The Synapse Connections of a lifetime

It has been so long since I’ve updated this place. Seems like this is going to be the trend. We had our last tutorial today. In a couple of weeks I would be starting my internship! Feels like not long ago we were still preparing for the final exams and now everything’s finished!

We’re just doing our PRINT term now. It stands for Pre-internship and it’s basically just an excuse to work us out without pay, haha! But seriously, it’s just to make the transition to working life smoother, with all the discharge letters and stuff.

I’m doing Orthopedics term now and it has been quite interesting so far. My team isn’t that demanding in terms of attendance so I’m taking it slow as well. Went to surgery the other day, did'n’t get to do more high tech stuff yet but I got to remove a screw from a leg! It’s weird coz it felt EXACTLY like unscrewing a furniture. Orthopedics seemed to be quite fun. They are the carpenters in medicine. Hopefully next week i’ll get to wear the space suit!

Still have some stuff to arrange before i leave for good. Just another ten days left. IH seemed very empty at this time, since most residents have left for their holidays. Strangely enough, I don’t think I’ll miss this place that much.. Maybe the food. hehe!

We just finished gradball last week as well and it was a blast! It was the first ball I’ve been to since Uni began. The whole event gave our graduation a feeling of closure. And of course there’s the graduation ceremony which is coming up on the 14th of December. If you know me, please drop by for a photo!

Check this out!

Working in medicine carries a very strong responsibility. We all know that even before beginnning our studies.

Yesterday I had a taste of what decision making in a real clinical setting felt like.

Saw a patient who presents with symptoms of vertigo, did a hallpike manoeuvre which was positive and immediately came about with my diagnosis of BPPV.

Under normal circumstances, I would usually present my findings to a resident or a registrar and then make a decision on clinical management together. That way, I feel safe and well supervised. Most importantly, I feel assured that whatever decision we make is correct in terms of best patient outcomes.

The situation was slightly different for that case yesterday. The resident I presented to didn't know about the Hallpike nor much about the management of BPPV. Based on my convincing presentation that it was BPPV and a short presentation during the ward round, the diagnosis was set and we can safely discharge the patient home.

Everything was fine, I was quite confident of my final diagnosis and the managment plan was safe (we ensured the patient gets followed up by a GP within a week).

I thought nothing of it until last night when I was writing up the case. I felt burdened. What if I was wrong? Did I just send someone home in error? Did I consider all the possible differentials, did I get the history right, did I exclude critical diagnoses?

In another year, this would be routine. I need to buck up to make sure I don't mess up.

Saw this in the command and conquer forums, made me laugh for a few mins. Back to work!

Was gonna post pictures of Brisbane's fireworks in new year's eve 2009 but I procastinated.. yes yes.. haha! That's only one of the many things I've procastinated.. Assignments, study, among other things.

Without further bs i present you my fireworks pictures of NYE 2009.









The nights were lit with colours and light. Thanks for reading!

Haha, i LOL-ed

Went to seaworld last month, it's one of the many theme parks in Gold coast. The park itself isn't much to talk about, its probably more geared towards kids to be honest. There isn't even any thrill rides, except one which is quite fun. :P

It started with this guy on a motor boat coming in with the dolphin jumping in front.



Then suddenly three dolphins leaped from behind.

Grilled salmon for the first time today. Followed the instructions from someone online. I had no expectations.. haha!


The marinade used for this salmon was teriyaki, which is essentially a combination of sugar, soy sauce and sake (or water).

After addind the marinade, the fish was left for about an hour, with occasional turning. Then it was put into the oven to grill for exactly 9 minutes.


After that, it's done! The marinade used earlier was pan cooked until boil then popured over the grilled salmon and its ready to serve.


Again, it doesn't look like much but it tasted great (better than initial expectations at least, haha). The meat wasn't too dry and it wasn't raw. I was happy :P

NYE 2009 pictures from Brisbane coming up next, but it wasn't that good.. the experience in Sydney 2008 was much better.