A two-pronged approach to education

Introducing:

on the left side of the ring : Medical GenetiX!!!
a interactive cd for the person with a passion for genetics. Trying to unravel the mystery of DNA (pun intended).
finding out more about the double helix. how genes affect us and how it predisposes certain ppl to diseases. haha.

and on the left side of the ring: PUTM!!!
Patient Under the microscope.
From the specific organelles and structures of cells to pathological diseases, this CD's got the whole package. Interactive menus coupled with pictures that paint a million words, learning has never been easier. With a simple click, u have all the information at your fingertips. =) and hopefully some stuff goes into your brain.
With structured questions that test your knowledge and questions that applies to clinical cases, u will never feel lost or unsure again.

oh and the combined cost of the CDs is 90 bucks.

i got PUTM for free but had to buy medical genetics. haha. and no, im not promoting the CDs. Though they help mi somewhat. haha

What are CDs without the good old books. Textbooks are still the more traditional forms of education. With the gianormous amount of pages and UBER fine print, u will never be out of data.
(provided u can find it)
with pictures that are so detailed its like seeing the real thing itself. and if u don understand, just read it again... and again... and AGAIN....



from left to right...

Anatomy(Principles and applications)
Physiology
Histology
Biochemistry
Clinical Anatomy
Pathological Basis of Diseases

And i got 2 more books at home... sigh... and mayb need to buy more.

-.-

thats the two-prong approach to education.

and for a small fee of 33k a year, u can have it.
oh and CDs and books not included.

=)

Exam-in-action

I dunno how u guys go about mugging for ur exams..

for me...

i confine myself in my room...

i stay on my bed... all day with all my notes...

i eat what's in the frigde and what i can find...

i may miss some meals...

and i look super stoned all the time..

hahha

so this is garlic pita bread... its super yummy.

just buy garlic spread and pita bread. in aus pita bread 6 for 99cents.

takes 10 mins max to make and its super yummy.

PS. pita bread goes damn nice with butter and cinnamon too. haha.

and this is the mess on my bed preexam.. haha

now its better.

thats why i got 2 beds =)

A break from breaking...

So my test was today....

it went better than expected i think, though im not too sure how i did. had a lot of unsure questions. but fingers crossed, i hope i'll pass. (60% think i will pass). but prolly is due to them recycling past year questions. so it's not a good gauge of my knowledge. last time, i would have just treated it as a test and yea, just cared whether i fail or not.

Now, i realli need to know everything. and even if i get thru a test, i will still want to make sure and have to ensure that i rmb all and know everything. haha. so diff from last time. last time i would just heck everything. guess i have changed.

well, i guess when i told ppl that i wanted to pursue this course, it came as a rude shock to many.

well, firstly, i have never done well in sch in the past.
secondly i hated science and was viewed by many as the "arts" man.
the "go to" guy for anything non-science related or study related for that matter. haha.

while some of my reasons for doing it are private (ask mi in person mayb i'll tell =) ).
but now, haha.. u'll get just these few...

well at the start of last year, when i first did my college at aus, i just knew i had to do the best i cud.
knowing how much my parents have invested, i couldnt afford to muck around anymore. plus the 2 year break in army realli gave mi a good break i needed from studying and reconsolidate. when i did not do well for As, yea, i prolly did think i don want t study anymore. i just wanted to work. but when i had the chance to come to aus, or mayb my parents wanted me to study, realli forgot liaoz. but yea, i knew i wanted to do well. plus the encouragement all of u guys gave me realli helped. i knew i did so many stuff wrong before (skip lects, sleep in class, nv do tutes etc.) and despite my jc mates telling mi, i prolly didnt listen enough. do i regret? now looking back..

yea mayb a little

would i have don anything diff?

its hard to say...

would i have it any other way?

nope.. i guess all i am now is a true reflection of what i've been thru. i scraped past PSLE, 0 and u all know what happen to my As. for once in my life i guess i wanted to do well and given a fresh start, i tot it was a chance to just think abt what i wanted and it wud be a good chance to relearn.

not that i learnt anything in the past -.- but yea..

so when the year started, i was kinda fixed on doing psychology cos i had an interest in it (still do now)

but then ard term 2 (prolly april to may)... i kinda realised that the reason i wanted to do psychology was cos i wanted to talk to ppl. i wanted to help them. they are the stigmatised ones in society and its hard for them to re-enter society and not be judged. i love talking (many of u and my past teachers can testify) and yea, to think that i can do smth i like and help ppl at the same time, and make a living, it sounded too good to be true. haha.

then i guess halfway along the way, i realised i wanted more. i still want to be able to relate to ppl from all walks of life, to help them and to see them after they go thru smth serious...

the look on their face would be worth it...

so i guess i decided to try for medicine. i could do that and so much more. i didnt tell anyone cos i was not too sure i would be able to make it. and frankly, i did not know until the last min that i got it. yes it was what i wanted to do and yes, i am truly blessed with the opportunity to do it.

i realli treasure what i have more so than ever. and to think that all these came abt thru so many past mistakes, i guess i could have easily gone astray.

and i realli have to thank my family and friends who have stood by me. =)

so yea. thank you.

back to my slacky day.

and today i had ard 4 hours break in between classes. and guess what i did =)

sleep
sleep
sleep
sleep

=) lala

so happy. miss my afternoon naps. but have to stop soon. realli need to catch up on my anatomy.

if i prepare well enough, i may get to perform an appendectomy on a cadaver. realli looking forward to it and hope i will get to do it.

will tell u guys if i get to do it.

and for my second clinical placement, i got to do to a neurologists. one of the fields i'm interested in. though its realli competitive and realli hard.

plus i don realli get the lectures on nerves and nervous systems.

and yea, i saw a few patients and it was realli quite sad. they had tumours/ seizures and all...

and one patient who was rather elderly told me," thats how life its. nth we can do."

and yea. i just kept quiet and nodded. i din know what to say.
i mean

i cant say yes i understand and feel for u (as much as i want to i cant)

and saying that i can would just be wrong

i didnt know whether to smile... i didnt know how to react at all.

i guess as much as i htink i can relate and like to talk to ppl, i still need to learn alot. and while im 21 gg to 22 (which is kinda old i think ), i still have a long way to go.

so how do i find the course so far.

yes its challenging. the people keep u on your toes. the material is crazy. the jargon is frustrating.

but the reward at the end is worth it.

thats how i get through. i hope... haha.. bye for now. back to mugging

A Grim Conclusion

so after like 2 days of hardcore studying...

like realli from 10am to 10pm.

I've concluded..

that i prolly will fail my test tml or at best just pass it. cos im super lost and don understand alot of stuff... sigh...

kinda my fault for not managing time. oh well.. i learnt my lesson.. i've decided to ring the changes...

1. i have to preread my notes
2. i have to postread my notes
3. i have to stop taking afternoon naps
4. i need to sleep at 2am

so all in all... yea... from having little to no life, i'm slowly progressing to TOTALLY LIFELESS.

which is defined in lawrence's dictionary as : a depressed state of submerging oneself in textbooks towards a honourable quest for knowlidge, resulting in a severe lack of social activities encompassing physical activity, hanging out at the movies and other random stuff.

they say first year is the "honeymoon"

dunno how am i gg to get past it... haha... sigh

oh well... i'll manage....somehow... i dunno yet how... but i know i will.......................

see ya.. back to my text book. 60 more pages to go...

short "poetic verse" from my textbook:

During later development the limb buds lengthen considerable and the lower limb buds rotate medially. In the anatomical position the pre-axial border of the upper limb is located laterally (and post-axial border medially), with flexor compartments anteriorly and extensor compartments posteriorly. The pre-axial border of the lower limb is located medially (and the post-axial border laterally), with flexor compartments posteriorly and extensor compartments anteriorly.

just imagine that over 300 pages and describing every body part that way....

half my time is just tryin to make sense of it all....

Studyrama

Heyz

so ive kinda got a long weekend (fri,sat,sun)

so far ive got 3 sets of lecturer's notes to go thru..

onli 1 down and still not too sure...

test is on the coming monday.... realli think i may fail... sigh

ohwell... do what i can ba.went for a pinic today and played soccer... ahaha... much needed exercise finally!

not much... rest of the weekend will be mugging

Yx: veri smart ar... say ur exams gg to end liaoz.. i come back then u know... haha... good luck with it though. enjoy!

Post Essay

So today i finally handed in my essay.

Quite similar to a friend's one so i hope it will be fine. fingers crossed.

And for the past two days for my essay, been sleeping at 3 and waking up at 7. think i deserve a good night's rest. haha...

BUT

i have a test to study on the coming monday. 23 chapters... save me man.... damn sianz

histology
physiology
anatomy

together = good game...

oh and i went for my clinical placements at a local paediatrician....

it was quite fun. but the initial consultation price i saw was like 240 Aussie dollars. And thats below the goverment regulation. man...

saw 3 patients did get to talk to them much though.

realise its a hugh pain to raise kids, making sure they grow up healthy and all. could see some mums were realli tired and at a loss what to do.

there was a child with serious asthma

there was another who refused to eat. he was hungry but he just refused to eat.

he has never tasted chicken or noodles.

never thought that being a parent would have so mani worries. haha..

oh well... thats like so far for me now lol....

ok back to studying my cells..

take care allz

Enjoy

A panal of doctors was asked to vote on adding a new wing to their hospital...

The Allergists voted to scratch it and the Dermatologists advised no rash moves.

The Gastroenterologists had a gut feeling about it, but the Neurologists thought the administration had a lot of nerve, and the Obstetricians stated that they were all labouring under a misconception.

The Ophthalmologists considered the idea short-sighted; the Pathologists yelled, "Over my dead body!", while the Paediatricians said, "Grow Up!"

The Psychiatrists thought the whole idea was madness; the Surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing, and the Radiologists could see right through it.

Internists thought it was a bitter pill to swallow; Plastic Surgeons said, "This puts a whole new face on the matter."

The Podiatrists thought it was a step forward, but the Urologists felt the scheme wouldn't hold water.

The Anaestheisologists thought the whole idea was a gas, and the Cardiologists didn't have the heart to say no.

And in the end, the Proctologists left the decision up to some arsehole.

=)

Pic Upload

arnott's choc ripple 2 for $4

when added in milk, its superb =) haha... dman shiok.. eating this too much

oooo yum.. my fav spagetti.. with olive oil, garlic, egg, bacon

carrots, mushroom, lettuce stir fried with black bean sauce

egg omelette with dumplings from chinatown. Though frozen, the dumplings still get 2 thumbs up haha

chicken thigh with soya sauce and italian herbs.. another favourite... haha

this is my life... muahaha... exams... 7-8 lects a week., by the time sem end i die liaoz... but i guess this is uni life...

Well, i guess thats my life in a nutshell... not much stuff to do..

din go anywhere

and i have 15 library items on loan.. need i say more?

and its always a mad rush to get books, this cohort is realli freaky...

5 mins after lect the library full liaoz... zzzz... i need a breather... i wanna go home in july...

but i cant..

Hi again

After a week's hiatus, im back.

Jm glad to see that things are fine with you...

I've been good... just realli busi....

trying to complete my essay which is due this wednesday.
and today i jsut hit ard 1200 words. still yet to finish my referencing so will be busi
and have to start studyin for another test which i have totally no idea about..

damn lost in anatomy

super alot of stuff...

plus we got a textbook and cd written by one of the lecturers. its sold in NUS too...

and yea.. the first lecture he kept gg on and on abt how we should buy his book..
and in my 21 years of living, i have never ever been so lost in any single lecture.

His book is coloured, his slides he gave us was white.
normal pp slides on notes in 4 per page. his is 9 per page.

so i conclude: he's pushing us to buy his book.
it follows excatly the lecture format, better than any notes or book given to us. Its just like an extension of his lecture.
I mean, we already paid so much and how can we just pay another 100 plus bucks just to buy like lecture notes. damn angry la... i meam, where's his ethics..

and the first lect, he like show his name and his pic which took up the entire screen and put his crednetials there for all to see... what the hell man...

damn sianz....

on 18/04

i had my first encounter with a cadevar...

din do or see much actually... it was quite weird for me but yea.. it was fun..
at first i hated anatomy, and yea, was damn lost.

ard 30 mins into the pract, the instructor just threw me a bone ( literally) and said "Present"

i looked at the bone for like 5 s and up at him again.. and i think i mumbled smth like.... "i think its a femur..."

and he was like" u have to get used to it here... its like that.. in med sch, u have to get used to presenting on the spot...
and u can start with" its a bone"

-.-

and yea.. he asked mi like 20 other questions and i think i onli cud ans like 10 cos im damn lost in lects..

then got this ang moh like damn zai, this morning lecture then afternoon pract she can rmb all and start to apply liaoz... pei fu...

have to step up my game for the next pract. try my best to catch up. im barely stayin afloat and yea.

but i hope do a procedure next week so i have to be prepared for any questions. wish mi luck.

oh and im having my clinical placements this week..

cant wait.

anywways thats all for now... take care all

A Disturbing Post

Disclaimer Act 140.1a pg 200009 to 19999999990

The following post is the views of the author himself and and resemblance to anyone is purely coincidental. Readers discretion is advised. Highly morbid, with images of self loathing and self pity, coupled with disturbing thoughts and visions and mental destruction to a pathological extent. If u are under 18 or do not wish to be exposed to such material,

Do not read.

And readers... u have been warned.

By Law.
12/04/2008

Depression: a condition of general emotional dejection and withdrawal; sadness greater and more prolonged than that warranted by any objective reason

Delusional :a fixed false belief that is resistant to reason or confrontation with actual fact

As i grow older on the outside (many wud disagree), i feel that mentally, i am not. While i am very different from the guy/boy/man/man-child who left sunny singapore a little over a year ago and traded climates for icy melbourne, i have realised many things.

The things that used to bother me do not anymore...

The things that never used to bother me not bother me...

I was an optimist, now i'm a depressed delusionist.

I now live in a land where i walk ard with a "do not disturb sign" on my forehead.
I have mastered the "piss off" look....

Like what Jm said in the tag board.

There's a difference betw knowing the path, and walking the path.

I know excatly what i need to do. But i dunno how to do it.
I know i have to let go of certain stuff. But i dunno how to do it.
I know i shld move on no matter what. But my legs refuse to move.
I know i shld supress my stubborness. But my stubborness does not want the stubborness to go

I know i shld not be myself. But i am...

This is the second time i have self-diagnosed myself.

First i have UTI... (guys shld know)

Now i have depression....

And better than that, i cannot find a way to release it.

I have no wall to punch, my head is too soft to knock, plus i'll lose even more IQ points.

There's an image in my head that wont go away (rather disturbing actually)

I'm driving a car at 200km/hr and i smash straight into a wall.... and after.. i walk out feeling better...

depressed or delusional... up to u guys to decide...

I need to learn distance... i need to let go of certain stuff... i need not to be myself but i am...

To jm: Its not just you.

im sure 10 billion ppl all over the world are struggling with this problem. The start of a relationship is the hard part. To prove to someone that u will love them for a lifetime.

It takes a lifetime.

To maintain a relationship, it requires your lifetime (ie your life)

and what are u left with.. nothing..

I just to think u know u are in love if u feel ultimate bliss. U are happy like an idiot all the time. U are happy cos u get to see the person u love. U share everything with them. Love is great, it conquers all.

But now i think love is different. Or mayb, there's a new variety. The new age love. Which is absolute pain. Nothing but a feeling of nothingness. A state of depression. And u tell urself u are in love

Delusional..

Thats the hard part of life. When u say let go, mean it and if u cant, live with it. ( I need this)

Find ways to release it. Get a car. Punch a hole in a wall. Find someone u can confide in.

oh yea i'm free, u can send mi an email or thru msn oso can. =) no charge

If there is happiness in this world, now at this veri moment, i cant.

I am just soooooo tired and sometimes i wonder where i get the strength to get out of bed.

Then again im delusional. In denial. so i get out of bed.

So whats the morale of this post. i have no idea. Im rambling. I guess it means u cant be depressed w/o being delusional.

And with delusion brings depression. oh no wait. a painful release from happiness.

And thats how i get on with life

Hard day

So i had lessons from 8-9am today and had the whole day free. hahaz...

While i know many of u in singapore who live super far away from sch wont go all the way just for 1 lesson. Guess thats the perk of stayin 2 mins from sch. (looks down at the hole in my pocket)

anyways.. studied/ did essay for the whole day with a nap in between. Still waiting for that inspiration to start my essay. "What does it mean to be a professional".

I guess im still not used to that term yet.

anyways the results of my test is out and i guess i did alright. Expected i wont do so well.
But fact is i survived my first test and thats the Grand Plan for now. haha...

lunch: minced chicken w mushroom and baby spinach with oyster sauce and cheese omelette.
Dinner: Fish with chinese barbeque sauce and bak choy with oyster sauce.

and yes.... my friends are forcing me to eat fruits and i guess its not too bad... haha...
oh well... never though i'll see the day...

Difference Between College and Uni

So after my second year in Aus and 1st year in uni. I've noticed the difference betw college in Aus and Uni.

1. The teachers are more helpful and approachable
2.There are many more UBER smart ppl ard...
3. The test macham free one....
4. U are always behind in work
5. time seems to fly...
6.i don get any lectures
7. its the time spend outside class that kills u
8. i blog more...

need i say more....

Sad Life

this is the chicken kiev
this is honey soy chicken with cheese omelette

Well, its now 1am and yes. im listening to an online lecture and resorting all my notes. still as lost as before and its getting worse. its not that bad, just that i dunno what i know and i know all that i dunno. sigh

ooo alvin long time no see. haha. hows ur exams and results? power ar? haha. good luck for ur exams yea!

My apartment yea i guess its qutie big for one person. still thinking abt whether to get a roommate or not. but oh well, not as if i can find a good one. haha

so my essay is due like in 2 weeks and i haven even started. sigh.

todays lunch: fried chicken with chinese barbecue sauce and fried dumplings

todays dinner: chicken kiev with baby spinach in oyster sauce.

guess used to cooking and washing liaoz. haha. much cheaper.

just did my PBL(problem based learning)

IT WAS TAXING..

its like each week, we get a medical case and we will have to get a hypothesis and generate a mechanism to find out whats wrong with the patient. and as we turn the page, more info is revealed. Sounds exciting rite??? NOT.....

got participation marks and its hard being an international student. Find it hard to speak out because the locals here are much more open and eloquent. though sometimes they stuff they say no link one.

anyways i need to shower and sleep. 8am lect tml.. so dead...

cya

My Apartment

sss

so after many requests to see my apartment. here are some pics. as u can see, its realli neat. and why? its cos i haven messed it up yet. u shld see it now. 

haha.

its quite nice, just nice for mi, and i get 2 beds... muhaha.

but its a little ex... but 2 mins to uni... realli good overall liaoz.

so ive been quite busi lately. but still got time to see facebook and jackson's video on his facebook profile! 

A MUST SEE FOR ALL!!!! haha....

still fairly behind in my work.. so far my uni life is...

(dunno u all got the same thing not)

1. no idea what the lecturer is saying 

2. when i reread my notes i took, i have no idea i wrote them

3. too mani jargon to remember and everyweek i learn like 100 new ones.

4. too lazy to start on assigments

5. struggling to participate in class...

6. onli life i have is hang out with frens

but oh well... most of my meals are home cooked (believe it or not)

i cook with my frens and yea, its pretty good. haha

post up some pics nxt time yea.

anyway back to study. i need like 100 more hours just to catch up...

good luck to those who have exams.

damn sad not to be back in june.. =(

Aftermath

So on friday 04/04/2008.....

i sat for my principles of biomedical sciences test worth 10%...

my first test in my uni life. and yea. i tink i screwed it up. what i studied or think i studied didnt come out and what i didnt see came out. sigh. don wanna think abt it anymore...

moving on...

after the test at 9am, i left straight for the library to pick up a histology textbook book to read. i was there in like under 5 minutes.

and yes, all the textbooks were gone... with ppl holding it standing all around. sigh

and im not gg back in july cos i am attending an AMSA( Australian Medical Students' Association) convention. Prolly the onli year it will be held in melbourne so yea. think i shld go. i'll prolly be back in dec or if i have another break i'll come back. hahas.

gg to eat breakky now. =)

Have u got the Kung Fu

So i joined the melbourne university kung fu club aka Barry Pang Kung Fu school.

YES I JOINED. =)

oh well.. the style is called Wing Chun and Bruce Lee is one of the people who practice it.

extra info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wing_chun

and yea if u dont know, according to Barry Pang 01.04.2008 @ ard 2200 hrs

" Bruce Lee, that guy has no Kung Fu. How can u tell, u just look at his butt"

yes HIS BUTT.

on the fateful freezing april night, when u think u will be played an april fool's joke, i met the man himself.

yes, the one and only.

my "SHI FU"

my mentor

the incredible

the MAN's man

Grandmaster Barry Pang aka Mr. Kung Fu

and he came and asked us, so what is Kung Fu

immediately an image of Yang Guo with his right hand chopped off, using his sleeve and twisting the sword when Guo Fu tried to attack him. ( for all the martial arts novel lovers out there).

i tink that is Kung Fu.

then someone said: Kung Fu is hard work

so i imagined a shaolin monk getting punished for not doing smth and standing on his finger for 12 hours non stop or hitting his head against a wall ( aka tie tou gong)

then some one said " its the mastery of a skill"

so i imagined this young sneaky looking bugger tryin to steal his master's secret manual (antagonist of many kung fu shows). and later realizing all he got was a book entitled "dance of the river bear" 

and so.....

20 minutes and 5000 words later, he got to the main point.

Kung fu is smth that cannot be seen, but ur opponent will know its there.

so i imagined the 18 dragon slaying palms ( aka Xiang Long Shi Ba Zhang) and how using ur internal energy, ur opponent will fly thru the air and vomit blood. and later u go heal him. =)  using the same "qi"

and my thoughts were interrupted by a loud *SMACK*

and i looked up at Shi Fu Barry Pang ( who i hope does not read this )

if u do, i still love you... and  u rock... *peace sign*

anyways coming back...

yea, he had his hands on his butt. 

and another 5000 words later, he explained that REAL kung fu is in the practice of a basic stance. keep doing it, generate enough power in your stance and u will prevail!

and so in training that stance, u will have, a according to shifu and grand shifu, the quads of he-man and the butt of... hmmm... a nice butt... sculpted, if u will.

and so, a person with REAL KUNG FU will have,

the butt to die for

steel like, 

macham reinforced concrete liddat.

and if u are wondering, no i did not stare at it or tried to imagine.

and as proof he had our 3 instructors push him and yes, he balanced with one leg. he did not move an inch

and he literally made one instructor the "butt" of the jokes

pun intended.

he kept showing us how strong he was at his expense. sigh. kinda feel bad for him..

then i rmbed, first lesson, he kicked me and said "u in the brown shirt (1 SIR one), COMPLETELY WRONG" 

HAHA. no grudges i swear =) and yea, i was completely wrong. haha.

and to my horror, Barry Pang's shifu used to demonstrate how good his "kung fu" (aka butt) was by asking a particular student to feel it. yes the same one everytime..

hmmm...

so nxt i imagined at the end of the year, if barry pang ever says, " Lawrence, can i see ur kung fu? "

hmmm, i don wanna be caught with my pants down ( pun intended) 

=)

Alone..

Hmmm, think i like reached the half the number of posts i posted last year liaoz.. good progress..

staying alone.

well it has its perks.

1. i can throw my stuff anywhere i like

2. i got 2 beds to myself

3. no one to nag or tell me how to do my things

4. no shared kitchen or toilet

5. full responsibility to maintain it myself ( should go in the "bad" list ) 

and it has its downside too

1. L-O-N-E-L-Y

like studyin alone and all its not realli nice

don wanna spend any more than i have to so i stay at home most of the time.

and sometimes, its just eerily quiet. i think if i listen hard enough, i can prolly hear my own heartbeat... or mayb an action potential being generated .... 

ok.. too far... i think its the studying and loneliness. But i'm getting used to it so its fine.

prolly shld find a study buddy.

a movie buddy?

a sports buddy? though i think there's a soccer grp ard somewhere from church. i'll go check it out after exams.

anyways back to mugging for my test. =)

cooked garlic fried rice and spaghetti for lunch and dinner respectively . 

yum.

at least i can cook decent meals now. haha