Thursday, December 23, 2010
In recent years I find myself not enjoying christmas like I used to when I was a kid. There were no more santa (outgrew that after a while), no more xmas trees with lightings at home, no more christmas presents to be recieved.
I realised that christmas has become much too commercialised. There is the 'sharing and giving' and 'exchanging of presents', not only at home but among friends and between colleagues. Lucky (or maybe not) that my family have never believed in wasting money to buy unnecessary things for each other or that my friends never seem to have any xmas parties to exchange presents. There are never sales weeks before xmas, who would have one if the shops can capitalise on people paying marked up prices to get gifts. After xmas, there is the post-xmas sales, to continue attracting fools like me to stimulate the economy.
Then there is an extra strong presence of christmas-y feel with the extravagant decos along orchard and playing of xmas songs, even in supermarkets. And somehow, people start going to church or pulling people to go to church and a greater awareness of how Christ came to earth. But waht about Easter then? Why is there not as much celebration that Jesus died for us and got resurrected? The whole dying thing probably doesnt appeal to consumers eh. Just like humans celebrate the birth of a baby and not the death of an old one.
Christmas also makes me realise that the year is coming to an end. And I will: 'Wow! What have i been doing the past year? Didnt the year just start?' It also signals the end of the holidays, the start a new year, both english and chinese one. Time flies eh. Babies grow up, kids become adults, parents grow old, suddenly everything changes; roles are swopped.
Heh perhaps my reflection for the year came too early, by a week.
Just The Girl @
10:54 PM
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
After eons of not updating my blog which is commented by family and friends, I decided to perhaps do one of the last few posts in 2010. And since I'm in singapore already, although its a short 8 weeks compared to 3.5 months the past 2 years, I think i have done almost (but not quite) all the things i wanna do this holidays.
1. My very first (and probably the last) marathon i have ever done. The half marathon that i did with oi last year seem like chicken feet compared to this one. The excruciating pain during the run/walk and the almost delirium state we were both in under the scorching sun was a one of a kind experience. I can now understand what real pain is and perhaps understand a fraction of what patients with chronic pain experience. And what about the aftermath? The sweet taste of crossing the finishing line after 7.5hours and collecting the tshirt that reads 'finisher of 42.195km' (although only size XL were left when i was done) was awesome, but not the knee and ankle pain (still lingers abit till now) which was relieved by using osteoarthritic plaster used by my mum. ha what a joke.
2. Visits to singapore's new playgrounds: the casino, from the outside. Together with my equally swa gu parents and sister, we went for a walk at the atas Marina Bay Sands via the helix bridge. To see the inside of the casino without paying any levy, there's a hidden way via the restaurants which overlooks the entire casino. ITS FREAKING BIG! Just counting the tables there were about 140. It may look empty but it's a visual thing. i bet there are alot of pple inside feeding taxes to our government. And being a 'fine' city, there is nothing more i would expected this from the government:
I have been to casinos and of course there is such regulations but these statements are usually in smaller prints without having to pay fines. So typical singapore
3. The other playground: RWS. Sentosa is so much nicer and more developed. With so many freaking tourists!!!!!! Singapore has definitely achieved its goal of attracting tourists from neighbouring countries, ie, ah tiongs. Even singaporeans are paying 400++, a price that is worth a 5* hotel just to have a stay-cation (a new word i learnt)
4. Bubble tea craze is back AGAIN. I really loved the cheapo 1.20/ bubble tea when bubble tea seemed to be almost dead with perhaps sweet talk and other random hdb shops still surviving. Now its back and more expensive!!!!! almost 3 bucks a cup!! So i came back and tried to find all those gong cha and koi tea that everyone seemed to be dying for. 50% less sugar? still as sweet like eating candy. Just more sucrose man. 1.20 was dirt cheap. 1.50 gets u reasonable tea. 2.50 is back to the first craze that swept singapore 8 years ago. 2.90 for less sugar and high quality tea is riding on singapore's booming economy and ripping fad-crazy people like my peers. Having sydney's easyway (aust's bubble tea version) when it has one for one promotion is almost comparable to having one koi here. Im going back to finding cheapo 1.50 sweet talk if i need a bubble tea fix
5. Studying is the love of my life. That statement is so not true, especially during stress ful periods which is right before the exam and when it hinders me from fully enjoying my holidays. But come to think of it, all through my schooling years there is always a little bit of studying going on during the holidays, be it project, assingment, reading some chinese classic or completing holiday. So yes, i have been going out to study this couple of weeks. Sad to say that i dont think i have retained much of the things whcih i read through 5 weeks ago. So i really have my doubts that i can suddenly and spontaneously remember a truckload of stuff come mar 2011.
And yes, even airport viewing gallery can be a studying place.
I realise that once i start blogging, there's actually alot of things that i want to blog about. But alas, its late and i have to wake up early to go out to study. Yes yes, im a nerd
Just The Girl @
12:15 AM
Saturday, July 31, 2010
The past few weeks i have been trying to write up a post but everytime I log into blogger and click onto 'new post', there will be this symbol that shows that it is loading. And that will go on forever. I have tried using IE and firefox and using different computers but they all show the same thing. So annoying.
Anw I had wanted to blog about my family visiting my sisters and I in Sydney. Yep, all 9 of us were together in syd and my family was staying with my 3rd sister. So there were 7 people, not including myself and my 4th sister staying in a 2 rm apartment.
And it was fun to have something to look forward during the weekend; to spend time and explore places with my family. And of course, goofing around with theodore chua. He says that Im now his best friend among we 3 sisters (it used to be sijie) and whenever I call home, he will talk to me on the phone for at least 30 mins before he get distracted by tv or he has to run off to do something else. And the topics we talk about can be anything from soccer (it was world cup season and he was supporting England cos he like man u), friends in school or tell-taling on my cousin whom he studies with. So sweet right, for a 8 year old boy to be like that.
3 weeks holiday in sydney told in 29 photos. And these only portray a tiny bit of the fun.
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| Theodore sleeping in a trolley full of food. He looks like part of the grocery eh. And my family pushed the trolley home |
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| At blue mountains |
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| When my family went to cuckoo island i think. didnt join them cos it was a weekday and i had school |
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| Watson Bay |
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| St Mary's cathedral in the city. The aisle is really long and it's pretty inside (: |
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| At blue mountaints. I was probably wearing the least while my mum is all wrapped up with the 'astronaut suit' |
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| greedy pig at lindt's cafe |
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| Theodore insisted of taking a pic for us while we were at darling harbour |
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| Sydney harbour bridge |
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| No, I didnt tell them to do jump shot. I wasnt there and theodore was the one who wanted to jump |
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| Looks like we are on mars eh. But thats the rocks at kiama blowhole |
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| At wollongong |
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| I made my sisters do jumping shots with me |
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| one of the bridge at wollongong |
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Kiama blowhole.But no watersprout that day
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| Aust bbq happens in the afternoon at a park |
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| taichi practising dad. so cute right |
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| one of their frequent mode of transport was the ferry. no idea what's he doing |
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| my first time touching a real koala! |
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| and i queued up again to touch another one |
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| amazingly, the scardy theodore dared to touch the wallaby. and was chasing it around to feed it |
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| The place where we went to see those animals: featherdale wildlife park |
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| Theodore with his 7 layers of clothes |
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| Add caption |
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| Theodore makes alot of funny faces eh |
Just The Girl @
6:40 PM
Friday, May 28, 2010
its really funny how everyone get really excited about having a huge tv around. The guys house will soon become a place for gathering because ky bought a new 42 inch plasma tv. just for the world cup. But really its vvvv cool to have such stuff in the living room when we are just students studying overseas. It feels so much like home. And having some of them coming home to 'WAH! OMG! I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS!' its hilarious. i think we wont be studying much the next couple of weeks. GG
Just The Girl @
10:10 PM
Saturday, May 08, 2010
So i havent been updating my blog for eons. But really there was nothing interesting to blog about. Because my life revolves around my notes and more notes.
But today i feel a sense of relief, something that i have not felt for a long long time. The long drawn race that took up 3 whole months of intense mugging to cram 2 years worth of work into my small brain finally came to an end at 1pm today. Those 3 months of studying came down to 3 hours of constant adrenaline and increased cortisol levels as we moved from 4 labs, spending 30 mins each at each lab. The adrenaline rush was not the typical kind where we usually go into an exam hall in A levels, scared that we wont be able to get that distinction that is expected of us. Rather it is the fear that u will fail the paper and having the agony of re-sitting the paper albeit in a viva form (one on one with a prof and the profs ask u questions, isnt that more scary?)
The exam wasnt really about testing your knowledge i reckon, but more of trying to write as fast as possible in that short 30 mins. I mean apart from anatomy (which i feel i did the worst of all) the rest of them are just somewhat regurgitation because many of the question were reused in previous years. Yes thats how lazy the faculty or rather the lecturers are. But thanks to their laziness and the hardwork of seniors who wrote down the questions and answers after the exam, i think i may very well be able to pass. (That is if i can at least get a 40% in my anat)
The irony of it all is that Medicine is really bad for health, physically and psychologically. Sleepless nights, palpitations, headaches, stomach upset, yep we have it all. Finally i can slp better tonight and pray that i do not again dream of failing my exam and getiing 30/100. That was the first time that i ever dreamt of failing an exam.
BUT the entirety of it all is not over yet. The biggest challenge may have been over but there is still that last exam to go through. My OSCE (clinical exam) is on tue and only after 4 plus pm can i really say that it is all OVER.
And amidst all this hustle and bustle, the pain and stress, im really glad and thankful that khoon was beside me and studying with me.
Just The Girl @
2:53 PM
