Mocha and Vanilla

My first Halloween Party

2009-11-02T14:31:00.002+10:30

My first Halloween party ever. Many thanks to Jason and Cynthia for organizing this. Seems like as the end of my student life draws nearer, Adelaide becomes more happening.

Due to the lack of funds and utter laziness, I used whatever stuff I had in my wardrobe and goodies from the Royal Adelaide Show to put together a costume. I'm supposed to be a Jedi Angel. Unfortunately my $7 lightsaber died after the party... At least it was put to good use that night. =( All camwhoring photos courtesy of my trusty housemate. :P

Everyone did a fantastic job dressing up for the night. We had a pirate (Jason), kinky nurse (Cynthia), grim reaper (Ming), Mrs. Claus (Hyuun), hobo (Chuen!), ladybird (Jebbrine), Harry Potter (Ken), Joker (Chock), another Joker (Steven. perhaps Joker from the first Batman film?), vampire (Gary), Dead football players and Casino girl.

The winner of best costume was... *drumroll*... Chock's Joker from The Dark Knight!

Simply Sushi

2009-10-05T22:12:00.000+10:30

Dinner with Jenna, Shiau Cern, Su Chuen and her friend Emma in Glenelg. =)

O-M-G!!!!! Please don't die, blog! commences CPR

2009-10-03T23:54:00.004+09:30

This goes to show what a lazy year it's been. So lazy that I've left my blog to rot yet again. Well, if it makes any difference Dear Readers, The past couple of months have been jam-packed with events! It seems that as I reach the end of my student life, things start to get more vibrant and exciting. So many celebrations, so little time. Things that happened since my last update:

1. Spent an awesome month with Vee Han in Adelaide. Seriously, your visit was the highlight of my year. If only If only I had a less hectic rotation at that time. I'd have ran away from hospital and gladly frolicked around Adelaide with you. More pictures of Vee Han's Adelaide Trip soon.

2. Parties and dinners galore! Since getting a car and the start of my final semester, I've been to so many new places in Adelaide. I think it's the combination of friends saying their farewells before they leave for work interstate/overseas and last-minute attempts to enjoy freedom before we all become slaves to the hospital.

3. Med Ball at the Stamford Grand Hotel in Glenelg. My first and last med ball. The theme was Masquerade, so everyone came with masks. It started off rather unpleasantly: we came late and discovered there were no more tables left! So WTF right. There should have been reserved tables for 6th years. Spent an hour or so wandering around the ballroom finding spare seats. The food was only so-so (teeny tiny portions) but at least the alcohol was free-flow... It turned out to be a fun night in the end, but was a little disappointed considering the ticket was worth AUD112.50.

4. Went to the Royal Adelaide Show for the first time! Absolutely fantastic day. Good company, cool sights and sounds, heaps of fun stuff. I felt like a kid again. More photos to come on that too.

5. I GOT MY INTERNSHIP CONTRACT!!!!!!! Starting January 2010, I will be working in the Lyell McEwin Hospital. Now all I have to do is to get my act together and start filling up all those forms!! Arghhhhhhh so many things to do, so little time!

6. Specials Week a.k.a. The Week Where Everyone Slacks Off and Parties. There were some really good lectures on ENT and Opthalmology, but a big chunk of the other stuff could have been condensed into perhaps....one afternoon? Seriously, things like HAND WASHING and PATIENT LITERACY shouldn't take up the entire day. -_-" Anyhow, spent some quality time with Jebbrine, Su Chuen, Cynthia and Jason that week. Had a picnic by the Torrens River, various dinners and trips to dessert places/bars. Seems that the medical students and some doctors favor this particular lounge/club in the city... the med students seem to be adjourning to that place every other weekend. I'm not complaining though. The music is not bad and there's no entry fee.

7. Went to a Lantern Festival Event in Elder Park with Jebbrine, Cynthia and Jason today. Interesting Chinese Martial Arts performances, and a lantern parade. The lanterns were a tad disappointing.... I mean, there were a few nice ones and some were made by primary school kids but a few of them....I would describe them as "TAK BOLEH PAKAI". You'll understand why when you see the photos.

Damn, so many photos to put up right? I find it so much easier to put them on Facebook, but I don't want my blog to 'feel neglected'. I shall strive to bring you back to life, Blog! You shall flourish like a lotus from the mud!!!

*Hmm.. I think the scented candles must have muddled my brain a little.*

Med Ball 2009 at the Stamford Grand Hotel, Glenelg.

2009-10-04T00:49:00.000+09:30

Merdeka? Daulat Tuanku? Jahanam Budaya Barat?

2009-08-09T12:57:00.003+09:30

Information Communication and Culture Minister Rais Yatim confirmed media reports that the government was considering imposing an Internet filter to block "undesirable" websites.

Watch this video carefully. Is this how leaders are supposed to act? I can't believe that reporter just sat there and took that flak!

OMG Psycho Medical Student!!!

2009-07-27T22:21:00.006+09:30

My mom told me bout this which was published in the Chinese newspaper back home:

'I had an unbelievable view': Female medical student murdered two elderly women so she could study death

By Will Stewart
Last updated at 9:25 AM on 23rd July 2009

A medical student murdered two elderly women so she could study the process of dying for her doctorate.The 24-year-old - named only as Tatyana - killed her victims with an axe before observing their last moments. Russian police say the woman confessed to the killings.

The first victim was her neighbour Olga Stepushenko, 85. 'I took the axe and hit her to the head several times,' said Tatyana.'When she fell down, I sat next to her and waited until she died. I had an unbelievable view.'Four days later she murdered Olga's neighbour, 87-year-old Zoya Karpova, who she struck eight times with the weapon.Tatyana returned to the flat over the next two weeks to study the rotting corpse, making notes about the decomposition of the body. 'I wanted to have more details of the death process to use it in my work,' she said. 'I aimed to see how the worms would decompose Zoya's body.'

She included the observations in her dissertation at a top medical institute.

The student, from Novosibirsk in Siberia, who was close to qualifying as a surgeon, was arrested before she could complete her analysis.

Tea Party at Thanh-Thao's

2009-07-05T10:07:00.000+09:30

Just picked up Vee Han from the airport earlier. Yes, my dear friend will be in Adelaide for one whole month!!! Woo-hoo! He'll be doing his elective in the STD Clinic opposite the Royal Adelaide Hospital. I really hope there'll be enough time to bring him around. The rotation I'm starting on tomorrow (General Medicine in RAH) is super full-on. -_-"

One of the highlights of my otherwise quiet winter holidays. Thanh-Thao, Jenna and Yin Yee came up with this great idea of hosting afternoon tea. Good job everyone on putting together this fabulous assortment of English (and not-so-english) goodies! When a group of girls come together, beautiful things happen. :P The guys helped too.... they helped eat.

Jenna made her specialty dish: sushi rolls!

Yin Yee's mixed berry tartlets.

Cucumber, pecan and chicken sandwiches.

Being lazy as usual, I made banana bread. Just mash everything up and dump it into the oven. :P

Strawberries dipped in chocolate!

TADAHHH!!!! The fruits of our labour!

We had 8 different fragrant teas from T Bar.

Cucumber and alfalfa sprouts sandwiches courtesy of Thanh-Thao.

L-R: Thanh-Thao, me, Jenna, Yin Yee, Christine, Jebbrine.

Christine and Jebbrine made Chocolate souffle using the recipe from the Masterchef Australia website. For those who don't know, Masterchef Australia is this reality show where a bunch of Aussies compete to become a 'chef''. Quite an entertaining series, but it felt really painful watching caucasian contestants butcher simple Asian recipes during their week in Hong Kong. *Sigh*.

Diyana arrived later with cupcakes!

I felt compelled to take multiple shots of the feast. It was too pretty to ignore. :P

....and after the meal all the guys flocked to play Guitar Hero.

The longest post I've made so far...

2009-06-30T23:17:00.026+09:30

Okay, Kakh. This is in response to me not blogging enough. Nah!!!

First and foremost, HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA!!! Hope you had a good time tonight, and glad you enjoyed the bottle of Merlot. I wish I could be there to celebrate with you.

Despite being more than halfway through my winter holidays in Adelaide, I still can't shake this cloud of laziness around me. I was supposed to blog about heaps of things, but just never got around to doing it. So now allow me to present to you a compendium of significant events in the past couple of months:

1. OMGWTF Hot Water Service Broke on a Saturday Evening!!!

Yup. This happened last month. And Ken had conveniently left for Brisbane. Late in the afternoon, I noticed the pipe coming out from the side of the house, just above the toilet on the top floor was trickling water. Strange..... So I called the plumber. He said it could be either a burst water tank or a broken valve in the hot water service. At first I was reluctant to call him in as weekend plumbing service is super expensive. The plumber said as long as the ceiling or walls aren't leaking, it should hold up till monday. Fair enough. Called and left a message on the real estate agent's phone, but she didn't reply. Then later in the evening, the trickling from the pipe turned into a GUSHING WATERFALL. And water started dripping from the toilet lights! I was like "Ok.... this is not good. I don't think this will hold up another 2 days!" I tried to get a hold of the agent another half dozen times but no reply. I tried to get a plumber in but none would come at that time of the night. The gushing wasn't stopping. The backyard garden had flooded. And to make matters worse, I couldn't bloody find the water main! Wanted to turn off the water supply to avoid wasting water, and to prevent the ceiling from turning to mush.... But no, the water main was so cleverly hidden. Got a neighbour to help me hunt for the elusive water main. We were squatting around in the muddy backyard when I heard sirens and saw huge flashing lights. Apparently another neighbour was concerned over the gushing water and called the FIRE BRIGADE. Not one, but TWO FIRE TRUCKS appeared. I was dressed in my pajamas with my hair all messy and pants rolled up and feet all muddy, squatting in the pitch-black garden with a fucking mini torchlight (you know, those maglites medical students sometimes use for eye examination?), when this horde of firemen descended upon me. They were in full fire-fighting regalia, yellow fire-proof jackets, hats, boots and all. And they shined these mega-huge torchlights onto my face like I was some pendatang haram or something, and said: "Good evening. Did someone report a flooding?" O-M-G. So embarrassing. Anyhow the firemen were really nice and went into the house to look for the source of the leak. Then they got called away to attend to a car crash, and CAME BACK AGAIN! "We decided to come back to see how you're going. Did you manage to get a plumber?" The real estate agent finally called back and was quite understanding of the situation. Apparently this happened to the other units too.... Eventually a plumber turned up and diagnosed the problem: a burst hot water service valve. Climbed into the roof to turn off the hot water. He then came back the following day to replace it. He couldn't find any leak into the ceiling, so I'm still wondering how the water got into the toilet lights. So in the end it turned out alright. Just no hot water for a couple of days. BUT the agent called 2 weeks later and OMG... the plumbing bill amounted to AUD700!!!!! The replacement valve only cost AUD40!!! That is some crazy plumbing bill! Fortunately, my housemate and I didn't have to pay (not our fault anyway). At that point I was thinking, maybe I should have just came here after high school and became a plumber. Why work so hard in medical school anyway? Damn.

2. Celebrated my birthday in Adelaide for the first time.

Winter holidays usually coincide with my birthday, and I'll usually be back home. *Thanks Kakh for the touching, super-cute snail-mail!* The IMU girls took me out for a yummy Italian dinner in Hyde Park that night. Absolutely fantastic. =)

Not the best photo, but the only group photo I've got from that night. :P

3. Lunch at Hahndorf and Glenelg with Jeremy.

The following photos speak for themselves. =)

A Taste of Germany Platter. A monster platterful of Bockwurst, Weisswurst, Cheese Kransky and Vienna sausages, with smoked Pork Kassler Chop and Pork Knuckles. Served with Rhine potato, herb dumpling, sauerkraut, 2 pretzels and assorted German mustard. According to the menu, it's meant for 2 people. They should be more specific and say that it serves either 2 huge Aussie/German blokes, 1 Jee Ken, 4 girls or 3 normal Asian people.

Oysters Tokyo. Deep-fried wanton oysters and oysters with smoked salmon or pickled ginger.

Bloody Mary Oyster Shots! This definitely one of my favourites. The first time, the shots had a generous amount of vodka in it. Second time was more mellow. I preferred the first.

I forgot what this one was called. Alaskan King Crab balls or something like that. Not bad.

4. End of Semester 1 celebration at the Pink Pig, Spatz and Elysium!

Lovely dinner with Jebbrine, Su Chuen and Ken at the Pink Pig in North Adelaide. Then met up with Jason + Cynthia and Chris + Christine at Spatz for dessert. Later headed to Elysium on Hindley Street to join the celebration for the entire 6th year batch, organised by DC. A fantastic, whirlwind night indeed. ^_^

Yes, I had to camwhore before going out. I couldn't help it. Ken's camera skills are improving.

*PHEW!!* Man that feels good to finally blog so much after so long! This is probably one of the the most productive 2 hours of my winter holidays so far. More posts to come. Goodnight!

I wanna cosplay too!

2009-06-03T23:24:00.001+09:30

Was randomly searching through the net one earlier and found some pretty good cosplay photos. Kudos to these dedicated individuals for bringing well-loved anime/manga into flesh! Sorry I didn't reference every single photo...

Thought those cosplayers were good? Well, This one here below is the best!! KAKH IT'S YOUR FAVOURITE MUAHAHAHAHAAA!!! May it haunt you in your sleep! *evil grin*

'Personal Matter'?

2009-06-02T18:25:00.003+09:30

Article from here: http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/5620461/teen-model-escapes-abusive-malaysian-prince/

Teen model escapes 'abusive' Malaysian prince
AFP June 1, 2009, 6:36 pm

JAKARTA (AFP) - A teenage US-Indonesian model has returned to her family in Indonesia with tales of abuse, rape and torture at the hands of a Malaysian prince, after her dramatic escape with the help of Singapore police.

Manohara Odelia Pinot, 17, told reporters she was treated like a sex slave after her marriage last year to Tengku Temenggong Mohammad Fakhry, the prince of Malaysia's Kelantan state.

Her mother, Daisy Fajarina, said she would press charges against the 31-year-old prince, and blamed the Malaysian and Indonesian governments for trying to cover up the alleged abuse.

"The things I've been afraid of were revealed to be true. Manohara has suffered physical abuse. She's got several razor cuts on her chest," Fajarina told AFP on Monday.

"No parent could be silent if their child was treated in such a barbaric way."

The Malaysian government had ignored her pleas for access to her daughter and had blocked her from entering the country, she said, while the Indonesian embassy had said that Manohara was fine with her new husband.

But the young woman -- a well-known socialite in Jakarta -- said her life at the royal palace involved a "daily routine" of rape, abuse, torture and occasional drug injections that made her vomit blood.

She said she was usually held under guard in her bedroom at the palace and was injected with tranquilisers whenever she complained.

"I am still traumatised by all that happened and it has left an impact on me," she told reporters in Jakarta on Sunday, after escaping the royal family during a trip to Singapore over the weekend.

"Sexual abuse and sexual harassment were like a daily routine for me, and he did that every time I did not want to have sexual intercourse," she was quoted as saying in The Jakarta Globe.

"I could never think a normal man could do such things," she said, adding: "Some parts of my body were cut by a razor."

"I've been treated like an animal. I'm like his property and I was in his room and whenever he wants to play with me he just goes into the room and plays with me. I'm like an object."

The teenager -- whose fairy-tale wedding to a prince captured the imagination of Indonesia -- said she would be tortured if she did not appear to be happy when she attended social functions with Fakhry.

She said she secretly called Singaporean police and pleaded for help after the royal family took her to Singapore when they accompanied Fakhry's father, Sultan Ismail Petra Shah II, for medical treatment.

"The police told Fakhry that he would be held in jail if he did not let me go. No one could force me against my will in Singapore and I knew I had a chance to escape," she said.

The model once voted as being among Indonesia's "100 Precious Women" said she escaped her guards by pushing the Singapore hotel elevator's emergency button.

They were reluctant to chase her because they knew the scene would be captured on security cameras.

She blasted the Indonesian embassy in Malaysia, saying: "They made it worse by telling lies, saying that I was fine while I was suffering in Kelantan."

A spokesman for the Indonesian foreign ministry insisted the embassy had done everything it could to help Manohara and said the government would assist her if she wanted to file charges against her husband.

But Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the government would not investigate the allegations.

"I think this is more of a personal matter. To date we have not been dragged into it, so we want to leave it as it is," he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia's royal rulers used to enjoy immunity from criminal and civil charges but the privilege was removed in 1993.

There has been no comment from the Kelantan royal family.

Manohara's lawyer, Yuri Darmas, said she would have a medical examination to back up her allegations of abuse.

"We need one to two days to gather evidence before we file a lawsuit to the Malaysian police," he said, adding that he intended to pursue criminal and civil lawsuits against the prince.

Manohara has already filed for divorce, her mother said.

Welcome to the Racist Side of Australia

2009-05-29T18:33:00.012+09:30

There is racism everywhere in the world. You just have to stay in one spot long enough to experience it.

It was 5.30pm yesterday, I was on East Terrace, just finished watching "Angels and Demons" at Nova Palace Cinema ($6 student tickets for the month of May!). I was contemplating taking my usual route through Rymill Park to get back home. The sun had just gone down. I saw a young Indian couple walking in front of me and they were heading through the park. Figure that it should be safe enough if I walked behind them.... Halfway into the park, I saw this caucasian man standing around on the green. The minute he saw us, he started shouting and cursing God knows what. I could only make out "fucking" and "black". Typical racist stuff. Then he started throwing stuff at us. His paper cup (probably containing alcohol) and rubbish, stones etc.... The Indian couple and I just ignored him and tried to walk faster. To must surprise, the white guy rushed towards us. My panic buttons were going off like crazy already. He went for the Indian guy, grabbed him and started hitting him!!! The poor fella was struggling and his partner and I were just stunned. Seriously I should have screamed or something but I was just stunned. After a while the Indian guy managed to break free and the 3 of us ran out of the park.

Thank goodness he wasn't injured. I called the police when I got back, and was told to go to the station the next day to make a statement. I did exactly that, but lo and behold, when I told my story to the policewoman, I was just dismissed. True, I guess reporting anything must be pretty useless, considering I don't know who was attacker or the victim. Nothing they can do about it right? But I thought I could at least provide a collateral history of sorts should the Indian guy decide to report. No, they didn't even take down anything for records. I felt that they were quite nonchalant about the whole thing. Racial attacks? No worries. That was the vibe I was getting. In this same week, four Indian students in Victoria were brutally assaulted. One of them is in critical condition.. Even if he does survive, he will probably be blind and have brain damage. Check out the article for yourself here and here.

This isn't the first incident I've seen. Saw 2 white old ladies throwing crude remarks at African migrants (calling them animals and whatnot) in the bus. I had a feeling they could be refugees as they travelled in a large group, consisted only of women and children and had a caucasian lady as a 'tour guide' and showing them how to use the bus. Anyway the 2 old ladies didn't stop at jeering, they hollered throughout the entire bus ride bout how "these filthy animals are allowed into our country" and proceeded to fight with the guide and chase them down the street. Old ladies: they still have what it takes to be rabid.

And yes, I've met racist patients too. But then again, as long as there is a majority race, there will be exploitation and undermining of the 'lesser races'. It seems to be the wisdom of the world. Granted, most Aussies are very friendly and open hearted, but the racist minority make such a horrbile, indelible mark. Also, I don't like people giving the excuse that "he's drunk, not racist, he doesn't mean all that!" Come on. Alcohol disinhibits people. It causes people to say and act in ways that they normally wouldn't provided normal social constraints. But surely they must have been thinking it, to actually act on it.

I'm still keen on working in Australia, it's a nice place. For which is worse: being treated as a second-class citizen in a foreign country, or your own?

Through the Years and Far Away - ほしのこえ

2009-05-26T20:05:00.002+09:30

Hello, little star
Are you doing fine?
I'm lonely as everything in birth

Sometimes in the dark
When I close my eyes
I dream of you, the planet Earth

If I could fly across this night
Faster than the speed of light
I would spread these wings of mine

Through the years and far away
Far beyond the milky way
See the shine that never blinks
The shine that never fades

Thousand years and far away
Far beyond the silky way
You're the shine that never blinks
The shine that never dies

Hello, tiny star
Can you hear me call?
I'm so blind as everything at birth

If I could flow against these nights
Straighter than the string of light
I would lay these hands on time

Through the years and far away
Far beyond the milky way
See the shine that never blinks
The shine that never fades

Thousand years and far away
Far beyond the silky way
You're the shine that never blinks
The shine that never dies

Through the years and far away
Far beyond the milky way
You're the shine that never blinks
The shine that never dies

Anzac weekend in the Yorke Peninsula a.k.a. The Little Emu Chronicles

2009-05-17T15:28:00.019+09:30

So finally the story of the Anzac weekend in the Yorke Peninsula with Xian-Nian and my new car, Little Emu. This is also the story of how the naming of Little Emu came to pass. On Saturday, we drove to Innes National Park, which is around 2.5 hours from Maitland (which is another 2.5 hours from the city). The weather that weekend was to put it mildly, cold and windy. Adelaide recieved so much rain that weekend it surpassed the total monthly average. I was nearly blown off a cliff at one point. Seriously. It was that windy. But it was Xian-Nian's only weekend in Maitland so we thought we'd better make the most of it. It turned out to be a really fun and hillarious adventure! Not to mention wet and cold. Stopped by some of the towns along the way to enjoy the scenery.

By the time we reached Innes National Park, it was 4pm and the sun was going down soon. Managed to skim through some of the coastlines and beaches in the park. One of the beaches was called "Little Emu Beach". And throughout our journey in the park there were several emu crossing signs. There was an Emu Street in Wallaroo, where we had lunch the following day. Plus my car was a lovely sky blue shade, similar to the colour of some emu feathers (I think.... Slobby Emu (refer below) does seem to have blue bits). So I asked my beloved, "What do you think if I name my car Little Emu?" Surprse, surprise, my dearly beloved let out a collosal *snort* and replied: "Up to you....."

So there! We got to explore yet another part of beautiful South Australia, Xian-Nian got to experience country living, I got to practice driving, Little Emu got his name! So everybody's happy. Also, Xian-Nian saw his first full rainbow that Saturday in the national park. Not only that, we saw 3 rainbows in succession! So I guess we should be thankful for the rain. ^_^

Slideshow with more photos:

SATURDAY: Minlaton, Yorketown, Warooka, Stenthouse Bay, Marion Bay, Innes National Park.

SUNDAY: Moonta, Wallaroo, Kadina, Ardrossan.

This here is another emu. His name is Slobby Emu, because he's a slob like a *certain someone I know*. Xian-Nian bought him for me from the airport, just before he went into the boarding gate. I was feeling pretty horrbile from a night of vomitting and nausea, further more I had to say goodbye to him (again). So Slobby Emu kept me company for the remainder of my time in Maitland, until I returned to the city. See his blue feathers kinda matches the blue of my car. But then again he's a soft toy and not a real emu per se....

Oh yeah, Darling. Happy 4.5 years. ^_^

Phantom of the Opera

2009-05-16T22:31:00.008+09:30

Went to watch the Phantom of the Opera at the Adelaide Entertainment Center with Ken today. Performance-wise, the entire cast was fantastic! Anthony Warlow played the Phantom beautifully and flawlessly (as expected). Loved it loved it loved it! The costumes and special effects were stunning (with the exception of the chandelier. OMG it looked like the UFO that time forgot. During the scene when it was supposed to come crashing down, it looked more like it was placidly floating towards the stage....). We booked our tickets quite late but still managed to get fairly decent seats for an equally decent price. Although....... in my opnion the venue for the musical SUCKED big time. The entertainment center wasn't designed for musicals! I'm sure the people sitting on the second elevation must have needed binoculars badly. The 2 great big tacky TV screens flanking the stage were useful in certain scenes, but half the time they were a distraction. I wish they held it at the festival theatre like Miss Saigon last year.

Now if only I had a gazillion bucks so that I can also watch Pink, Pussycat Dolls and Lady Gaga live in concert(s) in the next couple of weeks. -_-"

Melbourne Trip + My bf is a quarter century old today

2009-05-11T22:22:00.003+09:30

Happy birthday, Darling. Thanks for keeping me company for the past 3.5 weeks. I know I always cry when you leave, but you've made me very happy indeed.

Where have all the cool cartoons gone?

2009-05-10T21:07:00.006+09:30

This is totally random. Let's break from the photo parade, shall we? I'll continue on with the Melbourne trip and Anzac weekend photos next. :P

Remember the good ol' Saturday morning cartoons from the 80's and 90's? Jem, My Little Pony, He-Man, GI Joe, Denver the Last Dinosaur, Smurfs, Dungeons and Dragons, Thundercats, etc etc etc.... I can probably name a list as long as my arm. I really miss those carefree years. Anyway.... this is probably the most pointless and nonsensical one... Came across it on Youtube. This show was so random it never made any sense, but I still found it heaps funny. Ahhh... sweet nostalgia...

I made a patient cry...

2009-04-23T20:45:00.002+09:30

....and of all places to do it, I did it in this small, little town. Now I'm praying and hoping not to bump into her on the street or while doing my shopping in Foodland (the most happening place in town). And you know the worst part? I can't remember her face!

She came in for a simple follow-up. I was supposed to take her history and the doctor would evaluate me. I introduced myself ("Good morning. I'm Leng, a 6th year medical student. Is it alright if we have a chat?" *big smile*) 2 minutes into the history, she suddenly said "I find this all very uncomfortable. I can't take this anymore!", burst into tears, and ran out of the office. Neither I nor the doctor saw that coming. Suffice to say, it didn't go down well with the clinic staff. They had to call to apologize and calm her down. She said she was very upset and felt that she was being interrogated. She didn't come back for her consult that day.

Looks like my people skills still need heaps of work. Wish I could apologize to her in person. That's the first time I upset a patient, but I guess I should be grateful it happened when I'm still a student.

More photos of this little town:

The main street. Key attractions include the supermarket, post office, bakery, pub and butcher.

The most happening place in town. Seriously.

Aside from the quiet, there's a nice country charm to the place.

For some reason, no matter how small a town is, there's ALWAYS a church. It really echoes of Adelaide a.k.a. The City of Churches.

Anzac Day is coming up this weekend. Sucks that Monday won't be a holiday too.

The simple life

2009-04-20T18:29:00.001+09:30

I survived the drive to Maitland! *phew* I still need a lot of practice on the road, though. Kena hon a couple of times while driving in the city. They were near misses at that too. -_-" Damnit I hate roundabouts! But once we were out of the city, the drive was pretty straightforward. Nice long country roads. The stretch heading towards the town via Arthurton and Kulpara was a bit bumpy.

Some hand-carved soap roses Xian-Nian got for me from his Mt. Kinabalu trip. It's amazing they survived the plane ride to Melbourne and Adelaide. Thanks Darling!

Eggs Benedict at a cafe in Norwood. Fuel for the journey.

Flat and brown all the way through. It's no wonder one friend told me to "be careful, don't fall asleep at the wheel".

Students' Accommodation on Samuel Street, Maitland. A nice cosy, 3-bedroom house with wireless internet. Alone in the middle of nowhere with no internet certainly won't work for me.

Somehow the printer doesn't work. And the bicycle wheels are flat. And the bicycle pump is broken.

A nice spacious backyard with an orange tree! I've always been fascinated by fruit trees (some weird obsession). Unfortunately the oranges aren't ripe. Plucked one and it was so hard and sour. *edit 28/4/2009 - the rain seemed to have plumped them up a bit. Lets hope they'll be ripe and ready to eat soon!*

There's also what looks like a garden shed in the backyard. Upon further investigation, we found remnants of a gruesome past....

Chicken coops!

...and bones!!

This looks like a scene out of an old Western-psycho-murder movie. I'm dreading the week when Xian-Nian won't be here with me.

International Primary Health Care

2009-04-17T22:08:00.004+09:30

Am halfway through my GP SCAP now. It was a good thing I got International Primary Health Care (IPHC) instead of a city GP (for those non-Adelaide Uni ppl, we get to choose the type/location of our GP rotation from a list of things. Some students even opt to create their own). IPHC was unexpectedly fantastic! The first half was basically interactive lectures on medicine in a Third World setting. Things like sanitation, maternal and child health, HIV, TB, mental health and cross-cultural issues. I think it was not just the lecture content, the speakers themselves were so passionate and experienced in what they did. Most of them spent a large part of their careers working and living in areas of need like Nepal, Cambodia, Africa etc. A whole heap of sad things happen as we speak, but the suffering of the unfortunate millions aren't heard by those on greener pastures. Nothing is ever enough to change everything, but what these doctors did made a world of a difference to those they touched. Also, I learnt that it's more important to ensure sustainability of your works rather than playing 'saviour' for a month and flying off, leaving people to sink back into helplessness.

We had to put together a presentation for our own development program at the end of the 3 weeks. Basically had to explain to a panel of donors/judges a.k.a. our examiners what our development program was, and why we deserve xxx amount of cash to fund that project. Our examiners were quite meticulous, so things had to be done up as if it were the real thing. My group chose to build schools and set up an education program in Bhola Island, Bangladesh. It was a bit hard to get things together since we had the Easter weekend in between, but luckily I had awesome groupmates. =)

We also got to visit the Royal Flying Doctors base. Climbed into one of their planes like the little jakuns we were. :P Overall a very productive and fun rotation. It kinda inspired me to spend some time working in international health. I wish I had this rotation early on in 5th year, or maybe 4th year. If I did I would have jumped on the opportunity to follow one of the doctors on their missions overseas. Maybe Nepal.

For the second half of my GP SCAP, I'll be in Maitland, Yorke Peninsula. It'll be like a rural posting 'cos Maitland is 2 hours 45 mins drive from the city. And guess what? I just bought a car and collected it TODAY aaaaand will be driving there! OMGWTF that's scary shite for a hopeless driver like me. Thank God Xian-Nian is here now with me!

Feast your eyes on my brand new Hyundai Getz 5 door hatchback in Sky blue. Automatic transmission of course. Thanks Papa! Please pray for the safety of me and my car. And stay tuned for my next adventure. :P

Family time + yummy food!

2009-03-29T14:45:00.014+10:30

Just finished Specials Week 1 (Dermatology) so am just chilling out in my room for the weekend. Went for lunch in Hahndorf with Jeremy, Joanne and Clara yesterday. The first thing that comes to my mind when I go there is huge-ass platters of sausages and pork. And mustard. And more pork. Anyway.... I've kinda gotten over that initial homesick + depressed phase. I need to look ahead now! I forsee big headaches abound for internship applications and graduation. Also am planning to get a car. But being someone who knows nuts about cars (don't even know how to change oil for God's sake!), that's going to be a challenge.

Planned to put these photos up earlier, but my sister beat me to it. I'm still going to post them anyway. Here are some photos of the good times during my summer holidays. Seafood lunch with my family Greenview Restaurant. Overall it was quite good, the salted egg yolk crab was heavenly! Now if only I could find some live mud crabs in the Central Market...

The way they tie up mud crabs is so cute! It must take some skill and creativity to do this. On a side note, *PLEASE FEED & PLAY WITH MY PET CRAB, KAM HEONG! He's located at the top left column of my blog.*

Papa and Mummy.

My youngest sister, Yi Lynn and I.

My dad's favourite vegetable: sweet potato leaves.

Fried crayfish!

...and the salted egg yolk crab.

Ye olde Crab Mallet.

A few days before my flight back to Adelaide, Papa decided to take us Sango at Crystal Crown Hotel for dinner. Sango is one of the best Japanese Restaurants I've ever been too. I remember the last time we went there, Papa got us a private room and the chef cut out the THICKEST, freshest SLABS of sashimi I've ever seen. Absolutely delicious. This time, we ordered more of the set meals instead. Still good, though. Too bad their famous chicken wings were sold out. My other sister, Kah Men wasn't around for this dinner either! Poor Kakh. But she's now in Japan for a WHOLE YEAR. So I'm sure you're having the time of your life there right, Kakh?

I'd love to try some good sake one day. ^_^

These are Japanese burnt rice balls. I was really surprised 'cos they tasted really good! I wanna try making these sometime soon.

Grilled Shishamo. These were all pregnant fish stuffed full of eggs (hence they'd be called komochi shishamo? Correct me if I'm wrong). They are usually cooked and eaten whole. This is one of my favourites next to Sashimi and Ikura.

Feast your eyes and be hungry.

Robbery in Taman Maluri, Cheras

2009-03-25T20:15:00.003+10:30

Before I put up more emo posts bout missing my family, friends bla bla... I'd like to share with you something my dad sent to my via email just now... This robbery occured in a house....right behind a police station in Cheras. The crime rate in Malaysia has been going from bad to worse. If this isn't proof that The Powers That Be in Malaysia aren't doing squat about our security, I dunno what is.

Fat vs. Fat

2009-03-21T15:23:00.005+10:30

Whilst I plunder through my belongings and make last minute additions to my already exploding luggage, here's a question for you, Dear Reader: Which of these pets is fatter (so jakun right this question)?

Is it: (a) Oscar, the Geriatric Dalmatian? At a ripe old age of 11 years, Oscar enjoys lying at the front porch of Xian-Nian's house, in the same sideways position every day. Hardly moving, he doesn't even bother to get up and chase me anymore. I always wonder if he would eventually get pressure sores. Note the huge belly (this photo doesn't do it justice!) and layer after layer of fat rolls. I have been to Xian-Nian's house countless of times during these past 4+ years, and 9 out of 10 times Oscar is lying there looking at me in this exact same position.

...or is it (b) My Auntie's cat? Sorry, forgot her name already. I think it's Meow Meow or something like that. Anyhow she seems to have gotten fatter since I last saw her during CNY of 2005... And yes that is her favourite position.

So there. Do post your comments here regarding this pointless discussion. I shall be now frantically packing and feeling all emo about leaving everyone I love again.

Wank and ride

2009-03-07T17:18:00.006+10:30

This happened to my mom yesterday afternoon.

My mom went to a friend's house in USJ13 yesterday for potluck lunch. After the lunch, she and her friends walked to their cars outside the house. Mummy was passing some cash to her friend in a car. Then this young Malay man on his motorcycle came riding along. At first she thought the guy was going to rob her or something so she quickly walked back to her car. The guy rode past her and as she reached her car, he made a u-turn and rode towards her again. My mom turned and saw the guy had.....

....one hand on the motorcycle handlebar and one hand clamped around his errected penis. Wanking away at her!

Somehow none of my mom's friends saw that. I told her at least he didn't attack and ride off with her wallet.

Grand Theft Auto Board Game

2009-03-08T23:30:00.000+10:30

Singapore External Elective (part 3)

2009-03-07T17:09:00.003+10:30

Lazy wanna elaborate too much already. The 3rd and final part of the Singapore photos. Xian-Nian came over one Saturday and we spent a night in Novotel Clarke Quay. Had some delicious Japanese food and soaked in the city's nightlife. In my final week, I managed to go to the Night Safari and Zoo. A bit expensive, but it was worth it. =)