My 2010 - Life, Medicine & Magic

Here's another year end...time for a quick recollection:This is my 2nd year in Medical department, and I enjoy working here a lot. I think I blog less this year, as most of my time is tied to the exam preparation. Something that I shared:Interesting AXRThe Perfect Drug?Are We Really Bad?Nephrologist's NightmareA Simple Thought?Interesting ECG (5)Cause of Ascites?CPR Guideline 2010And some light

USMLE Step 1 Prep

Dear readers, this is it - my sharing post on preparation for USMLE Step 1, after receiving quite a number of enqueries for this exam.Disclaimer: This post is neither a guide nor a suggested study plan. Instead, it is just my own opinion based on past experience. Please take note that I did this exam in '05 (during my 4th year), hence the information may be very much outdated. ;)The United

where did december go?

And come to think of it November and October, too!
Now, just a few days from New Year's I haven't quite found the time for quiet reflection I'd hoped for. Nor for the pile of projects that seems to multiply by the moment. Fur coat repairs, sewing, ORBS, fetishes, Sacred Art Burial Site and shelves that need planing, and hanging await.
My Year of Letting Go isn't fixed like the calendar. So the psychic and material cleansing continues, too. Often in micromovements. Two different friends from Omega lost everything in fires, and while I collect basic necessities and little luxuries for them, I find myself clinging still. Gathering, still. But with small victories like a trip to the local resale shop where I fell in love with a vintage pink beaded glass case and coin purse. And left it behind.
I have always dreamed of having a studio/gallery/store/coffee shop where I might have time and space to make and sell my jewelry, art, vintage clothing and collectibles. Where people come from all over to visit.
I've been reading Eric Maisel's Creativity Book, and one of the "assignments" is to spend everyday, 2x a day, staring out the window and dreaming of things like these...
That's just one of the rational reasons I am drawn to lovely things and stash them away in boxes and drawers for another day.
Years ago I visited a woman named Venus somewhere in the Catskills whose attic was a vintage clothing wonderland. Our upstairs is starting to look a little like that these days. But as I move things around, organizing and reconfiguring, I've found a perch where I can sit and write, stare out the window and dream.
It's just started snowing again. My snow shoes and the quiet of Buttercup Sanctuary call.
May your day be filled with the Magic Medicine of contemplative quiet, the call of the wild and the wind.

My PACES Experience (2)

Ya, as promised, this post is about case presentation in PACES exam, in my humble opinion. There are more than plenty of resources on approaching this exam, hence I won't really elaborate too much. I'd just like to share a "format" that I think is "safe" and can be used even when you're in a panic state (Well, at least it works for me).Let's just take an abdomen station as an example, and renal

Department Event: Sentosa Villa Dinner

Had a great dinner on one of the last Fridays. It's basically a day prior to our CSI Conference, and thanks to the organizing committee, it's held in Sentosa Villa, a nice cozy place indeed.Food is in buffet style. Just a snapshot of what the food was like. Now you know how good is our boss treating us. Hehe..Time for magic performance. To the table of VIP: Dato Chandran the Perak State

Hemichorea--Hemiballism after Diabetic Ketoacidosis

celebrations

My mother and father's 80th birthday celebration was the perfect occassion for an family portrait. An almost complete family portrait. My nephew was stuck in the Midwest selling Dead Sea products at a mall. And somehow without even trying, we were all color coordinated!

May your day be filled with the Magic Medicine of milestones and celebrations.

My PACES Experience (1)

Finally I received my formal result. A pleasant surprise indeed. I scored 93/100. The passing mark this time is 75%, and the passing rate for this diet is 38%, for UK/Non-UK candidates. I'm glad that the hardwork did pay off and in my next few posts or so, I'll be sharing some of my thoughts about this exam (a.k.a my worst nightmare of the year, really!).If you ask me what is important in the

Case Presentation Skill

I've received this email from a medical student, Alan, who asked me about how to improve the presentation skill during ward rounds. The two questions that he has:1. In what way do you think I can start building up my presentation skills?2. What would your recommendation be in the format of presentation?I guess these are also the questions for many undergraduates. I once had these queries as well.

HO, MO and Specialist (5)

Specialist is doing a quick round, and HO is documenting down his words in the notes.Patient #1 - Middle-aged man with uncontrolled hypertension.Specialist: "The BP is still poorly controlled despite 3 anti-hypertensives. He looks acromegalic, do the hormone workup later."*HO quickly wrote down*Patient #2 - Lady with food poisoning, stool culture grows Salmonella.Specialist: "So this is