Time to update. A little too late to announce this, but I passed my first rotation here: surgery. Not a fantastic pass, but a pass nonetheless. I'm grateful and hopefully it'll be better the next time around. Am currently doing Medical Home Unit, attached to the respiratory ward. Can't say much bout it because it's only my first week, and Easter holidays are here. So half the team was on holiday... The ward rounds are so freaking long! This is in comparison to the surgical ward rounds. Guess medical people spend more time looking at their patients as they don't have to dash off to surgery halfway in the morning...

It's been nearly 3 months now, and there're plenty of things I've learnt here. Not just academic things, though. Mainly things about life, living and the people around you. Am getting the hang of managing housechores on my own, that's not a big deal. People are friendly no doubt. But in these 3 months, the difference between friends and confidants become increasingly obvious. There are friends whom you can hang out with, have (relatively) loads of fun, and friends who will be there when you need it the most, and offer a helping hand without keeping score or being resentful. Those friends are hard to come by. You'd be lucky to find even one if your lifetime. I feel blessed because there are a few back home. Friends who still care enough to listen and hold you through the rough times. My boyfriend (praise the heavens) is not only a loyal companion, but also good friend. There were so many points of time in the past few years where it would have been so excruciatingly painful without his presence. All confidants are friends, but not all friends can be confidants. That is a fact.

I've been contacting my family on a regular basis and so far, it's good to hear that things are going well. I miss them terribly though. There's so many things my teenage sisters are going through in life and I won't be able to physically be there for them. To think that when I come home at the end of the year, they would have grown so much as individuals. That is definitely worth smiling about. Just wish I could be there to watch their journey.

Lastly, there are many aspects of people you come to see when you spend more time with them. Some of these aspects are nice, some come as a rude shock and may even be offending. Needless to say, one's behaviour and actions can be interpreted in many ways. You might have in all these months, strived to extend help and support in all sincerity. Surprisingly, it may not be viewed as such. Consideration may not be valued, and requesting the same from another may be viewed as carelessly shifting the burden for your own selfish needs. For some, it's natural to keep score of the amount of 'help' they give out, though I beg to differ. In most parts of the world, chivalry is dead although some claim to practice it. It all boils down to the fact that what you project to others may be intepreted as something totally different. It's very difficult to understand the reasoning of others. However, it is important to remember that people believe in their point of view as firmly as you believe in yours. So I guess sometimes no matter how much you disagree, just smile and take it with a pinch of salt. Hopefully such incidents will not happen again anytime in the near future. The lesson from this is: Sincerity and consideration is useless to those who can't open their heart.

No offense intended to anyone. Happy Easter. :)