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 :)
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