Halfway into the first week of orientation now. Halfway simply because it's a holiday tomorrow and so there's only four class days this week ^^ yay!

It's pretty hard trying to get up early in the morning though since I'm still a good 20+ mins bus ride away from hospital. Thank goodness it's still light though at 7 in the morning and so I can actually still get up when the alarm goes. Thank goodness the bus runs that early (they start at 6.15 am actually, bless those hardworking bus drivers .. xx0xx to them!) otherwise I can't imagine what sort of walk it would be to get to class. Lol. 15 to 20 mins to Cd, and 20 mins from end of Ric Rd to hospital.... and 20 mins from end of Ric Rd to Wstfld.... and no idea how long from Wstfld to Cd... @_@ aaacksss!

Yesterday was pretty much standard admin stuff that we had to do. Do the MRSA swab (my hands were happily occupied up the nostrils and down the groins - yeah, didn't know that word come in the plural form, and arse... naughty slap slap... yeah, they operate indepedently :S), get file photo taken (gosh, had to get it done 3 times!! 3 times because the first my glasses were crooked and got in the way of the eyes, second because I blinked!), get security photo taken (the photo will be taken in 8 secs says the lady, so I smile.... and smile... and smile... and just when the smiling muscles get cramped click goes the webcam and so I'm stuck with a uncomfortable wry evil up-to-no-good sort of smile T_T), and log into student webmail to see if our accounts are working. Got overfed by the uni ppl as well. Not much else registers except for a lesson in history taking and a trip to see a patient to practise that.

And that was when I met a woman of strength. She looked really ill, felt crap (anyone would I think when the pain is 10/10) and still felt the pain even on a cocktail of painkillers, had daily needle pricks for blood tests (sometimes up to two a day), and knowing that nothing much can be done to the problem because it's too dangerous to disrupt the organ. And having a bleed and a clot just before she was scheduled to be discharged which then meant a longer stay and not knowing when she can be out again. How does she cope I asked. Well, there's nothing you can do about it, so you just cope it with was the simple reply. Even when the ppl in the same ward as her are coming in and out. Even when she's in pain. Even when she's got to take this horrid looking concoction for her protein levels. Even when she has not much appetite for food. I was suprised at how simple her answer was, and how she could still laugh and joke even at her own situation, and how she lifted up her hand to shake ours and talk to us despite being really sleepy and tired as well. I felt kind of bad just being healthy when someone can be so ill somehow. I felt kind of bad that I had to see someone ill to realise how undeservingly healthy I am. I feel humbled and wish her all the best. Hopefully she'll get the early discharge as she's so hoping for.

Today was a lot less exciting though. Had a CVS small group tute and learnt a bit about pulses and sounds and what not. Except the registrar went on for longer than he intended to and we had less time with the patient. Still no idea how to find that elusive popliteal pulse though. Didn't get to try it on the patient and I hadn't been able to find it on myself, not since first hearing about their existence. I've kinda felt a pulse there before, not with those 10 sausages of mine, but rather with my opposite knee when I cross my legs for a length of time when sitting down in a chair. Hm... not that it's much help. 'Can you cross your legs please?' Patient crosses leg. 'Now tell me if you feel a pulse'. Yeah. Impressive. Patient then proceeds to chuck quack out of the office in the interest of public safety. Oh yeah.

Rest of the day was pretty much boring stuff. Lecture from library, lecture on infection control (essentially a message to wash your hands properly, you dirty lump'o'poo... yeah, I mean you. Never again shake hands with that guy who's just been out of the toilet and who wears a wristwatch and a long sleeved shirt, unless you wanna his gook that might be hiding near his wrist... ewww...), lecture on pass/fail on attachments and so on and so forth. Including one from the MPS who sponsored our lunch today. Dang, sushi. And aacck, that green diarrhoea-poo-shaped blobby things people even give a name to (seriously, shit like that shouldn't get names, much less be on food!). But they gave us brunch bars and cheezels and burger rings and what not of snacks and juice that make up for anything! Wish they had muffins that we had yesterday though (when I find out who made them, I'm taking them home)...

And here's a ghostie I picked up from an online game (((((((m(0.0)m ... too bad I haven't seen Mano's mangy minion though lol.