29th February 2008 in Sydney

29th February 2008
(Leap year is here!)

0930
Woke up after snoozing the alarm several times. Really reluctant to get out of the cozy bed - Sydney weather's erratic again and has been so since the day I touch downed... I had only slept a total of 5 hours over the past 2 days plus a full day of revision at Liverpool Hospital (plus 5 hours of traveling) was tiring me out. I tugged the thick warm doona closer but had to give it up for the idea of dining hall closing at 10 AM wasn't inviting at all - I don't wanna miss breakfast!

1000
Went to test out my new Student ID (the colour's gold this year - reminds me of a gold credit card, hehe) which I processed on Wednesday (the day I arrived in Sydney itself - still can't believe I finished unpacking that day, not to mention trips to banks and Medibank Private to renew my OSHC) - still no access to Wallace Wurth (the med building) via Biological Sciences building - the entrance has changed due to the construction of the Lowy Cancer Research Centre on the old Medlawn site... Talked to security over intercom and was let through. ID (which also served as a swipe card) worked fine on all the other rooms in Wallace Wurth. Went to FM Assist to get access to Wallace Wurth. Hopefully it'll work when I try accessing the building after writing this blog entry...

1030
Using the Internet in library to check mails and compose this post!

1130
It's time to go. Got other stuff to do and can't wait to meet my church friends again tonight at bible studies... Ah, 29th February - when will you next visit? Oh oh, I know - if all goes well, you'll next visit when I start my housemanship year, when I'm finally a Dr.

=)

Farewells & Uncertainties

Three months may seem a long time but three months can just pass you by in a blink. Summer break had come and is now going – time to start uni again and get myself busy, more so with End-of-Phase 1 exams looming round the corner. I know it’s in May but one can’t help but get the nagging feeling that two months is indeed shorter than three months and those two months is no honeymoon to fit in more than two years’ work into the human brain. It’s just another two more days to go before the airplane transports me back to Sydney (I'm heading back on Tuesday). While I say hello to the joy of meeting friends back in uni and the woes of becoming a worn-out study machine soon, I realise that this also means farewell to family and friends back here. I’ll miss you all but if all goes well, one year will fly by quickly too and I’ll see you again as we swap stories and laugh over a cup of coffee.

Thanks for the good times, "IMU Gang"... =)

On another note, more interesting events are coming our way that are worth keeping an eye on. First up is the Oscars / Academy Awards which will be telecasted live tomorrow – wonder if there’s going to be any record-breakers or setters? Next are the elections – both here in Malaysia and miles away in the US. Will Barisan Nasional (BN) garner a huge victory again or will the strategy of having one instead of two contestants within the same constituency by opposing Barisan Alternatif (BA) yield fruitful results? John McCain seems set to be the Republican rep but how will it fare for the Democrats? Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton? Either way, if the Democrats win, history will be made as it will either be jotted down as the first Black or female President in US history. A less significant event but intriguing nonetheless is the voting of cities to be included in the latest Monopoly version – Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition. With loyal citizens around the globe voting frantically to get their shortlisted cities listed as one of the twenty-odd spots on the board, why not go to http://www.monopolyworldvote.com/en_US/world and start voting daily too? Root on for Kuala Lumpur and Sydney! =P

So many events and so many uncertainties but oh well, time will tell.

Till then, adios amigos and I'll write again as soon as I can, this time from Sydney...

My New Haircut

After a good long year of long hair, I went for a haircut today. I prefer long hair personally but I guess short hair will be more manageable in the long run, more so when it's still going to be hot when I return to Sydney in 1+ week's time and I won't be getting a haircut for another year i.e. long hair will be pursuing soon before I know it, hehe... Anyway, here's a shot of my new look with shoulder-length hair... Maybe you readers can give me your views - does short hair suit me better than long hair or the other way around?

Ps. I've updated some stuff on my blog - all posts are now labeled and the label index is just screaming out at you from the side-box! =P

SOOV'D

SOOV’D = Singles’ Outing On Valentine’s Day

That’s exactly what I did yesterday with both Nat and Stef. We met up in KL Sentral (Nat’s from Seremban while Stef’s from Subang) and Nat was sweet (as ever) to present us gals with a single rose each. We hopped on the LRT – our first stop: KLCC.

How’s this amateur shot of the nation’s pride taken with a mobile phone 2.0MP camera? =P

Bought tickets for the very first screening of Jumper (opened in cinemas yesterday) but much to our disappointment, the high-impact movie was disrupted half-way by glitches like upside down images, voices being played rewind, disappearing images and disappearing voices. Despite the cinema staff working on the problem for half an hour, the problem repeated itself and we were finally directed to the counter for a full refund. All three of us agreed that this is probably one of the most memorable Valentine’s Day for us – I can safely say that not many cinema-goers would ever chance upon such a viewing experience, lol.

The single’s trio camwhoring away in the dark theatre while waiting for the cinema staff to fix the glitch

We finally decided that instead of getting cash return, we asked for Kung Fu Dunk tickets – the movie was entertaining – lame, yes, but funny all the same. We also strolled through KLCC Park. Lunch was at Madam Kwan’s while dinner was at the food court. Met up with Stef’s dad (he works in Petronas) who whisked us to our second stop: Midvalley Megamall. A little more walking here and there (with the occasional glances at couples wearing matching T-shirts and extravagant displays of choc/teddy bear/flower bouquets) brought us to our third stop: Gardens KL. By the time I got back home, it was nearly midnight. Whoa, 3 malls within the same day – how many couples actually accomplish such a feat on V Day? Cheers to the singles! =D

Happy Chinese New Year 2008!

An advanced greeting...

To everyone whom I hold dear
May the Rat bring lots of cheer
Good news aplenty for all to hear
A very happy Chinese New Year!

Bus Crash No More

A memorial service for Nian Ning will be held tomorrow - please view its details together with the petition drive of preventing such further tragedies in the future at:

http://buscrashnomore.blogspot.com

Remember, every signature counts!