What We Have Here.... is a Failure to Communicate

Posted by Wazit | Posted in | Posted on 7:09 AM

Now that Mental Health attachment is already over, it's now on to Child Health attachment. Too bad that the whole of the first week is all lectures and such, but then again it's a good way to catch up on the developmental milestones of children. I remember it being shoved into our brains sometime in IMU.... and the only thing we have to remember is cooing, babbling and what not.... came out in exam somemore lol So, yeah not much comments about Child Health until sometime next week I think, when I will be officially in the wards (I hope). Today I will talk about something which has been highlighted to me quite a number of times recently, and I myself have felt it too.


Cultural differences.... it's once for me a negligible issue. Oh, but how wrong I was for it is actually a very big hurdle indeed if one is to study/move abroad for the first time. What me and a few friends around UK has noticed is that we don't really mix in well with the locals. Don't get me wrong, they are all a nice lot, helpful and friendly. But it doesn't help much in fostering a friendship if there's not much of a common ground in the first place. I remember back in Malaysia where me and my friends can bullcrap away for hours till the house come home, and we still won't be done! Whilst here, I can hardly maintain a conversation for more than 5 minutes. Such stark contrast, I would say...


Well, there are actually are few main reasons that I felt was hindering the conversation flow... Firstly, many a times, the topic of conversation among the locals are about drinking. Something like this...
'Oh you know yesterday... X actually drank a tad too much and was like sick all over the carpet'
'Urgh... had too much to drink last night... and I have a bad hangover at the moment'
'My level of drinking fluctuates a lot! Sometimes I can finish off a few bottles of wine and sometimes I can only drink a few mugs of beer!'
Well, the list goes on and on... so you get the drift. How could I, a person who rarely drinks at all, contribute anything into this conversation?

Secondly, they always have some activity planned for the night/evening. Either a rave party, a drinking session, house party, you name it.... So, every once in a while an awkward situation will pop up where one of the locals will be nice enough to initiate a conversation with me.
X: So did you do anything yesterday?
Me: Oh, nothing much. Basically stayed in my room surfing the Internet or studying. (I'm lying. Most of the time, I actually playing games or watching shows. Just not enough guts to admit it)
X: Oh.... *silence ensues*

Now... let's repeat the scenario with two locals instead.
X: So, did you do anything yesterday?
Y: Oh yeah, went to the rave party last night. Did you go?
X: Oh yes! It was a wonderful party last night. Drank a tad bit too much last night though. (Notice the topic of conversation shifted to alcohol)
Y: Yeah. Z was totally hilarious last night. Her face was all red and she was babbling like a baby.
See the difference? It's no wonder the Westerners know alcohol-related diseases like the back of their hand (Something I was made aware of recently). I still have some productive conversation from time to time, but the incidence is quite scarce. Well, that's all the complaining I'll do for now. Don't want to end up sounding emo. Till next time!

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Improving Weather and a New House....

Posted by Wazit | Posted in | Posted on 7:38 AM

Hoo hah. Hey there, people. Got busy over the weekend so didn't update again >.> Oh well, thinking of a topic to write about is half the work anyway. Well, well... more updates about the weather again. Some of you guys might be facepalming already, but too bad! Anyway, since that pleasant-turned-horrific snow week, the weather have been picking up lately. Whoopee, no more slipping on ice and consultants not turning up due to icy roads. (Seriously, it isn't that bad.... maybe the south isn't too used to this kind of frigid winter) Although occasionally the temperature still hits below freezing point, most of the day it's now hovering at about 5 degrees. However, not everything is bright and dandy. The sun still rarely shows its face from behind the gloomy clouds and it has been raining quite often. (Nooo... my leather jacket! D:) Well... at least the wind this time around isn't too bad like the last few months.


Anyway, on to the next topic. A few weeks ago, me and my mates went to search for a house out in the community to stay in together. Mind you, it isn't cheap but it's still definitely cheaper than what the university halls charge. Went looking around, picked out a few candidates and arranged with the landlord for a suitable time to meet up. Turns out the Sikh community in Southampton are into the housing business. So far, I have seen two Sikh landlords who owns various houses around Southampton and rents them out to others, including students.

Well, long story short, finally decided on a house and signed a 1 year contract for it! When moving in? 1st of July this year..... only problem is our exams is a few days away from moving date... hurr.... really hope can settle down nicely during that time period. Sorry, no pictures of the new house at the moment. Still got tenants living in there la... privacy issues. Anyway, the house has 4 double bedrooms and a lounge, 2 bathrooms and a kitchen. Oh yeah, and it's double storied. How much is the rent you ask? Well... about 72 pounds a week. Told you it isn't cheap. Ah well, the house is rather nice anyway, so it should be worth it.

Well, that's it for today. Got Child Mental Health assessment tomorrow... so need to get some sleep. That assessment is wayyy overdue... and because of that it's god damn annoying. Even dare to say that have to take summer elective if cannot make the assessment.... Like it's our fault la... *grumble grumble* (I know I'm not making much sense)

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Adult People Mental Health

Posted by Wazit | Posted in | Posted on 6:09 AM

Hi there mateys! Sorry for the late post, had been extremely lazy over the last few days :P I will try to be less lazy next time.... (no guarantees though XD) So this week is my 2nd week in my Adult Mental Health (AMH) attachment. One more week to go till I finish my mental health attachment :D Well, I had a week of Child and Adolescent Mental Health attachment but I didn't really get to see much.... due to the freak snowy weather which had most of my sessions cancelled. So now, what to say about AMH attachment? I have to say the patients I get to see are very interesting. The prevalence of diseases I got to see from AMH is a lot different than the diseases I got to see in Older People Mental Health. For example, dementia is very common among the elderly mental patients while schizophrenia and depression is more common among the adult mental patients. Oh... speaking of schizophrenia... isn't that scary?



Nah, I assure you... schizo patients are actually more pleasant than I imagine, of course... if you don't count their bizzare delusions or hallucinations. I have never seen so far a schizo patient actually attacking a staff... and certainly none running around with straitjackets. They are all pretty nice and friendly. What's more their delusions or hallucinations count for pretty interesting stories. Once, had a patient who thinks that someone embedded a microchip in his tooth and is controlling his every movement and bodily functions. Another time, I had another patient who thinks that young girls are constantly asking him for sex. Haha, should have seen how agitated my female friend was when she was sitting across the patient.

Concerning mental health attachment as a whole, I kinda enjoyed. A major gripe I have however is the amount of projects we have to do during this attachment e.g. present ways on how to challenge stigma among general population, creating questionnaires concerning mental diseases etc. Yeah, should have seen how it was during group discussions. Those Brits are so verbal that I practically feel shut out at times. Woo boy... never have that kind of problem back in Malaysia. People are so quiet that you have to say something to get the ball rolling, especially during PBLs.... >.>

Well, that should be all for now. Next up is paediatrics! :P Will try to update more in the next few days. (But like I said, no guarantees :D)

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Back to the Frigid Weather

Posted by Wazit | Posted in | Posted on 6:02 AM

Well, well... whaddaya know? Before I know it, I'm already back in Southampton. 2 weeks pass by so quickly.... >.> The whole 2 weeks was packed with so much activities... I forget when was the last time I was this busy back in Malaysia. Basically went out with friends, went to see my grandma in Penang and went for reunion dinner with relatives during the New Year. Meh, thinking about it makes me miss Malaysia already D: Ah well, 6 more months to go till my next trip back home.


In other news, UK this week has been unforgiving, weather-wise that is. I'm sure some of you have read about it in the newspaper or heard about it in television. And let me tell you firsthand... it's freaking cold! I thought I was cold-resistant but I find myself lots of times diving under my blanket and downing hot drinks like crazy just to keep myself warm. UK radio stations have been calling this the coldest winter for the last 20 years. Imagine that... but that also means if I survive this winter, I should be able to survive forthcoming winters :D

Well snow.... it has its' pros and cons. As for pros, this is the first time I built a snowman and had a snowball fight. It's pretty fun... if you can stand the cold that is. For the cons, it's a terrible thing to be trapped outside in a snowstorm. Take it from me, I experienced it firsthand. I was walking to the hospital one morning to find out lectures been cancelled due to the snow. As I was heading back home, the snowstorm started... and there were no buses back to the halls. So yeah... was hiding myself in a supermarket for some time. Funny thing is... everything comes to a standstill when there's snow. Banks and post offices are closed and there's no teaching sessions in the hospital. Yup... free day... for two days now. Normally it would be a good thing. But it sucks when they didn't notify you that whatever's scheduled for the day has been cancelled... especially when the hospital's not nearby. Ah well... more snow pictures for you guys then!



As you can see (or can't see) there's a lot more snow this time around compared to the time before I went back to Malaysia

A real life snowman.... dressed to the brim :D There are also some other snowmans around... some with authentic carrot noses XD

Lastly... snowball fight anyone?

Well, that's all I got to say on my end. Till the next time then :D

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New Year Post

Posted by Wazit | Posted in | Posted on 3:08 AM

Ahha, looks like I had completely forsaken my blog during my holidays.... shame on me. Really sorry about that, I felt really lazy during the holidays... that and I was pretty busy hooking up with friends and relatives. Too bad there's too many things to be done within 2 weeks, *sigh* wish it was longer.... Anyway, this is the first post of the new year, so I intend to make this one a nice one :D Looking back on 2009, this year has had a lot of happenings, some good and some bad. But each has made me what I am today. Haha, for some reason I feeling a bit poetic today. Not that what I said was a poem.... Anywho, let's make a quick review of 2009, shall we?



So, let's see now... 2010 was the final year of my pre-clinical phase. That time I couldn't believe it had been 2 years since I had entered IMU. Why, I just remember when I first entered IMU for registration as if it just happened yesterday. It also marks the time of the dreaded EOS 5 and I still remember the pressure cooker moments in the library and at home. Yeah, everyone was so tense and stressed up that it wasn't funny :/ Thankfully, all that is behind me now. Yeah, certainly an experience that I would pass up on in the future.

2009 was also the year when I first lived abroad on my own. Leaving the bird's nest wasn't an easy transition, but I still thought I handled it pretty well with handling all the household chores and stuff (although my mom would beg to differ) But, that also means leaving friends and family behind.... oh how I miss them so. Yeah, year 2009 sure was quite a big milestone in my life and I won't be forgetting it anytime soon

Now, for 2010.... I'm gonna celebrate Chinese New Year for the first time without family. Damn, my relatives would be enjoying their Chinese gourmet dinner and I would be stuck eating my own cruddy cooking. My parents even said that they would take pictures of the food they eat and send them to me.... how cruel of them D: 2010 would also be the year where I would sit for the Intermediate Exam. Basically from what I heard it's a bit like EOS 5.... I certainly hope it isn't as stressful as EOS 5 as well.... all the stress wouldn't be good for my health XD

Ah well, that's all for a quick roundup on 2009 and 2010. Will post more in a few days time... hopefully. Till then!

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Homebound

Posted by Wazit | Posted in | Posted on 8:59 PM

Hahaha! Finally able to go home! Gonna catch a plane in about 10 hours from now.... ah man, so excited! Things are already packed and now just passing off the time till I catch a bus to the airport. Freed of all chores, substandard food and the cold... and back to lazing around, great homecooked food and warm weather. Too bad it only lasts 2 weeks though... and I'm not looking forward to the inevitable jetlag. So now, I wondering how's things back in Malaysia? Guess I'll go find out for myself :D Home, here I come!


Remember the last post when I said it snowed but nothing stuck on the floor? Scratch that... the next day itself after I posted, there was snow on the ground.... and quite a lot too. I woke up that morning feeling a little bit more colder than usual. I was groggy and not really paying attention to my surroundings... even when I went to the toilet to take a bath. Only after I bathed and feeling slightly more awakened, my mouth gaped open when I saw what was outside. S-N-O-W blanketing the whole ground... was feeling so excited that I almost forgot I had a lecture that day. Quickly changed into my clothes and went out... just to snap a few pictures. Picture taking session almost made me late for lectures. And I wasn't the only one, my friends were also almost late for the same reason XD Didn't snap that much because it would look a little silly snapping random things





Pretty ain't it? That's what I call a winter wonderland :D Almost makes me forget about the cold..... Oh dear, I think I'm becoming more like my friend who called me unromantic >.> Ah well, will update more once I get back to Malaysia. Cheerio!

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Winter Season

Posted by Wazit | Posted in | Posted on 3:08 AM

Alright! It's now officially more than two weeks into winter! One can tell by the decrease in temperature with every passing day. In fact, these few days the highest temperature didn't go above 5 degrees and the lowest temperature is always in the negatives. Ever since I come to Southampton, I always have to check the temperature before stepping out in order to decide what to wear the protect myself from the frigid weather, especially so during the night where the chilly wind likes to nip at your ankles. Back in Malaysia, I never ever check the temperature even though it is blazing hot... D:

Oh well, since winter has started, it can only mean one thing. Christmas is near! The Christmas spirit is reflected by the decors put up in the city center as well as some of the individual houses. Especially so at night when the city is lit up beautifully! For the past month now, there has been a German-themed fair held at the high street of the city. (German sausages anyone?) Aside from the delicacies, one can't help but admire how the stalls are lit up in the night.

Looks like pasar malam.... except with pretty lights and no sound of working generators... and it isn't as messy

Even have a merry-go-round! Didn't ride it though

Look at all the beautiful confectioneries. I can hear the girls slurping their salivas again XD

All the salt crystal lamps makes the stall quite pretty :D

Also, what comes with winter? Snow! And I thought Southampton wouldn't snow, just rain a lot. But damn, since winter started... it's already snowed twice! Still not cold enough for it to stick to the ground though... it'll quickly melt away once it touched the ground. But there's no mistake about it, it's really falling snow! Once I came back to my room to see that my head was partially covered with snow. Didn't have any pictures because my camera couldn't capture the snowflakes.

Anyway, a friend of mine urged me to stand underneath the snow, look up in the sky, close my eyes and just let the snow hit my face.... and it was during the night. Deciding to humor her, I tried it for a few minutes... before the cold got the better of me. When I told her that, she said I was unromantic... *cue blank expression* You girls ah.... think it's Winter Sonata izzit? Well, that's all for now... more tales to follow soon!

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