Medical school an expensive luxury?

Being an international full-fee paying student is definitely not fun if you're not from a multibillionaire family (A$30+K a year!). But some people just have to make it worse. The comments I have heard range from:

1. The snarky
"You international students have it easy, the entrance requirements for the more sought-after courses like Medicine and Engineering are lower for full-fee payers. The university just wants your money."

2. The conspiracy-theorists'
"Did you know that examination results for international students get marked up? That's why they get the marks they do despite their lesser understanding of [insert subject here]."

and

3. The frustrated
"International students are bringing down the quality of the university."

Although rants like these don't really bother me, its the comments like:

"You pay how much? That's for the whole course right? WHAT? Each YEAR? So you pay 6 times that?? Do you have a job? WHAT? NO? Hahaha, you're on scholarship right?"

that give me this really large lump in my throat (not globus hystericus) .

I am up to my neck in debts. I calculated that I cannot repay the money I owe even if I work steadily for a full 10 years. Recent articles in the Star have highlighted the fact that the 'trend' for Asian families to push for a child to pursue Medicine, whether consciously or subconsciously, is going to result in a whole generation of disgruntled, destitute doctors in say, 6 years time.

ARGHHHhhhhhHHHh..!!! *tears hair out*

Why didn't I just settle for a nice secretarial job with my excellent typing skills?

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Apathetic boring day, and then some.

ap·a·thy
1 : lack of feeling or emotion : IMPASSIVENESS
2 : lack of interest or concern : INDIFFERENCE
leth·ar·gy
1: abnormal drowsiness
2: the quality or state of being lazy, sluggish, or indifferent

from Merriam-Webster.com

Dear Diary,

Today must have been the most boring day in my life. Other than the fact that I really should be doing my packing for my flight on the 1st of February (yes, a full 3 days from now), I feel no urgent need to do anything remotely useful.

The height of my apathy was showcased during my trip to Carrefour(TM). I knew that there was going to be a problem when I entered the complex. The bright lights, the red and gold colours, were making me feel strangely light-headed. Or maybe it was the throngs of people in their ultra-fluorescent clothing (accentuated by the overhead fluorescent lighting) scrambling for 'BEST BUY' items... Bleh, even recreating the scene is giving me a headache.

Here's a snippet of the conversation i had with Mom.

Me: "So Mom, what are you getting?"
Mom (pushing trolley around aimlessly): "I don't know."
Me: "We are heading towards the fresh produce section."
Mom: "And therefore we will get vegetables."

Maybe apathy is infectious.

Even worse, I spent some time pushing some guy's cart around thinking it was Mom's. I didn't realise until the cart owner (young giggly boy) had finished jumping up and down next to me for a good few minutes. I apologised sleepily and looked around for the trolley I abandoned.

Sigh. Must go to sleep now. Must be something in the air. *Cough* *Cough* I hope I haven't caught dengue fever.

Selangor, Malaysia on Alert for Dengue Fever

Malaysia, Jan 02, 2005 - A dengue alert has been issued in Selangor (West Malaysia) and the Federal Territory where 100 suspected cases of dengue are being reported daily. The sudden increase in the number of cases was seen after Hari Raya last month. Hospitals and health authorities have been directed to thoroughly check all people, including children, showing signs of dengue fever. All state and district health departments have been instructed to increase their area inspections and take action against those found breeding Aedes mosquitos. Local authorities in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur have also been enlisted to clean up drains and areas with stagnant water. Between January and September [2004], 8273 people were affected by dengue fever and 360 from dengue haemorrhagic fever. During this time, 38 people died from dengue haemorrhagic fever.

Source #1

Dengue fever usually starts suddenly with a high fever, rash, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, and muscle and joint pain. The severity of the joint pain has given dengue the name "breakbone fever." Nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite are common. A rash usually appears 3 to 4 days after the start of the fever. The illness can last up to 10 days, but complete recovery can take as long as a month. Older children and adults are usually sicker than young children.

Most dengue infections result in relatively mild illness, but some can progress to dengue hemorrhagic fever. With dengue hemorrhagic fever, the blood vessels start to leak and cause bleeding from the nose, mouth, and gums. Bruising can be a sign of bleeding inside the body. Without prompt treatment, the blood vessels can collapse, causing shock (dengue shock syndrome). Dengue hemorrhagic fever is fatal in about 5 percent of cases, mostly among children and young adults.

Source #2

Okay, maybe not.

Hey peeps, before I go, here's a link to the Rice Box Project, a fun crash course for learning Cantonese (their words, not mine). The site's only half complete but 3 sets of tutorials are ready for the taking.

The word of the day is:


Pin yin : Oi
Definition : Love

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Walking around in KL 28/1/05

Here are some more pictures from my trip to KL... I spied a pet shop near Petaling Street with a huge sign saying "Zoological Supplies". They had a cute parrot up the front munching on an apple slice. :D

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Emily Strange vs. Jack Skellington

I came across this stall while walking around in KL today...



I want an Emily Strange wallet! It disturbs me that Emily Strange wallets are being sold alongside Jack Skellington merchandise (as well as stuff featuring a pink drugged-out bear character - off my radar) at a roadside stall. The shop on its left was selling pirated GUCCI handbags... so I'm assuming that these wallets are... fake???

They sell for about RM30-50, bargainable.

:(

1. Emily Strange
Have been wanting an Emily Strange ever since I set eyes on the eye-catching black and red storybook at a Paul Frank clothing store in Melbourne.

Emily Strange links:

• Official Emily Strange website
  
• Which Emily Strange Are You? (Quizilla)
• A life-sized lego Emily scuplture by a fan
• Article detailing the history of Emily Strange's creation
  
• ***A real life Emily Strange? (Emily "The Strange" Brontë, hehehe)
  

2. Jack Skellington
Ah, the king of Halloweentown, star of Tim Burton's inspired masterpiece - The Nightmare before Christmas. I think I was... 10 years old when I first watched it? Time to go video hunting...

This first modern stop-motion animated feature film is a musical spectacular with incredible attention for detail and design. The story is based on an idea Burton developed when he was still working as a conceptual artist at Disney, but which was discarded by the studio because it lacked the "Disney feeling."

Read more here at Dan's Definitive Tim Burton Page.

Poor Jack Skellington...

How can I resist his hollowed-out eye sockets, impressive set of crooked teeth, and long spindly limbs?

I want a Jack Skellington wallety too!

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Chinese Restaurant, Indian filmstars.

Tonight we went out to the Crystal Palm Seafood restaurant near Jalan Ipoh. We had a typical 8-course Chinese dinner. Food was fantastic - we had really good sharks' fin soup. :D

For some strange reason, we decided to take photos of the toilets.



Hehehe, a Kamal Hassan look-a-like.



Tired middle-aged lady.

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Nian Gao, Nian Gao everywhere!

Look at what we found at our local supermarket!



Nian Gao is a sticky sweet delicacy made from glutinous rice powder and brown sugar. According to wikipedia.com, the reason why nian gao is so popular during the Chinese New Year is that:

The Chinese word "nián" or "to stick" is similar in sound to "year", and the word "gao" or "cake" sounds similar to "high/tall". As such, eating "nián gao" has the symbolism of raising oneself in each coming year, or "nián nián gao sheng".

Heh, I even found a recipe for homemade nian gao at yumfood.net:

Basic Nian Gao Recipe

• 2-1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4-1/2 cups sweet rice flour (glutinous flour)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• sesame seeds

Heat the brown sugar and the vegetable oil together, stirring constantly, until sugar melts. Cool slightly. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir cooled brown sugar mixture into the flour. Drop batter by the spoonful into a bowl of sesame seeds. Coat completely, then place balls into a steamer. Cover and steam 50-60 minutes.

There's other recipes like banana leaf nian gao, baked non-asian nian gao, and of course, you get to take the nian gao to the next level by frying it with yam or sweet potato.

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The darker side of Hindu festivals :-0

More than 250 killed during Hindu festival in India:

"Police chief Chandrakant Kumbhar said the incident began when the temple floor became slippery from a ceremony that involved breaking coconuts in front of a deity. Some pilgrims fell and were trampled to death by others propelled forward by the mass of people behind them trying to get into the temple to make offerings.

'When their relatives, who were still climbing the stairs, heard the news, they became angry and set fire to some shops,'' Kumbhar said.

The fires were set along a packed, narrow walkway lined with tea stalls and shops leading up a hill to the temple. They set off what witnesses said was a stampede of screaming crowds fleeing in horror.

At least 258 people were killed, while another 200 were injured, Subha Rao, the top district administrator, said Wednesday. But the death toll could rise as rescue workers shifting through the debris looked for more bodies."

No words to say...

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Stadium Popiah

I visited the neighbourhood pasar malam (night market) tonight and guess what I found... *drumroll* ~ the Stadium Popiah* stall!


the master at work


wrapped


unwrapped


the filling is a secret recipe but we identified taugeh, sengkuang, taukua, lettuce, fried onion, chinese sausage, chilli sauce, sweet black sauce...and ate the rest


*Here's a nice long textbook-style passage for those of you interested in the nitty-gritty of popiah-origins and popiah-making. I lifted the text off here as the site is rather advertisement heavy.

Popiah is believed to have originated in China during the Qing Dynasty and was usually eaten during a time when there was a surplus of vegetables in the market, such as in spring. Other ingriedients have found their way into the Singapore version of this dish.

First the different vegetables are prepared - bean sprouts are blanched, bamboo shoots, sweet turnips and carrots sliced fine and stewed, eggs are boiled and mashed, prawns are boiled, shelled and sliced thinly, Chinese sausage is sliced fine, coriander leaves and local lettuce torn into portions.

Then a "skin" made from rice flour is spread out, smeared with a paste of garlic, chilli and sweet soy sauce. The various ingredients are loaded onto the centre of the skin, and the skin wrapped to form a parcel, which is sliced into four portions.

The skill of the Popiah-maker lies in getting the proportions of ingredients just right so that you taste all the different flavours; and in getting the amount of filling just right, so that the parcel does not disintegrate when you pick it up to eat!

'Popiah parties' are popular in Singapore, where all the ingredients are laid out, and guests get to make their own Popiahs, with varying degrees of success and plenty of fun!

Yum, I feel like eating another one already.

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Happy Thaipusam! 25/01/05

I found this great traveller's page that tells you and me about the weird and wonderful celebrations going on 'round the globe. For example, did you know that in the town of Lerwick, Scotland, a fire festival named Lerwick Up Helly Aa is being celebrated today? Every year, during the last Tuesday in January, the townsfolk dress up as Vikings and then proceed to burn down a Viking ship.

Then there's our very own annual Thaipusam gathering at the Batu Caves. Thaipusam is a Hindu festival which commemorates the day when the Goddess Parvathi gave her son Murugan an invincible vel (lance), with which he vanquished the evil asura (demons). The 3 day festival actually begins at the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in the Chinatown district. It is from here that the 50 000-odd Hindu devotees escort the statue of Lord Subramaniam the 13 kilometres to its final resting place in the Batu Caves.

Oh yes, and the procession is truly a sight to behold. Self-mutilation, astonishing feats of strength, lots of chanting, the oddly high pain threshold... For more information, check out Audrey Lim's article on Thaipusam here.

I, personally, have been to the Batu Caves once. It was not a bad trip; my brother got bitten by a monkey and I got a bad case of vertigo. I said I'd give it another go in 10 years time... when I turn 23.

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Strange Dream This Morning

I had the strangest dream this morning. I dreamt that I was coming home in a standard issue baju kurung - to this huge mansion of a house. That would have been great and all, me being the materialistic bastard I am, but no, the house had to be crazy spooky. First off, the exterior was painted entirely in shades of black and gray. There was an old tree overlooking a creaky old swing set in the garden area. There was absolutely no grass. Just suspicious looking dried spiky things sticking out from the ground.

I had this awful sense of deja vu as I looked around the courtyard (!!) . The baju kurung'ed schoolgirl I was playing in my dream seemed to be oblivious to my escalating sense of dread.

And the swing set swinging itself with the lack of wind was totally freaking me out.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I struggled to wake up before the mother opened the door to let her daughter inside the creepy house. Who knows what horrors lay within? I kicked and screamed and punched and swore. When my eyes finally forced open, I noted that the bedsheets were barely ruffled. Strange.

Damn sleep phenomena.

I came down for breakfast at 8:00am. Earliest I've woken up this month.

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New BLOG! New POST!

Blogspot, here I am.

It is 5:03am here in Malaysia. It is a cold and lonely night/morning. Cold. Because I am sitting right below the air-conditioning system blowing icy cold daggers of recycled air on my head. And lonely. Because everyone has gone to sleep leaving me to type in the dark*. Yep, another one of those horrible insomniac nights. I think I just gotta take up yoga again - I can't say I haven't tried it before, but I just couldn't discipline myself enough to do all that breathe-in-breathe-out monk meditation stuff without letting my thoughts wander: (a) have I locked the front door, (b) that assam laksa sure was yummy tonight, (c) eh, have I told Mom about that strange rash on my face yet? and then (d) I wonder what's on ASTRO tonight?

Someone once told me to use this thing called i-m-a-g-e-r-y. Apparently, the trick is to visualise little scrunched-up balls of paper. Everytime a silly thought bounces into my head, I zap it into a scrunched-up-ball-of-paper and aim it into an imaginary trashcan.

Ok, ciao. I'm gonna go try that trashcan thing now.

* I am crashing in my brother's room thanks to the family happily demolishing my room once I left for Melbourne.

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