hi kuantan!

just curious but who's from kuantan who's been visiting my blog? say hello on my tagboard!

dream on!

as years go by i realise the things that i want are becoming more out of grasp, especially since my parents have already dumped whatever's left of my education fund with me (which isn't a lot, really) and have since bade farewell to being my financial supporters.

yet my wishlist seems to be expanding with ridiculous desires - things that i can definitely live without but would absolutely LOVE to have. the burberry trench has been on this list for ages, and many a time i've come SO close to buying one - but because i actually have more discipline than anyone expects me to have, that thought is still on hold. i'm getting a UK driver's license real soon, which, of course, upon obtaining it, will entice me into getting myself a car (how i'm going to afford a car any time soon is a huge mystery). then i've been thinking about graduation next year and how i'd look super awesome in a pair of super sexy christian louboutin pumps. but does one honestly need those distinctive red-soled heels merely to go with a graduation gown and mortarboard? probably not, but i can imagine all the other events i can parade them to!

i can sort of feel in my bones that my beloved toshiba laptop is dying somewhat, and while i've been a loyal patron of the anti-apple fanclub for a long time (despite owning an ipod), i have recently found myself slowly converting into an apple fanatic ever since i laid hands on the ipad2 (which wasn't mine unfortunately). therefore new additions to my wishlist are the ipad, of course, and a macbook air once my current laptop decides it no longer wants to be of service. oh and when my phone contract ends, i want an iphone, hopefully by that time the iphone 5 will be out!

i've also been eyeing on an herve leger dress, well, just because. and maybe a new handbag? i don't know, a classic chanel or a bottega veneta or something. i'm not too particular. hah hah hah. when i start working i'll definitely want a flat screen and subscribe to cable television. i've done so well for many years resisting the temptation of subscribing to astro (while i was at taylor's and IMU), and virgin/sky tv here in the UK, so i think i very much deserve a prize once i start work!

other wants which are fortunately reasonable include a good coffee maker, an ice-cream maker, a deep fryer (just maybe, but imagine all the pisang goreng and curry puffs and fried chicken i can make with it!) and a brand new set of proper cookware and kitchen utensils!

and last but not least on my wishlist: perhaps that £180 meal (drinks and 15% service charge not included!) at the fat duck, brainchild of the one and only chef extraordinaire heston blumenthal. all i have to do now is to start saving some money and then designate a few days to spend on the phone trying to beat 30,000 others to get a reservation. yes the restaurant gets 30,000 phone calls a day. don't ask me. it is THAT good.

i know i've risked sounding like a materialistic bitch in this post, and as materialistic as my thoughts can be, i think i'm actually very good with my money! there is nothing wrong with dreaming after all, right? :p

A&E!

being in A&E as a fifth year is amazing - i *almost* dont mind being on my toes for six hours straight, having my lunch break only at 3pm, and be on my toes for another few hours again before i call it a day! i'm still getting used to this routine having been out of touch from medicine for a few months now. the random presentations into the department keep the mind constantly stimulated and train us to work efficiently. and because we're supposed to be knowing, well, most of medicine, we cannot come up with excuses like "oh i can't see this patient by myself because i've not learnt this yet and i don't know how to examine him." this week itself i've clerked and examined patients with problems from head to toe (literally), and improved on loads of procedural skills as well.

i'm in chorley this week - it's a relatively small hospital but the A&E department has been busy nonetheless. in fact, the A&E departments in the trust (preston+chorley) are apparently the busiest in the north west, seeing on average 350 patients a day between both sites! chorley doesn't take in trauma patients as they all get sent to preston, so no gory injuries to be seen as of yet. that said, i really like how i've started at this pace before i go to preston - i've been dealing with loads of general medical emergencies (and NON emergencies), and these are essentially what a junior doctor should expect to deal with. history-examination-investigations-management-plan after A&E, all of which have to be done in a 4-hour window. so loads of pressed-for-time issues, learning how to set priorities and being able to justify why things are done. i'm so glad i get to be part of the team as i not only want to learn to pass my exams but i also yearn to be competent, and this is a brilliant place to gain all the experience.

the doctors and nurses have been sublime, as with all the staff in the other departments at chorley. i just never thought they'd be just as nice at the A&E department! teaching is excellent given the amount of work they each have to do, on top of being timetabled for a whole morning of proper A&E tutorials by consultants every week. two students in each hospital A&E department at a time is more than ideal and they've stopped taking in 3rd years so there's no one else to "fight for jobs" with! nurses are ever-willing to help out, taking time to ask us what procedures we're not good at and consequently alerting us when a patient needs something to be done, and actually staying with us throughout the procedure to guide us through if need be. sometimes they'd even eavesdrop on our conversations even though they appear to be busy! like today i was telling becky how i needed to be more slick in doing a full neurological exam and this nurse picked this up while he was writing up his notes and actually found a patient with neurological signs for me to examine later on! i love it when you get this sort of support. just makes your days so much better and fruitful!

well here i am, exhausted from what a day it has been, but with major satisfaction. i hope this streak goes on for as long as possible. here's hoping that i won't experience a burnt-out period any time soon!