Well, let me clarify, I, along with 1500+ people have achieved a world record! This past weekend was the Panyiri Greek Festival in Brisbane. The world record was the longest Zorba dance, which up till this year, was kept by Melbourne (read: largest Greek population outside Athens). It was so much fun! Great food (spanakopitas, haloumi, honey puffs, greek salads, poura, baklava, Greek coffee, and some ouzo), music and dance. My friend Phil, who is Greek-Canadian, was very impressed with my Greek pronounciations of food. :) I guess that trip to Greece in 2000 paid off. There was a midway and games, very much like the Calgary Exhibition & Stampede. And for my zipper riding buddies (you know who you are), I rode in the Zipper called "Bad Ass"...ahh...like old times. :) I left early, as I was uber tired and felt a little guilty because I wasn't studying. I guess all work and no play makes Veevek's quite irritable.
Speaking of irritable, I felt that way after playing touch today. The other team came to the field with some sort of attitude. It just didn't groove well with the team spirit and comraderie that the Flaming Sambucas (we want to change it to the Motely Crew but too late) pride themselves on. The other team was playing rough, which is fine; however, their attitude seemed out of place. We fought back - player harder, touched harder, and carried a look of aggression. Alas, I didn't score a try...next time.
After coming home, I was able to finalise my plans for my 3-week midyear break. I'm going to Adelaide to visit one of my best friends, Ruth. I'll be there for a week, and then I'm off to Sydney for another week before heading back to Brisbane. I'll be meeting up with Dave, Graeme, Ruth and some other Sydneysiders. How I love to travel! And this time, I'm not missing any uni to do so! Cool bananas. :)
Alright, I gotta get back to indigenous health care and the structure/functions of the abdomen.
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Brrrrrrisbane III
I love this photo! The juxtaposition of the palm-like trees in the back, with the white hail. It was quite deep, in some places, the snow was above my ankle!
Brrrrrrisbane II
This photo was taken a block outside my house! If it were daylight, you'd be able to see it (it's behind the orange light in the background of the photo). Once again...my jaw dropped when I saw the amount of hail that was on the road! Tis was crazy!
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrisbane
No, it's not Calgary. It's Brisbane! Apparently, St Lucia and environs were the worst hit areas of the storm. I just couldn't believe that this much hail had fallen!
Where have I been?!
Alright, there have been a couple of things that have happened in the last little while that I have failed to mentioned:
1) Mr. Thankey has reluctantly decided to open the flood gates in terms of extra-curricular activities.
2) Brisbane had a taste of Old Man Winter on Thursday, May 19th, 2005.
3) Veevek is slowly spiralling into madness...MADNESS I SAY!
Alright, let me explain the aforementioned numbered items.On May 10th, there was an international student night that was hosted by the University of Queensland Medical Society. It was a night whereby international students, from all 4 years, would be introduced to topics such as United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE), foreign doctors practising in Australia, and opening remarks from Ken Donald, Head, School of Medicine. Because of the complexity of those issues, we didn't have any guest lecturers (which we were going to have) to shed light on the bureaucratic issues that affect international students. The reason for having this information session, which was a first at UQ, was because of the marked increase in the number of international students in the course. There are more than 50 international students in my year, half of us are Canadians, the other half are comprised of Bruneians, a few Singaporeans, Americans, and Europeans (British and Norweigan).
An Australian medical degree is fully recognised in Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore. This makes life a whole lot easy for students that want to practise medicine in those countries. As for Canadians, we have to write the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exams (MCCQE), which all Canadian students attending a Canadian medical school have to write as well. This is not the hard part of getting into the Canadian system. The hard part is qualifying for a residency match through the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS). Applicants who are students or graduates of international medical schools are eligible for the second iteration provided they have passed the Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Exam within 5 years of the beginning of training. According to the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada eligibility criteria for the first iteration match, graduates of international medical schools are not eligible to be ranked in the first iteration of the match by medical programs recruiting to first year residency other than those at accepted to apply in Quebec. What does this mean? It means that Canadians that have gained medical degrees from outside Canada/US are matched in the second round, if there are any spots left. In the 2005 match, there were 629 IMGs (International Medical Graduates) and of that only 80 were matched. Tis pitiful! At the moment, there are a few vehicles of change that are looking to get Canadians IMGs to be considered for 1st round consideration. As it stands, international students that are able to get into a Canadian medical school (and successful graduate) are considered for 1st round, even though they may not necessarily be Canadian citizens or permanent residents. To make a long story short, there are a number of things that need to be considered if Canadian graduates from Australian medical schools want to go back to Canada to practice medicine.Now, there are just as many complications for international students to stay and practice medicine in Australia. I would write about it but then I would be up for a few more hours, which would mean that I would be procrastinating even more from revising the gastro-intestinal tract.
To move on with it...it was a night where I was elected by the UQMS to represent MBBS Year 1 international students on the International Student Sub Committee. This sub-committee consists of 5 international students, and (for the time being) convenes monthly to discuss academic and administrative issues relevant to international students. One of the main focuses of the ISSC will be to improve communication between the School of Medicine and its students. So, what will I, along with the other members of the ISSC, be doing? Our first priority is looking at the creation of a database of information about how students can return to their home country/work in another country/stay in Australia. The second is to provide some assistance to UQ by coming up with a list of universities with which to pursue relationships for international rotations/electives.So, in the end, what does all of this mean? It means that Veevek has to make more efficient use of less time that is directed towards studying and revising.
The second item - Brisbane had a freak hail/thunderstorm yesterday! More than 150 lightning strikes were recorded in the Brisbane area. At uni, it was raining like mad. However, a few hundred metres away, there was a huge hailstorm! Right outside my house, there was enough hail to come up above my ankles! The roof of my pool collapsed due to the weight of the hail. Here's what the Sydney Morning Herald said about the event:
Brisbane is bracing itself for a second bout of thunderstorms after a freakish deluge of hail brought the city to an abrupt standstill late yesterday.
The storm, which damaged homes and business and cut power to more than 7000 houses, hit without warning about 5.30pm, surprising weather forecasters and peak hour commuters. The temperature fell suddenly as up to 50 millimetres of rain and hail fell on parts of the city, producing a sludge that prompted some to make the most of the extraordinary conditions with makeshift sleds.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Geoff Doueal said it was a once-in-a-lifetime storm."It had a great volume of pea-sized hail with it, and what caused all the havoc was not so much the size of the hail, but the great volume that was coming with the storm," he said. "It was a fairly slow-moving storm and the hail tended to block up drains, gutters, and then some heavy rain with the thunderstorm inundated people's properties. "For this time of year we haven't seen hail like that in the Brisbane city at all." Mr Doueal said the storm cell grew from a small thunderstorm to an intense barrage of hail within 15 minutes, leaving no time to issue a severe weather warning.ABC TV was forced to take its 7pm news bulletin from Sydney after the ceiling of the Toowong studio partially collapsed and received extensive water damage. Part of the Toowong Library caved in.
The State Emergency Service took calls from 200 people whose homes were overrun by water and hail. "Most of the damage centred on broken skylights and water inundation caused by the hail, blocking drains and gutters and water having nowhere to go," a rescue service spokeswoman said. About 200 power poles were hit by lightning and a felled tree brought down five powerlines in the northern suburb of Kedron.
Mr Doueal said the storms lasted several hours. They were expected to return late this afternoon. "We're likely to see some sort of thundery showers again today but it's very unlikely that we get a freak storm like that over the city again," he said."It just really was a build-up of hail. If you get big hail, it pounds into your car and makes big dents. We don't think that sort of thing happened - it was all very small hail, but it was the volume of hail which was quite amazing."
A friend drove me home from uni and traffic was so slow! I was thinking, "Move over people! Let a Canadian show you how you would drive in snow." Seriously, it took us more than 30 minutes to travel a distance of 1 km or so (for those of you in/know Calgary, that would be almost the same distance from 17th Avenue SW and Sacree Trail SW).
And as for the last item on the agenda - madness! Yes. All this studying (or the attempt to study) has been making Veevek quite sleepy and lethargic. I have quite an elaborate study schedule and tracker, that it seems all pretty on paper/computer that I just like to look at it and not do anything. Hmm...that's counterproductive to why those aids are used, hunh? :) Yes. Indeed, I've three and a half weeks till this exam and I feel as if I'm already cramming the information in my head. I know that I will pass (well, at this rate of studying, I'm not sure about that) but do I really want to just pass? I mean this is information that I should be able to compartmentalise and have to access to when I am dealing with patients, na? Now, I am just obsessing about it.Whew...I tell you, there is nothing like a good rant session, innit? :)
1) Mr. Thankey has reluctantly decided to open the flood gates in terms of extra-curricular activities.
2) Brisbane had a taste of Old Man Winter on Thursday, May 19th, 2005.
3) Veevek is slowly spiralling into madness...MADNESS I SAY!
Alright, let me explain the aforementioned numbered items.On May 10th, there was an international student night that was hosted by the University of Queensland Medical Society. It was a night whereby international students, from all 4 years, would be introduced to topics such as United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE), foreign doctors practising in Australia, and opening remarks from Ken Donald, Head, School of Medicine. Because of the complexity of those issues, we didn't have any guest lecturers (which we were going to have) to shed light on the bureaucratic issues that affect international students. The reason for having this information session, which was a first at UQ, was because of the marked increase in the number of international students in the course. There are more than 50 international students in my year, half of us are Canadians, the other half are comprised of Bruneians, a few Singaporeans, Americans, and Europeans (British and Norweigan).
An Australian medical degree is fully recognised in Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore. This makes life a whole lot easy for students that want to practise medicine in those countries. As for Canadians, we have to write the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exams (MCCQE), which all Canadian students attending a Canadian medical school have to write as well. This is not the hard part of getting into the Canadian system. The hard part is qualifying for a residency match through the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS). Applicants who are students or graduates of international medical schools are eligible for the second iteration provided they have passed the Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Exam within 5 years of the beginning of training. According to the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada eligibility criteria for the first iteration match, graduates of international medical schools are not eligible to be ranked in the first iteration of the match by medical programs recruiting to first year residency other than those at accepted to apply in Quebec. What does this mean? It means that Canadians that have gained medical degrees from outside Canada/US are matched in the second round, if there are any spots left. In the 2005 match, there were 629 IMGs (International Medical Graduates) and of that only 80 were matched. Tis pitiful! At the moment, there are a few vehicles of change that are looking to get Canadians IMGs to be considered for 1st round consideration. As it stands, international students that are able to get into a Canadian medical school (and successful graduate) are considered for 1st round, even though they may not necessarily be Canadian citizens or permanent residents. To make a long story short, there are a number of things that need to be considered if Canadian graduates from Australian medical schools want to go back to Canada to practice medicine.Now, there are just as many complications for international students to stay and practice medicine in Australia. I would write about it but then I would be up for a few more hours, which would mean that I would be procrastinating even more from revising the gastro-intestinal tract.
To move on with it...it was a night where I was elected by the UQMS to represent MBBS Year 1 international students on the International Student Sub Committee. This sub-committee consists of 5 international students, and (for the time being) convenes monthly to discuss academic and administrative issues relevant to international students. One of the main focuses of the ISSC will be to improve communication between the School of Medicine and its students. So, what will I, along with the other members of the ISSC, be doing? Our first priority is looking at the creation of a database of information about how students can return to their home country/work in another country/stay in Australia. The second is to provide some assistance to UQ by coming up with a list of universities with which to pursue relationships for international rotations/electives.So, in the end, what does all of this mean? It means that Veevek has to make more efficient use of less time that is directed towards studying and revising.
The second item - Brisbane had a freak hail/thunderstorm yesterday! More than 150 lightning strikes were recorded in the Brisbane area. At uni, it was raining like mad. However, a few hundred metres away, there was a huge hailstorm! Right outside my house, there was enough hail to come up above my ankles! The roof of my pool collapsed due to the weight of the hail. Here's what the Sydney Morning Herald said about the event:
Brisbane is bracing itself for a second bout of thunderstorms after a freakish deluge of hail brought the city to an abrupt standstill late yesterday.
The storm, which damaged homes and business and cut power to more than 7000 houses, hit without warning about 5.30pm, surprising weather forecasters and peak hour commuters. The temperature fell suddenly as up to 50 millimetres of rain and hail fell on parts of the city, producing a sludge that prompted some to make the most of the extraordinary conditions with makeshift sleds.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Geoff Doueal said it was a once-in-a-lifetime storm."It had a great volume of pea-sized hail with it, and what caused all the havoc was not so much the size of the hail, but the great volume that was coming with the storm," he said. "It was a fairly slow-moving storm and the hail tended to block up drains, gutters, and then some heavy rain with the thunderstorm inundated people's properties. "For this time of year we haven't seen hail like that in the Brisbane city at all." Mr Doueal said the storm cell grew from a small thunderstorm to an intense barrage of hail within 15 minutes, leaving no time to issue a severe weather warning.ABC TV was forced to take its 7pm news bulletin from Sydney after the ceiling of the Toowong studio partially collapsed and received extensive water damage. Part of the Toowong Library caved in.
The State Emergency Service took calls from 200 people whose homes were overrun by water and hail. "Most of the damage centred on broken skylights and water inundation caused by the hail, blocking drains and gutters and water having nowhere to go," a rescue service spokeswoman said. About 200 power poles were hit by lightning and a felled tree brought down five powerlines in the northern suburb of Kedron.
Mr Doueal said the storms lasted several hours. They were expected to return late this afternoon. "We're likely to see some sort of thundery showers again today but it's very unlikely that we get a freak storm like that over the city again," he said."It just really was a build-up of hail. If you get big hail, it pounds into your car and makes big dents. We don't think that sort of thing happened - it was all very small hail, but it was the volume of hail which was quite amazing."
A friend drove me home from uni and traffic was so slow! I was thinking, "Move over people! Let a Canadian show you how you would drive in snow." Seriously, it took us more than 30 minutes to travel a distance of 1 km or so (for those of you in/know Calgary, that would be almost the same distance from 17th Avenue SW and Sacree Trail SW).
And as for the last item on the agenda - madness! Yes. All this studying (or the attempt to study) has been making Veevek quite sleepy and lethargic. I have quite an elaborate study schedule and tracker, that it seems all pretty on paper/computer that I just like to look at it and not do anything. Hmm...that's counterproductive to why those aids are used, hunh? :) Yes. Indeed, I've three and a half weeks till this exam and I feel as if I'm already cramming the information in my head. I know that I will pass (well, at this rate of studying, I'm not sure about that) but do I really want to just pass? I mean this is information that I should be able to compartmentalise and have to access to when I am dealing with patients, na? Now, I am just obsessing about it.Whew...I tell you, there is nothing like a good rant session, innit? :)
Monday, May 16, 2005
HE SCORES!!
Yes, I scored! I scored my first try at touch! WOO-HOO! It felt so great! Of all the sports that I have ever played (which I could probably count them all on one hand), this is the first sport that I have played where I was a team member; all the other sports have been solitary, for example, skiing and squash. Lately, I’ve been feeling like a loser when it comes to touch footy. I’m definitely not an agile player – I’m good at defence but my offence sucks as. I’m asthmatic, which means I can’t sprint down to the touch line like Graeme/Dave/Rob. But after today, all of those things were wiped out! I really felt as if I am a member of the Flaming Sambucas (we want to change it to the Motely Crew) as opposed to some vestigial appendage. Rob told me afterwards that he is expecting that sort of play from now on. And he’s right – I normally give whatever I’m involved in a 110% - at least that is what I have put into all the things that I have done thus far or I wouldn’t be where I am today. So, the question remains, “why should touch footy be any different?” Simply put, it isn’t. :)
Apart from touch, this is the first weekend where I have realised that there is so much stuff I left to learn/study/revise/know before the June 16th exam. I have two weeks of cardiology and then a week of renal (or two, there is speculation that the SOM might spring a new organ system on us before the exam – if they do, it will most likely be blood). I have finished all my weekly summaries from the faculty learning objectives and trying to fill in the gaps of my knowledge of things like the respiratory drive, embryology of the heart (which still remains forever confusing) and the different congenital defects that can occur at each stage in the development of the heart. I guess this is going to be a feeling that I won’t be able to shake throughout medical school. I mean, there is no way that I will be able to know EVERYTHING. If I believe in that sort of process, then I have already given up. You might be thinking, “hmm…Veevek, wouldn’t you want to know as much as you can, so that you can help the patients that you may be seeing in the future.” And yes, you are very right in thinking that. However, to everything that we need to know, in the detail that is presented to us, would take absolute ages to synergise with previous knowledge. Hence why people specialise and why GPs refer their patients to those specialists.
Alright, tis way past my bed time. It seems that with each passing weekend, I have less and less time to do things that need to be done. I was fortunate to get my room organise, my notes updated and filed, and the washing. I have yet to go grocery shopping (yummy yummy for Mi Goreng noodles and vegemite sandwiches!). I made a kilo of pasta on Saturday night, so I'm hoping that that will keep me at bay for a while until the next major grocery shopping haul.
I just took a test at www.politicalcompass.org, and surprise, surprise, I'm considered a Libertarian Left. Oddly enough (I didn't check the facts on this online test) my score/coordinants were the same as the Dalai Lama. Hmm...food for thought - just as long as it isn't tofu with fruit coulis, I'll be fine.
Apart from touch, this is the first weekend where I have realised that there is so much stuff I left to learn/study/revise/know before the June 16th exam. I have two weeks of cardiology and then a week of renal (or two, there is speculation that the SOM might spring a new organ system on us before the exam – if they do, it will most likely be blood). I have finished all my weekly summaries from the faculty learning objectives and trying to fill in the gaps of my knowledge of things like the respiratory drive, embryology of the heart (which still remains forever confusing) and the different congenital defects that can occur at each stage in the development of the heart. I guess this is going to be a feeling that I won’t be able to shake throughout medical school. I mean, there is no way that I will be able to know EVERYTHING. If I believe in that sort of process, then I have already given up. You might be thinking, “hmm…Veevek, wouldn’t you want to know as much as you can, so that you can help the patients that you may be seeing in the future.” And yes, you are very right in thinking that. However, to everything that we need to know, in the detail that is presented to us, would take absolute ages to synergise with previous knowledge. Hence why people specialise and why GPs refer their patients to those specialists.
Alright, tis way past my bed time. It seems that with each passing weekend, I have less and less time to do things that need to be done. I was fortunate to get my room organise, my notes updated and filed, and the washing. I have yet to go grocery shopping (yummy yummy for Mi Goreng noodles and vegemite sandwiches!). I made a kilo of pasta on Saturday night, so I'm hoping that that will keep me at bay for a while until the next major grocery shopping haul.
I just took a test at www.politicalcompass.org, and surprise, surprise, I'm considered a Libertarian Left. Oddly enough (I didn't check the facts on this online test) my score/coordinants were the same as the Dalai Lama. Hmm...food for thought - just as long as it isn't tofu with fruit coulis, I'll be fine.
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Annabelle & Graeme
Annabelle is the hottie of PBL 1 (my PBL). She has degrees in economics and political science - hot. Graeme is a IronMan Triathelete and is more ripped than any other guy I know. The two of them (even though they aren't together) would make some pretty goodlooking children.
Tofu or bust?! Bust...bust...bust...
This was the awful raw tofu with mango coulis that I wrote about in the entry about the May Ball. Trust me, it was as bad as it looked.
Aawu kavanu na kavai! BILKUT NAY!
Aawu kavanu na kavai! BILKUT NAY!
Claire & Suzanne
These two ladies are awesome! Both are in my course - Claire has a background in speech pathology and Soozie is a pharmacist. They are indeed in the top 10 of the hottest girls in our year. :)
Rob & Marlene
Rob & Lene - a recent match made in 'med-heaven'. Rob is the star squash player on the UQ Squash Team and Lene is a genius (not to mention that she's a very attractive genius).
Lene & Veevek
I was quite surprised that I was able to get Lene's leg that high up! I think that she most likely gave a show to everyone that was behind us.
Veevek & Leanne
Leanne and I are always hooting and hollering in lectures! And honestly, we always look like this when we are together, even at 8am on a Monday. :)
She's probably the only girl in the course that can keep up (and most likely surpass) my zaniness!
She's probably the only girl in the course that can keep up (and most likely surpass) my zaniness!
Friday, May 13, 2005
Holly & Veevek
Holly was "Masquerade Barbie" that night. I know, I know...her mask doesn't compare to mine. :)
Dave & Veevek
This the Dave that started the V-MAN craze. He is my partner-in-crime! Seriously, I think that I'd be more sane without this guy...but who would want that? :)
Sunday, May 08, 2005
Cinderfella
Well, it is the day after the ball, and I am looking for signs of a pumpkin, scattering mice, and some ragged clothing strewn about. Instead, I see my suit hung in closet, the tie rolled up nice, shoes put into place, my contacts in their cases. Did I really go to the Ball last night? [Veevek looks up hoping that this large booming voice from the skies will give a loud resounding "YES"]
The May Ball was fantastic! There is something about seeing people dressed up and how people flirt about like peacocks during the rainy season that puts a smile on my face. (note: my mask was made out of peacock feathers, which probably used an entire peacock in its creation, and oddly enough it matched the suit/tie combination that I wore). At one point in the evening, I was approached by this woman (immaculately dressed) and she slipped me a business card. The card was regarding MedCouture. Apparently, I met the standards of the fashionistas that were out and about looking for people that would be able to carry on the tradition of scarificing pain for the goal of looking beautiful. I know of another girl that got one (Pam R.) for she was wearing a green/silver sari with all the jewellery to match. Tu jeez badi hain mast mast! :)
I didn't take my camera to the ball because it is quite a large camera. However, Lou was gracious enough to let me borrow the camera that she brought. I was camera happy! Once I get the photos uploaded from her, I'll be sure to send them out to those of you that are interested.
The food was awful, well at least the vegetarian meal was awful. It was raw tofu with mango coulis (a thick sauce made out of puréed fruit). Ick. But apparently, the chicken and steak weren't that good either (this is from what a few people had said). I was so hungry at one point, Lou jokingly offered me a piece of chicken and I ate it. It was NASTY! Seriously, I had to wash it down with two glasses of wine (which didn't make it any better). Pffft...no one goes to the ball for its food. They go for the drinks! Beer, wine and champagne wearing being consumed in vast quantities (not because it was high quality because it was all that they were serving) that at one point they ran out of glasses. So, they only served people that had glasses (fair enough). Some people were scavenging for glasses (new/used) just so that they can get all liquored up before the after party.
The after party was held at the Port Office - a favourite for the med students. They play good music, drinks are pretty good but the bouncers are extreme hard asses when it comes to letting people in. Dave didn't get in because he left his wallet, and ID, at home. However, at the ball, we were all given entrance tickets to the PO. I didn't have any problems, as I just showed them the silver ticket. He was pretty slick - he quickly jumped the from the line into the outside foyer of the club. He walked in and, since he is a social butterfly, he started talking to someone near the front. The bouncer caught him and he was kindly escorted out. Meanwhile, those of us that were allowed in, it was a blast! There was great fun to be had - great music, good conversations (well, whatever I could remember), good drinks and the general feeling of being merry. At some point in the night, I wasn't feeling very good. In the words of an acquaintance, "I didn't drink too much, I just drank too fast". :)
I got home this morning around 3:30am and I don't really remember anything from the time I got out of the taxi to when I went to bed (which must have been a 30 minute window). When I got up this morning, I realised (to my surprise) that my suit/shirt/tie/shoes/mask were put away properly, my contact lens were taken out and placed in its correct container, I drank a litre of water and ate a couple of vanilla wafers.
The only thing that I had to do today was go to the footy game. I thought that I probably should have skipped it but it's the best way of spending 40 minutes on a late Sunday afternoon. The footy game was great - we won! Well, we won because the other team had to forfeit because not enough of their players should up. Regardless, we had a friendly match of footy (which was great). However, after finishing last week's case on asthma, I've realised that my managment plan is really shitty. I reckon that I need to go and do some research on what needs to be done about it. It's a good thing that asthma is taken very seriously here, as Australia has the highest rate of incidence of asthma in the world (approximately 10% of the adult population).
I talked to my mum today (as it is Mother's Day). My parents had come home from a late night of playing cards at one of their friend's house. I saw my mum online and then called her. My dad answered the phone and he was so tired that he wasn't making any sense on the phone. It was one of the sort of conversations where you want it to be over so fast so that you can go back to bed. My mum had waited up because she knew that I'd be home around that time. Wow...mums really do know their kids even if they are 10000 km away. Normally, my parents aren't really interested in my friends (they are interested only if my friends are doing something to 'oooh' and 'ahhh' about). But lately, my mum has been asking me about my friends and what they do and if I have photos of them for her to see. I guess this is her way of being in touch with my life here in Brisbane.
Alright, speaking of life here in Brisbane, I need to bustamove. I should get going and do some work on cystic fibrosis and asthma. Or, I could just go to bed now (it's 7:30pm) and get up early in the morning. Hmm...knowing me, I reckon that I should do most of the work now and try to be in bed before midnight.
The May Ball was fantastic! There is something about seeing people dressed up and how people flirt about like peacocks during the rainy season that puts a smile on my face. (note: my mask was made out of peacock feathers, which probably used an entire peacock in its creation, and oddly enough it matched the suit/tie combination that I wore). At one point in the evening, I was approached by this woman (immaculately dressed) and she slipped me a business card. The card was regarding MedCouture. Apparently, I met the standards of the fashionistas that were out and about looking for people that would be able to carry on the tradition of scarificing pain for the goal of looking beautiful. I know of another girl that got one (Pam R.) for she was wearing a green/silver sari with all the jewellery to match. Tu jeez badi hain mast mast! :)
I didn't take my camera to the ball because it is quite a large camera. However, Lou was gracious enough to let me borrow the camera that she brought. I was camera happy! Once I get the photos uploaded from her, I'll be sure to send them out to those of you that are interested.
The food was awful, well at least the vegetarian meal was awful. It was raw tofu with mango coulis (a thick sauce made out of puréed fruit). Ick. But apparently, the chicken and steak weren't that good either (this is from what a few people had said). I was so hungry at one point, Lou jokingly offered me a piece of chicken and I ate it. It was NASTY! Seriously, I had to wash it down with two glasses of wine (which didn't make it any better). Pffft...no one goes to the ball for its food. They go for the drinks! Beer, wine and champagne wearing being consumed in vast quantities (not because it was high quality because it was all that they were serving) that at one point they ran out of glasses. So, they only served people that had glasses (fair enough). Some people were scavenging for glasses (new/used) just so that they can get all liquored up before the after party.
The after party was held at the Port Office - a favourite for the med students. They play good music, drinks are pretty good but the bouncers are extreme hard asses when it comes to letting people in. Dave didn't get in because he left his wallet, and ID, at home. However, at the ball, we were all given entrance tickets to the PO. I didn't have any problems, as I just showed them the silver ticket. He was pretty slick - he quickly jumped the from the line into the outside foyer of the club. He walked in and, since he is a social butterfly, he started talking to someone near the front. The bouncer caught him and he was kindly escorted out. Meanwhile, those of us that were allowed in, it was a blast! There was great fun to be had - great music, good conversations (well, whatever I could remember), good drinks and the general feeling of being merry. At some point in the night, I wasn't feeling very good. In the words of an acquaintance, "I didn't drink too much, I just drank too fast". :)
I got home this morning around 3:30am and I don't really remember anything from the time I got out of the taxi to when I went to bed (which must have been a 30 minute window). When I got up this morning, I realised (to my surprise) that my suit/shirt/tie/shoes/mask were put away properly, my contact lens were taken out and placed in its correct container, I drank a litre of water and ate a couple of vanilla wafers.
The only thing that I had to do today was go to the footy game. I thought that I probably should have skipped it but it's the best way of spending 40 minutes on a late Sunday afternoon. The footy game was great - we won! Well, we won because the other team had to forfeit because not enough of their players should up. Regardless, we had a friendly match of footy (which was great). However, after finishing last week's case on asthma, I've realised that my managment plan is really shitty. I reckon that I need to go and do some research on what needs to be done about it. It's a good thing that asthma is taken very seriously here, as Australia has the highest rate of incidence of asthma in the world (approximately 10% of the adult population).
I talked to my mum today (as it is Mother's Day). My parents had come home from a late night of playing cards at one of their friend's house. I saw my mum online and then called her. My dad answered the phone and he was so tired that he wasn't making any sense on the phone. It was one of the sort of conversations where you want it to be over so fast so that you can go back to bed. My mum had waited up because she knew that I'd be home around that time. Wow...mums really do know their kids even if they are 10000 km away. Normally, my parents aren't really interested in my friends (they are interested only if my friends are doing something to 'oooh' and 'ahhh' about). But lately, my mum has been asking me about my friends and what they do and if I have photos of them for her to see. I guess this is her way of being in touch with my life here in Brisbane.
Alright, speaking of life here in Brisbane, I need to bustamove. I should get going and do some work on cystic fibrosis and asthma. Or, I could just go to bed now (it's 7:30pm) and get up early in the morning. Hmm...knowing me, I reckon that I should do most of the work now and try to be in bed before midnight.
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Broken blood vessels
It's Wednesday (12:09am) and I just finished my learning objective on the examination of the respiratory system. This was the first time that I was given a clinical LO. SO MUCH FUN! Yes, the basic/clinical science theory is very important but actually knowing the clinical signs and symptoms about particular diseases/illnesses just gives me goosebumps!
This upcoming weekend is the UQMS May Ball. This is, supposedly, the premiere event in our social calendar and the explanation is all in its name. A gala ball, held in May and attended by over five hundred people, beaten only by the Graduation Dinner for shear numbers. There is an informal welcome from the Head of School, before patrons sit down to dinner, wine, and later on, a little dancing. The twist to this gala (as in previous years) is that it's a masquerade ball! My parents sent my mask from Canada (I had bought a mask when I went to New Orleans in 2001 to visit a friend and take a two-week intensive Spanish short-course). There was quite a bit of noise about this year's May Ball because of the price of the tickets. In previous years, the tickets were around $40. This year, they are $85. Apparently in previous years, there was no food or drinks served. Also, the Roma Street Parklands is the world's largest urban subtropical garden. The entire event will be held under a marquise (read: glorified tarpaulin). Everyone is getting all excited about it. People are getting last minute things finalised: tuxedo rental and dresses (I'm decided against the tux and am wearing a tailored three peice navy blue pin striped suit), hair (hmm...I'm not going to even go there because this head of hair needs a weedwacker to cut it down and I'm not going through the hassle of testing a new haircut on the 'premeire social event of the year'), and things like that. Needless to say, all of this excitment has taken its toll on studying. The weekend was quite productive in terms of studying because I knew that I wouldn't be doing much this upcoming weekend.
Ahhh...back to the title of this blog. On Sunday night (Monday was Labour Day in QLD), I decided to take a small break from studying. I went to the Royal Exchange to meet up with Matt B and his girlfriend. After a couple of drinks, I met up with a whole bunch of other students and headed down to Caxton Street. During the day, there was the infamous Caxton St Seafood Festival. I didn't attend because I was studying and I don't see myself eating and enjoying mussels and octopus (yuck). Regardless, the street was blocked off for pedestrian traffic and beer cans were everywhere! It almost looked like the aftermath of Canada Day outside the Maple Leaf Pub in London. I didn't have much dinner before heading out and after a few drinks, I was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol. I realised that this wasn't what I wanted to do this evening, as I knew that I would have to get up early the next day to get some more studying done. I left the group around 1am and waited in a taxi queue. In Brisbane, there are taxi queues around certain hotspots and at certain times (around bars/pubs in the late night). I stood in the queue and started talking to this friendly couple. And I had enough to drink that my senses weren't totally sharp but I definitely knew what I was doing. After some time of the conversation, what did I do? Mr. Thankey thought it would be a good idea to pash this girl whilst standing the cue with her boyfriend right there! At first, I didn't think that he was her boyfriend but then again, nowadays, you really don't know how people are associated with one another. I ended up getting a small hickey above my left clavicle and proximal to the sternomastoid muscle (read: on my lower neck above the collarbone). After this short pashing session, the couple asked if I wanted to 'share' a taxi with them. They lived in Bardon, and I in Toowong. Bardon is close to Toowong but definitely out of the way. The couple soon kissed each other after making this proposal. So many thoughts going through my head. I ended up taking a taxi home (by myself) and thinking that one miss opportunity isn't such a bad thing. :) I tell you, sometimes I just get the shits and giggles thinking of what things I have and can get into. Oh well, I guess it makes for a good anecdote on a late Tuesday night (hmm...I wonder what sort of anecdotes will come from this weekend...stay tuned...)
This upcoming weekend is the UQMS May Ball. This is, supposedly, the premiere event in our social calendar and the explanation is all in its name. A gala ball, held in May and attended by over five hundred people, beaten only by the Graduation Dinner for shear numbers. There is an informal welcome from the Head of School, before patrons sit down to dinner, wine, and later on, a little dancing. The twist to this gala (as in previous years) is that it's a masquerade ball! My parents sent my mask from Canada (I had bought a mask when I went to New Orleans in 2001 to visit a friend and take a two-week intensive Spanish short-course). There was quite a bit of noise about this year's May Ball because of the price of the tickets. In previous years, the tickets were around $40. This year, they are $85. Apparently in previous years, there was no food or drinks served. Also, the Roma Street Parklands is the world's largest urban subtropical garden. The entire event will be held under a marquise (read: glorified tarpaulin). Everyone is getting all excited about it. People are getting last minute things finalised: tuxedo rental and dresses (I'm decided against the tux and am wearing a tailored three peice navy blue pin striped suit), hair (hmm...I'm not going to even go there because this head of hair needs a weedwacker to cut it down and I'm not going through the hassle of testing a new haircut on the 'premeire social event of the year'), and things like that. Needless to say, all of this excitment has taken its toll on studying. The weekend was quite productive in terms of studying because I knew that I wouldn't be doing much this upcoming weekend.
Ahhh...back to the title of this blog. On Sunday night (Monday was Labour Day in QLD), I decided to take a small break from studying. I went to the Royal Exchange to meet up with Matt B and his girlfriend. After a couple of drinks, I met up with a whole bunch of other students and headed down to Caxton Street. During the day, there was the infamous Caxton St Seafood Festival. I didn't attend because I was studying and I don't see myself eating and enjoying mussels and octopus (yuck). Regardless, the street was blocked off for pedestrian traffic and beer cans were everywhere! It almost looked like the aftermath of Canada Day outside the Maple Leaf Pub in London. I didn't have much dinner before heading out and after a few drinks, I was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol. I realised that this wasn't what I wanted to do this evening, as I knew that I would have to get up early the next day to get some more studying done. I left the group around 1am and waited in a taxi queue. In Brisbane, there are taxi queues around certain hotspots and at certain times (around bars/pubs in the late night). I stood in the queue and started talking to this friendly couple. And I had enough to drink that my senses weren't totally sharp but I definitely knew what I was doing. After some time of the conversation, what did I do? Mr. Thankey thought it would be a good idea to pash this girl whilst standing the cue with her boyfriend right there! At first, I didn't think that he was her boyfriend but then again, nowadays, you really don't know how people are associated with one another. I ended up getting a small hickey above my left clavicle and proximal to the sternomastoid muscle (read: on my lower neck above the collarbone). After this short pashing session, the couple asked if I wanted to 'share' a taxi with them. They lived in Bardon, and I in Toowong. Bardon is close to Toowong but definitely out of the way. The couple soon kissed each other after making this proposal. So many thoughts going through my head. I ended up taking a taxi home (by myself) and thinking that one miss opportunity isn't such a bad thing. :) I tell you, sometimes I just get the shits and giggles thinking of what things I have and can get into. Oh well, I guess it makes for a good anecdote on a late Tuesday night (hmm...I wonder what sort of anecdotes will come from this weekend...stay tuned...)
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