2 weeks later

i felt like its not too long ago that i keep talking about my 2 weeks elective in japan. applying for it. submitting the proposal. waiting for the acceptance. buying the air ticket. counting the budget and planning the trip. and finally, living on a tight budget for more than 6 months to save for this trip.

and my 2 weeks in Okayama University has just ended. so much effort, so much planning, and everything was over too soon.

the welcome dinner last friday night at an izakaya, a traditional japanese bar, with the orthodontics department which ash and i were attached to.

another welcome dinner, also at an izakaya, by the prosthodontics department which menaka was attached to.

and a farewell sushi dinner with a night out at Korakuen Garden, one of the top 3 gardens in Japan, with the senseis from the Paediatrics department, which yinhui was attached to.

they say japanese are known for their warm hospitality. i shall confirm thats 110% true. the only problem is the thank-you-gift-hunting part at the end of the day.

ash and i with an ortho postgrad in clinics in between patients, just to certify that i am here for study purposes, not for the sightseeing & food only!

there are so so many pictures that i've taken with all the staff, postgrads and senseis. unfortunately i have too little time to blog about them, therefore i shall continue in London. its an early start for Tokyo on Saturday morning, and no time to waste to cover this crazily-huge city.

we'll miss Okayama University for sure,
the experience was priceless.

"If you do come to Japan, do visit us again!" is what we've been hearing all day. that's the thing i hate about farewells, you have a great time, you bid your goodbyes with brave smiles saying that you'll keep in touch and visit each other in the future, but in truth you'll never know when you'll cross paths with them again.

you can only hope. and hope i will. till next time, Okayama.

Hiroshima & Miyajima

first travelling stop of our Japan trip: Hiroshima!

A-Bomb Dome, Hiroshima.. the first building that was bombed back in Aug 6, 1945. This first atomic bomb destroyed this whole city! this bombed building is now a World Heritage Site.

the Peace Memorial Park. you can see the A-Bomb dome at the back. nice big park with monuments and museums, all promoting world peace. so as you can see, we are very happy peaceful loving ppl too.

next stop is Miyajima Island, it took us an hour to get there! (47mins tram+10mins ferry). this island has many friendly deers roaming freely. word of advice, if you want them to stalk you, carry some food with you.

the Otorii Gate sitting in the Ocean. you can walk to it during the low tide.

the Itsukushima Shrine, a World Heritage Site, 200meters away from the Otorii Gate. 300yen entrance fee, which we invested into food instead.

the local delicacies: Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki, very different from the Osaka/normal style as they put the ingredients separately and even place the pancake on soba or udon!; 7flavoured rice cake, oysters and momiji manju, a confectionary in the shape of a maple leaf that has red bean inside or could be green tea, cream or chocolate. a little too sweet for me.

one thing about japanese sweets: there's red bean everywhereeeeeeeee! in doriyakis, momiji manju, on ice cream shavings, with green tea ice cream desserts, in mochis, in buns, breads.. everywhereeee!!! overdosed...

Oishii!!!

haiiii!! ohayo gozaimazzzzz!! sumimasen!

on Wednesday evening our host, Mamiko-san and her 2 friends, all of them dental finalists, brought us out to have udon at a nearby place, tanuki.

i had the recommended cold bukkake udon where you add in the soy sauce with grated ginger & radish (demonstrated by yin-san), which was surprisingly delicious as i normally dont take food cold.

and dont forget to slurppp ur udons Loud to show that u enjoy it!!

some random food that we had for the past 3 days.

in order to save money, its moreeee convenience-store food to come!!! sushi is expensive in japan unfortunately :( i just loveee japanese food, all soooo kawaiiii! and i thought i was gonna lose weight in japan.. Oops..

xoxo

they say true love comes when you least expect it, anywhere anytime anyone, despite the huge language barrier, they can still understand each other.. very, very well...

guess who will bring a new kareshi home? that's a secret i'll never tell. xoxo, gg.

Konnichiwa!

Sumimasen!

Enjoying Japanese food but from the 7Eleven convenience store .. hehe hafta save money coz we found out the uni and accom are quite far apart that we have to either change 2 buses or catch a cab, which worked out cheaper, and faster, and better in the rain!. Budget makanan cut down by a third.. haihhhhh..

Lunch break over, gotta hop back into the Dental Clinic now :) terpaksa blog pictureless...

Sayonara!

final farewells to seniors

its 10 minutes before i leave my room for my flight to Japan. its kinda early, its kinda rushed, but i just realized there's some people who i might never see again..

thank you for everything, seniors~

hopefully we'll get to meet again in the near future :)

Short Survey

i cant believe it, time fliesss! i am flying to Osaka, Japan transiting in Helsinki, Finland TOMORROW! Yes, its D-Day!

i remembered talking about it like agesss ago, especially saving at least £2600 in the past 6 months for this 3-weeks trip, struggling to stick to a £50/week budget and still doing what i love to do (going out with friends/eating out/travelling) at the same time. up to this day, i even baked my own lemon cake last night (to save ££) to bring to japan to sustain myself for the first 2 days there, for breakfast perhaps (also to save ¥¥).

i was talking to a fellow blogger about my to-do-list before i fly off:

"i need to withdraw some cash, then change yen, do laundry, pack bag and also make a presentation for the undergrads & postgrads in japan on the 1st day of our uni attachment there.. but dunno what to present on.."

"talk about your blog.. haha.."

"they can't even read later.."

"people read ur blog?"

"then??? what do they do at my blog? Just see food photos is it? Perhaps i should have a survey on what people do here.."

"DO IT!"

so fellow readers, if you have a couple more minutes to spare..

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

~thank you for your time~

Treat Debts

never rains, but pours.

with the year coming to an end this week just before we all go separate ways, a couple of friends who each owe me a meal quickly squeeze in time to treat me for lunch, which was like hourssss before they leave at night.

Tuesday lunch at Tayyabs and Wednesday lunch at Dhaka Briyani. i had to cook dinner at 9pm thanks to such heavy lunches.

oh well, not the restaurants i am dying to try like those in central, but with less than an hour for lunch that's as far as the feet carries. thanks anyways! and next time, its better to pay ur 'treat-meal' debt earlier so you don't have to rush to pay just before you leave! =p

it happens. but why me?

i tried. i really did.

the aim: to save the tooth.

4 appointments spanning several months. 3 hours each.

but all it takes is a slight mistake of 1mm, maybe less.

"It's gone, take it out."

"Is it cause of what i did..?"

"Yes." Consultants and their direct, short answers that is straight to the point, not giving the slightest bit of cushioning.

"Ow.." any remaining speck of hope or confidence evaporated.

"It happens," was all he managed before he disappeared.

Now to break the bad news.

"So what now?" the 18-year-old patient asked me with full of hope.

"That is a good question.. well... you see... " was how i started that fateful afternoon..

last birthday for this term

Monday was definitely one of the most tiring days ever, to be out and about for 12hours with only 15mins in between to rest and to walk for hours with no water to the wrong venue. i was so tired i had to sit at the bus stop and rest for 20mins while a couple of buses passed by.

on a lighter note, pig-out lunch treat at Bodean for eric's birthday last saturday. portions are big, but ribs kinda dry and buffalo wings aren't as good as Chilli's.

dinner at Nando's with whoever's left! have a great birthday, eric, wherever you are going for ur birthday celebration tomorrow :P and now that i'm at it, happy birthday ang.

i've yet to...

just as i thought that i've experienced alot in life (live life to the fullest, i'll always say), meeting new ppl, eating different types of food, travelling to many places, trying rare opportunities that only come by once ..

i've yet to sit for my finals
i've yet to graduate
i've yet to find a new job
i've yet to earn my first paycheck (as a dentist)
i've yet to see the dirty office politics
i've yet to climb the ladder, maybe specialize
i've yet to open my own practice (hopefuly!)
i've yet to hire my own staff
i've yet to rent (and then Own) my own place
i've yet to get my own car
i've yet to meet the man of my dreams (maybe i have?)
i've yet to be (romantically) proposed to *fingers crossed* :)
i've yet to accept the proposal :D
i've yet to walk down the aisle (or prepare for it!) :D :D
i've yet to enjoy my honeymoon :D :D :D
i've yet to make children (urgh!) :(
i've yet to bear children (double urgh!) :((
i've yet to experience motherhood (triple urgh!) :(((
i've yet to taste the ups and downs of marriage (endless urgh!) :'(
i've yet to face the 'in-laws' (i give up.. ) :S
i've yet to have my own slice of the real world +_+"

wow, there's alotttttttttttttttt i've yet to do, most of them, Not really looking forward to, besides the (romantic) proposal part :) honeymoon part :D and maybe having a cute baby but Not the process of getting it with morning sickness, undergoing painful labour or even taking care of it.. dont mind attending baby classes with friends though, that ought to be fun :P

i agree, no hurry there. enjoy the final year of university first. scary world can wait.

their big day

Today, wherever i go, i see 3 ppl.
the mum, the dad and the graduate.
sometimes, a brother or a sister.
But mostly, trios.

the champagne reception afterwards with finger food. lots of photo-taking and professors talking to graduates with parents.

how jealous. i wish it was me.

then again, they always say uni life is the best. but still.

~congratulations graduates~
countdown for my turn. 364days.
fingers crossed.

amnesic

"i told you already laaaaaaa"

i dont know how many times i heard that just this week alone (i think mostly from ashie regarding electives/shopping/studies etc..) i am not sure if it's either me not being attentive enough when the information was conveyed, not being awake enough to store what i heard in my tiny brain or just being plain forgetful.

it's frustrating ppl that they have to keep repeating themselves, and its frustrating me as well for being so forgetful and embarrassingly repeating the same questions with a really clueless face like a patient with dementia.

perhaps all the workload, having 30mins-1hour lunch breaks plus stretching till 6.30/7pm, for the past fortnight, is starting to take a toll on me. with so many things crammed in my head, i am bound to forget the smaller things. like what ashie bought while shopping yesterday >_<" but i know as friends, its no excuse.

pls accept my apologies, dear friends, and bear with an amnesic helen. i think i am starting to forget more and more things now, even the calories of a cereal bar (which on a normal day, i know the calories of 3 different brands of cereal bars) or when someone is having exams/graduating/leaving UK/visiting london/working as/staying where/having which gf or bf/birthdays etc..

"i told you already laaaaaaa"

"sorry la.. slipped my mind.." what else can i say?

overcrowded

i was blog-hopping. and i hopped, and hopped and hopped till i dont even know where i started from. and then it occured to me..

How Many Blogs Are There Out There?!?!?!

if each person have at leastttt one blog, there must be millionssssss! i felt that the internet is overcrowded already although that's impossible. and then i come to think of their blogs the same way i think of mine..

do people actually read these blogs?

fine, lots of them are pretty famous blogs which are constantly visited at a rate of at least 30 clicks perhour. maybe alot more. but to have people reading millionssss of blogs, that requires many many millionsssssss of bored readers stuck to their computers day and night (like myself).

don't underestimate the amount of time and energy blogs can consume from the human race. 1 person may take 1 hour to write 1 post, and to have maybe 150 ppl reading it for perhaps 2 mins each, that's 300mins/5hours!! that means 1 blog post can consume a total of 6 hours, what more 475827485784375912384903240223 blog posts out there...

we're living in an era where bloging is one of the most powerful tool of communication.

Little and Large

Ping Pong Dim Sum restaurant at Baywater (there are other branches) little steamed parcels of deliciousness

there are different set menus like buffets, seafood, healthy (with 478 calories), small hunger, mix etc as well. the place looks nice n modern but its not a really authentic chinese restaurant. ok for hangout, but not for dimsum. interesting variety of teas serve. but the fruit bun with fruit puree dessert is an absolute no no. a super sour steam bun with berries? western influence on chinese food gone wrong. plus we waited more than half an hour for it.

after having the little steamed parcels of deliciousness we head on to the Big Screen, the Imax 3D at Waterloo, apparently the largest screen in UK. We watched Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. it actually feels more like a widescreen than a 3D to me, we didnt even have to wear the specs! I think either the imax 3D in Bradford is better or this film wasn't made for 3D. but thankfully Transformers is already action-packed as it is.

Dinner at Rasa Sayang, Chinatown. how's the food? ok-ok-larr.. reminds me of Kopi tiam and C&R, i can revisit the place but it doesnt matter if i never do. i had nasi lemak and it was reasonable, but the chicken was abit undercooked inside. the assam fish was not too bad though and so is the kang kung belacan, though abit oily. the roti canai was definitely not made on the spot like how we have it back home, and the gravy was kinda salty to me. the noodle is so-so too.

so where's the Best Malaysian Food in London? wait till i try puji2, campor2, bali2, nyonya etc.. then i'll get back to you..
found this Candy Cafe at Chinatown next to a taiwanese restaurant (which i also wana try) on the same side as rasa sayang serving ipoh white coffee, kaya butter toast, soya bean and the sorts.. feels so malaysian! perhaps it shall be my next stop. after japan.

sore loser?

the question came up among some girl-gossipings..

"if u r compared to the new gf of ur ex,
would u rather be better or worse than her?"

a couple of us immediately squealed "of Coz Bettahhh!!"

"If ur ex leaves u for someone better, than understandable-lah why u lost to her. But if he leaves u for someone worse, wont that make u think 'whats wrong with me???'.."

to which we went "good question. damn."

but won't any girl naturally wanna be the 'better' one when to compared to other competitors (his ex or new gfs too!) , in any aspects, but especially in terms of looks and size. (brains & personality? since when do those matter to guys? *ouchy, jk! peace :P * well u gotta confess, looks give the 1st impression!)

any girl would be a sucker for 'You are the prettiest girl i've ever dated!' (provided she's not the only!) instead of 'Well, you aren't the prettiest, neither the slimmest nor the smartest too, not the greatest personality too but oh well, i guess u can be nice to hang out with sometimes. And u can eat ALOT! ' Bummer!

(yes, i've actually been compared before and not a sound if i was the prettiest/slimmest etc etc.. but was told that i can Eat the Most. not sure if that's a good title to hold..)

everyone is different/unique/special so don't compare.

what a cliché! dont try to fool me. honestly, which girl or guy doesn't compare to the next new girl/guy in their ex's life? we are just sore losers, aren't we?

in a tight spot

tight.

funny how u can be in a big spacious room, yet u feel stuck like u have no where to go. feels like driving where u turn left and u smash into a tree Or u turn right and u swerve into the river. yet u can't stay where u are anymore, the cars behind are honking madly.

what happens when the truth clashes with the-right-thing-to-do?

reminds me of the workshop 2 days ago when the ethics tutor was talking about referring an unwell patient to another department.

u need to get the details like the address of this patient, as u suspect she has an infectious disease like HIV or perhaps cancer, to refer to oral medicine for further investigation. however the patient refuses to give her address. after further persuasion with the promise of strict confidentiality between the dentist and patient, she tells u she's an illegal immigrant staying with her sister so she doesn't want to tell u her address coz she dont want be deported or her sister to get into trouble or be evicted.

what do u do? do u ring the immigration office the minute she steps out of the dental clinic? how do u refer then? what happens to dentist-patient trust? does hiding the truth makes u part of the crime as well? but how would u find out what disease she's having then? since u can't get her checked or tested, what happens if her health deteriorates? what if she has HIV and infects someone else who's innocent and clueless as well? that means other people's lives are at jeopardy as well..what if what if..

in a tight spot.

i was there. walking on thin ice isn't any fun, especially when u have a whole load of burden on ur shoulders. how much shud u say? how muc shud u refrain? shud u even ask further? what words shud u use? is lying the same as hiding the truth? shud u even take sides?

as least if u cant fit into tight old jeans, u can try losing the weight or get new jeans. but in a sticky situation, its more like a hit or miss. u escape, or u dont. unfortunately luck wasn't on my side. all my knowledge of ethics, moral values and conscience was put to the test, which failed badly.

coz i thought if i drove fast enough and aim high, i would be able to drive around the tree and continue my journey behind it and i'll be unscratched, leaving the tree standing tall and firm, leaving the river flowing peacefully..

but instead, i smashed so hard into the tree on the left that not only did it fell, i swung and fell into the river on the right as well, causing a great big splash and a huge disruption to the flow..

funny how i aim to save the tree and avoid the river as well (and save my butt too now that i'm at it) but ended up destroying both. which is why i love maths. its the only world where 2 negatives equates a positive.

double damage. not to mention the damage this has caused me. it cant get any worst than this.

i'll be there

"..i want to share this song to you from mins 1:27 to 1:45.."

what do you say to that?