Enfield for GP is depressing much :(

Im going to be posted to Enfield for gp which is depressing because it means 1plus hours of travelling on the train and 16pds for transport per day :(

And I've just received news from seniors working back home in Singapore that they are all jaded and willing to quit their jobs.

What a start to the day. At least, I'm glad I'm doing a&e now, any more surgery and I will actually stab myself. Don't get me wrong, I'm not actually excluding surgery from my back up plan list (in fact urology ranks ye highest now) but as a medical student, I just dont quite enjoy it as many other specialties. Too much standing around, and too little explanation on what is going on.

Also, happy birthday to my dearest daddy today! He's the best one in the world :))

A moment's whim.

I have this sudden urge to want to drop everything Im doing and jet off somewhere to learn all about coffee.

Like take 6months out of my life, and be a coffee expert's protege- To learn about the different types of coffee, how to tell good coffee from bad ones and how to brew a beautiful cup.

I love coffee- the taste, the aroma and that charm that a barrister executes a heavenly cup of coffee. And i only wish i knew more about it.

Celebrating CNY in my 2nd home :)

Alcohol has a negative effect on me and yet time and time again I choose to succumb to it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not addicted to it, neither do I get pissed drunk and in fact I do have an okay-ish tolerance for a girl. But for some strange reason I get 1. Insomnia if I drink too much and 2. Some sort of weird hangover the next day with dull feeling my head and a general lack of concentration for the full day. Yet, I can't quite resist it when my mates keep pouring for me. Peer pressure! Maybe, I know myself to be someone who yields readily.

Steamboat dinner round 3 with the medics was great, despite the twist of events towards the end as everyone got progressively emo when they got drunk. I don't blame them tho since many are still nursing difficult heartbreaks or unrequited love. But once in a while, I think it's good that we could let our guards down :) after all it's the new year, and with that amazing hot pot and countless bottles of beer, whiskey and wine, it's time to start it afresh and with gusto with the family we have here. Indeed, because of these amazing people, London has become a home away from home for me. Although I plan to head back cos I don't quite like working here, I think I'm really going to miss living here- the people most of all, the freedom and London's unique beauty.

Blogging on the go!

Finally got myself blogger on the go which would be a great way for me to collect my thoughts about the day as I head to/ back from Barnet.

The Barnet posting has been a disappointment thus far. I think maybe cos I have been (unfairly) comparing it to my time in a&e Singapore. I hate the inefficiency here and the fact that there isn't much structured teaching at all. This is especially worrying considering that finals are not far away.

I know I would have alot to complain when I get back to Singapore, as everyone has been warning me. The upside of this would be that my firm has been the best thus far. All the people I like best from all my previous firms are now here with me!

It's steamboat round 2 for us yellow medics today at mine, and I'm sure it's gonna be a beautiful feast again! Yay :))

Train is reaching Barnet, ta!

Sodagreen!

I knew I always had a weakness for anything green (:

Their songs can really calm me down!

Suck it up and Plod on.

A book well worth getting.

It sure did put a smile on my face when I couldnt stop sighing.

Happy Chinese New Year?

Its Chinese New Year celebration over the weekend and I have decided to give myself time off this weekend to just fully enjoy it. I know I have a whole host of activities lined up- steamboat dinner tomorrow, dinner at Min Jiang on Sunday followed by yet another steamboat dinner next sat. If not for the fact that Im so tired after I come back from barnet everyday and that I feel this nagging pressure to start revision for finals (although i really just collapse when I reach home at night anyway and get no work done), I think I will defo be having alot more dinners than this.

Celebrations involve me trying to do all my laundry (nothing beats nice soft bedsheets and towels), cleaning up all the dishes, preparing for tomorrow's steamboat dinner (marinating meat, steaming rice and making bubble tea + sending the boys to C-town to get stuff/ K to billingsgate for seafood), hoovering & mopping the whole house and restocking all the toiletries and necessities in the house. A clean household would definitely make me so much happier :D

I dont think I miss spending CNY in Singapore, but because it is a time of reunion, it reminds me doubly of the people I miss so much back at home. Unlike most people, I have totally gotten over missing the bak kwa, pineapple tarts and other chinese new year goodies or Singaporean food in general. An awesome plate of pasta can probably make me incredibly happy too. But, its the yearning for the company of certain special people back in that beautiful island country that I find it hard to deal with.

At least, I have a nice group of people whom I really do hold dear to my heart to spend it with me this year (:

So as Anne Frank said, I shall: Think of all the beautiful things around me and be happy!

大家新年快乐！

Gasps.

It suddenly dawned upon me (again) that I have sh*tloads to do for MBBS finals and Im totally not ready.

I cant do OSCEs, I dont know my theory well and Im not sure if I can be a half-decent junior doctor, not hated by my peers and despised by my consultants.

And Im so annoyed that I need so much sleep :( I wish i could function on less than 5h a day.

Freezing London

I really cant wait for Friday to come.

1. Its finally going to be sunny and less cold (sub-zero weather is not fun at all).

2. Im going to be seeing Lily and Prisc for dinner at (hopefully) Fire and Stone Pizza. Have been wanting to check out that place since forever.

3. Its tuesday and I feel like I need a break from work. I suspect its one of those days, and as a female I suppose Im entitled to one of these days once in a while. Thank god for great friends like M who would wait for my shift to end and bring me for korean just to make me feel slightly better.

4. And its C's birthday! That is afterall something worth celebrating!

Alright, keep calm and suck it up. Plod on!

Procrastination.

I need to go to the gym.

I need to finish reading my surgery notes.

I need to do case of the month.

I need to clean up the house and do laundry.

I need to renew my library books and pay fines ... again.

I need to mail gifts off.

I probably just need to watch less tv and sleep less and go out less.

Ah, now and then its good to stop in the pursuit of happiness and just be happy ... and probably regret it later.

But thats youth for you, making mistakes, being sore about it now and laughing about it later.

Cheers Henri!

Henri is back, and he is as amazing as ever!

Lets just hope that he will stay for more than 2months (: Come on, Arsenal is where you should be!

Final Sem in London Week 1

First week back in London and Im adjusting again ...

Adjusting to the fact that I:

1. Need to do my own laundry, meals and shopping.

2. Need to travel to hospital myself, chugging along slowly on the tube and have no one to send me back at the end of a long tiring day. (Although michael my new best friend has very kindly given a couple of lifts so far.)

3. Dont have someone waiting for me at the end of the day, someone to just listen to me share about my mundane day or just sit with me and watch TV.

4. Dont have good hot hawker food for lunch and supper. And all sorts of yummy asian food easily within reach.

5. Dont have such a great mentor at work who inspires me in all sorts of way- work ethics, clinical acumen and his compassion for patients.

6. NEED TO START STUDYING FOR MBBS.

Despite the whole long list of moans and whines, I am still glad to be back in London. I have a love hate relationship with London- I think she is beautiful but yet, sometimes I hate the way she can be so temperamental and get so gloomy at times. I love the fact that there are so many places to explore in London, so many exciting activities to do and things see and yet hate the fact that 'cept for partying and clubbing (which I dont do much) and possibly a chinatown meal there isnt much to do at night. I like the way no one ever snaps at me for being slow and incompetent and yet I absolutely hate the inefficiency here (compared to Singapore). I really do miss the fast- paced lifestyle in Singapore, and yet I just find it so difficult keep up with the rest back home. I love the freedom I have here but I dislike the additional responsibilities and ... miss the people back home terribly.

I guess, the best thing to do now is to really enjoy the remaining 7 months in London. And then head back home ... finally. Hopefully then, I would be missing London but not complaining about wishing to be back in London instead.

Back in London.

Back in London.

Time to start mugging for MBBS.

Surprisingly, I'm relieved to be back here. And, at least the weather is tolerable.

Wish me luck that my mentor at Barnet would be as good as alvin!