Results were finally out on the 16... I did better than what I expected though I think I am capable of doing better... However I am still grateful to have graduated. Clinicals has always a luck component to it, except for the superb students who will do well no matter what cases were thrown on them. I dun think anyone deserves to be retained for another 6 more months after all the effort put in for those 5 years. 6 months will not make much of a difference in my opinion.

I will be going to CGH medicine for my first posting- my first choice since CGH is so near to my house... Hope that everything will go smoothly...

A good start to hols...

There seems to be so many things to do for hols, though I'm not going abroad...
Things to be done:

1) Pack my room. =( My room is cluttered with books and unfiled notes... SIGH. but lacks the motivation to pack.
2) Watch Naruto... ( a total of 150 episodes...)
3) Buy clothes
4) Exercise.
5) Go out with friends

Finally the dreadful MBBS is over. It has been an exceedingly long year for all of us... I am glad that I am finally out of the system. No more 2 weekly tests, no more osces, osses, mcqs or gimmicks that were created to "enhance" our learning. Most importantly, no more anxiety and worry. When I look back, I really wonder how did i manage to go thru all these? I believe it's the same for most medical students except for the exceptional few who make studying their hobby.

I look at future batches with much sympathy. Cos they will be going through an additional hurdle of mini-mbbs in year 3, and other "innovative" stuff created by the brainwaves of others ... I finally realise why there are no Nobel laureates or great innovations in Singapore... Cos all the students are burnt out by the time they reach their adulthood... Most of us would choose the tried and tested way. We shun risks not because we are afraid of the unknown, but that we are simply jaded and tired...

ok... enuff of my ranting... got to go pack up my cluttered room and make new resolutions...

I can't believe that I am on You Tube. A video on our trekking trip created by Dennis. THanks, Dennis...
here is the link www.cybernaute.blogspot.com

MTH campus...

We were quite impressed by the departments OF MTH. MTH even has a psychiatric department!

Went rafting on our first weekend. Met this Brazilian guy who happened to be a doctor too! Rafting was disappointing- the water was brown, the weather extremely hot and the waves weak. I got myself soaked in muddy water- and have to condemn my t-shirt...


The children by the river . We gave them our food and they were very happy... Guess we are really fortunate to be born in Singapore

Alv with his lifejacket on.

Gy, a student at MTH who studied in Singapore b4.

On our way to Pokhara, we met this friendly Israeli lady and had lunch with her. Discussed with her about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. First-hand account of the situation there =)

Noble Inn- the place we stayed for one night... Paid 400 rupees for one night which was considered very ex. The story goes like this: When we arrived at Pokhara, we were surrounded by taxi drivers who offered to drive us to some hotel. Fresh from the airport experience, we knew that we shouldn jump into any of the taxis haphazardly as we will end up paying exorbitant prices. We walked to the nearby Tourism office to escape from these ppl. Got a map from the office. Met this guy who seemed to be super friendly... Offered to drive us to his hotel for free just to look-see look-see. He seemed quite sincere and I agreed, much to the chagrain of Al. I simply had no energy left and just wanted to settle down ASAP. And to walk with our backpacks for long distances in search of a hotel- no thanks. haha, of course the end result is that we paid much more in return. And Al felt that i was putting both of us at risk by accepting a stranger's ride- who knows where he will drive us to? Haha till now, I got teased by Al about this incident and this sentence that the owner said to me, " U trust me, ok... " Come to think of it, I am indeed too trusting. Of course, we left Noble Inn on the second day after finding better hotel deals.



The teaching hospital that we were attached to. Isn it grand? It's the most impressive building at Pokhara



Outpatient clinic at Manipal Teaching Hospital

We visited Land for the Homeless- the place where JP has been working for the past 4 weeks. Felt sad at the plight of these children...


Houses still in construction

The Clinic . We saw a Down syndome kid with hookworm infestation.



We took a 7 hour bus ride from Kathmandu to Pokhara - where our hospital is.

I'm finally back in Singapore. It has been a fruitful and enjoyable 6 weeks at Nepal. Lots of memorable events and experiences. Pls enjoy my photos.

It was a coincidence that we met C, L , J and A at Changi Airport. We were on the same

scheduled flight to Kathmandu!

Arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport. The airport was chaotic... I almost couldn find my backpack as my backpack was dumped at a corner of the airport. OUtside the airport was even worse, with so many ppl crowding round us offering to carry our bags and driving us to some hotels. Al has to give USD 5 bucks just to get rid of these ppl... Of course, I was very annoyed with the hotel ppl who agreed to fetch us to the hotel but did not stop those ppl from harrassing us. The driver probably got some commission.

Acme guesthouse- the place that we lived in Kathmandu for 2 days.

Busy streets in Kathmandu! Air is so polluted!

Me, A and L visiting C, A.

Lunch at Freak Street

Typical Nepali Cuisine

Yummy... Nepali momos, adopted from the Chinese Guo Tie.

At Durbur Square, Kathmandu

Durbur Square

S. Temple

I have always enjoyed solitude. Some quiet time for myself when I can ponder about everything and anything under the sun. Or simply letting the mind rest, thinking of nothing. Dun get me wrong- I do enjoy the company of my friends. But I believe that we all need some time for ourselves and I try to make sometime for myself every week.

And it is during these quiet solitude that i get to right my thoughts, make important decisions and rejuvanate my soul. In case u r wondering, it has nothing to do with religion whatsoever.

Speaking of religion, I think ppl have this mistaken idea that attending buddhist talks, or weekly gatherings means that one is religiously devout. This is not the case, at least for myself. Bcos I recognise that there r many flaws in my character as well as unwholesome thoughts in my mind, I hope that these talks and advice given can talk some sense into me and serves as a moral guidepost for me. Do not view me as a devout, religious person bcos i 'm far far from it. iam like everyone- self-indulgent, etc. In fact, for all U knoe, I may be more immoral and evil than u r. haha Even with these pearls of wisdom from great masters, I am still the same as before. Like what MY has told me, what will happen to me without these talks?

The reason why I like Buddhism is that it's an all embracing religion. It is non-discriminatory, regardless who u r, where u r from. It's all about compassion, letting go, forgiveness. everything is so positive and peaceful. Yes, there is still heaven and hell but that is not the main focus. bcos heaven and hell r but transient states in the buddhist cosmology.

I recognise that there is still a very, very long way to go. Hopefully i will become a much better person in the years to come.

SMC has withdrawn its recommended charges for GPs and specialists. Is this a good or bad move?
I don't really know.

Yes, we all know about how competition drives down costs in other sectors. Yet,I only forsee this scenario happening to neighbourhood GP clinics where doctors try to undercut each other. Unfortunately, this will not apply to doctors who have a unique set of skills that is highly sought after, e.g. plastic surgery. Surely prices will not drop for famous surgeons who have built a solid reputation over the years. And when a person's life is concerned and is able to afford, he or she will not go for the second best just to save money.

It's unfortunate, in my opinion, that everything nowadays has to be measured in terms of money, healthcare included. Yes, we may have heard about reports that the British healthcare system is in doldrums and badly need a revamp. But, no one will ever be denied health care there, cos basic healthcare is considered to be a basic human right. The real benefit of a free healthcare system is that ppl will not be deterred from seeking medical help bcos of cost issues. Some people may argue that bcos healthcare is free, more ppl will see doctors for minor medical problems, thus increasing the burden of healthcare system. However, bcos of the waiting time, ppl with minor ailments will also be less likely to seek medical help. I am sure that there are patients, who bcos of cost of treatment stop seeing doctors altogether.

And somehow ppl always have the wrong perception that because the bills r high, it must be that doctors r overcharging. But really, the bulk of the costs goes to the tests ordered to confirm a diagnosis. And if molecular work is needed to clinch a diagnosis, then u can't expect the cost to be cheap. The reagents, enzymes and machines dun come cheap. I was also shocked at the prices too.

How do u solve this problem? And why is there a cost issue in the first place? haha, the real problem lies in...

Oops...

Today is a bad day for me... I only realise that i have been handling EB (the mutagenic sub) the WRONG way today. Wat a disaster! I was most apologetic to the rest of the lab staff as I have inadvertently placed their health at risk, on top of mine too.

I try not to think about the mutations that may have occured for the past week. Hopefully, my DNA repair system is still going strong... I may be exaggerating the severity of the situation but it's no joke that lab work is hazardous... Imagine the constant exposure to chemicals which may be potential carcinogens and infectious microorganisms.

Having said that, I think that it's also a mind thing. Being overparanoid is one of the greatest hurdle that we, as medical professions must overcome. I am happy to say that I am not as afraid and paranoid as before. Much as i acknowledge the threat is real, I think that being overly worried and paranoid will make matters worse as accidents usu happen when one spends time fretting over such things. Take all necessary precautions and hope for the best.

I experience my first experiment failure yesterday ... Couldn't get any results after a day of hard work. I finally ran out of beginner's luck. I began to understand that failure is part and parcel of research. A Dr told me that 75% of research work is about failure and if U intend to do research in future, better be comfortable with failure. Failure means having to repeat your experiment all over again, thinking of what could have gone wrong in the process, from pipetting to concentration of solutions used to equipment settings. So many steps can go wrong. If contamination is suspected, the culprit may be the reagentA or B or C, or the culture, so and so forth.

Research is all about perserverence and patience. My only hope is that i will be able to complete the experiment in the next few weeks...=)