Family's going to be in Town!

Part of me is super excited about my family coming tmr, but another part of me is totally not excited that my brother's friends are going to be staying in my room. Everyone that I have told me about has gone "Harrr? Your room how to squeeze another 3 more humans?"

Yar, like seriously God knows why my brother invited 2 more dudes. And my hunch is that they are not cute, which totally doesnt help. (Sorry, I am superficial.)

Had a pretty damn good weekend of superb food (celebrated Carmen's Bday at Indigo at One Aldwych), and watched tons of movies. (6 in a row.)

And if you havent watched it yet, The Hurt Locker is really quite fantastic :D

职业病

Im watching Indiana Jones now, and the first thing that I think of when I heard Scorpion Bite was ... A rare cause of Acute Pancreatitis.

Sigh, 真的患了职业病.

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Anyway, does anyone have any recommendations of any good movies? :D

Just watched Up yesterday (I know Im slow), and I feel bad for saying this but I think I only didnt like it that much cos I was truly extremely annoyed by the fat korean boy.

Staying Foolish, Staying Hungry.

Today, I think I refound my enthusiasm for medicine. Its not that Ive ever hated medicine at any point of time, but once in a while, I find it hard to remain super-keen (something that should have been built into every singaporean, much less someone from the schools ive been to) or even worse, to actually attended scheduled lessons.

But today, as I held the hand of a confused man and managed to get him to listen to me and to calm down, I am reminded that this is actually something that I really want to do. And that Im never going to be a good doctor and make a difference if I dont put in the hard work. No work, no gain.

Something that my GP said to me today really struck me- He said that sometimes, all you need to do to deal with hyperventilation, is to hold your patients hand and breathe with them.

And that was what I did with a terrified old lady with such battered hands cos so many people has failed to get blood from her tiny veins (Ken did a lovely job at finding it though), and with the aforementioned confused old man, and I actually felt like I finally did make a difference as a medical student. Not just another self- centred brat, roaming the wards so that I can pass my finals. As Steve Jobs said to Stanford, I do hope that I would be able to Stay foolish, Stay hungry for as long as possible.

Avatar!

I know I must have looked like I dropped off from the face of Earth, but I think I might just have valid excuses for it.

I finally sent my lovely sexay Mac for repair at the awesome Genius Bar 'cos it kept crashing on me. (My poor lady suffered 5mths of epileptic shocks.) They took more than 2 weeks to get back to me even though they promised 10days.

After that, it was preparation for the highly disastrous exam I look yesterday. I felt like I have pretty much wasted my time studying for the paper.

I mean I was laughing as I walked out of the hall, cos its one of those papers which Im pretty damn sure I failed. It was basically a paper which tested the whole year's work as a practice for our end of years, but there were almost like zero surgery questions, which is basically the only thing which I have done properly. Cant say how depressing it was to flip through pages after pages of rheumatology (God help me on this.), skin problems, illnesses associated with the elderly and Gen Med Spec stuff :( Oh and not to forget histology. I dont admit those pink stuff aint pretty, but after 2.5years I really still have no idea what those blobs are man.

Decided to go watch Avatar: The Movie in 3D after that. And it was pretty damn awesome! :D

It was a pity we missed the first 20mins of it though (cos we were too hungry and greedy and thought that its unforgiveable to miss dinner even if it meant missing part of the show). I think I might actually go back to watch it in 2D, and get the DVD (extra footages!) when it comes out.

Going for Indian tonight with the councillors cos Hon is popping by from Lyon. Looking forward to some curry, esp in this awfully cold weather.

And Im so going to get all those movies from my flatmates and cuddle up in bed and catch up on what I have missed for the past, what feels like almost eternity.

Not so Merry Christmas.

My holiday plans are seriously getting screwed all over by this bug of mine.

I wake up late, feel my stomach growling, have a huge meal and then start feeling drowsy and ache-y all over and then go back to sleep.

Which totally screws my revision AND diet plan.

And i hate having to breathe through my mouth, cos it makes my tongue feel like its got scalded and my lips crack. My heart rate's also racing, though I have no idea why. Im drinking so much that I going to the loo every 10mins or so, so I doubt its going to be dehydration.

What a way to spend xmas and start the new year :(

Im def going to be booking a flight back home for next Xmas.

Its not like when I stay here i do anything productive or have plans to travel anyway.

Chubby Tummy's Hols :D

I have been wanting to go to the gym for the past 1 wk or so, but the horrid weather is just making me dread the disgusting walk (although its not more than 10mins really). And now Im down to with a runny nose and bad headache. What a way to spend xmas hols.

The moaning aside, Im glad I finally settled all my travel plans for Jan and Feb :D My brother and some of his friends plus my mum and gran would be coming over! Yay. After days and days of hounding my brother to confirm with his friends on their plans on where they would like to visit and their budgets, we finally have come up with a pseudo- finalised itinerary. We have plans for 2 weekend trips to Madrid and Amsterdam, which Im pretty much very hyped about. Shopping and Hookers, what more can we ask for no? :D Oh of course, not to forget waffles, fries and TAPAS! I hope it would be a blast, thats of course, if I dont get so annoyed by the 2 extra dudes that I would want to stab their eye.

(Erns, I totally feel your pissed-at-thick-skinned-arses now.)

And then it would be off to Venice after that! Im pretty tempted to book a nice place to chill and relax in Venice, instead of staying at a shoddy old shack. But thats also depending on what Carmen have to say about it.

Im still thinking if I should take a short break and stay in London for a weekend or do another trip during the CNY/ Vday wkend. If so, Im considering either Germany, which I have always wanted to visit, or Manchester, since the latter has a huge Chinatown.

So thats one whole month of burnt weekends. Hopefully, I wont be too shattered after that.

Hols are here!

Im so thankful for holidays :D

I have been waiting for this break for a real long time. The days of being able to wake up without swearing at the alarm clock for 2 whole weeks :D This is life!

And since most people are out of town, finally Im going to start having some me time. To catch up with work (unlikely), to catch up on sleep debt, to clean up my room (unlikely, either that or its going to get messed up again)and to read all the Jeffrey Deavers and David Baldaccis that have been waiting for me.

Of course, there is going to be the Boxing Day and New Year Sale to look forward to!

And hopefully, try to go to the gym. (3kg since i came URGHS.)

I cant believe 2010 is coming, time is passing way too quickly!

OK, time to go back to check on my fish pie. 2nd attempt, hopefully it would taste better than the first which I found way too dry.

Christmas Wishlist

Christmas Wishlist:

1. Hair Straighteners

2. Foundation Brushes + Bronzers

3. Uggs

4. Winter Coat

5. Ear Muffs & Gloves

6. Wellies

7. A nice big mug

8. Shoe rack

9. Bathroom (Under- the- sink) organiser

10. A nice thick Gym mat

As you can probably tell from the last few items that Im running out of things to ask for (esp when Im asking for household items.)

But of course, I would never mind ...

More dresses, more shoes and more bags! :D

And my greatest wish of all time... LOSE WEIGHT.

Please please please stop buying me food!

Randomly, I know Ive only visited the hairstylist less than 2months ago, but I think i might need another haircut soon. This is the problem with getting an interesting hairstyle, it starts looking really odd after 0.5cm has grown.

Lie to Me

Im positively addicted to Lie to Me.

Its definitely one of the best American dramas produced in a long long time.

And i love the clothes they have inside, wished i didnt have to wear such boring stuff to work every day.

A pretty damn good week :D

The mandatory tourist shot just as we were about to leave.

With the councillors, my family away from home.

At the dubiously fast ferris wheel. (With not much safety precautions.)

The cold of the day totally didnt help in calming down my nerves. But it was memorable i suppose :D

The nougats were pretty awesome. We had the Amaretto one :D

DUTCH PANCAKES. Yums.

Random french stuff that was pretty yummy too.

Spanish Paella.

It was pretty good and quite a good serving for the price (at a fair where you would expect to be completely ripped off.)

The indoor part of the fare.

Us 自highing as usual.

We basically climbed into the emergency exit of a hotel's restaurant and pretended we were explorers.

I have had pretty good week :D

Went down to Bury St Edmund's for the xmas fare on Sat and then to watch La Clique on Sunday with the councillors. La Clique was quite ranchy and pretty awesome, I would say its really one of the best shows to watch. We had the standing seats and it gave us a real good view of all the acts (in fact it was nxt to one of the 2 stages), costing at only 15pds :D

Started Pathology week at Archway, and I would say i really quite like the whittington hospital. Its alot newer and nicer than I expected it to be (And yes, it is my first time there. Sad I know considering Im in my 3rd year.) And the food there is really just quite amazing. Muffins from muffin break are like ooooppphhhhhmmm (I dont want to think about the calorie intake). Esp the apple and cinnamon ones. Though the carrot one is pretty good as well. The cakes they do are pretty damn awesome too. Though I think going to the gym for 1hour would only help burn off like 1 muffin worth of calories, but Im choosing to be a camel and delude myself into thinking that working out allows me to eat :D I cant do without sweet stuff. And as Wenxi said, sweet stuff is meant to make you happy! Why be miserable yeah?

Staying in home over this wkend to catch up on sleep (woke up past 11am today, how shiok is that!) since we would be starting Cardio nxt wk and it does look pretty intense.

Plus meeting Charm and Esther for dinner on Monday, UCL festive fair on tues, Grease with the councillors on Wed, Dinner party with the medics on Friday, Steamboat/ KTV with HC people on Sat ... What an exciting week it is going to be!

And after this, it would be time to save up.

Thank goodnes Im not going on Hol, I will def bankrupt my parents at this rate :x

Life is good, but I still miss home :(

I miss the sun and my room and going wakeboarding and being able to run around my estate and skip in my car porch.

I miss my maid's cooking, and Sgp's so damn awesome food.

And most of all, I miss just randomly walking into my brother's room and making fun of him.

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Wilson (Season 6 Episode 10) must be one of the best House episodes ever. I was starting to get bored of the subplots and melodramas taking over the series (which should be concentrating on the medical cases yeah). I found myself bawling away at how sweet House and Wilson are (and how insensitive and annoying Cuddy is. Why rub it in, and why make someone who's into you so miserable. And why choose a loser over a smart ass doctor who is head over heels into you.)

And Im also glad that Wilson has finally stopped becoming too nice. I found it absolutely shocking that he was once willing to give his (jerk of a) patient his own blood to save his life and now part of his liver. I dont think I would ever be able to do that really. For family, yes, but for a patient, I dont even think it would ever cross my mind.

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T Mobile sent me a text recently telling me that my phone bill for the last month was 60pds. (Like what the @£%^U right!) I nearly had a heart attack there and then. Im def going to call them first thing on Monday and find out why. And I think im going to change my phone provider to O2 since they do free landline calls, which would make my skype to go really cheap :D (Since calling home is pretty much what is sucking up my talktime.)

Time to get back to trying to do some reading :D

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Sometimes I do wonder if Im more emo than I think I am/make myself out to be.

Or maybe I should just blame it on Hormones? All girls get to do that right.

I feel like I need a break, but I dont know from what.

And I do feel like going home quite terribly, sigh.

Pied a Terre

Firstly, apologies that the photos are coming up in a weird order.

And also, cos I was too excited that i didnt quite manage to get proper photos of all the food there :D

A very bad photo of the main dish, which was fowl on mash + carrots & parsnips on top.

The fowl was very very well done, loved the texture of it and like the crispiness the skin on top. And the mash was smooth, and carrots really sweet, having taken in the sauce on the chicken. Not a big fan of parsnips though.

Came complete with the tempura like cabbage, which I really really loved.

The other main dish- which was the fish. It was pretty good too.

As before, I loved the crispy veg that went with the fish.

Pre- dessert.

Had chilli in it, very interesting tasting.

My starter.

Duck hearts, sausage and foie gras. I really loved it :D

Pre- starter.

Loved the little pastry thing on the left. Forgot what it was though.
Had a pretty awesome day today.

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Slept in late, cos there was nothing but ward duties today. Didnt manage to find anyone to sign off my forms for me :( Hopefully tmr I would be able to grab hold of someone if not I would be seriously screwed.

And of course the highlight of the day was a 5 course lunch at Pied A Terre, a 2 Michelin Star Restaurant at Charlotte Street. (For about 33pds incl of additional charges.)

It was lovely that we managed to get hold of the private room, which was pretty comfy and gorgeous. Lighting was nice and romantic, which got me pretty sleepy.

However, I wasnt all that pleased with the service. Its not that the waiter serving us was rude or anything but I had feeling that it was done in a pretty slip- shod manner. Maybe cos I used to work in Banquet, but i hate it when waiters clang utensils on the plates too loudly. Although, I have to admit that we were behaving in the most unglamorous manner ever.

The food was good, I have to admit. But below my expectations of a 2 Michelin star restaurant meal. I definitely have had better food elsewhere without Michelin stars, but it might also be because we have had a meal that was on discount. It might possibly have been better if we ordered other stuff from the proper menu itself.

All in all, i still did enjoy myself tremendously there. There was good food, nice ambience, pretty good service and lovely people around. A very awesome lunch! :D

Headed down to New Bond Street for the Mulberry sample sale, but was rather disappointed by it. Didnt like most of the stuff too much anyway, so didnt get anything. I think Carmen and I were possibly the only people who left without getting anything. Ah wells.

Surgery's ending in 2 days time, and I still need to get a bloody CEX done urghs. This sucks!

More plans for Good Food.

My current line- up of Sins now includes:

The Fat Duck, of Course.

2nd Best Restaurant in the world, with 3 Michelin Stars to it.

Need I say more?

And possibly to The Waterside Inn, just next to it.

Le Gavroche, by Michel Roux Jr.

It must be great, since the man himself is so absolutely amazing.

The menu too, looks extremely extremely tantalizing, and relatively value for money, compared to the others on the Michelin List.

Murano, one of Gordon Ramsay's many Restaurants, with Angela Hartnett as the Chef.

The Lunch Menu looked pretty good and is pretty affordable too!

Maze, another one of Gordon Ramsay's ventures as well.

Its French, with some Asian Inspiration, and everything in tasting sizes (good news for girls!).

Its apparently pretty new but has had loads of good reviews already, well of course, including 1 Michelin Star :D

The chef has trained as the famous El Bulli (Best Restaurant in the World 2009!) in Spain as well.

York and Albany by Angela Hartnett/ Gordon Ramsay.

Its actually just at Camden, and I never knew about it.

They even have this small grocery store next to it :D

And this is why London is awesome :D

Salt Yard.

The highlight of my meal at Salt Yard, Charlotte Street.

Courgette Flowers, with goats cheese and a tinge of honey drizzled on it.

Plum and Almond Cake with Salt & Caramel Ice Cream.

Picture doesnt quite do it justice to be honest, tasted loads better than this looks :D

Salt Yard seriously serves amazingly orgasmic Tapas.

The tortillas here were my fave, and in my opinion better than those I had in Barcelona 1 yr back. (Hear this Ernie? :D)

Yum and Happy now!

Edna mode.

My new edna mode haircut. (Or Lady Gaga wannabe.)

That smile there seriously does not reflect my insides :(

Wish me luck in facing the public tmr.

Weekend trips :D

Heading down to Bury St Edmund's Christmas Market in 2 weeks time with the councillors, my flatmates and some of the medics! If you are up for it as well, please please please join us :D Though you would have to book your train tickets from nationalrail on your own. Afterall, parties are always merrier when there's more to make noise and do silly stuff!

Hopefully it would be good, considering online reviews have been making it sound so awesome. They have a trail of markets, selling stuff from christmas food (ooooh yeeeharrr!) to little trinkets. And im crossing my fingers and hoping that it wouldnt be insanely cold up there (though this place is only slightly up north of London, 45mins away from Cambridge) cos my cold tolerance is really very pathetic. But, Im still pretty much very very excited about this as of now!

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Visited the London BBC Good Food Show 09 at the Olympia yesterday and I really enjoyed myself tremendously. I was seriously stuffed from going around tasting all the awesome cheese and wine/ alcohol and cakes and udon and kickass sausages and loads of random stuff. Managed to nab a couple of real great deals like 90p Calpis concentrate (I know its weird getting Jap stuff here in London), Rachel's organic yoghurt (the yoghurt rice is unbelievably smooth and awesome), sausages of course, jam for friends and aiyah, Im too lazy to type everything down. The sample size dishes which they sold there was disappointing though. The venison burger from Launceston Place was a little on the dry side, Kungbao chicken from Min Jiang good but not fantastic, and the Lemon sole with white wine sauce created by one of the Masterchef Winner was a little too salty (though I suppose it would have been better if it was the creator himself cooking it).

BUT BUT BUT ... I MET MICHEL ROUX JR in person. I was literally like 5m away from him. Totally made my entrance fee worth it :D :D :D

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Today's the day whereby I told myself that its not too late to start afresh, and pick myself out of the ditch I have dug myself into. I heard that subtle relief from my mum when I announced that to her today.

10 weeks of play (excl summer) is enough. Its time to show people what Singaporeans are truly like :D

I love online shopping.

Just went into this crazy frenzy of getting shoes and bags and coats online.
Whatever happened to self- restraint :(

Rebirth.

What a week it has been for me.

Having Stef over, Meeting the PKK people and councillors, Mini- Maf, falling ill (so much so I had to take time off school), getting better, having dj over, watching Blood Brothers (4th row from the front for 15quid hehe), catching up on my sleep debt (out at 9pm, up at 9.45am) and a very lovely quiet Sat morning and noon.

Its going to be my flatmates' reading week, and my busy week. Not that I am complaining cos i really do like going to the hospital. I love my Hepatobiliary (basically the liver and gall bladder and stones and stuff) rotation. The consultants are absolutely charming, and awesome teachers.
As Rae said, I would feel rejuvenated after a bought of illness. And indeed I do, I feel like its time for me to start working very hard to catch up on all that I have missed. Esp since there is only 3 weeks left for surgery. I think im going to miss it very very much :(

Time really passes too quickly.

Sick.

I hate being sick :(
Esp when Im having such an awesome module with such great teachers who are so willing to teach us!
For some strange reason, I fall sick everytime i dont sleep well. I think Im getting old. Either that, or I blame stef for passing the bug to me when she was over during the weekend. Or maybe its my patients, or the freshers, I dont know. I'm basically surrounded by coughing, sneezing, tearing people all the time.

Mini MAF was cool, though me and Stef went super late, barely in time for song and dance. But it was sweet meeting the councillors. Everyone seems to be doing real well.
And now we have planned a trip up to oxford, I cant wait for the all- awesome .... Moo Moo's! I heard that they do hot milkshakes too :D

Posh.

Today, my patient taught me something interesting.

Did you know? ...
That the word Posh came about from "Port out, starboard home" (P.O.S.H). Apparently it was on the passenger list for for people travelling from UK to India because the sun would be on the Starboard side when outbound and Port side when Inbound. Tickets for those cabins would be more pricey, and hence usually only the richer people would be able to afford.
And hence, the term really :D

Its interesting what we can learn from just talking to people, and being willing to give some the extra time to "blabber on". You never know what surprises lie ahead of you.