28.5.06
what makes a good patient?
'...few patients realise how deeply they can affect their doctors. that is a big secret in medicine - one doctors hate to admit. we think about, talk about, dream about our patients. we went into clinical medicine because we like dealing on a personal, even intinmate level with people who have chosen to put their bodies in our hands. our patients make or break our days.
take the compliment. our career choice means we really do think that you - with your aches and pains - are more interesting than trading hot securities, more fun than a courtroom full of lawyers. massaging the ego is the key to manipulating responsible type like doctors. when we feel your trust, you have us. the most compelling reasons to be a good patient are selfish ones. you will get more than free drug samples if your doctor is comfortable and communicates easily with you. you get more of the mind that you came for, a mind working better because it's relaxed - recalling and associating freely, more receptive to small, even subliminal clues. that means better medical care. but you should try to be a good patient for unselfish reasons too. we worry about you 60 hours a week. we give up our 20s for you. why not show us some love? its not hard...
...the medical relationship is intrinsically one sided. its about you and your problem. i am going to find out more about you in the next 20 mins than you will find out about me. dont fret about that. we dont expect you to ask much about us. good patients answer questions accurately and completely. they ask questions too.
but many patients talk too much. you might notice that we are writing when we see you - we are creating your chart. we need specific facts but not every fact in your life...
...are doctors good patients? others may disagree, but i think they are. medical jargon doesnt faze them, so communication is easier, and their expectations tend to be more reasonable. anyone in medicine is painfully aware that there are plenty of problems for which we have no good answer. nurses tend to be even better patients, being adept at following doctors' orders - a virtue lacking in doctors. doctors and nurses also know when to respect an educated opinion..
...but you need not be a medical professional or educated at all to be a great patient. its pretty much the same strain of human decency - a truthful consideration of who the people around you are and of what they are trying to do - that infects a good patient and any good person.'
(c) times magazine '06
i fluttered by;
11:57 PM
26.5.06
stop crying your heart out.
i think my mp3 has a mind of its own. i just came back from a great time of piano practice and the song it was playing when i got back had to be goodbye my lover. tt song should probably be deleted for good. why is james blunt so apt at describing things close to our hearts. but i'm fine, honestly. mostly. its just this affective disorder that happens when most of the people around you have half their minds on BGRs or how to walk the fine line between THAT and frenship, and you just look at them and wonder how to help. both them and yourself. i just guess, that when it comes to relationships, maybe we're all once shattered porcelain put together with superglue, and shouldnt be knocking each other around too much. because you can never really know when you might break a fragile something. tolerate others instead, for we are all at different places in our lives. some ppl are settling down, some ppl are settling, and some ppl refuse to settle.. for anything less than butterflies. ps. i dun fret too much though, about not getting my buterflies just of yet. i have so much to look forward to. and friends both here and back in singapore who care just as much but dun give half as much worries. n u noe what, i love them to bits :)
i fluttered by;
12:08 PM
21.5.06
scars// papa roach.
I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut
My weakness is that I care too much
My scars remind me that the past is real
I tear my heart open just to feel
I'm drunk and I'm feeling down
And I just wanna be alone
I'm pissed 'cuz you came around
Why don't you just go home?
'Cuz you channeled all your pain
And I can't help you fix yourself
You're making me insane
All I can say is...
I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut
My weakness is that I care too much
And our scars remind us that the past is real
I tear my heart open just to feel I tried to help you once
Against my own advice
I saw you going down
But you never realized
That you're drowning in the water
So I offered you my hand
Compassion's in my nature
Tonight is our last stand
I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut
My weakness is that I care too much
And our scars remind us that the past is real
I tear my heart open just to feel I'm drunk and I'm feeling down
And I just wanna be alone
You should've never come around
Why don't you just go home?
'Cuz you're drowning in the water
And I'm tried to grab your hand
I left my heart open
But you didn't understand
But you didn't understand Go fix yourself!!! I can't help you fix yourself
But at least I can say I tried
I'm sorry but I gotta move on with my own life
I can't help you fix yourself
But at least I can say I tried
I'm sorry but I gotta move on with my own life!!!
I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut
My weakness is that I care too much
And our scars remind us that the past is real
I tear my heart open just to feel
I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut
My weakness is that I care too much
Our scars remind us that the past is real
I tear my heart open just to feel
i fluttered by;
8:10 PM
20.5.06
what's been entering my stomach.
chicken and long beans in black bean sauce with rice. 
my cream sauce for pasta. chicken cubes, mushroom, capsicum and onions. pasta skills (as well as ingredients) are getting better! 
choc coated whole strawberries. how unique. yumyum. 
the choc shortbread at sofia's. 
ps. food's been getting monotonous. bread. pasta. chicken or beef with rice. in different types of sauce. i'm running out of quick-fix ideas! i dun wonder why i treat myself with lots of chocolates and desserts ;p ok but i must admit i havent been near the weighing scale for quite a while.
i fluttered by;
3:46 PM
14.5.06
reflections.
went for sif connexions 06 yesterday, a talk about the work climate in singapore. actually we went there more for the food admittedly (the spread of singapore local delights), because its going to be a long time b4 we look for job prospects.
anyway, in the mingling time after the talk we went to the rooftop to hang out. mj suddenly told us that if one was able to balance 7 smooth rocks on top of one another, one would be able to find his/her true love. and so we competed to see who could it the fastest, and i won. hmms` my only conclusion is that i have nimble hands ;p
the 'lovestack' ethan finally completed. to which i told him it looked like shit. really what!!
grp pic.
the candid.
ready, get set, go!
fishing.
ok i must admit we did pretty lame stuff ;p but at least they're creative. and the pics look good. so forgive us, on that note.
i fluttered by;
9:45 PM
13.5.06
random facts.
random fact #1: just watched MI3 2 days ago. whoa the show was spectacular. heartstopping (and it really did happen to the lead anw ;p). incredulous. visual effects were also perfect. one thing the meddies realised tho. we started taking note of whether the cpr was done right etcetc. gross, cant we even watch a movie properly. i hope this isnt a sign that occupational hazards are beginning to set in already. on another note, the cinema at chadstone is way better and bigger than any cinema in singapore. there were so many theatres and each theatre is like 2x that of lido's biggest. was empty tho, apart from us. makes me wonder what aussies do in their free time.
random fact #2: had cell yesterday. mama mia, we had beggar's chicken and bbq stingray all thanks to josh! wow this guy's a real gd cook man. my tummy had such a feast! but i must say everything still cant beat what we have back in singapore. i think its the ingredients. or maybe the atmosphere. its just, different. and of course not as spicy, definitely.
random fact #3: i just had my 1st laundry horror. was soaking all my.. uh hmm, personal stuff overnight and when i woke up, to my horror of horrors, all my whites had turned pink!! dun ask me how, because my stuff had never run before. grr. the retributions of buying red.. erm, stuff ;p i realised dynamo is really good tho. washed my white jacket in the machine with it and it came out spanking clean! thanks ethan!
random fact #4: i am self medicating, already. took panadol for my headache (and no i dun pop pills, its been persisting for 2 days already and i DO have a considerably high threshold for pain) and dorithricin lozenges (anti-inflammatory) for my pain throat. haha. n thomas, a guy from my stairway, actually came looking for me for a remedy for his cold. pre-exam stress does make people fall sick. so glad i was able to help :)
random fact #5: my white bengal tiger poster's up on my wall! its lovely, dun u think? ferocious, yet gentle and pure all at once. the perfect balance for a fiesty individual ;p
i fluttered by;
11:45 PM
9.5.06
good things always come to people who will wait.
i had a great day today. what with the clinical skills tutorial. ok no dont get me wrong, my clinical skills tutorial didnt suddenly become productive or anything, but i did emerge from it grinning from ear to ear especially when i saw 'the guys'. the guys from singapore monash med that is, whom as usual were congregating outside the tute rooms having their own small talk. while mel n i already had OUR small lil talk in the tute room during one of the chatter sessions while waiting for another tutor to come in to discuss about the ethical issues observed during our site visits.
quoting melanie, 'eh do u know what i liked most about todays tute?' one begins to dissect what we learnt during the course of the tute but that wasnt necessary, actually. '..our small lil talk!' hahahhaha. burst out laughing. mel, you're the GAL.
i then hung out wif su wen (ever so hyper), thomas n pranava while waiting to conduct an interview with the girl whom acted in lovepuke (a play i watched last saturday night). the play was 'interesting', not really what i expected. and i was curious to know more about the girl behind the act. everything fell into place because i'm also currently putting together this newsletter for SAM (Singapore Association of Monash). yeps, everywhere i go i'll somehow be involved in art and design. now, i just have to spice the old boring newsletter up. layout, content, design.. and more design. i even think it needs a new name, not just 'the SAM newsletter'. hmmms, how does 'the lion speaks - the biannual magazine of the Singapore Association of Monash' sound? :)
i fluttered by;
7:00 PM
7.5.06
homeward bound.
i am so glad i chose to go back. was really reluctant initially even tho i really missed the ppl back home, because there's this job in marking exam scripts that someone introduced to me and it pays really well (AU$20/hr.. now i'm thinking i shld hav come here to work b4 starting uni, instead of slogging and getting menial pay in singapore.. to think i thought that S$8.50/hr paid well). that would mean earning about $1.6k after just 10 days of work. but parents told me firmly that if i din go back, they'd fly over because they want to see me somehow.. n buying 1 air tic is definitely more economical than buying 2, what with the same eventual purpose. so yes, i'm not complaining. going to binge on good food!
my decision was further confirmed by the gloomy weather the past few days. its been raining intermittently and the cold has really gotten to me. it bites, especially at my toes. going numb from the cold is one thing, going from numb to pain is another. a totally new sensation. i have to defrost my feet under hot running water whenever i get back. doesnt help that i cant wear shoes because of my nasty blister that makes me limp terribly.
its depressing. SAD, they call it. seasonal affective disorder.
anw, that aside. all u ppl out there, start booking me! i'll be back for a short 3 wk stint and then i'm off to sydney for the hillsong conference. really hope to catch up as much as possible! :)
oh yes and before i forget. these are a few photos that i took on my girl's day out with jasmine. had fun with the girl at victoria market, eating gelati (yes despite the cold) on lygon street, roaming the city streets and having mekong vietnamese beef noodle! yay, we should have more outings like this, post-exams!
caught sight of this shirt at victoria market. i think i've seen ones that say
'just DO it', but never one that said 'just DID it'. heh.
what are you guys looking at, eh?
check out the yellow sign.
beef noodle, spring rolls and hot almond soy milk (which coagulates into almond jelly when cold btw. very nice. u get ur drink and dessert all rolled into one ;p).
the night ride home.
i fluttered by;
6:54 PM
6.5.06
an extract.
'..being honest or moral or even religious doesnt necessarily mean we will see Him. no. we may see what others see in Him. or we may hear what some say He said. but until we see Him for ourselves, until our own sight is given, we may think we see Him, when we have only seen a hazy shadow.
something happenes to a person who has really seen Jesus. that person becomes addicted. one glimpse of the King and you are consumed by a desire to see more of Him and say more about Him. pew-warming is no longer an option. sensation-seeking is needless. once u have seen His face you will forever long to see it again..'
i was worried that i'd draw away from God once i started studying overseas, because i have to be more independent and taking up more responsibilities for yourself does take up more time. but i guess i was wrong. it's true that once u see Jesus, u'll never wan to see less of Him. because it would be like losing a part of yourself, a part of something u've known, a part of something that's just so good.
i just pray (and pray that u guys pray for me) that this will not be just a phase. that i wont forget what i've said when the journey gets even harder. and that i'll forever keep the fire burning.
i fluttered by;
10:30 PM
1.5.06
the autumn collection: captured moments.
no this post is not about clothes. autumn is just so pretty. the leaves - they pass away bringing so much vibrance and shades of colour to the surroundings; they fall to the ground creating a new design with each new addition. even with a demise, comes brilliance eh. the courtyard outside the halls of residence. 
bare trees. 
look at the array of fallen leaves.
the sky's a pretty quilt. 
the 5 leaves.
hues. 
the fallen. 
ps. too bad it doesnt snow in melbourne, if not i could compile a collection of the 4 seasons heh.
i fluttered by;
7:39 PM