With great profession comes great responsibility...

Lately, my group had organized a program for residents in Kelantan who suffer from diabetes mellitus. From the hospital database, we were able to gather the information of those diabetic patients and invite them to our function.

Organizing such an activity is kind of fun. You get the chance to learn and also service the community around you. However, there is something that I've come to notice during the course of the preparation of this activity.

Everyone only recognizes money!
We tried inviting several dietitian, cook and nurse to help in our function. I appreciate the help given by the nurse and the dietitian. BUT, for the cook...that where the problem comes. In my opinion, all professional personals should be, erm, professional. We work not only for money, but we are trying to service the community around us as well. The cook was from HUSM, and it was for an activity by USM students. From all my experience over the past 4 years, whenever we ask doctors for help, they do not ASK FOR MONEY, sometimes, they even sponsor us to help make the event better. However, the very first question that the cook ask us was simple and straight to point, ' I normally work for RM XXX for a session. How much do your group want to pay me?'

What the XXXX? I feel annoyed by this kind of attitude. It just makes me think that some people are just cheap to the bone. A person making so much money everyday, and he can't give a one hour cooking class to help diabetic patients without thinking about money. I have always thought that professionals should always do their best to help the community. These people seriusly disgust me. I'm sad to say that even thought there are people who care about others, a lot of us has become the slave of money. Everything we do, everything that we think of, is not far away from money.

This might be what we see on the outside. But the inside...






Is definitely like this!!!














AND THIS, IS OUR SLOGAN OF THE CENTURY...

NO MONEY,
NO TALK!!!

Finally, time to relax...

Ho ho ho, finally, sometime to relax. Its been almost 3 months since I last came back to Penang. I suddenly realize that I've missed home so much. Too bad I am currently home alone, for the day at least. Anyway, its really good to get away from all the hectic schedule once in a while^^

Currently, I have been in the O & G posting. In this posting, each of us is required to at least conduct the delivery of 5 babies. Apart from that, we have on call session which lasts for 12 hours, and we need to go to class after that. Imagine attending to patients from 6pm to 6am, then go to ward rounds at 8am. But I guess, this is just the beginning. Things will just change from bad to worst. Who can I blame? After all, it was me who chose to get into this field. So, the only thing possible at the moment is to enjoy what I am doing.

At the first day of my on-call session, I've been observing how the housemen and MOs conduct the deliveries. On first glance, I was like ' what the hell?!'. I've seen video's of the process, but it's so much different seeing it first hand. There were blood and also the smell of it. Then there was the mother who was in agony. However, when the babies are finally delivered, the mother face would turn into a broad ,wide grin. What I've learn from the deliveries is that the level of pain that is bearable for each person is so much different. Most of the mothers will be able to deliver their babies without much trouble. However, a handful of the patients was shouting their lungs out. Worst of all, this patients tends to be uncooperative because of the pain and sometimes cause serius complications on themselves such as perineal tear and also prolonged labour.

Apart from the on-calls, this posting is notoriusly known for the amount of students failing. In the previous group, 1 out of every 3 student failed the end of posting exam. Imagine what a shock it was to us! So, everyone is currently having the stress of their lifetime. You can see 'panda' marching around in the wards everyday due to the lack of sleep to study as well as the irregular sleep-wake cycle. haha

It seems like this is going to be a tough posting, but hopefully everyone make it through in one piece. haha. We will be celebrating our new year with an exam it seems^^

Apex can be the tip of an A, or the tip of a V...

Our beloved USM has recently been given a glamorous name- the Apex University. And they are really enjoying this title as they have finally moved out of the shadows cast by UM(they think!!)

I have been here in the USM health campus for 4 years already, and things does not seem to be as 'heavenly' as people think. Lets put it this way, instead of turning to the best, sometimes, things are sometimes,erm, moving backwards. The most typical issue being the hostel issue that I've been very annoyed on since the beginning of the current semester.

The number of students entering USM have always been on the rise. From three hundred over medical and dental students to four hundred over last year. This year, there is even more. Our campus administrative is aware of this problem. However, they have not been handling the issues properly. They fail to notify students about staying outside and also the condition of the hostels that they are preparing. (If you are interested to see the premises prepared, please refer to the earlier posts. If you want more photos, tell me and I will get you more.lol) Even worst was the way students was selected to stay at the out-campus hostels(more like a dorm dude!!). They say it was selected base on co-curiculums, but proves has shown otherwise.

Another sign of decline is the campus' inability to hold on to their prized lecturers. When I first came, our physiology department have a few of the best lecturers I have ever seen. Nevertheless, in 2 years time, they are all gone. Even doctors in other departments left gradually. The latest person to leave from my knowledge in a Professor in microbiology who help in developing Thyphidot.(Used to diagnose typhoid) Rumours has it that all this comes from favourtism. Who knows?

One more thing. FOOD is a source of life, right? No matter what you do, you need food. However, in the past bulan Ramadhan, our canteen in one of the hostels decided that we need no food and should buka puasa after a month of fasting...continuous fasting man! There weren't food for breakfast, lunch nor dinner.

There will be an assessment on each of the USM campus soon, and what our lecturers tells us is this, " If there is something that is even a bit not that good, don't tell; but if there is something that is even a bit good, say its' VERY good". This is your Apex University...

Oops, I'm back^^

Hello all, sorry for being away for such a long long time, had a fair share of problems myself. Well, those are not really big problems considering our country's condition. With the fair share of spot light on the internal security act and also Answar's attempts to take control of the government, we also have a 'hero' in Ahmad Ismail who likes to talk using his 'knee-jerk' as our Dr. Rosemi says. Currently, certain leader's likes to make racist comments in order to gain popularity amongst their race. This is such an ignorant thing to do. As far as I am concern, BN is being torn apart by this knee-jerker's.

Enough on those serius issues, lets move to something lighter.For those anime fans, Code Geass season 2 have recently ended. Anime lovers, I seriously recommend you guys take a look at this anime. Its a continuation on the first season.(obviously,duh!) It has the combination of the famous breath taking, deductive death note as well as the ever popular gundam. The story is about a main character Lelouch who is the prince of Brittania but vows to take down the Holy Empire of Brittania via his other identity-Zero. With the help of his geass, the ability to make others absolutely obeys him, he soon finds himself commanding an army of rebellion ready to take on Brittanian army.

Death note


















Added with Gundam














We get Code Geass!!
Apart from Code Geass, Heroes season 3 is also out with Peter Petrelli leading the way. House season 5 , Prison break season 4 is also something to look out for. So, that's it for my returning blog, hope to warm up soon and produce better blog's^^

Inside info

The results for the appealing of hostel places are going to be announced on the 20th of July. All we can do for now is to wait for it patiently. I have been keeping my eyes open for every piece of information i can get around the campus and also went to confirm some of the informations. Here's what I found:
1. A lot of first year students get double rooms.
2. Even though we were told that we were selected according to the merit points, it seems some of the occupants in the Murni hostel weren't active at all. Even vice-presidents of a club is said to be not active enough to get a place in the hostels.
3. I was told that those who represents the hostels for sports are given priority. On the other hand, taking part in activities representing USMKK means nothing. So don't bother to participate as the columns in the forms doesn't even allow u to fill in those activities.
4. For Murni girls, second year students were mostly given double room but the third years girls have to cramp in triple rooms.
5. The Murni office told us that they have to move people out of Murni as there were no more places to stay, but from what I found out, there were people moving in from Nurani and as far as I am concern, those people are less active than most other that were forced out.
6. The office said that the UPPU was poorly prepared due to a problem from the contractors.
7. Students whose names were not inserted in the list to stay in desa got double rooms after going to see Kak Syikin. One of which I know about was a student who failed the finals and came back for another course.
8. There are rumours that there is first year students who got a single room.
9. According to some source, the list for the hostel was changed in the last minute. There are also sources saying that Murni originally have to move 30 students out of Murni only. But due to some certain personal decisions, it became 90. The lateness of the announcement of the list was also said to be due to someone coming late for a meeting.
10. According to the HEP, the rental per day for UPPU is RM3.50. I got a list from the Campus's treasury for the rental fees, and it seems that single rooms cost RM3.10 for the rental.

So, what do you think?

University Poorly Prepared Unit (UPPU)

New updates on the hostel issue:
It has been said that students who were not getting the offer from the desasiswa originally had asked for a room. Within one day, they were given a DOUBLE room in DM2. And what do they tell us? "There's not enough room for student."
There are also people saying that currently DM2 is not fully occupied. Students who have either transfer away from this campus or did not apply for hostel had also been included in the name list for the hostel in murni, causing some people to have empty space in their room. From reliable source, in desasiswa murni, a lot of the first year students got double room as well as second year students for the girls. Most of these students are said to be inactive in school activities. On the other hand, students from third years are given TRIPLE room instead. The reason from our 'beloved' Kak again is "There is not enough room."
As for the reason for the lateness of the notice of the rooms that we are staying, it was said to be caused by someone arriving late for the meeting to finalized the name list. Again, it doesn't seem to be a good excuse does it? Something to do with the Kak again. As for the list, from what I have heard, someone in the murni office had changed the original name list at the last second, causing us to be kicked out. It is also believed that they only needed 30 over students to be moved to UPPU but somehow, 90 was moved. Currently, there is less than 30 students out of the 90 in the list staying in UPPU as most have move out. More are planning to leave the place as well.

Below is the photo of the UPPU campus:


This is our 'lovely' UPPU campus.( on the 1st and 2nd floor). They are so considerate that they put us on top of a market that sells clothing. Maybe USM students complaint that they have not enought shirt to wear. With all the people passing by, the security seems to be a real problem... And do you know what lies beside the hostel? Scroll down to have a look...





YES, THE MAIN ROAD. Imagine how you can concentrate on studying when there is a main road always full of traffic just a few metres away from where you stay. Furthermore, most of the time, there are Mat Rempit racing on this particular main road at night. Try studing or sleep with the roaring of the motorcycle. No wonder students failure rates at our campus are increasing, even the higher ups seems to be lacking a lot of fibers where it is important- pinky and the XXXXX...
























And this is the place where we are suppose to sleep and keep our things... Imagine where you should put your laptop to keep it safe when you go to class. And try and find a space where we can put all our medical books and also the notes safely would'ya? Cause i can't seem to find the place. Who knows? Maybe its just me...USM seems to be serious when they say, ' be friendly to your neightbours'. I never thought that we have to be so intimate sleeping less than one metres apart.By standing up, I can see 15 other people and also their beds and cupboard...

Nevertheless, our hostel admins seems to be quite considerate also. They know that toilets are a neccesity, so , they prepare toilets for use. Erm, just that there's a weee~ bit of problem. 48 person to share 2 toilets...Hmm, should we go to the toilet 3 person at a time? I wonder... If I want to get to class at 8am, I think I should use the toilet before 7am, just to be safe that I am not caught in the traffic jam for work in front of the toilet...




Here's the study room they prepared for us. Noticed anything? There's 2 rows of table, one row on each side. Wonder what will happen when one people sit on each side. I think I need to be as thin as a file to get through. Maybe I'm just too fat, who knows?
There seems to be a no windows for the place too. If you can't afford to pay for a sauna, just invite a few friends, then get a chair and sit down together in this study room. I think you'll get the experience of being in the sauna, and for FREE too!


Actually, apart from the lack of space, few toilets, low security, low personal space, noisy surrounding, poor ventilation, the place isn't too bad after all! Maybe this place could actually be a good place to stay! What do you think?

Wei Ming, seriously, think properly before you chose to come back to this place to further your studies in masters...

Kak DUNO

Today, we have all checked in to our own new rooms. One of the senior student here tried to ask for an explanation for the distribution of the hostel, and guess what, the Kak was so bossy that she gave an ignorant answer arrogantly. Here's the conversation:

"Er, excuse me Kak, can I know the selection criteria of how the students are selected for the hostels?"
"Its chosen by merit according to the activities,"
"How come there are people who are vice presidents given the out campus hostels?"
"I don't know."
"Why are so many people given out campus hostels instead?"
"I don't know."
"Why are we final years given quarter rooms?"
"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. Even if I know, I won't tell you. This is not a good time to ask questions. "

This is a conversation of the Kak with another student.

"Kak, boleh tak tukarkan saya ke double room? Dulu Kak pernah cakap saya boleh dapat double room."
"Ada ke? Kamu mesti bagi nama masa saya sibuk. Tak boleh."
"Tak adalah Kak, masa tu kak masih tulis nama saya sendiri."
"I say no. No means no. Read my lips, NO. If I start changing room for you now, the others will want to change also. This is not the time."

Well, that's how admins talk I guess. With PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. We had a Lingam with his 'correct, correct, correct', seems like we have our own kak with 'I duno, I duno, I duno'. Long live Kak DUNO!

Depreciated...

Our campus has been giving us a 'gift' for the new year, instead of the normal rooms, we have been given a dorm now. 60 people sharing a floor of shop lot opposite the front of HUSM. SHOP LOTS mind you, which aren't suppose to be used for housing purpose also. Imagine that, a local university, forcing their students to stay in a so-called 'hostel' that is not even abiding the laws. There is no proper plan for evacuation in case of emergency. The corridors are so small that one can pass through at each time. Furthermore, our hostel admins are all cowards. Due to the probability of people appealing and complaining, they didn't dare to put out the lists of where the students are staying until the 2nd last day, just before the office hours end, they put it out. It is said that this was done to ensure that students won't have enough time to complain to the managing office. Normally, keys would be distributed on a Friday before the start of the new semesters. This year, we have to get it on a Saturday morning. A lot of people who arrived on Friday were forced to somehow find places to stay as they did not have a room to stay in. This caused many of us students to have to stay in hotels and it cost us a lot of money. About the dorm, the admins were suspiciously selective on their choice for staying at the poorly prepared dorm. Among the listed 90 people going to stay in the dorm, there is more than 57 of them that are non-malays, which indicates that there is something more to it. Non-malays living in the Murni hostel is not even 40% of the total occupants of the Murni hostels, but yet, we manage to get more than 50% of the place in the 'high-class dorm'. Skin colour looks to be one of the criteria of the choice of students living in the better facilitated hostels. For the 3rd and 4th year medical students in Murni, there is only one non-malays left in the Murni hostels. Is this what they call transparency and fair?

We demand to know what is the criteria of selection for the Murni hostels and also why each of us are not given a place in the in-campus hostels as some of us surely have a better record in the co-curriculum activities. We also want to know what is the reason the notice as to which hostel we were to be given was out only 2 days before the beginning of the new semester, causing students to be unable to get a good rest before the start of the new semester due to the rushing the day before. It is also a concerned as to why the notice was able to be released earlier in the years before but not this year. Unless this questions are given a proper answer, we all deeply feel that USMKK DESASISWA MURNI admins are not treating us fairly. To those who have seen this post, please ask others to see and post a comen as a show of support... TQ

Dooms day...

On the 5th of June 2008, a tragedy has occur in Malaysia. Our government, with the so called plan to help the middle class and lower class rakyat, has change the plan for the fuel subsidy and raised the price of the petrol to an all-time high of RM2.70 from the original RM1.97.

Over the past few years, the government has been raising the petrol price for a few times already, the first being in the year 2006. Every time there is an increase in the petrol price, there are also increase of price for transportation as well as other daily goods that we need. For a government that has been saying that they are helping the rakyat, I feel that our government is one of the "BEST" government one can ever have. Looking to other countries with petroleum production, they all have much much lower price of the petroleum compared to us, with the highest standing at RM1.19 per litre. Our petrol price is more than 100% of their price, and the fact is, WE ARE A PETROLEUM PRODUCING COUNTRY AS WELL! Talk about irony.

From Malaysia Kini, the price of the petrol in other petroleum producing countries.
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/83978


Even before the election in March, there have been worries about the rising of the fuel price after the election, which was quashed by a certain someone high up in the hierarchy who say that they are for the rakyat and they will not make the rakyat suffer. And ladies and gentlemen, this is their biggest present for us so far for our trust in them. This is the government that we have voted for. We are always in the dark of the truth, we are just to vote them, so that they can do whatever they want. And still they say, this is for the rakyat.

We have Petronas, who makes so much income each year, yet, we have to pay so much for petrol. It is a funny thing that the Petronas doesn't need to make its account public. Where is all the money earned? Why is the secrecy over the account needed? Are we, the rakyat, not allowed to know anything?

Enough is enough. We have been 'bullied' too much. Its time to change things to what it should be!

Medical books purchase

I have decided to buy some medical books, but it seems that purchasing in bulk will be cheaper. Therefore, I will be trying to take orders for all the medical books and I will get the lowest possible price for you guys. Anyone interested please call me at 0174870998 or leave a message here. Any books that you want to know the price please send the names to me. Below are the price of some of the books:

Rang and Dale pharmacology RM135
Clinical assesment for clinical medicine RM43
Little book of causes RM15
Lecture notes on Ear, Nose and Throat RM 85
Lecture notes on Opthalmology RM 85
Illustrated colour text of Ear, Nose and Throat RM 58
Illustrated colour text of Opthalmology RM 58
Sarawak Emergency handbook RM 29
Mackey clinical dermatology RM 95
Manipal surgery RM 70
Bailey and Love surgery RM 160
BNF RM170
MIMF RM 98
Pediatric (sunflower) RM 115

Its over!

This is the first entry that I have had since the dreaded final exam which ended last Sunday. Yes, you heard that right, SUNDAY. In this place called Kelantan, people prefer working on Sundays instead of Friday's as they have a certain appointment at noon. This is really something that I found quite distasteful as the thought of studying on Sunday kinda disgust me.:p
Anyway, after 6 weeks of exile in the 'Bookara desert', its finally time for some rest and peace. To be honest, there is too much time and too little things to do currently.^^

I am currently still in the campus waiting for the result to be announce tomorrow afternoon. Here, instead of checking the results online or through the phone, we have a system of announcing the names of those who pass in the final exams both for the medical students and also the dental students. In the 5 years of studies, there are a total of 3 final exams in my university. One each in the first, third and final year. If somehow you failed the exam, you will be doomed to repeat another year of the same thing. And if you are 'lucky' enough and failed twice, you'll be shown the door. The result for this years other 2 finals have already been out last month, with the final year students scoring a 100% passing rate. On the other hand, the first years also made so historic contribution, contributing a total of 82 students in the dental and medic course add together who failed and also 8 who had failed twice. This is the first time in the 3 years that I have been here that I've actually seen people leaving in such circumstances. It is really unfortunate that this things happen. The most shocking thing is that the Malay guys in the first year dental course is almost wipe out. Only one of them is left in the 2nd year to be dental course. Talk about 'last man standing'. I can only hope that tomorrow's announcement will be good news for all of us in the 3rd year.

For the last 3 days, I have been doing nothing but eat, sleep and watch movies. Only now I notice that having nothing to do is actually hellish. Most of my friends around have gone back with most going back tomorrow and the day after. By Friday, this place is going to be left with only 2nd year students who are taking their end of semester exam next week(all the best guys!and girls!) So now, I am in BOREDia...haih. Nevertheless, its really good to have all the time of the world. And with the Champions League final tonight, I will have something to look forward to. :)

Its here! Holy crap...

Oh my gawd! in less than an hour, I will be marching to the examination hall for my final exam. Can start to feel my pulse racing, and head spinning already. Oh my oh my....Sure need lots and lots of luck for this one. Yikes!

Tips?

Okay, exams getting closer and as usual, the tips are coming thick and fast. I will post the cases that are said to be in the wards currently or heard to be in the wards. You guys decide what you want to do.

liver abcess,diabetic foot, placenta previa, normal pregnancy,multiple pregnancy(twins),acoustic neuroma,Diabetis Mellitus, facial nerve palsy, hip joint examination(OSCE)

UPDATED: Malaria, thalassemia, schizophrenia, renal failure, hypertension, stroke

Cat, mouse and the other mouse

<-Come my mousey friend, I'll give you a lift.

Cats and mice are universal enemies as far as we know, since textbook in primary school and kindergarten says so. According to Chinese believe, it was due to the mouse's betrayal when they were racing to get a place in the Chinese zodiac. However, have you ever seen a cat being friendly with a mouse?

'Come my dear mousey,let me hug you,'
'Help~'--------------->

The cat and the other mouse

Its not fair!

A little something to share. Calvin and Hobbes. A cute comic strip which I saw while surfing the net. Especially like the middle one where the father says this 'The world isn't fair, Calvin'. How true is that? However, most people won't care that the world is not fair. It doesn't matter. People are like Calvin when he says 'I know. But why isn't it ever unfair in my favour?' Makes me think of the health science faculty friends...

'why can't we(medic and dental students) have 2 months' holiday? You guys(health science) can,'
'ITS NOT FAIR!!!'

The nuclear effect

<-------A nuclear explosion. KABOOM!
Recently, I've been to a talk, or rather a short briefing about the nuclear effect to us and also the environment. It was actually a briefing for a exhibition in July as I was one of the few students from our campus who volunteered to be the facilitators for the exhibition entitled 'From a Culture of Violence to a Culture of Peace: Transforming the Human Spirit'. To be honest, it was really an interesting topic that I think everyone should think about.

In this age of technologies, everything we used are helped by high-tech gadgets. The gadgets evolve in a flash, for example, we used to walk in order to travel, but now, instead of walking, we have a variety of options for us to choose. From the fat-burning bicycle to the spectrum of four-wheeled drive to the airplanes. While all this technologies are made to make life easier for the human kind, there is other research which threatens to wipe it all out of the face of earth-the nuclear research. The nuclear research has been done for a few decades already, with the effect fully understood by the Japanese(since they took 2 atomic bombs and tasted it first hand, God bless those innocent people!). It caused such a great loss and the effects are long-standing. Even till now, the effects are seen. The instant destruction, the radioactive effect, this are all endangering the civilization of mother earth.

A crater caused by a nuclear explosion. The earth will soon have the surface of the moon if more of these craters are formed...---------->
Personally, I feel that funds from each of the countries should not be put into producing this weapons of mass destruction. They shouldn't even fund those research. The process of forming this weapons only disrupts the harmony of other countries. Other countries will feel threaten and they will then try to produce weapons of their own to. If only people can settle their difference through civilized talk and discussion, we wouldn't even need bow and arrow. Instead, funds should be channeled into helping the poor and unfortunate people. From the information from the talk, as many as 800 million people in the developing world and at least 24 million people in developed and transition economies do not have enough food. Now that sounds more like a place where funds should be channeled, right?

Everyone of us hope to lead a happy life, a comfortable life. We need shelter, water to drink, food to eat and air to breath. Everything else are just to make life more comfortable. But what does the nuclear bombs do?They destroy. They take life away. The nuclear research brings a lot of adverse effects to the environment. Even a nuclear test will harm the environment for long-term. The effects are not only on the surface of earth but also deep into it. Imagine stabbing a person just to test the sharpness of the knife, its definitely the same thing! Millions of people die in the world each year because of illness from polluted air and water.

All in all, we need to be aware of the nuclear effect. People are starting to awake. They are starting to realize the problem. Maybe soon, we might have some proper action on the nuclear effect...

Depression

Less than 2 weeks to go to the final exams and things is really starting to get messy. Firstly, the tension is starting to build up. After seeing Lim, a final year student(One of the brightest student here!) in the distressed mode due to his current final exam(good luck eh!), I'm starting to feel the heat. Even someone who is so knowledgeable is in such a stress mode, who am I to be spared from the anxiety. Hmm, really feeling kinda fed-up of studying already. But then again, there is the bonus of having a months holiday straight after the exams. Its always the holiday that makes me more relaxed.

Its really difficult to fully concentrate on studies sometimes, especially with the up-coming Champions league semi-final between MU(who I've always supported, go Ronaldo!) and Barca and also the built-up to the end of the premier league season. Its just so tempting to watch all those matches. And also, there is the temptation of DotA. No~

'Just three more weeks', that's what the angelic me says to myself. 'Three more weeks then you can play for a month.'
then there's the devilish me, ' Three weeks in hell man! Take a break, have fun, what for you wait for 3 more weeks, you can play now.'
*sigh* What can I do? I'll suffer now so that I won't suffer later.

Boredom of study week

20 days and counting! That's how much time left before I face the judgment on what I've achieve in this 2 years. Its been quite relaxing compared to what I've anticipated, without the feeling of stress and the anxiety that keeps one awake at night. But then again, it hasn't been exactly a smooth sailing too.

The current weather in Kelantan is unbelievably hot. Once in every few hours, there is a need to take a bath. Its so hot that many consider studying in the room is not an option. Some goes to the library, while the others goes to the study rooms. A handful of students have also gone to the Murni hall(formerly an office) and use the air-conditioning there. The changed the place into a mini library. Everyday, when you go into the hall, you can see a lot of people with their books and notes on the table. It is so quiet that you can hear the sound of the needle drop. To be honest, I would prefer to study in that condition, but I am just too lazy to drag my butt down there along with the stack of notes.

Next would be the problem with the food. Everyday, for every meal, we have to eat at the hostel cafe which serve the same old food with the same expensive price.(especially the damn Indian uncle who I feel really takes advantage of students here!) Its really making me bored of the food. I used to enjoy lunch and dinner breaks during study week, but now, even thinking of the food makes me feel like vomiting...yucks! Luckily, there are still some stores opposite the campus that sells some decent food at decent prices. Its just that it takes some time to go out, and its such a pain in the *ss.

Temptation to play some computer games with juniors also occurs sometimes, especially when you are so fed-up with the notes. But then again, one game would've burnt at least 2 hours and with the rest after that(as the eyes would really be tired!), it amounts up to 3 hours per game. So, its a really luxurious choice to play.

All in all, its not going to be an enjoyable 3 weeks, but hopefully, the results will show and then everything will be worth it!

Announcement

I've opened up another site at http://richardangch.spaces.live.com/ . The posts in both the sites will be the same. It will be like a mirror site. So, anyone who prefers the windows' myplace can head over to the other site and have fun. Thank you!

A happy happy birthday!

Thank you Alex, Kokwah, and Kianping for this excellent cake!

Had an excellent birthday with all my friends out there. Really had a great time! And thank you guys again for the wishes, gifts and cakes. Hope it will be a great year ahead!

Illusion and reality

The illusion and the reality...

Advertisements are a way to trick customers into believing something...Why? Cause they never turn out like the ads. This was taken from the secret recipe, and to be honest, they do have the so called SECRET RECIPE----->small and few instead of the large and well-decorated in the ads...

Dinner at Chiang Mai....restaurant, not in Thailand!

Another exam over! What a relief! But then, there is another even more important final examination next month, so its not exactly a time for relief, right? Haha. Then again, its good to try to catch our breath once in a while. So, the evening after the last paper for this exam(Selanjar as we call it), we were heading to Chiang Mai restaurant for our dinner. No, its not. Thats for the question you might be asking about.*laugh* The restaurant is situated in Wakaf Baru, Kelantan, which is nowhere near the Chiang Mai that you might be thinking about. And as you might've guessed, its a restaurant serving Thai food. There are a few other Thai food restaurants nearby too, all with Thai-ish names-Bangkok restaurant, BanThai restaurant. Nevertheless, I personally think that Chiang Mai is the best of all this restaurants. It is situated behind a housing area and is quite secluded. An outsider would not have been able to come to the place without any recommendation from the locals as it was about 1km away from the mainroad. Even the entrance to the housing area is not exactly 'out-standing'. You could easily miss it if you are not paying attention. We were only aware of the existent of the restaurant when our seniors introduced it to us during our first year here. It was the usual 'introductory spot' for most seniors as there were gathering for those from the same schools previously or those from the same states. This was the best chance for the seniors to have a look at the new juniors.

<-----Han lim and Lek tuan mixing garlic with their plate of rice...
There was 6 of us in total that night with our organizer Alex followed by me, Kianping, Lektuan, Hanlim and Jincin. It was a much anticipated night as some of us had been eating magee for the study week in order to save time for revision especially for Kp. He bought a dozen of cup noodles for storage and it was all gone by the time we started exam! Such was the tension of the exam that many didn't eat a proper meal.

Jincin, Kianping and our 'ring-leader' Alex-------->
We were on our way around 615pm in two cars as we went separately. Lt, Jc and Hl went first as they wanted to vaccinate for thyphoid virus as a preparation for their backpacking trip to Cambodia in June. By the time we reached the restaurant, it was already near 7pm. There wasn't a lot of people at first. We were basically the third group of people to reach the place at the time. We order 5 dishes including the green curry recommended by Kp , the ever-present Keng Song(tomyam fish), a fried squid, a vege and friend lemon chicken. It was the first time for most of us for the so called green curry. It was kinda weird thinking of it to be honest. But we thought we gave it a try in eat something new. There were suggestion for the fried BEEs as well, but the failure to obtain a '2/3 majority' meant that the plan had to be postponed to other time. Phew, that was close! haha.

<----Vase-like appearance...
The people were starting to come to the restaurants in 'colonies' when we finished placing our order. Soon, an appetizing odour flood the place and out came the dishes. Too bad they weren't all coming at once. The green curry came first in a high standing, vase like pot. It was left on the center of the table with all of us in a mixed feelings of expectancy and a sense of wonder. Kp was the gentleman as he took the initiative and distributed the curry to the small bowls prepared. The taste of the curry was unbelievable. Its soup was thick with the 'santan' as well as the milk(I think). It was a fantastic dish. Thanx Kp for the excellent recommendation. After that, 3 other dishes were served except for the lemon chicken. The Keng Som tomyam fish was one of the most famous dish of the place. Almost everyone orders it when they come to the restaurant. The best thing of the fish is that the soup from the dish can be REFILLED. Yes, McD drinks type of refill. Apart from the smooth, sweet fish, the soup is of the Keng Som is the best! Its just nice with the combination of spice and sour taste.
You have to bring your own waiter eh...everyone's too busy*laugh*----->
The other 3 dishes weren't too special, especially the vegetable as it was just the normal variety of fried vege. The Gim Hiang fried squid was quite nice but then, the appearance was not that erm... appetizing. It actually looked like a bunch of garbage.*laugh* They should try to improve the outlook of the food they serve I guess since its one of the basics of food,' 色，香，味', literally translated, 'outlook, smell and taste'. But then again, its definitely better than the food we have in the campus, especially if you compare it to the expensive Indian food in our campus.(it is the only store that have food after 6pm if you don't wan to eat burger).

Overall, the food was excellent and very enjoyable. If anyone of you drop by in Kelantan, I'll make sure you get a taste first hand!

Some of the nice dishes...
Green Curry, the not-so-good-looking fried squid, Keng Som Tomyam fish

Lecture in the hostel?

Looks at the photo above. This was taken is my hostel on one Sunday night. Wonder what everyone is doing? With notes and all, maybe they are all listening to someone lecturing in front.
But hey, wait, there's another view of the place...

I'm sorry, but it seems like I was wrong! They are all watching the live match between Manchester United and Arsenal. Haha... The exams are just around the corners. But that have not dim the interest of these football fanatics. Although worried about studies, they were still present to see United's victory. As for the revisions, they brought their books and notes with them too, to have a peek or two when the match's a bit dull. There were so many present that there weren't enough seats. A few of my colleagues even went to bring the sofa from downstairs. Such is the attraction of the so called 'beautiful game'...

Some have to stand as there just isn't enough seats...

Multitasking -study while watching the match
(the origin of the core-2-dual)

Water crisis

Its been quite a few days since I last updated the blog. Tension is high in the hostel this few days as everyone is either preparing for their exams or having their exams. This is the time of the year where everyone starts to have natural occurring eye shadows as well as swollen 'eye bags'. Everyone is studying hard day and night till the people going for exercise seems to be less now...

Anyway, enough about the exams. The exams are no fun to talk about as they just increase the anxiety in most of us. *laugh* For the past few days, the water supply in our campus had been of 'excellent' quality! Instead of serving fresh water from the pipes, we are having 24 hrs supply of tea. What a bonus! Don't get what I mean? You'll understand once you looked at the picture below.

Surprise surprise! Yes, this is the colour of the water supply in our campus for the past few day!

The water had become so brownish that a lot of the students here decided not to bath! Some of my friends who decided to ignore the fact that the water is 'clean' had to suffer from itchiness after their bath. Its ironic as with this kind of water, whatever you washed becomes even more dirtier compared to before you washed them.



The water from the place people wash their clothes. Yucks!-------------------->

Actually, this is no news for us students here. Even before we came to the campus, seniors from our secondary schools who came had warn us about the quality of the water. They even went as far as to ask us not to buy any white shirts or pants. Now that we have seen the situation first hand, its not that hard to understand why some people get diarrhea quite frequently for the first few months of life in Kelantan. Although this was the first time where the water is so dirty, the water here has never been clear in colour. If you want prove, you can just get a white cloth and let the tap water run through it. The cloth won't be white anymore after you're done with it! This is a real worry for us as we wash our white coats(lab coats), cause they might not be white anymore after washing.

Clothes as a result of washing with the 'quality' water. Observe the collar. There is appearance of yellow discolouration. Jaundice?-------------->

There is a suggestion on the appearance of dark urine colour among the locals. Normally, dark coloured urine is caused by liver problems. But maybe, just maybe, its might be a simple case of dirty water consumption?
Well, that's enough for now...Better get back to study.

Anyone wants tea?

Exams exams exams!!!

The time table for next month's final exam has been out for some time already. A glance at it shows nothing special about the exam. The exam starts on the 11th of May till the 22nd when the results is announced.

Here's the timetable:
May 11 9.00 -11.00am MEQ 1
2.15 -4.15pm MEQ 2
May 12 8.30 - 11.00am OSCE
May 13/14/15 8.00-4.00pm Clinical
May 18 9.00 -12.00pm MCQ 1
2,15 -5,15pm MCQ 2

Well, looks simple enough doesn't it? People who are in the dark about our condition might say, "Well, give me a month's time to prepare, and I'll get a distinction!" But if you try and ask any of my course mates, they will tell you that even a month is barely enough. Seriously!

When I first stepped into the medical school, I was thinking, "It shouldn't be too hard. As long as I keep my head down and work hard, it should be a smooth sailing." And then came the shock! The lectures came thick and fast. Time management was a problem as there well simply too much to study. When the end of the first year came, it was time for the final exam. A fail would've doomed me to a repeat of the first year's study. I had PLAYED hard for the whole year instead of STUDYING hard and judgement day was fast approaching. I had some help and somehow managed to scrap through with a B.

A)The workload then (1st year)
The notes have a height of approximately 50cm when stacked up!

Looking back at it, it was so much more easier to pass the exams in secondary school. I mean, sure, there was quite a lot to read to prepare for exam, but it was nothing comparing to medical studies. Now, I'm facing my 2nd finals. Unlike for most other courses, where their subjects change each semester(which means that some of the things they can just forget about it), medical studies includes everything you done before this. This means that for this year's final, I'll have to recall everything I've learn since my first year here! Ouch!

B) Newly introduced material for 2nd and 3rd year.
Another stack of notes with a height of 50cm.So A+B =notes to revise.

Exams really makes a mess of one's life. To prepare for an exam, I've made a mess of my room with books and notes all around. The table which was empty had suddenly become occupied with papers , books and the writing equipments. Even the bed is full of my books. Sometimes, I even sleep with the books!

My table before and during exams...
















And here's my bed...

With the end of semester exam coming up next week just three weeks before the final exam, I just hope that everything will be well and in order. Studying medic is really a painful experience in some way... :P Good luck to all my course mates out there and others who are taking their exams soon. Ganbatte and 加油 !

Want some black PAPER chicken?

This is the menu

This photo was taken from an outlet near my campus. Says here, they sell BLACK PAPER STEAK for RM9.90 only! There are also other kinds of black PAPER flavoured food such as, BLACK PAPER CHICKEN, BLACK PAPER CHICKEN CHOP. Wonder if they sell white paper chicken or paper of other colours... Apart from that, you can also get a T-BORN STEAK. Maybe the steak was a T? Enjoy your meal-BLACK PAPER CHICKEN
(courtesy of Mr.Chai Soo Pin)

John Goddard, an inspiration...

John Goddard's "Life List"

John Goddard is most known for his amazing “Life List” of accomplishments. At the age of fifteen John Goddard listed 127 goals he wished to experience or achieve in his lifetime. The list is impressive and audacious, but the results have been truly incredible.

http://www.johngoddard.info/life_list.htm

After reading this website and also from some information from Wikipedia, I suddenly noticed that all my life, I basically accomplished nothing! Its really like a wake-up call for me. Basically, since I was 7, I think my life style has been the same for everyday of my life. From waking up in the morning, then going to classes and doing revision. I think I have missed so much of life. And then, i haven't been traveling much as well. I've almost never went out of the country before.(almost never because I actually went to Singapore with my family when I was 5, but then, there wasn't any memories from then :p) 22 years of life wasted!

It was until my girlfriend's introduction to John Goddard, that I come to realise that we need to set some targets in our life. Yeah, maybe we can't achieve all of them, but at least we did our best to accomplish it. I don't want to look back on life when I'm old and thinking of what it could've been. So, now I made myself a small list of things I want to do, and maybe to extend it time after time^^

Here's the list:
1. To finish the medical course with the minimum time, which is 5 years without the need of repeating.
2. To at least get an A for once during the period of my life as a medical student.
3. To learn scuba diving
4. To travel to a)Australia
b)Singapore
c)England
d)Italy
e)Japan
5. To be able to drop my weight to around 75kg and maintain it. (currently is around 88kg, yeah I know, I am fat!)
6. To be a decent person.(responsible, kind, knowledgeable...)
7. To create a blog and maintain it.
8. To own a beautiful house with a seaside view.
9. To be a millionaire by the age of 40.
10. To assemble a desktop from parts.

So, that completes the list(for now^^). Let's see how long it takes to complete it!

Welcome to Richard Ang's Blog Spot

Welcome to Richard Ang's Blog Spot! As you can see from the title, my name is Richard. :p This is the first time I have actually started a blog. I want to use this blog as a means to share my experience with people as well as to connect to my friends out there. I consider myself just another regular guy, but hopefully there will be interesting adventure coming up for me to blog.Haha...