NGP!

What are the three most important letters (apart from G O D) to any medical student (myself included) in my uni if you'd ask them ? Undoubtedly the following: N G P. These three letters are short for words that are like honey to the ears of a med student - Non-Graded Pass. THIS is basically what we live and study for all year...and patiently/dreadfully wait for our entire holidays.

Earlier today, God blessed me with these three wonderful letters on my academic results website, and I couldn't be more overjoyed. I was so nervous and anxious as a couple of the exams I sat for didn't go as well as I would have liked them too, but God's grace is abundant and overflowing, and He allowed me to pass! So, I am really really grateful and happy to say that I am officially half a doctor! Hoorayy!!

You know what the sad part is? Here I am, peeing my pants before clicking the page to check if I had passed because I honestly thought I wouldn't make it through, here I am praying like I've never prayed before, heart palpitating, sweat dripping down my forehead....and when I fiiiinally clicked the page and saw those three holy letters, I was soooo happy that I started tearing. At this point in time, all I wanted to do is convey the good news to my family, and you know when you get good results and you tell your parents, I don't know about you, but..all I want is for them to at least be happy together with me and for me and show some form of excitement, or celebrate with me, or treat me to something like dinner or anything nice for the night. Instead, this is what transpired.

Me: "Amma guess what!! I passed 3rd year! Woohooo!!"

Mom: "Oh ok, You know ah..the dry cleaners ironed your bharathanatyam suit wrongly. HAIH. Now I have to iron it myself all over again!"

(p.s: she later went on to scold me for wanting to eat out for dinner)

Me: "Appa guess what!! I passed 3rd year! Woohooo!!"

Dad: "Ok lah...you can have extra scoop of ice cream on your birthday dinner" (continues his path walking to the kitchen to do something else)

Me: "Grandma! I passed my exams!"

Grandma: (holding her toothbrush in her hand) Can you give me some toothpaste? I ran out of toothpaste, would you be so kind to get me some toothpaste?

Haiz, sometimes it's soooo disheartening to have a family who doesn't get excited or take your achievements seriously. I know what you may be thinking, and many of you will tell me "I'm sure they're very proud and happy for you, they love you very much, etcetc" BUT the bottom line is...I really wished an achievement as important as this was celebrated and appreciated for at least longer than 2 seconds, and with something perhaps a little more encouraging than an "Oh okay".

Venepuncture

As cruel as the term 'venepuncture' sounds (i.e. puncturing a vein), I had the opportunity to do it the whole day at the IMVS at the hospital yesterday. Hmm...i gotta say, taking bloods all day is actually quite FUN! (even for me who is a scaredy-cat when it comes to injections)....so who would've known??!

Better still is taking blood from a child...it's actually quite entertaining i must say. One minute they're crying and screaming their heads off (which actually temporarily deafens you), and then next minute you say "Aww it's all done! do you want a lolly? what colour would you like?" then INSTANTLY crying stops followed by *GIGGLES* "GWEEEEEN!! =D"

First Week Back

So it's been exactly a week since my return back to my dull and gloomy Adelaide life. *sigh* Though I had one month of holidays, being back here makes me feel like as if I never had a holiday to begin with. Where'd it go? Time just flew out the window! Funny thing is, first day back and I've already started counting down to the end of the year when I get to go back again...lol. Guess it just shows how much I love this place! =)

Grueling semester ahead, it is already beginning to wear me out just after the first week! Hmm the thought that's scaring me the most right now is EXAMS. And this time, it's more than just a fear. It's a life or death situation. 100% worth for each paper I sit for; fail one and you have to repeat the entire year! God, I pray that doesn't happen. Will update my blog soon, gotta wake up at an unGodly hour of the morning tomorrow to travel by bus to the hospital. Oh what joy! =)

Is this a fruit? Can I eat it?

My grandma never fails to humor me and provide me with a source of endless joy and laughter :)

Today, she saw some potpourri sitting on the table in our house, and she picked up some of it and asked me "Is this a fruit, can I eat it?" To which I replied "No grandma, don't eat it! It's potpourri". Not understanding the term, she asked "Hmm??", I answered "Just a decoration grandma, it can't be eaten". Disappointed, she quipped "What is it decorating? If you can't eat it just throw it out lah, no use." :P

Grandma, oh grandma...lol :D

Is it worth it?

I've been told many times before, "It's just not worth it". Chasing up after people who just don't care about you anymore and have moved on in life. It's hard cos i'm a stubborn girl, and it feels like I'm always trying my best to hang on to whatever thread of friendship that's left connecting two souls. What's more frustrating is when you're the only one initiating the effort 99% of the time.

Friendship. What is it? When you form a bond with someone in a particular place, at a particular time and phase in your life, what meaning does it hold for you? I'm not sure about everyone else, but it feels like when transitioning from one chapter to another (e.g: school to college, or college to uni, or country to country) the people around me seem to join a new circle of friends and forget the old. A reality that is hard for me to swallow. Sometimes I wonder, how can someone forget their friends so quickly? I mean, one moment you're close friends, doing everything together, and the next (maybe few months/years down the tracks) you hardly say hello to each other?

With the age of facebook, keeping in touch is now as easy as a few taps on the keyboard and a few minutes of your time. But I hate to always be the one to start "hey, long time no hear from you, how are you, how's everything...". A close close friend of mine once told me, "Why are you wasting your time, every time I see YOU posting to them, it's not like they make any effort to keep in touch back from what I see". True. Facebook is also a very destructive tool. It can really hurt one's feelings when you see your "friends" spending soooo much time on facebook, updating photos of them with their new friends and conversing with other people and doing everything under the sun BUT attempt to keep in touch with you. Clearly they're not busy considering the amount of time and updates on facebook. But I guess the friendship we once shared just isn't important anymore. It's sad, really.

But life goes on. I need to learn to let go, and start moving on myself. Or else, I will always be left behind...

Happy Fathers Day!

Today is Fathers Day and I really wished I could be back home with my dad, but I am thankful that I will be seeing him soon :) Here's to the most jovial, humorous, kind, loving, *cough* paranoid, and worry-ful man in the world! With love, your GOOD daughter! hahahahhahahhaha

And so I dedicate this poem to you Appa :)

What Makes a Dad

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities
, When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so,
He called it ... Dad

-Author unknown-

Cafe Alfonso

This is my 2nd time to this wonderful cafe located at Hutt Street, and needless to say, it's definitely quickly rising to being one of my top fave brekky spots in Adelaide :) (for several reasons!)

Firstly - great ambience.

The first time my friends and I came here, we sat outdoors, and it was lovely to enjoy our meal while having the cool morning breeze sweep through our hair and the warm sunshine warm our skin. It was also heart-warming to see many families enjoying their brekkie together, some of them with their cute little doggies tagging along :) The second time around (today) we opted for indoors and I was not disappointed! Loved the classic old'school theme with black and white photos hanging on the wall :)

Secondly - great service.

The staff are so friendly, and the waiters are such gentlemen. And not to mention............cute! *giggles* Okay, okay, only one of them is. (haha, shucks, now you all know the MAIN reason I love this cafe! lol, only kidding!) Besides, it's not wrong to treat your eyes to a little candy once in a while hey? *cuci mata..haha*

Thirdly (and most importantly) - great FOOD!

Their Continental breakfast comes with a hearty serving of eggs (cooked as you like them), bacon, sausages, 2 slices of toast, mushrooms, and tomatoes :)

Today I tried 'Avvolto' which is a wrap with scrambled eggs, bacon, tomatoes, melted cheese, and hollandaise sauce and to say it was anything less than DELICIOUS would be an understatement! Yum :)

I also appreciate how they are very generous with their little packets of butter, jam, vegemite, and honey, and you can always help yourselves to more if you wish to.

Last but not least, and what I loved most about today's brekky is the awesome company :) Love my two beautiful girls, Yean and Claire Bear <3 Look forward to more brekky dates (and checking out hot waiters) with you :)

Bliss Organic Cafe

It was a chilly Saturday morning, and me and two other friends had agreed to meet up for brekky. Considering none of us had a car, and all of us were at TheVillage the night before, we set out on foot and planned to go to somewhere we haven't been before, but somewhere closeby. Our feet decided to bring us to the doorstep of 'Bliss Organic Cafe', a tiny quaint little cafe tucked away in one of the alleys of Chinatown.

When I stepped in, we immediately fell in love with the homely yet retro ambience.

And so we chose our table and seats and had a look at the menu. Here's what we ordered:

Above: Banana pancakes with maple syrup

(4 Leaf organic wholemeal super fine and 4 Leaf organic plain flour, vanilla, sunflower seeds and dried grapes, served with organic maple syrup - I added bananas as an extra)

Above: Scrambled 'eggs' with toast (and a rash of 'bacon') (inverted commas because it's actually tofu)

(silken tofu pan-fried with mushrooms, seasoned with salt and pepper, served with organic Turkish pidé and spread, with rash of 'bacon' as an extra)

Above: Tofu scramble

(head chef’s signature dish – firm organic tofu hand-scrambled with white mushrooms, organic potato chunks, organic grated carrot, organic wilted spinach, organic tomato cubes, raisins, pepitas and sunflower seeds. Sprinkled with flaxseeds and sesame seeds.)

The food itself was a little disappointing. Maybe it's because none of us were vegan to begin with, so we weren't too fond of the taste of vegan 'bacon' and 'eggs'. I really liked my pancakes (although, the menu did say that it comes with 8 pancakes, but as you can see in the picture, I was shortchanged by 2), but I don't think my two other friends enjoyed their scrambled eggs or tofu. Understandably so I guess. I tried some, and the tofu tasted like Chinese stir-fried eggs, while the eggs tasted like soggy tofu with curry powder.

Nonetheless we had a wonderful chat and enjoyed our brekkie together because it's the company you're with that counts, not the place you go or the food you eat :)

Procrastination taken to the next level

Okay, so I was given this assignment many many WEEKS ago. 1000 word 'Critical Thinking' essay on "The significance of adverse events in the Australian health care system". There were several articles given to us to read and incorporate into our essay, and these take a significant amount of time to read, digest and to extract the core 'ingredients' from. I should have attempted to do the readings maybe over the weekend at the very least, but me being me, when do I start? THE NIGHT BEFORE IT'S DUE! *collapses*

Sometimes I wonder, WHY do i procrastinate everything I do so much? I sometimes even procrastinate my procrastination! As a matter of fact, at this very second, I am wondering why on earth I'm writing this blog post when my essay is due tomorrow morning and I'm not even half way there!

I guess it all boils down to the adrenaline rush. I just can't seem to get anything done without it! And i wish that rush came earlier, but unfortunately it only comes at the 11th hour, right when I'm severely pressed for time. Same goes for exams. All I can say is, God's grace is indeed so abundant that He has allowed me to pass all my exams so far. Thank you Jesus!

Okay, I guess I better get back to my unimaginably boring and pointless assignment (please do not forward this blog post to my university's MBBS Convenor! yikes!) Let me tell you, it took me approximately 8 hours in total just to read those 4 articles provided because I kept zoning out and dozing off! Okay until next time! God bless the Australian Health Care system!

Interesting Patients

Got to see some interesting patients at the hospital today! :D

One was a middle-aged lady who had a very obvious right ventricular HEAVE and tricuspid regurgitation and pronounced P2 heart sound from primary pulmonary hypertension.

Another was a man who had suffered from a stroke and had hemiparesis and deviation of the tongue and also had diplopia!

There was another man who had Guillian-Barre Syndrome but we weren't fortunate enough to get to examine him :(

All in all, it was a good day. Am just happy that I learnt at least ONE new thing today. and that isss:

DIGOXIN produces a downsloping ST depression (a.k.a reverse tick phenomenon) on an ECG! I had NO IDEA! :D

Blessed

I am so happy and blessed to know this little 5-year old girl from church. Her name is Ikiia, and she's my little angel. I've been looking after her (and the other children) since last year, and on the days that I am on duty at KidZone, I am sure to leave with a smile in my heart :)

Today at KidZone in church, she was trying to pacify little 2-year-old Jem-jem who had been crying for her mum, she said to her "Don't cry Jem-jem! It's okay! Do you want to play with me and Anjali? She's my friend. My bestest best friend! We'll play with you :)" It truly made my day. Just when I was feeling down and lonely, God shows me how blessed I am. She is my bestest best friend here in Adelaide too and such a blessing to my life. She will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you Jesus

Teddy, will you draw a flower for me?

Children will always have a special place in my heart. To me, children are the symbol of love, happiness, innocence and purity. When I see children, I see the face of God. That is why I simply LOVE taking care or them and playing with them in KidZone in church on Sundays. Plus, I get to re-live my childhood =)

Today, something soooooooo cute happened in church. Ria-Grace is a little 2 year old girl who's beyond adorable. She's cute, chubby and has the most gorgeous locks. She's also of mixed heritage (Indian and Caucasian) which means you can imagine just how adorable and pretty she is! (Feels weird using the word 'pretty' on a 2 year old girl..haha..oh well~I'm sure she'll be stunning when she grows up! Boys, you better get in line now! haha)

Well, I was helping little Ria-Grace colour a picture of Jesus today and she did the most adorable thing. She normally doesn't really talk much to strangers, but then I decided to take

her little teddy bear and hide behind it while pretending to be the Teddy by moving its head and hands. Surprisingly Ria-Grace started talking back to Teddy!

RG: Teddy, will you draw a flower for me?

and I..uhh..i mean Teddy: Of course Ria-Grace! Can you give Teddy a colour pencil please?

RG: *takes colour pencil and places it into Teddy's hands*

Teddy: Thank you Ria-Grace! *tries to hold the pencil* [I wrap my fingers around Teddy's arm and Teddy holds the pencil*

RG: You're welcome Teddy!

Teddy: *draws a flower on the paper* Here you go Ria-Grace! Do you like Teddy's flower for you?

RG: *smiling* I like it very much Teddy! Thank you Teddy!

Teddy: You're welcome Ria-Grace! Can you give Teddy a kiss?

RG: *leans in and kisses Teddy on the nose* MWAHH!

Teddy: *blush* =)

RG: Can you draw a green flower for Thomas Teddy? [i have no idea who Thomas is!] *takes green colour pencil and places it into Teddy's hand*

Teddy: Why of course Ria-Grace! *takes pencil and starts drawing*

RG: *moves slightly from her little green chair* Come and sit next to me Teddy! I love you Teddy!

Teddy: I love you too Ria-Grace!

Sometimes I wonder whether they (little children) believe that Teddy is actually talking to them or whether they know that the person holding Teddy is pretending to be Teddy. But considering Ria-Grace is only 2 years old, I'm pretty sure she believed Teddy was talking to her :) God is so amazing isn't He?

p.s: this teddy bear picture is not a picture of Ria-Grace's Teddy btw, lol...it's a picture of myyy teddy, Romeo ;)

Living in a Self-Centred World

I've realized over the past few weeks that so many people in this world are so self-centred (yes, I know I should have realized this ages ago silly me!) But that is our human nature isn't it? To want the best for ourselves. But I'm not saying wanting the best for yourself is wrong or a bad thing, I mean, it's a great thing! I'm just saying, try to be mindful of others while you are. Don't step on others to get to the top, in whatever aspect this may be. Especially in terms of knowledge. When you have it, share it! When you are a part of a group, work together to make things work. Help one another, don't abuse one another. Many of my friends say "Such is life, you just gotta to do whatever it takes to get to the top, just don't care about the rest", but the part of me with a mindful conscience says "Don't be like the rest. Be kind unto others. God will see your good deeds and reward you later".

With that, I would like to end this blog post with a prayer, because I know that no human is perfect, and I too have surely been selfish before.

"Dear Father in Heaven, I thank You that You are a merciful God. You are a God of many chances. I pray that You forgive me for all the times I have been selfish, because I know that when someone is selfish unto me, it is not a pleasant feeling. Help me be more mindful of others and do unto others only as I would have done unto me. Lord, I pray that You would also help me forgive my friends who have been selfish unto me, be it knowingly or unknowingly, and I pray that You would help me be more understanding and enduring of any situations like these that may arise in the future. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen"

My grandma never fails to put a smile to my face :)

This is a snippet of what transpired during the phone conversation to my grandma back at home.

Me: Hello grandma! How are you?

G: Hello? HELLOO? heloooooo *hang up*

[This happened twice, so I presumed the connection was bad, and I called her helper, Diana.]

Me: Hello! Diana macam mana? Ada baik? Grandma ada?

D: Ya, ada baik. Grandma pun baik. Tadi itu Anjali yang panggil rumah ya? Grandma cakap itu bayar sewa punya orang!

Me: hahhaha, ya ka?

D: YA! haha. Mau cakap sama grandma? Tunggu ya.

Grandma: Hellooo?

Me: Hello grandma! How are you?

G: AAhhh NOW I CAN HEAR YOU! I'm okay! How are you?

Me: I'm okay grandma. Do you know who's calling?

G: OF COURSE i know!!!

Me: Who grandma?

G: Erm..um..one of my grandchildren ?

Me: hahah..yes grandma. Which one?

G: Uhh...Indira? No, no, Kamala? [both of which are names of her children]

Me: Nooo grandma! It's Anjali.

G: AAAhh Anjali. I am always thinking of you. Where are you calling from?

Me: Adelaide in Australia, grandma.

G: So nice of you to call! What are you doing, studying or working?

Me: Studying grandma. Am in my 3rd year medicine, 3 more years to go.

G: Ohhhh I C. So you are doing MBBS?

Me: Yes grandma.

G: Where are you calling from?

Me: Adelaide grandma.

G: OOhhh I C. So are you working or studying?

Me: Studying grandma.

G: How many more years to go?

Me: 3 more years.

G: Have you completed your first year at least?

Me: Yes, grandma, am in my 3rd year now.

G: OH THANK GOD, I was so worried. So where are you calling from?

-----------------------sometime later in the convo -----------------------

G: Luckily I didn't go out walking today. The roads are soooo busy. I think it's Chinese New Year.

Me: Chinese New Year was 4 months ago grandma :)