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...