Iced Tea Monster

trying to find colours and calmness in all the rain, clouds and...

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:05:00 +0000

trying to find colours and calmness in all the rain, clouds and uncertainty.

~ From the day we went to the circus and did cartwheels in a field with ponies as our audience. The day we went to Aran islands which was sunny but very windy that our lunch flew away. We then climbed up the rocks to Dun Aengus for the second time and were nearly blown off the cliff. And the day we saw the volvo ocean race, sitting by the docks as we waited for the Green Dragon to come in. I loved the festive atmosphere :)

This will probably be my last post for the next few days/week. I’m taking a break from work, flying off for some time to meet up with my parents somewhere in the British Isles. Packed: stuff to wear, toiletries, dslr, chargers, memory cards, sketch book, sandwiches - will be staying overnight in dublin airport (my frequent free ‘hotel’ for a number of occasions). I feel like Paddington bear with my sandwiches and red travel bag.

Just so you know, I’ve managed to put in that disqus commenting thing :D somehow, managed not to mess up everything. So, all *counts* three of you can just send me encouraging notes by clicking that little thingy by the side of the posts - ‘text’ or ‘photo’. Just because. (something came up re work and it’s making me all haywire in the head)

sigh

BUT. I’ll deal with that after I come back.

~~~

I’ve been talking to my designated driver and he thinks I should get a car. Or not. This used to be mine for 15 seconds before the kids in the neighbourhood claimed it for themselves.

Maybe I can get a bike instead. Or not. The wind here would blow me off in one puff. Besides, I think I have forgotten how to balance myself on a bike seeing as how the last time I wobbled by was three years ago. I think I’ll get by with my legs for transport at this moment.

It’s freezing here. I’m at home, nearly falling...

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:21:00 +0000

It’s freezing here. I’m at home, nearly falling asleep with a mug of tea and a hot water bottle at my feet. Yep, I’m post-call. Dunno why, but my arms are shaking and I feel like a limp rag or something. I don’t usually feel like this after oncalls.. Might be because we were busy till the wee hours of the morning and then the wards bleeped me a few times just as I was about to fall asleep. Saje je made it sound like I work like crazy :D It wasn’t too bad.

Dr Spikyhair saw my presentation and was happy enough :D.

I suddenly feel all melancholic.. which is yucky. I’ve just realized that I have about a month left in this hospital, before I move back to Busy, Less Friendly Galway. I’ve made quite a few friends here. My previous team, my current team… I will miss them so. I know I’ve been moaning about how small Roscmm is (no Charlie B, no TKmaxx), but the people here are the nicest I have met and I have nothing to complain about them (except one). You know how you meet up with the other interns and most will heatedly discuss about certain mean nurses/docs/patients etc… well, I usually don’t contribute much to their discussion because I have nothing to add. Partly because there is nothing bad about them and partly because I hate talking stuff about others.

First team -

Consultant: Dr McGaraa - taught me as a medical student and was the reason why I applied here in the first place. He is ‘a fountain of knowledge’ - as said by one patient.

Reg1: Zach - the hyper registrar who wants everything done fast. Very mad about football. Borrows my laptop sometimes, during weekend oncalls to watch football matches in between seeing patients. MU fan. Supplies me with home cooked dinner as a payment for the laptop :D (Bribing me with food works..)

SHO: Keith - Cool SHO. Helps me a lot especially during calls. He backed me up when I was just starting as an intern and did some stupid things. Still has my back even now when we’re not on the same team. Likes to poke and high five people. Drinks milk from the carton (and one day, laughed and milk came out from nose and mouth “sorry you had to see that, icedteaM”). Mad about football too and likes to make up teams on scraps of paper during grand rounds. Chelsea fan.

SHO: Louise - taught me practical things which helped me a lot during - yep - oncalls again. Shakes her head at seeing me eat bread everyday and offers me chocolates instead (which is worse than bread I think). We’re still in the same team even now. Likes to say ‘Good woman!’. She rides horses! I’d love to do that one day. probably in my dreams again.

hahahah

This is so silly, feeling like this. I think I’m about to get my monthly visitor.

~~~

Somehow, someone in Easons made a mistake and I now have two copies of ‘Creative License’ which I’m thinking of giving away as a gift to someone who likes art too, but I don’t know anyone who does except for those far away (thinking of Lemon & Nat).

~~~

Naaaah. It’s not snowing here. That’s somewhere in Austria, probably my room, can’t remember.

Vanilla ice cream and bubbles

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:24:00 +0000

Co-host to Disney’s MythBuster. That’s me. And my partner is this tall, dark and funny guy who looks familiar, but I cannot quite put my finger on who he resembles. We are in a huge circus tent and there are people in flowing dresses spinning, spinning, spinning in intricate patterns, making figures of eight on the ice. There are a million stars in the midnight sky and tiny orange lights coming from lanterns.

In the middle, there is a a red and white candy cane holding up the tent and I am there with my partner, doing our mythbusting experiment = ‘Can vanilla ice cream float in a bubble?’ Not just any bubble. It’s the lady bird bubble, the one which comes in small tubes and you squeeze a bit out, mold it around a tiny yellow tube and blow into bubbles which do not burst on touch.

Here

Bubbles taken from here

I scooped (and in the process, ate) some vanilla ice cream into a cup and blew a huge bubble around it. All the while, they keep dancing and swirling around me.

And then my alarm went off and I did not get to see if the ice cream floated or not. But at least I get to have a dream with all my favourite things.

~~~

Anyway, back to reality. I have a presentation I need to finish for Tuesday and wrapped in this purple duvet on this very comfortable sofa on a rainy day is not doing anything to kickstart my brain. I’m oncall on Monday too :( I hope it won’t be a busy day/night because I don’t want to be in a fuzzy-brain condition come Tuesday. (It’s also on my not-so-favourite subject, neurology - cerebellar stroke)

I’m glad though. I have something to look forward to after that :)

~~~

How do you make the date show up for each post? I don’t want to fiddle about with the codes because I’ll just mess it up (and I’m lazy). If you’ve time, can you do it klong?

PS. At the moment, it’s 8.24am on a Sunday, 22nd November

EDIT - hey, what’s wrong with your blog? There’s nothing there. Just a big mass of blueness.

Today is not a beautiful day - as in a sunny day. But it’s...

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:54:22 +0000

Today is not a beautiful day - as in a sunny day. But it’s beautiful that the tiny raindrops fall like a mist on my face. And a robin playing in the puddle. It’s beautiful to see the rainbow and the sun between the clouds, every now and then. To see the clouds change shape, rushing past with the wind. After all the rain, the sun will shine and the sky will be blue again ~ after all manner of bleh-ness, things will get better. Just need to wait it out. I know it’s hard, but I hope you can get through everything. *hugs*

****

Gummi Bears! Bouncing here and there and everywhere~

I’ve finished French Milk which was OK. A travel journal +...

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:07:26 +0000

I’ve finished French Milk which was OK. A travel journal + graphic-y novel of sorts about a girl and her mother, living in Paris for a month, eating croissants and drinking fresh milk. Now I’m on to Tom Holt’s ‘You don’t have to be evil to work here but it helps’. That’s a mouthful.

***

Medical stuff here, sorry.

I did an ascitic tap today!!!!!

(ok, I’ve exhausted my supply of exclamation marks for the week)

Yes. I poked a bloated tummy with a needle and drained fluid which had collected there (not in the tummy, but I’m too lazy to explain). Tiring job after a while though, because I was already tired and pulling that 20ml syringe… OK, won’t get into too much detail.

Oncall - Someone came in the casualty with status epilepticus. He was jerking nonstop, frothing and very blue in the face. His O2 sats was down to 60%. After 100% oxygen, suction, ativan, phenytoin, MgSO4 and a whole load of other drugs, he settled down and O2 sats went up. Fuh. No, I didn’t do all the work. Eric, the reg was there the whole time and I was the assisstant, preparing and pushing the drugs in.

Normal stuff otherwise.

***

Dave, my previous reg said he’d organize a party for me (us interns actually), end of this year, before we switch to another hospital. I can’t believe how fast the time flies… I mean, it felt like only yesterday that I was starting work, getting all grumpy with the xray doc, whooping over successful canulations etc. Now, I still don’t get along with the xray doc, I’m whooping over ascitic tap and doing A&E stuff and I still long for weekends. 5 months… been quite an experience.

Now, all I need to do is remember stuff. I have really short term memory…

***

Weave me the sunshine :)

Feel like travelling again...

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:08:00 +0000

I’ve been making plans with Aine. I still have one day of my annual leave (or two, I’m not sure) and add that to a weekend, I can get away for a few days. We thought of going to Istanbul/Alhambra/Paris/Prague… oh lots of places.

But then, finally settled on ~~boring old~~ amazing London because of the time limit. And because Aine wanted to do some shopping while I just want to walk around with my camera and unwind myself. maybe do a bit of sketching or whatever travel journal thing that I always do.

Oh, I’m also going to London in a few days’ time to meet up with my parents ~~and get free food~~.

Until the time comes, I leave you with some of the pictures that I managed not to erase (I’m still pining over my lost pictures…). <— hint hint***

~~~

These are hats which I wanted to get, but i know I won’t be wearing them during ward rounds, so, I decided against buying any. The masks were a different matter altogether.

why hello there. I wonder how much it costs to live in one of those apartments by the river. I meant the river corrib. Probably 500?

Lamp posts… my favourite subject. All thanks to the Narnia books I read as a kid.

The bank? Post office? I know we stopped by this big courtyard kind of post office to get postcards for kaklong. There’s something that looks like a well in the middle. I think my memory is a bit addled now..

Gondoliers! On one of the small islands, we waited for the waterbus. Sometimes sitting on the ground by the pier, playing with a sparrow (not torturing the thing, just taking pictures) or just wandering. Other times, people watching.

I love the dinosaur :) Cute drawing/graffiti.

We walked until the sun set and the lights came on. Lit up the place like fireflies…

I’m postcall today. Tomorrow, I’m oncall again. That is the reason why I need to get away. I need to find a balance in my life again. All work and no play kind of thing.

(I do seem to blog a lot though)

Saturday, saturday...

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:23:00 +0000

I thought I was going to stay in OopsyDaisy Town for the weekend ~~to study~~ because I’m on tomorrow. But then, someone asked if I wanted a lift to GoldLeaf, so, off I went.

Here I am, in the car, on a friday, on the way to Gold Leaf. Before Mr Sandman captured me.

That night, we had baklava (sp?) all the way from Istanbul. Thanks to CK and Shark. Aimee came down from Letterkenny. We’ve decided to take over CK’s apartment for next year.

And apple flavoured tea which I had no idea how to make. Should have those tiny teacups instead.

Morning ~ woke up early, but stayed in bed a while. Had English breakfast :)

Well, it was a brunch really. Just as we finished, Daria called for lunch with her Mister. Had a walk around town, down that cobbled place where they used to sell antique stuff back in first year. Now, they have a market there. Something like the Saturday market, with stalls along the medieval walk. Muffins and pies from Athlone, sweet strawberries dipped in chocolate, carrots, tomatoes, sushi… eclectic mix I’d say.

Chocolat (saje je nak eja cam french), carrots, berries

And these two are the ones selling the cakes and pies

Christmas lights are up

Happiness in mini doughnuts drizzled with chocolate and a sprinkling of fine sugar. This small cobbled walkway with the sugary, spicy aroma transported me back to Brussels and those soft, heavenly waffles. I think my wish to grow laterally will be answered this winter.

And finally, we went off to Lemongrass for the usual. This is a bento box - deep fried seabass with panang curry sauce, succulent prawns, wok fried veggies and a dessert of fruits. Oh, thanks to Aimee for treating us to this late lunch :D

This is me in my white dress I wore since Friday. Yuck, I know, but I was in a hurry and had no time to change.

And now, after a 2-hour journey, I’m back in OopsyDaisy town. Short but happy weekend. Come sunday, I’ll be slaving away in the casualty again. But will dream of sugar and spice tonight, so, it doesn’t really matter (at the moment anyway).

Hugs and kisses to Tiger and family and friends.

I’ve been eating junk food for aaay-ges. I don’t...

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:44:00 +0000

I’ve been eating junk food for aaay-ges. I don’t know what might be brewing inside me, but I just cannot find the time (or effort, because who likes doing dishes and pots and pans… if only they will magically clear up). In my boudoir, I have a big blue bag, filled with junk - choki choki (chocolate paste you squeeze so that they come out like tiny snakes or worms), marshmallow teacakes, monster munches in various flavours, pillow crackers, swirly crackers, instant noodles…

Then, there were those ice lollies at 3 pence for the short ones and 5 pence for the very long ones. Which would stain my tongue blue (or red or orange or yellow). I have given up on those after we moved away from Newcastle. Only to be replaced by another 10 cent version, which I’d get everyday after school, from that generous 50cent allowance (and I still managed to save a coin a day for my piggybank). Haagen Daz is just lovely, especially the strawberry cheesecake which I finished in one weekend, while bundled up in a furry bathrobe to keep warm. Italian gelato is also droolworthy and I am glad that I had the chance to taste quite a few on that short winter trip. Yep, I graduated to posh ice cream. But my favourite is still ‘Split’, with the green lime-lemoney flavour outside and that crreamy pure white vanilla inside… bes tol.

OK, side tracking.

eh wait. MILO. LOVE the chocolate malt drink from when we were kids. Not any old Milo. The one from the green Milo van which would come every sports day. It’s like the fountain of the best chocolate drink in the world and people would line up in the blazing heat just to get a cup. I think you (or someone else) took a big empty bottle and filled it to the brim once.

Ahem.

Now I am thinking of reducing the amount of carcinogens in my life because lets face it, I’ll never be that 180-year old who keeps celebrating birthdays just because she eats crisps all year long. Will think some more and figure out a way to eat better.

I get enough physical activity running all over the hospital, so, I won’t be worried about a big bum or anything.

Didn’t say that this is going anywhere. I just feel like rambling.

Will not give up ice cream though. 6 months to go before the next Split

yep, let’s go travelling again. I don’t know how to...

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:30:54 +0000

yep, let’s go travelling again. I don’t know how to reblog, so, I’m just answering here. Just us, change of clothes and cameras. And maybe a book to doodle.

~~~

I’m currently dloading stuff from when I was a kid. Remember those early mornings when they keep repeating songs and nasyids on ntv7 or something? Or maybe I was the only one at home at that time. Anyway, I found them :)

I passed! Alhamdulillah :D I feel like I’m on a...

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:57:00 +0000

I passed! Alhamdulillah :D

I feel like I’m on a merry-go-round, flying around, up and down with that tinkling-almost-like-my-old-musical-box-music :) I know it’s just ACLS, but it’s one very expensive course and I wouldn’t want to have to repeat it. So, yep, I am now a qualified advanced cardiac life support-er thingy. Will not bat an eyelid if you drop in front of me. Will ~~scream~~ call for help.

Fun. We even had lunch prepared for the first day, so, I didn’t have to go hungry (I’m kidding. I don’t go hungry. Promise). Another good thing that came out was that I get to know the names of most of the staff here because of the huge name tags they give you. You know how bad I am at remembering names (even after working here for 5 months).

So. Now what do I do?

Watch anime!!! (well I’ve been watching anime and jdrama for the past few days anyway)

Sleep.

Eat.

Oh. something else. The DHS guy called and I now have the BOOKS! Happy days indeed

~~~

This was… where was it? I can’t remember. Somewhere in Italy, yeah, that’s right.

Lihatlah di dada langit Bintang bertaburan Bulan yang indah...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:08:35 +0000

Lihatlah di dada langit
Bintang bertaburan
Bulan yang indah
Menyinari malam

Lihatlah di dada bumi
Lihat air laut
Yang berombak mesra
Menghempas ke pantai
Tak pernah jemu membelai

Alam yang indah
Rahmat dari-Nya
Sungguh mempersona
Bersyukur pada-Nya
Kecapi nikmat-Nya
Berzikir padanya
Agar kan jadi
Hamba yang setia

Lihatlah di kaki gunung
Ada suria pagi
Menampakkan diri
Menerangi alam

Setelah terbenam mentari
Berehat menanti
Terbit rembulan nan berseri
Menerangi kegelapan

Segala yang diberikan
Adalah rahmat dari-Nya
Jangan kufur pada-Nya
Jadilah hamba yang bersyukur

Kepada-Nya…

evil leprechaun hides behind a smile. It’s 1am and...

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:12:11 +0000

evil leprechaun hides behind a smile.

It’s 1am and it’s raining outside. Cannot sleep yet.

One leprechaun, two leprechauns, three leprechauns…

Ferngully. I’ve never seen the movie before. I only...

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:30:23 +0000

Ferngully. I’ve never seen the movie before. I only remember seeing the pictures in a newspaper when I was a kid and thinking how wonderful it would be if I can go there. Because I couldn’t, I just cut out the black and white picture and stuck it in my red diary with the hopes that I’d see it some day. Or else, discover a place where it feels just the right amount of magic. Which was on that day, when I took this picture. So, dreams come true :)

~~~

Turkey….

I want to go there too. Pretty please, send me a postcard from there. My weekend of studying will be much better with the thought that I might get snail mail. Which reminds me, I haven’t received any for over a year now. Internet stuff is not the same…

~~~

I made a new friend today. Edel’s her name and we ‘bonded’ over the silly questions we have to do for the exams. Did I promise her I’d go down to do them tomorrow? Maybe.

Whenever I look at this, I think of Bag End. Wouldn’t it...

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:13:21 +0000

Whenever I look at this, I think of Bag End. Wouldn’t it be nice if I can get a home like that. My SHO asked me what I do during weekends. I couldn’t get myself to say that I like wandering around, just looking at things, marvelling nature and taking pictures and dreaming of having a beautiful place where I can decorate and put up paintings. Bag End-ish place. Just too much to explain. “I just walk about Galway”

Cinemas? She asked.

No, I don’t go there. I don’t even know how it looks like inside, except from what I see on TV. I just would not like the atmosphere, what urgh and eeuw things lurk in the dark. I don’t want to be a part of that. Anyway, I can do all the movie watching in my room, with close friends and a mug of hot drink and wear pyjamas at the same time :) Sleepover :)

Back to Bag End. If I’m to have my own, I have to settle in one place. Not like now, when I have to move every 6 months or so. I guess it will be a long, long, long time to that dream. So, in the meantime, I’ll still wander about and create stuff in my head, on paper and canvases. See the world whenever I can. Get books for my own library and wonder when I’ll read them. I’d buy 5 and read one if I have time.

I can’t wait to get the books. Any day now…

Dear Icedteamonster,

The following items have been shipped:

1 x French Milk

1 x Illustrated Life

1 x Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy

1 x Gashlycrumb Tinies

:D XD :D :)

(Oh, I added the smilies there. Easons are too professional for smilies)

April 12th

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:28:47 +0000

This was where I did my General Practice attachment.

I stayed at a B&B by the beach – BEAUTIFUL I love watching the sea, be it during a calm day and the sea would be azure, blue, turquoise, aqua… it changes. Or during a storm, when the waves crash the shore and white sprays of foam makes the sea seem more alive than usual. The fact that I can see surfers riding the waves is an added bonus. They’re great (I wonder how they can stand the cold sea…)

It’s also very, very expensive and I am broke. But who cares! I’m not starving anyway.

I love the practice too. Absolutely different from the hospital setting, obviously. Met all manner of people, quirky individuals: tiny old ladies with sticks, travel junkie teacher, an aspiring restaurateur with a Nigella-like flair, gypsies, normal people… you just never get bored. And I get to see a wide range of problems: atrial fib, COPD, palliative care, bipolar (Pie-ola, according to a lady). I just don’t know where to start or end. It’s so different from what I expected. What struck me most is how close the relationship between them and the doctor. Calgary-Cambridge anyone?

The doctors are nice too as expected.

I take half an hour to walk to the practice every morning and I don’t even mind this as the view is – yep – awesome.

I had to go to Ennis to catch the bus back to Galway and since there was no bus going to Ennis, I had someone drive me there. In an undertaker’s vehicle (dunno what it’s called). I had no idea at first, till I asked whether he’s a doctor, and he said no, he’s an undertaker. No wonder everything was black. But it could be said that that was one of the best rides I’ve been on. So smooth, even on the winding, bumpy country roads. I guess that’s appropriate for a job like that, since you don’t want to be bumping a deceased person. He’s really a nice, albeit quiet old man. And he’s Dr B’s father-in-law.

So much that I should write but I cannot find the words to describe everything (besides, I am sleepy).

Will be going back there on Monday. Tonight, just rest and do unnecessary things which are actually necessary in making me crack a smile and relax but unnecessary in the sense that they are non academic related. Whatever. I’m rambling now.

Yeah, it’s not that bad.

Spanish Point

Waves

Small house at the edge… couldn’t take a decent picture though

And then the weather changed. Look, a seagull :) I like the clouds

Angry sea

Equals surfing, see the tiny guy there?

I never can catch him when he’s doing real surfing, as in standing on his board.

Closer

Wind Flying Should move to the left a bit. I’ve never worn...

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:27:01 +0000

Wind

Flying

Should move to the left a bit.

I’ve never worn this dress to work alang. Afraid it’ll become in contact with blood etc.

edible things #3 my dinner. This was a few days ago, when I went...

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:48:46 +0000

edible things #3

my dinner. This was a few days ago, when I went home late and someone else had cooked dinner. Someone always cooks dinner. Last night, during oncall, I had the most yummy dinner with my last reg and the psychiatry reg. They urged me to eat these chillies which he was eating like someone eating crisps… I declined. But the rest.. nyam nyam :D

Tonight, I am eating honey nut loops. Will rummage for food later.

~~~

I went on an ambulance with the paramedics! My first time with a patient who collapsed. Paramedics are always fun I think. They take their work seriously, of course, but they’re always joking around, to lighten the mood? Well, from what I see anyway. “Ah, you fainted, of course.. what with being surrounded by all those female nurses and this here A-MAY-ZING doc, who wouldn’t?” (I didn’t even do anything, just sat there, watching the patient and the various things in the van). They didn’t put the siren thingy on though :(

Yesterday was crazy though. I somehow managed to do all those things and one of the SHOs even took one patient off me in the clinics to give me time to rest :)

~~~

I really have nothing else to write la klong. I mean, this is my life :D Yo-yo dinners, oncalls, funny people, crazy people, nice people (I nearly spelt poop) exasperating people, chocolates, disturbed clock, messy bed and winter.

~~~

Tiger is sooooo cute. I don’t know if he will take to me when I go back. maybe I won’t take to him (with all the toe-biting), but so far, he is still making me smile, every time I read about him. Especially about the part where he slept on your tummy with tiny legs up in the air.

taking a break. Sorry for all the entries. This is how I am when...

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:00:22 +0000

taking a break. Sorry for all the entries. This is how I am when I have other pressing matters. Anyway, Lemon, if you are ever free, give me your address :) and if I am free, I’ll think of something to do :)

Psst. also, I really, really miss the pictures we took. You do know about all the accidentally deleted pictures? All 6 years worth of pictures. well, if ever you’re free, please, pretty please, can you somehow burn them on dvds and somehow, one day, I can visit you or you can visit me or something…

Dunno what I’m babbling now.

have a good day. senyum :)

Left or right? OK, OK, I know which one I have to pick. *close...

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:02:13 +0000

Left or right?

OK, OK, I know which one I have to pick.

*close eyes*

ip dip doo, chicken has a flu, girls hate boys and I want… you.

just somewhere along the river again. blurry, but lovely time...

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:44:00 +0000

just somewhere along the river again. blurry, but lovely time for a walk. I’m waiting for the time when I’m off again, which I am not sure when.

In and out the dusty bluebells, in and out the dusty bluebells, in and out the dusty bluebells, I am the monster. Tippity pi tap tap on my shoulder, tippity pi tap tap on my shoulder…

From long ago. Do you remember that song?