So Domestic -___-

The rest of O-week was fun. Involving Trivia, Speed-dating, AMA drinks and to finish it all off...Kareoke at a gaybar. CUBE, the one and only gaybar in Canberra lol. After an eventful week, I needed some me time to clear my head and get into the study zone, seeing as lectures had indeed started. Nothing too intense at the moment, just alot of introductions to biomedicine subjects, like cell bio, immuno, micro etc. etc. etc. On Saturday morning I had a nice free pancake breakfast held in the Davey lodge common room. It was nice to have freeeee food...oh...and meeting new people of course. Met some nice people who invited me to a little bible study that night at a house out in the suburbs. The night was pretty good and I met some more nice people (free dinner by the lovely Korean couple who owned the house at which the study was taking place). Next morning I went back to the house to do a little bit of church which was nice. Guess what they had there...a piano and a guitar. My fingers were so itchy by the end of the service...I was like...'umm...can I play the guitar...and....the piano' lol. Went back to Justin for the afternoon but as I was trying to get back to some study I could hear all these noises outside. Turns out there was a dragon dance happening on the street to celebrate Chinese New Year. I quickly grabbed the closest person nearby, Jeff, who from now will be known as 'the bro', and we ran down to see the festivities. Alas, what a lonely dragon! Just the one dragon/lion by its lonesome doing the usual prancing around to the beat of the drum. I loved the loud drums though, it brought back memories of asia :D It really did feeeel like New Years!!! But there was an appalling LACK of asians.

Sunday night I went out for dinner in Civic aka. Canberra city, but its still too small to be called a city so they call it Civic here, with some other med kids. It was a really really lovely dinner with everyone to celebrate New Years and Valentines day. I had a really great time and the food was good too. I'm realizing that any night that I don't have to cook is a good night lol. but then again I rather enjoying cooking. Last night I made combination fried Hokkien noodles, which I asked 'the bro' to be my guinea pig and test for me. Turns out it was a success! Thankfully both of us didn't get sick after eating it. Today, lectures don't start till 2 so I have some time to do stuff. Went out for my very first morning run (lets see how long this lasts), vaccummed some more and went to a floor meeting at the lodge to meet some of the other residents. Good morning, but sounds like I've been slacking off way too much already, really should revise those intros hahaha.

So its Lawn Bowls

One thing that I've learnt from the end of day 2 is that Canberrarians love to lawn bowl, that is the rolling of balls on grass type, and not the beloved 10-pin that I so love (I'm gonna miss you QV strike)! Day 2 also started with some lectures, we had one on well being and learning how to look after ourselves, heard some rural info, some tips on learning skills (mainly that stress is good, but then again its not, but then again you want it to be pumped for study, but not too much so that freak out and go sweaty...so the point was??). Last but now least, some lady from the Australian Defence Force came and tried to convince us to join the army. I really do wonder what it would be like to be a medical officer in the army...interesting yes...am I game....HELL NO!

The day ended pretty early, so I managed to go back to Justin and give him a nice clean. I've been meaning to vacuum the floor last week, but every time I've gone down to reception, someone else has already booked the little sucker!! Luckily, I got hold of it and boy was I excited. I've never been excited about vacuum before kekeke.

Around 6ish me and some other friends made our way down to the Lawn Bowls centre, where we would spend our 2nd night of socialising! What better way to do this then to play balls!! It was only after attempting to play Lawn Balls today that I now appreciate the skill that those old ladies and old men have when they play, its not an easy sport, let me tell you, especially if you're starving. The pizza finally came. It was a great night, stayed till 8ish and did the 20 minute walk back to Justin. Met some pretty interesting people, all were very very lovely though and we had a few laughs. I'm glad we have this O-week. I never thought I'd be enthusiastic enough to want to participate, but when you get in there and let loose and play along, you really do have fun :D These people that I'm meeting now are going to be my support for the next 4 years, in the absence of all my dearly beloveds in Melbourne, I guess these new people will have to do.

My first day in 3 years

Monday was my very first day of Med school, well, first day of orientation that is. Thank goodness they weren't that cruel, they haven't thrown us into the deep end...yet. We started with the Welcome address from the Dean, I'm assuming his like the big boss man, he told us that ANU is like the bestest uni ever and thanked us for choosing it. I'm thinking to myself, awww Melb uni you failed me this year *sigh*. Then the vice Dean, just the boss man this time, welcomed us as well and gave us an overview of what our 4 years of Med at ANU would be like.

The whole cohort was then split up into their PBL groups (I'm PBL 6...the awesomest group of them all :D). The rest of the day consisted of checking passports, immunisation forms and the like, and filling out form after form of agreements and other stuff, don't actually quite remember what the forms were about. Then came the time for student card photos. YIKES! Apparently these are going to haunt us for the next 4 years, mine turned out blurry with a big head :O But what made me most proud was that underneath the photo in big fat bolded letters was written the words MEDICAL STUDENT...wow it hit me, I really have made it *quiet cheer*. Setting an email account and opening up MedOnline was next, and yes like Melb uni they have opted to used Macs again! something which I'll never understand. If I open a Uni, oh its going to be Microsoft all the waaaaaaay~

So by about 5 all the formalities were done and it was time for the 'bonding' between students to begin! First up was a scavenger hunt, items included, picture of a human pyrimid, man in a bikini, a lego piece, a hula hoop and a full cup of coffee from a Turkish cafe...I must say I haven't been scavenger hunting for a long time, but I sure was dead tired after that.

Later all the PBL groups went down to the pub which was a bloody 15 minute walk away (MY POOR LEGS, theres no such thing as public transport, only private aka. my legs). The points were added up only to find out we were 6 beers away from winning the prize (stupid second years who run O-week gave a bizillion extra points for every beer that was purchased for them). Who would have though the first day of Medical school would be this tiring.

All in all a very good day, met some seemingly nice people, but you never kno, as Jeff so kindly pointed out, everyone is on their best behaviour this week, I wonder how they all turn out in second week lol.

One more week

In exactly one weeks time I will be officially starting a whole new chapter in my life. A change in Uni, uni course, friends, living arrangements and eating habits! Pretty much a change in most of everything that I've gotten used to and been so comfortable in for the past 3 years. I wonder...does this count as moving out or is this just a temporary shift in lifestyle. I've always thought that I would stay at home for as looooong as I could, essentially up until I got married and had to move out lol But as reality is drawing nearer and my time at home is finally coming to an end, I am a little hesitant, apprehensive (ie. scared shitless) but slightly curious and maybe a little excited?! I guess it is a good season of change, not just for me but for many people around me as well. Change, I guess is not always a bad thing. I changed my fringe ahahah...from a 6/4 side fringe to a 7/3 side fringe...I digress

Main point, after catching up with lots of people and realizing that I won't be seeing them as often from now on makes me sad. And I only have one more week left to see them all as much as I can before my life officially changes for good. Oh what to do??!?! funny how the answer to most things is facebook. Perhaps thats the best way to keep in touch...but I like talking on the phone *sigh*

Stan

How exciting!

I feel so lucky that the Deakinites let me into their secret lair today, rightfully called 'Stan'

oh but please let me kno when you guys come up with a more...cough...intimidating name. Stan was absolutley BEAUTIFUL though. It had 6 bedrooms with the most amazingest master bedroom with walk in wardrobe and en suite bathroom plus powder room,which i'm absolutely droooling over. And my oh my spacious formal and informal living and dining areas and the most calming view. I love Stan. Petrol was nice enough to drive us all down to Geelong today so we did have a little road trip. Little Tamara aka 'Deakinite love child' came down with us as well. I'm so proud of everyone though. As they were all intently reading their legal documents and discussing rent and utility costs, they looked so grown up awwww. And yes...I managed to be apart of this whole thing by signing their leases as a witness hehee..success! Can't wait to come back to visit everyone in Geelong again :D

Blog Fail

sigh

I had hoped to blog lots and lots while i was away. I thought that if i was away from Melbourne I would be less busy and have more time to sit down, properly rearrange my thoughts together so that they would be coherent to persons other then Christine and then to display them in a fashion that is both interesting to read and pleasing to the eye...but alas i have not achieved any of the above *humph*...so instead of using this opportunity now to do something productive, i have instead decided to whine hahaha...!!

My imaginary hat goes off to you mei! You never cease to amaze me at your blogging prowess...i find it both a delight to read, coherent and nice to look at...t**hinko will now be my new blogeyecandy...bloyeandy?? blandy?? blogandy?...but then again there is mystical the world of my till then friend, a blog that makes me giggle, and prompts me to comment, but then after i've written my comment, its never witty enough to match the blog itself...alas then i delete lol.

But when i've been in asia for too long and yearn for some really good english, some really well written, beautifully expressed and insightfully recorded accounts of happenings at home, i turn to my friend whose chinese name i still know not, my dear 梁 doot doot!! Congrats again and again and AGAIN!! oh oh but i can't forget the adventures of miss maggatron whome i live vicariously through kekeke...last but not least the true master of spiffy herself...her few, few, very few words are full of wisdom...so deep that sometimes i even struggle to understand lol.

In a blog world full of characters, i feel unable to add my part. I can only offer an apology to you all and hope to improve my accounts to the best of my ability. Sorry :(
I miss you all soo so much T____T

Take care

Frankfurt, Germany

I don´t even remember what day i´m up to. Its freezing cold outside (-6) and EVERYTHING IS FROZEN! but is soo pretty and for once in my life i have been in the presence of the falling of snow. Yes, I´ve seen snow before but never seen snowing, this is the light fluffy type, the tight that you can catch with your tongue and when you pick it up it feels like powder! Beautiful! I´m in a hotel lobby in Frankfurt, Germany. I want to put up photos but that would take too long, I´ve already hijacked this computer for waaay longer than i should ;p
The past few days have been amazing though, Europe is jaw droppingly beautiful!! Every one should come over at least once in their life, I´ve seen, tasted, felt, heard sooo much funny and amusingly different things, its something i´ll remember forever! For the past few days, i´ve been to bits of London, Italy (Rome, Florence, Milan), Switzerland (Lucerne) and now Germany (Heidelberg and Frankfurt). Unfortunately, i won´t be able to go to Berlin but thats an excuse to come back right :D Next few days to Amsterdam, Brüssels and Paris!! I really need to write eveything down cause i don´t want to forget any of this, it´ll take a while, but thats something i´ll do when i get back to Honks! Snow is indeed so beautiful, its cold, very freezing but beautiful!