Ended Block 2

Block 2 is over. Said bye to the lovely rehab. Upcoming week will be intensive lectures once again, but what sounds much scarier is the arrival of final placement block. In a few week time, we should all reach 70% of dietitian competency. Everyone from the class was indeed having heaty discussion about the high expectation & the likeliness of a supplementary if performance does not meet the competency. While trying to learn most from the placements & performing our best, many of us have to deal with our supervisor/clinical teacher who makes life more shitty than ever for us. Stressed. Pressurised. Overwhelmed by this challenge. Now, crossing my fingers, I hope I will pass too.

Swimming Against Current

Tired. I m tired of saying I m tired. Because i m not just physically tired from the long hours of work, but also mentally tired by the never-ending high expectations everyday. In fact, i feel like i m swimming against the current. I m so desperate to swim faster, yet cold splashes are constantly slapping my face hard. The heat in me has just been dampened...

Accelerating Demands

Last friday, I heard from friends that one of our coursemates have decided to quit the course, after too much of overwhelming stress & pressure from the clinical placement. It was not unnatural for someone to quit the course, esp knowing the ever-rising expectations, but in final year?! Won't it be a waste of time? But yes, i have to agree to the accelerating demands both clinically & academically. I understand that we are training to be professionals, & all these pressure is necessary to produce quality standard in the profession. However, we are all working hard, sometimes too hard in the fear of not meeting the competency. Maybe that coursemate is actually right, she is choosing to stop before herself snapping into half...

Exhausted..

Tired. Exhausted. Feeling all drained. I think life with placement n uni classes is just eating away my health. I have been burning midnight oil almost every night this week, simply because I was working over-time every evening & came back with a dozen of other work to continue into the nights. Headache secondary to lack of rest; foul mood due to lack of energy to do my best in everything. This past week has just come n gone, yet i feel that my clinical skills & performance had not improved but went downhill. Next week i just got to work harder.. but for now, I believe a good rest is what i need now, especially for preparation of the upcoming challenges.

Long day

For day 1 back to rehab, i worked from 0830 to 1750hr, the longest hour ever n the latest I ever left the hospital. At the time of leaving, it was dark, many exits were already locked, n i was, in the dark, searching for a way out after the long long day. Tired, n exhausted now. But yes, i still ve a pile of work to do before tomorrow comes. Body, bear with me longer.

End of Holiday

Holiday is drawing to the end. I know i claimed this holiday to be unwelcomed at the very start, however, now, I wish tomorrow will not come. I feel like a reluctant child to resume classes; or like any employee who always hates work n wishes weekend will come earlier. From tomorrow onwards, i ll have to work hard for the upcoming 6 weeks, working towards meeting the 70% competency. Challenges present. Confidence needed.

A day at Werribee

Werribee Day. Been to the Werribee Open Range Zoo, the Mansion, & the Victoria Rose Garden today, with Kheng Ling, Wan Yi & Sri.

Being caged in the bus, being watched by "wild" animals roaming around us... It is funny. But the experience was great to have such closed-up shots of the animals.

The Mansion was in turn a bit disappointing to me, just merely because I m not too keen on knowing stories of the ancient house. And, I in fact thought the Mansion was a bit scary~~!

The Rose Garden would have been impressive to any girl, but if mum & emama were here, they must have taken one whole day for cautious capture of the flowers.

Dinner with Cousins

Just had a happy joyful gathering with Cousin Yan & Cousin Man at 7 & 7, Carnegie. It was a nice catch-up from the pharmaceutic, optometric n dietetic fields; also from Sydney uni, Melbourne uni n Monash uni. Information exchanged at the same rate as laughters. Haha.. We now got old from young kids we used to be, but common silliness and old jokes still remain. We had a great laugh at times when we took turn to describe about our hands-on, self-subjected practicals (observing own eye balls; trying on over-the-counter drugs; etc.). Oh well, shall look forward to the next time we meet~

Planning

計劃。你說我是個有計劃的人，或一個不會轉彎的人也好，我都不否認。我喜歡有自己的 schedule，每一天都有計劃地過。就算我 planned 的今天是給自己浪費時間，我也不會喜歡有人幫我加插一些活動，把我的一天弄得有意義。對，我明明是呆在家 sleep，我也 perfer stick to my plan，而拒絕出街。可能是心理的 adjustment 吧~ 本來這周四我們 dietetic 有活動，不過之前 cancelled 了，我就安排了那天留在家做功課。而現在又說 it is on，改變了我的計劃，我會覺得討厭... 再説，這種沒計劃的活動我都真的有點 fed up 了，不是很想去.. 記得前兩年，有一次我特意飛去 Singapore 去 attend 朋友們安排的 chalet gathering。不過，當我到了 changi airport, 才知道 chalet cancelled 了。我討厭這種沒計劃的活動... 媽常問我，我們這一代的人是否不會安排活動，做事都是沒計劃的。Nevertheless, people around me are going on unplanned road trip~ Who knows what they can do next...

CrRaziii...

My housemate has left for Sydney, so do Kheng Ling's housemates. But actually they went on different routes. Yin Chien has gone on plane this afternoon, while Rick's gang went Sydney by car n indeed has started the journey late last night. It was quite amazing that Rick they all only decided n confirmed the trip only hours before the departure. I bet i will never do such thing in my whole life, unless escaping from a war, perhaps. Anyway, Melbourne now left Kheng Ling, Wan Yi n me, so we are trying to entertain ourselves with whatever available here. And today, we re-visited the Melbourne Museum, mainly for the exhibition of 'Great Wall of China'. However, the displays wasn't too great afterall, but undoubtedly would ve been a good snapshot of China for any Aussie who walks in. Ha.. Nevertheless, we spent the rest of the day raiding the museum, materialising our stupidity. Hee.. One of the best way to relax nerve fibres - be stupid. Oh no.

Dunno what to do.

Easter Break. The most unwanted holiday ever, i think. In the first place, i ve this phobia of losing all my placements skills once again. Then, on top of that, i know i have thousands n one thing to do but yet reluctant to start any. Hai~ I dunno what i can do or where to go to relax my body. Suddenly i just want to go back to placements now. No plan for the rest of holiday. Dunno what to do....

Rehab Experience

It has been 2 days that I spent at rehab for my 2nd block placements. Honestly, this setting seems much relaxing n structured than the acute hospitals. Things go on protocols, patients' length of stays are longer, so plans are taken seriously for the patients' long term benefits. In the hospitals, we often work hard to get patients well enough to kick them out of the door, but at rehab, we aim to promote quality management of life. Aside from that, perhaps with less intensive workload, dietitians have more time to generate better system, like the nutrition screening which is used to identify the at-risk patients. It definitely helps to save our time, however, time seems luxurous now. I only saw one patient in 2 days, n i ve yet found my potential patient for my major case, which is now my super-high concern. But anyway, days at rehab are undoubtedly lovely~~ Hope days like these will go on, n in somedays, i will reach the competency!