DAY 1503-1516

Oct 13 -26

1) Since my eventful trek up Penang Hill two weeks ago, life has returned to its normal, slightly monotonous self. I wake up early, get dressed, take a Grab taxi to school, attend lessons (either on campus or in the wards, depending on the schedule), and then return home, usually quite tired, in the evening. In the blink of an eye, I've survived three weeks of psychiatry rotation, with another three weeks to go before our end-of-rotation clinical examinations. 

2) Coming back to medicine, I realise the difference between conducting research and being a medical student. With the former, one has to be really knowledgeable in a relatively small field of research topics. Critical thinking, including interpreting results, modifying hypotheses, and re-testing hypotheses, as well as presenting one's findings and the significance of those findings - these are the core skills tested in conducting research. Medicine is much more hands-on in that it requires a basic/foundational knowledge in a relatively large and diverse field of health sciences. Good communication skills, patient interaction, and clinical skills, as well as the ability to remain calm and collected in emergency situations is key to being a good medical student.

3) Compared to the other rotations that I have experienced so far, psychiatry is unique in that it is very well structured. We have different "themes" each week, and our course book (we use the same book from RCSI) very helpfully details the chapters that are covered for each particular week. For example, in week 1, we tackled bipolar and other mood disorders (depression and mania). This week, we will look at child psychiatry and psychiatric conditions in pregnancy. The other rotations, while well-organised, are too broad in scope to allow for such categorisations; the student has to just absorb as much as they can before the rotation ends.

4) Moving away from my studies, I've also forced myself to get out and exercise in the evening, no matter how tired I may be after lessons. I usually go for a very short jog around the park just outside my apartment. The main idea is to keep myself in shape and not constantly out of breath (medical school can be very physically demanding too!) Last Saturday, I went out for my evening jog. It had just stopped raining, so the pavement was quite slippery. Unbeknownst to me, a stretch of pavement was littered with small berries that had fallen from a tree. These berries had been squashed by people walking past, making it all the more slippery. 

5) Long story short, I slipped and hit my left knee - hard. At first, I brushed off the dirt from my knee and continued jogging. After I finished, I noticed my knee was now bleeding, and the blood had trickled down my socks. Luckily, it was not a very large wound. I quickly bought dinner and went back to wash the wound thoroughly. The problem with the wound is that it is right where I would bend my knee, which means as the wound heals and forms a scar, I have to be careful not to extend too much or the scar would reopen. 

6) That is basically it for my blog. Unfortunately, no more interesting activities or events for a good while, as I imagine things will get a lot busier in the coming weeks. Thanks for tuning in as always, and have a nice week ahead. Cheers!

With Malik and Ice, whom are now no longer my batchmates *cries*

Fragrant yam rice with pork belly soup

Today, as I was studying in the library, I suddenly heard a loud "CRASH!" Turns out a falling branch had destroyed a small section of our campus compound. They've since repaired it and trimmed the remaining branches off

Nasi goreng pattaya, or "omelette fried rice", topped with sweet chilli and fried shallots

Reuniting with more friends over lunch, @ Sepoy Cafe

My running garb (my shorts don't have pockets so I need a sling bag to store my phone)

Tried salmon fried rice today - very filling, especially after a long run!

Such good fish for less than RM10 (£2)!

Today's special was rice with black pepper chicken (I think XD)

I was at Gurney over the weekend, and this is one of the Thai cuisine restaurants that I frequent

(I think this is called "nasi paprik")

Spring rolls (first time I've seem them served with a soup base to dip!)

Gurney Food Hall, my go-to place for the weekends :)

Inside Gurney Plaza (the Food Hall is on the 4th floor)

Sitting with the chef himself - a nice way to enforce social distancing

These buzzers are really cool - they go off when the food is ready

Some snapshots inside the Food Hall (it usually gets really crowded by noon)

Today I tried their chicken rendang with red curry - was not disappointed!

They call this "nasi hujan panas" - which literally means "hot rain rice" - I've no clue how they came up with such a name, but it goes really well with the fried cabbage and curry

When I first returned from Dublin two years ago, I went jogging in First Garden and fell on my right knee. Now karma dictates that I need to damage my left knee to even it out...

DAY 1493-1502

Oct 3 - 12

1) This past week has been a week of catching up with old friends, and meeting new ones! And of course, exciting times too as I had begun my first week of psychiatry rotations. For the first four days, our lectures and tutorials were either online or on campus. We were given our course book (the same one used in RCSI), and introduced to the department staff. The way the psychiatry 7-week rotation works is we have a theme each week. For our first week, we focused on mood disorders (including depression, mania, and bipolar mood disorders). Then on Friday, my subgroup (B3) made our first trip to the Perak Road Health Clinic (Klinik Kesihatan Jln Perak), where we were supposed to begin clerking cases on our own. As my group consisted of four members, we split up into pairs and began looking patients to talk to. What surprised me was how it takes to clerk a full case - we were still there after 5pm, having spent close to two hours talking with the patient! After clerking, we are expected to present our case summaries each Wednesday. This means we get a combination of lectures, tutorials, and practical hands-on with patients during our time in psychiatry. So far so good!

2) With my return to campus (I usually camp in the library), I've met up with many old and new friends. It's hard to meet up with everyone as we are all in different rotations. Still, I managed to meet up with Hong, Nee Kee, and Khee Heng over lunch, at a vegetarian restaurant called Lily's. The food was not bad, with the rendang set being particularly flavorful. I still prefer my meat though :) It was really nice catching up over good times, and talking about the various changes that have affected our college. It's a little sad that I won't be graduating together with everyone, but that's the choice I made when I left for UK.

3) This morning, and (slightly) out of the blue, Mad Noor asked me if I wanted to go hiking - up Penang Hill (Bkt. Bendera). We reached a little later than expected, but it was still an amazing climb up! With the highest peak (Western Hill) 833m above sea level, it was going to be a long and arduous track. And arduous it certainly was, since we took the Heritage Trail, as recommended by Mad Noor. The total distance covered (one-way) is around 4.7km, with the first half (around 2000 steps) being a never-ending cascade of stairs. If you can imagine the scene from Kung Fu Panda where Po climbs up the stairs leading to the Shaolin Temple, that is exactly the impression that I got when looking up at the path ahead.

4) Understandably, the view at both the half way station as well as at the top (called Middle Station and Top Station, respectively) was well worth the hike. You get a full panoramic view of the whole of Georgetown, including the achingly beautiful Penang Bridge. And at the top, there are loads of cafes and stalls selling all kinds of desserts and drinks - a must-have if you've hiked all the way! After ordering a drink each and admiring the view, we took the funicular tram down (a single-way ticket costs only RM6) as my friend didn't want to risk injury to his knees. Either way, this meant that we got to experience the best of both worlds - the funicular ride was awesome too! Did you know that the Penang Hill Funicular Railway has the steepest tunnel track in the world, as well as the longest track in Asia? 

5) For lunch, we went back to an old favourite - Sri Ananda Bahwan, located right next to college, and a staple for many a medical student. The banana leaf rice tasted spectacular after a grueling workout! And that was basically my day today. Returned home, slept like a log, woke up in the evening to type this out, and may (or may not) spend time revising for next week's lectures. It has been a really nice transition back to medical school, so here's hoping it will continue to be this way. Thanks very much for visiting my blog as always, and have a great day. Cheers!

Feeling like a million bucks, at the Middle Station, Penang Hill!

(still more than halfway to go - yikes!)

Finally meeting up with them after a year! :)

(l-r: Myself, Nee Kee, Khee Heng, Hong)

On top of the word - at the Top Station, Penang Hill

with Mad Noor and myself

New friends for psychiatry rotation!

(l-r: Myself, Ain, Angel, Sharifah)

Sepoy Cafe (basically our school canteen) self-service lunch spread :)

Fish, potatoes, fried egg, rice, sambal - cheap and delicious!

Library was empty in the morning...

Trying out some nasi tomato (tomato rice with chicken and some salad by the side)

Chicken teriyaki bowl from a nearby hawker stall, after my daily evening jog

This is the hawker stall where I get my dinner after running

Online lectures in the library :)

My new friends and group mates, all ready for psychiatry rotation

(l-r: Myself, Ain, Angel, Sharifah)

North East District Health Office of Penang Island

(Pejabat Kesihatan Daerah Timur Laut Pulau Pinang)

The small track where I run my evening rounds each day

Lily's Vegetarian Kitchen for lunch today

Set C Rendang - everything here is vegetarian, served with a heapful of rice

Curry laksa with lime juice for dinner, @ Gurney Plaza

Penang Hill Lower Station at Air Itam, basically the base of our hiking trek

All ready to climb (with our masks off of course!)

Heritage Trail (the route is highlighted in red)

Penang Hill is also known as Bukit Bendera (lit. Flag Hill)

View from the Middle Station (halfway there after the dreaded ~2,000 steps)

The view only gets better the higher we ascend :)

Drenched in sweat, and we were barely halfway there

This is the route that the funicular tram takes when coming up or down the station

An old (and disused) funicular train on display

Beautiful flora (and fauna) in abundance, including some humongous insects!

I can only imagine how beautiful it would have been if we were here for the sunrise!

View of the funicular tracks (don't let the picture deceive you - the gradient is really steep at around 40-50 degrees at most points!)

The corresponding view looking downwards from the same position

Top Station here we come (and not a moment too soon!)

A more accurate example of just how steep it really is!

Some signs showing the different routes available

The Upper Station is only 0.2km away from here

Almost zero energy left to pose

(right after these grueling flight of stairs, we reached the top)

Final flight of stairs

And there it is - Top Station (this section is where they sell all the drinks and sweet treats)

Penang Hill - A Green Heritage Destination

Clothes literally soaked all the way through

Welcome to the Pavillion in Penang Hill

(as you can see, there are multiple levels, with food and drinks, souvenirs, a viewing deck, and even a museum!)

I just learnt that "astaka" means pavilion in English - the more you know!

About to enjoy our well-deserved refreshments!

T'was such a lovely day for a hike (the temperature up here is usually around 5 degrees cooler than at sea level)

Pay-to-use binoculars are readily available at the viewing deck

Euphoric at this point as the reality of what we've just accomplished sets in!

Getting ready to board the funicular down

All aboard the funicular tram

Lovely mural at the Lower Station (back to where we came from)

The words translate to 1923 Bukit Bendera Train

A multi-storey car park makes it very convenient for frequent hikers

Back to good ol' banana leaf rice!

We ordered a chicken curry dish to share, and had the vegetarian meal

All smiles after a day's hard work!

Looking forward to more trips in the future :)