Snapshots of the week

The 9-5 routine is draining my vitality and ability to conjure something interesting to write about. Can't think at all nowadays due to mental fatigue. =(

Anyway, my Sem 2 results will be out tomoro. Just seems like yesterday that I sat for my last paper. Now trying my best to be calm and nonchalant about it. This is the exam I went worst prepared. Hopefully don't score the dreaded C...

Great news today - I am successful in my application as a student mentor next year! Very happy about it. Don't know why I wanted to be mentor so much. Just that I wanted it. And it definitely not to "骗小妹妹 " as some of my friends alleged. =)

Spent the whole of last Saturday finishing a very good Japanese series called "Nobuta Wo Produce". I felt that it was a very inspiring and touching - about how two boys helped a shy girl build up her confidence step-by-step. For someone who is relatively shy like me, this drama really strikes a chord. It also highlight the importance of true friends - how indispensable they were when you are in need of help. Highly recommended.

A scene from "Nobuta Wo Produce"

Other highlights of the week:

Wong Mew Choo won the China Open. She became the first Malaysian woman to do that - and she did it in style, beating three top Chinese shuttlers. Wonder when will she gets the money and recognition ala the lame Hafiz Hashim.

Kevin Rudd won the Australian Election, beating John Howard. Wonder when will Malaysia have a strong opposition party. Voting in Malaysia is like voting the lesser of two evils. Hard to make the call.

Another rally in Malaysia, and another alledged chemical laced water attack by the police - of all people. Now I feel really insecure about going back home.

Met with JPA representative in Aussie - the nice lady said aspiring doctors and pharmacists must go back. There will be a guranteed job waiting. Hmm..

England out of Euro 2008. Nothing to be sad about - they had it coming. Lame coach. Lame players. Now just in a quadmire which team to support for the Championship. Think I will go for Germany. Their footballing style is fantastic.

See you all next month.

Weathered Sailing

It is only in Melbourne that you can get a temperature of 36 degree celcius one day and 18 the next. The hot sun scorching down one day and the cold rain pattering down the next. One day where a shirt is too hot and the next where two is not enough. Truly remarkable.

Thats yesterday's and today's weather here.

Monday saw me sailing. If it was held in other days, it should be extremely fun. The termometer that day read 37 degree celcius. And I spent 4 hour of the afternoon baking under the sun. Lucky I had a tube of sun tan lotion. Or else I would be short and dark. Hardly ideal combination coz to be handsome, you need to be either tall and dark or short and fair skinned.

So anyway, these are some pics that I took that day:


Me


The mast


Docklands


Part of the harbour

It was supposed to be a team builing event for the Ambassador programme, but everyone seems disinterested to move around due to the hot weather. We just lying around idylly on the boat chatting. And once the boat docked, we made a beeline to the nearest ice-cream parlour.

On Tuesday night we had this Ambassador appreciation celebration. Its like the last event of the year for us. The program coordinator got all the bigwigs in Uni and aso our sponsors to come and have a nice time with us. It was held in a bar somewhere in the city, which is nice coz they booked the whole place and wehave free alcohol and finger food. It was an interesting experience talking to all those people, coz the conversation is always punctured by those awkward silence when both parties try to find some common grounds. Guess I need to think of some more topics to talk about next time. I thought I was we prepared. Ah well, it is a far better performance compared to the first event I attended.

Guess I'm still inherently a socio-phobic. Old habits do die hard. But I am good enough to get a free book LOL. This book is actually only for the sponsors who attended that day. Love this book. It's a compilation of stories about individuals who left an indeliable mark in the history of the college of pharmacy. Compelling read.

Puffing Billy

After experiencing quite a hectic week, went out to have some fun with friends yesterday. We went to Belgrave and then Phillip Islands.

We went to sit on the Puffing Billy in Blegrave. In case you are wondering, its a train.

All abroad for departure!


The train's engine

What's so special about this train is that it is 'Puffing', aka running on coal. It's one of those old-fashioned authentic train making all those authentic train noise and with authentic conductor and engineers in overalls - not like the one that now run on electricity. It travels through quaint villages and nice countryside farms and lots of tress and flowers. And you get coal all over your face if you stick your head out to view the scenery and let the soft breeze carass your face. The whole experience felt like being in a time capsule and transported back 100 years.


Train's crossing! Notice the steam being puffed out..


The picturesque countryside.


We all love the train.. (me not inside coz I took the pix..duh)

It was an unique experience - well worth the pricey price tag. For those of you in Melbourne but haven't been to the place before, it's a must go!

A take on life

Life is really too precious to fool around with.

That's what I had learnt after spending a whole week in Royal Melbourne Hospital.

On of my jobs in the research I'm assisting in is to look into patients' medical records and various other databases to piece together what really happened to them after taking a particularly expensive medication. Just like doing a jigsaw puzzle. Which is kinda tedious but fun in a way.

Every medical record had a story to tell. Most of them are sad stories but there are the occasional bright spots. There are some stories, especially on young adults and teenagers which made me feel really disturbed as this uneasy thought of 'it can happen to me, too' kept on resurfacing. They are relatively the same age as me, in the prime of life, when out of the blue, illness struck.

Like this story of a teenage girl who was found to have low white blood cell count when she was going to donate blood. Turned out she got Acute Leukamia. She died one year later. Or the story of a fresh University undergrad. It started inconspicuously enough, with symptoms such as tummy ache and low grade fever. It was cancer, and yes, she died.

It just makes me feel so vulnerable. It really hammer home the fact that life is fragile. It serves as another stark reminder that life is ver very precious. Hospital is also a place where you can get to feel how fortunate and lucky you are to be healthy and well. Eventhough it sounds cruel to the patients, you will appreciate life more when you realised that you are not on drips or in a wheelchair.

On a lighter note, last night I got the chance to attend Swish, which is the 4th Year graduation party in my college for free. There's just one of the perks of being a Student Ambassador (I'm going sailing next week..wee!). I just need to be there to welcome and chat to the sponsors of the event, and help out the staffs when they are short of people. Which in a way is beneficial to me too, coz I get to know more people. The event was really nice, it was an Egyptian themed night. There are sands and sphinx(s) and Egyptian ladies and of course nice drinks and finger food.


Welcome to Egypt..


Sands in front of the entrance. I thought some construction was going on initially. LOL

Lots of people mingling around..


One of the decor.. those are real flowers.

No pix of me coz I had to hijack someone's camera to take my pix.. can only put them up when i got them =)

Another note of interest:


Wherever I go, thirteen will be there.

This is my hospital access card.. it was made especially for me coz it is written there pharmacy student 13.. I always get 13 whatever I do. Lucky number =) Perhaps I should nickname myself thirteen..sounds nice as thats' how Dr House called one of his fellowship candidate. By the way, I just love that show.

A tale of two countries

Demonstration in Malaysia for a clean election. 10 Nov 2007.

Highlights: Water cannons and chemicals doused on protesters. Media cover-up. Interesting you-tube clips.

Contrast this with: Demonstration in Australia for climate change. 11 Nov 2007.





They caused closure of the whole stretch of main street in Melbourne (which is admittedly quite a nuisance). Only a few policemen are seen. And yeah no water cannons. By the way, they have nice music, just like a band marching to and fro from one end of the street to another. Lots of tourists take photos.

The DPM said having street demonstration is not part of Malaysian culture. Point to ponder... What exactly is defined as Malaysian culture? Who should define what Malaysian culture is?

I don't think demonstration is part of Australian culture too or any culture. I don't think demonstration has to do with culture.

The stark contrast is the action of the police and the media. The police here didn't use water cannons and they didn't arrest poeple nor use road-block and get all paranoia. They let it happened peacefully. The media didn't black out any stories. Wonder how those ppl in Malaysia dare call themselves journalists. Muppets should be a better word.

Maybe this is why Australia is a 1st world country and Malaysia is still a 3rd world country trying to play catch-up...

Felt so sad about this.. A lot of people really need to grow up and stop living in a dream.

On another note, today went for a stroll at Glenferrie.



Nice suburb. Lots of shops and Asian and Middle Eastern eateries. For those studying in Swinburne Kuching, this is what Swinburne's Hawtorn campus looks like:



Now I'm on holiday mode. Just borrowed 10 novels and magazines from the library on Friday. Now trying to juggle my time reading and watching Korean drama. Will be commencing on my Summer Vacation Scholarship at Royal Melbourne Hospital on Tuesday. So they will be another 6 weeks of 930-5 kinda routine..

Dressing up

You know it is spring in Melbourne when the horse racing season comes along and the flies comes out to play and you still can see the sun at the unlikely time of 8pm.

Yesterday was a public holiday in Melbourne as it is the Melbourne Cup day - a special day where Melbournians don their best attires and go to the Flemington race course to enjoy the Melbourne Cup horse race.

And unfortunately, I am stuck at another racing course during my exams.

Nevertheless, on my way home from the exams, I still can spot a number of ladies spotted wearing their beautiful spring dressess and fascinators around the city.


Ladies in spring dresses.

And aren't they breathtaking.

I felt that ladies looked very elegant and chic in spring dresses. One of my laments is that a big proportion of the female species nowadays didn't really take the care and time to dress themselves up. I would really like to have more females, especially the young ones wearing a dress more often rather then just putting on those convenient tees and jeans. Beauty should be flaunted and accentuated instead of being enclosed or trapped in some baggy shirt or jeans. I'm sure there is some suitable dress for every lady out there.

I have really no idea why ladies seldom wear dresses. Especially Malaysians. In fact, I think it is easy to differentiate Malaysian gals from others in Ausralia - they are always the one in tees and jeans. I have no problems with that, but I really just hope that more of them wear dresses more frequently because I do sincerely feel that they look nicer in that. Is it about convinience, comfortability, women equality or just plain laziness? Gals are lucky, they got a huge array of different attires to dress themselves in and far more boutiques to shop in. And yes, they got this thing called dress. Yet, they still like tees and jeans. You are only young once, and if one didn't seize the moment to dress up, are there any other opportunities to do so?

Sometimes I do wish that if only I'm a girl...


The ubiquitous and too-convenient jeans

I like the fascinator very much - it is basically something that looked like a head but not a hat that you wore on your head. When worn with a spring dress, it can really heighten a person's beauty. Melbournians are very creative with their fascinators - they come in all shapes and sizes and made from all sorts of unique materials. Never saw this in Malaysia before, but I'm sure if given the publicity, it will soon be in fashion.


A fascinator

Females have a distinct advantage over males in that they have more opportunities and ways to look stunning. But alas, they just don't seize the chance. Come on gals, dress up! Spring is here!

P/s: Yes! One more paper to go tomorrow before the end of the exams and the beginning of a >100 days hols. Tomoro's paper will be my 31st exam in Uni...fancy that.

无题

Writing for the sake of just to write something..

这两年来，发现咖啡成了我在考试期间不可缺少的陪伴。我最欣赏“星星多美国钱”的雪冰咖啡。 此外，哪儿环境挺不错，是温习的好地方。单单这两个星期，我已经在“星星多美国钱”喝了三杯雪冰摩卡。 今天就和道光再度光临“星星多美国钱”，而且拍了几张无聊照片：

“星星多美国钱” aka Starbucks


Another pic of Starbucks Lygon Street

Okay. Above is my pathetic effort to write something in Chinese. Seems it had deteriorated to a point of no return these days.

Lack of postings these days is due to the fact that I had preferentially allocated all my brain cells (esp the memory cells) to learn something about pharmacy. Currently I had finished 3 papers and stuck with two more to come next week.

Recenty found that I am addicted to caffeine - to the point that I will have a headache if I didn't get a caffeine fix in the morning. Terrible. Guess need to slowly wean off coffee after my exams. Been too dependent on it this sememster due to hectic timetable.


Me in Starbucks enjoying my caffeine fix


TK in Starbucks

I will resume updating the blog after my exams. Better get back to my studies now. Absolutely no motivation to study these days...