Random thought of the day

So I'm doing a neonatal Intensive Care term at the moment, which means most babies I meet are very sick/on the verge of dying.

Today one of them didn't make it. Newborn, a few hours of age. It was a sudden turnover of events as he was perceived to be "normal" up till birth. Homebirth. Enough said.

Today I'm one step closer to being a real doctor. One who has the privilege of seeing life and death, and hearing every story in between. Everyday at work I see fuzzy lines dividing happiness and tragedy, heaven and hell. And I can't help but wonder... How much pain can a person endure? Is it God's will to test our survival limit? Does karma really exist?

A day in the life of a medical student

I gotta say that i have tremendous respect to all the food bloggers out there who are so consistent and regular, despite having - i'm sure- so many other things in life. I'm just a student, and already i always feel like there is never enough time for anything.
For instance, let's roll back to last Friday and see what i was up to.

7am - wake up, eat breakfast and pack lunch
7.30am - leaving for hospital
8.30am - 10.30am - ward rounds
10.30am-1.30pm - in ED seeing patients + cannulation, blood tests
1.30pm -4pm - wound healing and ulcers tutorial
4pm-6.20pm - back to hospital ED for more patients +more cannulations
6.20pm - finally heading for home.
7pm - had lunch -cum-dinner.

well, i wasnt on call - so technically it was not even a hard-core day.

Nevertheless, I did manage to eat some good food at New Shanghai restaurant, Chatswood. Heard about it for ages.The pan-fried pork bun is to die for!!!! i loved them to bits. Deep fried tofu with salted egg yolk was quite nice, a little too oily for my liking. Shanghai stir fried noodles = 6/10 as im not a big fan of big fat udon-like noodles. I like my thin wonton mee:D Couldn't take photos cz i didnt bring my camera - was in class the whole day before that.
Man i need a car. then i can just dump everything inside my car and never forget anything :D But then again I never seem to have enough spare cash, considering how much i spend on my stomach :(

Talk about money, I'm stressing a little bit now cz my bff's wedding is coming --> gotta fly back to vietnam for 4 days, which will cost me ~$1100. +wanna get her something from Tiffany's as a wedding gift --> prob cost another $500. + buying a new dress for the wedding --> budget $200. Maybe I should just forget about paying for Hong Kong. Let the parents do the finances.hahahaha.

Think about the starving children they say :)

I heart Melbourne

I need to get this out there to those keen blog followers. I'm a periodic blogger. you won't find something new every other day, but i'll try to make sure when you do, it'll be quite epic. Like today's topic- MELBOURNE the quaint and inviting city!

So i went to Melbourne for a week during my short winter break. Although it isnt some exotic destination far far away, it is definitely a place worth visiting for amazing food and fantastic shopping! i couldn't get enough of the laneways and their enticing brunch cafes.
1. The European cafe

Croque monsieur - thick tasty toast with lovely melted gruyere and ham. perfect with a cup of coffee/chai latte! 8/10

Assorted mushrooms and poached eggs on toast. definitely my favourite!!9/10

2. Brothers Papa Budas
Melbourne's famous seven seeds coffee. uber good!!!! i had a chai latte and boy it was perfect!

3. Movida Aqui - the renowned Spanish tapas. Mind-blowingly good food!!

Anchovy fillets with tomato sorbet on crouton 9/10! very interesting combination of flavours that worked well!

Smoked eel mousse with sorreto and truffles 9/10
I love the eel mousse, although truffle flavour was a bit weak.

Potato bomb filled with chorizo. 8/10

Mushrooms cooked on the plancha, finished with sherry vinegar 9/10

Again, I love all things mushrooms:DQuail charcoal grilled with rhubarb and housemade morcilla 9/10

Andalucian braised rabbit leg in a sweet and sour sauce with almonds and raisins 8/10

Epic paella! the portion was seriously huge. 8/10

4. Big boys 4 brekkie - Mornington Peninsula

It was a friendly, warm local cafe, totally fit the relaxing lifestyle in the area.

Brekkie 2 die 4 - a combination of all things great about breakfast! organic eggs, bacon, mushrooms, spinach, hollandaise, thick sourdough. orgasmic! 9/10

5. Queen Victoria market, Melbourne CBD.

I had lots of snacks here that i was too eager to eat and forgot photos:D the pastry was wonderful indeed. The smell of freshly baked bread kept me alive!
Fromageee!! oh how can i live without you! xoxo
Awesome jam collection. the passionfruit butter was a bomb! simply on toast, best breakfast on the go! 10/10

6. Sensory lab - St Ali's coffee, another renowned coffee venture. i know nothing about coffee, but this was definitely super aromatic. well, smell is half the experience (:
7. Le petit gateau - a must-visit patisserie on Lt Collin st. 10/10

Carrot cake with cheese cake on top. 10/10
Black forest cake. Sour cherry danish. really really good!!! the cakes lived up to their names, all oh-so-petite (:Chai latte - my usual hot favourite!

8.Creperie Le Triskel - arrogantly French, where you can find all things crepe!(:

Ambience = 10/10! It can't get more French than this. There were a huge map of France, several posters of france de tour and other parisian affairs. Plus, you can order in French because the owners are actually French! ( unlike many japanese restaurants that turn out to be run by Chinese/korean!haha)

Crepe in the making. refreshingly good. give pancakes a break already!:D

9. Cookie bar and restaurant - fusion thai food.
Perfect hip crowd for a friday night out! who knows that you can eat good food and enjoy great music at the same time! the heat inside was just purrrfect to combat melbourne's cold cold winter.
Honest presentation. great flavours! 8/10

10. Cumulus Inc

So i rounded up my trip with a hearty classy brunch at the famous Cumulus Inc. The wait was a little too long for breakfast (half an hour) but it was definitely worth it.

The most natural form of honey. it's so good just on its own!

Portugese sardines and tomato on toast. Did I mention sardines as one of my most favourite fish? im lazy to pick out bones, so i'll be happy with anything that can be devoured without having to do more work than chewing:D plus, sardines give me all that calcium without the fat in dairy!!!!!

Turkish baked eggs with goat's curd and middle easter spices. to die for!!!!

Bustling ambience of the open bar, opposite the open kitchen!

Well, as i said, it was gonna be an epic entry. And if i havn't convinced you to visit melbourne asap, that's because i havn't posted the shopping and relaxing hot springs photos!
Oh yes, you heard me. steamy hot hot springs in the cold cold winter. who says heaven aint a place on earth?

Rollercoaster ride

Half way through 2010, I don't even know where to begin recollecting what's happened. This year presented the biggest turning point of my life thus far, one that changed my whole perspective about things, my outlook to the future and somewhat shattered dreams that i am now learning to let go.
I guess there have been more downs than ups, and i've probably never been more stressed out than of late. While most of my friends struggled to ace those exams and keep up with their social life, i was thrown with problems most adults wouldnt even be able to deal with. At times i felt hopelessly lonely and depressed. I was hurled over -again and again- by a giant emotional cyclone that never left me on the ground for more than a day or two. I never had time to recover. Yes it is messy,complicated, twisted and exhausting.
On a brighter note, I've finished phase 1 with flying colours despite all that turmoil.guess I couldnt give up on the one thing that was still going right in my life. I'm loving phase 2 when everything gets so much more clinical. Paediatrics is the highlight and im enjoying every minute of it. i love kids, enough said.

Now, let's talk about food(: i've been dining at some amazing restaurants lately, and am inspired to start a restaurant review food blog, just for you, my friends, who like to stalk my culinary adventures :D

A summary of some awesomeeee meals (most of which i forgot to take photos) at highly recommended restaurants!
1. Aria - Circular Quay

Pan fried barramundi on seafood risotto 9/10

2. Glass brasserie-Hilton hotel

Dessert tasting platter - chocolate fondant, earl grey icecream with pandan mousse, grilled marshmallow dipped in milk chocolate 10/10

3. Mamak - Haymarket

Mee goreng 8/10

Some sweet prata with ice cream? 7/10
I still prefer prata with curry:)

4. Hurricanes - Bondi beach

Salt and pepper squid 7/10

Succulent, juicy ribs. my all-time favourite!! ( combo set + sirloin steak. ultimate meat lover's meal) 9/10

5.Queen Victoria Building high tea

Quality was good overall. Great ambience. Convenient location as well! 8/10

6. Omeros bros -Gold Coast

Calamari with risotto 7/10

Barramundi/John Dory? 7/10

Chocolate biscuit dessert. don't remember how it tasted but was probably good cz i enjoyed dinner there overall.(:

7. Adriano Zumbo -Balmain Winter cake collection

Amazing macarons. my favourite = beetroot and rasberry, blackened vanilla. 10/10

8. Swiss hotel high tea buffet

Large collection of petits fours. Pastries werent too impressive, although the eggplant quiche was great.if you are a sweettooth, you'll be in heaven (: Modern ambience (i prefer something more victorian of course) 7/10

9.Bavarian Bier Cafe -O'Connell St, CBD
Love the grand victorian lookI'm a sucker for choices--> always go for tasting platter:D

Chicken Snitchzel, Crispy pork belly, Bratwurst on mash, german sausages on sauerkraut. 7/10
Snitchzel was a letdown for me. too dry. crispy porb never goes wrong:D 8/10


Fish and chip. didnt try this dish but my friend liked it(:Swiss cheese chicken snitchzel

10. Maya Da Dhaba -Surry Hills. 9/10!
This restaurant has some seriously good indian food. Highly recommended!! and please pardon me for the food description, im not too well-versed in indian cuisine.

Entree platter - lamb tikka masala, curry puffs, some chicken and fish seasoned in indian spices.

My plate with naan and assorted curries [ ok, im a banana who uses curry as a collective term for all indian sauces:D ] Everything was so good except garlic naan. I prefer maya tandoori's.
My favourite dish of the night - which i alr forgot what it was called :(Awesome briyanni and cheesy spinach dip ( paneer something...hehe)

11. Azuma kushiyaki -CBD. 9/10
A little too pricey for the amount of food.

12. Cafe Ish -Surry Hills. 9/10
Loved the signature soft shell crab omelette and wattleseed macaccino, however coffee was inconsistent. Mine was great and my friend's was too bitter :/

13. Bourke Street Bakery
Sausage rolls -9/10
Pies - 8/10. Beef pie was great, chicken pie was a little dry.

14. Sweet Spot patisserie - Randwick. 9/10!
Great collection of cakes, some of which are amazingly good, better than any expensive/famous patisseries in sydney.

15. 1945 - Pyrmont 7/10
I love this little homely indonesian restaurant. great place for family dinners!

Ok that's all for now. I promise better reviews next time.

Ciao! (: