Okies...

I have concluded that I am pretty bad at keeping my blog updated.

But for the few people who read my blog...

I am gonna post more at: http://m0rethanasong.livejournal.com now.. since I am.. ahem... a married woman. (:

Hello everyone,

No I am still around. Just exhausted with work everyday. I mean, I love the kids, but it does take a lot of effort to deal with the little things everyday. Plus I have all the other things going on in my life... which adds to it all... moving house... wedding... looking for job for 2010...etc..etc..etc... hence it title..

To date.. I have not done

1. My PR application (don't ask)
2. Transferred my linking account to my ING account from my CBA one to my ANZ one (don't ask again)
3. Lost sufficient weight (9kg more in 3 months, 3 weeks and 1 day is NOT enough)
4. Bought my wedding shoes
5. Bought any furniture for my new place
6. Settled our guest list
7. Thought of what flowers I want
8. Thought of the wording for our invitation cards
And the list goes on...

To comfort myself.. I have
1. Found a signing song... shhhh... it's a secret!
2. Changed my bedsheets after x months
3. Packed some of my room

I dunno what else... ):

Arghhhh.. I need more time!!

I haven't blogged in a long, long time. I think I am a great procrastinator! Haha...

I am finally off my nights rotation and doing paediatric ED now. I really like it. Then again, after doing medical nights, everything is so much better. I really like the kids. Except their parents can sometimes be such a pain. Plus we've had winter come early this year, so it's croup, bronchiolitis and asthma galore! I managed to catch the bug myself last week.. sighz.

Anna came to visit.. and it was good fun catching up and bringing here around! Miss her that she's gone!

As far as wedding planning goes, well...I've concluded that Ian's much better at it than I am. He told me yesterday that I have a really short attention span! Haha.. like goldfishy... but I do need to get somethings done....

Okies... bed time for me now.. tata!

So I came back to S'pore on my 7 days off to settle my wedding stuff. (: I like being home. Food's good, no need to work, my mommy and daddy are here. *beams*.. ok.. I can't stand the heat.. but hey, life's not perfect.. I also get to meet up with my friends here, whom I see like once every few years cos I hardly come back!

I used to admire people who could thank God for the smallest things in their lives. By nature, I'm pretty pessimistic. I usually see the negative side of things. (Ian, on the other hand always sees the positive.) But coming back this time, preparing for the wedding... I think I'm learning... always a work in progress...

1. I really dislike my current rotation.. medical nights.. you work for 7 days.. you get a 7 day break.. cool you might think.. but when you work for 11 hours a night. 7 nights straight, in the said hospital I'm at.. you can go bonkers! I always get depressed on night 6...cos it's the... I'm almost there, but not quite there yet night! But I have good company on this rotation! I have learnt how to knit.. I have new Birks to wear to work... and also.. this would probably be the only rotation I am doing this year that would allow be to come back like that for such a stretch... minus annual leave that has been used up for the wedding... for the rest.. AT MOST I would get 4 days.. if I was really lucky. So I am back here, trying to settle my wedding stuff... which is what my mom would call a blessing in disguise.

2. I got really cheap tickets to come back this time on Emirates. I'm an SQ girl.. I like to support my local economy. Plus, I get really air sick. So I'm quite fussy about the airlines I fly. I was about to fly SQ back this time, and was telling Ruth about it. And Ruth was like wait, don't book first. SQ had an offer then for about 900 bucks.. but then she sent me this promo.. Emirates had tickets for $605, but I had to book and pay THAT day.. last day of promo. So I decided, Emirates is pretty good too (which it is, but SQ service still better.. haha).. so I saved $300 bucks. (:

3. When I bought my wedding dress at Brides of Melbourne, they were having a clearance. Ruth thought I missed it, cos the big sale was the weekend before Ian proposed. Haha. But guess what! There was still a sale going on when I went. So I managed to get two dresses. One off the rack and one ordered in. The off the rack one was originally $1400++ but cut down to $100. With dry cleaning and alterations, it will now cost me $350! The other dress, I got at full price for almost $1500.. I went on the day I flew back to S'pore to take a picture of i.. it's now almost $2000.. price went up... I also got my evening gown here for half-price.. cos recession.. it's a one-only piece.. that I went into this little shop.. owned by the designer herself.. cos I saw this purple.. lilac thing actually poking out from the rack outside.. this was after going to another shop and almost buying something else...thank goodness mom was with me and she persuaded me to look around... so I got this really really nice dress.. not telling what it looks like.. just that it is hand-beaded... that fit me almost perfectly.. ok.. I am too short... that's a given... ahh... it's even better than tailoring it!
I

I also have been blessed with my parents and friends who've helped me so much since.. ok.. minus the engagement party sabo!!! But yeah...

Okies.. I might climb back into bed...

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.~Ps 100:4

I sometimes divide my life into the before and after. Before was the time I spent in S'pore.. after is the time since I've been in Melbourne. I think there are lots of similarities between the two.. I'm still Ivy... I still like to sleep a lot...

Difference range from my relationship with God, my understanding of the Word of God and His ways.. my ministry in church... my independence... hey.. now I can cook and do my own laundry and all... no Mommy and Daddy around.. which is quite sad at times.. no Bukit Panjang Plaza that I can walk to and buy my curry puffs... I have a car here... but really, I seldom look back and compare.

Till Now!!!

I am going to say it... I miss singing... ):

I miss my choir days... I miss my singing lessons.. I miss sectionals on Monday afternoons.. combined prac on Monday evenings till we got chased out of the LT... and dinner after... I miss sectionals on Wednesday afternoons...and the time when I was in SYC.. prac on Wednesday nights... additional sectionals on Thursday during competition periods... singing lessons on Friday afternoons.. church choir prac on Friday nights... school choir prac on Saturday mornings.. and the choreo sessions in the afternoon... SYC in the afternoon dragging on to the evening... church choir on Sunday morning.... I miss singing in the small groups.. I miss performing... I miss the RJ alumni choir that I only got to sing with ONCE.... I miss preparing for performances.. I even miss the four hours straight choir prac!!!! I even miss memorizing songs in a zillion different languages.. like my grade 8 piece that had 5 verses.. in German!!

Yes yes... I know I still sing in church and all here... but it's not the same... I still sing my best each time as my worship and offering to God.. but yet.. there's this big part of me that misses doing it at a higher level.. working at the art.. perfecting it... I miss the concerts and the musicals we used to do... the cheesy costumes we used to wear....

I was even thinking today of getting a singing teaching so I could finish off my diploma... since I prob can afford to pay for my own singing lessons now.... but of course.. time is another issue...

I guess I'll have to satisfy myself singing in the car.. when no one's there with me.. but someday.. hopefully someday...

Oh I'd love to climb a mountain
And to reach the highest peak
But it doesn't thrill me half as much
As dancing cheek to cheek

Oh I'd love go out fishing
In a river or a creek
But it doesn't thrill me half as much
As dancing cheek to cheek

Two months down the road.. and I am still addicted to the songs.. the books.. the youtube clips... and you know what?? I would watch it again! And I would kill to watch the original Broadway cast with Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, Joel Grey, etc... ARGHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Deuteronomy 24:14-22

14 Do not take advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns. 15 Pay him his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may cry to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.

16 Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.

17 Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. 18 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this.

19 When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. 21 When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. 22 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.

I love the Daily Bread devotional for today. I just read it and I felt that I just had to share something about it.

It suddenly became so clear to me that God allowed the Israelites to live in bondage as slaves in Egypt so that they could understand the hardships of being a slave, and thus show justice and mercy to those who worked for them. It is easy to be nice to those who are of a higher or are at the same level as you are, but more often than not, those we mistreat are those who are below us. Yet, it is to these ones God calls us to show extra grace and mercy too. It is the idea of forgiveness, the idea of unconditional love, the idea of redemption. This was shown in the year of the Jubilee where slaves were to be set free. This was later shown in the perfect and everlasting form of the Jubilee.. in Christ Jesus who set us all, who were once slaves, free.

It is easy to sympathize with those less fortunate than us. We see pictures, we hear stories.. but I guess the greatest impression upon our hearts is made when we too have been in similar situations.

Sometimes we may feel maligned.. sometimes we may feel that injustice has been dealt to us. But God allows these to happen.. so that we may show justice to those we encounter as well.

I am sitting in my wardrobe trying to re-arrange things again as I write this. I can't imagine how I have accumulated so much stuff. Honestly, by nature, I am not a messy person.. it's just.. I love shopping... I have absolutely no control in the shopping centre... until I met Ian who goes.. no Ivy, you don't look THAT good in that.. or.. no Ivy.. you already have like so many other blouses that are similar to that... but I love wearing new clothes.. aizzz... so now I have promised myself that till I move, I am not buying anymore clothes.. cos.. the wardrobe is on the verge of vomiting! I also told Ian I need like a few months notice before I move.. cos it will probably take a trailer to move my stuff... and a lot more for me to be able to pack everything in!

Ok... I think this is all part of my OCD....

Well.. so as most of you already know, as this post is eons late, Ian proposed on the 30th of Jan. (:

We started a blog to keep everyone updated. So please have a look at http://m0rethanasong.livejournal.com for updates. I promise that I, the great procrastinator, will update with details of the proposal soon.

So currently the plans are as such:
19th Sept- Dinner + Ceremony in Kuching
21st Sept- Dinner in S'pore
26th Sept- Ceremony + Reception in Melbourne..

Yes it sounds insane, I know. But it was the only way to keep everyone happy. But hey, it makes it more exciting. We've booked all our venues at this stage already.

So yup... I need to go for a run... cos I have been bribed! Hahahahaha....

So I'm back from Kuching... with sore knees from climbing too many stairs.. fine.. I know I am unfit! We visited the Sarawak Cultural Village on the last day. This place exhibits the indigenous way of living in Sarawak.. i.e... long houses.. So I had to climb up and down these really thin ladders cut from tree trunks up and down the houses. It was sooo tiring. And scary.

This is for Jasmine.. the fish spa.. you can see the pictures on my dad's blog.. (:
http://ivyidaong4.blogspot.com/2009/01/sparring-with-fish-qian-hu-took-ivy-and.html

It was an extremely ticklish experience.. and I am already extremely ticklish.. but I think it works.. just have to go back a few times.

So now it's 4 days to Chinese New Year! I'm so excited. I haven't been back for this in 5 years. I don't really know what I am excited about. But I reckon it's just being home. (:

Okies... I think I need a bath.. the humidity is making me sticky..

I think the longer I've been away from Singapore, the more I understand the lyrics of the song that Kit Chan sang for National Day quite a few years back. This is truly home. (Ok, I admit that not having to work is making part of the deal sweeter.)

Was in KL for 4 days.. and it was really good.. especially cos the M'sian ringgit is weaker than the Australian dollar, hence making shopping and eating really good. We went for a fantastic Japanese buffet that had EVERYTHING you could think of that was Japanese. Ok, minus the Wagyu beef. But still.. the food was sooooo good. So we ate like crazy.. I shopped like crazy.. had to leave stuff behind in KL because we found out we could only carry 30kg between us to S'pore and we left Melbourne with 50kg.. but hey.. somehow we succeeded..

So I've been back home for 3 days.. going to Kuching for 4 days tomorrow for the first time in my life.. but before that I'm going to the fish farm for the foot spa where the fishies nibble at your dead skin.. my dad says the poor fish sure die one...

Okies.. back to nua-ing since Ian is out.. hiak hiak hiak...

I think I may have found someone who can replace my love for Julie Andrews. Don't get me wrong.. I totally love Julie Andrews.. especially in Mary Poppins and Sound of Music.. I've listened to almost all her songs.. and they are all fantabulous.

I just have a new discovery! And a fabulous new singer.. her name's Idina Menzel.. she played Elphaba in the original Broadway production of Wicked.. and I've been listening to the CD ever since I saw the show.. and watching all the clips on Youtube.. I even found the WHOLE broadway musical uploaded.. (: Ian is threatening to chuck my CD out.. cos when it is playing in the car, I don't talk to him at all.. I can now sing along to the entire CD.. but you must remember.. I am the girl who watched Sound of Music 30 times one December holiday when I finally managed to watch the whole show. (I used to fall asleep halfway when I was younger.).. I love Idina as Elphaba.. I have concluded she's the best one so far.. I love her voice and the way she portrays the character.




I sooooo love Wicked. I think it's the best musical I have seen thus far.. it totally replaced Beauty and the Beast as my favourite musical!

I feel like I'm defying gravity!

I believe that as we grow older, time passes faster. I still remember how long I felt a day was when I was in primary school, sitting in my white uniform, that never remained white for the whole day, feeling sticky and icky and hoping that it would rain in the evening so that we wouldn't have to attend flag-lowering ceremony.. I also found out later I went to a school that sang their school song.. in Mandarin no less.. every day!!! Other schools didn't.. we even had a school pledge.. in Mandarin again.. that we recited every week... and you wonder what happened to my Chinese.. haha...

Secondary school went by relatively fast.. JC went by in a flash.. uni went by really really quick.. considering that I did a 5 year course.. and this year.. well, it felt like it barely started.. and now it's over! Soon I'll be DONE with internship and be fully registered! Yay.. ok.. I don't know whether that's fully yay.. now I'm trying to change one of my rotations for next year!

Okies.. Christmas.. I loveee Christmas.. I love Christmas food.. Christmas carols.. pressies.. and of course the reason why we celebrate Christmas.. because Love came down at Christmas time. (: I started singing carols really early to Ian... who has attempted to stuff my mouth numerous times.. then he brought me to watch Wicked.. and now I can't stop singing carols and Wicked songs.. haha...

What did I do for Christmas...

Went to church in the morning... was a really interesting service... Anto really put in a lot of effort.. I liked the decorations heaps.. did our Christmas dance.. that many people said was simple.. but nice.. which was cool... then we had light refreshments then went to Nandos for lunch.. actually.. we were meant to go for a picnic by ourselves.. but I decided to be sociable.. so now I still have a hulk of turkey in the fridge.. went home after luncg and konked.. then we went out for dinner.. to this restaurant by the river in Richmond.. where there was NO ONE else.. I was suggesting to Ian we should have just taken the whole platter of prawns to our table and eaten them all... but as we were leaving some other people came.. so it might have been a good thing.. dinner was not bad.. but not fantastic.. there was this HUGE grilled salmon.. (: then we went to Docklands and found the Southern Star running.. so we went on a ferris wheel ride.. and uber costly one too. it was pretty.. but hard to take photos against the glass lah... I do so like pretty lights... then we walked around... looked at the numerous Christmas trees.. and went home to have an early night.. cos we had to be up early the next day! Hahaha

Woke up at 6am to go SHOPPING on Boxing Day.. Ian commented in the car that we don't even wake up that early to go to church... by the time we arrived at Chadstone.. it was PACKED! and the stores weren't even opened.. we actually watched the grills go up at Myer.. headed for the household section cos Ruth had told me earlier about these uber cheap crockery.. so we bought like 100 plus bucks worth of plates and casserole dishes... then walked around.. but the crowds were terrible! So after 4.5 hours.. Ian decided it was enough.. and we went home and crashed again... dinner with everyone else at Imperial Kingdom as our care group event... haha... then we went to Brighton to watch the sunset.. Chaddy again to pick up stuff I forgot.. and I got Mommy's Christmas pressie...

So that was my Christmas this year.. and I am currently about to declare bankruptcy!

Anyways...

Thank you Jesus for what you've done for me
I can't imagine life without You
Happy Birthday
For You are the reason we live

As little children we would dream of Christmas morn
And all the gifts and toys
We knew we'd find
But we never realized a baby born one blessed night
Gave us the greatest gift of our lives

2 more hours and it's back home to my nice, warm.. ok fine.. it might smell a bit too.. bed...

I hate working nights.. it totally turns your life upside down.. cos when everyone's at home sleeping you're at work.. when everyone's up and about.. your body is shutting down and all you can do is to go home and crash.. I was thinking about it yesterday that I possibly could drag myself up and about to do some stuff.. but then decided that I would not be able to take it.. my registrar was saying how she slept only 3 hours in the day.. I was thinking in my head that if it were me.. I would be dead on the floor right now..

Tonight a nurse called me to see if I could prescribe something for a patient who was wide awake at 2 am.. I was thinking in my head.. sure! I'll take his bed.. he can have my job...

As you can see.. medical internship is really bringing out the cynical.. pessimistic side of me.. ARGHHHH!!!!!!! I'm soooo glad it's almost ending... not that I think work is going to get any easier.. but at least I get a 3 week break and I'm going home to shop and eat!!! YAY!!! I'm also going to Kuching for the first time in my life.. but that's another story..

So yeah well.. 12 more working days till the end of internship.. I hope I survive... I just wish a lot of things.. like time could go faster.. the job could be made better by people actually handing over things to you.. people could be more understanding that there's only one you covering at least 120 patients overnight.. all of whom you do not know anything about... oh.. and also that you can only be in one place at one time and usually only do one task at a time.. for example.. I cannot answer my pager while I am trying to cannulate a patient or put an IDC in...

On another note.. there was one day when I actually forgot to pray.. or rather have my normal chat with God for almost the entire day.. and when I remembered.. my day felt strangely weird.. a day without God.. now that is a feeling I do not want to have...

So every month, Ian tries to give me something... last month it was roses and chocolate that is still sitting in its box on my table. This month, he kept telling me it was a surprise. I kept insisting I was getting my dog.. haha... even though I so know I wasn't getting Bruce.

Anyways.. I got to watch Wicked!! After saying for the longest time that I wanted to watch it and after hearing for the longest time how good it is.. my verdict.. It's fantastic! It's one of the newer school musicals, not so much Andrew Lloyd Webber style... but it was really really good.. (I would watch it again if I didn't want to watch Billy Elliot)...

So Thank You Dear... it was a very very nice surprise.. and the green woman has a fantastic voice!

I have taken to listening to 89.9 Lite FM while driving back home from work. I reckon it keeps you more alive than listening to CDs. I actually enjoy listening to sermons.. and more recently Christmas carols. When you listen to CDs, after a while, you find that you can sing the CD front to back.. then you have to change it.. with the radio, it's always new. (:

Anyways, they've got this program that I listen to when I finish at 10pm called Focus on the Family. Yes, I know, the name is very auntie.

But they brought up something really interesting the other day..

There is a difference between chasing perfection and pursuing excellence.

And it's all about an attitude. It's about our reactions and our perceptions. God called us to be excellent, He didn't call us to be perfect. My mom used to tell me when I was still studying.. Only God can be perfect (because I am a massively guilty perfectionist.. and still am.. I used to tear up my essays if I cancelled out stuff in the first few lines and start again.) In being excellent, we see the value of excellence and see the model that God sets before us. When failures come our way, we don't see it as defeat, but rather stepping stones to do better the next time. Very simple principles that we already know, but packaged so nicely.

4 nights down.. ALMOST and 3 more to go.. I survived the half way mark!!

3 more nights and I get 7 glorious days off.. plus there's Chaddy sale next week!! Yipee!!

Working a cover shift really makes you see the best and the worst in people.. I think the sad thing about doctors nowadays and the system is that it's like every one working for themselves.. to cover their own bottom.. no one will do extra.. and when you can cut corners.. or ignore a task as the next person will just have to pick it up and do it when you don't.. you just do it..

I'm really quite tired... but at least I found out.. if you plan things well.. you can actually sleep at night! For like an hour or two.. but as they say in Hokkien.. mai hiam lah.. can sleep good enough already...

Time to go try clear my boards before I handover and then it's back home to my warm comfy bed.. which is prob quite stinky now as well cos I just dry clean myself in the morning before climbing in... (:

Coming back to work after 7 days off, which included a trip back to S'pore is surreal. I'm doing the night shift as well! Sitting here at 2 in the morning eating leftover porridge from lunch and blogging. It's just weird. I was writing up drug charts earlier and going.. oh gee.. I can't remember the doses anymore! And you wonder why I can't remember anything from med school. Slightly under 6 hours to go.. then it's handover and home to my warm, comfy bed.

I stayed up really late last night in attempt to reverse my sleep cycle.. so I watched Grey's Anatomy.. a lot of it.. that show never ceases to amaze me on how unrealistic that show is.. hello.. the head of neurosurgery lurks around the ED... in fact.. ALL the surgeons lurk around the ED.. where ARE the ED physicians? And the residents.. wow.. if that would be my life next year.. that would be fabulous.. but I think I'm still stuck doing the lowly paperwork.

I really enjoyed my trip back home.. minus the fact that my parents were both sick. It's nice to be back in S'pore. Shopping.. food... more food.. sleeping in my own room back home.. listening to the traffic.. being amazed at how Ian's 81 year old grandma can walk around all of Suntec and even jaywalk across a 6 lane road.. Happy Birthday again Daddy! 8 more weeks and I'll be back again..

Okies.. 5 hours and 45 minutes to go..