DAY 2289-2317

Dec 8 - Jan 5

1) Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2023!! And what a year it has been. Starting where I last left off, the online exams (for the Research in Health Module) went smoothly, although we have yet to receive our results. Hopefully all of us pass and can progress to the next block of research in August, during the first block of Foundation Year 2 training.

2) Trauma and orthopaedics has been an interesting rotation so far, if slightly challenging to wrap one's head around. For example, there are five different wards - Wards 225-228, and Ward 112. Ward 226 is a mixed ward comprising both orthopaedic and spines patients, while Ward 228 is a neurosurgery ward with some ortho / spines patients. Ward 112 is the elective orthopaedic unit which has recently become a trauma unit, but is currently a medical ward. The other wards are more straightforward - Ward 225 is for neck of femur fractures, and Ward 227 is for acute trauma rehab. All of this took me some getting used to.

3) Overall, this is mainly a medical job in a surgical ward. Commonly encountered scenarios include prescribing adequate pain relief, managing constipation, managing infection, checking wound dressing sites, checking post-op X-rays, and medically optimising patients pre- and post-operatively. Based on my limited experience so far, I've found spines to be more challenging than orthopaedics, with more complex presentations requiring senior input. 

4) It is customary to have a New Year's resolution. For me, it is to make it through Foundation Year training, and then decide for certain what I'd like to pursue in life. With any luck, the coming rotations will help me make up my mind. For now, I'm quite happy and content with the way things are going. Hopefully this will be another good year for everyone. Thanks for visiting my blog as always, and have a great year ahead. Cheers!

Merry Xmas from Ward 228 :)

L-R: Myself, Julian, and Amir

A perk of working late shifts (14:00-22:00) is you get this "Nervecentre Device"

- essentially a repurposed iPhone that alerts the doctor of any urgent tasks

Guess who decided to grab two of these today

Freezing at -8° Celsius

Got myself a gym bag for travelling XD

Unexpectedly shift at County Hospital today

Love the Christmas decorations in front of the hospital

A rainy night

Yes, permission was sought beforehand

First time doing bloods in the paediatric ward

Bloods done today

The wards may be poorly staffed, but the staff are well fed :)

New Year, New Haircut

DAY 1368-1385

May 31 - Jun 17


1) This week, I was shocked to hear about the passing of my A-Levels Biology teacher, Mrs. Jeyaleela. Ever the eloquent orator, we were constantly reminded of her wit and sarcastic humour, in addition to her fountain of knowledge. She used to dole out snippets of extra information brought over from Form 6 (STPM). For instance, I recall fondly her explanation of the Michaelis-Menten kinetic equations, as well as the Meselsen-Stahl experiment of semiconservative replication of DNA. More than that, I remember her chastising me for being too "anthropocentric" in the field of genetics; and for her suggestion to convert D-glucose (dextrorotatory) to L-glucose (levorotatory) so that we could eat as much as we wanted without putting on weight. Of course, she had it all figured out - a 10% royalty for her idea once we had patented the non-absorbable form of sugar! On a personal note, I owe it to her for my excellent results in Biology, and for her glowing recommendation letter she wrote me when I left Tenby. My only regret is not being able to meet up with her during the Tenby Alumni Reunion last year. Rest in peace, Mrs. Jeya - you are sorely missed.

2) Since the last blog post, I have been quite preoccupied with my research. As the deadline for my thesis submission draws closer, the pressure mounts for me to finish analysing data and hopefully have something noteworthy to present. As it stands right now, I don't have a lot of interesting data to present, but I certainly have learnt a lot in terms of statistical analysis. Back in medical school, I did not really pay too much attention in stats class and instead chose to study to pass my exams. Only after conducting my own research have I realised the importance of good statistical acumen in guiding research output. Hopefully, I will be able to meet the deadline and finish my masters in time.

3) These past few days, I have noticed more food stalls sprouting up where I live. It is a welcome sight to see small businesses slowly but surely reopening, as it means more food options for me. From this Monday onwards, Transport for London (TfL) has made it compulsory to wear masks (or some form of facial covering) when using public transport. That is good news, as masks have been shown to be really effective in preventing the transmission of the virus. As it is, I've bought myself a reusable mask (KN95) for outdoors use, although I've not used public transport since before the lockdown began. Furthermore, I've heard news that those returning to Malaysia will no longer be required to quarantine for two weeks - instead they will undergo a rapid test and be allowed to self-isolate at home if the test is negative (with further monitoring for two weeks). This is obviously welcome news, as it means we won't need to fork out an additional RM1000+ for half the cost of quarantine at a hotel for two weeks.

4) This year has been a real doozy for us. Hopefully, the next half of the year will see a return to the "new" normal, as countries aim to bounce back from economic standstill. Until then, take care, stay safe, and stay healthy. Thanks very much for tuning in, and have a nice day. Cheers!

This was one of Mrs. Jeya's little brain teasers - what does the above diagram show?

DAY 1180-1199

Nov 25 - Dec 14

1) After what seems like an eternity, I am finally back to blogging. The past three weeks have been quite stressful, as we had to submit our Module 2 essay (on Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience), as well as prepare for our first written (Module 1) exam - a 3-hour paper on the Anatomical Basis of Neurological Disease. Without having access to past year papers or even sample questions, it was difficult to predict what might be asked, or even the structure of those questions. Thankfully, we had some revision sessions with the module leads and lecturers, and they were able to guide us through our revision.

2) Still, it was a huge burden off our shoulders when we finished our exam at the ANC Lecture Theatre this Thursday. I found the exams to be straightforward, with some questions requiring a little extra knowledge, but overall quite manageable. And with that, we have now "officially" completed Semester 1 of our MSc course, and with it - two essays and one written exam. But just as we have our long-overdue Christmas break, there is the thought of Module 2 written exams looming ahead. That will be in mid-January, and as the module leads have pointed out, will be very much essay based; with four options out of a total seven to be answered in three hours. I am honestly NOT looking forward to that, but I know some who will *coughs* the non-medics...

3) Nevertheless, we have something exciting to look forward to - our research projects. On Friday, there was a meet-and-greet session with some of the supervisors, and they explained their projects in detail and the differences between say, a dry-lab, wet-lab, or clinical experiment. We were given the opportunity to seek projects on our own - either outside King's, in other departments, or even create our own if we were feeling brave. Personally, I would love to visit some of the labs first, to get a better idea of what they actually do and what might be expected of us. Some of these lab visits will take place in January, and it is hoped that the allocations can be finalised by the end of January, as things need to move forward and we have other modules to worry about.

4) For now, it is all about some quality "me" time for myself. The weather has become quite chilly recently, especially at night, but overall it's still quite sunny which is a pleasant surprise. They say that February and March are the coldest months so we'll see about that. By then, it will only be four months left in our course before we say goodbye - I cannot believe how fast time flies! Anyway, that's about it for this edition of the blog. Seeing as I am free-er after exams, you can expect more frequent updates than before - up until the next exam in January. Thanks for visiting as always, and have a great week ahead. Cheers!

Chilling at Wetherspoons (Fox on the Hill) right after our Module 1 Written Exams

l-r: Caterina, Malavika, Arina, Amba, Chloe, Myself, Toni, Geoff, Alex, Abdi, Asher, Simi, Karen, Heather, Sai, Olivia, Jerry

Absolutely chuffed to have completed our first paper! :D

The official opening of the KCL Student Union at the Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Neuroscience (IoPPN)

Professor Ed Byrne, the 20th Principal of King's College London - delivering the welcoming speech

Free lunch here we go again :D

Beef stroganoff with pilaf rice

If you don't vote, you lose the right to complain 

- George Carlin

Myself, Malavika, Meghna, and Sai - lunch before one of our revision sessions...

Today's meal at the IoPPN canteen was amazing! All that for just £5.00

As was this ENORMOUS fish and chips at the King's Food Cafeteria by the WEC building

Trying to eat a little healthier - steamed fish with pesto sauce :)

  

The Christmas feel is strong here - roast turkey, pigs in a blanket, root vegetables, and sprouts

(note the napkin for extra Xmas spirit)

Pumpkin stuffed with rice

Bought myself a raffle ticket - because why not?

Fried chicken with sweet potato fries

Lunch literally half an hour before our exams - just wanna get this over with! (the exam, not the food which was delish)

Well-deserved celebration at the "Spoons"

Jerry even did a sketch of Abdi!

Today was meet-and-greet da with the supervisors - and they provided lunch :)

Buttermilk scones and jam are so good!

 Lunch was deliciously simple, yet simply delicious!!

Simply delicious, deliciously simple 

- shamelessly borrowing the quote on the box itself :P

Brought home a box of these babies - will last me a week then :)

Not the sign of a narcissist, but rather a reminder to myself to get a haircut soon XD

DAY 768-773

Oct 10-15

1) Utter disbelief. From the moment I saw the advertisement on FaceBook calling for debaters to represent RCSI, to finally getting selected, the hours spent researching and simultaneously preparing for my exams, speaking my heart and soul out during the debate itself, and finally bringing the victory back to RCSI - the 2018 Irish Medical Organisation Debate was as memorable as it was nerve-wracking.

2) Shortly after spotting the ad for debaters to represent RCSI, I was at a crossroads. On one hand, my studies were my absolute priority, but on the other - could I really relinquish the chance to pursue my passion for debating? It was a difficult decision to make, and I wasn't even sure if I would get selected. The rules were as follows - each institution selects one representative; there will be a total of six representatives from RCSI, UCC, UCD, Trinity, NUI Galway, and Limerick respectively. Then we would be randomly assigned to two groups of three, and our positions decided for us. Although there were two teams against each other, at the end of the day, there was only one medal up for grabs - the IMO Debate Medal 2018.

3) The topic was "THW Enact A Presumed Consent, Or "Opt-Out" System of Organ Donation". So I made a promise to myself - I wouldn't think about the debate preparations while studying in the daytime. Only when I came back at night would I modify and refine my script. The day after my exam, I started to focus more on the script. A few days later and it was time.

4) The competition started sharp 6pm, with the welcoming speech by Dr. Peadar Gilligan - the President of the Irish Medical Organisation. With little fanfare, he introduced the panel of adjudicators as well as the debaters. Side government consisted of representatives from Trinity and UCD, while side opposition had RCSI, UCC, and NUI Galway. And so it began. Rules were Parliamentary Style - 8 minute speech, with POIs (points of information) permitted between the 1st and 7th minute. No reply speech followed afterward.

5) Suffice to say, I gave it my best shot. Then I had the opportunity to listen to the others' speeches and they were incredible. When everyone had finished, the judges were ushered elsewhere to discuss the results, and we were invited to the atrium for a well deserved round of wine and cheese. It was fun getting to know everyone whom I had just debated with (and against haha), and to get their opinions on how they really felt about the issue.

6) And then came the moment of truth. If I'm being honest, I just wanted the whole event to be over so I could go home quickly. Never in my wildest dreams did I think they would call out my name as the winner! Utter disbelief - that I managed to repay the trust that the Debating Committee had placed in me (by choosing me to represent RCSI), as well as clinch the victory for the host institution. We took loads of pictures with everyone, and then it was time to go back home.

7) I still had to return to Beaumont, so I walked all the way back to Eden Quay, and took the 27B bus back - all the while in shock! All my hard work had finally paid off. And now, back to study. It never ends for the third year medical student XD. At least I'll be doing that with a big smile.

That's a wrap - thanks very much for tuning in, and have a lovely week ahead. Cheers! :)

Trying desperately to remain calm, despite progressive tachycardia XD

From l-r: Lorcán (UCC), Finbarr (NUI Galway), Dr. Paedar Gilligan (IMO President), 

Me (RCSI), Melissa (Trinity College Dublin), Talia (UCD)

Receiving the Irish Medical Organisation Debate Medal from none other than the IMO President himself - Dr. Peader Gilligan

Taken just before the event began - butterflies doing dive-bombs in my stomach right now XD

My turn to speak - time seems to stand still as I rant about my four main points - the lack of evidence, presumed consent is not explicit genuine consent, the potential for abuse, and donation as a gift.

Post event celebration with Melissa and Finbarr!

(Thanks so much Melissa for coming to support, and for the pics! :)

Thank you very much for the advice and critique, Mr. Adjudicator 

(I'm terribly sorry I honestly cannot remember his name - it must be the adrenaline-induced amnesia...)

It's a beauty alright :')

Just look at this very classy pewter bell!

An eventful night to say the least ^^

Staying hydrated to prevent hyponatraemia!