Willy wonka, willy wonka...lalalala...

Am back in Newcastle for the weekend, enjoying the fine company and the lousy weather. Can't really complain about the weather though, since Birmingham was unfortunate enough to be struck by a freak tornado and Mumbai is currently undergoing a lot of problems (that being an understatement) after 37inches of rain fell in the space of 24hours. Whoever said global warming isn't an issue (read : the Bush administration) should have a closer look at the freakish weather that's becoming all too common these days.

The weather proved too distracting that I even forgot to attend W2k's farewell gathering, which was supposed to be a BBQ. Oja and Ellina were around though, and as usual, it was fun catching up and having a laugh. It was a pity that they were around for such a short period of time though. Even more fun was catching up with Sweetie after a week of relative quiet. Think we talked over the phone for at least a couple of hours yesterday, and we're making the most of it since she might be going to Trg for a couple of weeks due to her work.

Caught a couple of movies over the weekend - a forgettable-ish Resident Evil 2 over the telly, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The latter was a joy to watch and a feast for the eyes. I could be biased, since I'm a huge Tim Burton and Johnny Depp fan (made evident by my frequent and loud bursts of laughter - apologise to CT and Elly), but to me, he made a great job of bringing Dahl's fantastical world to life. Next stop, The Corpse Bride. Which reminds me, I need to purchase a DVD of The Nightmare Before Christmas.




Will be getting back to Carlisle tonight, and I'll be starting work (officially) on Weds. My first rotation involves me as the house officer on the stroke ward. Which is quite good for a number of reasons : I find neuro a rather interesting subject, it's a nice place to start on (neither too busy nor too slow) and the registrar and consultant I worked for are amazingly nice people. They've both taught me before, and everyone who's worked for them before has said that they're the best bosses they've had so far. At least it'll give me the confidence to call them up when I'm in trouble.

Oh, and Kimi has finally won! Here's hoping McLaren's engines will prove to be a little sturdier in the next few races.

Doctor in da house...

As you no doubt know already, I'm in Carlisle. Arrived here on Monday night (the shadowing course during the day was spent at the univ, and the 3 musketeers managed to skive on their very first day as Foundation doctors) and been busy with the Foundation programme here.

At this point in time, I'm neither sad nor depressed (aren't they the same thing? Hmm...). I get the occasional pang of I-miss-them (them = the 2 musketeers and 'family' at Brighton Grove; Sweetie's on default status) but it's helped by the fact that we've been kept busy and also the fact that my fellow 'Foundationers' seem to be a pretty friendly bunch.

Each and every one of us come from different backgrounds- there are only 2 other graduates from England (both from Sheffield); the others are from India, the Czech Republic, Poland, Pakistan, Nigeria and Slovakia. That's the plus side of Carlisle being unpopular among Newcastle graduates. It's quite fun and interesting to chat about our various origins (we got to know each other over dinner at a Mexican restaurant last night) and to find areas of common interest e.g. the girl whose mum's from Malaysia. I'm the youngest in the group though (everyone's either 25 or 26), and quite a few of them have already had previous attachments, so are probably a heck of a lot more experience than I am.

Quite a few of the staff here have recognised me from my attachment as a student, and it's nice to see them genuinely happy that at least one person from Newcastle came over. Haha... and everyone seems to like my specs for some reason. Too bad the face beneath it currently has a huge zit on its nose. Maybe that's why they focused on the specs... Hmm...

So far, things have been pretty organised. We've got the financial bits away, and all the basic housekeeping stuff. And they've also provided some lessons on a few medical topics and on practical issues e.g. filling cremation forms, self-defence (we had a little session on how to defend ourselves against angry patients or those without insight) and today we had a session on ergonomics and ensuring your back can still be used by the end of the day.

The scariest bit is that I'll be on-call during my first day. Which means I'll be clerking in patients on the acute admissions ward, and I'll be part of the crash team (the team in charge of CPR and defibrillation). Seeing that I have an abysmal amount of medical knowledge retained in my brains at this point in time, I foresee a weekend of me mugging up on emergencies and and reading up on the 'How to make sure your patient doesn't die' booklet. Luckily, we'll be having a refresher ALS and ALERTS course during this shadowing period.

I was in my ward this afternoon, and was shown around by the current house officer. Won't write too much about it at the mo, since I'll be spending more time there tomorrow and also due to the fact that the library's almost closed. Hope everyone else is having a good time!

Follow the yellow brick road. Or the partially paved one.

Of the many things that have happened in the world these past few days, 2 things stand out the most for me.

Firstly, it's Lance Armstrong winning the Tour de France for the 7th time in a row. Which is an amazing achievement by itself. But add the fact that he did so after being diagnosed (and subsequently cured) of not only testicular cancer but secondaries in his liver and bone as well, and you're talking about a bloody miracle. Or sheer determination. You gotta respect the guy, and another reason he deserves a salute is 'cause he's planning to retire while he's at the top of his game and would rather not overstay his welcome. Does that speak of character or what? Samy Vellu could learn a thing or two from this guy.

Secondly, British policeman chased an 'Asian-looking guy', tackled him to the ground and shot him 5 times in the head 'cause he was (supposedly) wearing a suspicious looking coat and was acting suspicious. Turns out he was Brazilian, and the Foreign Office will be cursing the Metropolitan Police for the next few weeks. Funny thing is, they called an air ambulance after shooting the guy, hoping that he'd be alive to provide some information. Any 10-year-old can tell you that shooting a guy 5 times at the back of his head would pretty much guarantee his death.

It would seem that the British police are getting a little jumpy and trigger-happy. Could it be due to their lack of experience in using firearms (as opposed to the American police who probably kills an innocent everyday)? Could be... after all, it's been years since the last IRA attack. Could it be that they needed to be seen to be doing something after all the flak they've been receiving? If that's the case, they're knee-deep in shit now. Plan obviously didn't work.

People are scared of the unknown, and I guess policemen probably feel the same way. But being policemen, and having both the authority and power to change/end lives does include being responsible for not abusing their privileges. Which reminds me, we just watched Infernal Affairs, and although it didn't have quite the same impact as God of the Gamblers or the like, it was still a pretty good watch.

The bombings have left their mark on the psyche of the nation. Which is not really surprising. I can't say anyone expected these young British 'muslims' to do what they did. I disagree with the term 'Islamic terrorists' though, 'cause as far as I'm concerned, these boys were no muslims. One might as well have described them as being part of a cult, 'cause there's no way on Earth that their deviant teachings would ever be approved by the Quran, no matter how hard they twist and turn the various surahs.

Met up with Reem and Jo for ice-cream, and it was great catching up. It's a pity that many of Reem's friends, as well as her mum, have been targets of abuse 'cause they're either Muslims or just look Asian. Ignorance breeds hatred, but at this point one can only hope that the tidal wave of horror and anger will subside. Things must be worse in Leeds and Dewsbury, where the kids came from. Don't know much about those places, and I've only ever heard of the latter 'cause Hizbi (the UK branch of PAS) occasionally have gatherings over there.

At this point in time though, I'm sort of dreading having to go to Carlisle tomorrow evening. Shadowing starts tomorrow at the medical school, and then it's off to the west coast. Yes, part of me is excited but on the rest of me is thinking along the lines of 'Damn, no more holidays for the rest of my life!'. Holidays without consequences, that is.

I'm not looking forward to being in a place with total strangers either. I think I've become comfortable with my own little group of friends, and now that I won't be a walk away from them, I'm sure I'll be feeling a little down. There's no option but to go out and meet new people, and this first week is definitely going to involve me having to go out or hang out with some folks, even if deep down I feel like curling up in the bed and reading a book. First impressions last, n'est-ce pas?

I guess the main thing is that I'm going to miss the close friends I've got in Newcastle. Yeah, I'll be seeing them on weekends but it's always nice to have your loved ones close to you. After all, these friends are like family to me. But 5 days in Carlisle shouldn't be too bad, and Tuesday's the beginning of the rest of my life. So Carlisle, here I come.

Amsterdam

There are a number of images that come to mind when one talks about Holland in general, and Amsterdam in particular. Some involve milkmaids, clogs, windmills and cheese; for some it’s the art of Rembrandt and Van Gogh or the beauty of the architecture and canals; and others think about the more hedonistic pursuits of being able to get a ‘high’ without fear of prosecution or the infamous Red Light District.

The 2 days I spent in this low-lying land was more than sufficient for me to catch a glimpse of all these aspects, except for the milkmaids of course.




The trip over was relatively uneventful, although fior some reason we found the cheese sandwich served on KLM to be one of the tastiest we've ever eaten. We arrived rather late at night, but having decided that no time shall be put to waste, we went for a walk to take in the sights.




We did a LOT of walking over the next couple of days, which is (in my humble opinion) the best way to really explore and catch a whiff of the atmosphere in which people live in. And I found myself enjoying the experience with a certain light-headedness, which might have something to do with the marijuana that was floating around. But jokes aside, the city is just nice for a short visit to take your mind off things, and the friendly folks and great food help make the trip worthwhile.

We basically did all the touristy things - getting on a canal cruise, walking the 'scenic route', checking out the Rijksmuseum (although we weren't as impressed with Rembrandt's famous Night Watch as compared to some of the still-life paintings that were on display), watched Van Gogh's artistic progression in the musuem dedicated to his works (most famous being The Sunflower; my favourite piece wasn't there though), marvelled at the tulips, savouring the local produce in a coffeeshop over a game of chess, wondered how tiring it must be for the girls to stand on display all day long at the Red Light District and got the usual little bits of souvenirs.




On our first night, a cute fluffy black cat walked up to us and followed us for quite a bit, and over the next few days, we always came across a friendly black or grey cat. Which led us to the conclusion that either Amsterdam's full of 'em or we were hallucinating. Naturally, one had to take a photograph of Mr Kitty to make a proper conclusion.




The city itself is clean and relatively safe. Don't think there was a point in which we felt threatened, even the drug dealers seemed to be willing to give directions. As I got the usual Hard Rock Cafe souvenir for Sweetie, I was surprised to find a Wagamama restaurant nearby. We didn't patronise it though, heading elsewhere to tuck into one of the loveliest pancakes ever, and even trying out an Argentinian and Indonesian restaurant. There are probably a number of reasons on why we felt the food was darn good, since even the milkshake I had (twice) was remarkably delicious!

This makes it the second time that I've been on holiday with 2 of my closest friends (the other being Sweetie), and it's great when your companion is of a similar mindset and each person knows what the other would like to do, along with the usual respecting each other's boundaries etc. I probably freaked Radzi a little with my more tedious aspects of being neat and organised, but then again, he knew that about me anyways.

I started Coelho's The Alchemist while waiting to board the plane back, and had finished it by the time we landed. I won't comment much on it, except that it's worth a read and was probably a complement to the feelings and thoughts that I've had during the trip.




The trip was probably the best thing to do prior to starting my job, 'cause it gave me time to relax and it helped me think and lend perspective to things. I came to realise that I'm blessed in many ways, and that one of the blessings that I have is the fact that at the moment, as far as I'm aware of, things are going well for me and there's only one thing missing in my life. And even then, knowing what is missing and knowing what you have to do in order to make your life complete is a blessing on its own, 'cause then you'll have a goal that you'll work your ass off to achieve. Despite bouts of despair, I do take comfort in the fact that I know where I'd like to be in 5 years, and I know what I have to do in order to make my dreams a reality. After all, how many of us wander around aimlessly, wondering how on earth they'd be able to make themselves whole?

Daymn, I must be high.




Or maybe it's the effect of sleeping at 7am this morning after a night of RPG-ing with Radzi, CT and Yus. Either way, I'm off to catch the Fantastic Four.

Of bananas and half-blood princes...

Today was a rather busy day, which is a good thing. Kept myself occupied with a variety of activities - had my usual weekend chat with Sweetie which is always something to look forward to, Yus organised a bbq and I helped out with bits and bobs, and every other spare minute was spent reading J.K Rowling's latest.

It was great seeing Sweetie on the cam again after so long. Haven't really been able to spend much time with her when my parents were here, and her absence is still slowly sinking in. Even Yus mentioned that I looked a little worse off than usual. But naturally, meeting her online cheered me up and we spent the next hour or so after that on the phone as well.

BBQ was held in honour of our Bruneian friends, who'll be leaving the shores of England in a while. As usual, Yus organised it and as usual, it went pretty well. There were loads of bananas to finish though (since we got a crate of bananas with about 15 combs of it for about 3 quid), and towards the end, we somehow thought it'd be a brilliant idea to barbeque a couple of bananas in their skins. Which turned out to taste pretty decent.

As for the penultimate Harry Potter novel...finally finished the book around 1am just now. Which is good 'cause I'll be able to play the good host when Radzi comes over tomorrow (we're off to Amsterdam the day after). And the verdict? The fact that I was able to continue reading and finishing it in 24 hours indicates that it's a pretty good read, and I do believe it's better than book 5, which was a little tedious to read imho. The pace of this book was just nice, and the tone is a lot more serious and matured, which is apt considering the fact that the characters are more grown-up. There's surprisingly little said about the Half-Blood Prince though, but to say anything more would just serve to be a spoiler.

It's nice watching some of my predictions come true, but it was written well enough that I felt the way I did when I watched the Jedi getting killed in Revenge of the Sith - you knew it was coming, but the emotional impact was there nevertheless. Now, I've got to start thinking about what might happen in the final book, which won't be as easy.

The thing about good books is that there's this feeling of not wanting the story to end. So although part of me is glad to have finished it, another one doesn't look forward to the fact that there's only one book to go. But then again, there are so many books that one can get lost into. Next stop, besides my comics that I really should get to, is probably Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist. Everyone says it's great blah blah blah, so I guess it's about time I found out for myself.

Physically physically physically fit...

It's been nice and easy these past few days. My hitherto pseudo-housemates are now my proper housemates (for the next couple of weeks anyway) and it's great having voices around again and being able to see a face that does not originate from the telly when you wake up in the morning and before you go to bed at night.

I've finished Foundation and Earth, and have also partly sorted out my comic collection. All that's left to do now is catalogue them (if I have the time) and read the ones I haven't read yet. Which number about 30 in total (although this is probably an underestimate).

Went to the cinema yesterday. Invited the others but they weren't up to it at the time. Normally, I'd wait for them and go together on another day but I was feeling kinda down yesterday and knew that I needed to do something to cheer myself up. Hence the decision to catch a few comedies - The Wedding Crashers, Kung Fu Hustle and Madagascar. And after laughing heartily at these movies, I decided to catch Sin City again so I basically spent the whole of yesterday locked up in the movies. I don't think I've ever watched 4 movies in a row, but heck, might as well enjoy this freedom of mine before work comes knocking on my door.

Of the three comedies, I think I enjoyed them in the order that I watched them. I'm a big fan of movies with Owen Wilson and Vince Vaugh, along with their friends Ben Stiller and to a certain degree, Will Ferrell. And this movie followed their well-tested combination of witty remarks and jokes, a little bit of slapstick along with a dose heart-tugging moments. Oh, and Rachel McAdams is beautiful in this movie.

Kung Fu Hustle is what you'd expect it to be - a more refined Shaolin Soccer. I'm not sure if it's actually better than the latter, but it definitely stands out on its own and had me laughing all the way, unlike Madagascar. Sweetie was right about it - so-so animation, and although the jokes were ok I guess, I probably couldn't appreciate them as much either 'cause I've heard my friends talking about them, I was tired of laughing, or they were meant for kids (especially since the group of kids behind me were squealing all the way). And after all, the whole 'New Yorkers are tough and New York is the best city in the world' bits became a little tiresome.

On the way home (this was approaching midnight), I glanced to my left and saw a variety of skimpily clad women going about getting drunk and saw a queue in front of Waterstone's to my right. Being the good boy that I am, I decided to join the queue and after an hour or so, was able to get myself 3 copies of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. No, I'm not a diehard fan, the other 2 copies were for Ct and Elly.

The wait wasn't too bad, with people dressed up as wizards and witches prancing around and everyone joining in the countdown to the door's opening (I couldn't bring myself to join in though). Unfortunately, I was surrounded by rather annoying folks. Once again, I can't say if they were truly annoying or if I was just reacting to the sudden exposure of human behaviour after being cooped up in the cinema for so long.

In front of me were 2 ladies, probably about 50 years old, who kept squealing and giggling and literally jumping around 'cause they were so excited about the book. I felt like taking a giant fly-swatter and smacking them, but unfortunately, I am merely a Muggle. And behind me were a bunch of American tourists who insisted on taking photographs every 5 metres. They probably thought it was a life-changing event or something.

Anyhow, I'm rested now and have read about 120 pages so far (with no small amount of confusion, having forgotten the events of previous books), and the book's ok-ish so far. After all, the exciting bits usually start around the middle when Harry's back in Hogwarts so here's looking forward to Round 6.

Post-holiday Holiday

My parents flew back yesterday, and have since arrived safely back home. On the train on the way home, I felt a sudden surge of melancholy at their departure, but I guess it's only natural to feel that way when you've been spending weeks with the family. I decided to immerse myself in Asimov's Foundation and Earth instead. I've got about 50 pages more to go (it's amazing how much time one can devote to reading novels during a holiday. At this rate, I'd be able to read a novel a day, but I doubt that will happen) and since I've got 3 weeks of comics to read, the next novel will probably be Harry Potter an the Half-Blood Prince, which is due out this weekend.

The penultimate day of their holiday was spent exploring Edinburgh, with Radzi playing his usual role of a tourist guide. The poor fella must be quite fed up with having to go through the same thing each time someone visits Edinburgh, and probably has a mental script of what to say and a mental map of where to go. It was a nice trip though, and it was also good catching up.

On the way back, we took the coastal route and stopped by North Berwick and Bamburgh Castle. We somehow managed to squeeze the Newcastle bridges and The Sage as well before setting off to Manchester Airport. I'm glad they enjoyed themselves, 'cause this was the first time my parents had a proper holiday since we went to Langkawi about 6 years ago. And God knows a lot has happened since then.

It's good how the weather has worked out to be rather hot and sunny. It's been amazingly condusive for travelling, although it's funny listening to my parents complain about the heat when only a week ago, they were shivering in the rain, as was yours truly. In fact, temperatures have breached 33 Celcius, and last night was the first time during my entire stay in England that I had to sleep without a t shirt and duvet and with the window open.

Right now, I'm quite content with lazing around and reading and catching up on my sleep. That's probably the manner in which I'll be spending my next couple of weeks, although I probably should revise a little prior to shadowing and the start of work. Might be going to Amsterdam as well, but that plan hasn't been finalised yet.

Scotland

We arrived in Glasgow last night, immediately feasted upon a meal at The Lemon Tree. Ate my fill of chinese food (which only served to remind what I'd miss back home!) before proceeding to Oja's place, which I somehow managed to do without getting too lost.

Didn't drive as much today, since nobody else seemed particularly comfortable with navigating. Spent most of the morning and afternoon at the Livingston shopping centre, which was filled with various goodies. I've pretty much decided that shopping in the future should only be conducted at that particular location or others like it. I was quite tempted to buy a mackintosh and a suit, but the 3-figure prices were a bit of a deterrant. Naturally, you can't help but wait for work during moments like these. At the end, I got myself a shirt from The Gap for 3 quid, and something for Sweetie and Rina.

After being stuck indoors for the better part of the day, we took a ride around the sothern bits of Scotland,going through Forth Road Bridge, Stirling and Loch Lomond before getting back to Glasgow, where we took a few pics of the univ (which is a pretty amazing sight) and George's Square.

Shopping today wasn't too bad, 'cause for the most part, I was wandering about by myself. But I was constantly surprised, 'cause each time I'd go back to find my mum, I'd find her talking and making friends with someone new. And I'd end up having to make small talk as well. No harm done, I guess.

I quite enjoy chatting with the parents of my friends though. It's intriguing, looking back at the myriad of topics that we cover. And I think my mum's pretty pleased with my friends and quite enjoys chatting with them as well. In fact, she actually complained to Elly that I've been rather impatient. Which is true, come to think of it... haha...

Of course, my friends have been remarkably hospitable and friendly and helpful, so big hugs go out to Elly, Em, CT, Oja and Ellina. The little road trip wouldn't have been same without your help, and do remind me to get you all some chocs or something ya? As for tomorrow, we're off to Edinburgh to check out the history and catch up with Radzi. The poor fella's been bz entertaining numerous guests, but we've thought of an idea for the next couple of weeks which hopefully would prove to be helpful in getting our minds a little peace and quiet.

Explosive events

Quite a few things have happened over the past few days, chief of which is my return to the Land of Perpetual Rainfall of the Depressive-Type. And I figured I'd jot my thoughts down in little digestible bits, to prevent a diarrhoea of comments and thoughts that might prove to be a little unwieldy to follow.

• Graduation was on Weds. I have to say it wasn't the most pleasant of events, 'cause we had to endure the typical English weather of a constant pouring, and the university folks didn't actually have the foresight (or weren't bothered) to provide a marquee or tent of some sort for the parents, friends and graduands.
  
  
  
  




• Received my 'scroll' from Chris Patten, who's the chancellor for both Oxford and it's less glamorous counterpart, Newcastle Uni. Took the usual pics, and professional ones as well where I'm sure I was grinning like an idiot. But the outward smiles and the hearty laughter just served to mask my true feelings (which were reflected by the rain) at the thought that my Sweetie wasn't around to share this moment with me, and heck, I'm been missing her like MAD since I got back. But here's hoping that there'll be an MRCP graduation ceremony which she'll be able to attend.







• London won the Olympic 2012 bid on the same day, and the day after (which happened to be the day the G8 summit at Gleneagles was officially opened), a number of bombs (4, I think) exploded throughout London. So far, about 50 have died and 700 wounded. One of the Al-Qaeda-linked groups have claimed responsibility, but it's a little bit premature to lay the blame on anyone in particular. I hope it's not them, 'cause something as stupid and unnecessary like this only serves to stoke hatred against the perpetrators.
• Our good friend CT has managed to sprain her leg, leaving her mobility rather impaired. After hours of worry and concern (since she was in London), she returned home yesterday to be bullied and made-fun-of by yours truly and the other housemates. All in good nature, of course. I even managed to postpone her bedtime by falling asleep on her bed.
• One of the worst things I could wish upon anyone is to spend a day shopping with my mum and sister. The fickleness, the languishing... it's like going to the shops with the typical girl you read about in books. At any given hour, I'd have this urge to knock my head against the wall, especially when the songs played at the a shop has ran its loop. Sweetie and I both enjoy shopping, but I thank God, the moon, the sun, the stars and any other object that has been accorded deity-like status that we not only have similar tastes, but similar shopping habits as well.




• That brings me to my next point - for those who think I'm rather calm and patient, you ought to try and do something silly or stupid or extremely annoying when I've been deprived of sleep. Chances are, you'll be snapped at, at the very least. I have this feeling that my level of tolerance has been decreasing lately, but here's hoping that it ain't that bad...




• The family went to Durham and the Metrocentre yesterday. Weather's been lovely since graduation day (unsurprisingly), and today we're off to the Lake District, Carlisle (although I've been trying to convince them that there's nothing much to see there) and on to Glasgow. Plan to go up the Lochs during the weekend, spend Monday at Edin and return to Newcastle by Monday night. Main reason I thought we'd cover Scotland was 'cause my parents have only been up to the Lake District, and have never been to Scotland.




• My parents actually got married in England approx. 30 years ago, and it's funny (both funny-weird and funny-ha-ha) to see them walking around like newly-weds, hand in hand and smiling and laughing and reminiscing about the past. My dad even bought a ring for my mum and there was a little ceremony in the room where he placed the ring on her finger. I guess I'm happy that their love for each other is still strong after all these years, but it's still kinda odd watching it!




• My appetite's finally back, and the nasty-looking throat is back to its normal appearance. The preceeding couple of days prior to my departure saw me stuffing myself at various places e.g. Chilli's on my last night with Sweetie, Armijn and Zareen. Oh, and Sweetie and I had some lovely chinese food over at Spring Garden at KLCC. Only regret was the crispy duck we packed was left behind on the floor of Dome by yours truly, and Sweetie wasn't able to have her snack that night. Not to mention it was akin to leaving RM40 on the floor...




• Also had a filling meal at Pani's with the family (gave them a treat for graduation), and Reem's family hosted a little get-together on Weds night as well. Caught up with Nadeem, Hanel, Nav and met a couple of Reem's other childhood friends. Only downside was the fact that we were severely jetlagged, and were literally nodding off by 9-1opm. Well, I was anyway... in fact, I've been so busy that last night was the first time I had 8 hours of sleep, and I know for a fact that I'm going to sleep like a log when my parents and Rina fly back in a few days.
• Finally, I've fallen in love with the Ford Focus I've rented. It's so amazingly comfy and quiet, and the ride's as graceful as you'd expect from a car of its standard or more. Only complaint I might have is that it's a little slow in changing gears, but it's probably a safe thing 'cause I'm pretty darn sure that I've been breaking a few speed limits ever since I was back home.

Am off to shower now. It's going to be a long day of driving and chattering and playing the role of a tourist guide, and thankfully I've got a few cans of Red Bull to help me along the way. As well as my Sweetie, that's probably all I need. Oh, and mum's curry as well!

Fucked-up circumstances

My flight's in less than 12 hours, I've got my graduation ceremony in approximately 2 days, and in less than a month I'll be a practising doctor. But I'm hardly even excited 'cause it's been 4 hours since I've last seen Sweetie, and it's going to be many thousands of hours before I get to hold her in my arms again. At this point in time, I just want to curl up and lie down in a corner.

Engineer for a day

Sweetie came over this morning, and after a brief delay (it was 0745, and the shirt on my back was still warm from the iron's touch!) we were off to the IEM's Open Day and AGM. The morning forum was interesting enough to have kept me awake. Felt rather amused watching the engineers at their own turf, making their own jokes and in some cases, syiok sendiri. Reminiscent of a bunch of doctors!

Had lunch at a cosy little place at SS2 called The Teapot or something like that. We're guessing it was established by some person who studied in England and bought a fine collection of teapots (probably from car-booth sales) which are currently being used to the decorate the cafe. The food was good, and would've been even better if I was actually able to eat more than half of my pie.

Evening was rather interesting as well, 'cause while waiting for Sweetie to get into her Trinity costume (which she had to wear in her capacity as MC for the annual dinner), I had a long chat with her dad for the first time ever, and we bonded over sports and politics. Haha... Considering the fact that I used to perceive her dad as being rather stern and aloof, this is a good development indeed!

The dinner itself went well, and Sweetie did rather well as the MC despite her initial apprehension. Was kept company by a few of her IEM friends, who seemed to be pretty decent fellas themselves. The biggest joke of the night was my nomination as Mr Engineer - funny 'cause Sweetie was getting all embarassed, and funny 'cause I was one of the handful of folks who wasn't actually an engineer and the organisers decided to pick on me. Me...an engineer??

Didn't really spend that much time with Sweetie by herself, but nevertheless we still enjoyed ourselves, and we've got tomorrow to hang out (will be catching the MPO performing pieces by the Russion trio of Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Glazunov).

W2K, thanks for the email and the advice! Am too lazy to do any e-mail replying at the moment, will do so once I'm back k? Or I'll just give ya a call... u coming for my grad?