Final Semester

After 5.5 years of hardwork(or not, or maybe not so much), my med school life is about to end. I have another 5months to spend here, final government exams to clear,and i shall bid goodbye to my med school and start my new phase life., housemanship . I would like to wish my batchmates from VSMU, good luck and strive hard in your final sem!

Random update

Be frank, 1st time i felt that i am in a university after studying for so many years. I feel i have missed out so much, just simply because i had the opportunity to attend 2 short lectures by Prof. Pieter van der Bijl from South Africa. IMHO, these lectures were meant for students doing pharmacy,yet i enjoyed them. Grabbed few photos from my friend, Mozac who took all these wonderful photos. Enjoy them folks!

That's me .hehe.

Introduction speech by our vice-rector , Prof. Spasov

The hall

Prof. Rietel van der Bijl, guest lecturer from South Africa

Just a rant

I am about to rant in this blog after such a long absence! I don't understand, i don't know how... Somehow going to gynae class, especially when the teacher teaches fully(or 99%) in Russian, i feel really exhausted, tired and hopeless. It's her good intention to prepare us for our final year government exam, perhaps it's simply too intensive for me.Sometimes i wish i can go back to the past,and rectify mistakes and fumbles i had made. But everyone knows that it's just a silly and impossible thought,as i think there are many people who have the same thought. I have gone through this far, and 9 months left before getting my degree(hopefully), and i know it's a crucial time for me to buck up for my final exams and housemanship. Gotta keep reminding myself, 'What i am facing right now, is nothing to compare with what i am gonna face in the future'. Knowing some seniors got posted to their respective hospital for housemanship, congrats to those who got their choice,and to those who didn't, cheer up, it's not the end of the world,after 2 years you are still the man(woman)! At the same time, i have to think seriously where should i apply, somewhere near to home,somewhere near to my gf? Haha..have no idea right now...

My 1st Time

Imagine you are touching a beating heart, pulsating aorta, and all other organs in thorax and abdomen, how would you feel? Few days back,while i was having my oncology cycle, my teacher brought us to observe an operation by the head of department. In the OT, there was a patient with a large stomach cancer, and the surgeons were going to perform total gastrectomy and lower oesophageal resection due to malignant infiltration ,and then oesophagojejunal anastomosis. In the midst of operation, the head surgeon suddenly asked if anyone is interested in palpating the tumour. Spontaneously i raised my hand ,followed by another friend. After changing and waiting anxiously, finally the moment arrived. The head surgeon was so nice by showing us every organ in the thorax and abdomen, heart, lung, stoamch, liver, spleen.... Adrenaline rush , that's what i could use to explain how i felt that time. Felt the rhythm of a beating heart, pulsating aorta, a stomach tumour... Guess what, after that, my teacher jokingly asked me if i changed my mind to pursue my career in surgical field , as i told him during our 1st class that i m interested in internal medicine. Well, after this experience, i guess i have another option in my mind :-D.

Found a flat!

For the past 5 months i had always thought that i could stay in the hostel till i graduate next year, without having to go through the hassles of searching for a flat and moving again. But
confirmed news of putting 4 people in a hostel room and possible hostel fee increment had made me pondered over my initial decision and after much consideration, i decided to move out (praying hard this will be my last moving in Volgograd). After 3 days of searching, we ended up getting a flat near Yeletskaya street. Though this flat doesn't come cheap, it's absolutely a nice flat. I would say it's one of the best i have seen in Russia. Anyway, next year would be my last year in Volgograd, hopefully i will enjoy my stay in Volgograd with my new housemates, Ms.LYJ and Miko . Exams approaching, gotta study and watch less TVB series already.haha

Random update

I had ambulance exam today. Seriously i think the examiners really lack of professionalism. The moment i entered the exam hall, i had been hearing voices of that particular lady, who just kept rushing us to finish our exam. And i shall finish my final exams on 1st July, and will fly back to Malaysia on 3rd July. Since yesterday, my mind had been thinking what to eat the moment i step onto Malaysia. Perhaps like this, Nasi Kandar for dinner, Bah Kut Teh for breakfast, curry mee for lunch? Hehe...Anyway, i am not worried, as i have nearly 2 months in Malaysia and for sure i will get to taste all the food i want. Btw, Satria Neo CPS is out, don't you think they look gorgeous and sporty? It's a car that i wish to have, but will never have it as i am aware of the consequences of buying it. Haha

Post surgery cycle

Post surgery cycle night. Feel great to have Dennis Sergeivich as my teacher for this semester. He really brought us around to see patients, and what's important is he is among the few teachers which really emphasizes on bedside manners. Tomorrow will begin intensive therapy,which is my favorite in this semester. Anyway, today on the bus i failed to recognize a visually-impaired young man who was standing on a congested bus. Who recognized him? An old lady , who stood up and led him to an empty seat later. At that moment i just felt guilty and embarassed of myself. And i told myself, ' Be more observant next time , and you can always help someone in need'...

POTS effect

Recently 2 posts about Ukrainian and Russian medical graduates by POTS generated alot of responses from his readers, and became a hot topic among the students studying in Russian Medical Schools, as well as doctors in Malaysia. And today Palmdoc posted the same thing on MMR.
By talking to few friends, some responded with anger and curses ( like 'Anonymous' who commented in POTS's post). Some were saddened, couldn't accept the fact. Well, there are students who accepted the criticisim. At this point, while scolding and cursing at POTS, don't the students think it's time to think on what can they do, and what should they do to improve themselves? Only by accepting criticism and willing to learn , then only we can improve. Afterall, i believe POTS just voiced out his experience and opinions. Just wanna end this post with few words by a senior who graduated last year:
- 'Be humble and willing to learn' - by Dr. E.N

p/s: Before you guys bombard me, just wanna clarify that i am not related to POTS + i am also a Russian medical student,and have no intention to degrade anyone.

Happy Naw Ruz

Happy Naw Ruz to all Baha'is who will be celebrating Naw Ruz (Baha'i New Year) after fasting for 19 days ,which lasts from 2nd March to 21st March every year. Hereby i would like to share a Baha'i prayer on this special occasion.

Praised be Thou, O my God, that Thou hast ordained Naw-Rúz as a festival unto those who have observed the fast for love of Thee and abstained from all that is abhorrent unto thee. Grant, O my Lord, that the fire of Thy love and the heat produced by the fast enjoined by Thee may inflame them in Thy Cause, and make them to be occupied with Thy praise and with remembrance of Thee.

Since thou hast adorned them, O my Lord, with the ornament of the fast prescribed by Thee, do Thou adorn them also with the ornament of Thine acceptance, through Thy grace and bountiful favor. For the doings of men are all dependent upon Thy good-pleasure, and are conditioned by Thy behest. Shouldst Thou regard him who hath broken the fast as one who hath observed it, such a man would be reckoned among them who from eternity had been keeping the fast. And shouldst Thou decree that he who hath observed the fast hath broken it, that person would be numbered with such as have caused the Robe of Thy Revelation to be stained with dust, and been far removed from the crystal waters of this living Fountain.

Thou art He through Whom the ensign "Praise-worthy art Thou in Thy works" hath been lifted up, and the standard "Obeyed art Thou in thy behest" hath been unfurled. Make known this Thy station, O my God, unto Thy servants, that they may be made aware that the excellence of all things is dependent upon Thy bidding and Thy word, and the virtue of every act is conditioned by Thy leave and the good pleasure of Thy will, and may recognize that the reins of men's doings are within the grasp of Thine acceptance and Thy commandment. Make this known unto them, that nothing whatsoever may shut them out from Thy Beauty, in these days whereon the Christ exclaimeth: "All dominion is Thine, O Thou the Begetter of the Spirit (Jesus)"; and Thy Friend (Muhammad) crieth out: "Glory be to Thee, O Thou the Best-Beloved, for that thou hast uncovered thy Beauty, and written down for Thy chosen ones what will cause them to attain unto the seat of the revelation of Thy Most Great Name, through which all the peoples have lamented excepted such as have detached themselves from all else except Thee, and set themselves towards Him Who is the Revealer of Thyself and the Manifestation of Thine attributes."

He Who is Thy Branch and all Thy company, O my Lord, have broken this day their fast, after haviang observed it within the precincts of Thy court, and in their eagerness to please Thee. Do Thou ordain for Him, and for them, and for all such as have entered Thy presence in those days all the good Thou didst destine in Thy Book. Supply them, then, with that which will profit them, in both this life and in the life beyond.

Thou, in truth, art the the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

-- Bahá'u'lláh

18th edition = 17th edition? At least for Dr.M

We met Dr. M, our gynae teacher on Mon. During the class, she saw my ' gynecology by 10 teachers 18th edition' textbook and wanted to borrow it to make photocopy and would return to me on Sat. Without hesitation, i said ok. Guess what. Today she came in , bringing an older edition(17th edition) and started showing and telling me both books are the same actually, just that the publisher wanted to make money by changing some words and colour and then republished the book as newer edition.And she wanted to exchange for a newer edtion with an older edition. What the heck! Just for your info, 17th edition and 18th edition of that book were printed in year 2000 and 2008 respectively. Though i never compared both books before, i personally feel there should be changes, e.g the way of managing and treating a particular disorder. And she kept on insisting that such small changes aren't needed by students, only needed by teachers. And she kept on asking whose book is that,as i previously told her that book belongs to my friend. And she demanded me to tell her who's that.Haih..Seems that i have to create a good story to /not to exchange the book. You will never know what will happen if you don't. Anyway, an advice to all students, don't bring your English Gynae textbook to class in case you have Dr.M as your teacher!

My piece of art - 'My Home, My Country' , produced during my Medical Psychology cycle. Well, i have to admit that i have no talent in drawing,and as far as i could recall, this is the 1st drawing that i have completed since years ago...Last drawing i produced was in Form 3, Arts class i guess. haha...this is just meant for laughing! Btw, my home is in the bottom left corner of the drawing.

p/s : Tomorrow will start Infectious Diseases cycle.

Who's Misha ?

The 1st time i met Misha was in late 2004, that was my 1st year in Volgograd. He was just 3 months old that time,very cute right? The guy holding him is his father, Mihail, our Baha'i ABM (Auxiliary Board Member ) for Volgograd Region.

























Today, we went to a gathering at his house. And met him again. Guess what, he's now 4 years old, will be 5 in July. He's very playful, but then never turned us down whenever we asked him to help us doing things. Gonna miss this kid when i go back to Msia in the future!

The Stones

I picked these stones while walking along the beach of the Black Sea. Hopefully i can make a nice gift for my dear with these stones. Hope she will like it. Ideas? Currently i have a few in mind, but it still depends which one i will be able to make it. Well, still have 23 weeks to prepare for this. Shall take my own sweet time to think . :-D

Winter Break 2009

Nearly forgot that i still own a blog... Just wanna share how did i spend my holiday. Exam finished on 24th. On 25th ( New Year eve), 13 of us had our 'reunion dinner' at the hostel. Well, you can see the dishes prepared in the photo .I prepared the 'Emperor Chicken',the ones which were still wrapped in aluminium foil..And this year i lau-sang-ed too, something which isn't commonly practiced at my home .. During the process of lau sang, we need to speak good words, e.g Gong Xi Fa Chai...

On 26th Feb, 16 of us took the train to Sochi, which is 20 hours away. Just for your info, Sochi is the organising city for Winter Olympics 2014.. And certainly the purpose of me going there is to ski ,or to be exact, to experience skiing. After few attempts, obviously i noticed that i have no talent in skiiing. Managed to snap some nice photos on top of the mountain , which is 2228m above the sea level. Enjoyed walking along the Black Sea in the morning, and the winter in Sochi is so nice. During day time, it was just +10celcius..I could just go outside with a thin jacket. Spent 2 nights in Sochi and then came back to Volgograd... Everyone of us liked Sochi...Wonder if MMC will recognize Sochi State Medical University (if there's ) one day?If that happened, i would encourage students to go there...Haha..Reason? Sochi is a much comfortable city to stay in :-D
Well...these were the 2 major events in my winter break.. Of course I bought a Valentine's gift for my dear too. Wanted to post it, but i wasn't allowed to, as it's a fragile item. Btw, my gift is labelled as 'obscene' and 'shocking' by my dear, who's an innocent girl who still lives in kuno era. Hehe.. Shall reveal the gift on the blog when time comes....And if you are thinking something really obscene , i would suggest you to stop it right now...Because when you see the gift, you might end up saying 'cheh, this also called obscene?shocking?'...Hehe.

Read through few topics of this book, easy to understand and digest...It's now on the top of my booklist for next academic year!

Happy New Year 2009

Happy New Year 2009 everyone! Best wishes from Volgograd, Russian federation. Tonight is the time for feast and party. Haa...

24th Birthday Celebration

1stly, thanks to my groupmates from Group 38 (Yat, Mozac, Ben, Cip, Cud, Ina and Diana) for celebrating my birthday with me at Yat'&Mozac's place on 13th Dec...Shall update the pics after getting them from Ina:-)...
Now i wanna update the pics taken during my birthday celebration in Kim hostel by my hostel mates, on 14th Dec(the exact day). Thanks so much! To Melvin, Bernard, Yhu Voon, Hannie, Yi Jia, Huey Yee, Tesini and Li Liang...I didn't expect all those, esp.ly a home made cheese cake..hehe...Since it' was a celebration at the hostel, somemore it was in my room, so it's considered 'informal',and we just wore like usual...
And finally, thanks to those who wished me, either in person or via internet/phone:-)

















Hostel mates (from the left) : Huey Yee, Hannie, Yi Jia, Li Liang, Yhu Voon, Bernard(in white ,with specs), Melvin (in black)..And i am the one in the middle,squatting...























Melvin's turn to be the photographer..Newly included in this pic is Ms. Tesini Nathan.


















Me with a home made cheese cake..It tastes yummy!Hehe...heard it was being baked 'illegally'.















Cake handing ceremony, by our guest of honour, Ms.CHN.

On Sat night

So much to do, yet the time i have is limited. Last month of the year is coming, which just means that our exams coming soon too. Just hope time will be managed better. My aim for December : Cut down coffee and sugar-rich food! Lastly, a huge apology to my dear,as i can't give her company as frequent as last time . But i know i will be able to compensate it in the future.:-)

USD500 & 1 month practicals

Latest announcement : 1 month compulsory practicals in outskirt of Volgograd + we have to pay USD500 for that. I didn't hear that myself, but from friends who attended the prize giving ceremony this afternoon. At last our university is trying to do something good, to improve our practical skills. They had never been so efficient till the MMC team came to reevaluate our university. But then when we think deeper, is that the only thing they can do in order to improve our practical skills? USD500 isn't a small amount of money, and how can they be so sure that the doctors we are assigned to are willing and dedicated enough to teach.Even if the doctor is dedicated and i am willing to pay , i doubt if my command of russian language is good enough for me to survive in outskirt of Volgograd for one month, and learn from doctors who hardly speak english, and read from illegible case histories?Perhaps they should reconsider about this...

Update from Volgograd

Sorry guys for not updating from Volgograd for so long. Kinda busy on weekdays, and even busier on weekends. Huh....today had a joint Deepavali-Chinese New Year celebration (makan-makan) for our batchmates. Shall share some photos after i got them. So much to accomplish, yet time is so little. Perhaps i should learn how to manage my time better . After all, everyone gets exactly 24 hours per day.:-)

Insanity - definition

Once came across such definition in a book , ' Insanity - when we do the same thing again and again, and each time we expect different results'. Well... today encountered another 'insanity'... And most people just decided continue to be 'insane'... haha....