cHiLLiNg iN bOsToN

Boston-Play
I have to apologise the photos don't really follow any chronological order.. they're just haphazard memories of mine!!

Vanderbilt Hall..the hall for harvard medical and dental students. It's a nice building..which Mark keeps saying reminds him of Hogwarts. Oh well i would like to think Hogwarts was grander, but the interiors of Vanderbilt are nice and cosy. And i've met some really nice people too! Japanese, Taiwanese, Americans, Singaporeans..it's a cool place!

And my room though small is a cosy little space..I'm always glad to return to it after a long day in the hospital..Especially after i fixed the desk lamp--all by myself!Haha i went through quite alot of trouble getting the extension cord, the lamp, the light bulb..so I'm very proud of it! It gives the room such a warm orangey glow!

With joline and mark at cheesecake factory (prudential)..just one of our several visits there. Well..don't blame us--blame the cheesecakes! Especially the Godiva, lime raspberry, the toblerone and reese's peanut butter cheesecakes! ;>

Another visit to the cheesecake factory (cambridgeside) with Em & Nic who came down to Boston for a few days and some other Singaporeans studying in MIT: Jian Long, Kah Keng and Kah Seng.

With Joanna and her friend.. we were watching a dance concert..felt a tinge of nostalgia when i went backstage and saw all the dancers with their costumes, makeup, dressing tables, flowers..

More photos to come...

Heh i have more time to myself now cos I finally finished my presentation for the Baker talk! It was one of the most stressful events in my life. It's a weekly journal club-cum M&M meeting, and visiting medical students may be arrowed to give a talk..In front of the whole MGH general surgery department, attended by other medical students, interns, residents and attendings.

I spent weeks mulling over my presentation topic. But finally decided on a recent journal article from Annals of Surgery on a randomized control trial comparing partial hepatectomy to Percutaneous local ablative technique for resectable hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC). Doing a pubmed search, I realized there is increasing debate over surgery vs less invasive techniques for many tumors. I chose HCC cos I figured that was one thing I might know better than them (since HCC is quite an uncommon cancer in the US)

Well despite not having much sleep a few nights in a row, and being extremely nervous (I could not stop shivering that morning--both due to the cold and the anxiety), the talk went well! The surgical oncology expert said my talk was very good and the study was a very powerful one. Yay. What made my day was when my supervisor said I did a good job, and the presentation was 'as good as it could get'. When I told him didn't sleep the whole night, he let me off early (4.30pm) But I was in too high a mood to go back early to sleep! So had a feast at cheesecake factory instead!