A refresher course that doesnt seem too refreshing

A few days ago I wrote a post on how I wanted to go back to school. I had to look up my transcript of records so I could get an overview of the courses I had so I could prepare myself.
Whoa I guess I did get a little ambitious on my plan. Here is the list of the 4 year curriculum

1st year
BIOCHEMISTRY
HUMAN ANATOMY
PHYSIOLOGY
COMMUNITY MEDICINE
PSYCHIATRY
BIOETHICS
PERSPECTIVES IN MEDICINE
MEDICAL INFORMATICS

2nd year
PSYCHIATRY 2
BIOETCHIS 2
COMMUNITY MEDICINE 2
PATHOLOGY (ANATOMICAL/CLINICAL)
MICROBIOLOGY/PARASITOLOGY
PHYSICAL DIAGNOSIS
PHARMACOLOGY
MEDICINE 1
SURGERY 1
OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY 1
PEDIATRICS
MEDICAL INFORMATICS 2
LEGAL MEDICINE/ MED JURIS

3rd year
MEDICINE 2
SURGERY 2
PEDIATRICS 2
OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY 2
COMMUNITY MEDICINE 3
CPC (CLINICO PATHOLOGICAL CONFERENCE)
PSYCHIATRY 3
ENT
OPHTHALMOLOGY
CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY
ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY
RADIOLOGY
BIOETHICS 3

4th year (Clerkship)

Rotations (DUTY)
MEDICINE
SURGERY
PEDIATRICS
OB-GYNE
COMMUNITY MEDICINE
ENT
OPTHALMOLOGY
PSYCHIATRY
ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY

Damn that list is pretty long and scary!
Im not going to enroll on all these courses again. I just need to review. Its just one more year before I finish my degree though.

Strangely, Im really excited but a little apprehensive. Thats a lot!=)

(photo courtesy of fotosearch)

destress, pussy style

i wish i could relax like this
or lay down like this

or contort like this one

my real love

it was 5 years ago when i quit and told myself that i hated what i was doing. i found a job and also moved out of the country. during that period also i did some "soul searching". sought meaning and purpose to my life . i thought the big bucks would make me happy. for awhile i admit it did. it was good to also be able to afford a few things that could make those people i love happy.

i ultimately got tired of just working and earning but not really achieving something on a personal level (if you know what i mean). i felt no fulfillment in what i did.the pay is good but i felt that there is more i can do out there and hopefully its not about just money. i wish to be able to impart of what ive learned all these years and share or use it to alleviate the condition of others. sounds ambitious? kind of. but all i want is to do something that could improve the quality of life of some people, even when they are obviously in pain or there isnt much anyone can do for them..

i miss my old "routine".

when i quit my "routine" 5 years ago to have that freedom, i felt excited to try something else uncertain. even if the other route doesnt hold any promise for me. i wanted out. i was bored.

it was like being in an 8 year relationship and deciding to end it. i needed a breather.

i did have my 5 year of so called freedom. i have no regrets and looking back, i honestly wouldnt have it any other way. the experiences, both good and bad, have made me more firm in my goal in life now. also, the years i was away made me more mature in my outlook in life. im also more appreciative of the things i used to take for granted.

i never stopped thinking of what i had given up. i tried but i just felt that although i was happy there seemed a void that could not be filled by just a high paying job.

it felt like a first love i never got over.

after having discerned on this for quite some time now, i have decided to pursue my true love. yeah its a corny analogy but thats the closest i can think of=).

i am going back.

this isnt going to be easy but ive always been up for such a challenge . ive always placed a high value on things i had a hard time pursuing. so here it goes.

tomorrow is the first day of "bringing back the old memories".

Lesson 1. Biochemistry

Tsokolateng Itlog

2 years ago my then fiance sent me a birthday box filled with a bunch of goodies. It had a book, combos, filler pads for swiffer (I requested for this one), a stuffed animal, bath products and a Kinder Egg

I loved all of it. The chocolate caught my interest because it was so good. It was the first time I ever had one of these eggs.
It was called a Kinder Egg. My fiance got it during a layover at Germany. It was really yummy. Unfortunately at that time they didnt have it in SG. This chocolate comes with a toy too that you have to assemble.

A year ago they started selling the "Kinder Egg" here in SG. I was so excited to find it at a local store. It looked like this

the inside looked like this :

(photo courtesy of http://bit.ly/jRvO7 site)

I was disappointed. The original Kinder egg coated the entire little container that housed the toy. The chocolate was also very good compared to the one I bought here. The plastic shell of the original Egg looked like a big pill that you can pop open and take out the toy. It looks like this:

I am unsure whether the kinder egg sold here are manufactured by the same company or its a cheap bootleg version. Im just disappointed with the taste and the toy. Not that I really care much for the toy. The local version also had a toy but it looked equally crappy. Like I said, I didnt care about the toy. My tastebuds were frustrated.

Imitation is the best form of flattery as they say, but I really dont agree on this cliche. Be it clothes, bags, shoes etc especially food.

Even if I am not into branded stuff, I just don't like fakes. Id rather have a totally unknown brand than get a knock off of a well known brand. It is really annoying as well especially if the price is almost the same (sometimes even a bit higher). My husband ate a"fake"oreo once and he threw the whole pack. He was so pissed off that he even thought of writing "to the forum".

Well now we buy chocolates mostly from the cocoa tree or fairprice where we trust the merchandise.

Here is a link that you may want to check out if you are interested in Kinder eggs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinder_Surprise

Artworks for my babies

Here are a few sketches of my 3 babies. We used Pencils, crayons and markers. I drew and did the outline. My hubby colored and did the final touches to these drawings.

Dapper

Timmy

Bouncy

October '09 cat treats

Like I mentioned in one of my previous posts, our cat has a special treat day each week. Sometimes its on a Saturday but oftentimes we do it on Sundays. For this month we already bought them their special treats wet food. Also, we got them a new cat toy. I realized their old stick toy has no more feathers. The life span of the stick toy is very short because this happens to be the cats' favorite. The first one I got them was a cheap one I bought at Daiso. It was a recommendation by Penny from Yishun (Ill write a separate post about her. Cat advocate in SG know Penny. She is a wonderful woman and a selfless cat caregiver).
That Daiso toy lasted quite long because I took the time to mend it and even stitch it together. Its amazing that 2 dollar toy endured for a year.

Last year was a very tough year for me. Due to financial constraints even the cats were deprived of getting new toys or good food. Just the same, me and my hubby tried our best to make do with what we had. The cats had to settle with makeshift toys and standard brand of catfood. The new cat Thumpy had some kink problem on her spine but we managed to get her a calcium replacement despite the very tight budget.

A lot has changed since we moved to a different house. We are happier and Im sure our cats are too. We are not big timing but we are hardly ever without good food. Even the cats get more treats than they used to. The cat goodies include toys and the quality of food. We make sure now that the cats have that special treat at least once every week.

For October this is what we have in store for our babies:

We also got them this new cat teaser from Pet Lovers. It costs $4.90 and the cats go gaga over it.

The cat that got away- A tribute to Whitty Part 1

It was on May 2008 when I decided to adopt a cat. I have been in the country for one year but taking in a cat is one big leap. I am aware that cats are not allowed in HDB and since Im just a foreigner here, I have to be extra careful with the laws of the land. Yes I know it is still illegal to keep cats in a flat but I know a lot of people who do it. None of them so far has been caught or penalised so I thought it was going to be fine. I got in touch with Jamie, an advocate for Cat Welfare Socieity. She invited me go all the way to Yishun to take a look at the cat. She said the name of the cat is Whitty. I was so excited to go all the way to Yishun although it was a little far from where I live (Tampines). I was contemplating on taking the cat home that day. I had to put that off though because I was about to move to a new flat. The current contract at the flat I was staying at will be expiring on June 9. I thought it would be perfect to get the cat after I have settled in the new unit.

Jamie told me that Whitty was supposed to be adopted by someone else. It was sad according to her. When the woman saw Whitty, she just said she didnt have any feelings for her. So Jamie put up her ad again online and changed the status from adopted to for adoption.

Then I called and emailed her. She seemed very happy to hear from me and asked me when I could pick up the cat. So I told her I had to see the cat first and also I was in the process of moving to a new house. I reassured her however that if I like the cat, I would bring the cat home.

Jamie and I scheduled to meet a week after our conversation on the phone. It was set, Ill come by on May 17 to take a look at the cat. A week prior to visiting Jamie at Yishun, there was an unexpected turn of event when Whitty fell from the 4th floor of an HDB flat. I was shocked. My first question was, is she alive? The woman said she is alive and was brought to the vet. After a moment of silence, she asked me if I still wanted to take her, I said, Ill have to see the extent of her injuries. I felt guilty and selfish saying that. But I didnt think it would be a good ideato take her in and then be unable to provide her with the extra care she deserved.

When I got to Yishun I met up with Jamie. She introduced me to the foster parent of the cat also but I forgot her name.

There was also one important information that she failed to tell me on the phone. Whitty has to be adopted with her sister Dapper.Hmm I thought. I was not sure whether I could handle it.But I just told myself, we will see.

So I met the 2 kitties.

Here is Dapper

and here is Whitty:

Dapper is a 3 colored short hair who seem shy at first but warms up within the next 30 minutes. Whitty on the other hand is more outgoing and friendly than Dapper. She is white colored and has some flecks of brown on her ears and paws. Among the 2 cats, I would say Whitty is the sweet one. Dapper is adorable too but she is just a little passive compared to her sister.

After seeing the two babies, I just couldnt resist the challenge and most of all Whitty's charming eyes. I decided to adopt Whitty..and Dapper too.