I am back in slightly cold West Ireland. Straight back to work and it was a bit of a shock finding 29 patients on the list. The guys whumped me on the back and did the guy-handshake as a welcome-back sign. Greta, the lady who does the bloods grinned as she saw me, the girl who orders blood like anything. And there are 4 med students crowding the ward rounds now. Peh. OK, OK, I shouldn’t complain, but they’re all so much taller and bigger than I am and it is hard to maneouver (sp?) around the place.
So. It’s ok being back. Louise the SHO asked if I got married while I was away. The Reg asked for his BNF software (I didn’t get it). The consultant asked about the weather and everyone asked if I had fun.
Yes, it had been the best 2 weeks of my life. But really, how often do you get to spend the last few days of Ramadhan and Eid with the whole family huh.
Ramadhan at home... is the best. After 6 long years, I’ve finally managed to be with my family again (exaggerating much?). Well, it is the best as in I get to do more things with more people. Tarawikh together in the Blue Mosque. I just love being there and I can say that it’s one of the places that I find to be calming and just soothes my mind. And then, there was that trying to khatam. Which I failed miserably. tsk2. Oh, also the iftar with murtabak, ibu’s cooking, tepung pelita…
Eid at home… is the best. We took the Raya pictures and this time, it’s really Eid time. Not just some pictures we take months before Eid, just so as I would be there. And I still like it, even though we had no new clothes and we weren’t colour coordinated. It’s colourful and that’s what I like. Plus, the goofy sessions are absolutely saiko.
Being at home… is great. Everyone’s back. Lil Lion and lil Princess from college, Klong, Grasshopper and Papa dearest taking time off work, AB and Maman on school holidays and myself (saje je kodok2 tulis papa and maman). The Round Table was fully occupied come dinner time and it would always be noisy with us bunch. Unless everyone’s really hungry and there would only be the sounds of munching and slurping and whatnots.
Going back to the Hometown… made me feel old. Because I get this really annoying backache after the long 6-7-hour drive in what used to be our spacious family minivan thing. Now, I’d have to bend my legs crazy and shove AB a bit due to all of us expanding vertically (and also horizontally in some cases I’m afraid). We didn’t stop at the usual stop which was the old surau. Or maybe you guys have not stopped there a while now. I don’t know, because I haven’t been back for 6 years. Maybe that was the norm 6 years back? Dunno.
Anyway, back in kampung. I’ve nearly but forgotten about how beautiful the place is. Blue skies, paddy fields, coconut trees.
Kids everywhere and I had to refrain myself from squeezing them to a pulp due to extreme chubbiness of cheeks.
Can I have favourites? I can? Well, there’s the older cousins - Kauthar - somehow, it’s nice just chatting and taking pictures together. She hates it when I do candied shots because it makes her look ugly.
And then, the younger cousins - B-Luq, the baby. I just feel like squeezing him to pieces whenever he comes to me for a ‘swing in the air’. Like most kids, he doesn’t like to smooch people. But for me, he did. Mwahahahahah!! (Ok, I told him that if he wants to swing in the air again, he has to give me a kiss on the cheek). On the last day there, he ran to me and started tugging my dress, telling me not to go. “Don’t go.. Come to my house instead. OK?” B-Luq, I miss you already.
I met nearly all the cousins, 2nd cousins, aunts, uncles, 3rd cousins etc. We went to 12 different houses in one day and it was great fun albeit the fact that my tummy was getting the brunt of the food assault. Yeah, food was aplenty. Mama tried to make us remember all the 2nd cousins and all, but my poor cloudy memory could only take in Kak DikAh and Kak Mek. My sonyalpha, klong’s Nikon and Papa’s Canon clicked away and we have tonnes of pics of kids being kids (dunking hands in jars of juice, eating sticks of satays, 3 in each hand, bouncing around etc).
You’d never be bored there, what with all the artwork and useful info scribbled everywhere
Lots of hugs and kisses going around that Prof Cormican would be shaking his head at the thought bugs jumping around.
BBQ at home was AWESOME. AB, the youngest, set about cleaning the backyard. and I fell asleep in the very comfortable massage chair and when I woke up, everyone was out, cleaning and doing stuff at the back. Of course, I went to help around. A bit. :D The men of the house did all the BBQ-ing while the girls sat about on the picnic mat and fought over hotdogs and shrimps. We left some for the guys too since we’re not that bad. Grasshopper brought out the big squishy cushions and that led to…
Star Gazing! which was brilliant. The night sky was scattered with stars, like fireflies, stuck in the sky (as told by Timon to Pumbaa). I saw the Northern star. I think. And two real fireflies, three planes and a UFO. Both Grasshopper and I agree that the orange blinking lone light was one.
We made cookies, muffins/cupcakes, currypuffs, dadih…
Dominos for the last dinner. Strange really. But I wanted to taste Malaysian Dominoes and there I had it. We ate at that Japanese-y table and if I weren’t so chocked full of food, I would have eaten much more. I always seem to be full back home. I suppose I’m making up for the starvation minimal amount of oral intake I get in Rosc.
I drew some. Yoru. The cat of my dreams.
Played with Eyeball
Uhuh. 2 weeks of :) and :D and bliss
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And today? Today is my post call day, after more than 30 hours oncall at the ED (emergency department) which was really crazy and I had the luck to be paired with this person who is “not nice at all”, as said by the nursing staff. But it wasn’t that bad. I got 3 hours of sleep. Pretty good. I’m supposed to be sleeping now, but there’s a strange surge of adrenaline in me (Nawok je. I wanted to use the internet).
I haven’t been reading blogs or replying messages or facebooking much lately. things have been crazy at the hospital these past few days, way too busy and I’m glad for this break.
So far, just as I’m getting ready even now, I’ve gotten 6 bleeps from the hospital in a span of a few minutes. They still think I’m working. Hah!
OK, have to go now. Taxi will be around in a few minutes.
We made a pact to sample all things nice in all the restaurants, cafes, coffee shop, stalls etc in Gold Leaf.
Buon Appetit: We’re like regulars now. A small little cafe tucked in between small shops, just off Shop Street.
Milano: nice atmosphere. Posh a bit, but still nice just to have lunch, especially the seat next to the window where I can do my sky-and-people watching. Italian pizza and gelato… yums :) Not too bad for my pocket too.
Thai Garden: hmmm… this one’s ok. Nothing oooooh!! about it. I like the tom yam though :)
Asian Tea House: Still the best when it comes to Asian cuisine though nothing will ever beat home. Ever.
Butlers: Love, love, love the iced blended mocha.
Char coal grill: Where we make ourselves happy and fat. where you had that curry chips ages ago.
Gourmet Tart: divine Chocolate mousse and tarts of course
Am too lazy now to list down everything.
Plan will have to wait till after I come back here.
I’m flying home in 4 days! Happy, excited, can’t-wait feelings swirling around in me. I won’t even miss Gold Leaf a bit I bet :D So much to do, so much.
My reg is using my other laptop + mobile broadband in the hospital right about now. Or maybe not, seeing as it’s the one with the glowing purple butterfly. He asked for it because he’s oncall and I think there’s a match on. England v Slovenia? Told you he’s mad about football.
Not giving him Lenovo, nope.
~
On the way to Gold Leaf, I sat beside a lady who woldn’t stop talking and now, I know that she has a niece in Castlebar named Fastina (which is an old Irish name she said) who works four times a week as a farmacist. Chatty Lady’s originally from Westport in Mayo but is now living in Birmingham. “You should go to Westport! It’s the most beautiful place!”
Outside, a rainbow could be seen “What do you think of rainbows? Good sign, right? it says that men will not drown…” She’s a delight, really (except that I was really tired after the day and nearly dozed off). :D “My sister wouldn’t send me off because she says I talk too much and she just couldn’t take a four-hour drive with me, so, here I am on the bus to Dublin, talking to you instead! Isn’t it nice. Time seems to pass by very quickly”
:D
~
I had to refer a patient to psychiatry oncall.
“It’s Jon Grave”
“WHAT? CRAVE?”
“No, Grave. G”
“C?”
“No, G. As in Goat”
The reg looked at me and laughed. Goat? Why not ‘Good’. Why Goat?
“I don’t know. I was thinking of sheep and that little pig Babe just now.
The Quest for the Lost Castle (and an acorn and some berries)
I don’t really have time to blog that much now. Who would have thought that being a medic is so busy huh. Anyway, I’m getting the hang of things and Xray doc is still the same meanie but that’s OK.
This week, I’ve been thrown into Sacred Heart, a rehab, which is a nice change because I’m the only one there and I get to rule over all!! Muahahah!! OK, not really, but it is nice in the sense that it’s quiet and calm there. Even that far away from the main hospital, my bleep is within radar and I still get bleeps from them. I wonder how far I have to go before my bleep gets no signal or whatever.
What else… got my paycheck today but will soon disappear because of the dratted rent. Ah well.
Weekends though… see below
I have not been to the other side of Gold Leaf, the one opposite town for a long time. But last weekend, we went on a Quest to find the Lost Castle on the other side of Gold Leaf. The path lead us to The Other Side of Corrib River where a race was being held and boats toppled over under the Quincentennial Bridge (or so we thought).
Through the Dark Forest - a dangerous place in the dark of the night. Do not pass through this forest alone at night or you will be whisked off by the wee people living in between the bluebells and in the hollow of a big tree (or drunks passing by).
We found some inscriptions on a tree. ‘MM’. Move Mortals? Mmmmm Mortals (to be eaten)? Could it be that they are warning us? So, we moved on and did not pick anything from the forest (I hear that you’re not allowed to change anything. To just leave your footsteps there). We were not eaten.
After the dark path, we emerged into a field of purple flowers
Still walking along the river, we encountered a lone fisherman who was probably out to search for the Fish of Wisdom. Tenth kingdom thing. Bliss. To be able to sail through the calm waters and think of nothing but fish and dinner. Yum. Ikan bakar…
Past the Village of Corrib, a smattering of pastel house surrounded by tall barriers.
A sun drenched field where a beast leapt about his master’s feet, threatening to break free. A mighty stick hurled far off into the distance cast magic over the beast and it went off with it’s master, never to be seen again.
I chance upon an acorn with bugs and a worm sliding about. This is an acorn, right?
Acorn of Power!
We picked berries along the way, to stave of the hunger.
Having hands that are not large, we improvised and used the umbrella cover to gather more berries
And on we walked, eyes always scouring for hidden treasures, for the Lost Castle. We met people from faraway lands, come here for the promise of pots of gold and Irish magic and leprechauns which do not exist. Poor deluded travellers. From US I think. They were frolicking by the river, climbing an old ruin, chasing each other.
“This is weird..” said the oldest one. “She’s the one who took my picture just now!!” another exclaimed. “Cheese!” said all.
No, he is not swearing.
And then, rounding a big bush of blackberries, there, in the distance!
The old fisherman was leading us the way all the time…
Yes, we finally found the Lost Castle where rumor had it that a Prince who is tall, dark, handsome, loves to cook, hates cucumbers, is funny and nice lives there. I think he’s probably dead now because the castle is overgrown and crumbling.
Quest completed (to gather berries, find an Acorn of Power and the Lost Castle), the two travellers went off into the sunset, off to the place called home, where internet beckons.
The End.
Or to be continued whenever the thirst for travel and adventure comes back. Soon-ish. this weekend probably.
So. The weekend again was a Perfect day and I went out with my camera for the first time since I received my no-longer-a-student status and it feels amazing. Somehow, things look different when there’s a camera in my hands and I find myself looking at things differently. Small things, big things, trying to take in everything. Spiders are everywhere now.
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I found a new shop, Lola Rose and after asking the owner if I can take pictures to put in my blog, I started crouching this way and that, snapping, clicking and pretending that I was a hired professional photographer for Lola Rose :D Make belief is fun when you’ve nothing better to do.
And here’s a bag with small snippets of recipes and a tiny rolling pin for tiny hands (not Toyol).
Her son eventually became one of my subjects. Finn is the name and he’s a cute 6-month ball of laughter :)
Gorgeous eyes
Two girls stopped me in Shop Street and asked if I could take their picture. They were so excited that they nearly dropped their icecreams.
Also went to that graphic novel place and I was the only girl there and had to refrain from laughing when I heard “Awesome! Wow! Great! Class!” by the guys browsing the place. Neil Gaiman’s stuff are way too expensive except for The Eternals which is hard cover and went at half price.
I sat on a bench and read and people watched :)
And people were eating everywhere I went.
Books! There was a sale down in Corbette Court and see, I do use the recipe books I buy
Suddenly started pouring and through the rain, I went to get baking powder and was met by a surprised “bacon powder? we don’t stock bacon powder”. Ah, no, no, bay-king powder, you know, to make cakes and stuff. Which Londis did not have, so, sub with
And we got this.
Verdict post-gobbling: just the right amount of moistness and chocolatiness (sp?) and to make it like those big, expensive chocolate muffins in college, just need to add chocolate chips. This weekend, if I go back to Gold Leaf, we might do a cheesecake. Yay!
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Work: the usual, you’d be bored with it.
I was told off by the nurse in MAU in front of a whole load of people, including Dr O’Hara, the other consultant. It was my fault, but it still sucks. Dr O’Hara backed me up a bit though and after that, when he saw me again, he told me not to worry about the big hoo-ha and that the nurse isn’t really that mean. waaaaa!! He’s so nice that I nearly cried! Told you that when nice things happen during sort-of-bad times, it just makes me tear ducts a tad overactive. Sheesh!
I was also nearly whacked on the head by a walking stick by a demented patient and had 5ml of Serenace spattered all over me when he smacked my hand away. Somehow, that made me laugh (which is not a good thing because it probably made him madder). It also made me form a bit of a kinship (wek je) with the nurses in Bgts because we were working together, trying to get him to drink the meds and avoiding the thrashing stick. Thank God no one got hurt.
Was oncall on Monday and it was busy as heck. Patient fell, patient couldn’t pee. patient won’t take meds, new patients, demented patients bent on whacking everyone within walking stick length, canullas. Fuuuh. Nice Psych Doc oncall asked me to share his chicken biryani for iftar which was awesome might I add (cooked by his wife, but he said he can make better biryani and that of all the things, he’s really better at making this).
Just meself, he reg and the consultant. We’re down by two docs and so far, I’m still afloat. Kieth is on nights and I saw him today, trying to study in the comp room. First time dad - his wife just gave birth to a baby boy! He’s been telling us how he’s going to teach his baby football ever since I met him, even if the baby’s a girl. Mad about football.
My housemate’s not around as she’s in Manchester doing a course for MRCP orh something and I’m left all alone to fend for myself (cook). So far, I haven’t starved.
Hope everything’s good back home and that Amah’s all right. I’m now only at juz 4 9or 3?) and managed to get in a few pages during oncall, in between the bleeps. hahah.. The nurses there were intrigued with my pink Qur’an and were asking to see it, wondering if it’s a new medical book or a diary. Glad to share :)
So, that’s life so far. I’m just cramming everything into one post and it’s a wonder if you even reach this far. Not sorry for the long post.
And thanks for the suggestions re photo retrieval. Haven’t had the time to look it up yet though (but somehow I have the time to blog).
I might or might not post again in a while. See how the blogging mood is and if I have the time. It’s mostly work and sleep now.
Yes, it was windy and early Sunday morning. We went in search for the nearest empty field and after asking around (an old lady who looked a bit surprised at seeing two grown ups asking for a field to play kites in), we found the perfect place.
Then and now..
The best workout I’ve had since I started this year. Despite the wind changing it’s mind, wanting to blow this way and that, we still managed to get the kite up for a few seconds (10 seconds was probably the record). Had to run backwards to get the kite up and I nearly hit the goal post there if not for the warning from CQ and Far. How would it feel like to have a concussion after hitting my head and falling splat in the mud?
Few hours later…
off shopping for groceries. Pakmat gave us free lamb pieces :D yayness!
And today, I ache all over. Satisfying ache.
Today too, was very surprising.
1. Dr X couldn’t stop smiling even though I forgot a few things (something good happened at home…?).
2. Dr Xray (different doc) didn’t as much as snarl at me when I went in late to discuss about a patient. Usually he’d hurl things at me. OK, no, he doesn’t. But he would make it pretty tough for us to like him. Today, he just accepted everything and was not at all vocally displeasing.
3. Dr O’Hara (the other consultant) asked if I was settling in good. He said that my SHO told him good things about me XD Strange. Then he asked if I was able to handle weekend oncalls. Aha! So that’s why… And of course, I couldn’t say “no, I cannot handle weekends because I have a boyfriend waiting for me back in Galway”, now, can I? So, I accepted my fate. At least he thinks I’m good enough. Mwahahahahah
4. Dr X smiled a lot. Did I say that already?
The colourful timetable in the docs res states that I’m oncall again today, but I thought it’s supposed to be Sebastian since I was on last week Monday and Thursday. So, now I’m at home, waiting for shower time and wondering if I am supposed to be on… Hehe..
I like my new consultant :) He likes to have his patients list short and sweet and that’s how I like it as well. “Cut it down to 10, can we?” *gasp!* Really? 10? Unheard of if we’re with Dr McH. Unfortunately, no, we can’t cut it down that much. They’re all sick, sick, sick.
This was the ‘Heidi and I’ shoot. Hard enough using the multiple lens stacked on top of each other and what we got was just this. Oh, I’ve been poring over the photography mag and have been dreaming of geting another lens and… dum dum dum… nothing. No, I won’t get any because I need to save up. Ah life. But I really, really want a wide angle one and that Sony alpha 380. tamaknye I.. Hmmm.. if I were to be oncall for every single day for the rest of the month… maybe I can afford it. But no, sleep and a sane mind is preferred over permanent eyebags, madness and ka-ching!
Mishra. I'm just starting as an intern in rural West Eire. Also known as Lover of Iced Tea, Paintbrush Wielder, Enemy of the Cucumbers, Travel Bug and Amateur Photographer.
I love anime, nearly all things Japanese, arashi etc.
Sometimes, I'd wish that I'm a pirate/sailor/art teacher/wife to a chef squillionaire... You can always dream neh.
h
