The third time I’m keying in an entry into my laptop.
It’s been getting increasingly difficult to find time to spend in front of the computer for the purpose of blogging. It’s not that I’m spending less time with the computer. The assignments are starting to pour in and things get more and more challenging, complicated and complex. Before I go on, let me just elaborate a little more on how our medical education’s been organized. I’d more or less expected to go through an education that would bring me through Anatomy, Physiology, Biochem and the likes and then slowly proceeding to the hospital. But I guess not. In fact, for this first 8 weeks, it’s termed ‘Foundations’. And for obvious reasons.
We go through lessons on IT – learning to make use of the library and online resources that the faculty subscribes to (which is a lot, they have like all those electronic books, journals and stuff for downloads; we also have lecture podcasts that we can subscribe to; man we even learn how to use Google effectively). IT’s fine. Really. Next comes something which I totally didn’t expect to get myself into. For one, I used to think that medical education would mean learning all about the human body, interacting with patients, you know, all those stuff. But currently I would call our Foundations course something more like personal development. This 8 weeks gives s a chance to participate in 4 major projects:
1) Individual assignment. This is where we pair up to interview an academic. After that, we’re supposed to write up on the interview and do a reflective essay. I chose to interview a pediatrician. Hehe. Oh, a pediatrician is a doctor who specializes in seeing children. Babies!! Cute babies. To treat them when they get sick and start to cry.
2) Group project. In our scenario groups (the second smallest grouping that we have here. Since I’m on the topic of grouping - the largest being the lecture group, ranging from 236 if only Med I to double the amount when the Med II students would join us; then comes the collegia, the 4 major big groups Med I students are classified in, I’m in College A. So within each college of about 60 people, we’re further divided into 5 smaller scenario groups. My group is A1 and has 13 people. Standing by itself is the clinical group of about 7 people. So we would go to the hospital together and learn stuff there together. My principal teaching hospital is LiverpoolHospital in South West Sydney.) Alright. Back to the group project. So we divide our scenario group into 2 and the main project title? The integrated model of health care. Whatever that means???!!! Nevertheless, it’s a group project we have to do. But not the traditional way. It’s kinda like survivor style? Ok, maybe not that bad, we don’t vote people out of the group. Rather, for every meeting, one group member is supposed to sit out and observe how the group functions. Like, no talking at all. He/She is NOT suppose to do anything but just to observe and then later write a report on how the other group members perform or work together. It’s kinda weird? But they say it’s supposed to address 1 of the 8 graduate capabilities – Teamwork. So after everything we’re supposed to do lots and lots of research and come up with a presentation and a report and a reflective essay (yet again).
3) Portfolio – This basically is (yet again) a major reflective essay that addresses everything. We’d have to talk about the things that we’ve learnt, how we can build up to improve on the 8 graduate capabilities we should have. Oh, these are the 8 graduate capabilities by the way:
a) Understanding basic and clinical sciences
b) Social and cultural aspects of health and disease
c) Effective communication
d) Teamwork
e) Self directed learning and critical evaluation
f) Ethics and legal responsibilities
g) Reflective practitioner
h) Patient assessment and management
I mean, they want us to write a 3500 word essay on these… Don’t ask. One really wonders how extremely well I loved GP.
4) Online assessment. We’re supposed to do an online exam in week 7 or something…
5) End of course exam. Basically what they told us was a 2 essays and objective answers paper. Bah, multiple choice say until like that.
Anyways, I’m really happy with this course they’ve planned and everything. Alright, think I will end here and go and study liao! Bye bye!
DrWb 5:35 PM
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Monday, March 13, 2006
I need a reason
People ask me how I'm doing in Sydney.
I tell people that I'm doing real fine over here.
I am.
There are so many things to do. Staying independently is different from times when one is at home and all there is for concern is to study hard, study well.
I do lots of cleaning up. The house gets dirty easily. The floor, the kitchen, the toilet, behind the cupboard; laundry and cooking - washing, hanging, grocery shopping, food preparation, actual cooking, eating, washing up. These take up lots of time. So much so I'm doing all these more than anything else.
Another thing. I fight a war with spiders and ants. I am irritated and frustrated. I hate spiders.
Just that day I was hanging the clothes I just washed and I turned around only to see spider web on the clothes I just hanged.
I sit at my study table to read and I feel ants crawling on my legs and I look down. I see ants. Lots of ants. I follow the trail all the way to the corner of the house. This is different from the other corner from which the first ant invasion originated.
I wonder if spiders and ants really like me. I don't like them.
People ask me how I'm doing in Sydney.
Everything is fine.
I do miss home though.
I'm staying in a house.
I miss home.
I miss home.
While cleaning the house yesterday morning I thought of the many things I can do over here. Time is for me to plan. I am excited by the big plans I think for myself.
My iPod started playing the last song I heard before leaving the house on Feb the 19th. I remember the way I felt.
I felt tired of my work.
I sat staring at the sky.
I stared at the sky back in Singapore too. I imagined myself flying over.
Now I'm here.
I started crying. The hardest I've cried in a long time.
I miss home.
Tsang Yew (my room mate) asked me what was wrong. I can't put it down in words.
My family, my relatives, my friends.
I'm not supposed to be posting this.
Today is a new day.
The lecturer taught us things - things I'm so fascinated by. The way blood clots, the way cells move, T cells, B cells. I am still fascinated. I am excited.
I remember the reason why I came here.
DrWb 6:07 PM
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Friday, March 10, 2006
Don't you give up on me
What comes of a blog when you are unsure whether or not to post something up for fear of people out there whom you do not want the words to go out to?
I have no idea.
I need a place to put down my thoughts.
I have my journal - those are my most personal thoughts.
I have a diary - we are supposed to keep it as a way towards achieving the bit about being a 'reflective practitioner'.
I have a blog - I use it to update love ones (family and friends - you know who you are =) on the happenings here...
But I'm tired. I'm tired of relating so and so that happens from day to day. I want to share my thoughts here. But as I was about to type this post I kind of held back. I typed and typed and then I reread what I typed. And then I backspaced all my way back.
I'm doing fine in Sydney. Things are as new as they were, just that I become more familiar with them.
I am glad it isn't as bad the clubbing and pubbing I thought it to be. Gays do not display themselves openly as well. I thought the opposite. Though there was this parade whereby all sorts (go figure out), I mean, ALL sorts, of people dressed up (or down if you prefer) and 'did their thing'. I was asked to go. I am glad I didn't go.
People always say that in life you have to try everything at least once. I say! Hullo! I disagree.
I forgot to bring a lot of things to Sydney I realised. I forgot my writing materials (ie foolscap) and my ruler and my stapler. I forgot my hangers. Wait, I forgot my home clothes as well. In an attempt to picture what I'd wear to uni and the hospital, I packed and packed, t-shirt after jeans after t-shirt after pants after shirts.
I want to do many things. I don't want to do many things.
I like eating crabs. Their shells can be really hard. I rage a battle with my teeth. Sometimes I succeed breaking their shells. I never ever give up on breaking the shells. I wonder if there are people who give up.
I like this sentence from "I Won't Be Lost" - inside your exclusive limited CD:
Don't you give up on me.
DrWb 8:37 PM
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Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Taking off - Nostalgia 2
Hey people! Here's the 2nd 'in the computer post' and please, scroll halfway down for pictures I posted up but don't know why they appeared in the middle of the blog. Thanks!
Hey guys! This is the second post I am typing on my laptop then transferring to the blog after the internet is up. Haha.
Went for a OCF (Overseas Christian Fellowship) meeting this morning. Quite cool! Ok, let me put it this way. For the past week after I arrived, I’ve been settling down, getting used to my surroundings, going to school for some administrative stuff, walking around, exploring, stuff like that. And the girls here are quite cute too! Hehe.
Well anyway, let me tell you about some interesting stuff. Over in the school Christianity is actually quite prominent. But then I was so confused about the so many ministries here! They have like CBS (Campus bible study), Hillsong ‘club’, OCF, Focus (Another Christian association), we even have a Christians in Med! Was rather puzzled about the so many ‘denominations’. So right now I’m like, poke around and see what these are like. But I think ultimately I’d stick to 1 or 2. What more, these few days when they have these ‘intro sessions’ where we year 1 students get introduced to the club and there’s free food! Haha. Food here is really so expensive man! I miss the $2 a packet chicken rice, laksa, wanton mee and everything in Singapore!! Haha. Here is like basic. Know what. Mac Donald’s the cheapest! At $5.75 for a decent medium size! So, I guess the sandwiches lunch as I predicted is about to come true. Haha. But it’s fun though! I get to do my own shopping, choose the food, bargain the price, prepare, cook, and eat! Have already been cooking some meals and my my do they taste. Extraordinary. NICE.
Anyway back to the topic, yea, so I’m like looking around right now and see where things go. I guess I’ll blog less and less about day to day events in the future as I grow accustomed to Sydney lifestyle. Haha. But yea, “I’ll learn to live in a new town, but my heart is staying here (Singapore).”
DrWb 7:01 PM
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Sunday, March 05, 2006
DrWb 8:59 PM
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Nostalgia 1 - Taking off
Hey guys...part 1 of 3 of nostalgia post...Now that i have my internet up at home, it's time to bring on the previous posts I kept in my laptop!! Hehe..
Yesterday was 19th Feb 2006. Finally it was time for me to fly off and the airport scene that I’d always imagined turned out to be more than I could ask for. Anything I could ask for. It was a time of ultimate collide, time of wonderful mixed feelings. I have no connection to the internet now so I’m just typing all these into Microsoft Word so I won’t pile up too many events to describe.
Back to the airport… I want to thank the following people for coming. I hope you guys enjoy the little gift I prepared. I guess the endless nights of rushing – printing, typing, cutting, compiling, burning, were all worth it. I want to extend my greatest appreciation to Mum and Dad and Junjun and Reynard and Zichun and a few others who helped so much. Thanks. Without you guys, the ‘project’ wouldn’t have been possible. A word of caution before you continue reading this post – it’s going to be a very disorganised post, I will just type anything that comes to mind ok? =) Oh, thanks for reading by the way and please do tag!
Back to the airport again, I want to thank these people who came to see me off (in order of arrival, more or less): Dad, Mum, Junjun, Da gu, Da Gu Zhang, Er Gu, Xiao Shu, Xiao Shen, Gary, Kimberly, Yang, Huizhi, Lang Po, Chao Wang, Zhong Qi, Aces, Johnathan, Lip Hang, Ziwei, Zichun, Yanhao, Hexiong (this guy’s blur – he went to the airport in the morning, then went again at night after realizing my flight’s gonna be at night. Haha.). Alright after this I more or less forgot the order liao ‘cos my mind was just spinning and spinning. So here goes… Thanks to: Elvin, Junyi, Mingshen, Rena, Eng Ying (and friend. Hehe), Stephen, Boon Wah, Zhiqiang, Jianfu, Wenhan, Qingda, Jared, Reynard, Ava. Thanks for coming.
Also thanks for the presents you guys gave me at the airport. I can’t personally call everyone to thank you, and I couldn’t really say anything at the point of time because I was so touched.
So, thanks for the sweater and card, Huizhi. Hehe, you know now I got 5 sweaters liao! I think my winter can turn to summer liaoz. Hehe, nevertheless, thanks so much. And don’t worry about the card, I think it’s marvelous! I think it’s really nice and the picture is really really really very heartwarming. Thank you. And Yang, don’t worry about the present. I think it is really very thoughtful and I do cherish the message that comes across. For that I am touched and I wanna thank you. You know, I was so touched to see that picture. I am really really very thankful. It’s a nice picture. Yes, Lip Hang, it’s been a while since we got to catch up. But I’m so glad you came even thought you just returned from exercise overseas! And the stethoscope, oh man! Thanks pal! I will cherish it. Though you’re not ‘first’, I’m still really surprised at the gift. And the chicken little tooth brush. My my! Just puts a smile across. =) Remember to visit me when you come to Australia in April! And yuppers, Wenhan, the webcam. And the messages and bookmark. Very touched by the efforts you spent just to prepare the gift. I really do appreciate it. And the webcam! Haha. I sorta guessed it when you smsed me to ask if I know how much does a webcam cost. But know what? I really never expected you to buy one! The message? And the pic, yea, the only one we took. But that doesn’t matter cos in my heart, we’re already so good friends! =) And yes, Rena and Eng Ying, so happy to be ‘reunited’ with my best pen pals in JC on my ‘last day’. God really works in mysterious ways huh? Wanna wish you all the best in your future and I hope we can meet up more often when I return to Singapore! Hey you guys know what, one of my friends told me, “Wah, both your angel and mortal last time so chio one ah!” (Hehe…) You guys must be smiling secretly now lor. Haha. And yes, dear Jared, thanks for the card! And brother Reynard, Steph Sun DVD and recipe. I don’t have to say anything. Just thank you. =)
I just wanna thank you u guys once again for coming, for the well wishes, blessings, and everything. For giving me friendship, support and encouragement all along. And also, to those who could not make it to the airport due to their (er hem) busy schedules, thanks for all the well wishes and everything. Gratitude. Besides at the airport, there were a few others who ‘handed out’ presents so generously. Thank you. Thank you. My, does birthday come early when you go overseas to study. Haha. But hey! See the application form in the CD? See the birthday printed loud and clear? See the address? You know what to do? Hehe.. Need Speedpost’s address? Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Yingjie, Mingshen and Zichun.
I could go on and on about the airport scene, but don’t you want to know what happened after I went through that boarding gate? I wouldn’t deny the fact that tears continued to flow on the plane and as I listened to my own CD and looked out the window (I got window seat!! Hehe..) But then, don’t worry for me. It’s just the anxiety everyone feels when they start off alone to go overseas, leaving behind love ones. Yea… don’t worry, for now I’m alrite and am prepared to embark on this journey! I still miss you guys lots! (Especially Dad Mum and Jun! How are you guys doing? Dad Mum take good care of yourselves oh! =) I love you. Jiajun be obedient ok? Continue to pray and remember, just like God is always here for me, He is always there for you, and with everyone else as well.)The plane ride itself was wonderful. It’s indeed an experience to sit by yourself in the plane for 7 hours. For most parts I was writing my journal and sleeping. Yea, I caught up on a lot of sleep. Haha. And everything was fine from the luggage collection to the customs. It was just fine.
Then took a taxi to a place where I’ll call ‘house’ for the next 6 years. Haha. The house itself is really very near the school! It’s like just across the street! If you guys know where Maris Stella (my primary school) is from my house, my current accommodation is even nearer than that! So cool! I‘m so glad to settle in this place with my friend Tsang Yew, whom I knew from BMT. His mum came with him and has been really helpful all the while. That’s why I think we don’t feel the full impact of independence yet. ‘Cos she’s been helping take care of us for this first week. But school will start next week and I think she’s returning this Saturday, so I guess there’ll be more adapting to do. You can see the pics here…
Today is my first day in Sydney. Still quite tired from the plane ride yesterday. Sydney is 3 hours ahead of Singapore, so it’ll just take a while to get used to. Imagine I work up at 8 this morning and thought to myself, wow, it’s 5pm in Singapore now. Haha. Yep. Today went to get my UNSW student ID card, got a prepaid telephone card (Hehe, my current number is 0431674688, opened a bank account. Alright… Quite tired now.. shall go and rest. Please tag! =) Peace.
DrWb 12:15 PM
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Saturday, March 04, 2006
Some pictures
DrWb 7:02 PM
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Journey through my house
Welcome! My name is DrWB and let me bring you on a journey round my house in Sydney! It's directly opposite the university and now that I have my internet connection up at home, I can now take you on a 3D view to the house my friend and I are (hopefully) going to stay in for 6 years while we're in Sydney pursuing a MBBS degree.
Once again, welcome!
Here, we see a view of the stretch of road outside the apartment we're staying in...
Now, make a left turn and Tada! Our house! Not... actually my house is the one situated within this... I'm not to sure how to describe this but you're see in the next picture...
There you go, if you open up the gate and continue to walk straight in, you'll reach my house!
And now... open the gate to welcome our guests!
Now come on in! Don't be shy!
So, this is where we get to cook! Our own kitchen!! Haha..
Now, go wash your feet!
And if you need to er hem... you know... it's to your right... now I ain't going to take you in there... (Pssst it's just a standard size one, not golden seat)
Now... this is my bed and workspace! You're welcome to hang around! (P/S This was taken before the funiture came in, so sorry..!! The furniture will be up soon!)
Now yea... that is my housemate! his name is Tsang Yew - my good friend!
Now if you care to hang around till the evening, we can watch the sun set together from our house. And there you have it! I hope you've enjoyed this little tour!
I'm just gonna pop up on my cosy bed now... Do come again! Bye bye!
