The year 2009

It has been an exciting year. It started off with exams that marked the end of the 1st semester of 4th year, and into the 2nd semester of 4th year where we did research which was fun. I liked the electives that I chose and the knowledge that I have gained from those modules, I have been able to use them now.

Then came summer, where I went home. That marks the last summer holidays that I will ever have. No more long holidays after that. When else can you get 3 months of doing nothing now that we are working?

July brings in our graduation ceremony. 4 years of studying comes down to a day of celebration. I had my parents and Gaby with me, and also friends all around. What more can I ask for?

I moved from Nottingham, away for what was familiar, to Hereford. A small town in the middle of nowhere. Nobody knows where Hereford is. Absolutely nobody. And why did I come here? Because sadly they were the only hospital that gave me an offer. Do I regret it? No. I like it here. I like my colleagues, who are sometimes slightly crazy.

What don’t I like about Hereford? Is that it is in the middle of nowhere. It is just very difficult to travel out of Hereford. Fine, there is a direct train to Manchester. There is also a direct train to Cardiff. But no direct trains to anywhere my friends are hiding. They just hide too far away.

Getting my first pay was a good thing as well. Being able to spend money on things I want. But in it comes plenty of responsibilities as well. Bills to pay, money to save…. ohh… I don’t have enough money to spare.

So I’ve been busy working while the time is creeping. And then comes Christmas. I had a fun time with Ruth’s family. They are really great people. I liked the small family celebration that they had. And seeing her children, who are quite grown up, saying mummy mummy mummy all the time. Makes me miss my mummy and family.

Oh.. and a text message from an unknown person who wished me happy birthday and when I replied asking who he was, he said he was my brother, Steven. How did Santa know I wanted a brother for Christmas? (Anyway, found out he texted the wrong number, oh well…). Mummy.. can you find me an elder brother somewhere? Seems fun to have an elder brother…

Then comes the end of the year. Will be going to London. Hopefully to meet up with lots of friends and chat about nothing. Oooo.. I’m looking forward to that.

Many other things happen during this year but I cannot remember all to list it all down. All in all, I think it was a great year! May next year be as good as this year. Maybe another change in where I live? Maybe another country? We will just have to wait and see….

Happy New Year to all of you! May 2010 bring good days to all.

Saying the wrong things.

I was in the ward, talking to the patient asking if he takes regular medicines at home. Then I went back to the pharmacist.

Me: Alexxxxxxxx, this patient takes normal meds.

Alex looks at me and starts smirking.

Alex: What is normal meds… what’s abnormal meds…

Me: er.. I mean regular..

*****************************

In the dispensary, talking to Ann..

Ann: Well, what’s the worst that can happen then?

Me: Nothing. Just have to try again and again. Never mind, I always fall on my feet… er.. i meant land on my feet….

 

I just crack myself up sometimes…

Sleeping hedgehog

Han wee’s sleeping hedgehog..

 

Think i’ve got lots of ppl obsessed with hedgehogs… hahaha

Calling out

I was trying to call the medicines information dept of a pharmaceutical company. So I dialed the number and waited while it rang.

Person who picked up: Hello, Switchboard.

Me: Hi, could you put me through to the medicines information department?

PWPU: er… you are drug information….

I realised I had forgotten to press 9 to dial an outside line… hehe… embarassing…

More fun..

Senior pharmacist was sending an email to the whole department and trying to send it to one of the Spanish pharmacist.

SP: I don’t know why Cristina’s name doesn’t come up.

One of the Spanish pharmacist: oh… you spelt Cristina’s name wrong. There’s no H.

SP: No H? Then it’s not proper Cristina then.

Pause.

SP: How do you spell Christ then? Without a H?

Hedgehog!!

See the emo hedgehog… drawn by Han Wee (in case he decides to copyright it, i have acknowledged him as the artist)

The quilt patchwork that has hedgehogs on it. I was tempted to buy it but it cost 35 pounds! If it were 10 pounds I would’ve bought it. It even has foxes and badgers around it.

What is Emily eating?

Ah.. I forgot to take a photo of my dinner to post it here for all of you to salivate to.. but i had chicken rice…  :D

What is Emily eating?

OK… I know a lot of you out there are always curious about what I eat… So, I’m posting what I had for dinner just now.. :D

So what did I have? Basa fillet cooked in vinegar and sugar garnished with spring onions. Well, I put too much spring onions as I was trying to finish them before they rot. So they actually covered the whole dish. I also boiled celery and carrot soup. Clear soup. hehe…

Ward fun

While in the ward, we approached an old lady and had the following conversation:

Us: Good afternoon. We’re from the pharmacy department and we’re here to check your medicines.

Old lady: huh? Sandwich department???

______________________________________________________

Drug chart showed that doctor has prescribed a drug for OD (meaning once a day) but he circled 4 different times.

Pharmacist: Dr. Why did you do this?

Dr: I don’t know….

Me: –_-|||

______________________________________________________

Me talking to a old patient.

Me: Hi Mr X. Good afternoon. I’m from pharmacy and wondering if I could ask you a few questions.

Pt: Sorry!! You need to speak up!! I came here in a rush last night and forgot to bring my hearing aid and my teeth! (laughs)

So, not knowing how to react I nervously laugh with him as well.

Pt: Don’t laugh!! I can’t eat without my teeth.

Me (slightly louder): I’m sorry…… (oops)

______________________________________________________

And then you get sad cases such as this:

Old lady: Do i walk this way then?

Me: No Mrs Y. You need to sit by your bed.

Old lady: It’s getting dark soon and I want to be home before it gets dark.

Me: If you wait by your bed, a nurse will come and let you know when you will go home.

Old lady: My parents must be really worried about me. They probably don’t know where I am.

Me (after a pause): I’m sure they know where you are and won’t worry too much.

And then you think back and wonder whether you should’ve said what you said. And feel sad for the little old lady with dementia.

Banana and chocolate chip muffins

See above.

That’s a banana and chocolate chip muffin.

It’s a very nice banana and chocolate chip muffin. And very easy to make as well…  I got the recipe from here. And because I do not own a weighing scale, I just roughly converted everything to cups and spoons.

I’m happy it didn’t sink this time.. :D

And it tastes so good….

Clocks go back

I really am not good at updating. Think it was ages ago that I last posted an update.

Clocks have gone back yesterday. So now we are at GMT instead of BST. That means it’s 8 hours behind home. It’s getting darker earlier as well. I think it was already dark at 430 and by the time i finish work and walked home at 530, it seemed like it was the middle of the night.

I’m doing my medicines information rotation now and went for a regional study day at Sutton Coldfield about medicines information as well. It was quite boring as I already knew most of the things from uni and from my 2 weeks in MI. There was this pharmacist there talking about critical appraisal and she said that she didn’t care how a drug worked, as long as it worked! I thought that was totally inappropriate and that as a pharmacist, we should care even more about the mechanism of the drug. Or else, it’s just a waste of my 4 years in uni!

However, i think MI is fun. Doing lots of research and answering queries. Have to answer the phone as well which is quite hard for me to do as the caller sometimes babbles on and I have to jot down what he/she is saying. I don’t write fast enough!

I really can’t think of anything interesting to write. Think my life’s a bit of a bore right now. To work for most of the day, come back and stone, walk around during weekends, be cheeky to colleagues….

Thinking of colleagues, there’s 3 new Spanish pharmacists working at my hospital and they are very friendly and fun people. A bit hard to understand them sometimes but so far there’s not a big communication gap. Hope they get the house near my place so I’ve got people to visit.

I’m at the point where I’m thinking of staying on in the same hospital and continue with a diploma. I shall tell my tutor that this week. Hopefully I won’t forget.

Oh ya, went to the Herefordshire Food Festival last weekend. It costed 5 pounds just to get in. It wasn’t anything interesting – most of which you could see when they have their market days. There was a lot of cider, liqueur, sausages, fresh vegetables, meat. It’s a lot different to how food festivals are like back home where you really get lots of different types of food. Well, one thing good about the food festival was that you get to try lots of things – mostly cider and liqueur. Bought some sausages which tasted really good.

I’ve got some photos from the festival but I’m being lazy and the camera is far away from me. So I will post some photos when I feel like it on Facebook.

ooOoo…. I remember something. Went to the pub for lunch with my friend and there was this old guy who kept trying to chat me up and also trying to catch my friend’s eye. Weird!!!! I have a feeling I attract weird people… :(

From this post, you can infer that I am a lazy and boring person. Which is quite true.. haha

Work and rainbows

As usual, I begin by saying that I have lapsed in updating my blog and probably lost all my readers by now (if i even had some in the first place). So what has been happening in my life since the last time I had updated?

I’ve dispensed lots of medicine, seen lots of drug charts, dealt with lots of CDs and made quite a few phone calls. I’ve taken a week’s leave to visit London and Manchester. And just got back from Bristol today.

I’ve met different patients in the wards – some funny, some just sad. An old lady saying that her parents would be terribly worried as they don’t know where she is. Another who doesn’t know where she is. One who says thank you for making sure that she is well taken care of. One who roamed around the ward humming and not uttering a single word.

Dispensary – the place where everything happens. The stress, the laughter, the gossips. Worst of all, the phones that never seem to stop ringing. And the loud bell that people ring to catch our attention, and makes us all jump.

I’m enjoying my work. Everyday is not the same. I get to learn something new everyday. How to fill in a form. When to fill in a form. How to take in card payments. How to deal with discrepancies.

My colleagues are mostly very friendly and helpful people. But there are always exceptions to the rule. There’s one who people say are very friendly, but I have yet to see a side of her which is. Another that just shows a sour face most of the time and whom we did not know her name until quite recently. Another who i get annoyed with as she asks questions that she should know and do not seem to act responsibly. I have ranted these problems with friends and have thus find no reason to post them here again.

Anyway, here’s a rainbow for you. I took it while on the train to Bristol. The sight was amazing. It was all misty and hazy while you look out in the country side. And in the corner, a rainbow appears. It made me wish that I was outside there where nature was painting and not stuck in a noisy train.

river wye

View Full Album

090909

OK… I’ve realised.. and being pointed out that I’m being lazy by my friend.. I haven’t updated my blog in a long long time.

I’m settling in ok right now. My sister’s coming on Sunday so I'm taking one whole week off next week! Hurray!

I’m feeling brain dead so i have no idea what I want to write.. just so i have an update here on my blog. i did say i would be a more frequent writer but by the time you come home you’re already half asleep!

i promise i’ll think of something and write about it soon..

oh ya.. i’m gonna get a new phoneeee..

backdated posts

Sunday, August 09, 2009

For being the first weekend alone in Hereford, I am thankful that, even though I do not have friends near where I am, I have friends who will constantly reply my messages and friends who I know will be there when I have need of them. I am grateful for them for getting me through this first weekend, and as time passes, being alone will no longer be such a big issue as I cope with it slowly.

If I did not have friends who were constantly in touch with me throughout the weekend, I would not have come out of it in a good way. I suppose I would’ve been lying in bed crying my eyes out and dehydrating myself in the process. Because Val called and talked to me during the critical time on Saturday night and then texted me throughout the whole of Sunday, I feel that I can at least make it through without my family here and without friends nearby.

It is different now that we are all scattered throughout UK. No more going by just knocking on doors and popping by for a chat. In time probably I will make some friends here but I can foresee that it is a difficult task for me as I am not the most sociable of beings. It is one thing to get along with colleagues at work, and another to try and get along with them in personal life. We do not have much in common anyway. At least not from what I’ve discerned.

Everybody is very nice at work and I do look forward to the coming weeks to working in the hospital. I worry about whether I can actually apply anything that I’ve learned or if I even remember anything from my 4 years in university, but I’m sure I’ll be able to drag some stuff out from my brain where at least some useful information should reside.

It’s a bit hard to be without internet, without any contact to others and I keep wondering if I should use mobile broadband while waiting for the broadband to be set up. I suppose by keeping myself busy with work, I won’t have much time to worry about entertaining myself. I’ll just write down what I feel and then post them on my blog at a later time.

Time to sleep now and refresh myself for tomorrow. Hopefully I won’t get backaches and shoulder aches tomorrow.


Monday, August 10, 2009

The first day of a new week at work. Nothing memorable happened at work as I was and will be for this week, be learning the ropes in stores with the exception of Wednesday which is our regional study day and Friday which I am on leave.

I went to the post office at lunch time to post off my visa application and found out that I forgot my bank statement, so I had to rush back to get it and wander around trying to find the post office (and the shortest way to it). By the time I got everything done and ran back to the hospital, I was out of breath and sweating like it was extremely hot outside. Didn’t need my jacket either. Anyway, got that all done so hopefully in 6 weeks’ time I will get my passports back with the necessary visa. It’s scary sending off my passports leaving me with no identifications except photocopies.

Walked very slow back after work. Didn’t like the thought of coming back to an empty place. I’m so tired today even though I didn’t do much in stores. Wondering what to have for dinner now. Can’t wait for tomorrow where the library would be open then I can go online and post these.


Tuesday, August 11, 2009.

I'm in the library now. Quickly using my half an hour to check mail and chat a bit. I don't know what to write when I'm rushed for time so that's that for today. Going to Birmingham tomorrow for regional study day.

Moving

I’ll be moving houses again. This time it’ll be easier as my dad will be driving. No lugging around heavy bags and boxes.

Will post photos of my new place as soon as I can, as I’ll be away from the net for quite a while. Need time to set up my internet (at least 3 weeks). Hope I don’t die of boredom by then.

Will try to update more frequently after I’ve got the internet running since I’m back in the UK again.

Oh ya.. I’ve graduated by the way… :D

Leaving again soon

I'm leaving home again soon for a new chapter in my life.

No more being a student but going back for my first job as a pharmacist (ok... still a preregistration pharmacist, but a pharmacist nonetheless.) It's a scary thought, me being unleashed to practice what I have learnt and what I will continue to learn.

I want to go back to being a student... I don't even feel like I know enough..

Semmengoh Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre

As it’s the Gawai holidays, we decided to go to the outdoors for a family trip. We made a trip to the Semmengoh Wildlife Centre (also known as the Orang Utan Rehab Centre). It’s located near 10th Mile (Padawan) and hasn’t got a really big sign advertising where it was so my dad was saying that it was not practical. I suppose we should just move the jungle out to the city and put the rehab centre near the riverside. That would be easy to find!

So below are a few photos that we’ve taken there.

 

We then headed towards Wind Caves and Fairy Caves which are both near Bau. Before that, we stopped by Tasik Biru which is the largest man-made lake and it’s blue. No photos unfortunately.

This is the elusive primate which was seen outside near the river at Wind Caves. :D

My mum, Sarah and me went into Wind Caves, which was pitch dark. It was a good thing we could hire torch lights or we would never have been able to see anything.  There were a lot of bats inside the cave and we had a terrifying moment when we shined the light at the top and there was a bat just on top of us unfolding its wings. No photos as well since I did not have the camera with me, and with the cave so dark i doubt I’ll be able to get any photos even if I had it.

Then we went to Fairy Caves. Been here a few times already so nothing much I can say about it. It was windy though, which was what we expected from Wind Caves but only got from Fairy Caves.

All in all, it was a fun day albeit being tiring walking up the steps in the Caves. We wanted to go trail trekking at the Rehab centre but needed to pay conservation fee so we decided not to. Maybe next time.

Completed

I have just handed in the last assignment that I have done in my student life. And that marks the end of a chapter in my life. Would I go back in time to do it over? If I had the chance I surely would. Not to go back and live through all those horrible exams and assignments but to experience again university life.

Will be flying back to Kuching in a couple of days and these few days would be bittersweet. When I’m back here again, we would all be scattered around UK. No more going over next door for dinner or just banging into Puisan’s room to make fun of her. No more gossiping about who did what.

I suppose I’ll just have to wait and see what working life brings me, and how living alone would affect me (I kinda have a feeling it’s going to be tough sometimes). Make new friends… talk to more people… visit more places (which is easier now that everyone is scattered, so will have a place to stay – everyone please welcome me!).

Ok, so I read some news about people being quarantined after travelling to another country. Hopefully my plane is not that “lucky”.

OK… I have no idea what title to give this…

I’ve been missing from the blogosphere for a while again. Haven’t had the urge to write anything, except the times that I force myself to write my report on hydrogen sulphide and on oestrogen receptors. Two totally different topics that I’m having a bit of trouble differentiating sometimes.

So what have I been doing since my creative writing foray? Nothing except finding and reading journals, and trying my very best to fit them into my report so I’m not wasting my time reading them. I think I really need more experience in finding journals as I have difficulties in trying to figure out what keywords to use.

Will be making a trip down to London for the weekend. Hopefully do a bit of shopping and as a way to clear my mind as well, but most probably I’ll bring down more journals to read and write about my crosstalking receptors.

There’s 24 more days before I’m going back home (whoa.. that’s slightly over 3 weeks left). It’s a bittersweet thought. I can’t wait to go home, but on the other hand, the thought of the end of university life is a bit depressing. The next time I come back to UK, I’ll be going through graduation and moving to a new place ALONE. It’s the alone part that I’m terrified about, and also the working part. Problem is, I’ve not found a place to stay in Hereford yet. How?

Friendship

Four years we had as comrade in arms,

Tackling together the problems of Pharm,

Growing to know our strength and weakness,

And all the achievements to be witnessed.

 

The people I’ve met are very varied,

And the classes I took were oh so harried,

And through all that I’ve learned to evolve,

Into a person with strength and resolve.

 

This has been the experience of life,

With some who I would like to stab with a knife,

But there are others who always stay true,

And comfort me when I’m feeling blue.

 

So thank you my friends I’ll always say,

From this moment forward to my dying day,

For holding me up and getting me past,

this wonderful yet horrible course at last.

 

We will not know what the future might bring,

but if in doubt, just give me a ring,

I’ll try to be there as you have been,

And remind you of the fun we’ve seen.

 

Good luck to all for your future,

And remember all you’ve learnt in lectures,

Forget all phys, pharm and the rest.

But that you can always count on the best.

 

Here’s my foray into the world of creative writing again…. I hope it’s not too bad, or too cheesy…

Heights of Abraham

Considering the fact that I am not far away from the Peak District, today is the first time I’ve been there. We made a trip to Heights of Abraham at Matlock Bath. What was supposed to be a trip for 5 of us turned out to be a big group trip of 12, which wasn’t as bad as I feared it would be, although there were some weird stuff going on sometimes.

The weather wasn’t as good as it should’ve been, but it was all right. It alternated between drizzling, sun, and rain. Most of the rain fell during the earlier parts of our trip which is a good thing as afterwards we go to enjoy the scenery a bit more!

 

Because of the lousy weather while we were travelling up to Heights of Abraham by cable car, the photos I took of the outside from inside the cable car are all dotted with rain drops.

The following few photos are of the rocks in the cave which are lit up by different lights.. pretty….

Here’s a photo of Matlock Bath town centre. It’s a quiet place with not much people around. I wonder how this sleepy town survives.

Well, just going to end my post with some comments for the day. It was entirely enjoyable apart from some awkward moments when we didn’t know what to talk about and also some irritating moments.

We had dinner at Pretty Orchid which serves Malaysian and Thai cuisine. For some reason, they gave us the set menu, which consisted of yucky food. Verdict? The interior is bad, there’s a weird smell around and the food is not good. Will not go there anymore..

Labs, reports and dying computers.

It’s again long overdue for a post.

I’ve finished with my labs and it’s a bit sad that it has come to an end. Lab was lots of fun. Chatting and laughing with friends, doing research with expensive materials, and finding out unpredictable results. Been thinking over this week whether I want to pursue a career in pharmacology and do research, instead of working as a pharmacist. Pharmacology seems so much fun when you’re doing research.

Well, here comes the hard part of this semester – write-up. An e-abstract to do, a poster to defend and a 8000-word report to write. Not forgetting all the journals that need to be read in order to write part of the report. Need to start doing soon.

My computer nearly died today. I was trying to download a statistical program and got a malware instead. So I spent nearly the whole day trying to clear the infection. Seems to be doing ok now but hopefully it’s not a fluke and come back again tomorrow.

I need to go sports again. Need to move. But the ankle still seems a bit weak. Maybe will go swimming tomorrow. Maybe I won’t think so much if I go out more… hmm..

Will be going to Heights of Abraham in Peak District on Monday. Hope I’ll have fun.. :D

This is me...

Took this quiz just now.. and it's somehow accurate..

Your view on yourself:

You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.

The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:

You are a true romantic. When you are in love, you will do anything and everything to keep your love true.

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:

You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person.

The seriousness of your love:

You are very serious about relationships and aren't interested in wasting time with people you don't really like. If you meet the right person, you will fall deeply and beautifully in love.

Your views on education

Education is very important in life. You want to study hard and learn as much as you can.

The right job for you:

You're a practical person and will choose a secure job with a steady income. Knowing what you like to do is important. Find a regular job doing just that and you'll be set for life.

How do you view success:

You are afraid of failure and scared to have a go at the career you would like to have in case you don't succeed. Don't give up when you haven't yet even started! Be courageous.

What are you most afraid of:

You are concerned about your image and the way others see you. This means that you try very hard to be accepted by other people. It's time for you to believe in who you are, not what you wear.

Who is your true self:

You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.

 

So, people who know me... is this me?

Tiring day

It has been a tiring day today.. A lot of results that are not expected and a lot of waiting. What is especially tiring about today is the waiting for people who disregard the fact that others are waiting to use the machine after them and will test their samples 3 times! The SAME samples THREE times!

If you are so unhappy about the readings, repeat it, WHEN there are no people around waiting to use the same machine!

My bruised foot

Here's how my foot looks like after one week...

Twisted

I twisted my ankle while playing badminton today. One moment I was hitting the shuttlecock back and another moment I was lying on the floor. It's the same lousy ankle that I always manage to get twisted.

So, I've been hobbling up and down the house and strangely, it seems to hurt more when I'm resting it. More so than when I'm putting pressure on it. That's not to say that it doesn't hurt when I walk. So I've got to limp a bit to keep minimal pressure on it.

All in all, it was a good game of badminton though.. :D And a good game of squash before that.

Pipette thieves

I don't see why certain people in the lab can't just find their own pipettes to use and stop taking what I had been using and would continue to use throughout the day. Even more annoying is why would they need two of the same pipettes?! Just change the volume on the single pipette like what everyone else is doing. What makes them so special that they need two pipettes? And to take the pipettes I've been using.

Even worse, changing my pipette for another one which is slightly faulty. Why can't you continue using that yourself?? Annoying people!!

Earning a bit of money

I went for an Economics experiment yesterday, studying how people make decisions. Every point that you earn will get converted cash which would be calculated and given out at the end of the experiment.

I don't feel like going into the details of the experiment, but the maddening thing was that people can be so selfish at times. How is it they profit from other people's investments while not investing anything at all.... made me not get a lot of money!!

Well, all in all, I managed to accrue 8.90 pounds.. enough for dinner last night, which wasn't a good dinner. The company was good.. but the food was below par..

Updates

I'm long overdue for a post. But I haven't been doing much, so haven't had much to write about.

Have been doing lab work for the past 3 weeks and I'm quite enjoying it most of the time. Maybe because I've been generating results quickly, compared to others. I'm just wondering how to do my write-up at the end of it all. Most people have been doing literature review while I have no idea which literature I should be reading.

Another thing that has been occupying my time are classes. These classes are making me sleepy most of the time. I just wish the module convener would give us the essay titles sooner than later, just so that the classes that I'm attending would actually have some function to it.

I've been going more often for sports as well. Swimming, squash, badminton... Feel like going swimming this week, but.. I accidentally cut my hand on yoghurt packaging so better to keep away from public waters just to avoid some unknown infection.

Ah, nothing much to write... Just another dry post..

Explanation of Life

I got this from somewhere in the internet..

On the first day God created the dog. God said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. I will give you a life span of twenty years."

The dog said, "That's too long to be barking. Give me ten years and I'll give you back the other ten."

So God agreed.

On the second day God created the monkey. God said, "Entertain people, do monkey tricks and make them laugh. I'll give you a twenty-year life span."

The monkey said, "Monkey tricks for twenty years? I don't think so. Dog gave you back ten, so that's what I'll do too, okay?"

And God agreed.

On the third day God created the cow. "You must go to the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves, and give milk to support the farmer. I will give you a life span of sixty years."

The cow said, "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. Let me have twenty and I'll give back the other forty."

And God agreed again.

On the fourth day God created man. God said, "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. I'll give you twenty years."
Man said, "What? Only twenty years? Tell you what, I'll take my twenty, and the forty the cow gave back, and the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back, that makes eighty, okay?"

Okay," said God, "You've got a deal."

So that is why the first twenty years we eat, sleep, play, and enjoy ourselves; the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family; the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren; and the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.

Life has now been explained to you.

Snowy Nights

It has finally snowed in Nottingham. The previous times do not count as it was mostly sleet. But today was real snow! It was all fluffy and light and it has settled about half an inch on the ground.

So, the bunch of us who have never experienced much snow before rush out in our hoodies only to play around in the snow. Photos ahead..

It was cold... I was wearing sandals.. and my toes were frozen.. Even by drenching them with hot water didn't really warm them up! Hope there's more snow tomorrow!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Happy Chinese New Year! Say bye to the Year of the Mouse.. and hello to the Year of the Ox.

May all of you have a prosperous and healthy and er.. all those good wishes... year!

Memory loss

Went through three excruciating exams and another to go. For some reason, all the revisions to be done for these exams seem to only consist of trying to memorise the key points and not a lot on understanding. I think I've used up all my worry for the other three papers that I don't seem to worry much for this coming paper. But how do we memorise 7 essays?

My memory is just horrible. I can never remember anything, especially not what I need for exams. The worst thing is, I think that I'm going in armed with what I need, and find myself stripped of all my weapons in an important battle. How am I supposed to do well in this exam if I cannot remember anything?

I just hope I can pass. Fingers crossed.

Information gun

What we need is something like a gene gun, which is used to deliver gene vaccines. Modify the gene gun, so we get something that can deliver information to our brain.

Imagine everyone having one and bombarding ourselves in the head with information so that we can store all of them in our brains without having to go through the trouble of memorising!

Is there a gene that we can tweak to make us all smart?

I wish I were an elephant.......

Revisions again....

I'm back to the library to do my revision! Why the library? Well, for one, my house is very cold. I think the insulation of the house good enough and also there are factors that prevent us from switching on the heater for long periods at a time.

For another, I actually manage to get work done in the library, which I do not manage to do when I'm sitting at home in the cold. Other things seem to be more interesting than studying when you're at home.

Well, I started coming to the library yesterday and will continue to do so until exams are over. While walking to the library, experiencing very cold weather that nobody should ever have to go through, two things went through my mind.

One is that I feel like a little kid going to school again. Waking up early to prepare to go out and tackle the day. The weight of my bag just gets me thinking about how we used to carry our heavy bags to school and back. Instead of my bag being filled with heavy books, it's filled with relatively thin stack of notes and a laptop. How times change, yet the things we do still bear resemblance to what we used to do.

Another is that I pity my poor ears. They suffer the most when I go out. Without protection and very thin skin, they have to endure the iciness. Poor poor ears...

Ok.. back to studying. I do hope that my brain actually retains what I'm trying to feed it now, and not have any leakages.

Exam timetable:

14th Jan - Preparation for Practice

16th Jan - Biomolecular Therapeutics

20th Jan - Microbial Diseases and Pathogenicity

23rd Jan - Immunopharmacology and Treatment of Chronic Diseases

 

Oh what fun!