Cafe.Quizzie

Another year

2012-01-22T12:06:00.004+11:00

Hi, I'm a 5th year medical student. I'm starting to sound more and more senior but I'm just as incompetent as last year and the year before. Let me take up more of your time this year, and put you through annoying examinations for the sake of my own learning.

It's funny I don't feel like it's the start of a new year until I actually start going back to uni. This is possibly one of the most important semesters in med school. I think I ought to try this delayed gratification thing again. Cutting down on my entertainment for 6 months doesn't sound too bad, especially since I haven't done it since VCE. Besides, this would be the most effective 6 months in which to do it.

In other news, I'm still trying to find a new apartment. It's getting more urgent as my lease is approaching its end in 2~3 weeks. I've also had to revise my budget for 2012. While I had overestimated my weekly expenses last year (always a good thing), there've recently been big cuts to my income, including $100+ fornightly reduction in my centrelink payments, and the end of my uni scholarship. 2012 is not going to be a good year for my bank account :(

Best facebook page evar

2012-01-02T13:06:00.008+11:00

@That Guy With Six Magikarp
‎19% percent of you out there are female! Look around. Find a nice man who likes to fish Magikarp. Enjoy the rest of your life with him. You know what they say about men with six Magikarp...
@Nick
I actually don't know what they say about men with six Magikarp, care to explain? =P
@Beau
THAT THE END UP WITH 6 GYARADOS AND RAPE THE WORLD.
@Ash
He has a good rod.
@Damian
he flops around on top of you with little effect.
@Julia
‎"Wild female uses ALURE, this is super effective!"
@Aidan
‎"Male uses Charm, it's not very effective"
@That Guy With Six Magikarp
LOL WTF IS "ALURE"? Get outta here rookie. It's attract.
@Aidan
"Male uses Sleep. Wild female is fast asleep. Male uses Pound"
@Jessica
Male uses harden. It's not very effective. Wild female is confused.

Damn Goblin Shark, you so scary

2011-12-30T12:59:00.001+11:00

Shackleless at last!

2011-12-05T23:47:00.007+11:00

Some kids who graduated high school after me have just finished their degree, which I'm totally fine with. Actually I'm not, please jump off a cliff.

So I was sort of in a bad mood. On Friday I finished my exams for the semester, but it was one of the worst performances I'd given in an examination situation. It was also one of the very first exams that start to really count. So I was sad :(

And so I tried to find ways to keep my mind off it. I started finding games to play.

This thing...! It is epic, everyone knows it. I was about to give it a try, but then I thought I'd better not because with my intensely addictive and perfectionist character flaws I was going to be a zombie for the rest of the holidays. I felt like when I pressed that pause button, I made a huge decision in my life. No Skyrim, you will not ruin my life!

So instead of Skyrim I took a more softcore approach to gaming and started purchasing iPhone games on iTunes. I had a gift card I'd received from my birthday and I thought I'd put it to good use. There've been a few games I'd been playing recently and I have to say, they are just so mega-awesome and worth the insanely little amount you pay.

Battleheart: great RPG game that actually feels like it's made for the iPhone. Bunch of fun classes to choose from and the battle system involves you managing your party of four and defeating screenfuls of monsters by drawing lines to direct skills or direct movement.

Mega Mall Story: I missed Sim Tower so much. I used to spend so much time on it, but still ended up with hotel rooms that had cockroaches and everyone moving out of my condos. But this is like the perfect replacement and I'm actually good at it. In essence you build a big mall and try to earn big bucks, and along the way you get rival malls that try to steal your customers, so you really need to focus on your customer's desires and make them your regulars. Doing this also lets you unlock secret shops :)

Sword & Poker: Just started playing this one today and I'm already hooked. Reminds me alot of that DS game I've forgotten (Might and Magic i think). Damn I hate the bees.

I'm famous!

2011-11-30T23:45:00.002+11:00

Just found out there's a pretty famous Japanese animation about me.
Better than stupid "I am David" (well, to be honest, probably not, that was an awesome book).

Why so harsh Centrelink

2011-11-28T11:44:00.005+11:00

Just reported my income to Centrelink this morning and I noticed that I've finally used up my income bank, which has up till now buffered my earnings so that my payments wouldn't be reduced. Now my payments have been reduced by $90 per fortnight without the buffer, and I'm really gonna suffer :(

I also looked at how they calculated the youth allowance rates, and found out every dollar I earn from work now will have my payment reduced by 60 cents. That means any extra shifts I do, I'll be getting only 40% of what I'm earning!!

Why so cruel Centrelink, why so cruel...

For British Eyes Only

2011-11-21T08:58:00.002+11:00

Just finished all three seasons of Arrested Development in the space of about 2 weeks.

On the other hand I'm struggling getting the motivation to study for my exams next week. It's been a demanding semester with an overload of information but I feel a whole lot more doctorey. Still, it's tough swallowing the fact that I still have two years to go :(

Armed with my debit card

2011-11-17T16:33:00.004+11:00

I am seriously considering donating to Wikipedia this week. I am normally incredibly selfish, but I can't count the number of times this year a quick Wiki on my phone has saved me from total embarrassment and disappointed looks from doctors.

Just Bento

2011-11-13T22:24:00.004+11:00

For some reason I don't put up links to other blogs very often, but I couldn't wait to share this super-duper awesome blog to you guys, mainly as a means to express my own excitement.

Just Bento is an incredibly comprehensive site on how to make bentos. I've been browsing it all night and just can't wait to try out some of the recipes. I've always been a big nut for Japanese food but I've never really had any luck with it because (1) I'm not very good at finding traditional (non-white washed) japanese recipes and (2) I'm often too lazy to follow long and complicated procedures. It was quite lucky for me then to stumble upon this blog. It gives really simple instructions on basic cooking skills I don't have a good grasp on, and a lot of pretty pictures for me to stare it all night.

When I get excited about something I tend to splurge on books and materials. I'll try to hold off ordering bento boxes online until the holidays. Hopefully I'll forget about it by then lol :)

The first comment in this vid had me literal LOL

2011-10-16T15:57:00.003+11:00

Edit: The comment's gone :( how sad

Lack of foresight

2011-09-23T22:39:00.003+10:00

The further along I walk through the tunnel, the longer I find the tunnel to be. I've realised that perhaps more than any other career, medicine is really a lifelong profession, and here's why I think this.

My view of medicine in high school:
Do well in high school -> Get into medicine -> WOW you're epic shit

My view of medicine during preclinical years:
Med school is lameass -> Graduate -> Super awesome intern/resident ($$$)

My current view of medicine
Med school is still pretty lameass -> Graduation -> Bottom-feeder/scum/lowest life-form/intern -> Desperately hoping for interviews to get into a training program -> spend countless hours working and studying for specialty training programs -> more training and more long hours -> Impressing more people to get into fellowship training -> More training -> Getting an interview to work in a hospital as a consultant -> trying to build a reputation for oneself as a consultant to get patients (especially for private) -> RIP

I'm sure my views will change in the future, just like it has in the past. Looking back though I am always amused at how naive I, and many people, were when we were younger. God bless the high school kids who apply for work experience at hospitals, and write in their application letter that they're determined to be a neurosurgeon when they're older.

In other news, I'm doing my neuro/ophthal/ENT block at the moment, and neurosurgeons are lunatics. Literally I have not met a group of individuals more psychotic than these people.

Taxes bug me

2011-09-20T00:38:00.004+10:00

Doing my taxes now and I am currently estimated to owe the ATO $400. And I thought i'd be getting a tax return :( If anyone has tax tips I'd like to hear it. Trying to see what else I can deduct from study-related expenses as someone on Centrelink

Apparently I'm made of money

2011-09-06T22:34:00.005+10:00

The picture above shows a retractable monofilament used to monitor the sensation in the feet of diabetic patients. The instrument is used because it delivers exact 10g of pressure and acts as a baseline to assess the degree of sensation in the feet.

More importantly, it costs $100 and the tips cost $10 each to replace. It is literally some plastic shell and a piece of wire.

This is a pen torch for testing pupil reflexes and it costs $15 at the Unimelb bookshop. It is literally a normal torch, but more petite.

This is an ophthalmoscope used to look into people's eyes. It's $300-800.

This is a medical student. Every morning he wakes up before sunrise and must journey to the closest hospital, places filled with pestilent diseases and hundreds of dying people. With just $5 every month you can sponsor a medical student and provide them with the necessary tools to survive in these destructive environments. Please donate now to help break the cycle of poverty and make a lasting impact on a medical student's life.

There's something on your face

2011-09-04T11:21:00.000+10:00

So random so good

Beesyyy

2011-08-17T17:19:00.002+10:00

Oh my poor neglected brog :( You listened to all my vapid adolescent angst, and this is how I repay you :( :(

Anyhow, too many things have happened since clinicals started that I have no way of recalling everything. I'm gaining more and more insight into the necessary considerations of diagnosing, treating and managing patients. One day the consultant asked me to seeing a patient in the clinic, take their history and exam them. Afterwards he asked me how I would treat them, to which I gave an adequately correct response. Although these things don't happen often, it really makes me feel that I'm not that far off in becoming competent enough to help people. I'm starting to grasp the patterns of how doctors think and slowly learning the tricks in dealing with patients.

I've also met the widest variety of people in the hospital, totally inspired by some, but also revolted by others. All in all I think my transformation into a "doctor" has been the quickest it's ever been in the past few weeks. (God that was so bland, I've become completely incompetent at writing blogs...)

Clinical school orientation

2011-07-19T16:29:00.003+10:00

O-week started this week for my clinical semesters this year and although it's been two days with nothing that's really assessed per se, it has been a killer two days packed full of information and advice.

The Good
- My group is extremely easy to get along with and that is probably the best blessing overall because we're going to be relying on each other heaps for possibly the hardest semester of our course
- Am in the running to win 5 ipads or 5 netbooks out of the 46 people in our cohort, meaning about 20% chance which is pretty bloody good odds. I know i'm never lucky enough to win ANYTHING but I really wish I could get something this time :(
- Teachers are actually competent and past students were very considerate and passed us all these ebooks and gems for our different rotations

The Bad
- I know its called orientation week but Ive never felt so disorientated in my life. First thing we did was attend outpatients and our group had to run around the place trying to find a doctor who would let us observe. Of course when we were there, there were only like 2 doctors and no one was really told or expected us there.
- The timetable is horrible with 7am starts and 5:30pm finishes not uncommon.
- It's been a real drainer both mentally and physically and I don't really get much time to myself (today was in early finish luckily). I really need a haircut too!! :(

I'm going to finish some work off from my research and watch some TV tonight or I'm going to go insane!

AHHHH

2011-07-04T14:55:00.003+10:00

WTH, 7:00am starts everyday except Friday (7:30am)!
Earliest finish is 4:30pm.
-_-

So many great movies!!!

2011-06-30T15:48:00.002+10:00

That I still need to watch:
Kung Fu Panda 2
X-Men First Class
Harry Potter 7 Part 2

While there's so many seemingly great movies that I gather are a complete waste of time:
Transformers 3 (Rotten tomatoes avg rating 4.9/10)
Green Lantern (RT: 4.6/10)

I think I'm going crazy because I laughed at this for a VERY VERY long time

2011-06-25T21:35:00.000+10:00

My Top 3 Musical Moments

2011-06-20T10:56:00.005+10:00

Three of the most bonechilling, goosebump-inducing performances I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. I don't even mean "musical" as in musical theatre, but it just so happens that the most touching and riveting experiences in music for me have been in this category.

#1 Defying Gravity
Wicked Original Broadway Cast (Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda, Idina Menzel as Elphaba)

In Wicked, the song is the finale for the show's first act, when Elphaba discovers that The Wizard of Oz is not the heroic figure she had originally believed him to be. Realizing this, and despite Glinda's attempts to dissuade her, Elphaba vows to do everything in her power to fight the Wizard and his sinister plans against the Animals of Oz. She sings of how she wants to live without limits, going against the rules that others have set for her. During the song, Elphaba enchants a broomstick to levitate and, pursued by the Wizard's guards, rises from the stage above the angered citizens of Oz, who try in vain to "bring her down."

#2 Being Alive
Company (Raul Esparza as Robert)

At the show’s conclusion, Robert’s friends remind him he is not getting any younger, referring to the candles on his birthday cake with the comment “Add ‘em up, Bobby. Add ‘em up." They urge Robert to “want something, want something.” His friend Harry proclaims “You’ve got so many reasons for not being with someone, but Robert, you haven’t got one good reason for being alone.” Finally Robert sings out that “alone is alone, not alive.”

#3 On My Own
Les Miserables (Lea Salonga)

Windows VS Mac

2011-06-19T17:20:00.004+10:00

The Recycle bin is just false advertising, it's not really recycling anything.

What did you want to be?

2011-06-11T11:48:00.002+10:00

I was recently thinking about year 12 and how we had to put in our preferences through VTAC for what courses we wanted to do. That got me thinking about the other courses I was considering doing back then, my "backup plans". For many of us, that would have been one of the biggest decisions in our lives, and now I wonder how my life would be different if I had chosen another course.

My second preference if I remember correctly was Actuarial studies at Melb U. I remember it was a hard decision to make, because firstly I was absolutely convinced I would be a crap doctor, and thought that I might be better off just capitalizing on the only thing I was good at at that time (maths). Now I think I might turn out to be okay doctor with poorer communication skills than most others, but enough to develop minimal rapport with patients and get by lol. I've gained some skills from the course, though I've still got a long way to go.

My third option was Aerospace engineering at Monash, which would have definitely set my life on a whole different course. If I had gone to uni at Monash, there is probably no way I would've moved out of home and learned all these random domestic things I know now. Knowing me, I would have probably never gone out to the city either. I'd probably still be staying at home everyday watching anime.

Though in the end, I think whatever course I chose I would have learned a different set of lesson from it. Oftentimes I believe that whatever decision you make, you can usually make enough of it that you won't regret the option you chose.

Maybe you should eat some makeup so you can be pretty on the inside too, bitch.

2011-06-07T13:30:00.005+10:00

"Hey you there, what product do you use for your skin?"

I stop and turn around towards the direction the voice came from. It was one of those beauty product stalls in the middle of the walkways you see in shopping centres. On the other side of the stall I see these two burly construction workers standing by an assistant trying on some of their creams. I turn to face this asian girl with perfect skin and flowy hair you thought you'd only see in Pantene ads. She repeats her question but my mind goes blank. I realize I was trapped.

These little counters are, in my opinion, one of the most ridiculously effective systems known to man. First they're strategically placed right in the middle of the path so you can't avoid them. Second they hire the mega-hots to work there. You can't reject the mega-hots, you just can't. Third, it's extremely hard to think of a good excuse on the spot so they won't bother you. And they're trained to break through those excuses.

Eventually I give a weak excuse of being in a hurry. Still she stops me asking me what the rush was. I had nothing in my bag of reasons short of "my house is on fire". Of course I couldn't say that, so I kind of just backed away and tried to leave. Immediately, she gives me this disappointed and disapproving look with her perfect face. I feel all these insecurities just exploding inside me. She looks at me as if she's saying "this is why you won't ever date us".

"Dammit, now I can't walk through that level anymore," I thought. I had to walk backwards, take the escalator up then down to avoid that stall to get back to my parking spot. But before that, I turned around just once more to see if she was still looking at me. The construction guys were taking out their wallets and handing one of them some money. On the other side, she had already found another clueless little gazelle as her next victim.

Fact: I am faster than 80% of all snakes

2011-06-05T15:28:00.002+10:00

I miss The Office :(

In other news, I am playing Pokemon White and beat the Elite Four yesterday. I think it has one of the best plot lines of all the Pokemon series so far because the Team Rocket equivalent actually has brains this time! I'm levelling them up to about level 70 so I can take on the Elite Four again. Go me!

Settling for Mr Good-Enough

2011-05-26T21:00:00.002+10:00

A new store has opened. A Husband Store!? There’s a sign at the entrance:
You may visit the Husband Store only once. There are six floors, and the value of the products increases on each successive floor. The shopper can choose any item from a particular floor, or go up to shop on the next floor, but she cannot go back down except to exit the building.

So, a woman goes into the store. On the first floor the sign on the door reads:

Floor 1: Men Who Have Good Jobs.

“That’s nice,” she thinks, “but I want more.” So she continues upward, where the sign reads:

Floor 2: Men Who Have Good Jobs and Love Kids.

She’s intrigued, but continues to the third floor, where the sign reads:

Floor 3: Men Who Have Good Jobs, Love Kids, and Are Extremely Handsome.

“Wow,” she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.

Floor 4: Men Who Have Good Jobs, Love Kids, Are Extremely Handsome, and Help Equally with the Housework.

“It can’t get better than this!” she exclaims. But then a voice inside her asks, “Or can it?” She goes up and reads the sign.
Floor 5: Men Who Have Good Jobs, Love Kids, Are Extremely Handsome, Help Equally with the Housework, and Have a Great Sense of Humor.

Having found what she’s looking for, she’s tempted to stay, but something propels her to the sixth floor, where the sign reads:

Floor 6: You are visitor 42,215,602 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor only exists to prove that women are impossible to please. Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store.

HAhahaha this is so true.

My greatest embarrassment

2011-05-23T15:42:00.004+10:00

This holiday I'm going to overcome the greatest embarrassing trait about myself. Nope, I'm not going to try learn how to throw a ball like a man though that's also pretty high up on my list ahah. I'm going to learn how to tie a necktie. I must be the only one at this age not to be able to tie a tie. The thing is I rarely ever need to perform this task, and when I do, I usually would have left my necktie tied from the previous formal event such that I wouldnt have to re-knot it. Alas, laziness has its ramifications.

Thor
Also got to watch Thor last night at highpoint with a friend for his birthday. Funniest thing happened, the film stopped about 10 minutes in. This mythical king character was shooting a huge surge of light from his spear to kill some monsters at the time, and then suddenly a few of the bulbs in the actual theatre blew and and the screen just went black LOl. Took me a few moments before I realized that it was not part of the movie and there was actually something wrong with the power in the cinema. After about 5 minutes the video came back on but there was no audio, which was totally spoiler-icious. The manager came in a bit later to tell us its been happening to all the cinemas and they were getting it fixed. What a crap lap. So there was my first experience of watching a movie at Footscray :P Didn't even get free tickets as compensation!!

The movie itself wasn't all that great either. Thor's character was a kind of a bore. A human girl falls deeply in love with him after seeing him break things and fight dudes for about 10 minutes. Thor's actor going shirtless probably helped too (staple acting repertoire for any good ex- Home and Away actor). I just thought the love connection between them was completely unconvincing.Thor also somehow went through an astonishing character change where he stopped being rash and arrogant and became wise and patient after a few scenes cooking marshmellows with said girl in a bonfire. It was all a bit disappointing.

For me, Loki, the evil sibling to Thor, kind of stole the show. His story was much more interesting than Thor's banishment and he was a much better actor in my opinion. Throughout most of the film you wonder whether he's actually a good guy or just a really good liar. Still, I think while the elements were there to really make a great villain, the film didn't really execute it as well as I hoped. I thought they could have done better.

Overall, while I think the start of the film carried potential, the standard just kind of kept dropping throughout. Wasn't worth the price in my opinion. Looking forward to the new X-men movie though!

THESIS DONE DONE DONE FUN FUN FUN

2011-05-20T15:51:00.007+10:00

WHAT A MORNING! Had to get my 65 page thesis printed and bound and then handed in to the University by 1pm today. Of course, that was the easy part. The hard part was not having any of my supervisors there in the morning because they were all in surgery. I had to wait until 11am until the Head of Department came back, gave me the okay to print my thesis and sign the declaration of approval for submission. It was at about noon when I got on a bus and rode from Heidelberg to the city. Apparently nowadays bus drivers are allowed to just stop at residential roads and engage in a pleasant chat with some random construction worker, while you're there basically pissing yourself not knowing if you'd be able to hand in on time.

But I've finished! A whole year's of work distilled into a flimsy booklet. But I'm still very very proud of it like a mother of a needy, verbose child. Here's a little preview of the thesis:

PETCRLM-ThesisPreview

Chris Lilley is back!!

2011-05-15T23:01:00.003+10:00

Summer Heights High and We Can Be Heroes are already amongst my favourite comedies and definitely at the top of my list of media produced by Australia. The star of these shows, Chris Lilley, is now back for another great mockumentary Angry Boys.

Loving all the political incorrectness! HAhaha can't wait for the asian mum in episode 2

Strawberry Fields Forever - Beatles

2011-05-15T20:06:00.007+10:00

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.

It's getting hard to be someone but it all works out.

It doesn't matter much to me.

Two Hundreth Post!

2011-05-10T23:59:00.006+10:00

It's unbelievable how much time I've spent blogging on the interwebs. To commerate this, I'm going to pull some embarrassing posts from my old blog at Xanga (LOL wonder if anyone still uses that shit).

1. Eww DHMC results! T__T

lol my mum went to enroll for term 3 of DHMC (Dr He Maths Coaching) today at the new Box Hill location. I though the reports were handed out on the first day back but unfortunately, my mum saw all my DHMC homework marks for term 2, which were really terrible... x_x.

Term 2 Report 2006

Marco Kwok

Section A: Section B:
Raw Score - 95.85 Raw Score - 91.42
Percentage Rank -96 Percentage Rank - 96
Maximum: 95.85 Maximum: 93.55
Upper Quartile: 93.00 Upper Quartile: 88.00
Top Scorers: 2 Top Scorer: 1

DHMC is just this maths tuition place I went to in high school. What this post shows (and has finally occurred to me) is that I was a complete douchebag who thought getting a % rank of 96 (meaning second or third in the class) was icky and terrible. Why didn't anyone kill me back then?!

2. Lost and Found

I also don't remember this but apparently I sent a message via the intranet to the whole school asking if anyone had seen where my maths book is:

I have lost my Years 12 Methods 3&4 CAS book. It has a green and orange cover and was lost around two weeks ago. If anyone has found it, please contact me through email xP

- Marco Kwok (KWO0002)

Why did I have to put an "xP" at the end of it?!?! What was wrong with me. I can't believe nobody stopped me or made a point about how much of a big loser I am. Was anyone else actually like that back then or was it just me??

3. My future according to an MSN convo

- QuiZZie - YES FF9 Soundtrack >_
after i get fluent at jap

- QuiZZie - YES FF9 Soundtrack >_
i'll sub ur anime

- QuiZZie - YES FF9 Soundtrack >_
LOL

|| • (BOING) ｡◕‿◕｡ (BOING) • || `...realityhits[10/11]_// ~ what andy said in his nick. but change cgs to gwsc says:
HAHAHA YAAAAAAAAY

- QuiZZie - YES FF9 Soundtrack >_
u'll see "Quizzie"

- QuiZZie - YES FF9 Soundtrack >_
in the openings

|| • (BOING) ｡◕‿◕｡ (BOING) • || `...realityhits[10/11]_// ~ what andy said in his nick. but change cgs to gwsc says:
HAHAHAHA YEAH OK

- QuiZZie - YES FF9 Soundtrack >_
since this is after uni

- QuiZZie - YES FF9 Soundtrack >_
we meet up

- QuiZZie - YES FF9 Soundtrack >_
and u see this 180+cm goodlooking guy with a mansion

- QuiZZie - YES FF9 Soundtrack >_
*me*

|| • (BOING) ｡◕‿◕｡ (BOING) • || `...realityhits[10/11]_// ~ what andy said in his nick. but change cgs to gwsc says:
ROFL

|| • (BOING) ｡◕‿◕｡ (BOING) • || `...realityhits[10/11]_// ~ what andy said in his nick. but change cgs to gwsc says:
AND I FALL HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE

|| • (BOING) ｡◕‿◕｡ (BOING) • || `...realityhits[10/11]_// ~ what andy said in his nick. but change cgs to gwsc says:
*not*

- QuiZZie - YES FF9 Soundtrack >_
hahaa

Yay thats going to be me LOL =D

Just 20-30 more cms to go! One thing I am glad of is that I no longer watch the animu.

Greennnn

2011-05-05T16:27:00.006+10:00

My first ever houseplant... It's supposed to look like the pic on the right, but lol i don't know if I really believe it. Apparently it's not that easy to take care of either -_- I hope it survives my regimen of poor lighting, dehydration and general neglect lol.

Yay we killed a man

2011-05-02T23:55:00.004+10:00

Osama Bin Laden's dead. It's all over the news. Was I really all that concerned about him? Not really, he's never really been at the front of my mind. Perhaps it's because Australia was never truly hit hard by terrorism. But something makes me uneasy as I watch people celebrating the killing of a man. Crowds chanting "USA" repeatedly like a mantra, seemingly overjoyed at a man's death, and seemingly convinced that his murder was a simple act of "dealing justice". But is killing ever justified?

Personally I have never experienced war. But when one can so readily accept a man as being so "evil" that he deserves to die, that's what really frightens me. I've never fully appreciated this but I believe, despite all our advances, we live in a world where "an eye for an eye" is still a principle held deeply by many. It reminds me that this peace I've been living in all my life is only temporary, and that one day our primal instincts and mob mentality will once again get the better of our kind.

Dear Deer

2011-04-30T20:12:00.005+10:00

A little bit of a craft project I got into after having collected the necessary ingredients from Lincraft today :)

Still needs a bit of refining and for me to stick some decorative craft paper on but its looking good!!

Uh ohhh

2011-04-28T23:37:00.003+10:00

Today I went to the local aquatic center to check out the gym there and ask about membership. The gym looked like it had pretty new facillities and the people there didn't seem stuck up. It's also heaps cheaper than the Fitness First just across the road, plus I have the option of using the pool too!

But as if it was a reflex against any sort of healthy behaviour, my body started acting up and gave me all sorts of cravings today. I'm certain my stomach wants me to be miserable because this happens whenever I get exercise done. An hour or so after gym I usually just go and open a big bag of chips to "reward myself".

Similarly, today I ate:
- 3x Snack packs of Red Rock Deli chips
- 1x Half chicken from nandos
- 1x Double Crunch KFC burger
- 1x Regular fries
to reward myself for driving to the gym to ask about membership. Probably the worst I've ever eaten since moving out because I try to have a lot of fruits/salads when I'm eating alone. Maybe I should ask my surgeon supervisor to give me lap-band surgery as a reward for finishing my thesis draft lol

Retail Therapy (for Kids)

2011-04-26T17:11:00.004+10:00

I KNOW....BUT I CAN EXPLAIN...

It all started a few days ago when I looked through my closet and found something I hadn't worn for a while. An orange adidas tee that I got as a birthday present from my 8F3 friends a long long time ago. It might have been a little loose when I first had it but now when I tried it on and I noticed that it actually fit me perfectly. I looked at the label and there it was, the shocking revelation that I, as a 21 year old uni student, was still a Boys Size 14.

Of course it was embarrassing as hell but I got over it. Why? Because this was actually the greatest news in disguise.

I went to South Wharf DFO for the first time today. It was way more huge than any other DFO's I'd been to. Normally DFOs are rip offs even though they're supposed to be factory outlet prices, and the sales racks usually only have XL to 4XL or something insane like that. But no, this time I strutted into the stores knowing I would get a bargain. I held my head up and unashamedly rummaged through the Kids sections of all the stores there. "Can you help me find a boys size 14 please?" I ask a shop assistant. "yeah sure, who's it for?" they reply. "ME!!!" i say without knowing any shame at all.

Overall I found quite a few bargains and spent less than $100 on everything. The adidas jacket was the best bargain at just $55, something similar to what I'd pay if I got it in HK anyway. Can't believe I ever thought my short stature was a curse :)

Is it just me or

2011-04-24T11:39:00.005+10:00

Does this logo look completely stupid?

I've just encountered some random fobs wearing t shirts with this logo and it reminded me of back when I went to Hong Kong and saw nearly everyone wearing this brand. I don't know why but I think it just looks really retarded lol. After some googling, apparently its from a brand called Comme des Garcons. I don't know anything about fashion design but this seriously just looks like what a racist 6 year old would draw if I told them to try drawing a "Chinese heart", with the chinky eyes and everything. Why the hell is it so popular?

Of course, no offense to anything who owns this brand who might be reading this blog :)

Oh I don't know, seems a little bit pricey

2011-04-20T09:00:00.007+10:00

God knows our spending habits can be a little impractical or irrational sometimes. Whether its for simple self-indulgence or to impress the opposite sex, we often squander our money in the most idiotic ways. But as students, the majority of us are not as bad as some of the working adults out there. Here's some of the most ridiculously expensive things I've seen on the net:

Eames House Bird

A simple black wooden bird for house decoration. Though I admit it looks pretty good, it serves no actual purposes at all.

$210.00 USD

Barneys New York - Acid Eaten Pocket Square
Here's a pocket square, the little pieces of fabrics you put in the pocket of your suit. You're not even supposed to flaunt them, they just kind of peep out a teensy bit from your pocket. Plus this fabric has apparently been eaten away by acid lol

$165.00 USD

Ralph Lauren Home - Embossed Leather Valet Box

A box used to store things. Oh but it's made of crocodile leather, so its

$995.00 USD

WHYYYY

2011-04-08T00:54:00.003+10:00

DAMMIT why did I not stay at home tonight like the loser I always am. This Superdry bag must've sold out in 5 hours. Bloody catchoftheday!!

Woot Threadless!

2011-04-03T23:26:00.013+10:00

My Threadless prints are finally here! Well, actually they arrived a week ago, but I've finally had the time to frame them and put them up.

The more observant of you would have noticed I got some new mirrors. They were from Target and were something like $20 for a pack of three so I thought it was a bargain to put around the place. I was getting sick of having to go to the bathroom to make sure I had my shirt on right-way-round before I left the house. Anyhow, I put two either side of the bed and one next to the "dining table" (I give this table more dignity than it deserves :P).

Originally I was planning to put the prints above the bed, but they were actually much bigger than I had anticipated, so now the wall looks pretty lonely. I'm happy with the way things are at the moment and don't want to squander too much money, but it'd be nice to fill up that space with something cheap, especially because the mirrors kind of frame the space and make it feel like something's lacking in between. I thought maybe hanging a series of hat's would look alright. Besides you can get some dirt cheap hats at Dimmeys/op shops for like $5 each lol. Again, any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

I feel like i'm decorating my Sim's house again only I have to spend real money on this shit lol.

My music career has just begun bahaha

2011-03-24T23:20:00.003+11:00

:D :D :D
Last week when I went home I finally found my USB cable. Just a normal standard USB cable but you can't imagine how happy and excited I was about it. The reason is that only a few days before that I had realized my keyboard had MIDI output through a USB port, meaning there was no need for me to buy a MIDI integrator thing for $70+.

The first day I got home to my apartment I spent the whole day playing with all the sounds I had. It wasn't much because I'm just using stupid garageband on the mac, but it was enough for me to work with until I could download some better programs.

Here's a little composition I did called Streamside Village with a video game BGM kinda feel to it. Earphones recommended!

A bit of a wallflower but I find it peaceful to listen to. I can imagine kids running by the river side, fisherman lazily sitting by and catching fish, but that's just me haha. I'm gonna try some electronica/dance music once I get net and collect some cool beats/samples.

Status Quo

2011-03-24T10:19:00.005+11:00

- I refuse to give into the whole photography hobby thing. It seems like everyone is doing it and I think its ridiculous how much these cameras can be. They also seem bulky and a pain in the ass to carry around. And again they're expensive. You could also probably build a whole village in africa with a single camera lens.

- TPG screwed up my net connection so i'm still waiting (I signed up in Feb 18). A technician should come today to recheck the connection. Fingers crossed, but I'm not expecting much.

- I still need to chase up Centrelink, the Uni and my real estate agent about repairs.

- I ran out of milk again. ARGH.

- Joined a footy tipping competition at work. wish me luck guys! ahahha

- It's starting to get busy as my thesis is due (draft in a month, final copy in two months). Of course, I should have expected this but some students in my year have already completed writing their 10000 word theses. It seems they are just twiddling their thumb until the year ends, or more likely, undertaking even greater projects to satisfy their neverending need for accomplishment. If you thought I was an overachiever, I am probably an underachiever in my course. These people just seem to outdo you in every way. You play piano? I can play every instrument in the orchestra. You're good at maths? I bloody invented maths. Ahahah I don't think I have the drive like I used to. I don't see how anyone can be so motivated. Sometimes I'm jealous of that but a lot of the times I just think what's the point. I'm pretty happy the way things are.

One by one

2011-03-21T11:01:00.004+11:00

Just sorting out problems one step at a time. I'm glad I'm the kind of person who thinks and makes plans about how to get over obstacles, rather of worrying about how high or many they are.

Last night in my apartment it was 30 degrees with 70% humidity when it was probably <20 degrees outside. I think it's a bit excessive but i still haven't heard back from the agent. Should I press on and get them to do something about it?

ANGRY

2011-03-15T13:32:00.002+11:00

These couples of days I've come very close to swearing. I won't go into the minor things that've pissed me off, but instead I'll talk about my recent experiences with Centrelink.

A month ago:
- Visited Glen Waverley Centrelink office to discuss how I've moved out and wanted to apply for Away from Home rates (higher weekly payments).
- Person tells me, no need to worry, I'll help you apply right now!
- Person is unable to use the program that calculates how far my place of study is from my previous residence (it needs to be 90minutes by public transport from your previous home, forcing you to move out to be closer to your place of study)
- They ask around, but NO ONE in the whole damn office knows how to use it (I've calculated it to be ~90minutes+ on Metlink planner, but they insist they use a special different calculator).
- I write a statement and they say they'll be able to do it tomorrow and send it off to the Centrelink head office
- Apparently I will get a response within 2-5 working days as to whether I've been approved or not

2 weeks ago
- I wait for ages in the queue on the phone waiting for Centrelink to speak to an operator.
- I ask them why I haven't gotten a response yet and they tell me they'll look into it
- They apparently make a call and tell me that there's been someone working on my claim "just yesterday" and it should be done in a couple of days
- I wait like an idiot for a letter, and I call mum every few days to see if they've posted it back at my old home address

Today
- I call them up again to see what the bloody hell was happening (of course i had to wait at least 15minutes for them to pick up)
- They tell me there's no record of my claiming Living Away from Home apart from a note from the Centrelink Office about a month ago
- I am told that no one has been working on my claim and when I tell her about the previous call she talks to me as if I'm making it up
- I am told I would need to provide evidence that I'm going to Western Hospital and not Melbourne Uni so that it's 90 minutes away and then go to the local Centrelink office again

ARGHHHH. So what I need to do now is to get the Uni to write me a letter to certify that I'm going to Western for my clinical placement. God knows how long that's going to take. THEN I have to go through the Centrelink office and wait and see if they're competent enough to process my claim. Basically, I have to go through all this bullshit (woops) again.

If ANYTHING AT ALL goes wrong again I am going to give them a piece of my mind. I'm sick and tired of people's disorganized, incompetent and inefficient ways of doing thing. Another error and I'm going to call to complain and make them get out the recordings with all operators I've dealt with and the lies they've told me to make it look like they've been doing work. Bring it on centrelink.

Update

2011-03-15T12:32:00.004+11:00

From the 1st to 14th of March, I spent a grand total $1900 while earning $700. I think should've tripled my predicted expenditure when I did my budget to account for the fact that everyone seems to be turning 21 or getting married this year lol.

On the other hand, I got a thermometer which tells me my room has been 30 degrees consistently these few days even with fans and everything. I hate the lack of ventilation in my room and the fact that I can't open my windows but a few inches. I'm going to try hold off until next summer before I decide to buy a mobile aircon though (another -$500 -_-).

Also, time to start gyming now that the last gym payment's been paid off! (-$50/monthly)

Interests many shared by few

2011-03-11T23:21:00.008+11:00

I tend to have a lot of things I like that most people in the general population don't care about. A lot of it is related to jap and internet (think the drama Densha Otoko), and it kind of grew/branched out from there, that is, from the first time I got introduced to naruto the anime (thanks a lot dave). It annoys me that sometimes I just can't fanboy about things to someone because they don't share the same enthusiasm. Now I have developed another new unshared interest. My obsession with home decoration. And ever since I've moved out, my disgusting fetish for Ralph Lauren bedding.

I'm mentioning it today because tonight while shopping for a wedding gift for someone in church, I went to the David Jones at the Glen just to see if I could afford anything there. Things there were of course overpriced (I think David Jones is one of the most needlessly overpriced stores I have ever set foot in). I was about to leave, when lo and behold I see this on the other side of the room.

SHHEODIGJGJSDG;:sfd. It was a bedding section for Ralph Lauren Home. I'd only seen the merchandise online and never thought to check if they stocked these in Australia. Then I saw this and just wanted to abduct it for my own because it was in essence the combination of pillow/cushion covers and sheets I had ever wanted.

Damn misleading 30% offs because when I looked around the place I realized I could never ever have the strength to buy any of this. They were selling these pillowcases for $250 whereas the ones you get from Target are probably about $15. There were pillowcases for display and I couldn't resist feeling them up hurhurhur.

Here's a throw blanket or something that is probably the case in point. It cost a total of $650 and is possibly the most expensive blanket I've seen.

I think before I finish this post I need to clarify a few things though. The US Ralph Lauren site sells comforter sets like this for about $250 and the pillowcase x2 for $50. I really believe that their prices aren't that ridiculous, just that David Jones is an absolute greed machine.

I am very tempted to get this if there is ever another money bonus from the government, or somehow coerce my sis to get me this stuff for my 21st from hk lol.

In the meantime I'm very happy with the bedding I have. I've picked up another revolting habit of making my bed (something I never did before). The bedding might be subpar and probably has unbelievably low threadcounts, but when you make your bed in the morning, it makes it really irresistable to climb into at night.

Unrecognised genius

2011-03-11T00:56:00.002+11:00

Thought I'd pay a small, 1AM tribute to one of the greatest composers I know. His pieces are consistently of the highest calibre yet he is so extremely unrecognized. He is the king of disney music, and his name is Alan Menken.

Just read the list of songs he's written and I'm sure you'll be hitting yourself for not knowing that he's behind these awesome hits.
- A Whole New World / Aladdin
- Beauty and the Beast / Beauty and the Beast
- Under the sea / Little Mermaid
- Colors of the Wind / Pocahontas
- Go the Distance / Hercules
- That's how you know / Enchanted
- I see the light / Tangled

Most of these have won golden globes for best original song. He also does most of the scores for these movies. I'm just always amazed by his melodies and the amazing lyrics he strings on them. His music is so friendly and accessible to all; chord progressions are not sophisticated but he just does it in such a wonderful way. Go the Distance is a song that utterly motivates me even in the darkest times, and the bit from Colors of the Wind when Pocahontas sings "you can own the earth and still, all you'll own is earth until..." is, in my opinion, the most succinct and artistic encapsulation of a concept in song I have ever come across.

I hope he continues to write music for upcoming movies! I will try to get my hands on his scores too so I can study how he does what he does :)

New Challenge

2011-03-06T01:10:00.005+11:00

A bit of a "new year resolution" for turning 21, but I've decided I'm going to wake up at 6.00am most weekday mornings and go to sleep by 11:00pm. I've been jotting down little timetables on my notepad and trying to decide the best way to fit gym into my schedule, but there are all these different factors to consider (going out at night, work, assignments due). I hope I'll have the strength to stick with it and the creativity/flexibility to adjust it to my needs. Will work on this tomorrow and post it up here so I feel a bit more of a sense of accountability!

Apartment Deco

2011-02-25T08:53:00.007+11:00

It's been a week since I've moved out all the way to Footscray to a cosy studio apartment few minutes from the hospital. During the last few days I've been completely obsessed not on how to survive my now independent lifestyle, but on how to best decorate my apartment interior (despite dwindling resources). The problem with having such a small place that's furnished is that you're quite limited to what you can place and where you can place your items. For examples, shelves will get me slaughtered by the landlords if I ever put nails in the walls.

Last night I made a little trip to Ikea to treat myself to some cheap little decorations.

I was really happy with these sets of candles that I bought for a few bucks. At first I only had the candles and the black candle holder and it was a pain in the ass trying to arrange them on the white table. There was no contrast at all except for the black holder. So I took one of the placemats that i bought originally for the purpose of serving food and put them under the candles. I thought having only the red there was still a little bit lacking so I put my other black placemat there and became really happy with the results. But now I have no placemats to use. Another example of how much of a flake i've become.

My work desk is actually quite large and i'm extremely happy with that because I tend to have paperwork everywhere. The document trays I got a while back from safeway or target have been really helpful in organizing the random letters and statements I've been getting. The pot plant really lifts the atmosphere up and makes it just that much easier to study. Though I don't know if you realize, the plant is artificial. I'm still waiting to find some good leafy plants I can put there in its stead in the future to clear the air up a bit.

My next project will be the bed which will be an expensive challenge. I've been looking on ebay for good bargains but I haven't been successful. I've been looking for black quilt cover sets at target/kmart to give more edge to all the boring brown walls on the other side of the room but for godsakes I wish they would not print bloody flowers on every one of them. I had my eyes on some ralph lauren covers I'd seen on the internet but they only have those in US (plus its way too costly). The Logan and Mason Carrera white sheets look great as well, but I think the bedding should wait until winter when I've saved up more.

Apart from the bed itself, I'm hoping to get a nice picture and frame up on the wall as a feature. I actually had a lot of trouble finding ones that suited my taste for a cheap price, but after a bit of racking my brains, I remembered that good ol' Threadless.com did large prints for their designs.

The prints are all uniformly priced at an average of about 2 threadless tshirts ($15 - $35 for enormous gallery prints). With shipping at $10 I think it's the best value for quality prints there are out there and will starting investing in some of these as soon as the next two paycheck come.

If you have any other design ideas for me please let me know! I'd also really like to know where you or your parents get cheap home deco stuff. Home stores in shopping centres are usually a rip off, and I have no idea where the flea markets are in Melbourne.

ahhha

2011-02-09T10:29:00.002+11:00

From today's Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal (SMBC)

The Onion News Network

2011-01-08T01:15:00.002+11:00

The Onion News Network is the funniest thing you will ever subscribe to on youtube. You have my word.

My cover of Forget You

2011-01-01T18:31:00.002+11:00

Loved this song since the very first time I heard it on the radio and always wanted to do an acapella cover of it like the one I did with Summer / Hisaishi. Took me about 1.5 hours using audacity like last time, but I spent lots of time fiddling with it on imovie to try to get it into a video so that I could put it on blogger. I arranged it on the spot, and I did the best I could with the voice I have, so I hope you like it :)

lol what?

2010-12-18T20:36:00.005+11:00

Quite a number of years ago I think, I checked myself out in the mirror, and I was shocked to see that one of my eyelids was gone. Not literally my eyelid of course, but you know how some asians go and get double eye-lid surgery? I used to have a "double eyelid" on my left eye and just out of the blue it disappeared. It disappeared and I became a one eyelid freak on one eye and double eyelidded on the other. Needless to say I was devastated and weirded out at first. No one seemed to notice that my eyes looked different though so eventually I just forgot about it.

Then today I realized my double eyelid came back again, again out of the blue. I'm not sure what this means but I am just happy that my eyes are symmetrical once more. I shared this because I just thought this was an important thing you should know about me.

IMPORTANT:
If you suddenly develop a droopy eyelid on one side of your face, this may be a serious medical condition and should be reported to your doctor. Fortunately, I did not have ptosis from left-sided Horner's syndrome due to a lung cancer.

Workaholicism

2010-12-14T10:43:00.004+11:00

My boss just sent me another email tempting me to pick up more shifts this week and next. I'm probably going to do it, which is what happens when you're lonely and greedy. I'm also not going to be on break next Monday as I hoped, because the doctors are getting excited about my research project and want more and more meetings. I liked it better when no one really cared and I didn't have work to do lol.

COOL

2010-12-10T22:22:00.004+11:00

WHATS THIS? MARCO'S FINISHED HIS THREE WEEKS OF HELL AT WORK ? :D:D:D

Yes indeed Party Cat, it's PARTY TIMEEEE. If only I had friends :(

Anyhow, to be perfectly honest I'm not that exhausted despite the crazy hours I've been doing. I think these weeks have undeniably proven I am enough of a workaholic to be DOCUTAH MATEELIARU.

Even so, I'm looking forward to some break-time. I'm intending to take a break from lab from the 20th Dec, until I come back from HK which will be in the middle of Jan. I expect an Oprah welcome when I get back, because it'll be only a few months before I move out to the city! ;_;

Home Ideas

2010-12-04T18:40:00.008+11:00

BLACK BATHROOMS

BEST BATHROOM EVER. I haven't actually seen a black bathroom in real life but this photo from a 5-star New York hotel (Chatwal) is just so lovely. I've started scrapbooking for my dream house, since property is just so dirt cheap.

PS: Please don't copy me. I'm the only one allowed to have a black bathroom.

BEDROOMS

I'm still in the midst of looking through blogs and catalogues, but bedrooms like these are pretty yet not my taste. For me I'd like a bedroom thats a little more snug and private. I don't think I could sleep in a room with such a high ceiling (not to mention the upper level that you can see on the side). Square beds don't look very comfortable either, but I could be wrong!

I think black bathrooms are alright, but living in a house thats only black and white could be a bit boring. It looks all nice in great lighting and all in photos, but imagine coming home alone on a rainy day when everything is dark and your house is all modern, clinical and detached. And also again, big clear windows seem like a disaster to me, considering temperature control and full disclosure to psychopath murderers.

More to look forward to: kitchens, house exteriors and yards!

WHAT HAVE I DONE LOL

2010-11-19T09:51:00.004+11:00

Boss at work said he wanted people to do some extra shifts in the next 3 weeks because of the influx of medical records. I told him I was pretty much free to work every weekday night and on the weekends, thinking he couldn't possibly get me to work on ALL those days lol.

He's now gotten me to 5:30 - 10:30pm shifts every night for the next 3 weeks. Along with my research at the lab that's reaching 60-70 hours a week AHHH. The worst thing about it is travelling to and fro the two hospitals and home. So far I've been able to survive with just intermittent hot chocolate doses. I was planning to save coffee until internship in case its effects diminished over constant abuse, but I think now might be time to pull out the big guns!

Looking for a new laptop

2010-11-13T20:00:00.003+11:00

My VAIO is getting a bit rusty. I can hardly operate it without power supply or it will go into one of its blue screen of death spasms (laptop keeps restarting and gives a blue screen when window starts to load again, resulting in a very angry me). The cursor often suddenly stops responding, as does the keyboard. I don't think I can be bothered repairing it since the warranty's long gone, and with laptop prices quite low I thought maybe it's time to replace it.

I'm considering the Macbook Pro. Of course its received tonnes of good reviews, but reviews are almost always an initial impression, like a first date. The longer you stick with them the more you notice the things that irk you. Besides, having used Windows my whole life switching to the Mac OS would be like dating a Swedish girl, and would need some getting used to. Having dug around I found out the Macbook Pro operates at some really high temperatures. Combined with its aluminium casing I can't help but think that I could potentially get third degree burns as a punishment for making her think too much.

The Macbook air on the other hand is just vapid and anorexic. She doesn't come with a CD drive and costs $70 for an external one from Apple which ONLY works with macbook airs. Nothing about it seems all that practical apart from it's light weight. It seems faddy to me.

But of course that's just my speculation. Anyone care to share experiences with macbook products? Apart from the macs I am looking for alternatives. I'm kind of sick of my VAIO but I'm also trying to look for good Windows based notebooks too. Hopefully I'll be able to look for something decent at a good price!

The More Mentality

2010-11-11T11:38:00.004+11:00

It seems with almost all current issues regarding say education and health care, the answer seems to be MORE resources, MORE staffing, MORE MORE MORE. However, while there are an infinite number of problems that need to be dealt with, we should remember that we have a limited amount of resources. Consumerism is so embedded within us that we no longer just take maximalistic approaches to our small, everyday problems, but even to the big issues in our society, and this correlates to massive redundancy and wastage on a much greater scale.

Instead of the knee-jerk reaction of smothering an important issue with craploads of money, maybe we need to make use of our brains a bit more and come up with cleverer, simpler solutions. The fact is, a complex solution is a problem in itself. For each complex answer, you get more problems to be solved. Complex answers also tends to reflect lazy thinking.

Sometimes less can actually be more.

Research Woes

2010-11-05T10:36:00.004+11:00

If you still refuse to fax me your medical records I'M BLOODY GONNA BURN YOUR CLINIC DOWN!!!

My research is starting to piss me off. Recently after analysing the data we've gotten so far the results were really favourable. A lot of celebrating, fattening myself up with Red Rock Deli etc. But because we've been getting good results, my supervisor has started to take a much greater interest in the project than previously. He's sent me about 4 emails in one day, while in the past I was lucky to receive one email from him in 4 months. His enthusiasm unfortunately means my doom because the more he keeps an eye on me, the more he realizes the progress on my part of the project is more-or-less minimal. No one listens to you or does what you ask them toddo when you're just a medical student!

But it could be worse. A mate of mine is having trouble getting some cells to splurt out some chemicals. Unfortunately it takes weeks for those cells to grow/mature and in that period you have to continuously look after them.

So just a heads up about research. Lower your expectations because nothing ever goes as planned!!!

Windows Live Messenger 2011

2010-11-04T22:35:00.004+11:00

Is pretty, but useless. Not unlike many retail staff.

They took out nicknames, making things unbelievably boring. Even worse, they had the gall to remove the drawing function!!

MAGNIFICANT!

2010-11-03T20:26:00.006+11:00

Glast Heim aren't actually words. I used to just think I had a small vocab but they're actually not words. That place used to scare me tremendously back in the old days. I was told that was where you get the best experience as an acolyte, and so I jumped into a free warp to Glast Heim after some patient waiting for some dude who could actually afford the 2000z warp.

It was obviously a huge leap. From the world of porings and chonchons, then to rockers; the world was so much more innocent back then. And then as you go on your journey, you realize that being an acolyte wasn't going to be all lollipops and rainbows. People liked having you around, but eventually you'd have to go hunt yourself. You start going to places like payon cave and it went downhill from there. Decaying flesh, zombies vomitting their acid on you, bats chasing you around with you having no means of retaliation whatsoever.

But Glast Heim was on a whole different level. Getting put on the playing field of where all the second jobs were hunting was both terrifying and exciting. It put you on the edge of your seat because one wrong move and you know you will be decimated by a hunterfly.

Those were the days!

So you think you want to be a doctor (2)

2010-10-28T20:58:00.006+11:00

So it turns out I'll be going to the W Hospital and now I'm trying to plan ahead financially. Ideally I'd like to move out to the city because I want to still be able to touch base with the Austin for research, Royal Melbourne for work, and the southeast for friends and time away from hospital life.

But according to an international student friend, as well as the university of melbourne website itself, estimated student living costs annually are about $25k (rent, food, bills). This is when I knew I was in trouble.

I'm not any good in the area of budgeting or personal finances, all I know is I need income > expenditure for me to have a life. Unfortunately after thinking about it and crunching some numbers, my income is never going to reach that much.

My incomes at the moment are part-time work, scholarship, and centrelink. Part-time work is going to be next to impossible next year onwards because of clinical school workload. At most I reckon I could do about 4-6 hours a week which would about to a little bit more than $5000/year. Scholarship money only lasts 4 years (or was it 3 :S :S) and that's only about $2000/year; losing that in the last 2 years of my medical schooling is going to be hell. The only thing that saves me are centrelink payments that will increase to about $350/fortnight, equating to about $9000 annually. Totalling that up it comes to about $15k/year that I could potentially earn. I only have barely $15k in my savings at the moment so I can't make up that debt with my savings. In other words I'm screwed, and I try not to even think about my HECS debts!

Frankly I don't see where else I could pull money from. My parents can barely afford running the house. I'm going to need to contact Unimelb financial services and get some advice soon. In the meantime I'll need to stop being so spendy. I resent the ones living in mansions and getting the good hospitals near where they live. Though I have a theory that they try to get lower socioeconomic asian meds kids in the Western suburbs early so that they will continue to practice there (similar to the case of Deakin Med School and rural). If this makes it harder for me to get an internship at the Austin Hospital (my true love) then I'm going to be really pissed.

But in all seriousness, I'm a bit worried :S

So you think you want to be a doctor

2010-10-22T21:57:00.005+11:00

Let's start this post off with an honest truth: I really had no idea what I was getting into when I decided to do medicine. I'm sure when you don't have parents or relatives who are doctors, you're pretty in the dark about what it really involves, no matter how many open days you go to or how many people you ask. Even doctors will probably sugar coat things a bit if you ask them, simply because it's just cultural politeness not to pop the bubbles of young and impressionable teens looking for a career in medicine. If you think about it, doctors are great at instilling false hope in people who are more or less hopeless - it's pretty much their job. So if a kid comes up to them saying they're getting C's at school and asks if they could still do medicine because they admire how cool Dr. House is, guess what they're gonna do. You're just an annoying brat and you're wasting my time. Nope that's what I'd tell them, which is why I'm not going to make a very good doctor.

But that's besides the point of this post. I just want to highlight the things I never knew medicine involved when I made the decision to plunge into this vortex of hell.

#1 - Medical students are puny little disgusting leeches
When you're in uni doing preclinical studies you don't realize it. But once you start doing clinical placements you become more and more aware that you are just blocking everyone's way -- 'stopping the earth from spinning' as my mum would put it in cantonese. Everyone thinks you're a nuisance because you're poking and prodding patients for your own academic needs, not being able to do anything and needing to ask help, with the explanation takes exactly 12 times longer than if the senior doctor did it themselves. That's unless you're competent. But of course you're not, you're just a med student.

#2 - Medical students are extremely poor
This is something I am coming to terms with as friends from high school in other courses are starting to graduate and have real jobs and earn real salaries. That I still have three years of unpaid intense labour drives me crazy. Clinical school is too intense to fit a part time job in, and on the other hand you have a ridiculously heavy debt from your medical school and all the expenses you have from moving out and about that will give you an aneurysm. The debt is now a million spiders eating your skin. Anything is possible with medicine.

#3 - Medical students are in excess
A serious one this time. The government is opening the floodgates for more people to enter medicine, but not as involved in providing more training places at hospital espeically for specialist training. This means we're going to be pumping the Nile river through a juice box straw.

#4 - Working hours are truly horrendous
This is something you hear about but don't really believe until you see it in action. Being but a junior student, I haven't experienced this first hand, however working at the Department of Surgery with a bunch of overworked, malnourished and sleep-deprived surgeons/registrars really sheds light on the reality of it all. Their hours are not only long, but their schedules are also insanely packed, with people constantly needing things from you and calling you for advice. My poor supervisor has to lock himself in his office to get a quick powernap. Is it really worth it?

#5 - Being a medical student never ends
When I went to open days I had a clear idea of what the medical course was at the university. It seemed like a long ordeal but I thought it would be alright once you finished and could get a job you get paid well for (ie. like any other decent job on this planet).

Unfortunately thats not the case as I realized later, you become an intern when you graduate from med school. To be an intern you go through a lot of interviews and assessments with hospitals you want to be at. When you're finally employed by a hospital you inevitably get moved around affiliated hospitals for rotations, sometimes even interstate, to complete internship and residency, meaning yet another tidal wave of assessments.

After that if you want to specialize you need to do exeptionally well and vie for precious training program spaces. Towards the end of your training you will need to undertake extremely difficult examinations to determine whether you have the skill to really be that certain kind of specialist.

This is what I've gathered so far talking to people, because even at med school orientation they were a bit vague about everything. They seem to not let people know about things until you get closer to the next 'nodal' point in your career. I don't really know what happens after specialist training and I'd rather not be enlightened. Suffice to say a lot of people do burn out way before that happens.

* * *

So just a final disclaimer. This is just my personal experience, but I wanted to show that medicine isn't as great as it seems, and to urge people to think carefully about their decision. This is not strictly to deter people from entering the course, because I'm sure there are people out there who like this masochistic shit. If you're like me and have that whole I-can-overcome-any-obstacle-if-I-try mindset going, you probably won't listen anyway. The vital thing is to ask yourself if it is really worth it, when you could be just as happy, or even more happy and satisfied with another career choice.

Presentations

2010-10-20T21:24:00.003+11:00

I have a presentation about my research project next week, giving me the excuse to act out and totally FREAKKKKK. If you've been reading my blogs since the very start you would have no doubt become bored of me complaining on and on about how bad I am at public speaking or speaking in general. I can read I can listen and I can somewhat write. However, I blame my speech impediments on overly strict teachers in Hong Kong for branding the act of speaking in classrooms as being 'naughty'. I also blame my over-obedience that actually made me listen to teachers. But I blame my strict mum and her very persuasive bamboo cane for the over-obedience. So in the end nothing was really my fault. There is something about standing in front of a large crowd of people to be judged that isn't my cup of tea.

Anyhow just a quick story: tonight our family went to Sofia for a quick dinner. As I was walking out I heard these two teenage girls in the playground. They were inside a little box at the top chatting while the other kids were playing down below. "She said she didn't have sex with...."..."That b*tch..." It reminded me of how as a kid your older sisters always think they're so much better than you with the secret gossip talk they do in their rooms. I was the annoying little brother who tried to get in and disturb things lol.

Euler's Identity

2010-10-17T22:27:00.004+11:00

It has been a VERY LONG TIME since I've ever written anything about MATHS. I believe I will probably never have anything to do with maths for the rest of my life, so I thought I would make this post about maths my last and greatest! It's going to be all-out nerd so be warned!

And what better way to end it than to impress you with the most beautiful identity in maths:

Anyone who did Specialist or MGM should know these numbers, but they never taught this identity in high school. e is Euler's number, i is the imaginary number where i^2 = -1 and pi is the ratio between the diameter of a circle and its circumference.

The reason why its the most beautiful identity in maths is obvious when you look at it more closely.

#1: It has the most important 'numbers' in maths: 0, 1, e, i, pi
#2: It has the most important operations in maths: addition, multiplication and exponentials (note that subtraction, division and logarithms are just extensions of these)
#3: They are all linked together in a simple, elegant equation

And so I have something to confess. I really do love maths. I might joke about it but I think it's amazing how it is so logically consistent and sometimes, a bit magical or 'out of this world' if you know what I mean. I've also learned important life lessons from it too. School maths was often tedious and more of a chore, as with a lot of things in life. But when you start looking closer, start opening up your mind to it, and start being a little bit creative, you can be inspired to do almost anything and develop a passion for it.

Why would you waste those years?

2010-10-14T19:37:00.001+11:00

Something I read recently about ambition

A boat docked in a tiny Greek island. A tourist complimented the local fishermen on the quality of their fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

“Not very long.” they answered in unison.

“Why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?”

The fishermen explained that their small catches were sufficient to meet their needs and those of their families.

“But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

“We sleep late, fish a little, play with our children, and take siestas with our wives. In the afternoons we have a snack at the beach or go into the village to see our friends at the Kafenio, have a few drinks and play tavli. In the evenings we go to a taverna play the bouzouki and sing a few songs, maybe break a plate or two. We have a full life.”

The tourist interrupted, “I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.”

“And after that?”

”With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Athens or even London . From there you can direct your huge new enterprise.”

“How long would that take?”

“Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years.” replied the tourist.

“And after that?”

“Afterwards? Well my friend, that’s when it gets really interesting,” answered the tourist, laughing. “When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!”

“Millions? Really? And after that?” asked the fishermen.

“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends.”

“With all due respect, that’s exactly what we are doing now. So what’s the point wasting twenty-five years?” asked the Greek fishermen?

The Perfect Game

2010-10-10T15:24:00.004+11:00

LOL deleted i'm such an emo.

New Directions!

2010-10-04T11:25:00.004+11:00

Taking some lunch break time to write a blog entry, thats how dedicated I am!

It's been a while but I'm back into my canto pop phase again haha. HK songwriters seem to be really competent at writing duet melodies, and they have a lot of disney harmonies which I am a big fan of! When I try to sing along though its never a pretty sight, partly due to my disgraceful canto that I try my best to hide lol

Speaking of disney, I finally got around to watching some movies on my harddrive yesterday, in particular Enchanted. Very silly and funny and I spent at least 30 minutes repeating the part where they sing "That's How you know". BEST SONG EVARRR

Last thing, which was the main point of writing the entry, is about my infatuation with the band The Carpenters. New songs can be good. Famous songs can be good too. But a lot of the time the best songs are from yonks ago written and performed by little known musicians. Not that The Carpenters (70s band) are not famous though, I was playing some of their songs and my mum told me she loved them back in her days (lol how awful of me to say that). She even started singing along and was telling me that's how she learned English when she was young lol! Then I asked her more about her young adult life, finding out a whole lot more than I thought I'd know.

She used to work at the bar in those bigshot hotels. She mainly served people but told me she knew how to make drinks and had to when the bartenders were slacking off and there were customers hehe. From what I gather I'm pretty sure both mum and dad were pretty cool people. Just how did I turn out like this?! I should be singing K, binge drinking and clubbing every night by the sounds of it, but the coolness gene must have discombobulated leaving me as the product.

Here's The Carpenters:

Evil GP scales

2010-09-27T09:09:00.007+10:00

Got weighed at my GP the other day and was quite shocked at my weight. At first I thought, it must be the clothes I'm wearing, they must be responsible for the extra 5kg from my perceived body weight. But who was I kidding, the GP scales are always right, and I shudder at the thought that my weight has been keyed in and will forever tarnish my medical record.

I know it's horribly unmanly but I think I need to go on a diet.... i mean 'burn fat and bulk up' in dudespeak. I've been exercising somewhat consistently (less than before due to 9-5 commitments) and I have felt more fit and energetic since gyming last year. The extra weight I think is really due to my poor eating habits. Just this weekend I finished two packs of red rock deli chips. On friday I had viet noodles with chargrilled chicken plus like 3 spring rolls that someone couldn't finish. I eat too excessively and I don't eat nearly enough fruits and vegetables. Another thing is my mum cooks too much and justifies it by saying young people are supposed to eat moar for their growing bodies. Unfortunately the only direction i'll be growing is circumferentially.

I'll be reducing my portion sizes from now on and fitting more fruits/veggies in. With any luck, my 'consumption routine' will be successful and I will be the next cover model for Men's health, showing you how to cure cancer with bench presses.

Exciting Life Update

2010-09-24T10:04:00.007+10:00

Heres another EXCITING LIFE UPDATE from me. Of course my life is anything but exciting, but the update of my life will be. No one blogs about their lives anymore because it's apparently un-hip. However, I will press on and uphold the blogging traditions. Even if no one reads them now, one day the protoss aliens will discover my blog in the remaining fragments of cyberweb. By then everyone who knows what a blockhead I am will be dead and the aliens will know me from this positive portrayal of myself. Hohoho

What I've gotten up to lately:
- STARCRAFT 2 is taking over my life, but causing me great angst because I seem incapable of multitasking and accurate mouse pointing
- Received an email from a Cambridge lecturer thanking my father for his hospitality and inviting me to a dinner the night before I receive my "Ph. D" (he was very particular about the punctuation of the title). I was also welcome to invite my "other friends from Cambridge"
- Catching up on manga and watched the new seasons of pretty much all the TV shows I like that came out this week
- Suppressing my strong desire to strangle the kids on Masterchef junior with their extensive food vocabulary -- "I'm cooking a raisinberry parmetloi with crisp tuscani poultry and a dash of luluvichi" ... I could barely spell refrigerator when I was 12, and I was a master at eating loads of chocolate, not tempering it
- Heavily affected by the discovery of eBay lol.. thinking about buying clothes but what if they dont fit well!? Every bloke's nightmare :P
- Looking forward to the pies vs. saints final, just kidding :)
- Composed a symphony
- Tried out for X-factor
- Built a house

Anyhow, better get back to research!

Spontaneous Travelling

2010-09-19T22:00:00.003+10:00

AKA spontaneous combustion of money

I'm considering taking a flight out of Melbourne just on impulse because it's killing me here, and I want to travel before I don't have a chance! I really wanna take off within 2 months or so, but just for a week since I still have work lol

Japan or Korean or Italy sounds nice. So does the UK/germany/other european countries.

What do you guys think? Am I being crazy???

USB FAIL

2010-09-15T16:19:00.003+10:00

ARGH. Today I had my USB in my laptop then went down to grand medical rounds. I closed the lid as usual to let the computer sleep/hibernate. When I got back, my USB corrupted and now I don't know if I can get the data back.

Went to the IT guy at Austin and they say it looks pretty unsalvagable but they will try a recovery tool that they will bring next monday. I have a backup from 2 weeks back but I am feeling pretty aggro already to redo 2 weeks of my work. And I was going to ask for a week of holiday from the research too. Must be karma for all the, wait, NICE THINGS I EVER DO FOR PEOPLE

>:(

Marry me a little

2010-09-04T14:30:00.003+10:00

Marry me a little. Love me just enough. Warm and sweet and easy. Just the simple stuff.
Keep a tender distance. So we'll both be free. That's the way it ought to be.

Raul Esparza is one awesome broadway star! If anyone has his music please let me know! We can arrange a deal :)

On another note, myCh*nny, the VIC youtube celebrity. I am going to get lots of hate for this, but his channel is loud　and unfunny. Natalie Tran (communitychannel) totally wipes the floor with him. There I said it :|

Taste of Melbourne

2010-08-27T09:59:00.004+10:00

Had one of the most spectacular evenings out at the Taste of Melbourne last night. For those who don't know, it's a restaurant festival held at the Royal Exhibition Building every year where Melbourne's top restaurants have stalls where they serve their signature dishes. This event was completely unknown to me until Matt called me up two nights ago to persuade me to go. I was almost going to pass on this for the stupid medical careers night at melb uni. I feel sorry for the suckers who went there because the REB was the place to be last night!

I won't write too much because I'm actually at work (woops), I'll let you guys read the details on their website. Getting to taste at least 8 dishes of the most refined cuisines in Melbourne was amazing. Some of things I had included a wagyuu beef burger, eye fillet, rabbit meat, duck meat and WALLABY meat which definitely had an interesting texture. My favourite stall was Gordon Ramsay's Maze restaurant which had dishes with flavours I never thought possible. I will definitely go there for real once i save up enough money. Had some amazing swiss icecream from a place called Movinpick which is apparently going to open in the Glen shopping centre in the near future. I loved it so much I bought a tub home for ~~mum~~ me. It was in a pretty bag and was only $8 so I obviously couldn't resist haha.

Needless to say, it was the best dinner experience I've had in ages. All those associations with REB and our horrible melb uni exams are completely gone, but it will also be remembered as the time I accidentally used the female toilets then feeling deathglares on my back as I dashed out upon realization lol

Real estate

2010-08-25T11:46:00.005+10:00

http://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-vic-ivanhoe-404734039

What a charming little 1 bedroom apartment. I'd love to live in a place like this by myself. I could practice cartwheels and nobody would know :)

The Leap of Faith

2010-08-19T19:01:00.007+10:00

Back in high school, we went to camp in a some regional parts of VIC. It was mainly personal development stuff, a chance for us to develop our teamwork skills, be better tree-huggers and do some exciting stuff!

One of the things we had to do was climb up to a platform god-knows how many meters high (with a safety harness of course). I was absolutely mortified when I was up on the platform looking down. In front of me was a red bucket. I was told I had to leap off the platform and knock at the bucket. To put things into perspective I have a fear of escalators and standing close to edge of the bridges connecting sides of shopping centres on 2nd floor. The bucket looked a mile away and I just wanted the nightmare to be over.

So I just stepped off the platform without even attempting to reach for the bucket. I rationalized that the plunge would be less frightening than if i leaped. Everyone was cheering me on to take the leap of faith. In my mind I thought I would never reach it and that it was just too far. I'd just look like an idiot trying anyway. And that's the mindset I've always had. People around me are usually very supportive, but I tend to collapse under fear and anxiety. Story of my life.

I regretted it and though I knew I needed to change, it's not always easy changing who you are. But recently there was an event in my life when I did take the leap (not it was not academic!!! lol). I looked down and realized how far up I was. I was still just as scared, and would have stayed on the platform forever if I could. But I knew it was enough and I took the change and leaped towards the bucket.

As it turns out I missed the bucket anyway. It didn't work out in the end. Maybe the bucket was too far away, or maybe I just can't jump far enough. I'll never know. What I do know is I feel better than having not tried, which is very cliche. It was disappointing, but I didn't disappoint anybody and I didn't disappoint myself.

Okay so that's all I'll write because I think ive gotten to the threshold of using an analogy without overdoing it. On an unrelated note, I think I'm about to hit the bucket with so many things to do...

My past few weeks

2010-08-15T23:45:00.008+10:00

Mon: 9am-5pm Lab, 6pm-10pm Work
Tue: 9am-5pm Lab, 6pm-10pm Work
Wed: 9am-5pm Lab, Dad home so need to dinner at home
Thur: 9am-5pm Lab, Usually eating out/catching up
Fri: 9am-5pm Lab, Church youth group at night

CANNOT DO THIS FOR A WHOLE YEAR
I hope you guys can take pity on me and treat me extra nice this year

Politics

2010-08-14T17:42:00.005+10:00

I am not usually one to comment on politics because of my complete ignorance, but am I the only one who thinks election ads are stupid and immature? Putting down the other party doesn't make you better. You should be showing us what you can do to improve.

And when they appeal to the public's self interest, instead of spending money where it ought to be spent, that really peeves me. Even kids running for house captain or whatever know better. It's like if one said I'll give all of you mars bars if you vote for me and the other saying they'll give you kitkats. We're supposed to vote the party who we think will do us good in the long run. So stop being so juvenille and give us something to work with!

PS: is there a reason why the Labor party is spelt the way it is, instead of the Australian 'labour'? lol

You got iPhone 4

2010-08-11T12:10:00.006+10:00

Those who follow me on facebook would know I have recently acquired the snazzy apple iphone4! I'm not about to write a review about it but I am just goin to share my experiences after having used it for about 2 weeks.

I ordered my iphone online at 12am on thursday when it came out. It got delivered on the Monday after while I was still at work and my mum called me up to tell me it was waiting for me on my desk. You could not imagine how much I wanted to ditch work and dart straight back home. But given my amazing self-discipline (and the fact that i could never pay it off if i got fired), i managed to wait till I got home to open it. Being a prick I also invited my sister on skype to see me unboxing it lol, just to make her jealous :)

I'm on 3 at the moment, with a $49 cap and $5 handset cost each month (24 month contract). This is comparable to the prices I saw for the iphone 3GS so it wasn't a hard decision to make once it came out. It comes with free 1 gig data each month on top of what is included in the plan so it's really more than I will ever need.

I've never been an iphone user and so I was blown away at how much I could do with the phone. I won't say the design is amazing, because I think it just gets boring when everyone looks like they have the same phone. I don't see how it is an improvement from the 3GS either just because it has a different shape and possibly better material. I don't think it's the end of the world if your screen gets scratched anyway, the phone still works doesnt it? :P

The ability to customize it is also quite limited, but I'm not overly fussed about it. I needed an mp3 player since my iriver was dying. I was also drawn in by all the helpful applications u can install on the phone. Those are the two main reasons i decided to get one. Having the internet wherever you go is also a perk but not absolutely necessary for me.

Now about the antenna issue, I've never had that issue. It was most likely just hyped up by the media and restricted to a limited number of phones in the US. I have no issues with reception besides the failure of the 3 network, but its no major inconvenience.

I still subscribe to the notion that it's just a phone. It serves me well and helps me with some little things in life, like finding out what time the next bus/train/tram is using metlink apps, or looking on medscape for quick info about diseases/drugs. However, I'm not about to worship it like some people do. It's a good phone but its not like its Wagyu beef.

AUGUST!?

2010-08-01T00:34:00.010+10:00

ITS AUGUST ALREADY. WTHHHH
I can remember myself making new years resolutions but now its like LOL WHAT WERE THEY AGAIN? I really want someone in my mind dictating everything I do so that I can be more productive. Unfortunately my superego has long been decimated by my id. But at least I have a housewife understanding of Freud.

Anyhow because of my failure in following yearly resolutions, I'm going to take baby steps and have a daily resolution, well, resolution for tomorrow at least.

I am going to:
- go to the gym, take some proteins and steroids so I fit in
- read over some maths so I don't sound stupid when I tutor
- cook lunch solo -- WOW QUIZZIE YOU SURE ARE SELF SUFFICIENT
- finish off the assignment due on Monday
- talk to 10 people about Jane the crossbow-murderer who comes out at night and eats your eyeballs if you stop reading this sentence and don't tell 10 people about her by midnight

So yes I have an assignment due on monday. It's been nearly 2 years since I've had an assignment? Who said medicine was hard? HAhaha I'm kidding med is making me contemplate performing an auto-lobotomy. If anyone who reads this blog wants to become a doctor I highly discourage it because I care about you.

Maybe if I kill myself I will wake up and it will have all been a dream. SEE INCEPTION GUYS!

Edit: wow this is probably what i'd sound like if i was drunk. BOLD CAPS ~~WITH LAS VEGAS LIGHTS~~

Hi Children

2010-07-21T18:03:00.004+10:00

I'm officially an adult now. That's because I have no life anymore. Though some may argue I never really had a life, I insist the lack of life truly started this Monday.

This monday was when I started my research year at the A*stin hospital department of surgery. It's 9-5 everyday and sometimes 7-5 on tuesdays, which would be manageable if I didn't have a night shift at 6-10pm at the royal m*lbourne hospital as well. So today I finally got to go home before 11pm :)

Surgeons are intimidating people but I'll write about it in subsequent entry. Time to relax by doing my ethics assignment!

Research topicking

2010-07-15T20:09:00.007+10:00

Came across some of the longest sentences I've ever seen, having been literate in English for about 14 years. I'll probably also need glasses despite my currently healthy vision, given the amount of reading we have to do this semester!!

"FDG avid supraclavicular neck adenopathy of tubercular etiology masquerading as neck recurrence in differentiated thyroid carcinoma: potential source of false positive FDG-PET study."

FDG-PET stands for fluorodeoxyglucose - positron emission tomography -- which is what my study supposedly resolves around.

Dimensions

2010-07-10T10:59:00.003+10:00

Imagine you live in 2D, as if you were on a sheet of paper. You have width and length but not height.

There is a big square in front of you, that you perceive by feeling the edges of it. The square is like a locked room, there are no openings, entries, nor exits. You tell yourself it is impossible to get into this room. I live in the third dimension. I pick you up off the sheet of paper and place you into this square. So much for impossible. You essentially teleported.

Now you're back outside the box. You decide to walk in one direction without stopping to see where it leads you. You keep walking and walking, always in the same direction until one day you see a square. I tell you it's the exact same square you teleported into a long time ago. You tell me it's impossible because you've always been walking in the same direction away from the box. I tell you the sheet of paper you've been walking on is actually a sphere but you don't understand me.

My shot at the cover of Men's Fitness

2010-07-07T17:20:00.003+10:00

So I am on the treadmill and this brawny athletic guy starts jogging on the treadmill next to me. I keep running for about 15 minutes until he stops. In my mind, I like to think that he gave up and that I 'outran' him. In reality, it was most likely just a warm up for his 4 hour weights session, but these little pseudo-victories in my head keep me content with life :)

Tales Of Innocence

2010-07-03T17:23:00.003+10:00

An amazing DS game of the famous Tales series. One of the best DS graphics I've seen so far! I'm starting the game right now. There has not been an official english release, but as with a lot of Japanese games, the fanbase is insane and there's already been a translation patch available.

If anyone wants the game, patches and walkthroughs in one folder, comment and I'll upload it to zshare or something :) Here's a preview vid:

In response to Kelvin's foolishness

2010-06-27T00:05:00.004+10:00

Kelvin Liu blogged:

"If someone who has no sight is blind, someone who has no sense of hearing is deaf, someone who has no sense of touch is numb, someone who can’t speak is dumb…

What do you call someone who has no sense of smell?"

Clearly they are anosmic.

Edit: how do you comment on tumblr? :(

Death Cab for a Cutie Cover

2010-06-26T23:21:00.004+10:00

I'll follow you into the dark - Death Cab for a Cutie

AHHAHAHAH first time I've tried singing while playing the piano. HAVE TO SAY ITS AWFULLY DIFFICULT. I just learned the real lyrics to this song today and the chords like an hour ago, so my brain is trying to look at the lyrics, look at the chords while deciphering them into patterns for my fingers, then outputting the control in each finger on both hands. I DON'T KNOW HOW PEOPLE DO IT, but its kind of fun :)

Going to miss glenny

2010-06-25T17:52:00.008+10:00

Quite a load I had today. Exam results came out, as well my clinical school preference.

After my research year at the Austin next year, I start my clinical school half of the course, meaning Melbourne Uni is essentially a thing of the past. Submitted my preferences at the end the last semester, putting the Austin 1st because its the most convenient, the other metropolitan hospitals 2nd,3rd and 4th and finally the Western Hospital as my 5th. Lo and behold I got my last preferences as lady luck enjoys stepping on my toes with her high heels.

I was so gutted that this has happened and had to read the email a few times before I believed it. Western Hospital is in footscray and it will be a 3 hour journey everyday after an already exhausting day at the hospital. It's also known as the inferior clinical school of all because it used to operate in conjunction with the Royal Melbourne Hospital until it decided to go solo to accommodate for the increase in numbers of medical students. No one is very confident in them doing the curriculum as much justice as the other clinical schools but I guess I shouldn't judge until I'm there.

Anyway, I've decided I will most likely be moving out to the city with a coursemate and commute from there. It's so amazing how your whole life direction can change in an instant like that (haha okay I might have been a dramatic here). Of course I still have a year before I move but I'm going to miss the eastern suburbs so much. I've lived in the inner west before when I first came to Melbourne and I remember how happy I was after moving to this side. Mount Waverley's always been quiet and peaceful and reflected the life I wanted to have.

But I guess I'll just have to make do with what I'm served. It's not the circumstance I imagined but that doesn't necessarily mean its a bad one.

iPhoneisanightmare

2010-06-24T11:41:00.005+10:00

THIS IS DOING MY HEAD IN
So I'm thinking of getting an iphone. It shouldn't be this difficult, just go into a shop and sign a contract and voila. BUT NO, IPHONE 4 HAS TO COME OUT. So everybody's niece and grandma has an opinion about it. And now i'm conflicted GARH.

I just want a phone that can sync with my itunes. I just want a phone that can make calls. I just want a phone that will let me connect to the net occasionally so I can check emails or look at a map. So do I really care about the iphone 4's new features? I dont think so. Unfortunately that 'I don't think so' is really 'I don't think so, BUT MAYBE I DO', because everyone thinks I'll regret it if I don't get the new one. And i'm impressionable like that

I'm happy with getting the iPhone 3GS (are you? because i heard...) but I have to wait for the iPhone 4 to come out in Aus like the rest of the crazy applegeeks until I can see what the plans and reviews are for the 4, and compare it with the 3GS, since the price will definitely drop after 4's release.

BUT OF COURSE YOU HAVE A DIFFERENT OPINION AMIRITE?

Edit: just found out they're killing off the 16/32gig versions of 3GS LOL better hurry up and make my decision

ESL Inclinations

2010-06-23T11:29:00.002+10:00

I hope I never have to say this word out loud in public --DEW. I start saying jew or do or diu as i contort my tongue and lips in various different ways. Then I thought to myself, shouldn't it be the same pronunciation as the word DUE? That's when I realize all my life I've been saying JEW instead of DEW or DUE. Like Mountain Jew or Homework's Jew. OTL

LAZZAHHH

2010-06-22T09:50:00.003+10:00

Lasers are amazing. They can cure eye problems, remove tattoos, and fight crime and burglars. But I never knew how they work...

Increasing values!

2010-06-20T23:08:00.009+10:00

I'd better quit playing disgaea. That game is sucking out the life in me and I should just give up trying to kill the lv4000 boss.

There were a couple of noble goals I had in mind for the holidays during the semester and now i've forgotten what they were. I call them noble because they revolve around trying to mould myself into an averagely decent being, but it's more a matter of playing catch up with everyone else before I go into clinical school, and crash and burn because of my emotional immaturity, childlike egocentrism etc. Of course it's more of a noble goal than spending hours and hours on a game trying to make some meaningless numbers increase in value!!!

ALSO, I drew some rip-off Nedroid

Supposed to be a comment about how i'm making beartato my own character by adding a lab coat. I just find it really despisable that drug companies insist on changing the most minor detail of a drug and getting it marketed as something completely better. It's a waste of resources in the making-drugs-to-help-humanities sense, and also a waste of my brainjuice to remember those names.

They say a joke isn't funny if you have to explain it. I guess I wasn't cut out to draw comics haha. I'll think of something better another time :)

PS: NOTICE THE TITLE OF THIS BLOG I WON'T EXPLAIN IT BUT FUNNY RITE

Autonomic Driving

2010-06-18T22:49:00.009+10:00

Having gotten my P plates, some people have asked me to drive them. I feel really dodgy but it puts me in a situation lol. It's only really after passing my test that I found how bad a driver I am. It's not like I can't drive on the roads, it's just the uncertainty that comes with being alone in a car by yourself and making your own decisions. It's totally different from when you're with your instructor or your parents, where it's more a case of them driving the car through you.

I have a total lack of sense of direction as mentioned in previous entries. Tonight I went to my youth cell group meetup at someone's place. I've been there at least 8 times and still I'm always unsure about how to get out of that place. To be fair I have to twist and turn into 6 different residential streets to get there, but it's just an example of what you don't really learn on your learners plate -- that spatial awareness or RPG minimap in your head that more experienced drivers seem to have.

Another reason why I'm reluctant to drive other people is because of those drink driving ads. It's ironic how hard it hits me even though I don't drink, but there's a nagging feeling that I'm going to kill whoever's sitting next to me in the car lolol. Of course when I drive alone I don't get that because in all the ads they always have their mate in the front passenger seat.

I'm going to need to drive alone a little bit more before I start driving other people around. Give me about a month and then you guys can gamble your lives on my ability to operate a vehicle :) And if i'm ever a surgeon then a whole lot more people's lives will be depending on my ability. Theres the sudden realization....gosh i'm going to kill so many people.

Edit/Offtopic:
Dad is getting so excited about soccer out in the lounge room. It's funny how moronic entertainment can be if you look at it from a certain way. Imagine football was different and guys started tackling each other to stop someone putting a piece of bread in a toaster on each side. I bet it'd catch on as long as someone had enough money to condition/brainwash us into believing its the best thing ever.

Anyhow, I need to link to Jason's blog because he has made the most epicly funny church camp promotion video I've ever seen.

Byebye blog stalkers!

Random Foods I've never eaten

2010-06-13T12:12:00.004+10:00

My diet is extremely restricted by my narrowmindedness in trying new foods. People are always surprised when I say I haven't eaten ____, and frankly I surprise even myself. Most of them are fruits/veggies. No wonder I didn't grow ahahaha

- Bananas
- Strawberries
- Eggplant (never going to try this lol)
- Starfruits, kiwifruit, cherries, apricots
- Capsicum (i think)
- Doughnuts (once recently)
- Muffins (only started recently too)
- Fried icecream (I want to...)
- Sashimi / raw fish

Post-exam To do list (preliminary)

2010-06-07T00:20:00.002+10:00

- Learn how to tie a tie
- Buy a vest for 'graduation' dinner
- Get salary packaging sorted out
- Look into getting an iphone
- Burn books

Procrastinationopathy

2010-05-30T22:50:00.009+10:00

A psychologist friend of mine sent me a link to a procrastination self-survey/assessment. I thought I'd put off doing revision and do that a bit. About 1 minute later I found the test to be too long and tedious so I stopped and now I'm here writing a blog. That's how bad I am lol.

I'm going to list the things I've been doing during swot vac to procrastinate...

- Watched Hairspray -- such an entertaining flick haha
- Started the medical students season of Scrubs (about 7th episode now) -- its just so empty without JD!!
- Went to the Alfred to visit a friend for dinner
- Still playing Disgaea on DS but not as avidly
- Eating lots and lots and lots of chips

Stop erasing my work!!

2010-05-28T08:56:00.004+10:00

:( I don't know why I keep doing this but occasionally I write up my lecture notes on the school computers and give myself a pat on the back for having done something productive for the day. It's happened at least three times, but I forget to either save it on my USB or send it over to myself on gmail, which means the doc gets erased from cyberspace forever after I stupidly log off. I miss the personal hard drive space we had on our school intranet so bloody much!!

My mind was so damn boggled because of this

2010-05-27T23:12:00.003+10:00

This would be so mad if it was real haha

Theory of 'Why white girls don't date asian guys'

2010-05-23T11:57:00.009+10:00

When a pregnant mother has babies with blood group 'Rhesus(D)' positive and the mother herself is Rh(D) negative, she will mount an immune response against her baby and cause damage to it (Haemolytic Disease of the Newborn).

The reason why a mother might be Rh(D) negative, but the baby is Rh(D) positive, is because the father of the baby is Rh(D) positive.

Close to 100% of chinese guys are Rh(D) positive, and have a high chance of producing Rh(D) babies. Armed with this knowledge, bogan white girls everywhere are rejecting asian guys for the noble cause of protecting their offsprings.

So no, it's not because you dont have blonde hair and carry 50kg of muscle, it's because your blood sucks.

Above: Asian groom stupidly explains to his ignorant to-be-wife about his Rh(D) positive status out of guilt, and wedding was immediately cancelled. Or this image is probably shopped.

Telephone - Lady Gaga

2010-05-19T11:54:00.003+10:00

This is me playing Telephone by Lady Gaga on my acoustic guitar. since i totally have one lol. Something random to do on a morning with no uni :) I played this in about 2 tries after working out the chords so its full of mistakes lol