Saturday, August 30, 2008
whoa...sorry for the long absence..my blog is not dead yet.
Have been extremely busy late with assignments. I have heaps of assignments waiting for me to munch it all up! Just completed one of the most challenging essays related to my OT unit. OMG..almost drove me nuts..searching for info...understanding the concepts...reading piles of notes..planning out the freakin essay...Gahhh finally done..just hope what i wrote makes sense to the lecturer!
Ahhh there is still more to come...i cant believe in 2 months time it would be final exams. I have a long list of task to do this week...
1) Search for 5 journal articles on self-efficacy for health behaviour journal
2) complete anatomy prac report (killer..killer..killer)
3) research on obesity in young children for OT group presentation
4) listen to physiology ilecture
5) catch up with anatomy ...this subject is killing me!
6) research on dimentia for placement
Placement has been going well so far, except for this week. Both me and my coursemate's supervisor call in sick on thursday. Apparently 3 OTs didnt turn up that day, only 1 came...with 3 other Allied Health Assistants working in inpatient aged care department. Hahah...did nothing much that day, there was no staff meeting either from 12-12.30pm. I joined in the social group activities...the breaky group, lunch group and Scone group for afternoon tea. haha watched how the patients make their own breakfast and lunch. During afternoon tea, one of the Allied Health Assistant made Gem Scones...which looks pretty easy to make. All u need is eggs, self-raising flour, butter and sugar! We had a proper English-style tea,...the table was set up, using special tea cups and saucers, special sugar bowl holder..looks pretty classy...and even the tea was specially brewed..not those ordinary tea bags! The freshly baked scones was damn yummy...with a dash of cream and strawberry jam..ahaha what a privilege! Spoke to some of the patients as well...hahaha oldies can be cheeky sometimes..do not underestimate them.
Went home early that day, for the first time..hmm maybe the second time i reached home when the day was still bright and sunny! The train was packed on our way back, since it was peak hour...so me and my coursemate had to sit on the floor instead...which is not comfortable when the train suddenly swings to the left or right! Not fun either when u have to get up at 5am every thursday!
Sigh...i feel that i need to improve my communication skills...when communicating with OT staff and patients...sometimes im too quite. Oh dear.
This is how dodgy my room looks like at the moment:
great mess...have to tidy it up!
muahahah some random pics of my 21st bday prezie...
Muahaha new laptop from bro...loveeeee it! efficient!
Wall-E toy from Cheryl!!! hahaa..it can dance!!
Kimmidoll from Shaz, photoframe & craft book from coursemates...:D
Jewelleries from coursemates :D
Body shop gift and Britney Spears Fantasy make up set from relatives :D
Sportsgirl bag from msian friends :D
Cards from mom & dad, coursemates, cheryl, sista Aiming & Vengli!! tq so much!
last but not least: 21 bday candle....
Tats it for now...tata~~
Have been extremely busy late with assignments. I have heaps of assignments waiting for me to munch it all up! Just completed one of the most challenging essays related to my OT unit. OMG..almost drove me nuts..searching for info...understanding the concepts...reading piles of notes..planning out the freakin essay...Gahhh finally done..just hope what i wrote makes sense to the lecturer!
Ahhh there is still more to come...i cant believe in 2 months time it would be final exams. I have a long list of task to do this week...
1) Search for 5 journal articles on self-efficacy for health behaviour journal
2) complete anatomy prac report (killer..killer..killer)
3) research on obesity in young children for OT group presentation
4) listen to physiology ilecture
5) catch up with anatomy ...this subject is killing me!
6) research on dimentia for placement
Placement has been going well so far, except for this week. Both me and my coursemate's supervisor call in sick on thursday. Apparently 3 OTs didnt turn up that day, only 1 came...with 3 other Allied Health Assistants working in inpatient aged care department. Hahah...did nothing much that day, there was no staff meeting either from 12-12.30pm. I joined in the social group activities...the breaky group, lunch group and Scone group for afternoon tea. haha watched how the patients make their own breakfast and lunch. During afternoon tea, one of the Allied Health Assistant made Gem Scones...which looks pretty easy to make. All u need is eggs, self-raising flour, butter and sugar! We had a proper English-style tea,...the table was set up, using special tea cups and saucers, special sugar bowl holder..looks pretty classy...and even the tea was specially brewed..not those ordinary tea bags! The freshly baked scones was damn yummy...with a dash of cream and strawberry jam..ahaha what a privilege! Spoke to some of the patients as well...hahaha oldies can be cheeky sometimes..do not underestimate them.
Went home early that day, for the first time..hmm maybe the second time i reached home when the day was still bright and sunny! The train was packed on our way back, since it was peak hour...so me and my coursemate had to sit on the floor instead...which is not comfortable when the train suddenly swings to the left or right! Not fun either when u have to get up at 5am every thursday!
Sigh...i feel that i need to improve my communication skills...when communicating with OT staff and patients...sometimes im too quite. Oh dear.
This is how dodgy my room looks like at the moment:
great mess...have to tidy it up!muahahah some random pics of my 21st bday prezie...
Muahaha new laptop from bro...loveeeee it! efficient!
Wall-E toy from Cheryl!!! hahaa..it can dance!!
Kimmidoll from Shaz, photoframe & craft book from coursemates...:D
Jewelleries from coursemates :D
Body shop gift and Britney Spears Fantasy make up set from relatives :D
Sportsgirl bag from msian friends :D
Cards from mom & dad, coursemates, cheryl, sista Aiming & Vengli!! tq so much!last but not least: 21 bday candle....
Tats it for now...tata~~
11:07 PM
Friday, August 08, 2008
Today 08.08.08 is the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games...
It is also the day i was born into this world..08.08.1987
and so today i turn 21..
on the 8th of Aug 2008..
08.08.08 and being 21 happens once in my life time...
Happy Birthday to myself..haha
and thanks everyone for all the b'day wishes~
It is also the day i was born into this world..08.08.1987
and so today i turn 21..
on the 8th of Aug 2008..
08.08.08 and being 21 happens once in my life time...
Happy Birthday to myself..haha
and thanks everyone for all the b'day wishes~
9:04 AM
Monday, August 04, 2008
Hey there~~~
Whoa..time flies and this week is the 3rd week of uni. Assignments & readings are beginning to pile up. First day placement has been exciting so far except for the fact that i have to wake up at 5am in the morning and catch the 6.13am train from the South Geelong train station..such a dread. At least i have two of my coursemates to accompany me. We arrived North Melbourne train station at 7.20am and we have to catch another upfield train to the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) which only takes about 10minutes. We arrived half an hour earlier and it was freezing that morning so we went into the cafe and got ourselves a cup of hot chocolate. Ahhh....nice and warm.
By 8.15 we met up with the rest of our coursemates and one of the OT staff working at the rehab centre. We had a short tour around the Rehab centre area. Quite a large area..just hope i dont get lost. After that, i met my supervisor. A young lady who just started working at RMH for 2 months, La Trobe Uni Graduate..still very new to the area as well..but looks pro to me. She seems like a nice lady, when she smiles! HAHA..but other than that...serious at all times. She brought me around the area that she is incharged of...that is the Inpatient Aged Care Rehab Unit. There were 3 units altogether...based on different level of care. She is basically stationed at level 1.
She introduced me to all the patients, mostly elderly patients. They were having a breakfast group..sitting on a round table..chit chatting and enjoying their freshly made scones ( I had one as well, taste really good with a dash of jam & cream..YUM!). Other staffs like nurses and physiotherapist were there to entertain them as well. I just stood there and observe how my supervisor communicates with the patients...Oh yeah one of the patients, an elderly lady said that i have very nice straight teeth! HAAHA..they are so adorable. Most of the patients suffer from stroke, diabetes, injuries from fall (one of them had a tennis ball cheek cuz he fell off from his bed..) and dementia as well. They look so normal in the morning, but when the clock touches 3pm...you can see some behaviour changes.
In the afternoon we met another patient that my supervisor was incharge of..another elderly lady...after introducing, she said 'Ohhh you have nice teeth!...ahahaha...whoa..2 patients in a row! My supervisor winked at me and said..its probably cuz of i have a big smile..HAAHHAHA..funny. I observed how my supervisor interviewed an Italian patient who just got admitted into the hospital...communication with another patient where English isnt her 1st language can be difficult, but at least this patient manage to give quite a fair bit of information..more than enough for the OT to write a report on the patient's case book (which i got to see..the full details...and report written by nurses, physios...interesting).
Ahhh i have to start learning all the terms and abbreviations used in hospitals. Something new there! plus learn to ask more questions......i wish i m spontaneous...but sometimes i just cant think of a question on the spot! gahhh...!
After all that, my supervisor brought one her patients to the kitchen area to make his own dinner. The patient was quite irritated with his jumper, and kept on saying that the sleeve was too long and he wants to cut it off..around that time he would always asked where Commonwealth Bank is...and talks about the area he is living..which is nearby safeway...the sign of dementia. So we went to the kitchen, i guess part of this task was to test and observed whether the patient is still capable to make his own dinner, as in his cognitive skills..concentration...etc. I'm surprised that he is still able to cut the vegetables, able to differentiate between the less fresh part of the lettuce..but only thing he didnt realise is that he had spread two blocks of butter on his bread...kept asking for the butter again...and he thought that the big red onion is an apple..hehe. Overall i think he made himself a good dinner, only thing is that the cucumber and carrots that he cut was too hard for him to chew...><
Finally for the first time in my life i touched snow!!! Sooo fascinated about it! I went to Mt Buller last saturday with a group of Malaysian friends and others from India whom i dont really know. We rented two cars and one of them had their own car. The journey to Mt Buller is about 5 hours drive from Geelong. We started our journey at 7am, after an hour drive we stopped by McDonalds to have breakfast and what i small world i met my coursemate who was working part time there!! Then the journey begins..encounter straight and hilly roads at the same time. We stopped at a small town called Mansfield..where you can rent ski equipments, waterproof jackets, snow boots..etc...we rented snow boots as it would be slippery and wet at the mountain! The road was hilly as we were driving up to the mountain, couldnt really see a clear view of the mountain since it was cloudy and drizzling. Out of a sudden, we saw snow..like we just entered a different place!!!
cant resist...snapping photos!
Felt like i was in some different place..and not Australia. haha. We started putting on our thick jacket....gloves...and binies on when we arrived. The place was crowded and packed with people. Took a free shuttle bus to a different section of the mountain, i think its the main skiing area, there were restaurants , souvenir shops and more ski equipment shops. There were Ski lessons as well and a cable car that brings people to a skiing area ...but the ride is costly..$94 for adults.
I think u need to invest alot as well if u intend to ski!
Shaz and i
I made a snow man with Shaz..and the rest of the time we started throwing snow balls at each other! ahhh...i think its was 0 degrees up at the mountain..but it was not as cold when u r playing around...except for my fingers and nose!! It snowed a couple of times! The feeling is undescribable...maybe it felt like Winter Sonata..hahahaa..its quite annoying when the snow hits ur face.
Thick snow!!
Ahh i played this thing called 'Taboggane'...its like a plastic board u sit on...with a string attached in front. All u need to do is lean backwards...hold on to the string tightly..and slide down a steep hill!!! Whoaaaaaaaaaa...beware of bumps....cuz u will be lifted up and when u land down...the part the hurt most is ur pelvic area. AHAHA.
friends playing with the taboggane..
It was worth it. A day trip is good enough..unless u plan to ski! I dont mind goin back to Mt Buller again next year during winter! Try Skiing this time maybe? HAHAHA. I was all wet by the end of the day.
Thats if for now..ta!
Whoa..time flies and this week is the 3rd week of uni. Assignments & readings are beginning to pile up. First day placement has been exciting so far except for the fact that i have to wake up at 5am in the morning and catch the 6.13am train from the South Geelong train station..such a dread. At least i have two of my coursemates to accompany me. We arrived North Melbourne train station at 7.20am and we have to catch another upfield train to the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) which only takes about 10minutes. We arrived half an hour earlier and it was freezing that morning so we went into the cafe and got ourselves a cup of hot chocolate. Ahhh....nice and warm.
By 8.15 we met up with the rest of our coursemates and one of the OT staff working at the rehab centre. We had a short tour around the Rehab centre area. Quite a large area..just hope i dont get lost. After that, i met my supervisor. A young lady who just started working at RMH for 2 months, La Trobe Uni Graduate..still very new to the area as well..but looks pro to me. She seems like a nice lady, when she smiles! HAHA..but other than that...serious at all times. She brought me around the area that she is incharged of...that is the Inpatient Aged Care Rehab Unit. There were 3 units altogether...based on different level of care. She is basically stationed at level 1.
She introduced me to all the patients, mostly elderly patients. They were having a breakfast group..sitting on a round table..chit chatting and enjoying their freshly made scones ( I had one as well, taste really good with a dash of jam & cream..YUM!). Other staffs like nurses and physiotherapist were there to entertain them as well. I just stood there and observe how my supervisor communicates with the patients...Oh yeah one of the patients, an elderly lady said that i have very nice straight teeth! HAAHA..they are so adorable. Most of the patients suffer from stroke, diabetes, injuries from fall (one of them had a tennis ball cheek cuz he fell off from his bed..) and dementia as well. They look so normal in the morning, but when the clock touches 3pm...you can see some behaviour changes.
In the afternoon we met another patient that my supervisor was incharge of..another elderly lady...after introducing, she said 'Ohhh you have nice teeth!...ahahaha...whoa..2 patients in a row! My supervisor winked at me and said..its probably cuz of i have a big smile..HAAHHAHA..funny. I observed how my supervisor interviewed an Italian patient who just got admitted into the hospital...communication with another patient where English isnt her 1st language can be difficult, but at least this patient manage to give quite a fair bit of information..more than enough for the OT to write a report on the patient's case book (which i got to see..the full details...and report written by nurses, physios...interesting).
Ahhh i have to start learning all the terms and abbreviations used in hospitals. Something new there! plus learn to ask more questions......i wish i m spontaneous...but sometimes i just cant think of a question on the spot! gahhh...!
After all that, my supervisor brought one her patients to the kitchen area to make his own dinner. The patient was quite irritated with his jumper, and kept on saying that the sleeve was too long and he wants to cut it off..around that time he would always asked where Commonwealth Bank is...and talks about the area he is living..which is nearby safeway...the sign of dementia. So we went to the kitchen, i guess part of this task was to test and observed whether the patient is still capable to make his own dinner, as in his cognitive skills..concentration...etc. I'm surprised that he is still able to cut the vegetables, able to differentiate between the less fresh part of the lettuce..but only thing he didnt realise is that he had spread two blocks of butter on his bread...kept asking for the butter again...and he thought that the big red onion is an apple..hehe. Overall i think he made himself a good dinner, only thing is that the cucumber and carrots that he cut was too hard for him to chew...><
Finally for the first time in my life i touched snow!!! Sooo fascinated about it! I went to Mt Buller last saturday with a group of Malaysian friends and others from India whom i dont really know. We rented two cars and one of them had their own car. The journey to Mt Buller is about 5 hours drive from Geelong. We started our journey at 7am, after an hour drive we stopped by McDonalds to have breakfast and what i small world i met my coursemate who was working part time there!! Then the journey begins..encounter straight and hilly roads at the same time. We stopped at a small town called Mansfield..where you can rent ski equipments, waterproof jackets, snow boots..etc...we rented snow boots as it would be slippery and wet at the mountain! The road was hilly as we were driving up to the mountain, couldnt really see a clear view of the mountain since it was cloudy and drizzling. Out of a sudden, we saw snow..like we just entered a different place!!!
cant resist...snapping photos!
Felt like i was in some different place..and not Australia. haha. We started putting on our thick jacket....gloves...and binies on when we arrived. The place was crowded and packed with people. Took a free shuttle bus to a different section of the mountain, i think its the main skiing area, there were restaurants , souvenir shops and more ski equipment shops. There were Ski lessons as well and a cable car that brings people to a skiing area ...but the ride is costly..$94 for adults.
I think u need to invest alot as well if u intend to ski!
Shaz and iI made a snow man with Shaz..and the rest of the time we started throwing snow balls at each other! ahhh...i think its was 0 degrees up at the mountain..but it was not as cold when u r playing around...except for my fingers and nose!! It snowed a couple of times! The feeling is undescribable...maybe it felt like Winter Sonata..hahahaa..its quite annoying when the snow hits ur face.
Thick snow!!Ahh i played this thing called 'Taboggane'...its like a plastic board u sit on...with a string attached in front. All u need to do is lean backwards...hold on to the string tightly..and slide down a steep hill!!! Whoaaaaaaaaaa...beware of bumps....cuz u will be lifted up and when u land down...the part the hurt most is ur pelvic area. AHAHA.
friends playing with the taboggane..It was worth it. A day trip is good enough..unless u plan to ski! I dont mind goin back to Mt Buller again next year during winter! Try Skiing this time maybe? HAHAHA. I was all wet by the end of the day.
Thats if for now..ta!
1:00 PM