Mi Reflejo

We are now in the year 2007. 2006 has passed really fast. So many things occurred to me last year. I suppose that is the way life is...it is never perfect and we have to just accept whatever challenges that are placed upon us. I shall attempt to recap the main events in my life this year...here goes!

January: I remember I was in Dunfermline at that time doing my surgical shadowing as a 5th year medical student. I loved the whole rotation ...learnt loads and saw many interesting things. The junior doctors whom I was shadowing were really nice to me. The only downside of it was the accomodation was very cold.

February: From Dunfermline, I moved on to Yorkhill, Glasgow for my paediatric cardiology block. The accomodation there was worse than the one in Dunfermline. For once, I was able to appreciate heart murmurs...and I am proud to say, by the end of my 4 week stint there, I was able to differentiate an innocent murmur from a pathological one. :P

March: hmm...probably one of the saddest month of the whole year for me. Split up with my loved one. A sad ending which was totally unexpected. And it really did affect me....I was sad everyday, and could not concentrate on my work. I remembered staying awake for more than 24 hours trying to complete my case discussions....

April: It was spring time. I spent some of my time taking photos of pretty daffodils. oh..and went to St. Andrews with my friends during my Easter holiday. It was a nice relaxing week off.

May: This month was filled with stress! The deadline to hand in my portfolio was near and I was not even close to completing it. I remember struggling to find the correct words to use in writing my "10 curriculum outcomes" for my uni. It was a real pain in the bum. hehe. Oh...I could still remember the stress and fear I had while waiting for my turn to face my examiners. It was the VIVA examination...and I have to say...the pressure was so great...I was worried and scared. The worst thing was all my housemates have sat for their exam and I was the last one. PHew! I managed to pass the exam!

June: Finally, my summer holidays have started! YAY! I was so looking forward to the trip to Italy with my friends. It was fun and boy, I really do miss the hot sun in Italy. The trip to Italy was fantastic and I ate like maybe 6 gelatos?! I dunno...but I know the food was great, shopping was fun and I took so many photos.

July: It was graduation time. My family came up from Malaysia, including my granny. I took them around Scotland and we ended the holiday in London. It felt great meeting my family and spending time with them. I also went back to Malaysia for a really short break (about 10 days or less). A short but sweet holiday. This is also the month where I said goodbye to Dundee and my cosy rented house. *sob *sob

August: 1st of August marked the first day of my life as a working human and a doctor. It was scary...I didn't know how everything worked, and I was in a totally brand new environment. My rented room was way smaller than the one I had in Dundee. I remember complaining of having to pay council tax and pay the rent, whilst my other friends had accomodation provided for them. (but now, I think I'm quite happy paying those fees...) 31st August marked the first time I get proper wages! yay! So happy that I spent bout 20 quids for dinner at TGIF!

September: Getting tired and stressed at work (even after a month at work??) But it was ok, as long as I get paid! Now, I could finally understand the shitty jobs that we junior doctors have to do...

October: Oh...I couldn't wait for my holiday. My parents came up and we all spent a week at Spain together. It was lovely. It was THE time to escape the cold weather in Glasgow and it was great to have a short break away from the hospital. Ate loads in Spain and bought many stuff home too. I have to admit I felt that for the first time, I did not need to ask my parents for spending money. Instead, I sponsored their trip there. hehe. It was an achievement for me, to be honest. :)

November: Back to misery...ie, hospital. I was literally dragging myself to work. haha. It was a rather busy month too because I was working in the high dependency unit and was in the receiving ward for 2 weeks. I remember being pissed with the radiologists for not wanting to do the scans that I have requested. I remember looking after a patient who was suffering from acute alcohol withdrawal. I gave him about 50mg of IM diazepam and 40mg of IM haloperidol and some diazepam too...it did nothing to him!

December: This is the month where I changed to Medicine. To be honest, I didn't really like the change in the first place. The ward rounds are longer in Medicine, and I didnt have time to have lunch. It was so much busier than working in the surgical wards. Only in medicine that I managed to do ascitic taps and my first lumbar puncture a few days ago! :) (it was unsuccessful though). Oh...not to forget, I also received a number of sarcastic remarks from my seniors. December was also the Christmas month. Although I did not receive alot of pressies, I really enjoyed the atmosphere here. The last day of the year was spent working in the medical receiving unit. I was so tired by the end of the day and just simply went to bed after midnite. The weather was awful, the wind was too gusty and hence, the hogmanay in Glasgow was cancelled!

So there you go...a small little recap of the events last year. It was eventful but there are all experiences that would teach me to be a better person I guess. I hope 2007 will be exciting!

Happy New Year my friends!

May 2007 bring you loads of joy, happiness, love and luck!!!!! CHEERSSSS!!!!!