Deep breath in, slow breath out.

Ah, finally a breath of fresh air. I can now understand why the final years warned us of the toughness of fourth year. Even Dan said earlier on in the year when someone asked him what happened to him that made him look so gloomy and drained - "Fourth year happened."

The past 15 weeks or so have been nothing short of a warzone - hectic, chaotic, no time for thinking about less significant things. Starting with 4 weeks of psychiatry, 4 weeks of neurology, 4 weeks of orthopaedics and trauma, and immediately trailing afterwards was the OSCE. Just as we were learning new things and skills from each placement, we had to be revising for the exams, since we're not as lucky as other places who have 2, 3 months of study leave.

Then there was the 3 weeks of SSC. I did one on ENT, something we would never learn otherwise (stupidly enough) throughout our medical education at Manchester Uni. So that was three weeks of learning everything I could about ENT conditions and their management, revising ENT and head & neck anatomy so that the registrars (especially the sexist, racist, religionist one - yes, he was Asian) couldn't grill me to the core during surgeries, and at the same time trying to write a 4000 word case report on papillary thyroid cancer. Maybe next time I'll do an SSC on dermatology or infectious disease, two other things we aren't taught about, yet are magically expected to know everything about.

And somewhere in between all of that, we had our portfolio reviews (which I of course only started preparing a couple of days prior) and planning for next summer's 11 weeks of project option, which I will be doing under the supervision of the Clinical Director of Child Health and Neonatology (weehee! ).

Then there was the last week of school before the Christmas hols, which was very very stressful and hectic due to the finishing up (or actually writing up) of the SSC and the anxiety of knowing the OSCE results. Plus we were supposed to be going to London that weekend and I hadn't planned anything for it yet. And also MARA officers from Malaysia and London came to visit. And there was Kak Fiza's graduation.

But at long last, all ends well. I managed to write just over 4000 words for the SSC and submitted it online at around 2 am on Friday. Alhamdulillah, all of us passed our OSCE (alhamdulillah!). I went down to Manchester to meet up with the MARA officers, and managed to get my points across. And Kak Fiza's graduation was... inspiring! And we found out when we'll be having our electives, and alhamdulillah, I got the May-June 2010 blocks.

Nampak saya kat VIP seat tengah amek gambar Kak Fiza?

The very happy Dr. Kak Fiza. Bila la muka saya nak gembira camtu...

The traditional throw-hat-in-air ritual.

And we went to London. Earlier plan was supposed to be a trip to Turkey. Then it was changed to Rome or Paris when the Swiss Air tickets went up drastically. Then when there was no time to plan any trip properly due to the busyness of school etc, last2 pegi London je. But oh well, I've never been there before pun, except untuk transit and demo je. But poor third years who wanted to come along to the non-London trips. Next time la eh.

Inilah tujuan sebenar saya ke London. Amaran: Saya kelihatan gemuk kerana pakai 2 lapis baju, jumper and coat.

Namun, kerana barang2 di Harrods tetap mahal walaupun sale, beli sushi across the road je la.


Tepi la, Lance!

The Greenwich Meridian Line.

On the last day in London, Kak Fiza left for Malaysia. It was really sad that I couldn't see her off. And it was sadder that I didn't get to say a proper goodbye before we left for London. Huhu.

And in five days, Kak Jah and Umar Afif (and Abang Azmir and Auntie Sam) are going back to Malaysia for good. Who can I bully after this???

Then the Mr is going back to Egypt.

Then Kak Zy will be off to Tanzania and back home for a couple of months.

Then the other kakak2 will be off for their electives.

Then all the kakak2 will be going home for good.

Then, it'll just be us kids growing old together, trying to finish off this long journey that seems to never end.

People leave, it's an inevitable fact. Like Pi says, we just learn to get used to it.

Poems from ages ago.

Smart
by Shel Silverstein

My dad gave me one dollar bill
'Cause I'm his smartest son,
And I swapped it for two shiny quarters
'Cause two is more than one!

And then I took the quarters
And traded them to Lou
For three dimes -- I guess he don't know
That three is more than two!

Just then, along came old blind Bates
And just 'cause he can't see
He gave me four nickels for my three dimes,
And four is more than three!

And I took the nickels to Hiram Coombs
Down at the seed-feed store,
And the fool gave me five pennies for them,
And five is more than four!

And then I went and showed my dad,
And he got red in the cheeks
And closed his eyes and shook his head--
Too proud of me to speak!

My Mother's Chocolate Valentine
by Jack Prelutsky

I bought a box of chocolate hearts,
a present for my mother,
they looked so good I tasted one,
and then I tried another.

They both were so delicious
that I ate another four,
and then another couple,
and then half a dozen more.

I couldn't seem to stop myself,
I nibbled on and on,
before I knew what happened
all the chocolate hearts were gone.

I felt a little guilty,
I was stuffed down to my socks,
I ate my mother's valentine...
I hope she likes the box.

Well, well, whaddya know, they all sound like real poems - unlike some Hudsons among us!