goodbye for now!

the end

it's been really fun blogging for the past few months,

but i'm getting kinda bored..and busy...

so here's bye for now!

maybe i'll blog again, maybe i won't.

maybe my next entry will be next week, next month, next year..who knows..

Hmmm..I guess i've always known the path to becoming a doctor has never been easy, but lately the huge responsibilities as a future doctor has dawned upon me. Everyday, whether in the wards, clinics, tutorials, lectures, or just talking to my fellow medical mates, i cannot help but realise how much more i don't know, and how much more there is to learn. Perhaps it is best surmised by Hippocrates, 'The life so short, the craft so long to learn.'

Of course life isn't all work & no play..even my surgery tutor had to tell me 'All work and no play makes Stephanie a dull girl.' Haha..:> But i guess i don't really have to worry about that too much, since i'm someone who finds it hard to turn down anything fun or yummy! anyz i think i have more hypomanic episodes than depressive ones.

'Neither Aristotle nor the Framers were known for self-indulgence. All believed that happiness is a legitimate goal in life; perhaps, one of the reasons we are here. ' -Gregg Easterbrook

So i'll try to remember: Live life to the fullest..and take time to stop & smell the roses too!

'Life is what's happening when you're too busy to notice.' -Wayne Muller

apple pie a la mode

Yay! finally took a pic of the apple pie i've been dreaming about everyday the past few weeks!
Always look forward to drinks & dinner with Nic at Tanglin club.. i think their food is probably one of the yummiest around:D
if i ever take up membership, it'll be because of the food..Not the gym, tennis courts, swimming pool, or other facilities. Tsktsk.
Here's the apple pie turn-overed...with the hot golden apple pie filling oozing next to the crispy crust..Nic serving out our portions of scrumptious javanese nasi goreng & seafood hor fun..;P

s03g gatherings

Pete's Place
S03G girls...& a guy.
Thanks liz & zhimin & sujen for organizing=)

Here are the pics..as promised!

rachel.steph.elizabeth.sujen.zhimin.chenmei.mervyn.
the so3g girls..zhining has nice long hair now! ;)
Sorry the food pics are kinda blur! i've been taking photos with my nokia phone..only 2 megapixel lah..

Yummy authentic italian food! the best part of the dinner...dessert of course! we ordered 2 chocolate fondue platters..Mmmmm it was delicious! the hot creamy chocolate sauce was kept warm & melted over a candle..while we dipped banana slices, fresh whole strawberries & raspberries, creamy puffs, biscotti, bite-sized cake pieces into the tantalizing warm chocolate.

Near the end, we even poured a shot of amaretto liquer into the chocolate..giving it unique almond flavour..I liked the flavour of the liquor so much i went to find out more about it:

'Amaretto' is italian for 'a little bitter'. The original version comes from Saronno, Italy. It has an almond flavour to it, though it may or may not contain almonds. It's primarily made from apricot pits, and may contain any number of spices & flavourings..

As legend has it, amaretto was created by a widow who posed for Renaissance painter Bernardino Luini in 1525. The widow fell in love with the painter and made her amaretto potion for him. Her original recipe has purportedly been handed down from generation to generation without change.

Here's a close up view of the mouth-watering fondue. i can still taste the buttery chocolate that melts in your mouth..pure satisfaction.

Banana Leaf & Brewerkz

Thanks jega for organizing!

Banana Leaf is located at Race course road, near Little India mrt..where food is served on a large banana leaf--traditional indian style! i'm definitely going there again..perhaps bring my mum, who loves spicy curries & brani..

i especially liked their Lhassi drinks..it's the first time i've tried lhassi & i've already found recipes to make my own lhassi. haha..

Lhassi is a scented yoghurt drink from india. Great served with curries. Very smooth & refreshing in a hot climate.

jega,weiling,steph,zhiyong,cheok,mervyn

Then we headed to Brewerkz at Riverside point for some of their great beer. i'm totally not a beer person..i just can't seem to appreciate it. But the beer at Brewerkz was something else altogether! it was much richer & a little sweeter than other beers i've tasted.

Apparently, they 'use 100% malt whereas industrial breweries use adjuncts such as corn and rice in addition to malt to obtain fermentable sugars. They do this because it is cheaper and it produces a lighter tasting beer. Also, industrial beers have very low hop levels so that basically, these beers have very little hop and malt flavor. '

We were choosing between Indian Pale Ale (their most popular, intensely hopped beer) and wheat ale..and finally settled on a tower of Wheat ale! It's a golden, slightly opaque beer which is supposed to have a 'sharp, clove like aroma' that appeals to creative & artistic people..=)

cheok,weiling,eric,renita
steph,jega,zhiyong,mervynEveryone feeling good after a night of spicy food & aromatic beer..and of course, lots of laughter & jokes. Haha it's been a long time (years!) since we met up & talked so much but it was really fun!

dr talk

Wow CGH Ortho is pretty xiong... I've never worked so hard in a long time! The tutors all seem really strict with high expectations at first..But so far they've all turned out to be really helpful & enthusiastic teachers! They seem genuinely concerned to help us do well, drilling us during tutorials and all.. It's stressful..but i guess they have our best interests at heart! (i hope.)

Anyz no time to upload nice photos of jc class girls gathering..will do it come weekend! sorry for the delay girls..but it was totally awesome catching up with you guys..And what chen mei said is true..Everyone looks even better than they did in jc! No wonder mervyn popped by & sat at our table for so long..Hahaha..jz kiddin!

Heh it was kinda funny..After ward rounds emily & i joined our team for 'breakfast' at the canteen. S__ (the only HO in the team currently) was looking dismally at his list of 33 patients and swearing under his breath...

HO: If they add any more patients to my list tonight, i'm going to jump from the 6th floor. (The team was 'on take' that night, and the 6th floor is where some of the main ortho wards are)

MO (looking equally tired/jaded): If you do so, just make sure you don't do it when i'm call.

HO: Wah lau, you just don't want to catheterize me.

MO: I think that was the last thing on my mind.

Okok, i was really amused by the conversation and couldn't help sniggering..I caught emily's eye and could tell she was equally amused!

I mean, it'll be a sad day when i get so overworked that my response to a friend who expresses his/her suicidal thoughts to me is 'Just don't do it when i'm on call.'

Haha hope that doesn't happen to any of us! Remember psychomed hor..must assess suicide risk,blah blah blah..

Anyway i hope the HO is ok..I took a look at the team's list this morning..at least 40 patients on the list!!!

Seoul fabulous!

Sigh..just had first day briefing for ortho at CGH..looks like it's gonna be a busy 2 weeks! Those who did their ortho posting at CGH, you probably understand why i'm whining..

For e.g. one of the instructions are :'Follow the combined Trauma round on Mon, Wed, Thu 7.40am to 8.30am. Attendance is compulsory. Sit in front/second row. Ask questions if you don't understand.' And that's just the first of a whole list of instructions..The rest of the days are packed with clinics, ward rounds, OT, DSOT, clerking..

But i'm looking forward to ortho lah..One of my female seniors once told me: 'The female mind is not engineered to understand ortho.' But i kinda like ortho! Though probably not as a career...

Anyz on a brighter note..
'Seoul fabulous!' was the title of the magazine article recommending Crystal Jade Ginseng Chicken & BBQ (Korean cuisine) at centrepoint...


It's a new addition to the huge crystal jade empire..And the reviews in the magazine were pretty good, so my dad & i decided to try it out on Sunday..we were getting a little bored of dim sum..

The place is very nicely furnished, kinda stylish with hints of luxury & korean touches in the wooden panelling, warm lighting, and especially the traditional Han Bok (korean costume) worn by the pretty waitresses..

The food was really nice too..My dad wasn't too impressed..cos i think he still loves the good ol' chinese (cantonese) food..Hehe. I'm much more easily satisfied when it comes to food.. We were served a colourful selection of homemade starters..Spicy Kimchi, yellow bean sprouts, chilli-steamed radish, spinach salad & beef tenderloin (my dad's favourite dish of the whole meal..Haha)

The ginseng chicken soup was divine! The chicken was so tender! And the melt-in-your-mouth wholesome goodness of the soup was unmistakable! i'm sold! (warning..the ginseng taste wasn't too strong though, so if u're looking for some energising ginseng to kick start ur day, this soup doesn't have that much potency)

Next was the Rice in Stone Cattle with Beef pieces..not too bad..especially if you like the smoky flavour of partially burnt rice..My dad wasn't too fond of that..Chinese like their rice steamed to soft white perfection..heh

quiet reflections of a messy mind

Psychological Medicine is over! i can't say how glad i am to be of a sound mind (hmm though sometimes i definitely question that)..

i guess we all have a bit of schizy-ness & bipolarity in all of us. Just that they haven't gotten so bad as to take control of our lives.

Actually, it's really amazing how powerful the human brain is..You mess up the chemicals, and you start living a life no one else understands--whether it's having delusions, seeing or hearing things, feeling just so darn happy/sad, not remembering your past...

it's kinda sad, actually..to see young patients have their lives taken over by strange thoughts & beliefs which we can't understand..i doubt they understand too. Either that or they are so fixed on these ideas they can't understand why others don't see things their way.

i think these people are probably the loneliest people in the world. They hardly have human relationships. Even if they do, they'll probably become estranged from their loved ones. Eventually, they'll end up a long-stayer at IMH, a place where no one wants to visit.

ok enough of pressured thoughts...

on friday, prof low cheng hock gave a really inspiring talk about communication in medicine..At the end of his talk, he flashed a poem, which i really liked! i couldn't copy it down before the slide changed, but i scribbled down what i remember..So here it is:

I strived for happiness
Happiness I could not see
I looked for fulfillment
Fulfillment eluded me
I searched for richness of spirit
Richness of spirit left thee
But when I practiced medicine on my brethren
I found all three

Now that we're on the topic of quotes, i've found some really nice ones. On monday a few of us went for 'One Cat Purring' performance by Michael Westlake, one of many events supported by the Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Centres. Thanks Van for inviting us!:)

I liked a few quotes he mentioned..

'To be in control, you must learn to let go.'

'2 swimmers in a river of rapids can either trash around or float, but they will reach downstream at the same time.'

And as we were leaving, we were given 'blessings'..little cardborad packings of home made candy with quotes on them. Thanks hanley & mark for giving me your quotes!

'With your patience & true love for everyone, you have the ability to ease any difficult situation into a peaceful one again.'

'By celebrating the greatness of others, you have become a great soul.'

'You are a courageous soul who recognizes that whatever you face will become the wings with which to fly.'

P.S: Anyone wants to go for NUS Dance Ensemble performance on 15th/16th september? It's really good! i'm not dancing, but taufik, flea & amy are! Remember 'You don't have to know dance to love it!'

Those of you who have seen dance ensemble performances, you'll know their standards are really high..so it's definitely worth the money! Tics are $12/15/18.

I've checked the timetable..It's all short postings..so no need to worry about med SIP!

Please let me know ASAP if you're interested! i'm looking for company..;)

best apple pie

By the way, i've found the best apple pie...It's at tanglin club..a smooth creamy scoop of vanilla ice cream, sitting on top of a perfect fluffy pie crust, in which oozes the wholesome apple pie sauce with rich apple chunks!

Thanks dear for the treat! yuuummmmyyyy!

heh this isn't a photo of the apple pie we had..but it's the closest i could find online to how the real deal looks!=)

A weekend of Catching Up...

...With old friends..

Ok, not OLD friends..but just people i haven't met for a really long time.

Like Malathi..the patient with SLE i met during my year 3 medicine posting..She looks fantastic now, so much more radiant & healthy..a happily married & confident woman! We went shopping at Raffles City on saturday and boy was i in for a surprise..

First she bought Chanel lipstick & lipliner (they just launched a new range--Chanel Rouge Allure), then Shu uemura compact powder, then CK fragrance for men..I was getting kinda worried at the rapid speed & decision in which these purchases were made..and was beginning to wonder if i was seeing some episode of mania at work..

Haha but thankfully after her last puchase, dear Malathi turned to me and said, 'Steph i think i better go home before i spend anymore'..I said, 'I think so too.' And we both had a good laugh! She said she hardly came shopping, and it was ages since she shopped so much. Of course i understood..Though i quietly wondered if i was that bad an influence?! :0

But i'm glad she had fun..cos i had a wonderful time with her too!

Then there were my JC classmates..some of whom i haven't seen in AGES! So it was really great catching up with them..people like liz, sujen, joanna, richard (basically the non-NUS med peepz). Too bad others couldn't turn up but i'm sure there will be more gatherings to come!

Anyz it was Weiling's birthday party! The theme was 'Casino' and her st nichs friends were really sporting! The rest of us were there to eat & play games..haha..Thanks weiling, it was super fun!

S03G.. S03G, plus elaine & nic :)steph, weiling, joanna

weiling's sporting friends! they dressed to the theme with ooomph & a touch of glamour!!

sporting & cute!

Also managed to catch up with my ex CG..CG 13! Of course not everyone could turn up..but 5 out of 7 was not a bad attendance rate! plus there was Leonie..i'm sure she had fun with the guys..and their 'crazy-CG cabaret' talk..hey leonie, remember to hire them if u ever have a hen party! And don't forget to invite me yah! haha..

Argh..who's that extra person in blue...spoiling our otherwise nice cg shot!?

Morton's

Chocolate Martinis & Fillet Mignon Steak Sandwiches
This is definitely one place and deal i wish i had found out about earlier..Thanks Flea for letting me know (too bad it was closed for a private function when we went).. Anyways went to check it out with Lijing..my dear chill-out buddy!=)
The chocolate martinis are absolutely divine! i usually don't like alcohol, but when you have lotsa chocolate coating the wine glass..you can't NOT like it!

The steak sandwiches come at half hour intervals and they're definitely worth waiting for! The steak is tender & juicy..and the best part is..they're on the house! Each customer is limited to one sandwich each round..but if you can be thick-skinned like us, they're can't do anything if you ask for seconds..except maybe give a disapproving look. Haha. *pigs*

So here's the deal..5 to 7pm @ Morton's every weekday..Enjoy!

Back to studying my psychomed! My tutor is SUPER on..we have 2 oral viva sessions tomorrow, 3 oral vivas on Friday.. and we were given a list of cases AND back-up psy patients to clerk & present..What enthusiasm! It's infectious...almost.

HOUSE M.D.

Hooked!

Glad dermatology posting is over..Not that i didn't enjoy it--it was interesting..and i know ALOT more about rashes now. At least now when i see a red rash i can think of ten other differentials.. so I have alot more to worry about. GREAT help to my neurotic nature.

But 2 weeks of seeig diseased skin was really getting to me. On wednesday i noticed a patch of dry skin on my face. But i started to wonder if the dry skin was scaly..and i noticed (ok maybe imagined a little) a slight hyperpigmentation to that patch of skin..and i almost thought i saw (ok maybe i didn't) the patch had an annular border.

Diagnosis changed from 'Dry Skin' to 'Tinea Faciei' (fungal infection of the face)

So thursday and friday were spent checking on that patch, making sure it didn't spread. And on friday i had a nightmare..The patch had turned black and mouldy with secondary smaller patches all over my face! When i finally woke from my nightmare, i was thankful derm was finally over.

Now there's psych med..where i'll be around depressed/manic/schizophrenic people. Just hope i don't start wondering if i'm crazy.

Anyz..weekend has been good & relaxing!

Friday dinner: cooked by NIC, the master chef..He whips a mean dish of pasta..i have no idea where he learnt how to make the perfect sauce, but he was adding minced beef, chopped onions, tomato sauce, mushrooms to the pot like a pro! Anyone would have been impressed, especially a cook-wannabe-but-cannot-make-it like me. Haha. Anyz we finished up the yummy dinner in a jiffy.
Buonissimo, squisito. Sono felice. Grazie.

Friday night/Saturday early morning: Wine Bar & Phuture with Syl & her law friends.. Gosh i haven't danced for a really really long time..my feet were killing by the end of it..But it was fab fun dancing with you babes!

Anyway..the reason i've not been out much on Sat & Sun is this..

"Warning: This crafty new medical drama about a team of CSI-minded docs and their hatefully brilliant mentor may prove addictive."

This was the label on the DVD cover. I should have heeded its advice..
Cos I'm sooooo hooked on House. I can't stop watching and rewatching its episodes! It's soooo bl**dy brilliant..i'm thinking if i were smart enough i'll go into diagnostic medicine..But alas..

To those who think Grey's anatomy is a great medical drama..Try this..it has less about love affairs (thank goodness) and MUCH more about intense, intriguing & intelligent medical puzzles.

Sunday night: Leonie, the lovely indonesian elective student is back! Had a great evening chatting with you girl..and i'll say 'Hi' to the rest of the CG for you..in case you don't get to see them!=)

Ronaldo..the portugese hunk

Cristiano Ronaldo

I must admit i'm a football idiot. i don't even watch the beautiful game because the players are cute. In fact i didn't even know who Cristiano Ronaldo was until my dad sang praises about him over dinner today.

My dad's a straight guy with pretty high standards..he hardly approves of anyone, not to mention praise them..so when he was 'gushing' about this ronaldo guy, i HAD to check him out online.

Bad Move.

I think i will be a Portugal & Man U supporter/fan from now on. (No offence to anyone...i know many people who are rightly pissed about the World cup right now..sikes) And i want to learn portugese.

Anyz here are some trivia i got about Ronaldo..my dad will be so proud of my research..haha

1. 'Ronaldo first began kicking a football when he was two or three, and when he started primary school at age six, his passion for the sport was obvious. When there wasn't an actual football around, he would make one out of socks..' Awww...so cute!

2. 'After Portugal's stunning loss to Greece in Euro 2004, Ronaldo wept, and Santos (his first coach), who was watching, remembered how Ronaldo would cry when his team lost..' Sigh..what a sweetie

3. He was named the sexiest player of Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006 by Gay Krant, a Dutch gay magazine. So he's hot among guys as well!

4. He endorses Nike, Pepe Jeans, Extra Joss (Indonesian energy drink) and Suzuki cars (although he drives a silver Porsche) Did i hear silver PORSCHE?

5. His favourite movies are "The Rock" and "The Sixth Sense". Those are my favourite movies too! yeah right...