Saturday, December 3

talk to her


talk to her... one of the most beautiful films i've ever watched.... the story about two comatose women - one a ballet dancer, the other a bullfighter. the former, enamoured by her obsessive male nurse, who persuades the bullfighter's boyfriend to continually 'talk to her'.

wonderfully told, beautiful dance scenes, bullfight scenes and pantomime acts sprinkled throughout...

to me, it's the story about love, loss, lonliness and, above all, how complicated life can be twisted, how lives can be so intimately and sadistically intertwined to the point of agony, stoism and to breaking point.


_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

12:01am yes.. friendship... how queer!

how very queer. but it doesn't matter. we all are intertwined in the same pattern. each unique, but like.. a bunch of noodles, inter-related, inter-dependent in a way, learning, living and dying. but getting stronger at the same time. :)

life is beautiful if you look at it the right way. :)



Thursday, December 1

so much work

arhgss!!! medics on my left, medics on my right, medics EVERYWHERE and we're all doing the same thing - STUDYING!!!!!!! ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

why are there so many types of arrythmias.. can't they just classify heart conduction as regular or irregular, brady or tachy? why the need to classify so many different types of bundle branch blocks??? arghs....... :( lemme complain.. stoopid cardiologists... can imagine them in a ward full of people with funny heartbeats conncted to ecgs and they just went round the room while the patients' hearts were fluttering away, looking at their heart traces...... doctors...

uh huh huh huh.... this doesn't change the fact that i have to know them ALLLLLLL........ Sinus bradycardia, Sinus Tachycardia, Premature atrial contractions ("PAC's"), Premature ventricular contractions ("PVC's"), Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia ("PSVT"), Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome ("WPW"), Atrial fibrillation, Atrial flutter, "Sick sinus syndrome" and "tachy-brady" syndrome, Slow heart rhythms, Bundle Branch Blocks, Conduction Blocks - first degree, second degree: mobitz type 1, Wenckebach, 2:1, 3:1, complete heart block...

UH HUH HUH HUH HUH HUH HUH HUH HUH HUH HUH HUH HUH HUH HUH ......... :(

why? .....

Monday, November 28

where did all my time go?

monday's finally over... nothing like sitting back to a hot dinner, spending the limited time i get to have away from medicine and away from the sl (medical library)...


the sl's (pictured left) has been like my second home for the past 3 weeks or so... great heating (0 deg outside, 24 deg inside), snacks 24/7, automatic ventilating system, automatic blinds, internet access, en suite toilets, great crowd, great craic, security's tight and open all night......










don't get me wrong, i LOVE the medical school in glasgow and i absolutely dig pbls, especially since it's hospital-based now... my pbl group this term is pretty interesting. haha... we've got...*drumroll*

mr. smart (not his real name) the most amazing pbl-mate i could ever ask for - on-the-ball, quick, fast, intelligent, got the facts and asks all the right questions.

then we've got my good ol friend mr. friendly... pretty like BFG... knows all the interesting facts cos he's reading evidence based medicine journals half the time...

then we have mr. funny, (my favourite as of today!) he's amazing and we share the same sense of humour. *grin*

we've got little ms. blonde.. ok, that was quite a mean name to call her, but she's amazingly d*tsy.... take this pbl scenario for eg:

someone contributes: so you diagnose an AMI when you see at least one of three things on the ecg : st elevation, st depression or pathological q waves.

ms. blonde: right.. this is the part i dun get.. how come we get both st elevation and depression in MI?

someone else: it depends on whether you get a subendocardial or total infarct.
(everyone nods in agreement)
with subendocardial infarcts, you get st depression.

ms. blonde: right..... (still confused, giving that doubting look) so you get st elevation with total infarcts? and in subendocardial infarcts, you get st depression, but it's above the line?

(NB: for non medics - it's basically the ECG reading... and anything below the isoelectric line is a depression (duh) so obviously you can't get a st depression that's above the line)

hee... she's pretty slow, but amazingly cute and friendly, despite being heralded by some as the prettiest girl in medicine. i like her. :) her eyes go totally wide when we talk about colours, fruits, stars, and cute furry animals.

anyways, we've got ms. goth as well. she's a goth and wears black all the time, is a bottle-black, original colour blonde, black netted stockings, blackish lipstick and short, black leather skirts.. she's really quite nice though, except a little quiet. but she's cool.

yup yup... my wonderful pbl group...

*deep sigh* still debating whether i should go for the night out on tues.. been doing way too much this past week.. 9-5 days almost everyday for uni... guest speaker in church this last weekend. went for a gig and a house party sat night, studied all sunday, except for a meeting at church, meeting again tonight at 730pm, dinner with the guys on tuesday night before the medic night out.... and i still have to finish up lana and lex with kenneth , plan my electives, ssm and intercalated degree before i'm due home on my flight... it's no wonder i've got a lack of sleep...*heavy sigh*


oh, look at the time...

Sunday, November 27

6:30pm, GCCC

and Prophecy too. thank you, Jesus. THANK YOU.

Saturday, November 26

in the background

I am awakened,
Fully.

despite the massive cup of tea and tongkat ali coffee (grudges aside, aaron?), i'm puffy-eyed and not at my peak.. for the first time in what must have been ages, we had supper at Asian Styles last night. Us triumphant three - Weiyao, Kenneth and I, joined by Epon, my new favourite ex-takeaway chink. Good craic, as usual... a record breaking 2 hour supper fueled by debates on everything under the sun! i love a person who can hold a weighty-debate and a good all-out splashing of verbal arrows. More please! Laksa was massive and saturated with coconut oil. Home by half 1, showered by 2, quiet time til 3, in bed by 305. awake at 945 cos someone had to call my home phone, which rings like the sound of a thousand bells.... ("£%!$@"!^::@£^$$%"&^*%^&$^&"~@:@:$!"£.. own up NOW, you morbid malicious morning menace!) ... ... afternoon nap is needed.

Alive, made whole and
Beautiful.

STEMI. but also ST depression, and pathological Q waves.
i will know this through and through by the end of 4 hours...

Because I was there
When your Peace descended upon me

Knowledge and the discernment of spirits and Wisdom. I receive with gratitude. :)

Like a dove,
Like a gentle whisper,
A loving beam of warmth,
Radiance, lumine.

You wash over me.
Like the fragrance of a thousand incenses.

Friday, November 25

thoughts over tea : grace

"That every man may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in his toil - this is the gift of God."

Life is seldom better than this. :) but there is going to be so much more...

a sign of the times:

you know winter is coming when: 1. your windows start misting up when you're asleep 2. it's snowing outside 3. the rainwater freezes into transparent panes on the roadside 4. it's the end of november 5. you are suddenly more active when its warm

back in singapore in 2 weeks and a day! oh man.. it's time to start writing my list of "THINGS I WANT TO DO WHEN I GO BACK TO SINGAPORE:" it's funny the first thing that comes to my mind when i wanna make this list is merchant city on a cool glasgow autumn evening! haha.. is this a sign of 'where carol's heart is'? merchant city's where i do capoeira. it is amazing. the feeling of waking up the next day with the dull ache of lactate buildup in my muscles, with the beat still in my heart and with the pleasure of having spent a night in the company of hot, sweaty, brazillian men. :)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

i like it, this singlehood, this embrace - falling into the arms of the Father, falling gracefully, freely. *deep breath* :) i'm smiling a whole lot more these days. to myself. :)

dad was passing by in paris. what i would do for a weekend in paris! oooooo.. it's been too long. too long since i was last there, and too long since having watched "before sunrise, before sunset"....

missing my mom right now. not a sad missing, but a longing - missing. to hear her laugh and tell me stories, gossip, her comments on life, politics and anything she puts her hand in... i think she's the most amazing mom in the world. but hey, i'm biased. ;)

a lingering thought : does he ___ me?

just a passing thought. i'll let you know when it passes...

current sights on : accident and emergency, internal medicine, cardiology.

long long way to go, carol.. meanwhile... plastic surgery in july. haha. i shall be transformed in NUH. heh heh.. together with kenneth, under the careful supervision of Mr Lim, the head consultant of plastic surgery in NUH. i hear i may have some scottish mates doing an elective in july in singapore. this may be interesting...

a confession : i'm addicted to tea with milk and honey.

it is finished.


t=13 days

Tuesday, November 22

rambling on

i am a restless little girl. in medicine... i want to do everything.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

i had a dream last night. or rather.. this morning. about a half hour after my alarm was supposed to go off. hotel room, mess, late, emptiness... that vaguely familiar feeling of... loss...

loss.

that i've not felt in soo long.
so so long... ouch.

transported back to pre-glasgow,
pre-Me.

sometimes we all need something like that... to make us realise we have to give up and give in.

Monday, November 21

retreat 2005

photos just now... words later... buried in books just now - namely macleod's clinical examination.... things i did today : study, study, pbl in hospital, conversation with pris, conversation with rob, study, conversation with various people from church, study, study.


dinner.pillow potatoes.my fantasy wife.me+2nd years.


lost in wonder


gartmoor

retreat was amazing...

the worship team!


t=8 days (this is getting depressing...)


t=6 days, 12 hours

Friday, November 18

distractions...

so on wednesday, at worship practice for the retreat happening this weekend (fri-sun), my guitar string snapped... had class pretty much the whole day yesterday so i had to leave it till today to go get it. so packed off my sweet guitar and headed into mccormacks in town to get it...

things to buy (17/11):

that done,i decided to go hang about in town since i had the day off and all i had to do today was restring my guitar and pack for the retreat ... so i popped into URBAN OUTFITTERS! THE MOST AMAZING SHOP IN THE WORLD.... then i couldn't help it and popped into zara to check out the winter collection and the clinique counter in house of frasers cos my YSL touche eclat radiance had run out and i sort of prefered the clinique concealer anyway... i guess you guys could guess where it went from here : ALLLLL THE WAY DOWN......... if i was broke and skint before, i was broken after zara and brokerestestestesttest-te-test-te-test after i forced myself into the underground to head back home... for an idea of how bad it was... this is what happened... i was swiping it all the way with my switch (uk debit card) so much that when i was at the underground station at st. enoch, instead of putting in my train ticket, i attempted to insert my swipe card.....

yup... carol has done it again... O.T.T. AGAIN. but it's okay... i'm not really broke, i'm just acting broke so i can believe i'm broke so that i won't spend that much... or am i really broke but acting like i'm not really broke so i can allow myself to spend again? oh dear. i think i've confused myself there. anyhow... there won't be anymore spending till hong kong... (but that's what i said last month!) shen, jun and pris, i'm quite afraid how i'll be like in hong kong, so please leash me to one of you's... any one of you's who's not pris and shen...

things i ended up buying anyways...

on a happier note, church retreat is happening in 2 hours time (oh f.... i haven't even packed yet and i'm supposed to have met kenneth half an hour ago!) but that's not as important.. the important thing is.. i can't wait to be there!!!!! a weekend of worshipping God! weeee....



Wednesday, November 16


t=116 hours

seasons

Dr B Thakker is absolutely the most entertaining microbiologist lecturer.... his lecture was on tuberculosis...

"If in doubt, blame the foreigners.."

"If you think humans are promiscuous, you should reconsider when you think about bacteria....Conjugation in bacteria is quite like sex in humans, if that's what you can call it... "
"Think about it.. this PCR (polymerase chain reaction).. we can use this to make... a thousand copies.. of .. i dunno.. audrey hepburn or something. and it's exponential... 2 to 4 to 8 to 16..."
"God has a sense of humour! Really, i mean... have you seen giant pandas??!!"
"This is a portrait of Saint Roche, the patron saint of the plague. It is set in Naples, but as you can see, the people in the painting aren't very happy. See these people here? they're dying of the plague...they're not enjoying the ice cream and pizza that is often associated with Naples..."
.
.

i absolutely love eccentric scientists..

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


still cautious about my unfounded freedom..... when will the negativity really set in? it's like a knife stuck in your abdomen that you're pulling out slowly and gingerly, expecting the jarring, unbearable pain to set in, but... ...slowly, slowly, miraculously, the knife eases itself out nicely and cleanly.. the wound is healed, the scar is formed. and i move on... yesterday's bout was the end of it... ...thank you... you know who you are. we've not done that in a long time. :)

meanwhile, just trying to enjoy glasgow while i can... the last leaves of autumn are falling.

Tuesday, November 15

free

haha.. think that last post was some sort of prophesying portent of the things to come.. but... like water off a duck's back, you came off of me.. :) wow.. God is amazing. i'm actuallly..... okay! i'm more than okay.. i'm... ....






free.





no longer somewhere in between, but right where it matters - on my knees. my heart is spoken for...

two rhemas this morning... and i can sense so much more... so MUCH MORE.

malachi 3:10. You're everything i need.

Monday, November 14

21, female, confused.

presenting complaint:

heavy heart
feeling of impending doom

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


t=30hours


t=2mins


t=0

Friday, November 11

THIS ONE's for you babe :)

My Humps"What you gon' do with all that junk?All that junk inside your trunk?I'ma get, get, get, get, you drunk,Get you love drunk off my hump.My hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump,My hump, my hump, my hump, my lovely little lumps. (Check it out)I drive these brothers crazy,I do it on the daily,They treat me really nicely,They buy me all these ice-ys.Dolce & Gabbana,Fendi and then DonnaKaran, they be sharin’All their money got me wearin' flyBut I ain't askin,They say they love my ass 'n,Seven Jeans, True Religion's,I say no, but they keep givin'So I keep on takin’And no I ain’t takenWe can keep on datin’I keep on demonstrating.My love, my love, my love, my loveYou love my lady lumps,My hump, my hump, my hump,My humps they got u,She’s got me spending.(Oh) Spendin' all your money on me and spending time on me.She’s got me spendin'.(Oh) Spendin' all your money on me, on me, on meWhat you gon' do with all that junk?All that junk inside that trunk?I'ma get, get, get, get, you drunk,Get you love drunk off my hump.What u gon' do with all that ass?All that ass inside them jeans?I'm a make, make, make, make you screamMake u scream, make you scream.Cos of my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump.My hump, my hump, my hump, my lovely lady lumps. (Check it out)I met a girl down at the disco.She said hey, hey, hey yea let’s go.I could be your baby, you can be my honeyLets spend time not money.I mix your milk wit my cocoa puff,Milky, milky cocoa,Mix your milk with my cocoa puff, milky, milky riiiiiiight.They say I’m really sexy,The boys they wanna sex me.They always standing next to me,Always dancing next to me,Tryin' a feel my hump, hump.Lookin' at my lump, lump.U can look but you can’t touch it,If you touch it I'ma start some drama,You don’t want no drama,No, no drama, no, no, no, no dramaSo don’t pull on my hand boy,You ain’t my man, boy,I'm just tryn'a dance boy,And move my hump.My hump, my hump, my hump, my hump,My hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump.My lovely lady lumps [x3]In the back and in the front.My lovin' got u,She’s got me spendin'.(Oh) Spendin' all your money on me and spending time on me.She's got me spendin’.(Oh) Spendin' all your money on me, on me, on me.What you gon' do with all that junk?All that junk inside that trunk?I'ma get, get, get, get you drunk,Get you love drunk off my hump.What you gon' do with all that ass?All that ass inside them jeans?I'ma make, make, make, make you screamMake you scream, make you scream.What you gon do with all that junk?All that junk inside that trunk?I'ma get, get, get, get you drunk,Get you love drunk off this hump.What you gon’ do wit all that breast?All that breast inside that shirt?I'ma make, make, make, make you workMake you work, work, make you work.She's got me spendin'.Spendin all your money on me and spendin’ time on meShe’s got me spendin’.Spendin' all your money on me, on me, on me.

awww.. so real... like my love for you(r money).

Thursday, November 10

over my head, but underneath my feet


never meant to waste your time
never meant to fall out of line
i always tried to get closer to You
now it seems with every step
feels like i'm losing my breath
i don't know what else i can do...

but You wash over me
You wash over me like rain
and You wash over me
You wash over me like sunshine.
i never had to choose
living a life with you
or choosing lies only half true
now i'd rather be
alone with you and me
than hiding behind these walls.

when you wash over me..

everything in the world was falling through
all i knew was to look to You
my sunshine
all my life never found my place
until i felt the sunlight on my face
my Sunshine...
- wash. lifehouse.

Tuesday, November 8

11:05

you're not the centre of the universe.
i can't forget your hands. acromegaly. i can't forget your voice. thyroid cartilage. i can't forget the pink butterfly on your nose. rosacea. i'm so tired. i can't forget your kindness. i can't forget your smile and your strength. will i be half as happy as you if i were in your wheelchair? this cannot be happening. your prideful smile, your 19th stone not hiding your dignity. your thoughtful wish. i can't forget. metabolic syndrome x. what is real is just a dream.
will i remember all this tomorrow?

Saturday, November 5

rambling swiftly on

oh my word! (my new catch-phrase) i am so bored! i spent the whole day in my flat - all 10m x5m of it... i think i'm going insane.. insane in the brain... do u think i'm loco? yes, i think i'm loco...

anyhow... been trying to integrate this whole bacteria microbiology thing into my brain this whole afternoon... man am i such a nerd - i'm revising on things that i've revised twice before in medical school and at least 3 times before in jc... *pushes up glasses*

also watched "bodies" on bbc 3 today... it's a series about doctors in an english o and g ward. just corroborated the fact that i can't wait for the day i graduate and step into a hospital with a stethoscope around my neck, pony tail, grey tweed trousers and v-neck sweater, sensible black shoes and pen in my pocket... ahhh.. but it seems that time is getting further and further away... the sensible thing for me to do here in glasgow is to do an intercalated degree - which means a whole year extra of studying... which means i'll graduate a year older and i'll be behind my peers.. but still, it's the sensible thing to do...

winter is coming.. the sky's dark by 4 and the cold is biting... plus i'm peckish just 3 hours post-prandially..

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

yes sarah! i'm ur ardent fan and i left a comment! and yes, i'll be back very soon my friend.. albeit only for 3 weeks effectively... so time will be of the essence... NC please! need my biannual dose! and meeting ur mom, dad, ur new house and no-longer-a-running-naked-boy-andrew-pang...
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

quite an eventful week.. thought a placid saturday would solve it.. but i just remembered that not only am i a person who needs to be alone sometimes, i'm also a person who can't stand being bored at all.. arghs.. *twiddles thumbs* what do i do now??

Friday, November 4

FINALLY!

FINALLY some alone time for MEEEeeeee, myself and I ! *phew*
been being social-carol for the past 3 days and it's about time for me to just come home to an empty flat, chill, catch up on sleep, put on some massive attack, do the laundry, settle admin stuff, blog, catch up on life, re-run the past few days, see life in retrospect and wonder around in pj's...

flat's in quite a mess as well... chocolate on the carpet... clothes in a heap for ironing, notes from integration week and ssm still all over the place.. time for DOMESTIC CAROL to take over!!

meanwhile, just been meeting up with friends now that school's really started... always a good excuse for cook-outs and eating out... tried ichiban today for the first time! wooo hoo... and all without weiyao (his empty promises of taking me there)... did lunch with johan at ichiban today for what must have been months! he's got the most beautiful flat in glasgow i've ever been to.. but he's paying 3 times what i'm paying in rent! but his place's like a resort - high ceilings, rustic furniture, fire place, etc etc... but it's cool cos i'm always welcomed over! time to whip out my dvd collections and watch it on his mini-theatre!! woo hoo!

lunch was okay, but dinner last night was better! karl and weiyao cooked up a storm with crab noodles - leftover crab from long fung (a chinese restaurant)... but somehow whenever weiyao prepares a meal for us, it always spells disaster... the last time left me and kenneth highly diarrhoetic... this time, a piece of crab shell got stuck between kenny's teeth, leaving him in acute pain... and and AND... I made the ultimate sacrifice you can make for your friend... yup.. i did IT.. while weiyao has apathetically tucking into his noodles and karl was only willing to dig it up with a carving knife held in the most precarious position, i, carol the brave, stuck my finger into his throat to dig it up for him... don't think i've ever done that for anybody really... after which isaam promptly offered to help clean my finger with detergent.. haha..


karl+dinner.johan.isaam.dinner at karl's.weiyao+karl.guitar lessons with kenneth.kenneth+chicken.fighting over me!.karl+dinner.


it was all fun and good...

just too much testosterone for me in too short a time... i'm missing my singaporean girlfriends and my sold-his-soul-to-bloomberg-boyfriend... :( that's why if you're one of the above mentioned parties, you should immediately give me a call after you've read this... :p

sigh...i've almost forgotten how much i am a person who needs to be alone so much... heard 3 gunshot sounds this afternoon and there's been police sirens all over the place all afternoon.. it's much too beautiful a day for a shoot-out.. and in the west end as well... all in a glasgow day.. bet most of u guys didn't know that scotland has the highest violent crime rate in all developed countries of the world. yup.. and spending a good chunk of my life here is turning me into a hardened street-wise glaswegian lassie.. has it??? or am i still as innocent and naive as ever? hmmm....

meanwhile, i've decided that these are the best packaged cookies i've tasted in quite a while..

Wednesday, November 2

the space between

what matters is not the people themselves, but the space between. a surprising parcel from you made me smile and cry so deeply - a depth only a bond like ours can dig up. you are, to me, what you say i am to you. :)

sorry to all others who have bought me necklaces in the past! but i have a new favourite! *grin*

Eph 1:15 "I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

other than hang out with mr mischief and mr cheeky in london, i got the chance to catch up with ____ as well... it's funny how 'a leopard never changes its spots' apply to the people of the world, and holds so true to them, but how Christians are ever changing, increasingly reflecting the face of Him, most high....

and best of all - He makes it so easy as well. :)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

integration week's only purpose - to integrate. basically sitting there, easy listening, chatting with the neighbours, sipping free sodas and tucking into pastries (sponsors love to spoil us!) and queueing up for free goodie bags! ahhhh... how they pamper us medical students in glasgow...

it's amazing how You are so beautiful, so overwhelming that you exceed my understanding, you overflow beyond my earthly knowledge, and yet you provide me with the knowledge, the wisdom and the fear of You... and still You bless me for using Your gifts...
what greater love story than this?

should i go for capoeira tonight? was chatting to a fellow capoeira medic today at the lecture, over my Sainsbury apple and melon soda and in between bites of my kit kat (remember, you're not a salmon!) so hard to get started on something you've put down for a while... which is why i'm trying not to put anything down at the moment... and whatever you choose to do, be the best you can at it... Thank you God for your providence! i am a barley loaf!!!!! YOUR barley loaf!Heee.. but anyways... capoeira.. an excuse to go check out hot brazilian guys and hot scottish people doing something so out of character for them! hahaha.... doing the jenga...

anyhow, this blog is dedicated to IVANNA MY BABBBEEEE COS IT'S HER BIRTHDAY TODAY!!!!!!!! THE 2ND OF NOVEMBER!!!!

meanwhile, i shall never go hungry again!!!


the spoils of war - BBG snacks

 Posted by Picasa

Sunday, October 30

and so it is so...


guess where little miss naughty has been this crazy weekend???

little miss naughty and mister mischief went to the market!

and a secret garden only few know where!!!! look familiar??? Posted by Picasa


and so it is just like you said it would be...
Posted by Picasa

have you guessed where we've been? Posted by Picasa


mr cheeky. little miss naughty. mr mischief.
.
.
.


well, we're in londin, innit?

but wait a minute, which one's cheeky and which one's mischief???

Wednesday, October 26

numbers

exam in 12 hours time... last 3 chapters of Moore and Dalley (pg 832-1109) in the last 13 hours... 4 brain lobes, 2 hemispheres, 6 extraocular muscles, 2 synovial cavities in the TMJ, 12 cranial nerves, 4 muscles of mastication, 53 facial muscles, 6 branches of the facial nerve, 2 heads of the SCM, 1st 3 branches of the subclavian, 7 cervical vertebrae, 3 sympathetic cervical ganglia, 1 brachial plexus, 10 branches of the opthalmic artery, 15 branches of the maxillary artery, 8 branches of the external carotid, 4 suprahyoid muscles, 4 infrahyoid muscles, 2 bellies of the digastric, 4 extrinsic tongue muscles...........


freshies.strawberry and banana smoothie.scotch broth.kenneth.lunch.

groupies. qmu. guitar fingers. autumn in glasgow.

the t-shirt.

Monday, October 24

the cranial fossae.....

i know i've studied too much and too long when i'm mixing up medial and lateral, coronal and sagittal, when i've left the heater on for the past hour, when i can hear my TMJ creak, when shifting my eyeball in its orbit hurts and when everything i've studied for the past 5 hours seems like a big fuzzy mess... test in 48+12 hours time... halp... think after these next 60 hours of non-stop mugging, sleeping and eating, i'm going to collapse into the arms of my boyfriend, who's going to have to resuscitate me with cpr... (yes, my boyfriend who thinks the brain is the size of a fist... ) meanwhile, elsewhere in the world, there's been a series of blasts in baghdad AGAIN. you know there's something wrong in mann when you read : "The insurgents are well aware that, with so many bombs every day, it takes something spectacular to gain the attention of the international media.... " - BBC.
my brain is totally saturated.. and it's only been the first 5 hours of mugging... (horror creeps in) great... on the bright side, i've finally got a new vodafone line! woo hoo! finally can do away with that brick of a lg8120, which sucks to the max, and not have to stand the lousy reception that is from three network.. arghs.. good riddance to that dreadful combination... also, i'll be getting to see my boyfriend in about.... 70 hours time! yipppeeee!!! and i'll get to eat krispy kremes approximately 2 seconds after that, right baby??? arghs.. tired-post-bedtime-carol is kicking in... *yawns* zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Thursday, October 20

something new PLEASE

HONESTLY THERE HAS TO BE MORE TO LIFE THAN F**ING SEX!!!!!! can't these people seriously GET A LIFE and some NEW PERSPECTIVES!!!!!!! bloody hell... seriously, everything they talk about leads back to sex... I'D RATHER HAVE MY LUNCH ALONE NOW IF YOU PLEASE...

honestly.... i've never been rubbed the wrong way in conversations the way they always seem to manage to do to me.. what a bloody waste of my time and my energy holding a conversation with these clowns... you guys are bloody 21 year olds, get a grip. GET A BLOODY GRIP OF YOURSELVES. if only humans could close their ears.

angst.

everything man touches he ruins... but Jesus heals. everything He touches is made abundant, made good...

need a breath of fresh air in terms of conversation... and lunch-mates.....
been having horrible nightmares as well these past few nights... it's so weird.. it's like the devil's trying to put insecurity and fear in everything good that's been happening to me... but no way am i giving into all his lies... Jesus is in MEEEEEeeeeEEEee!!!

anyhow, one of the nightmares was that i was back in singapore and i was meant to go meet my boyfriend and some girlfriends... so i got up out of bed and looked into the mirror and my hair was MEGA-PUFFY. like seriously big.. like 5 inches off the top of my head, and frizzy at the ends.. i freAked! i was mortified... like the worst bad-hair day ever.. so i couldn't go meet aaron cos i didn't want him to see me looking like that... it's dumb, but it was really scary in the dream.. which is why i'm now using SUPER SLEEK SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER!
been reminded of the privilege i have with Jesus these past few days as well.. the juxtaposition between the grotesque lunchmates and the beautiful people God has put around me... the abyss between sin and man, as far as the east is from the west... a single word that confirmed your status was the same as mine, a calm reassurance you gave me, unknowingly.

gave a call to a devil in front of a computer and had an awkward chat... too much left unsaid, too much that has happened since. i am glad and thankful in so many ways for the unfamiliarity... ... or am i just being proud?

Tuesday, October 18

there she goes


omg!!! i made five spice chicken(wu xiang ji) for the first time ever, without a recipe, without a teacher, from scratch! and it tastes soooooo goood! WOW! mmmmmm..... mom and dad, you'll be so proud..

so it's official, i'm now of marriageable material.. yes, chinese men looking for future wives and a singaporean passport, you may send in your marriage proposals now...

meanwhile, i've been having conversations of the silliest degree:

me: yeah.. and the brain is beautiful, yada yadda yadda...
aaron: so it's supposed to be as big as the fist right?
me ....(incredulous)
aaron: oh wait, that's the heart...

weiyao: so i'm going to put a bid for the flat this thursday. i don't know how i'm going to do it, but i'm somehow going to tell the lady that i like her...
me: right, so i shouldn't be there right?
weiyao: yeah, you'll just spoil my mood..

kenneth: eh carol, what have you been telling the juniors about me huh?
me: why? what did they say to you?
kenneth: they're coming over later and they think my flat is going to be really neat and clean and that i am going to prepare wonderful food for them to eat.
me: WHAT? i don't remember telling them any of that.. i would NEVER praise you, kenneth.. i had probably said, ' kenneth is such a neat-freak, it's mad and obsessive and he's forced his poor flatmates into having to clean the kitchen and toilets...'
kenneth: ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH......

wise words from weiyao:

when women grow older, they appreciate men with character more, but when men grow older, they're still the SAMEEEE!

quotable quote of the week:

dr marshall, (while dissecting the brain, was pushing away the optic chaisma to reveal the trigeminal nerve): this optic chiasma is getting on my nerves...

and the usuals:

(at the bottom of kenneth's flat, while i'm buzzing for him to let me in)
kenneth: who's this?
me: MEeeee... carol
kenneth: ARGHHHH....
me: let me in!
kenneth: nO!
me: let me IN!!!
kenneth: what's the password?
me: arghs... kenneth is the best...
buzzzzzzzzzzzzz

ahhh these men...

meanwhile, i'm getting cravings again... for theseeeeeeeeeeEEEEEE...


even though i've never tasted and never touched..... (despair) think it's a case of when the fantasy will always be so tantalising and perfect that everything else will seem to fall short of it...it's over-rated, some say... it's too sweet!.. others comment... but i, alas i, will never know... until my fantasy becomes reality (**hint hint)

so all yee chinese men out there, the way to carol's heart is through her krispykreme-shaped void...

meanwhile, glasgow is looking sooo very pwetty! autumn is here, and photos will follow shortly!

Thursday, October 13

lodon (baby) and life after

bloomberg (the lifestyle).brazilian dinner.london underground.city.

london (baby) and life after II

just getting back into the swing of things with my studies.. dissected the brain this morning! it's beautiful... honestly.. i know it's sad i derive pleasure from a wet specimen of a brain... but seriously, it's gorgeous.

anyway, london was ammmmaaaaazzziiiiiiinnng as usual, but i think i should hold back on the photos cos i've noticed some of my photos aren't loading.. hmmm. maybe i'll shrink em down to size a little...

things i did in london!!

london underground.camden market.little venice. london zoo.

my poor baby wAS sick, so we couldn't make it to lots of other places, and had to have quite a few early evenings, but it doesn't matter cos everytime's a blast with my pancake anyways...

no idea why my photos aren't posting so i'll try to cut em down... anyone have any clues???

anyhow, been uber busy these few days... this blog was written over 3 days!!! been dissecting, going for MASSIVE dinners, getting my computer fixed (by 2 techno-savvy guys, on 2 seperate occasisons, one of which was over a phonecall from london), having dinners with my best pals in glasgow and getting guitar lessons from kenny over banana and strawberry smoothies!!! mmmmmm...

meanwhile, here's what else's coming up on my itinery for this week :

FRIDAY

11-1 class

515-630 glasgow uni malaysian society meeting - i'm signing up cos they're giving 10% off the chinese supermarket!

630 - flat-viewing with weiyao - i'm thinking of moving into a sweet new modern apartment with private carpark, elevator, desinger kitchen, mixer taps (a rarity) and CENTRAL HEATING!

730 - cell group dinner

SATURDAY

do my anatomy coursework in the afternoon

nora's coming over for a sleepover..

SUNDAY

9am jog with kammy++

12 mass with yujing

130 chinese church

330 worship meeting

yup yup.. i'll be a pretty busy girl and since my boyfriend is too busy for me too, i'll just have to keep him updated THRU THIS BLOG SINCE WE HARDLY GET THE TIME TO TALK NOWADAYS!!!!!!! (**hint hint)

anyhows, guitar lessons with kenneth today was uber fun as well! i love kenny boy.. he's my favourite guy friend just now, but don't tell him i told you that - we thrive on a mutual-take-the-piss-out-of-each-other-relationship. but i love him and he knows that... heee.. i so hope he doesn't somehow stumble on this blog or i will have nowhere to hide my face... readers, please don't tell him... please?... oh oh oh! and pui ee, my missing flatmate got a piano delivered yesterday!! so this means i have a guitar and a piano in my flat right now!!! aww, aren't i so blessed?? now i can make music alll day long! heee.. which explains why my left fingers are totally roughed and desensitised and my palmar veins are much more visible... heee..

and yes, i am being a medical student in the midst of this all... captain weetos is coming on to me....even my dissection group realises he loves to put his hands on me... u may think that sounds unacceptable.. but that's not all.. it's compounded by the fact that he's got HUMAN FLESH AND JUICES ON HIS HANDS cos he dissects people for a living!!!!!! @#$^%#$@#& but, juicy hands aside, he's ace and i love him and if i were to do an intercalated degree in anatomy, i'll want him to be my mentor!!!!

okok, enough of my silly ramblings.. i should get back to (drumroll)........ the cranial nerves and the blood supply of the brain...

Wednesday, October 5

is this really me???

it's all in the kiss.

You scored 33.3% Earth
You are incredibly sensual, you love beauty and luxury and you expect your lover to treat you like royalty, a compliment that you will gladly return. You need commitment and loyalty in a relationship; as long as your partner gives you no reason to be jealous, you're as sweet and happy as can be. You're not against short-and-sweet affairs, but you're really looking for something more long-term and durable.

You scored 25% Air
Someone has to match you on an intellectual level if they expect to stimulate your more carnal desires. You're not opposed to long-term relationships and commitment, but sometimes you lose interest in a relationship more quickly than you'd like to admit.

Tuesday, October 4

books books books


omg... i am so bored of studying..... someone help me!!! and my room is getting sooo sooo cold!!! hmmm... i wonder what the weather in london will be like when i go down.. oh yes! i'm going down to london on thursday for a LONG (but undeserved) weekend! oooh.. weather looks promising!!!

PLUS i'm going to be playing mahjong tonight (an unprecedented event in glasgow!!!!) so WHY CAN'T I CONCENTRATE on my books??? arghs..


maybe taking photos would help.... i daren't go onto msn, lest its clingy paws ensnare and entangle me... oh sigh... oh... here's something the non-medics would appreciate : acronym rhymey thinggy that we use to remember the branches of the external carotid artery:


As (ascending pharyngeal)
She (superior thyroid)
Lay (lingual)
Flat (facial)
Oscar's (occipital)
Penis (posterior auricular)
Spurted (superior temporal)
Madly (maxillary)

okok... enough of bad medical jokes and the like.... time to get down to serious memorising.... *shuddeR**

God was in the gentle whisper

Isaiah 35
Joy of the Redeemed

1 The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.

3 Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
4 say to those with fearful hearts,
"Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you."

5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.
7 The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.

8 And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness.
The unclean will not journey on it;
it will be for those who walk in that Way;
wicked fools will not go about on it. [a]
9 No lion will be there,
nor will any ferocious beast get up on it;
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
10 and the ransomed of the LORD will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.


Revelation 21
The New Jerusalem

1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

Monday, October 3

needs doing

look at all the lonely people, look at how they sigh. look at how they laugh, look at how they have pleasure, but no joy, how they have laughter, but no eternal comfort... how they have friends they don't trust, partners they don't love, jobs they don't belong to, lives they'd rather not lead... look at all these people... look at how they lead their lives aimlessly, half-heartedly, look at how they die more and more each day as their livelihood drains their life... look at how they look with envy, with jealousy, with malice, with contempt, with sadness, with defeat, with souls crushed, hearts broken, dreams shattered, relationships asunder... look at all these people.. God says, 'look all at my children, look at how lonely they are.. look at how they don't know Me... look at them... how can you let them carry on in that state... this is not the Life i want them to lead..'

Life, and Life more abundantly.... There is no true joy apart from God... the devil has not attacked lazy christians for ages... as long as they keep the good news to themselves... this is a matter of life and death.



"Come, come," He calls you, "O soul oppressed and weary,

Come to the shadows of My desert rest;

Come walk with Me far from life's noisy discords,

And peace will breathe like music in your breast."

-alone with God. from The Still Hour


as i walked along the path, i saw a man looking longingly at the streams of the river... what he wished for, i do not know.. but i saw his eyes, and there was no hope left in them..


"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few." - Matt 9:37

"What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops." - Matt 10:27

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house....let your light shine amoung men." - Matt 5:14-16