May the best man win

It has been 2 whole years since my last visit to Centre Court in 2012 where I watched Rafa Nadal crash out in the first round in front of my very eyes, 4 whole years since our first venture into the grounds of Wimbledon where I very unpleasantly turned 5 shades darker and after that, where the exhilarating experience of the Quarterfinals on Centre Court made everything worth it. 

Wimbledon 2012 

Fast forward 2 years later to 2nd July 2014, where I had just emerged from an amazing 3 hour experience of Transformers on the big screen. 

My  Wimbledon app bleeps a notification and I flick it open. 

WHATTT!!?!? Andy Murray, the defending champion of Wimbledon 2012 - knocked out of the Quarterfinals by an 11th seeder whom I had hardly paid attention to before this?

This had got to be the best day ever. 

"OMG Andy Murray is OUT of the tournament!" 

"Haha, told you it was gonna be another 77 years before he wins it again" 

"#spankedbacktoscotland"

It's difficult to describe why I feel so strongly against the poor chap. Perhaps because he isn't the most charismatic of tennis players and although he has matured greatly in the game since those early days, his attitude still annoys me on the court. But most importantly, last year, when I had been watching him diligently on the TV screen - the only Wimbledon match I had managed to catch properly amidst work - I had watched my Djoker defeated right in front of my very eyes. It was a devastating experience, if any, and didn't do my distaste for the Scotsman any favours. 

But this year....things were getting real. After watching Novak battle his way inconsistently in and out of being in the lead against Grigor Dimitrov last night to reach his 3rd Wimbledon final in 4 years, I had come to a surprising conclusion - that in fact, Roger Federer was probably more deserving of this championship than Novak this tournament. And that it was obvious yesterday from his breaking Milos Raonic in the first game of the very first set that sometimes, all you need is the spirit of a champion, and in that department, Roger was the clear winner. 

So I have to admit that although I am a Novak fan through and through, a small part of me is contented with Roger winning the championships this year. Mainly because it has been so long since he has last won a Grand Slam and because he has been close to flawless this tournament. Milos never stood a chance and I gave up after a few minutes of watching the youngster wilt against the 32 year old.

But as they say, may the best man win. Either way I look forward to another highly entertaining tennis match to watch.

Good luck, guys.

One step at a time

A great deal has happened in the past week. 

From the top:

1) Met up with my favourite Kch girlies - one whom I had not seen for 5 years and the other whom I had not seen for 3. And yet our sporadic amounts of keeping in touch via text managed to make it seem as though nothing much had changed since our last encounter. 

2) Took a gamble at my ALS course on Thursday and Friday - note: read like three pages of the manual, winged my way through the MCQ in 20 minutes because I wanted to go out shopping in London and managed to make it through the real deal. 

3) Managed to not screw up my ALS practical session too badly after finding out that my MRCP Part 1 results had been released right before going in and that my friend had passed. 

4) PASSED MY MRCP PART 1!!!!! OMG it was unbelievable. I had to check three times and then almost deafened my mum on the phone. 

Bumped right into my Cardio Reg on the ward after screaming over the phone at my mum and after declaring to him that I had actually passed, he gave me a look and said "See, so all that drama and stress after the paper was for nothing!" 

To which I excitedly declared that now I want to be a Cardiologist again. 

My momentary act of drama after the exam was justified entirely, for the record. I had not been able to answer 60% of the Cardiology questions in the paper, and after bumping into my Cardio Reg on call, I had sworn off Cardio, telling him that I wanted to be a Dermatologist....oh wait, I would need MRCP for that too....no, I wanted to be an Orthopod now. Or maybe a chronic SHO. 

I was ecstatic for 12 whole hours and for a moment it seemed like maybe my Cardiology dream was attainable again. 

HELL YES. I will make it happen. Little by litle. One step at a time. 

For the time being, it is time to lose the MRCP pot belly and fat. And the breakouts. And cheer up because this could be the one good thing that is happening in my life for the moment. 

And start being serious about Part 2. 

A Warrior, Reborn

At the Semi Finals in RG '13: the headlines finally read - Nadal d. Djokovic. 

After a whirldwind of a match lasting 4 hours and 37 minutes, just short of their historical 5 hours 53 minutes showdown in Melbourne in 2012, only one man could emerge the winner to move on to the finish line. 

And that man was always meant to be Rafa Nadal. 

Certain matches will always transcend our familiar definitions and labels, and this particular semifinal at Phillipe Chartier this year probably fell short of a few. It wasn't classic. It was not 'epic' either. It probably fell a little short of 'elegant' in more ways than one, particularly amidst the blindingly fast shots that zipped through the air and the 173 mph groundstrokes of Novak Djokovic that only one man could persevere and come through: and that one man was Rafael Nadal. 

It was a particularly stressful match for me to watch, and halfway there, I forgot that I was watching a semifinal and not the real deal as I had been last year. 

My heart ached when Djokovic played like he had ice in his veins during the second match, basically throwing it away, and lurched to 200 bpm when he seemed to suddenly regain his footing and come clean in the 3rd and 4th. 

The final and deciding factor, was however, that the Djoker still has much of discipline and consistency to learn, at the end of the day. And eventually, my heart wept for what might have been, and all the hope that I had been harbouring throughout the entire match. 

Perhaps more dramatic than should have been perceived, and perhaps it is such that one should never too much harbour only to have it crushed in front of your very eyes. But at the end of the day, I was clear about one thing: some things are just meant to be. Call it destiny, call it twists of fate, call it life. 

Perhaps what made this defeat even more unforgettable was how much my tennis experience had changed over the past 2 years or so. I remembered the days of me and Lynn - when we would be within the same time zone and easy contact of each other when watching matches. How she would always understand this perhaps 'over the top' excitement. 

Then I remembered how the last time a similarly epic encounter had occurred between these two men, there had always been that one person who would be sharing my nerve-wracking palpitations and cheering me on to never lose faith in my Djoker.

This year, it was JH who had to listen to my outbursts about this French Open semifinal - with a "What is wrong? Who is Djoker playing?" 

And then after that, "What??? Since when was Djoker World No. 1????" 

At the end: Nadal walked away with the trophy for the 8th time as expected. 

Sometimes though, fate tugs this way rather than the other. 

Next year, I will be there. And perhaps next year, it will be Novak Djokovic who will be the new King of Clay. 

"I don't ask for much..."

This quotation brings back fond memories in a context of inside jokes and much associated laughter. It used to be something I said with a tinge of dry humour. And yet, today it actually shone through. 

It has been a week of ups and downs. At times, I did feel as though I was being crushed to death under the weight of a zillion things. At others, it felt like things could flip between going perfectly well to suddenly catapulting into disaster and crashing down upon me. 

And then there are times like these that completely make my day:

1) Sliding in a cannula flawlessly when 2 different people had failed 4 times before me. 

2) My patient grasping my hands and telling me 'Thank You SOOO much, my dear. Thank You. You have been so kind."

3) Another telling me that 'your skirt is really pretty, my dear.' 

4) And one colleague commenting in response to another's "Ohhh Alyssa always looks like she's just walked straight out of a fashion magazine. Always!!" 

And the icing on the cake is that Friday looms tomorrow and in 24 hours I will be seeing these lovely ladies:

So in fact, I did mean what I said. I don't ask for much at all. And in fact, it never takes much to make me delirious with joy. 

OMG I absolutely can't wait for this weekend!! *BIMBOTIC SQUEAL* 

Plus, I have Monday off!!!! *STARJUMP*

Bruxelles

So with the hype of officially passing finals and Med School being over and done with, 'The Cartoons' and I reunited back again in London to make the most of our remaining holidays before the formalities of Graduation, Farewells and Doctoring began. 

And what better way to commemorate the last of our time spent together in this part of the world than a Euro Trip! 

Destination: Bruxelles, or Brussels - the capital of Belgium

Mode of Transport: Eurostar (Read: Convenient 2 hour journey from a train station in the city and NO fluids restriction! Awesome stuff)

Participants: Us girls and Daisy's Plus One. 

Mood: Jubilant! 

Didn't take very long to figure out what our main agenda for the majority of the trip was. Doing this:

In front of the miniscule-sized Mannekin Pis, which we took ages to find. Talk about anti-climatic.

Brussels was a nice change from the hustle and bustle of London. Small, reasonably-priced transport and easy to get around, with the help of our awesome tour guide, Mr. Rengier. We had fun gorging on Belgian Waffles, Chocolate and Frites dipped in a variety of sauces, amidst me flagging from a HUGE pot of Mussels. There wasn't that much to do or see per se, but it was a nice enough and relaxing holiday for us, and something to remember before we went our separate ways. 

And we even squeezed in a load of sight-seeing, thanks to Tour Guide #1! Four churches, the European Quarters, The Grand Place, parks, cam-whoring outside the Atomium and a whole load of laughter and movie sessions at night.

We even found a car park whose top floor overlooked the entire city and spent a fair amount of time taking self-indulged photos which could rival any Backstreet Boys or Spice Girls promo poster. Coming soon. As soon as Daisy gets around to uploading them.

It feels a little surreal that we have now reached this point in our lives, when only two months or so ago, we were worried sick about whether or not we would get through finals. It feels even more unimaginable that in a while, we will be going our separate ways, and not know when we would next see each other again.

Ah the friends that bless your lives with their wonderful presence. It's just a pity that people come and go in our lives and there is no way we can prevent that.

Thanks for the past three years, Cartoons xxx

Singapore Spree

And I say that because it was every bit one heck of a shopping spree as it could possibly get!

Since I would be in Singapore being a Cardio enthusiast for two weeks in the middle of May for my electives, I had a brilliant idea to organise a sequel to the Tenerife holiday: a relaxing (SUPPOSEDLY!) weekend in Singapore, catching up with these girls, because the last time we all saw each other was as far back as April 2010!

Tenerife - Easter 2010

Unfortunately, we were missing a member of the 'Tenerife Gang' as Noemi was busy being a hotshot architect in London this time, so the three of us made do. 

We hit the ground running! As soon as Hanna arrived, we kicked-started by hopping off to the much talked-about Universal Studios in Sentosa. 

The place was small, but didn't disappoint. The last time I had been to a theme park was 6 years ago, and the Alton Towers trip in CC with me and Jenn screaming our heads off on the 'Nemesis' rollercoaster lives in my mind. So this outing to check out Universal Studios was much welcomed indeed. Amongst the Marilyn Monroe lookalikes, Kung-Fu Panda 'Po' and Woody the Woodpecker, we even managed to pull a 'Gossip Girl' moment on the steps of this library. Not the Metropolitan, but in this case, the New York Public Library.

Priceless Moment of Note: Sitting on the Battlestar Galactica, 90-second rollercoaster, and me being really pleased to be seated in the last row, only to find out later that the scariest point of a rollercoaster IS being in the last row, because it picks up speed as it zooms down with gravity. Congrats, Shing.

After a tiring day gallivanting around Universal Studios, being soaked wet on a ride amongst other things, we even managed to trek it back in time for dinner and catching up with the CC buds and then drinking wine till almost 2 am, where the boys proceeded to order bottle after bottle of wine even when we had dropped a zillion hints that it was time to head back. Perceptive much?

But nothing would stand in the way of our shopping plans. The girls had big plans to shop down the entire GSS (Great Singapore Sale), so up we were before 9 am the next day and off to brunch at Wild Honey

The rest of our remaining two days were pretty standard despite our big plans to shop down the entire Orchard Road each day.

It seemed our brunches were never enough to provide enough fuel for shopping because we ran out of energy so quickly each day that it became a bit of a joke eventually how absolutely shattered we were after just a couple of hours of shopping.

Towards the end, I concluded that the one blessing in disguise that does well for curbing my borderline shopaholic tendencies is the fact that I lack the stamina to squeeze all the shopping malls dry despite the amount of caffeine or food I consume for the day. In fact, Post Prandial Stupor struck so often that by the time Sunday afternoon swung around, all I really wanted to do was to get on the first plane and head home.

I kid. But we did leave Singapore feeling like we needed another day to recuperate before heading back to work (for them) and off to my new ObGyn placement in Kch.

Nevertheless, even Rex's friend from Med School was wildly impressed that we had managed to remain such close friends after almost a decade of friendship, and the amount of effort we have put into meeting up as often as possible. In this case, almost once-yearly holidays.

The girls say that they can't possibly be up for more shopping sprees for the next trip. I concur wholly.

Till we meet again next year (hopefully in Penang!) 

Birthday Buddies

The hype surrounding birthdays has never really been there for me. This year however, was the last time we (Daisy, Coco, Nenek and I) would get to celebrate a birthday together, hence I decided to at least settle for dinner over the weekend.

The morning started off horrendous. There was a massive 4 and a half hour surgical ward round that lasted from 8 am till way past lunchtime, and it didn't help that my nose was dripping like a leaky tap the entire morning as well due to unknown reasons, or the fact that they kept making me carry stacks of notes to scribe on at lightning speed as we rushed from one end of the hospital to another.

The rest of the weekend was pretty much standard protocol of replying messages and catching up with those whom I had lost touch with. It's funny because Zhin and I use the word 'Birthday Buddies' alot to describe people whom we speak to only on an annual basis, but this year the term managed to take on a much more hilarious turn.

These, however, are my birthday buddies, and definitely some of the greatest friends I have had the pleasure of meeting:

The 'Neneks', and definitely one of the best parts of Med School

Thanks Daisy for the awesome cake :)

And then the night took a turn from mild to insane. So...Enough said. Pictures speak a thousand times louder than words.

All pictures courtesy of Daisy and her fabulous camera! Much thanks!

Definitely one HUGE moment to remember, and totally blog entry-deserving. Much thanks to all the awesome people who made my day and to the many wishes and thoughts that came my way. I felt the love :)

On top of turning a year more worldly and wiser, I also learnt a lesson at the expense of an 'almost' 'thunderclap headache'.

Here's to sobriety for another few months at least, to my fabulous 'Neneks' whom I could not imagine life in London without, and to all the other important people in my life who have shown me much love and support every step of the way.

And to those who were never deserving of my time and effort, as I have been flippantly saying these days, "Throw them away lah!"

And finally, here's to an awesome Lunar New Year as well, roaring ahead dragon-style. Finish Line, I DO see you! :)

Coffee Hunt....Continued

This time...in the comforts of none other than our beloved hometown of Kch.

I know there have been occasions time and time again where I have gotten a raised eyebrow in response to my ignorance of certain Kch 'hotspots', to the point that I am possibly....?Pseudo-Kuchingite, but hey, I swear I'm getting better.

So while Lynn was coffee-hunting in London, I decided to pull my weight and set off to do some evaluating in Kch.

Back to the awesome Carpenter Street where limited parking + lousy driving skills = exasperation escalated by subtly sarcastic reactions from my BFF in my passenger seat.

No matter though, Vamos Shing! Eventually success loomed. Managed to build some immunity towards the snarky remarks and head over to this:

Iced Lattes

It was definitely refreshing to be able to drink Iced Coffee again, after all those moments in London where any form of an iced drink would lead to uncontrollable convulsions and chattering of teeth the moment you walked out of the store.....and into the arms of the brutal cold. Ironically, the context in this case was the lack of any form of cooling device and a series of new mosquito bites to add to my current collection.

Overall, it was definitely a refreshing layout to the typical London (or rather Aussie) style Coffee place.

Simple, old-school and functional. This was Kch-style through and through. And the coffee wasn't bad either.

My substitute Coffee-Hunting partner in crime: Best Friend Forever and one of the causes of my deteriorating laughter threshold.

*Note: Shades are Tom Ford aviators belonging to the author, not the model...just in case you were wondering*

Black Bean Coffee & Tea Company 黑豆食品咖啡茶叶贸易公司

No. 87 Ewe Hai Street

93000 Kuching,

Sarawak, Malaysia.

Apologies for the mediocre photo qualities. All snapped with my sturdy HTC Desire S on a new awesome app that Daisy recommended.

So all in all, who would have thought that Kch would be so much fun this time around. And honestly, no sarcasm intended. As much as I thought there would be no one to see and nothing to do prior to coming back, the reality when I was back was that there still weren't that many of my High School friends back, and Kch was pretty much still a hole.

But then you realise that all it boils down to is 'The One where Laughter Never Ceases'. Or in this case, a list of random, significant, bizarre, 'What-The-Hell', yet memorable Kch moments with the Liangster.

The Adventures of Dora and Boots

Back from a week-long adventure in KL! Which I must credit for the title of this post.

And a huge adventure it was! Definitely best KL trip to date EVER! Lol. Bit of an inside joke for me and Daisy Hoo, but this was definitely one summer holiday I would never forget.

What was supposedly a week of 'being keen' for two medical students, ended up being a barrel of laughs. From being continuously sloughed off onto the service of other members of the team to continuously being asked to 'study in the library' and my personal favourite.....'No patients have turned up for Clinic'. Just to say, the end point was that we both transitioned through periods of wanting to kill certain people, to being exasperated to the point of laughter, to making the most of our time together and turning it into an 'adventure'. What's not to like about escaping from clinic to go shopping in Pavilion countlessly?

Well, to be fair, I guess we did learn maybe 6 important points about Cardiology at the very end. Two new Diabetic drugs I hadn't heard of, VSD's, Wolf-Parkinson-White Syndrome and two more interesting patients we saw on the single round with pretty distinct conditions.

Other than that, this was definitely THE gastronomical KL experience!!! And sadly, I have to agree that the West has a far larger variety of food than the East, where my standard answer for good Kch food is 'Kolo Mee' and 'Sarawak Laksa'. Lol. Or maybe that's just me. Please don't kill me, I am still very much a Kuchingite at heart ;)

And the holiday is coming to an end.....soon it will be Kch-Withdrawal Symptoms again for me. And I have a feeling that they will be FAR worse this time around.

Oh well, still have got the week left.

In the meantime, a huge shout-out to my BFF Daisy Hoo, aka my fellow explorer Dora for an amazing time in Kay-Elle :) And pRease okay....I am being truly sincere ;)

The First Days of Spring

These days when the sun is out and the current stat count is T-4 days till Easter Break, we have pretty much abandoned all medical knowledge and discipline to read. Seriously, goodness knows how long it has been since I have picked up a medical book.

So with all thoughts of Obs & Gynae completely abandoned (anything learnt in placement this week will be doomed, I tell you), more traipsing around London continued with Lynn and YL.

Notes, Music and Coffee - awesome place tucked away in Covent Garden, and definitely one of my better efforts at photo-taking

Mirror Images

Flat White

And from coffee to Flavoured Belgian Beer / Apple Cider post-exams last Wednesay:

YL's Cider and My Fruli (new-found Favourite)

And on a fine Sunday, while people were busy pounding London's roads for the long-awaited London Marathon, we leisurely sidled down East (Central) London, across the Thames to London Bridge

Stopping in front of some tulips along the way

And rediscovering our Polka Dot craze

The first days of Spring are truly here to stay. And as much as our week's worth of placements are completely doomed due to our lack of focus and End- of- Term moods, I say 'Sod It' for now.

Sun, Spring, Flowers, Awesome friends and one of the prettiest cities in the world.

And to top it all off, a virtual showdown between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon this Thursday to finish off the term:

What better way to prepare for this year's Wimbledon than Top Spin Move?

Blessed...

.....because I have pretty damn awesome friends!

From my absolute FAVOURITE cake (Chocolate + Cherry) from my favourite baker in the entire world : YL Hoo, to the love and effort put into the gigantic photo frame of our amazing friendship by Pei Hua, to the Oscar-worthy acting efforts of LX Wong to pull of the one surprise in my many birthdays of the past that went without a hitch, to the many antics with my Neneks in my kitchen.

This birthday was perhaps alot more different than the last. Simply because this year, I had been whining and whining for days prior to it about having to trek to the middle of nowhere (Tunbridge Wells) to see 'dying ppl', i.e. Hospice Visit. Ironically, it did not turn out so bad, and my partner dropped me off at the end which made trekking back a lot more bearable.

I was also alot calmer this year, mentally, and I had come to realise that the best things come in small packages

(Translation: I am not for massive parties with about 10 other people whom you don't particularly know very well. It is heart-warming enough having a simple gathering with friends that DO matter).

Perhaps it's true what they say, A Year Older, A Year Wiser.

At least I hope that is the case for me :)

I Miss...

.....you already.

=((((

Not THAT Kind of Girl

Mini weekend getaway to the country.

AKA Lake District, Cumbria.

Was feeling extremely knackered all week and was wondering if I would be too exhausted to properly enjoy the outing, but again, I underestimated a trip with the kawans.

Beautiful place. Peaceful. Cold......BUT at least it wasn't raining. Very much welcomed from the hustle and bustle of London. When I was being jostled and shoved and almost knocked off my feet today in Victoria Station, I couldn't help but recall and embrace the lack of human capacity, where I could actually SEE miles and miles of unpopulated land at the Lakes.

Unfortunately, this was the response I got on two separate conversations after I got back.

#1:

hpy: How was the trip?

me: Good! Except we were hiking for 4 or 5 hours on the rocky footpath and my leg muscles AND feet hurt so much. Also I looked so damn out of place in my attire!

hpy: WHAT???? Just like Edinburgh?! Don't tell me you wore high heels!

me: *speechless* Why are you asking me the same question again?!

#2:

Jenn: Shing! How was Lake District?

Me: Good good. Really pretty! Except I wasn't exactly using proper footwear or gear and it was kinda tedious hiking for 4 hours!

Jenn: What improper footwear? Don't tell me you wore heels.

Me: OMG why is everyone asking me the same thing? Why would I wear heels to go hiking? Pffttt.

Jenn: HAHAHAHHA because you are sooooo predictable like that, Shing!

And this is coming from the two ppl who are supposedly the closest to me and have known me well for 7 whole years!

HMPH. I may like Minnie Mouse, and I like anything with a bow, and I wear heels on normal, non-hiking trips (because I am short!), and I do not own anything that is remotely North Face....but I am sooooooo not that kind of girl.

Pffttt.

Next purchases: Timberland boots, North Face parka, Deuter backpack. Watch this space!

In the meantime, here are some moments to remember:

Pssttt. Look at my shoes. Sneakers! No heels! I know my attire looks odd. But please ignore that. For the record, I had no idea we would be doing full blown hiking AND I have no proper outdoorsy clothes here with me in London.

And regular meetups with you are what keeps me sane throughout the year.

Distance makes the heart grow fonder. And yes, I say Best Friends are Forever :)

Coping Mechanisms

Life....issues.....drama......PMS. Who are we kidding? Even when it is not that time of the month and life is considerably drama or issue-free, we all get our moments of 'sienness' or emo bouts, or even those days that you open your eyes and wished that you could just sleep forever.

(Hello Garfield? Could we just exchange places for one day please?)

So we have coping mechanisms. To each her own.

I remembered a time when mine was JH-induced laughter. Or Zhin-induced laughter.

And then as the years went by and JH and Zhin's roles slowly diminished in my life, I found different therapeutic methods of making life that much more bearable.

The first being my BFF and possibly the funniest person ever in this world, Pei Hua.

And the second - not so good, scrape that: not good at ALL - was retail therapy.

The week before, I had bouts of intermittent 'sienness'. Days when you just felt like you really needed a break from this world and just dream about post-exam freedom and summer holidays in the comfort of home. And then I got that break from the world when I had the most fabulous weekend ever with PH over AND our marathon shopping trips - more cardio than I could ever have done in one gym session, I assure you.

Despite the unproductiveness of our shopping spree, the endless hours of conversation, the uncontrollable laughter, the sniggering at TV shows on my computer, the Youtube surfing, the eating sessions - everything was worth so much more. Our numerous mini trips between London and Manchester have been the many highlights of my year, and in the darker moments, given me something to hold on to and move forward.

And at the end of the weekend, I decided that there was no way that I was letting PMS combat me and succumb to using it as a weak excuse for everything.

Because even in those bleak moments, you realise that these things are probably all that you need in life:

A Bestie

And SHOPPINNNGGGG

(you didn't see the second line. Shopaholic who??)

Shingshing in Tenerife

April 1st - April 4th 2010

Rocking the Canary Islands with my favourite girls in the whole wide world.

Here's to 5 years of unwavering, rock-steady friendship and more :)

I miss the sun, the sea and you girls already XX