Medical Student Reality

Thomas Chia, I salute you.

……………………………. <——(this signifies silent, silent, deadly panic)

DDDDDDD:

HOMGZ I NEED TO STUFF THINGS INTO MY BRAIN LYKE NOW AND KEEP THEM THAR.

I sat in the library all day until my behind hurt and I developed lower back pain…(AGING. I get it.) I mean, I’m doing moderately okay right now with revision and all–I believe I’ll pull through, but there’s something I want to achieve.

Thought of the day: Maybe I won’t achieve it because God wants to teach me something. Painful lesson, but if it is what I think it is, I’m bracing for it… ~_~ I can’t have everything.

The fluffy haze hasn’t completely cleared, but it will by the time I hit Semester 6. :)

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For the reflective part of my day, let’s just say that boys (men, if you so desire) aren’t wired the same way girls are. At all. Sigh. Some things get lost in translation when you communicate with them. It’s funny if you step back and examine the situation, but at the same time, it’s distressing for both sides. Here we go.

Boy likes Girl and pursues her. Girl suspects Boy likes her. Girl doesn’t really feel the same way. Girl drops counter-hints (discouraging) to the hints Boy is dropping. Boy gets perturbed and speaks up. Girl tells him. Boy tries again. Girl says no. Boy is sad and demonstrates his sorrow.

ULTIMATELY, under normal circumstances, one of two things could happen:

a) Girl feels bad and consoles Boy, and ends up dating him out of guilt. Boy wins.

b) Girl selfishly gets on with her life and leaves Boy to dwell in his sorrow. Girl wins.

The third option, a rare one, occurs if both are fantastically logical and objective individuals:

c) Boy realizes he is being silly. Girl sees that he realizes he is being silly. Both laugh about the situation, and end up becoming good friends, not lovers. :) Both win.

Tell me you didn’t feel a twinge of familiarity.

p/s – Congrats to all Sem 2s who passed!! For those who didn’t… fight fight! All the best for re-sits, and don’t let the failure get you down. <3 You still have a chance~

Snowie the Bear, I think.

I can’t remember the bear’s name for the life of me (Powderpuff? Snowie? Whitefluff? Snowpuff?), but this made me smile:

Picture plucked from somebody’s facebook uploads.

:)))) JP, you still have him! That means a lotttt to me. Remember this? Last year, same time:

Ryan, me, Snowie, and you (yes, I think it’s “Snowie”). Good times. I really, really miss TKUC, especially choir (concert, chamber, tour). Rez life. Coffee talks. Late night talks. 6am Starcraft parties. Lady Isabella. Falling asleep. Chopping up watermelon while playing cards. Trying durian. Cooking.

Honestly. :))))

I also miss touching cow udders…

“Meron-pan desu…” “!!”

Minny, you know what I’m talking about. <3 I miss melon-pan like anyyything.

Bought Rachel & Pei Wen’s birthday presents today. Wallet ouchie, but the gifts are really elegant and cute. Thanks Minny for helping me!

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Tagged by Rae a while back, I’ll finally do this. ^^ BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE BEING LAZY!

ABOUT JADE SURVEY

Real Name: Liew Li Yen
Nickname: Rin, Minny, Minn, Baby shark, Snail, Princess
Married: No.
Male/Female: Female
High school: S.M.K. Sultan Abdul Samad (F1-4) & Caronport High School (Gr.11-12)
College: The King’s University College
Are You A Healthy Freak?: Partially.
Do You Have A Crush On Someone?: Maybe. :) Mayyyybe.
Do You Like Yourself?: Definitely~

First..
Surgery: Never.
Person You See In The Morning: My grandma or my dad or my mum.
Award: Kindergarten – Best student, hahaha.
Sport You Join: Badminton… or gymnastics
Vacation: UK. I was a mere babe. :)
Drink: Red wine.

I’m About To: Study. Revise… summat.

Your future..
Want Kids:Of course! At some point…

Want To Get Married: Yes, eventually.

Careers In Mind: Doctor, singer, performer, professor…

Which is better?
Lips Or Eyes?: Eyes. They capture my attention.
Hugs Or Kisses?: Hugs are nicer. <3 Kisses are for special special people.
Shorter Or Taller?: TALL PLZ. D: I need to remedy my short genes for my future kids.
Romantic Or Spontaneous?: Romantically spontaneous, not obnoxiously spontaneous. ^^
Sensitive Or Loud?: Sensitive. Loud can get embarrassing.
Troublemaker Or Hesitant?: Neither. A moderate man.

Have you ever..
Kissed A Stranger?: Nope…
Drank Bubbles: Haha, no~
Lost Glasses / Contacts: Oh yes… once, when I was on holiday, one side of my contact lenses dropped out of my eye into the ocean. T_T I had to wear glasses for the rest of the trip.
Ran Away From Home: Partially… I didn’t get very far. =P
Liked Someone Younger: Kinda sorta. I liked them, but.. they’re younger. Doesn’t work for me in the end!
Broke someone’s heart: Mmm. =( Yush.
Been arrested: No.
Cried when someone died: Everytime.

Do you believe in..
Yourself: Sometimes…
Miracles: Definitely!
Magic: “It’s MAGIC~” – Take a Chance On Me, by ABBA
Angels: Yes.

Answer truthfully..
Is There Someone You Want To Be With Right Now?: Yes… D: But I can’t.

Tag 5 people:
Jo Ann, Joey, Dustin, Kilmasis/Brian, Froggy

Squee. :)

Today was thorax day. And lymphatics day. And heart day. STERNAL ANGLE YO~ And don’t forget that lymphoid organs DON’T FILTER LYMPH, okay? :) Marieb is your friiiieeeeeend.

PQRST wave day tomorrow… <3333 There are no words to explain how HAPPPIIIEEEE I am for having discipline to studystudystudyy. IT FEELS GOOD BABEH~ Especially studying with friends. It’s relaxing, fun, and motivating. (and I don’t feel so bad going out or not studying later at home)

Mummy and daddy are coming home on Saturday! Also, there’s a birthday celebration on Saturday night that I’m attending… SO, present-shopping tomorrow with Rae-baby’s help!

Cell group was really, really good yesterday. The church I belong to has been doing a cat & dog theology series, (which is fascinating, by the way) and yesterday was a debriefing/Q&A session. I really enjoy Kevin & Adele’s teachings–they always make sense to me, and there’s just something about them that puts me at ease. They have a really strong sense of peace and “togetherness” that infiltrates the cell. If you want to talk about God-ordained or truly blessed, it’s Kev&Del! They really bless after they’ve been blessed. :D I luv Jars of Clay, my cell group~ (anyone interested in visiting can drop me a line; we meet in TTDI every Wednesday night, 8.30-10.30pm)

Had a good talk with Adele yesterday. About boys.

:) It was a really good talk, in the deep, meaningful sense.

I love med school wayyy too much. Even on the weekends, I miss the library. But there’re a lot of people that I miss, actually, that I haven’t gotten to see or talk to much since my semester started. :( You know who you are!!

On a random thought… I need to start doing my AIR topic. I will not have any time to do it later, what with my practices increasing and studying also probably increasing.

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I don’t see him anymore. He doesn’t have a reason to be around, and I don’t have a reason to be around either. It’s a good thing, though, because that lessens the *dundundun drumroll* temptation! Ha. Jo Ann, your hippo is good enough… And when he’s not around, Xiao Wen, your bear’s next. >D

Haemostasis, haemolysis, haemopoiesis… haemo-what!?

Dum dee dumm~ Can you guess what I studied today?

I feel a sense of accomplishment (for now).

I now know what your blood is composed of. >D Tryyyy meeee. I haven’t felt this good in a while… Really concentrated hard today on my notes and caught up.

JO ANN I LUVVV YOUR HIPPO! Can I kiss it? Heehee.

Also, everyone please be super nice to Wei Phin (the PotW asparagus, for those who don’t know)!! He had an awful awful awful day today and the not-niceness will carry over for a longlong time. =) When best to demonstrate your friendship than to a friend in need?

Home Alone!

…not exactly. I mean, my brother and grandma are still around. And our two dogs, Bear and Mikado.

=3 But it’s pretty darn close! Having to think in double-time to balance chores + studying + being the driver is interesting, not to mention tiring. Only until next Saturday, though.

Had dinner with Wei Phin & his family as well as Jon, Jo Ann, Xiao Wen and her friend.

I have to start concentrating… (COP!!! *panics*)

;D

Ben Barnes Ben Barnes Ben Barnes Ben Barnes Ben Barnes Ben Barnes Ben Barnes. Mmmmmm.

Okay! Bedtime.

ALL THE BEST FOR YOUR EOS, SEM 2 PEOPLE! <3

“It started out as a feeling…”

“…which then grew into a hope, which then turned into a quiet thought, which then turned into a quiet word…” — The Call by Regina Spektor

Went to watch The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian yesterday with a bunch of ME1/08 & DT1/08 batchmates–about 20 of us noisily landed in the Sunway Pyramid TGV cinemas… and because we didn’t know our proper seat numbers, ended up taking over all the couple seat rows, hahaha! I tended to be a bit reactive during the movie, but what was funny was that every time I squealed or cheered, everyone thought it was poor, innocent Xiao Wen who was sitting beside me…

As with the first Narnia movie, I loved and enjoyed this one thoroughly. <3 It’s that joy that comes from seeing the characters you read about as children suddenly burst into life on the golden screens just as you remembered them.

Prince Caspian is definitely worth a watch, and probably a few more re-watches. ;D The only complaint about the movie that I have is that they stuck Shrek-like humor in at the WRONG TIMES! Putting a funny scene right in the middle of a solemn one is a horrible thing to do–it just spoilt the moment. DDD: Apart from that, everything else was splendid. Certain parts made me cry, and overall, the movie left me in a happy, dreamy, satisfied mood.

Of course, I expected a younger man for Prince Caspian, but Ben Barnes was sufficiently sweet as eye candy for me to ignore his “oldness” when compared to Georgie Henley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, and William Moseley. His on-screen relationship with Anna Popplewell made me happpyyyyyyy~ The chemistry happened from the first moment they met on-screen, and the sparks definitely flew sky-high! I waited the ENTIRE movie for… erm… that. Well done, I’d say. Even though it wasn’t in the book, I didn’t mind it one single bit.

Still, Aslan and Lucy’s dialogues remain my favorite scenes in the movie. Read deep and it makes wonderful sense.

———————————-

Okay. This man. Ben Barnes, actor for Prince Caspian. Total hawtness. Very very very very VERY good-looking. WAHHHHH!!!!! *fangirls* One of the rare times I find a real-life actor droolworthy. Manliness – check, long sexy hair – check, sexy voice – check, brooding expressions – check, good physique – check, brute strength – check, cheesy corny pickup lines – check… OH PRINCE CASPIAN/BEN BARNES, I LURRRRVEEEEE YOUU. If we had babies, they would be dead sexy. Because of his genes. And awesome–because of mine, haha. And he’s a nice age too (26 years, count ‘em all).

I mean, look at that… He can even look sexy while chilling in normal clothes and cheesily holding up a flag (in a CONVERTIBLE!! ♥). So, Ben Barnes, why don’t you live closer to me, say… in Malaysia? Even Singapore would be cool. Or Thailand. I could have just dropped by easily. Unless you can wait for 2 years, when I leave IMU for (possibly) UK and come find you. :DDDD La la la~

A girl can dream if she wants to. ♥

Sorry, Amanda & Elvyna — he’s mine. ;D

…………

.__. I miss cute white boys…

Just a tingle.

Just a tingle, just a little

Of that unmistakable voice

Leaves me breathless, leaves me restless

Longing once more to be yours.

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Things happen for a reason, and I believe that God is always moving for a better, higher purpose that we cannot fathom as mere humans.

It scares me when I think about what I’ve gotten myself into (and how I can miserably fall), but I know that through prayer and listening out for His voice I’ll pull through just fine, if not any better than I am now.

So much confirmation and affirmation has taken place since I listened, and, if you may, obeyed. Sometimes it worries me that I didn’t hear the right message, but then a response comes very clearly that I’m on the right track.

It’s undeniable that from time to time, my heart strays… and oftentimes strays too far. :) But the time is not yet ripe for matters of the heart to bud into flower (even though I always notice him out of the corner of my eye whenever he’s around–how cheesy is that?).

Being human is a journey like no other–and to take on every new experience with optimism, joy, and a degree of shamelessness is probably the most invigorating sensation you’ll ever have.

Just a glimpse of You; Any more of You is more than we can bear–any more than just a glimmer.

Geek Moment #1

I like studying medicine, especially when it makes sense.

:DDDD Food poisoning explained! (briefly)

Bacteria from food (in food poisoning cases) irritates and causes your intestinal microvilli to shed. This causes absorption to decrease (surface area decreases, functionality decreases) and SO, no water or whatever is absorbed from the bacteria-containing food. The clump of food travels through your intestine with the bacteria continually making microvilli shed, sucking water out from your blood because it is hypertonic to your blood (I oooohed and aaaaahed with understanding here).

And that, folks, is how hypovolemia comes about. You lose water from your blood, so blood pressure goes down and your heart rate increases to compensate. This condition only arises once you have lost 10%-20% of your plasma water content.

So, please go to the hospital quickly if you have food poisoning. It could be fatal because of the water loss. Your body likes its water, yes?

Injecting Color into Life

SO, since everyone’s done it… Here are pictures from the IMU Music Performance Club Noise & Movement project held on the 6th of May, 2008! ( This is me finally having time to upload pix into my blog posts :DDDD )

Our sem 1 band, with Kor Woi on vocals for a Linkin Park song; I forgot the title! I think Rudy was doing backup vocals…

Rachel singing “Torn” by Natalie Imbruglia, Wei Chin on backup vocals!

Juonan singing “Teardrops on My Guitar” by Taylor Swift.

I did two songs, and Faye played guitar for me! She’s so awesomeeely talented!!! <3 AND loves anime. We did Jewel’s “Down So Long” and YUI’s “Good-bye Days” (which I sucked at DDD:, but Faye was awesomeee). All in all, NOISE was very fun. We should have more. Looking forward to the next one.

———————–

Apart from this, something which made me smile was this random, stalkerly note stuck under my window wiper on Friday:

Yes, it’s really tissue. Haha. I still don’t know who wrote it. If you can’t read it, it says,

To Jade / Can I have your number? / I love your voice so much! / From / Secret Admire / M1/07 Cadbury

Lulz. I love you guys.

p/s – I only give my number to REAL men who meet me face-to-face. ;D

Bloated.

Outdid myself: manymanymany chicken & beef satay sticks, pulut, fried rice, pizza, tiramisu, and cheesecake.

Urp.

Happy housewarming and house-blessing, Kevin & Adele! <3

(I washed Lolita today! :DDDDDD Yayyyy car shampoo.)

You Are Chardonnay

Fresh, spirited, and classic – you have many facets to your personality. You can be sweet and light. Or deep and complex. You have a little bit of something to offer everyone… no wonder you’re so popular. Approachable and never smug, you are easy to get to know (and love!).Deep down you are: Dependable and modest Your partying style: Understated and polite Your company is enjoyed best with: Cold or wild meat

What Kind of Wine Are You?

Cold or wild meat, eh. Wonder what that means.

“Boss, maggi goreng tak mau sayur telur mata ok?”

I suck at this whole food discipline thing.

Roti telur, maggi goreng, roti kosong, dal, curry, sausage bun………….

Adoi.

And then there’s still sushi outings…

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But nevermind about my non-discipline and greediness… BECAUSE On a more exciting note (now that I can actually say something about it…):

I HAVE A RECORDING I HAVE A RECORDING I HAVE A RECORDING!!! WOOHOO!!! <3333

I’m in The Canticle Singers for the 2008 season, and we’re doing a charity broadway revue in mid-July, so I got the opportunity to record a promotional song for the show, entitled “Taylor, the Latte Boy.” Click HEREEEE to have a listen! The more yadayada legal crediting is in the link. Original artiste is Kristin Chenoweth, whom I pale beside in comparison–she is one of my vocal hero(ine)s. The recording was a very fun experience, and very much a learning one as well.

Ladies and gentlemen, if all goes well, this might be on your radiowaves soon. :DDDD Wheee~

THANK YOU GOD! This is a dream come true. Literally.

Realign me.

Today was fun. But I have stuff on my mind.

On a side rant, I really need to start actively taking care of my voice now that I have two productions coming up. That means no hanging out with sick people, no oily food, no spicy food, no caffeine, no excessive screaming, no mamaks, no smoke (or hanging out with people who smoke around me), not too many late nights…. etc etc. Instead, I need to start taking honey, fruits, non-oily “healthy” foods, juices…. Sigh. More discipline! Hrrmph.

Anyways… In a nutshell, I sent Twink to Monash, then headed off to IMU. Upon reaching, I unloaded my stuff in the library and proceeded to study for about 30 minutes before going for breakfast with Jon. Then, after breakfast, I was in the library again for a grand total of 15 minutes before going for the choir vocal training (which, by the way, was unimpressive… but since I had to pay upfront, I’ll ride through the remaining 3 lessons). Then I went to the music room and ended up spending the rest of my time there “practicing” songs for the Noise & Movement project taking place next Monday and Tuesday in the atrium at lunchtime. When I had successfully procrastinated until 2.30, I went and gathered my unused notes from the library and went to watch Iron Man with Jon, Wei Phin, Xiao Wen, Jo Ann, Cheryl, Wai Cheong and Xiao Wen’s friend. After the movie, we ate at PHOP (and I missed vote counting… =(((((( Sorry Kajen & Korwoi! ). Then back to IMU to pick up my car and drive home…

No studying done.

I’m restless inside.

Missed CF. Missed vote-counting. Missed someone. Feel bad.

But when I think about it, when will I ever have these fun-filled, hectic days again? Med school is only going to get more time-consuming, and if I don’t make the most memories now… then when? I love you guys. :) Even when you tell lame jokes about how to get old aunties to let go of your puppy fat on the bus.

Line of the night: Wai Cheong–”Hey guys… we’ll do some biceps measuring on Monday, kay?”

Line of the week: Wei Phin–”Later I burn your house…” *emo*

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All for God’s Glory. After years of having that truth in the background, it’s unbelievably difficult to wrap my mind around it. I’m slipping so much that it’s hard to remember that God’s Grace is there. I feel so unworthy. But I shouldn’t let that unworthiness cover my view of God. All these humanly resolutions are easy to make because they sound so high and mighty, and… holy. They are difficult to follow on my own strength.

Lord, everything I do–make it that my heart knows I do it for You and no other, because that’s all that matters. I don’t need to say it publicly, Lord, but it will be enough that You know my heart strives to remain true to You as the Lover of my Soul, my Maker, and my Father. It’s so hard that I get frustrated and shy away very quickly.

Realign me towards Your throne, Father. Let me worship Your Glory, that all I do or say will cause attention to be directed to You.