It's Not Really Farewell perhaps :)

Going back to Kuching tmr.

Leaving KL sure brings back memories from the first day I stepped into UKM 5 years ago. Transitions, exodus and growing up. And here I am, leaving this place I used to unwillingly call my second home but finally admitting it's my second home when it's time to leave. Yeps, I know this is just temporary. Time's gonna fly and I'll be back in either no time, or off to another place to call a third home.

My life group members gave me a surprise farewell of craziness today. When my grandbuddy accidentally bocor-ed about the surprise gathering, I thought, haha okay good I'll get to meet this cute bunch of ppl before I leave and I'll just act surprised. Lo behold, was I surprised (for real). 2 ppl multiplied into 6 - ching ching, ai jing, alisa, alain, jason and david. There were balloons??! a scroll tied with rafia string,

 a wild goose chase around midvalley. when I thought it was over, 2 more gifts popped up, alex and yim fong appeared, and william walked in the door. mind boggling mysteries. xP what more can I say? Thanks a million u guys!! xoxo. 

I entered first year as a Sunday christian and disliked long services and long hours in church. I didn't understand why there had to be so many meetings and cell group and so many activities. Hope church's a dynamic church with lots of training and outreach and you never run out of activities to go to. the group of brothers and sisters continued to follow up and care for me (thanks for not giving up on me) and eventually one day I realised I had been abandoning God, putting Him second, if not third or fourth in priority in my life. It took several downfalls to open my eyes and finally in my second year I came to capture the value of living life for Him. This group of brothers and sisters helped me grow, was there with me in the ups and downs, prayed for me, shared my joy and pain and watched me mature in my walk with God. I became a member in the church, started getting involved in LCD ministry, and got involved in life group planning. Got a sheep, involved in missions to Kuantan and earlier this year became a life group leader.

Today I leave Hope KL with a mission to support more life groups, join and support local churches through mission trips and to grow more in my understanding of God's word, improve my music skills and to equip myself in as many areas as I can before and as I enter the working world. The past 5 years have taught me to love and care for others as people have for me. Through their life examples, my leaders taught me true faith and selflessness. I stand in awe of their humility and love for God and His people.

Medical school was an adventure with it's ups and downs. More like a hilly ride of craziness. with a mixture of fun trips abroad, research, debate and elective :P I used to think I had only myself to depend on in tough situations. Trudging back to my room stressed, thinking of all the things i have yet to study, patients I have yet to cover, case reports I have yet to write. And later on I realised, no I'm not alone. God's there to lift me up, for me to depend on. The more I depended on God, the smoother things went. It definitely helped me stay calm and joyful in more circumstances. Thank you Lord.

I have made really awesome friends who have become my family here. I love you guys and girls to bits. You know who you are. beams. seriously where else am I to find people as lovable as you all. :)

I'm going home with lots of sweet memories packed up and stored in my reliable hard drive. A mixture of feelings and many happy thoughts, knowing that more adventures are in store. Till we meet again dearies. xoxo.

Starting first year with VC cup- the KTSN team

The UKM royals 2008 team

Celebrating my bday at Uncle Duck's steamboat in 1st year

 Getting 3rd place in EAMSC 2010, KL with hau wei, lip leong and juin yi.

Leaving the KTSN life group at the end of Year 2, off to Cheras HUKM

 Celebrating Chui Ung's bday in B9400 in 3rd year

 EAMSC 2011 in Bangkok. Earned first place for our paper on teenage pregnancy in Malaysia.

 One month elective in taiwan - the Taroko national park

 Visiting Jason's place in Puchong 

LaVazza at Viva Home, Cheras in 5th year

 Petrus's farewell in 2012

 Graduation dinner in 5th year after the finals

Debaters getaway to cameron after graduation.

There's so much I can't put everything into words. Cheers to more adventures!

It might be the end, but it's beautiful. :)

yups. this was coming. :P the sentimental reflective writing that's gonna come out when farewell's imminent. Before I start packing my bags, I have to do some justice to the amazing 5 yrs I've had by writing all these down. :)

Results were announced in the auditorium this morning. 226 of us made it! Freshly graduated Doctors from UKM. Just feel honoured to have shared the past 5 years with an amazing bunch of people. To be honest, I can't bring myself to pack my bags, knowing that things are never going to be the same from here. New chapter, new challenges, new friends. Darn, getting emotional writing this.

The past 5 yrs have been an adventurous ride. I can say I come out of it different, if not more solidified, mature and knowledgeable. (thank goodness lol, it'd be a disaster if i didn't)

1. Crazy friends who rock my world.
2. Inspiring lecturers. some really handsome ones. grins. and a Dean who rocks the guitar! Prof Raymond.... swoons......
3. Strategic and really comfortable air-conned Hospital UKM.
4. Cell group friends and my shepherds who keep me growing in my journey as a Christian.

How can I not miss that?

There're far too many memories of this place I've called home and with the family I have here. Definitely will be one of my best days in many years to come.

I love you UKM. I love you beloved batchmates, housemates. muah muah muah xoxoxo

Breathe in, breathe out. Time to start a new chapter of life. Gonna partay, kick off my shoes, scream my lungs out and take in the wonders of the world for the next 2 months, then, put on the white coat (germ free hopefully? :P) and badge that carries the responsibility of human lives for the many decades to come. After several years, I've dare say found my purpose in life. To serve God in the marketplace in the healthcare system. Looking forward to learn more and experience greater things. Working world, here I come. Fellow Doctors, I'm coming to join you all...! aiyyyeeeee! xD i mean, wheeee! i mean, Hi :) yes I am sensible. :P

In the meantime, I gotta figure out how to pack my things back to Kuching xP go home to vote! then enjoy a trip to Krabi and Cameron with some great company, and then head back home to spend time with the family. :) Thanks mum and dad.

:D

It.is.done.

Exam over!

:D :D :D

And... it's still not over! but it will be soon.

So.... the first week of theory papers are over. *Sigh of relief...............

Stress level for the past month was
High--> Mild --> Moderate --> High --> Super high before my 1st paper OSCE --> High after OSCE (cz a lot of tembak-ing involved) --> Super high during Medical essay ppr --> Cooled down a little throughout wed, thursday --> Went up again Fri morning thinking about next week's clinical exam --> Sat for the LAST theory paper --> Stress went down to ZERO (woots!!!) watching The Croods to destress (laughed my head off and even cried it's a super awesome cartoon seriously) --> Stress is back up to High tonight (in anticipation and preparation for clinical exam on tuesday).
conclusion: crazy past 1 month

I thank God for pulling me through the first week. I'm depending on Him to pull me through Tuesday as well.
I thank God for sending ppl to help me along the way.

All the best to all you guys and girls. We're in this together and we will make it <3 p="" xoxo.="">

Reality jolt

4 weeks away to finals...

It does evoke mixed feelings.
When I walk through the corridors of HUKM, i'm thinking, this is gonna be the last few weeks i'll be walking along these paths in at least the next 5 years from now or never again. gonna miss walking through the emergency dept doors, scanning for new admissions, wonderful computerized lab system, shooting bloods to the labs, taking the lift to the 3rd floor library, etc. emo moment. hahah. Spending the last 5 years of my life with a familiar bunch of friends definitely has imprinted stg deep inside me. i'm foreseeing a longer emo post about goodbyes in a few months time from now. heheh.

Pushing away that brick wall of emo-ness, and jolting back to reality, 4 weeks! yes. the number slowly dwindles down to a 3, 2, 1, and i guess before i know it, it's going to be tomorrow. yikes!

to my present batchmates, all the best for our preparation in the weeks to come!

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

I pray for peace, focus and His grace. 

Across Borders

this year's chinese new year celebration has been the most memorable for me thus far. might sound a tad naive to a working adult, but this is my honest account on my thoughts over the past few days.
the stereotype of doctors leading terrible lives, hvg countless working hours, lack of sleep has always been alive. i hear of it, feel it, smell it and my mind reeks of it. in the anticipation of joining the working force in just a few more months, i can't help but from time to time dread the thought of starting work. the negativity surrounding the whole thing makes me believe that it's going to be terrible for me.
now hearing from my friends who were back in kuching over the cny celeb, those working in engineering firms, the banking line, doing sales and marketing was really really refreshing. felt so amazed listening to their account of their day to day working life. dealing with events, products, people, clients, economy, shipping, millions to billions of ringgit each day. now, that, is what I call challenging. phewh. battling the ups and downs outside there in the corporate world. learning from experience. working on stg totally unrelated to the degree they studied. when I compare my job to doing that, I'm thinking, mine's a lot easier. i felt as if a chip of the coconut shell that has been faithfullly shading a huge portion of my life that revolves around the hospital and clinics being lifted. a small beam of light shining in, making me look up in awe. Man, these ppl are awesome. their jobs are interesting (and tough).
well yeah, no doubt i gotta study lots, sleep less, work round the clock. but i deal with patients. and they deal with kickass bosses and clients with crazy demands. different job requirement altogether. guess of course we're more comfortable with what we've been trained to expect when we walked down our respective pathways in tertiary education.
i came back from kuching this time feeling motivated. i didn't have to look too far for role models to get me going. they didn't have to be internationally renowned figures. they are my secondary school classmates who currently brave the corporate weather each day. darn... i'm so proud of u girls and guys. parting words from the classmate who dropped me off at my house last night: Bye Vin. Take care. Study hard. :P she said it half jokingly. but it did for a moment spur that motivation in me to study hard n get it going in the last lap of my race in this undergraduate course, finals being just 2 months away.
maybe it sounds ridiculously simple. but it evoked a special feeling in me. i wana work hard to make them proud of me too. hehee.

photos taken frm leen and pauline. :P Jacq's place, stealing shots drg the wedding reception, the bridegroom and his bride.

A classmate, Sheryl got married on V day to Jarred, who's from the States. lovely. wish them both much happiness and future blessings. cross cultural marriages are always beautiful (with a hint of curiosity) :P

Lamentation

The place you love the most is always the place you call home.
Kuching will always be home to me. The familiarity makes it the ultimate comfort zone. it feels good to tell ppl where i'm from and take in the cute misconceptions ppl have about east msia. on a bigger scale, it's malaysia i will always call home. the people i will always love the most among any of the nations in the world. However, as a young undergraduate who's bound to leave student life and join the huge throng of labourers in the workforce soon, i have my concerns. where is our country heading to? it's true that the way of management of every country has it's pros and cons. financial policies, priorities. we're called to serve our people. deep inside, i know that i will love treating any msian uncle, aunty, teen, child more than anyone else, bcz i feel that i can identify with them and that there is a need in this country for ppl to serve. BUT. with the onslaught of drs in training hospitals ard, current financial planning of the country, the latest doomed project in kelantan, it makes me wonder what the future holds in this country. well to be honest it's more of the failed project in kelantan that i just read about this morning that gave me this sense of hopelessness. why can't people, developers, etc. have conscience. why is there corruption. why do ppl misuse power and rob the country. there're tons of ppl out there who're poor, underpriviledged, unable to afford themselves education, whose lives are confined to meagre states of living. most of you would shake ur heads and think, yeah well it's nothing new. corruption. ppl who would squander money for themselves and leave the rest to rot. they shud be banished. well lol my lecturer would say they shud be shot, i kinda feel that way too, but i suppose it sounds pretty scary. you wish this didn't have to happen in your country. i wish there was absolute equality. but it's a thought of an idealist. equality can never exist. what is left is hope. the ultimate value of life in the end is afterall, to run the race and live for His glory. I love Malaysia. you know that feeling when you wana prove urself to be better than any individual from a neighbouring country lol. we all have that kiasu feeling. ahaha. I just wish the spark of hope and light here can brighten up soon, if not to not be extinguished. many of us feel the flame's dying. without transparency, questions pop up. the truth is evident, some know more, some less. but i think no matter how much we lament, deep down this is still our home. and we want the best for it.

thaaaaat said, still, looking forward to the coming week. :) gonna fly back kuching saturday. cny cny the reason to kick off those shoes and celebrate :D