Birthdays

Well as some of you know, I prefer spending my birthday like any normal day. It's nice having messages, wishes and surprises but ultimately, I like to go through it like any other day. 

I lied.

I love celebrations, I love presents and surprises etc but I don't want to expect any because things always go wrong when I expect something happy to happen. That's how 'I'm going to fail all my exams' nonsense started.

Today has been a normal day and I am not feeling sad or disappointed because I didn't expect anything. Having to know some friends remembered today really surprised me because I never see myself as a very good friend to anyone. Getting vibrations from my phone in my pocket every now and then just put a smile on my face =)

I don't have any present from anyone this year but I got myself one. A sore throat. I have no idea why but when I woke up this morning, my throat was dry and it was itchy. Just like the past 2.5weeks, I was doing all the paperwork then suddenly I got this sharp pain at my epigastric area. Yup, Mr. Gastric Pain decided to drop me a present too. Great!

I was given a stern warning shoo-ed off by my reg by 5ish pm because I have been staying very late for the past few weeks so I left about 5.40pm and guess what surprise was awaiting me? Jammed lock. Yup, my key just could not unlock the door because the lock was jammed. I felt so lonely and so abandoned at that exact moment when I realised that I can't get back in my room to just sleep off my gastric pain and sore throat. Went to the sitting room and called the porters but no one picked up the phone, so I decided to nurse my gastric pain with yogurt. Then I tried calling again and finally they picked up.

After about 10 minutes, one of the porters came and tried to unlock the door with my keys which was obviously not working. Then he went back to the hospital to get the master key which obviously did not work as well because the problem lies within the lock, not the key. Finally he threw in the towel and called the works department. It was almost 7pm and my pain has settled but I was not in the mood for anything besides a hot long shower.

Waited for another hour or so, 2 works man came and used the crowbar to open the door. Yeah, finally got in and now typing this hoping to stream off some of the bad luck away.

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To you who remembered this day, thank you so so much. I really am touched and happy that you remember.

To the sore throat that appeared from no where, you are not welcome here at all. Please leave asap.

To the gastric pain that decided to surprise me as well, please go away. I am not going to feed you anything so just piss off.

To the lock on my accommodation door, please behave? You are vital and can't do this to scare me again.

If such situation repeats again, I will get into depression for sure since it's going to be winter soon. So please don't, I'm down on both my knees, begging you...Ms. Luck, can you hang around and shoo away all the bad luck please?? Thank you so so much!! Owe you big time!!

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My 21st b'day cake....sadly, the only thing I had for today is

yup, 2 hard boil eggs with some pepper.

Happy birthday Jene =/ 

My batchmate made one for me because she went to Aberdeen today. In fact, half the batchmates went back to Aberdeen today.

winking and slavery

Winking
Everyone winks here. At first I see it as friendly but after a while, I find it quite disturbing, creepy and a little perv. The consultants, the FYs and even the porters do so. Like what I mentioned earlier, at first I find them being friendly but at certain occasions, I feel that the wink was not appropriate. It feels very wrong. Maybe I am just bring over sensitive but I trust my gut feel and instinct and they are telling me that sometimes its inappropriate. Shoot me!

Slavery
I have been working like a FY1 in my ward because the FY1 now did not study in UK and he started his FY1 job late due to visa problem. So I have been over enthusiastic and staying late for the 1st week helping him sorting out paperwork.

This week, I got to know a M'sian surgical trainee and I think he told the other registrar about me and since then, the reg in the day has been asking me to tag him and even gave me some basic teaching. Thank god! Because the FY1 is starting to get on my nerves due to his bad habit and maybe a little from the M'sian CT1 who has been kinda constantly saying that he's lousy etc. Typical M'sian right? But anyway, this CT1 studied in Singapore so that made him 90% Singaporean and a M'sian by name and birth but not the way he thinks.

Besides that, the surgeons also allowed me to go theater to assist them! Me happy =)
So basically this week, I have been in the hospital from 8am-8pm. Yup 12 hours without food and salary lol

To be honest, I like the paperwork because it doesn't involve any thinking =P

2nd week in Elgin and I'm still not bored. To be honest, I don't mind working here. even though it's small, it's alright for me. In my ward, I'm quite alright with the nurses (I believe the FY1 in my ward too) but the FY1s in other wards always bitch about the nurses like other FY1s I've known. So it's a very interesting observation =P

I'm going to Inverness tomorrow to surprise JY since it's her b'day =)
Using too much $$ d T.T

My 1st Night Shift

I was planning to get back to Abd today then to Edinburgh and because the car I am following is leaving early so I decided to go for a night shift instead. Not guilt ridden at all since I'm replacing the 2 half days (Thursday and Friday) with a 12 hour shift and nothing happens in the afternoon anyway since all jobs are done by 10ish 11am =)

Went to the ward in the morning at 8am and stayed till 1pm. I was actually leaving by 11ish 12pm but one of the FY1 saw me and asked me to follow him to the x-ray meeting. I'm in the surgical block and the meeting was for medical peeps but since he remembered me (we kinda talked a bit when I was with my surgical FY1) and I was not sleepy yet and it's educational, hence I followed along.

So I tried sleeping after a light lunch but I woke up every hour from 1-5pm. I set my alarm at 6pm but I was hungry by 5.30pm and could not force myself to sleep anymore so I just went to the kitchen for dinner. I made a great choice because I kinda socialised with the ang mohs and even Facetime in the kitchen with my friend at Abd who is a mutual friend of this cute funny ang moh.

Left to hospital at 8pm and did some jobs, tried to read something medical aka DVT but just couldn't concentrate and finally by 9ish pm, the on-call FY1 came and picked me and let me tag along. I was quite tired and sleepy by 10ish 11pm but with all the walking around, I managed to not fall asleep =P
At around 10ish, a woman came into A&E after a hit and run and unfortunately died even after 45minutes of CPR. The news was on BBC.

Sadly for me, it was a very very quiet night. So the FY1 and the GPST1 who was also on call, together with me did some BMJ quiz on IV fluids and we were all half asleep and half awake, trying to figure out the answers together (team effort woohoo~) and by 4ish am, we managed to finish 2 sets. Chat a bit and by 5ish 6pm, walked around the hospital and finally settled at the surgery ward room and chat with the on call surgical reg who had 6.5 hours of sleep in the on call reg room (envy~).

Overall, even though it was a quiet night, I did enjoy it because of the company and educational value =)
It was really great fun and I was lucky to get this FY1 and the GPST1 who were both so entertaining and funny and I learned quite a bit from them too ^^

Currently, after 2.5 cups of coffee for 14 hours, I am so so awake and hyper. I believe I will crash tonight =/

Elgin =)

I am now on my bed in the hospital accommodation in Elgin and I am loving every moment so far.

Leaving the house which I previously called home made me feel sad and happy. Sad because I no longer have a place called home, happy because I get to see new place and travel. I don't know, maybe sad because I am not going to have so much fun with my new housemates anymore and happy because I can have my own room and meet new hopefully nice people.

The journey to Elgin was 1.5 hours and I was lucky to have L with me and we talked throughout the whole journey =)

Something sad happened in the train. Just before departing, there was this breathless lady who boarded the train just before the door closed and she was pleading the train master to let her 2 friends who were just right in front of the closed train door to board but the train master refused and stopped them. So this lady were almost in tears trying to talk sense into the train master but her pleas fell on deaf ears and the reason the train master gave was 'we are 2 minutes late, I'm sorry' then walked away. So sad...

When L and I arrived at Elgin, we were shocked to see that we need to climb 2 flights of stairs to cross the railway to get to the other side! I was with this HUGE HEAVY luggage bag and the thought of bringing it up then down to reach the other side just made me scared. So we decided to let the other passengers to go ahead then only we'll try to achieve the almost impossible. L had 2 suitcases so I stayed at the bottom for her to bring her 1st suitcase over. When she came back for the 2nd suitcase, I braced myself and got ready to die then suddenly this chap appeared and offered to help me. I was so so SO HAPPY!!
'YES PLEASE!! Thank you so so SO MUCH!!' was my replied and he without any hesitation just picked my luggage up and put it on his shoulder! WOW!!

The stairs that I needed to cross...

So when L reached the other side, she was =.= to see that I was helped =P
But I helped her with her smaller suitcase.

Reached the hospital accommodation and met my senior who is working there as FY1. Ooo, my room is SO SPACIOUS!! Anyway, went grocery shopping and I bought lots of fruits, yogurt and even spent 3 pounds on 1.5kg of Alpen cereal

which I fell in love with when I tried it at London.

After unpacking, L and I went exploring and we went to this restaurant called Scribbles for dinner.

I enjoyed my Penne smoked sausage (Slices of smoked sausage and roasted vegetables in a creamy tomato and basil sauce) while L disliked her Morco Polo (Strips of duck breast, mushroom and onions in a sweet plum sauce with penne) LOL.

Then we went back and had cheesecake (baked by one of my friend) and talked about dogs for hours...I miss Spritzer boy...

Happy-ly High....

After that pizza hut buffet and hanging out with my fellow groupmates, I felt so much better. I'm sure they think that I am a weirdo Asian because I just couldn't stop talking. Anyway, took a few pictures with them and even had a proper long conversation with one of the guys that went to Inverness with me. It felt different talking to a Scottish compared to my fellow Asian friends and it's really shocking that I can hold a proper conversation with them LOL

Anyway, I am happy and high. Ask my housemate, kepochi-the-busybody and he'll tell you that I AM HIGH. Laughing so loudly, giggling away and smiling all the time. Wonder why?

Let me tell you why. I found something fun! I am addicted to House MD, a FB game. Every lunch break, I'll rush home just to spend that 1.5hours playing the game and when I am home, I am on it 24/7!

Well, I guess I am feeling so much better is because I managed to detox from something, I am having fun and I am actually communicating with friends =)

Ooo, kepochi-the-busybody opened my gates of hell. I am eating crisps again but oh well, at least I am happy hehehe....

Now, back to packing to Elgin...