding something to do soon...Just need to get a couple of matters settled and I'm ready to welcome the new year.

I will try to update this blog as frequent as possible. Till then.

Selamat kembali,

Kai Aun

Relieved

2010-11-26T12:50:00.004+08:00

I can finally let out a sigh of relief.

After weeks of anxious waiting, I finally got an answer.

It was a good one, no doubt.

I passed my 3rd year of medical studies. I'm entering 4th year next year!

It wasn't a smooth ride, I can assure you of that. If you do read my previous entries, you'd find that I had a very tough time in the 1st half of the year.

Every thing at that time seemed so bleak. I sorta lost my direction and motivation, I was getting frustrated at myself.

I don't know what the turning point was but all I can say is I rediscovered my strength in Semester 2.

Perhaps the letdown in Sem 1 did inspire me to work harder and achieve the near-impossible.

People were saying it's so freaking hard to pass all the 6 OSCE stations and I knew I were living my life dangerously at that point.

Heck, it's do or die for me. I had no choice. Realizing that, I knew I had to give my best and leave no regrets.

Thank god, I managed to achieve that. I passed all the 6 stations in the second half of the year.

I passed my theory paper as well.

Words just can't describe my feeling when I saw the 'UP' displayed on the screen. UP = Ungraded Pass, means they don't tell you your actual marks, it's either Pass or Fail only.

A topsy-turvy academic year for me, no doubt.

I am a slow starter. I tend to struggle when I'm in a new environment.

It took me 6 months to figure myself out. It's the final outcome that counts, so they say.

This will serve as a good reminder for me to buck up next year and hopefully, it'll be a smooth sailing from now onwards.

It's really a bitter first, sweet later experience,

Kai Aun

Reminiscence

2010-11-24T08:17:00.002+08:00

Is it now the season of reminiscence?

I'm afraid I can't handle it emotionally.

During the Brisbane trip, I talked to Wei Cheng about our life in secondary school.

We basically mentioned every one in the class during the entire journey from Brisbane to Sunshine Coast, even friends from other classes and seniors as well (hi Yee Mei! I know you're reading this :D)

Since I came back here (to Tassie) this week, I got in touch with friends whom I've lost contact for such a long, long time.

Also my SAD gang in Seremban. I talked crap with Zen on MSN yesterday night and it was fun. Can't wait to go back.

It feels great knowing that your friends are doing well in what they're doing, some have left Malaysia since the last time I saw them.

At the same time, those past memories do serve as a reminder how time flies.

As I told Zen yesterday, those were the days...

We can only look forward,

Kai Aun

My 23rd Birthday

2010-11-12T14:02:00.005+08:00

This post is long overdue. I wanted to write about it (as promised last year) but I was too busy preparing for exams and the mood just wasn't there.

My housemate asked me to keep this candle

Few days ago, Mian Li (a member of our IMU gang) uploaded the photos on FB and that reminded me that I should perhaps scribble a little bit on what had happened during and few days after my 23rd birthday.

As I had mentioned last year in an entry, I would celebrate my birthday in a foreign land this year. Back then, I did not know the destination yet and it turned out to be in Tasmania. It's not too bad after all.

On my birthday itself, I was in Huonville doing my GP posting and to be honest, I did not celebrate at all. Only Azfar and I were in the small cottage in Ranelagh and I slept pretty early that day. I felt happy to receive so many birthday wishes on my handphone and also on FB (I could only check those messages much later) and I'm contented with what I have.

After I came back to Hobart on Friday 24/9/2010, my friends brought me to Annapurna (an Indian restaurant) to have a meal. It was a simple dinner with a few close friends and the atmosphere was pretty good.

L-R: Mian Li, me, Kien Jeen and Niva

Zaidee and me

After we had our dinner, we headed back to my place to play some games and also to sing karaoke. Shay purposely bought a microphone just for this session and I was so surprised by it! :D Well we had trouble setting up the system but in the end we managed to get the microphone working, albeit with a very low volume as we do not have the amplifier.

What's a birthday celebration without alcohol? We bought wine, vodka, Bailey's and beer for the night and we started with wine first. Later on, we opened a bottle of Smirnoff and hence the party began!

They bought a cake for me as well and we continued having games, alcohol and karaoke. We drank quite a bit that night and my dinner ended up in the toilet (yeah go figure). I then had to sleep early because of that and what happened after that became a legacy in my house...(it was something so embarrassing that I got a shock of my life when I woke up - it's nothing sinister so stop speculating, but I'm not going to reveal it here, ask me personally if you wanna know)

My Birthday Cake

That's the superficial part. Are you ready for the emo part?

Okay, my thoughts on turning 23.

To be honest, I did not know what to expect when I first came to Hobart. Every thing was new and I had to adapt to a foreign environment, a steep learning curve no doubt. I had to admit the first half of the year was pretty tough for me and I struggled with my exams.

Things started to look better in the second half of the year and I am very happy that I get to know new friends and I really enjoyed the company here. Friends like Shay, Leang, Eugene, Joey, Hector, Jerry and also my housemates and the IMU gang really added vibrant to my life.

Living in a foreign land is not easy. Therefore to have a group of close and trusted friends is vital for survival and I am glad to say that I have found that in my first year in Hobart. Especially my housemate Yu-Han who is such a good listener and never fails to give me useful advice (she's a counsellor-to-be, so yeah) and I really appreciate that.

I am also grateful that I can still keep in touch with my friends back in Malaysia, thanks to the advancement in technology where FB and MSN are so easy for us to communicate. I still remember the day my IMU friends celebrated my 22nd birthday in Midvalley and so fast it's already one year!

I personally feel that I have grown more mature this year as I need to handle most of the things by myself and this is definitely a good training to be independent. Of course, there are more things to learn and I hope that this experience will lay the foundation in order for me to scale to greater heights. :)

Who knows what might happen next year? Just wait and see.

Another year has passed,

Kai Aun

Overdrawn

2010-11-05T08:17:00.002+08:00

I overdrawn my account. :(

Luckily the bank sent an SMS to notify me about that. At first I thought it was a hoax SMS trying to cheat people. However, looking at the account number I realize it might be for real.

All because I transferred the money from one account to another and I forgot to change the regular schedule to draw money from the new account.

Argh. I was supposed to pay my house rental yesterday! I think the bank did pay my uni, but had to do an overdraw and I was charged for that. :(

Anyway, I'm impressed at the efficiency of the bank in notifying me and also the convenience of banking here. Everything is done online and it's so simple and easy, you really don't need to go to the bank. Unlike in Malaysia, the only online banking service I've used is CIMB and sadly to say, the web interface of the internet banking is still not up to expectations. The other one I've used is UOB and that was even worse!!!!

Alas, I think given time, the interface and user-friendliness of internet banking in Malaysia can improve, hopefully. I shall just wait and see.

Looking at the minus sign isn't a happy thing at all,

Kai Aun

Mind Power

2010-11-04T11:54:00.001+08:00

I realize our mind is the most powerful thing in this world.

Nothing can beat that.

Kai Aun

Chicken Rice

2010-10-26T17:52:00.002+08:00

I personally prefer roast chicken over steamed chicken. I was talking to Zaidee when we had lunch this afternoon as he reminded me about the chicken rice in IMU. Ah...those were the days. The chicken rice in IMU was quite good to be honest, I love the fragrance of the rice!

Cooking chicken rice sounds like a daunting task. To me, at least. At home, my mum always cooks her own version of the chicken rice. It's roast chicken but not the typical flavour you can taste from the chicken rice stall. When I first came to Hobart, I missed her chicken rice a lot and one day I decided to ask her about it.

My mum, as usual, insists cooking is easy and she told me the recipe over the phone. Ah, sounds quite easy. I've cooked quite a few times and each time turned out good. So yeah, cooking this roast chicken + rice is quite easy.

The photo above shows:

Roast chicken maryland (flavored using salt and five spice powder - easy as that!)

Chicken rice (using the stock after boiling the chicken + garlic + ginger)

Boiled lettuce and asparagus

Cucumber slices

It's easy to cook and does not consume a lot of time. I miss the Loo Thin chicken rice in Rasah Jaya though. :(

Can you smell what's cooking,

Kai Aun

Exams

2010-10-26T15:49:00.002+08:00

I have lost count on how many exams I had sat for since I entered med school.

Formative, summative, big test, small test, EOS, mock OSCE, the real OSCE...the list goes on.

SAQ, MCQ, OBA, EMQ, MEQ...all sorts of exam format.

Sat for 100 EMQs and 5 SAQs today.

The EMQs were difficult, not very well set I'd say. Some questions came with only one stem with 10 choices, it's more of like having a MCQ question with 10 choices. *shake head*

It's pretty tiring as well. Imagine having to go through 100 EMQs and the mind has to keep striking off the wrong ones and pick the correct answer from the bunch of possible diagnoses. By the end of the EMQ, my mind was literally exhausted. Light headedness plus a little bit of ache but I could cope with that.

SAQs were not too bad, except for one question where my mind was so tired I made a blunder. Sigh. The bad of memorizing abbreviations all the time, and when exam comes, you need to write in full and the worst thing is when there's two similar abbreviations! :(

Anyway, one down, two more to go. 100 MCQs waiting for me on next Monday and OSCE's on next Thursday.

Hope my prayer's answered,

Kai Aun

人生

2010-10-24T14:48:00.004+08:00

這是我從網上讀到的：

我們每一天都是在幻生、幻受，過了百年以後，什麼都沒有了。一歲的時候，出場亮相；十歲的時候，學業至上；二十歲的時候，青春蕩漾；三十歲的時候，職場闖蕩；四十歲的時候，稍微發胖；五十歲的時候，老當益壯；六十歲的時候，血壓向上；七十歲的時候，偶爾遺忘；八十歲的時候，搖搖晃晃；九十歲的時候，迷失方向，出去就回不來了；一百歲的時候掛在牆上。每個人都一樣啊！每一個人都差不多啊！

我個人認為，以上的就是人生的縮寫，不管你喜不喜歡，人生就是這樣。

所以，認真渡過每一天，做好自己本份，就是最好的修行了。

凱安

Different Opinions

2010-10-22T09:07:00.003+08:00

It didn't turn out to be as bad as what I thought initially. :)

She said, "It's just different people marking. I would have given you a borderline."

I hate assignments that are solely based on one's subjective opinion.

Different people have different opinions.

Which is why in medicine it is advisable to seek a 2nd opinion because what Doctor A told you might not be of the same opinion from Doctor B.

To look at things from a different perspective, sometimes you would just pray hard that you won't get a strict lecturer in exams who is so fussy and picky about every single little thing. Not to say strict is no good, but at times you'd just prefer to get a straight pass instead of having to go through all the hassles just to get that "P".

That's part and parcel of life, just have to accept it and have the belief that these things will make you stronger.

It's time to hit the panic button,

Kai Aun

A Call

2010-10-21T05:45:00.003+08:00

that really made my day.

Thank you Alicia for calling all the way from UK!

I really appreciate it. Thanks so much!!!

That's life I guess.

One moment ago you might be grieving over a loss, the next moment something good comes up to you and every thing is back to normal.

Cheers,

Kai Aun

Shocked

2010-10-20T18:07:00.002+08:00

I find it very, very, very hard to accept the news.

It came as a shocker to me.

Perhaps it will serve as a good reminder.

Life moves on.

Kai Aun

Countdown...

2010-10-19T06:15:00.000+08:00

...to exam.

Need to push, push and push!

Wish me luck.

Kai Aun

Retarded and Childish

2010-10-17T11:45:00.003+08:00

I was googling for something just now and accidentally went to a girl's blog.

In one of her posts, she said she couldn't wait for Mr. Lim to retire because after his retirement she would be able to keep her hair long.

She also mentioned she regretted studying in CW, should have studied in ACS instead.

Hello? This has nothing to do with who is the principal of CW okay, it's a school rule that has been there for generations.

This shows how rebellious the girl is. Can't even abide by the law. Sigh.

Girls who graduated from CW, feel free to comment on what you think of the school rule that states 'female students must keep their hair short.' I'm pretty sure you girls have a lot of things to say.

Facepalm for N time,

Kai Aun

Double Relief

2010-10-16T17:44:00.002+08:00

My lecturer told me the other day that the patient whom I got to do the punch biopsy on had compound naevi instead of SCC.

That's the first relief.

Then, he continued telling me that the wound healed perfectly and there were no signs of infection whatsoever. In fact, he said the wound that I sutured healed better and nicer than the one he did. I'd take that as a compliment. :)

That's the second relief.

So, it's double relief in total.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions,

Kai Aun

New Word

2010-10-14T18:23:00.003+08:00

I was quite headache whether to type this in Chinese or English, and I suddenly realize all my readers can read BM. So if you can't, means you don't belong here. Heh. Joking only, but yeah, this post is basically for Malaysians.

Saya mungkin faham kenapa kita tidak diberi penghargaan yang sepatutnya. Mungkin Bahasa Inggeris kita tidak powerful enough, barisan hakim tidak suka cara kita bercakap.

Sebenarnya, tiada siapa yang tahu sebab apa untuk selama-lamanya. Kadang-kala, adalah lebih baik jika kita anggap tiada apa yang berlaku, lupakannya sajalah.

I learnt a new word today. My friend said to me, "I thought you guys were jipped." I was like, "Huh? What do you mean?"

I have to admit my English isn't up to the Aussie standard. But, I should know the meaning of the word judging from what my friend was trying to tell me.

It turned out to be sort of a slang rather informal word. No wonder I have never come across this word in my life.

At least I guessed the meaning right. And yeah, we were jipped today.

That's all about it,

Kai Aun

Norman & Dann

2010-10-14T16:48:00.003+08:00

A lot of things happened today. Very frustrating incident to say the least. But it serves as a reminder to always reflect on things and accept whatever that can't be changed.

My housemate gave me this lovely chocolates when I came back home today. She bought it for me, very nice of her! It's liquor chocolate with cherry (the cherry is the core) and I haven't tried it yet. Looks very tempting though.

She got it from a shop called Norman & Dann in Salamanca Square, a place about 5 minutes walk from where I stay. She asked me to try the dark chocolate coated coffee bean the other day and god, it's so freaking addictive! Imagine eating a small round chocolate ball with pure coffee bean inside, the aroma of the coffee bean is just beyond words! (Pre-order from me now, I can bring some for you if you want hehe)

I have yet to check out the shop, but probably will do so during the weekends.

I will talk about what happened today if I have the right mood later.

Where do I belong,

Kai Aun

Modified Version of 螞蟻上樹

2010-10-12T17:23:00.003+08:00

Fried glass noodles is one of my favourites food because the texture of glass noodles is springy and bouncy enough (Taiwanese call it Q) but not too rough, especially when it is fried.

I miss the fried glass noodles in Alison and also the 螞蟻上樹 of Esquire Kitchen. 螞蟻上樹 is actually a Szechuan dish and as you know, Szechuan dish equates to hot and spicy, which I love so much.

One of the ingredients in 螞蟻上樹 is spicy bean paste (辣豆瓣醬), which I didn't use because I wanted to try something different.

Instead, I used Teriyaki sauce with Teochew hot chili oil to fry the glass noodles. Hint of saltiness with the aroma of wine plus the spiciness of the hot chili oil. A perfect combination.

Why do I call it modified version of 螞蟻上樹? Because there's supposed to be minced pork in this dish, but I did not put any meat at all. Vegetarian version. Haha. It's not done on purpose, it's just because I did not have any meat in the fridge, so I added more vegetables instead.

Ingredients: Glass noodles, red cabbage, cos lettuce, fresh mushrooms, bean curd puff and egg

Sauce: Teriyaki and Teochew hot chili oil

The outcome? Suit my taste buds I'd say. Love the fragrance of glass noodles.

Who wants to try? Just give me the kitchen and I'll cook for you.

Pushing the limits,

Kai Aun

Currently Reading

2010-10-11T18:42:00.004+08:00

Exam is only 2 weeks away. Argh.

Stress-nya!

Besides reading Murtagh's General Practice, Davidson's, OCHM, Das' Surgical Manual, Goodman and Gillman's Pharmacology, what else can I read when I'm so tired of reading medical books?

Currently reading: October issue of Australian Tennis Magazine and Eat, Pray, Love

I just love the cover of Rafa holding the US Open trophy (finally), how could I not buy this issue?

Eat, Pray, Love is currently the most 'happening' topic because of the newly released movie based on the memoirs written by Elizabeth Gilbert. I come to know this book not because of the movie, but due to a rather bizarre coincidence, which I will not talk about it here. Even the staffs in Huonville where I had my GP posting were talking about the movie, it somehow feels good when you know about a certain topic and could join in as well! :D

I rather not talk about currently watching. Heh. (But if you read my FB status you'll know, I shall talk about that in another post.)

Looking forward with optimism,

Kai Aun

Lethal Combination

2010-10-09T17:49:00.003+08:00

I cooked fried noodles for dinner today.

Fried noodles with vege, fried egg and bean curd puffs.

Fried using tom yam paste and nasi lemak sambal.

A lethal combination.

Sour and spicy. I've been eating the sambal for few days in a row. MmmmMmm...

Hope my stomach can withstand the pressure.

Cooking needs a little bit of inspiration,

Kai Aun

Spring

2010-10-09T15:58:00.003+08:00

Spring is finally here.

Flowers every where, birds chirping happily, green green grass.

A transition in mood.

I can feel the warmth.

Let it be good.

Kai Aun

GP Posting @ Huonville

2010-10-08T17:51:00.009+08:00

So 2 weeks ago, I started my GP posting at Huon Valley Health Centre, Huonville.

The sign board

As mentioned in previous post, Huonville is a place where apple planting industry used to flourish but has declined since many years ago.

The clinic I was posted to is quite a large practice and I have to stress this again and again, the staff are extremely friendly people to work with! You somehow feel like they are a family working together trying to provide the best healthcare to the community of Huonville. Very very positive spirit.

I also visited the pharmacy in Huonville, the chiropractor and the physiotherapist to understand their nature of work in terms of providing healthcare to the patients. I did a home visit with the community nurse down south in Dover and that was really a new experience for me. Dover is such a nice place and one of the houses we visited could actually see Bruny Island across, how cool is that? I had the chance to spend a morning at Eldercare, which is a nursing home. I can guarantee you that the moment you step your foot into the place, you will not think that you're actually visiting a nursing home! The place is like hotel. OMG. Freaking nice! Individual rooms with a personal TV each, the dining hall is decorated with every single detail well taken care of, the residents there are quite comfortable I would assume.

I sat in with the GPs for consultations and for the past 2 weeks I really observed quite a number of interesting cases. My GP was kind enough to arrange 3 diabetic patients for me to interview as we have to submit a diabetes care plan and the 3 patients had different attitude towards the disease and approach in controlling it.

Among the interesting cases I saw were hand, foot and mouth disease (many many cases - an outbreak), costochondritis, Dupuytren's contracture, shingles, Sicca syndrome, molluscum contagiosum, Factor V leiden etc. I also learnt quite a few tricks on how to examine and come to a correct diagnosis.

I particularly enjoyed my sessions with Dr John Riley, an American doctor who is so confident in diagnosing his cases and also giving useful advice to patients. He is an extremely experience doctor and he used to work as a medical director in a state hospital back in the USA. He has strong interest in psychiatry pharmacology and I love his American accent. :D

With Dr Riley

I had a few sessions with my lecturer Dr Seidel and he is a very good listener and I can see that many patients love talking to him. He has a jar of balloons on his desk and every time a paediatric patient comes to see him, he'll blow a balloon for him/her. Sometimes when there's siblings around, he'll ask me to blow a balloon for the brother/sister as well. Kids surely would like to see him again. Hahaha.

There are a few other GPs working in the practice and I did spend my time with them as well. Different doctors have different approach to a case and my personal view is that it doesn't matter how you tackle a problem, the important thing is that you can come to a correct diagnosis and initiate a proper management plan.

With Dr Cremasco, one of the GPs

I also spent quite a fair bit of my time with the practice nurse, Kerrie, who is so lovely and willing to guide me. I love her cautiousness when carrying out procedures and she follows the exact SOP which is a good example for everyone else.

With Kerrie, the practice nurse

With Suzanne, the receptionist

With Ros, one of the staff

With Margaret, the receptionist

Surprisingly, during my last day there, I saw a patient who came in just to talk to the doctor. She was well and she came in to talk about her marriage problems. Apparently her husband has anger management problem and she was so desperate to sort things out because she could not tolerate that anymore. The GP spent like 45 minutes just listening to her and giving her some useful advice. So, the work of a GP is not just confined to seeing normal cough and cold; sometimes people tend to talk to a GP about their family matters, their relationship issues and etc. I think this is what family medicine is all about. Comprehensive.

I think the most memorable thing during my 2 weeks stay there was I had a chance to do a punch biopsy. A gentleman in his 60s came in with 2 skin lesions, one on the right thorax and another one on the left leg. Dr Seidel was the GP in charge of removing the lesion and I assisted him on that day. He took out the one on the thorax and asked me to remove the lesion on the left leg.

The procedure involved injecting local anaesthetic around the lesion, put on the drape (I don't know the exact name, argh!) around the lesion, punch the lesion, cut the skin off using scissors, put the lesion into the specimen bottle, suture the wound and dress it.

I was so nervous as it was my first time doing a full procedure. I had to do everything from A-Z and I am really grateful to Dr Seidel for giving me the chance to learn. Certainly a new experience for me.

I enjoyed every moment during the 2 weeks. Rural health in Tasmania is quite interesting to say the least. Maybe I could buy a house in Dover and stay there post-retirement. Haha.

When you start to treasure things,

Kai Aun

海灘之旅感想

2010-10-04T15:24:00.002+08:00

（攝于Long Beach 2010年10月3日）

人生其實像大海
發生的事如浪濤
浪濤沖上海岸後
支離破碎始回海
大風大浪仍是海
千層浪啊萬層浪
回歸海中就一樣。

Back to Reality

2010-10-03T09:19:00.002+08:00

I am back in Hobart after spending 2 weeks in Huonville, Tasmania. That was really a new experience for me, in terms of interpersonal skills and lifestyle adaptation.

During the 2 weeks, I observed and learned a lot on how to communicate with people. Medicine is not only about coming to a right diagnosis and prescribing the correct drug; it also involves talking to people and reassuring them that this or that illness can be treated with correct medications. Worst still, breaking bad news to a patient. All these for family medicine/General practice, at least.

Huonville is a small town about 40minutes drive south from Hobart, it was once renowned for the apple planting industry. In fact, Tasmania got the nickname of "Apple Isle" because of Huon Valley. However, the industry died many years ago because of the open market where apples were imported from other places/countries as well; many farmers decided not to plant apples anymore because of the sharp decline in apple prices, they switched to planting other fruits such as cherries instead.

The place I was posted to is Huon Valley Medical Centre. It is a fairly large practice with up to 4 GPs working at one particular time. There are 3 nurses and 2 receptionists as well. The clinic is quite spacious with a comfortable waiting room where you can see the garden and scenery outside, with ample of natural light shining into the room. This idea was the brainchild of the owner of the practice, Dr Adriane Hebblewhite, many many years ago. She envisioned setting up a clinic where patients get to see the natural scenery and have a calm and peaceful mind even when coming to see a doctor, and I think this is a brilliant idea.

I stayed at a cottage in Ranelagh, a very small neighborhood about 10minutes drive from Huonville. The cottage is actually owned by a couple and they rent the cottage to people who want to experience country life, and the university normally rents the house for students who are doing the GP posting in Huonville.

I shall talk more about my experience in the upcoming post. With photos as well. I think I should stop writing now.

Kai Aun

Away

2010-09-19T06:11:00.002+08:00

Hello all,

I am so sorry that I did not update my blog for the past one week. As some of you might have noticed on my FB status, emo-ness caught up with me and I wasn't really in a mood to blog.

I actually intended to finish my last post about the Melbourne trip yesterday night but heck, I felt so tired I slept at 11pm. Grrrrr.

So, I guess I'll have to write that post some time later. By later I mean probably 2 weeks later.

Yes, that's right. I'll be away for 2 weeks. Rural placement for my primary care rotation.

I think when I come back, I will have a lot of things to reflect upon. Especially what I wrote one year ago. :)

Weather in Tassie has been quite unforgiving recently due to the polar blast. Rain and strong wind at the same time. It's supposed to be spring...I can wait, I can wait.

It sucks when there will be no internet connection at the place I'm gonna stay.

So, wishing you people Happy Mid-Autumn Festival in advance. Enjoy.

Won't be long,

Kai Aun

No Joke

2010-09-12T10:27:00.003+08:00

The lecturer said "Some think it is a joke."

I can not afford to do that. No jokes for me.

Every moment is a vital one for me.

I am left with no option, the only way is to push through the obstacles ahead and aim for the finishing line.

In the moment of desperation, I can only tell myself "Yes, let's do it."

I've finished the autobiography of Andre Agassi and in the first chapter, he mentioned that he kept talking to himself in order to make himself believe that he can. To quote, "This is when I begin to say things to myself, crazy things, over and over, until I believe them. For instance, that a quasi-cripple can compete at the U.S. Open. That a thirty-six-year-old man can beat an opponent just entering his prime. I've won 869 matches in my career, fifth on the all-time list, and many were won during the afternoon shower."

I am no Andre, but I tend to have a similar habit of talking to myself during shower. That's the time where I can get close to myself, free from any distractions both physically and mentally and that's the time where I try to convince myself of the things I have to achieve. That's the time where inspirations come, where all the thoughts in my mind are free flowing.

I love the last sentence "...and many were won during the afternoon shower." It shows that self-belief can boost one's confidence, and I feel that if you believe in yourself, the battle is half won. How to build up self confidence? That's through endless practice and practice makes perfect.

One way of positive thinking is to look at the worst possible outcome and consider how would that affect the overall result. My mum told me, "Look, that's the worst it could get, so what is there to fear?"

Ah. I think that makes sense. 最壞最壞的結局也不過如此。

If you have been or are currently facing the same dilemma, hope this post will somehow motivate you to strive for success.

I love to contradict myself,

Kai Aun

Melbourne Trip Part 3

2010-09-09T22:33:00.011+08:00

Sorry about the long delay. Life has been quite hectic for me, but thank god I got a day off tomorrow. No, it's not because it's Hari Raya tomorrow, it is just how my timetable is scheduled. :D

So, continue about Melbourne Trip Day 3.

Woke up early in the morning to catch a train from Royal Park station to Melbourne Central station. The itinerary for the day was to tour around the city.

The journey from Royal Park station to Melbourne Central took us about 20 minutes and Melbourne Central is something like a mall (like those you find in Singapore) within the railway station. You can find all sorts of things there ranging from food to clothes, pretty convenient. They even have a Coles inside, very cool.

So, first destination was Queen Victoria Market. There is a saying that you must visit Queen Victoria Market if you're in Melbourne, I don't know how true is that though.

You can find every thing under one roof

Basically you can find all the stuff you need in QV Mart, like fresh fruits and vege, meat, pastries and bread, souvenirs, snacks and clothes. The garment section does resemble our own Petaling Street to be honest. Plus the stall operators are not local Aussies but Asians (either Vietnamese or Thai or Cambodian, I am not sure), so you get the picture.

LF bought a few soft toys as souvenirs and we had a donut each at the market. There is a stall outside of the market (the stall is actually an old small sized lorry, you won't miss it) and each donut costs AUD1 only, pretty cheap. The filling is either raspberry or strawberry jam, I am not sure.

After that, we went to have our breakfast. Walked around the city but couldn't find a shop that suited our taste. In the end, we settled for Subway and we shared a foot long sub. Next stop, we went to KoKo Black.

There are actually 2 school of thought in term of hot chocolate. I've read and heard many people recommending Max Brenner, and it's basically something you can't miss it if you visit Melbourne. Recently, there have been quite a number of people talking about KoKo Black, and my housemate recommended me to try their Iced Chocolate. My cousin and Chun Loo did recommend the place as well, so I decided to give it a go.

We went to the branch located at Lygon Street. I ordered Iced Chocolate while LF ordered Belgian Hot Chocolate (IIANM). My Iced Chocolate was specially prepared by the chocolatier inside the kitchen.

The chocolatier making my Iced Chocolate

Are you tempted?

My review? The beverage is pure chocolate, very addictive at the first sip. Especially the ice-cream, I still have no idea what kind of ice-cream they use. Very creamy and not too overpowering, and the choc flakes on the top of the drink is pure heaven. Highly recommended.

Then, we walked to Old Melbourne Gaol but did not enter because we need to pay to see the inside of the old jail. Just took some pictures outside.

Old Melbourne Gaol

My friend Chun Loo had agreed to meet up around lunch time and while waiting for him, we walked to Melbourne Museum. Oh my, the museum is so huge and from the outside it looks superb. Took some photos there and we did not enter due to time constrain. I think anyone who visits Melbourne should pay a visit to the museum, looks very interesting indeed.

Outside of Melbourne Museum

I told Chun Loo that I wanted to go Rod Laver Arena. On the way there, we stopped by the Parliament and took a photo there. The walk from Melbourne Museum to Melbourne Park (where Rod Laver Arena is) took us about 20 minutes or more. Quite far actually.

One of my must do things in Melbourne is to visit Rod Laver Arena. I just could not describe my feelings when I see the big sign 'Rod Laver Arena' when we reached the stadium. That's the place where Agassi and Nadal hoisted the trophy. Unbelievable.

Chun Loo and I @ Rod Laver Arena

I also saw Hisense Arena from far but did not walk to that place. That's the 2nd main stadium of the Australian Open. Also took a photo with the giant statue of Rod Laver.

Hisense Arena

We had our lunch in Chinatown again, this time a Shanghai dumpling restaurant. It's not the tastiest dumplings in the world, but the price is just too cheap to resist. We talked about so many things over lunch and man, I felt time really flies when I was reminded of my primary school life.

I parted with Chun Loo after lunch and we went to the State Library after. The State Library of Victoria is so damn big that I felt that Tasmania's State Library is just a small shack in the middle of Hobart city. Gahhhh. The place is worth a look and probably snap some photos.

State Library of Victoria

The weather in Melbourne during my few days there wasn't pretty. It started raining after we walked out from the library. Had to find cover in McD while waiting for the rain to stop.

We decided to continue our journey even though it was still raining. Visited the Arts Centre and I love the place so much that I decided to camwhore a bit. Heh.

Love the effect

We sat in the Arts Centre while waiting for the rain to stop. I contacted my cousin and discussed where to have our dinner.

This is to prove I've been there

The mirrors are just awesome

The rain finally stopped and we went to Crown Casino to have a look. I still prefer the atmosphere of Genting Casino but don't ask me why. It's just the feeling.

Sorry this is just the parking entrance, not the main entrance

We then proceeded to meet with my cousin for dinner. We dined in a Malaysian restaurant and I ordered char kuey teow, probably my first in 8-9 months? Not too bad.

After dinner, my cousin brought us to visit University of Melbourne. We walked around the campus and took some photos. We even entered their library (just one of the libraries) and it's quite huge and the collection of Chinese books!! *gasps* Sorry no photos to show because I reckoned the camera wouldn't be good enough to take low lighting shots, hence all the photos were taken by LF (still waiting for him to upload in FB).

That marks the end of our tour in Melbourne city. Did not have time to shop though, probably next time.

Next post (Final post): Great Ocean Road and my conclusion

Learning from mistakes,

Kai Aun

Melbourne Trip Part 2

2010-08-31T20:37:00.016+08:00

Sorry for the delay. Started a new rotation this week and took me some time to get settled down. Bracing myself for the hectic weeks ahead.

So, Day 2 in Melbourne. Woke up early in the morning so that we could follow my cousin's housemate (he works in Melbourne) to the city. He drove us to apartment (my cousin's friend) and parked his car there. From there, we took a tram to Southern Cross Railway Station.

Our plan for Day 2 was to visit Ballarat Wildlife Park and the city itself. From Southern Cross Station, we bought our train tickets at AUD20.80 each (which includes unlimited train, tram and bus rides for the day) and we sort of ran to the platform to catch the train. It was only 4 minutes before departure and luckily we managed to catch the train just on time.

Taken while waiting for the train to move

The journey to Ballarat took us 1 1/2 hour and it was quite a smooth one. Once we reached Ballarat Railway Station, we went to the bus stop outside the railway station hoping to catch a bus to the wildlife park. Unfortunately, there is only a bus every hour and the next bus was scheduled at 11.09 am. We reached the station at 10.35 am. With more than half an hour to spare, we decided to walk around the city and hunt for food. We walked to the city centre and found a cafe and had a light sandwich before heading to the bus stop.

Luckily, the bus was on schedule and we boarded Bus No. 8 to the Ballarat Wildlife Park. The distance from the city centre is about 10 minutes drive.

Ballarat Wildlife Park

So we walked into the park and to be honest, the park looked very small to me. That was my first impression. We were greeted by the staff at the counter and he asked if we want to enter the park. The entrance fee is AUD26 (if I remember correctly) and by showing the V/Line ticket (the train ticket), we get to enjoy 15% discount. Paid for the ticket and entered the park. LF did ask him specifically if we get to get up close with the animals and he gave us an affirmative 'Yes'.

The first animal which came to greet us was a kangaroo. There were plenty of them, and those who came close to us were literally begging for food. (You can buy the food to feed the animals there) We snapped some photos with the kangaroos and then came the emus. Emus are something like ostrich and according to wiki, they are actually ostrich's relative.

This kangaroo is waiting for me to feed him

Emu - relative of ostrich

We then went to the reptile house where we get to see snakes, lizards and tortoise. After that, we saw more kangaroos (again) and emus and birds. We also saw an eagle in the cage. Later, we saw koalas and guess what, tasmanian devils! This is the first time I see a tassie devil and surprise surprise, it wasn't in Tasmania but Melbourne! What an irony.

This devil was trying hard to escape his confinement

100 years on, we might see ALL animals in such display

There was a model of Tasmanian Tiger being put on display as well.

We finished the tour in the wildlife park at 12 something and took the bus back to the city. Then, we had our lunch at a Japanese restaurant in Ballarat city centre before we proceeded to Lake Wendouree.

Ballarat city is really like Hobart. A total contrast to Melbourne. No sky scrappers, no light pollution, friendly people. I couldn't help but feel so much at home when I was walking in the Ballarat residential area.

The city centre in Ballarat

Lake Wendouree is a lake 10 minutes walk from the city centre. We did not really explore much there, just took a few photos as we needed to rush to board the train back to Melbourne. But one thing I can say is the lake is beautiful.

This is a nice place to jog and walk

Lake Wendouree

Ballarat Railway Station

We took the train from Ballarat back to Melbourne and reached Melbourne at 5.30 pm. I had earlier promised to meet my primary schoolmate and IMU friend, Chun Loo, at 6 pm in Chinatown. So we walked to the Chinatown and waited for him there. As usual, took a few photos while waiting.

Me at Melbourne Chinatown

It was drizzling at that time and finally I get to meet Chun Loo again since my days in IMU. He wanted to bring us to a restaurant but sadly it was close that day. Looking for other alternative, we decided to dine in a Szechuan restaurant in Chinatown. We ordered 3 dishes and oh my, the portions were huge and we really struggled to finish them! (Sorry, I did not take any pics of the food, gotta wait for Luen Fai to upload to his FB) Met my lecturer in the restaurant. (If you think Hobart is small, think again) What are the odds of meeting my lecturer in a restaurant in Melbourne on a particular day and time? (Spooks me)

After dinner, Chun Loo brought us to his apartment in the city (opposite Southern Cross station) and we had a chat before he dropped us at Crown casino as he had to leave to pick his brother from the airport. We walked around the casino (did not enter) and took photos of the night view of Melbourne. Pardon the poor image quality, I'm not good at taking photos at low light conditions.

Night view in Melbourne

After that, we walked to Flinders Street railway station and took the train to Royal Park, and walked back home from there. That marks the end of our Day 2 in Melbourne.

Next up: Melbourne city tour

Uploading photos can be such a pain in the arse,

Kai Aun

Melbourne Trip Part 1

2010-08-29T12:16:00.002+08:00

Just came back from Melbourne trip on Thursday.

Spent 5 days 4 nights there. Overall, the trip was fantastic.

Had been eyeing to go to Melbourne since the day I came to Australia but somehow did not have a proper plan and maybe a proper companion.

This time round, the opportunity presented to me was hard to resist. My secondary schoolmate, Luen Fai, was planning on a solo trip to Australia and he asked if I would like to travel to Melbourne with him.

The initial plan was that he stays with his friend while I stay with mine. However, there was a sudden change of plan due to unforeseen circumstances, I decided to stay at my cousin's place together with LF.

LF visited me in Tassie on 17/8 and spent a few days here before we flew to Melbourne on the 22nd. We took Tiger Airways and the flight was a smooth one. (Tiger had changed the departure time few weeks before the flight)

We reached Melbourne Airport around 3.30pm. Had to look for transport to my cousin's place, went to ask at the SkyBus counter, was told that they will only send us to the Southern Cross Railway Station, they do not send passengers to private residential area.

We then went to the airport information counter and requested for an air transporter (the bus which sends you to and from airport) and paid AUD35 for return trip. Minutes later, we were told to go to the bus stop and wait for the bus to pick us up. It's more of a van, actually. Boarded the van and gave the driver the address. He frowned and looked at me, asking if I know the place. I said no, first time here. He had to study the directory (as thick as Yellow Pages) and minutes later he said he could not locate the place on the map. I again tried to look for it as well and pointed out the place to him. (It's because the guy at the information counter wrote the place's name as one word, which in this case it should be 2 separate words. Note - write and spell the address clearly as one mistake can cause a big difference)

Sat in the van for nearly 2 hours before he finally found the place. That's after he dropped all the other passengers off in the city area. Tired, we finally reached my cousin's doorstep. Rang the bell and she came out to greet us, together with a extremely hyperactive dog named Happy.

Settled down and moments later, dinner was served. She and her housemates cooked the dinner and we had a light conservation across the dining table. After dinner, discussed with LF about the plan for the next few days and I then booked the tour to Great Ocean Road for Wednesday.

Few hours after dinner, my cousin told me that the housemates wanted to go out for ice-cream. So we followed them to Lygon Street in Melbourne city. The shop was packed with Asians and business was brisk. We ordered a large cup (4 scoops) and shared among 4 people. Me, my cousin, LF and my cousin's friend, who came 10 minutes after we arrived at the shop.

The first night in Melbourne was a good one because the weather was just so nice. I could sleep with my short pants! Imagine doing that in Hobart. I'd be frozen to death. Maybe the insulation of the house was so good that I feel warm throughout my stay there.

Next post: Ballarat city and the wildlife park.

Till then,

Kai Aun

Andre Agassi: OPEN

2010-08-18T12:27:00.003+08:00

The book I ordered 2 weeks ago has finally arrived!

Was so blur today because we (me and Zaidee) did not check the updated timetable where the class we were supposed to have had been cancelled.

10 minutes after I walked back from the hospital, somebody knocked on the door.

Yes, it's the delivery man passing the book to my housemate.

Took the parcel from my housemate and opened it straight away.

Ah.....lo and behold!

There was once a sales going on at a local bookstore selling this autobiography. I was tempted to buy but I was kinda undecided and when I finally decided I was gonna buy it, there were no more sales. Time passed by and I kept telling myself this is one book I gonna get this year.

So, I surveyed around and finally decided to get it from bookdepository. The delivery time was a little bit long but as it is free delivery, I think it's worth the wait.

Only read the first page and I got a feeling I will finish this book in no time. Finally I got something to read when I'm bored.

Time to go do some reading.

Image is every thing,

Kai Aun

Long Beach

2010-08-15T18:15:00.004+08:00

This was an impromptu visit for the 3 of us.

Didn't realize the existence of the beach until today.

Did not bring camera with me. Only handphone camera.

I have no idea why is it called Long Beach?

It's located somewhere at Sandy Bay.

I have found another place to go in Hobart if I need a peace of mind.

Whose fault is it anyway?

Kai Aun

陶吉吉 - 愛我還是他

2010-08-13T01:27:00.000+08:00

This song used to carry all my dreams - and is still now. Not about love, but my future.

Every time I listen to this song, it reminds me of the optimism in life I used to have.

Life can be wonderful and turn miserable in a second.

Treasure what you have now.

Time to sleep,

Kai Aun

Tradition

2010-08-12T20:29:00.002+08:00

It's the nearly the end of 7th week and there's one more week to go for this rotation.

Somehow, I am beginning to feel exhausted. Both mentally and physically.

Perhaps the lack of sleep did contribute to both.

Wasn't 100% during ward rounds these 2 days. Maybe because I'm seeing the same patients over and over again. Maybe I was hoping to see some new faces post-take.

Good thing is, I've got all the tasks signed off and the assignment is almost done.

Had a cardio tute today and the clinician asked the same 'ol question people tend to ask when you're in med school.

When do you use the bell and when do you use the diaphragm of a stethoscope?

I remember Prof Victor Lim asked this question during my Sem 3 OSCE. He did not manage to ask me because I was running out of time. It was a CVS station nonetheless.

Med students tend to give all sorts of answers and the answers we give always do not seem to satisfy the clinicians.

According to the clinician who taught us today, bell was used back in those days to listen for mitral stenosis. (Med students love to answer "to listen to low-pitched sound", agree?)

This was because rheumatic fever was common back in those days. This tradition never changed since then. It's not to say bell is useless, but diaphragm is more of the useful part of a stethoscope to pick up the majority types of murmurs.

Another tradition in medicine is to examine patient from the right side of the bed. This is because majority of the people in this world are right handed.

This tradition annoys me quite a lot sometimes. Had a neuro tute today and needed to check for reflexes using tendon hammer. I admit my skill was a bit rusty but to position the tendon hammer using my left hand on the right side of the bed just seem so awkward. (Had this problem back in IMU even when I practiced OSCE with my friends for so many times)

I got to admit majority rules. But sometimes I wish this kind of tradition can be modified a little just to suit the 'minority' like me.

Maybe I just need to learn how to adapt. One way is to learn using the right hand. Another way is to find the simplest maneuver to examine a patient without having to twist and turn my hands, this needs a lot of practice.

Oh well. I guess I'm just ranting without a purpose.

Time to get my assignment done.

The surnames are just awesome,

Kai Aun

Spoilt for Choices

2010-07-29T22:49:00.004+08:00

What would you do when you're running low on sugar and feel like having something to munch inside your mouth?

I guess chocolate would be the best option.

I have this bad habit of keep buying these chocolate bars whenever they're on sales and I love to stock them in my cupboard. So far I have only tried the Cherry Ripe Double Dipped with 70% Cocoa and it's heaven. The coconut filling is so addictive ok! It's basically the angmoh version of our Malaysia's kuih kochi.

There are too many different kinds of chocolate in the market out there and I have not tried most of them. I dislike nuts in chocolates and I prefer the more bitter ones, hence the lack of interest in trying most of the chocolates sold here (either they have nuts in it or they are too sweet for my liking). But well, occasionally my low sugar level does hit me and I need a booster and these chocolates will serve the purpose nicely.

Sweet tooth isn't a bad thing,

Kai Aun

Bits and Pieces

2010-07-27T17:58:00.002+08:00

What a Tuesday.

Had a 2 hour abdominal bedside tutorial in the morning. Pretty informative and useful. The doctor was super friendly. (The tute was scheduled to be 1 hour, she somehow just continued for an extra hour.)

Had another rheumatology tutorial and the doctor is very passionate about his field. I love the way he teaches medicine. He kept stressing medicine is simple. Medicine is simple. Keep things simple and every thing will just fall into place. As long as you have a system, then it's fine.

After that, was supposed to go to outpatients clinic. Reached there and they only had 2 patients today (what a contrast compared to the hospitals in Malaysia). My registrar didn't have to see the patients so he took me and my partner to the wards to see other patients.

My partner clerked a gentleman presented with chest pain. Discussed the case after that. Later on, my registrar asked me to do a MMSE on an old lady.

It was pretty tricky because the old lady sort of got tired of doing the exam (I think she probably had a few before) and my pronunciation wasn't the perfect Aussie accent, so she had difficulty understanding me. Luckily my partner was there and she helped me out a little bit. Words like 'dog', 'apple', 'state' seemed so easy but then the way they pronounce it was slightly different so I had to get the tune right.

Left the hospital at 5pm and Amanda Albert, my friend who used to study together in Intec and IMU and now in UWS, came to Hobart and she met up with us (Kien Jeen, Zaidee and me) as she's here for a trip with the OCF.

Talked awhile outside of Elizabeth Mall and we brought her to see the Med Science building. After that we walked to Mures to have dinner. Her church friend, Jason, a law student from Malaysia as well, met us at the restaurant. Had a long chat about her life in Western Sydney and exchanged some info here and there. Routine gossiping. :P

She's the first person from Intec/IMU who came to visit us in Tassie! Wonders who's next. Always got invitation from people to visit them at their place, so far only a few who offered to come and visit me. How sad. :(

I need a rest. This rotation has been quite hectic to say the least. Ughhhh. Hopefully tomorrow will be a good day.

Observe and learn,

Kai Aun

Monga

2010-07-25T00:52:00.003+08:00

After reading the entry written by ying xin, I decided to look for this movie.

I was lucky to find the movie in rmvb format so that I could play it using the media player connected to the flat screen TV in the living room. :D

The movie is entirely in Mandarin and Hokkien, the version I watched has English subtitles.

Basically Monga is a movie about the underground society, or more commonly known as triad. It talks about brotherhood and trust, with a little bit of romance and family bonding in between the scenes.

Overall I'd rate is 7.5/10, not a must watch for me, but is recommended. Especially a Taiwanese movie of such quality.

On a sidenote, I watched this movie together with my Taiwanese housemate (she had watched it before though) and with the extra info about the place (Monga is a place in Taiwan) chipped in during the movie, it was an enjoyable movie after all. Was a bit surprised to see 王識賢 acting as the bad guy as he's the hero in 意難忘. (Used to watch all those Hokkien drama back in Malaysia so a few sentences of Hokkien in this movie wasn't a big problem for me)

Watched Bodyguards and Assassins yesterday and I love Sun Yat-sen's quote. Revolution!

Where does the boat sail to,

Kai Aun

Endocrine Disorders

2010-07-21T22:59:00.002+08:00

Was fortunate enough to see 2 rare endocrine disorders in these 2 weeks.

Saw one patient with Cushing's disease (note: disease, not syndrome) and he was having all the typical signs and symptoms of it.

Experienced a first MET call with my registrar and intern today. A lady with Addison's disease with sudden drop in BP. Needed 2 teams of doctors to look after her and review the case.

Wonder what's installed for the endocrine bedside tutorial tomorrow. Hmmm...

... is a way of expressing emotion,

Kai Aun

Kai Aun - The Home of the Crappy Lad

Greetings From Taipei

Happy New Year 2012

A New Place

How Do You Say No?

Moving Out

Briefing Accomplished, For War

Positive Relaxation

Bloody Experience

The Crucial Question

My 2nd Birthday Celebration in Hobart

Defeat

Multilingualism

GP Posting

End of Holiday

I Live to Eat.

Understanding People

Keeping Sane

Sunday Morning

The Destination

Failure

Deja Vu Indeed

Persevere

理論

Dream

4 more months

Coincidence

Privacy

Hole Digger

Eating Dilemma

Encouraging Words

Tough Nut

The Invisible Man

Happy Teachers' Day

Follower

Scribbles

Pot Calling the Kettle black

挑戰

Attitude

Globalization

Da Da Dum

Salmon Portion with dark soya sauce and onion

Do I Get To Choose?

Tau Eu Bak

Quote of The Day

Reality

劉若英 直接

Surgery and Its Checklist

A Month

Take A Guess

Sit Down and Relax

and so...

All I Need Is...

Code Purple

無意中聽到的對話

O&G - 1st Week

A Tribute to Jess Lee Kar Wei

Change is the Only Constant

Back

Better

2010 Year In Review

Melbourne Trip Part 4 (End)

My Holidays So Far

The Past and The Future

Home

Relieved

Reminiscence

My 23rd Birthday

Overdrawn

Mind Power

Chicken Rice

Exams

人生

Different Opinions

A Call

Shocked

Countdown...

Retarded and Childish

Double Relief

New Word

劉若英直接