The Return...

Alas, I have returned to my blogging ways after a long, I-couldn't-help-it-cause-I-was-studying-for-exams "sa-blog-atical" (codename for a blog sabbatical!) Gosh, I wonder how long it's been, last I posted something was Oct 8... which is like more than a month! In fact, almost 6 weeks! I presume every1 knows why, so I shall not comment any further on it.

FYI, I'm blogging in the histopath lab in uni now. I have it all to myself cos every1 is busy enjoying the hols and not a single med student can be seen gallavanting around. I miss those days when I get to see one, two, or maybe more familiar faces around here, even if those faces are stressed out over too much studying (or the lack of it!) Not returning to JB until after the 10th of December for certain reasons.

My OSCE exam ended on the 10th of Nov and prior to that, my brain was being saturated non-stop with medical content: such as drug names, classes of chemoreceptors, Health Enhancement Program material, and so forth. I started studying and preparing for the written exam about 1 month before I had to sit for it, which is probably the longest period of mugging and cramming-data-into-brain that I've ever done so far for any exam. That's coz statistics show that:

Fact #1: NORMAL people usually only remember things they've memorised or studied with precision in the last 2 weeks.

Fact #2: Some claim that you can only remember with deadly accuracy specific details about a certain subject that you studied within the last 48 hours. (This fact is probably applicable to those major "last-minute-muggers" who aim to barely achieve the passing grade, or in medical terms, 'surface' learners.)

Therefore, after 1 month of studying, it's gonna take awhile before I start revising content of my Year 1 syllabus again. Furthermore, as you may have noticed, here I am blogging once more. =)Some of you may have noticed that there is a 10-day gap in between after my OSCE & now, and most prob wondering what I've been up to. Well, let me fill you guys in, with tons of details! So here it goes...

The day after the exam which was inarguably the 11th, I went along with the rest of MI6 to Low Yat Plaza (LYP) to do some shopping. Nick, Rachel and I started the trip there by monorail after Nick parked his car at KJ LRT station. One stop later, we got off to meet up with Sarah. Then the 4 of us headed off to LYP to shop for Nick's new handphone, which was eventually a Sony Ericson K "can't-remember-the-model" LOL. Moments later, poof, Jun Yet and Grace met up with us and thus the 6 of us "conquered" both LYP & Sungai Wang Plaza... literally. WHY? Coz we ended up shopping from noon till late at night, running around desperately to look for things that THEY would need for the formal dinner the following night. So, for the sake of vanity, the 3 guys bought a long-sleeved shirt each, Nick & I bought a tie, and Nick & JY both bought a black coat. On the other hand, the 3 girls bought a similar top but each with different colours; and who knows what else... ! :p Oh, I bought a CoolerMaster laptop cooler for RM92 on the same day too, carried it around for 10 hours, and coz I forgot to check the contents, I found out that the USB cable needed to power the cooling fan was missing! Arrgghhh! Had to go back there on Tuesday to get it... I learnt a valuable lesson the hard way, always check your purchases to make sure everything's there! On the upside, I went back 1 week later which was a good thing, coz I realised that brand power really exists. I used the cooling pad without the fan and presto, the aluminium body dispersed the heat emitted from my laptop with ease without crashing the system! It's true what they say, you get what you pay for!

Yeah, so as you know from what you've juz read, the next day was the MUMedS Formal Dinner at Bread & Olives Restaurant in Ampang. Everyone who attended was dressed to kill, even the lecturers! *looking innocent* Yeah, pics that were taken on that night by my friends and I are already uploaded onto Facebook, so go have a look to see what I mean. :>

Last Thursday: PAINtball! Period.

After the exam, I did quite a lot of shopping for luxuries/accessories that I don't really need but had been eyeing for the last few months, as well as spending more than I usually do. My most expensive buy of the post-exam season (for now at least), is a 320GB Maxtor external hard disk drive which cost me RM285, which I also got from LYP on the day I had to go back there to "claim" the USB cable for my laptop cooler. Kudos to Julian for bringing me there and back! You rawk!

I also got my Accord serviced and now it runs smoother, drives faster and ready to take the long journey home to JB after the 10th of Dec. Woot! Well, I think this post is way-too-detailed and I feel like hitting my Lineage 2 game once more... so saiyonara, take care ppl & God bless you all!

~Tim~

Does God Exist?

Faith is believing in what you cannot see.

If you have doubts as to whether God really exists, just look up to the sky at night. In certain regions of the world, you can actually see stars and constellations that speak of the vast nature of the universe out there. Everything in outer space has a "system" to function properly, and without it, even sustaining life on Earth would be an impossibility. Our planet is positioned just nicely in the Solar System, whereby any move nearer or farther from the Sun would be catastrophic. A perfect location... The only planet in our vast universe that is known to house living beings. What are the chances that all this was just due to chance, or due to the notion of "pre-existence"?

Do you believe in evolution?

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said I don't believe that God exists."

"Why do you say that?" asked the customer.

"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving a God who would allow all of these things."

The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop.

Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist."

"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber. "I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"

"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."

"Ah, but barbers DO exist! " answered the barber. " What happens, is,people do not come to me. "

"Exactly!" affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens, is, people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

Keep the faith burning!

~Tim~

A.S.A.P.

Ever wonder about the abbreviation A.S.A.P.? Generally we think of it in terms of even more hurry and stress in our lives. Maybe if we think of this abbreviation in a different manner, we will begin to find a new way to deal with those rough days along the way.

There's work to do, deadlines to meet;

You've got no time to spare,

But as you hurry and scurry-

ASAP - ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER

In the midst of family chaos,

"Quality time" is rare.

Do your best; let God do the rest-

ASAP - ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER

It may seem like your worries

Are more than you can bear.

Slow down and take a breather-

ASAP - ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER

God knows how stressful life is;

He wants to ease our cares,

And He'll respond to all your needs

ASAP - ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER

People often misjudge the power of prayer.

A prayer of salvation and redemption.

A prayer of healing and comfort.

A prayer of forgiveness and restitution.

A prayer of hope and faith.

A prayer of protection.

A prayer of anointing.

A prayer of peace and harmony.

A prayer of guidance and purpose.

A prayer for the church or the house of prayer for all nations... For it is written in Isaiah 56:7, "... these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations."

Any of the prayers listed above, and more, have the potential to bring change(s) in our individual lives, our community, our nation, and last but not least, the planet we live on. Let us not forget the power of prayer!

~Tim~

Winds of Changes, Wings of Angels

I guess listening to Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman's duet, "Time to Say Goodbye" kinda inspired and prompted me to write this post... as I'm moving out of Saujana Resort to an undisclosed location tomorrow. :(

Leaving the ever beautiful and peaceful Saujana Resort does have an effect on me, especially after I spent the last 8 months here, effectively making it my 2nd home in KL. I guess I have gotten used to a maid coming to tidy up the place and iron my clothes every week, the wonderful facilities available here (esp the swimming pool, gym and 24-hour security feature) and a place where anyone can juz come home and relax. This is a place I called home even though it wasn't exactly mine in the first place, but I guess that's because I juz felt too comfortable here. Juz ask any of my frenz who've been here - Sarah, Grace, Rachel, Jun Yet, Terence and Joann.

I will also miss the company of my two housemates (Aunty Ai Yat & Deb... the former being the owner who sold the place - the reason why I have to move in the first place :P) Thank you both for your kind hospitality and putting up with me for the past two-thirds of a year! =D

Unfortunately for me, my 'prospective' new home lacks most of what I had here. No pool, gym, wide-screen flat panel TV, DVD player, etc. As it is quite new, it lacks Internet access! Looks like I'll be spending more time in uni, not that it's a bad thing, since I get to wake up later for uni anyway! :D Yeah, and less distractions means more time on studying. No, I'm not complaining - there are pros and cons to everything.

Anyway, moving on...


I'm actually on a one-week "break".


It's not exactly a good thing.


It's supposed to be utilised for revision for the upcoming exam in a month's time.


SO I don't exactly know why it's called a break, probably cause Monash wants to "break" us.


Don't even get started on calling it a holiday!


... although during the duration of last week, some of us felt the "holiday mood" setting in.


You want proof? The pix below show evidence regarding some of my overenthusiastic frenz' attempts to bring in the "holiday mood" as mentioned above. =P

Sam & Pat, our very own clowns, oops I mean medical reps for MUSA, as voted by my fellow meddies and I. Hope we made the right choice guys! LOL!

There's Pat (again!) with Irfadh.

Nick played too... not with the clowns or as a clown though, but with the guitar. :P I think the hat matches his shirt nicely.

On the same note, which 2 words that both rhyme with mood comes to mind when the term "holiday mood" is mentioned?

Let me give you some pointers: Starts with good and ends with food. Oh wait, I already gave it away... GOOD FOOD!

Last Friday, 5 of us meddies went to Pizza Hut and kinda "over-ordered" coz there was a Ramadan promo goin on there. There was Yours Truly, Dan, Grace, Sarah & Jun Yet; and we cumulatively (and crazily) ordered:

6 personal pan pizzas, 2 spaghetti pastas, 4 rolls of garlic bread, 8 bowls of soup and 8 glasses of Pepsi! We couldn't really finish everything, even with Dan around.

Leftovers: 1 pizza!

Nah, come to think of it, we didn't over-order. I think we were stuffed really well, but not to the extent of throwing up everything. And we paid about RM15 each only due to the promo! Talk about GOOD (and cheap) FOOD!

Typical ain't it? Get used to it! =D

Yeah, I think that's about it for now... Oh but wait, there's juz one more thing!

Ms. Stubborngirl a.k.a. Evonne a.k.a Blair Teoh has specially requested I put up pix of her during her blood donation last week. However, I'll only put up what I think to be her best one! Scroll down to see if you agree with me. :D

~

~~

~~~

~~~~

~~~~~

~~~~

~~~

~~

~

That's all for now. Seriously.

~Tim~

Test of Faith

~ What doesn't kill you makes you stronger ~

~ Adversity doesn't build character as much as it reveals it ~

I think both statements can be true if you don't waste your pain.

Pain, obstacles and adversity: the anvil on which your character is forged. Everything has a cause and effect.

Some people say that pain is all in the mind, and if you can suppress it mentally, you will not even feel it. However, what if it is mental pain i.e. anxiety, anguish, fear, depression, etc.

If you fail to learn from the pain, but choose bitterness and anger, the next adversity you face will reveal the shallowness of your character and faith.

God can indeed use adversity to build your faith and make you a stronger man. But He can also use those "life-storms" as a proving ground for your faith.

Answer the following questions for yourselves:

What are your biggest fears?

What causes you the most pain in life?

Do you have doubts about your purpose and direction in life?

What is faith and/or what does it mean to you?

More importantly, ponder over EE's 2 diagnostic questions:

#1: Have you come to a place in your spiritual life where you know for certain that if you were to die today you would go to heaven, or is that something you would say you're still working on?

#2: Suppose you were to die today and stand before God and He were to say to you, "Why should I let you into My heaven?" what would you say?

As you reflect over both critical questions, I hope you have confidence in your answers and the assurance of the Holy Spirit, especially those who know Christ. I know for certain, without a shadow of a doubt, that I do! Think about it!

~Tim~

FEATURE: Euro-English

Ok ppl, I'm gonna introduce a new type of post on my blog, coz lately, I've been gettin a whole pile of interesting stuff delivered right to my e-mail address. I'm gonna entitle it "FEATURE", and it will be a pre-fix before the actual post title. I'll only put up FEATUREs from time to time though, so look out for 'em! I assure you it will be a good read, as it is mostly articles I find that tickled my funny bone (or ulna nerve, as meddies would put it! :P) And yes, they are almost always "clean", so I won't include any dirty humour, racist jokes, and so forth. So, I hope you'll enjoy reading them too! =D So without further ado, here's the first FEATURE... Euro-English!

The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.

As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5- year phase-in plan that would become known as "Euro-English".

In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy.

The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.

In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.

Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.

Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.

By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v".

During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensi bl riten styl.

Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.

Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.

Cheers,

~Tim~

7 Daily Rules from God

Today is one of those rare, non-holiday weekdays where I get to wake up late coz my classes today only start at 2 p.m. I know some of my fellow meddies would be sleeping until 1 p.m., but as a habit, I make it a point not to wake up later than 11 a.m., even if it is a weekend or holiday. :) I'm glad I finished up my intro for EPI and started a bit on the Objectivity & Patient Perspective section already. Praise Adonai to Our God Most High! :D

This is not going to be a lengthy post coz I actually have to divide tasks for my Practical class later as I'm the "Chair" for this week. Moreover, I actually have to DO them! Yeah, but I juz wanna share somethin here, which I hope will enrich the lives of those who read it. Basically, it's about a few pointers for living your day-to-day lives with a purpose, a purpose that glorifies God. So here they are:


1. Wake Up! Decide to have a good day. "Today is the day the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalms 118:24

2. Dress Up! The best way to dress up is to put on a smile. A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance; but the Lord looks at the heart." I Samuel 16:7

3. Shut Up! Say nice things and learn to listen. God gave us two ears and one mouth, so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking. "He who guards his lips guards his soul." Proverbs 13:3

4. Stand Up! ... For what you believe in. Stand for something or you will fall for anything.. "Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good..." Galatians 6:9-10

5. Look Up! ... To the Lord. "I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me." Phillippians 4:13

6. Reach Up! ... For something higher. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, And He will direct your path." Proverbs 3:5-6

7. Lift Up! ... Your prayers. "Do not worry about anything; instead PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING." Philippians 4:6

Serving Christ Together,

~Tim~