Phileosophie

I love cooking and am always on the lookout for yummy simple recipes. Came across this one tonight and it sounds fabulous! heh VIDEO: How to make Thai sweet Chilli Chicken rissoles

I should update you guys. I received a job offer one week ago. In fact, I received two. One was a two year contract to Tasmania while the other was a one year contract to Perth. I chose the former. It is nice to have work for next year but getting it now has not undone the effects of not having the promise of a job for the past three years. I think it was nasty of the Australian health system, in particular the NSW government for putting us through this, and for leaving it right to the last minute like this and it will take some time for those of us who were affected to recover from the anxiety. Nonetheless, that's the update! I will be moving to Tasmania soon and it should be fun. At least, I hope it will be a good experience. I am rather sad to be leaving my friends in Sydney but we will all be busy at work anyway so I doubt I would have seen much of them even if I had been able to stay here. Really glad that two of my friends from the hospital I have been in all these years wi

Okra Recipe by a friend of mine who is Bengali. 1) Heat olive oil in a pan. 2) Fry chopped onion till translucent. 3) Add chopped okra and potatoes (chopped finely). 4) Season with chilli, salt, pepper, tumeric, cumin. 5) Add water and leave on fire (covered) to allow okra to soften. Dhal 1) Add dhal to boiling water. 2) Add fried onion & garlic (finely chopped). 3) Season with salt and tumeric. 4) Throw in fresh coriander before serving.

Pillau 1) Heat olive oil in a pot. Fry mustard and cumin seeds till aromatic. 2) Fry/mix in raw 'Tilda basmati rice'. Make sure rice doesn't stick to base. 3) Add tumeric powder. 4) Defrost mixed veg (peas, carrots etc) and add to pot. 5) Season with salt and pepper to taste. 6) Add paprika or chicken seasoning and a dash of lemon juice. 7) Add water and salt to taste, allow rice to cook. Curry 1) Heat olive oil in a pot. 2) Add mustard seeds, garlic, diced onion, tofu, ginger paste, tomato paste, chilli powder, sliced mushrooms. 3) Add more oil if needed. 4) Add tomato paste and garlic 5) Add diced baby bell peppers 6) Add coconut cream and water 7) Season with half teaspoon sugar

What do you do when you feel like you've been wronged? When the people who have wronged you are the government? When there is probably nothing you would ever be able to do to exact your revenge? I suppose you let it go. As unfair as it is. You let it go. I suppose we have done a lot of this to God, and He's let it go. So I suppose we should just pass on the favor.

God, you've got to come through for me. You know there's no one else. The people who care do not have big enough dreams, do not see what I see. I'm getting suffocated from all sides, and cut off financially. Everyone considers their hands to be clean Lord, but you know, it's because no one cared to do anything that there are people on the streets. I am not on the streets, but you know that you're the only one now who can come through for me. So come through. For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

It is over.

I get these moments when I feel too melancholic. I know I should be comfortable with who I am but often times who I am, feels empty. It is not that I have nothing in my life - with friends, medicine, television and all my travels I think life has been pretty full on for me. But there is something lifeless, almost sparkless about so many of my days. Perhaps it is what life tends to be like for most of us but I keep feeling like there is something wrong with me. I don't understand why I can't have more of a spring in my step, why I can't be more bubbly in social situations. I wish I were different - I wish I were more naturally a people person but I have never been such and perhaps I may never be. I need to know that it's okay to be me. I need to know that people aren't just telling me that because that's what you tell people. I need to know that I am not as much of a loser as I often feel. I don't even know why I feel this way about myself. I don't know w

Cancelling on dinner 30 mins before a scheduled event is just bad form. It's okay if you were uncertain from the start (and conveyed this to your host) but no matter how informal an event, cancelling the day of or worse yet 30 minutes before is just really poor form.

Old school christian music. My friend Paul got a place at W Hospital today. I'm really happy for him.. it's been a trying period and every position that your friends can get for internship is a blessing. I don't know how I am feeling any more but I'm trying not to think so much about the situation. I've always prayed that God will alter my reality according to His best plans. I know that I will not necessarily have the wisdom to choose that path myself. But today I wondered if not getting a job might end up being part of that plan and it's scary. It's scary being pushed into the unknown even though I know that He is there and that He will guide my path. Please keep me in prayer.

In these moments sometimes my faith wavers, and I doubt that my plans will coincide with His plans. I pray for the heart the live the life I have been given, and for the vision to see what He sees. I think that my faith is being tested, and I wonder when it will end. I ask for hope, and happiness and peace. And then I remember that the best thing I can do, and the only thing that I should do, is to be thankful. for everything He has already given me, and for all that I know He will. So I will praise him. And I will thank him, because even as He is faithful, I will be faithful too. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Psalm 107:1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians 3:15-17 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to whch indeed

Jeremiah 29:11 New International Version (©1984) For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Lord, help me to live like there is a future.

Nice song by Arden Cho. Feeling a little melancholic today. Gradball's happenin tomorrow evening and I'm looking forward to it. These days I'm trying to savor every moment. It's bitter sweet, getting to know your friends better but knowing at the back of your mind that this is all soon to end. People part ways all the time, and many years later I know that it will be okay. That I would have moved on, and at some point, would have found new friends. But even as I remember the times in Singapore, I know I will look back to Sydney, and remember these times and these people.

Some don't make it easy for you, and there are phases when other matters become more pressing but ultimately people matter. Making things a little better for other people matters. Loving matters. Being loved matters. People really matter.

So it's been a remarkably good year, given the circumstances. I've been able to coast through the year unscathed by exams and the lack of a job. However, as we get closer and closer to the end as I know it, closer to unemployment and the prospect of actually leaving the only place I've considered home, I am beginning to oscillate between this 'faith' position that I have been in, and being in denial. I don't want to talk about the internship crisis. I listen politely when others talk about it and I do not get riled up with anger because at this point it is so much easier to pretend that the situation does not bother me, does not involve me. That everything is as it always has been. Did I ever think I would be in this position? No. I never once thought that as a doctor I would be without a job. That security was part of the reason I left economics and finance to join the medical ranks (of course there were so many other reasons as well). What I need now Lord, i

Taken from Idioglossia 2005 - a med magazine from UNSW.   Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities. Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year. On the second day, the knee was better, and then on the third day it disappeared.  The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed. The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993. Discharge status: Alive, but without my permission. Healthy-appearing decrepit 69-year old male, mentally alert but forgetful. The patient refused autopsy. The patient has no previous history of suicides. Patient has left white blood cells at another hospital. Patient's medical history has been remarkably insignificant with only a 40-pound weight gain in the last three days. Patient had waffles for breakfast and anorexia for lunch. Between you and me, we ought to be able to get this lady pregnant. She is numb from her toes down. While in ER, she was exami

8AM felt too early an hour to be up today so I slept in and took the day off from my PRINT term. My intern told me yesterday to enjoy the last few days pre-working life so I'm taking her advice on that. Last night was pretty fun. Bev, Mikie and I went for dinner at a Thai place after our hospital session and we stayed there till 9. I like how we're finally getting to spend more time together as a hospital group and I do wish we did this earlier on in the year but I guess we were always so busy with exams, or at least with the guilt of exams. I've had some pretty good times recently. About a weekend or two ago I headed out to Port Stevens with a group of meddies. We rented out a lovely big house with a deck for barbequeing and two massive tv screens which the boys set up for Halo games. We also went sand dunning and kayaking, which was the best part of the trip. I love being outdoors, with the right people. If I were being honest I'd say that I've never really fe

Just one of those days when I ask God why I have to go through life feeling like an outsider. When will I belong somewhere?

Original Post: How does God see me? -- Christian Blogs | Everyday Christian By Monique Davis | Posted 7:38 am on August 05, 2009 I had an amazing weekend recently and received some really good revelations about my walk with God. During the week, I usually attend a small group meeting. The meeting is made up of mostly 20-something and 30-something military wives. A few weeks ago, I was feeling particularly down about the fallout from my decision to live with my boyfriend and the subsequent decision to move out. I was feeling depressed, disobedient and upset with myself for disappointing God, my family and my own standards. While I was tearfully sharing my thoughts about the situation to the group, one of my group members reminded me that “you have to see yourself the way we see you . . . and the way God sees you.” It made me think, “How does God see me?” We all will have times in our lives when we get discouraged, depressed and upset with ourselves. We will f

There are many plans in a man's heart but the LORD's counsel will stand. Prov 19:21

Heard this on Spotify today. Really love the lyrics. This is Chris talking about the song. I wil

  I came across this nice little poem tonight. I wish I had the background image in a better resolution but I guess this is better than nothing. Anyway, I had my final medical interview today and it was quite enjoyable. Nice way to end my medical school career. These days I just read at night and prep for US boards during the day. Currently on a book called Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge.

This is a great short film by some young American film makers. They're called the Jubilee Project and they make films for good causes. Watch the film, and if you can do support them by sharing the films or donating to their projects! It's going to a good cause.

Two days to the first paper - yay? Nine days to it all being Over. Better days ahead.

I found out last night that Laduree opened its first outlet in Sydney two or three days ago. It is news that I am greeting with mixed feelings - on the one hand I am excited to have it here because it was a feature of my time in New York (where it was also fairly new) but on the other I feel like my experience and memories of New York have been violated a bit. I know it is irrational but Laduree was a part of my New York experience and there are some things, like Laduree, and the Met and Central Park, that I just want to keep sacred to that place you know? Or some other far away place, like Paris. Also, Laduree opened its outlet at a Westfield shopping center in the City which is a bit pedestrian. It doesn't have its own shop front - just a pop up stall for now and it makes me sad to think of Laduree as pedestrian. Mm.. there are some things in life that are wonderful and perfect because they are rare. I sure hope Laduree doesn't become all commercialised and 'commonplace

This is a great song and I think it addresses a common flaw in many churches today. Mark Hall, a youth pastor and author of If We Are The Body , made this comment about the song. "I wrote it for my youth group while pastoring in Alabama while trying to talk to them about James 2. Little did I know then that I was writing that song for every youth group I've had since. It addresses a problem I've seen in churches all over, that churches are a lot like a circle. Circles are great if you're inside the circle, but most people find themselves outside that circle for whatever reason. There's not a sign on the door, and no one's really saying it to you, but you get the feeling that they've got everybody they need. You're welcome to come, but you're not really ever going to be part of the circle, and that's certainly not what the Bible teaches." It's crowded in a worship today As she slips in trying to fade into the faces

Today's service was not that great from a TV point of view... I have mixed feelings about being in situations like these. On the one hand, I know that if the task before me is tough and if I am not performing up to expectations then the learning curve must be steep and it's always great to have room to improve. On the other hand, feeling like you're letting the team down or being the weak link is never nice so I'm quite thankful to be operating in an environment that is as supportive as this one is. Today was the last time I am directing till the end of my exams (October). After that I will have more time to look into TV matters and try improve in my stylistic and technical issues. Today just didn't feel right. At one point Tommy (the producer) reminded us to be nice when speaking with the cameras. I think my frustration was probably showing but the camera ops and I have a good working relationship (I hope!) and I always speak with them between services so they know

Reblogged via Presence filled Life , originally from Letters and Notes .

What has been will be again,      what has been done will be done again;     there is nothing new under the sun.                                            Ecclesiastes 1:9 Some people do not believe in the existence a Creator because to believe that would be to accept the existence of a supernatural which our minds cannot comprehend. And yet, when we look at science, we see inventors looking time and time again to our natural surroundings for instructions and ideas on how to build more efficient machines and robots. Our intelligence tells us that the best designs are already out there in nature. It is ironic that we deny the existence of a Creator because we are too proud to admit that there may be supernatural forces out there which we have not yet discovered and do not fully understand. And yet we are ready to admit that our most intelligent human minds are not able to truly create something new and must look out to things that have happened, in an atheist'

Lord, help me to be humble.

"There is nothing in life that cannot be faced with his grace so freely available. As I continue to trust him, his grace comes to me as waves of the sea... the magnitude of the problem never exceeding his grace and power." My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9

I had the best time at hospital today. I am currently on the penultimate week before med sch finals, which means we're given a free reign to do what it takes to ace the exams. I've been heading in to the hospital to see patients with my good friend Candice and today we came across a young man with the most vivid skin lesions all over his right and left shins. It was like nothing I'd seen before - I don't get to see many skin lesions because I spend much more time with inpatients than at the outpatient clinics and skin lesions do not generally interest me. But as it turns out there was a back story to this man who also had bowel symptoms and the team is working on the possibility that he has IBD and the skin lesions (which presented many years before the bowel symptoms) are pyoderma gangrenosum, which again, I've read about but I've never actually seen! It's a bit like Rheumatoid Arthritis - as a more junior medical student you'd focus on trying to unders

Today's post comes again from 'The Doctor's Life Support 2' which I encourage you to pick up for yourself. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing and wrapped a towel round his waist... and began to wash his disciples' feet...' John 13: 3-5 After qualifying as a surgeon, my doctor wife and I set up a small medical clinic in a tribal area. Often tribals would come to me, put their foot up on a chair and say, 'Dress it.' After I had dressed their wound they would toss me a rupee coin and then leave. For some reason this would leave me feeling quite humiliated. How did Jesus wash the disciples' feet without feeling humiliated? As medical professionals we find it difficult to serve in ways that are humbling. How can we learn to 'wash feet', that is 'serve' without feeling hurt, but instead serve

This guy has a great testimony and I enjoyed listening to it so here it is! The first video is from August 2012 after a period known as 'Linsanity'. For those who don't know, Jeremy Lin burst into the public consciousness following a remarkable 7 streak win during the NBA regular season. New York City went wild - I wasn't even a sports fan when it happened but I was in New York and you couldn't be in New York and not be a part of it all.  The last two videos are from the 'pre-Linsanity' period.. I think it was some time in 2011 after he received his first NBA contract from the Golden State Warriers. They are fairly similar.. the post-Linsanity testimony includes a summary of the first and focusses more on what happened during and after his break out game. Happy watching. Jeremy Lin's Testimony (Post-Linsanity) Romans 8:28  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his pur

I got to the last page of Talley & O'Connor today. It is a textbook on clinical examination that I think every medical student would have used in the course of their medical education. It was kinda exciting to get there and find this quote printed on the last, blank page. Coz at this point, it's true! No more 2nd year, wondering when it would be over, or 4th year, being so over it and wanting to do something practical for once. I'm finally at the end, and I know it's not going to be all rosy as a doctor (and I may even wish I were back in med school) but it's great finally moving on! Plus, I've neer wished I was back in high school so I doubt I will actually miss med school.

My favourite song when I was a kid.

I read this post by Phillip Chan and I think I just might try it. I've been living on caffeine for the past 6.5 years of pre-med & medical school, opting for an extra cup when perhaps what I needed was an extra hour of sleep. It culminated over the weekend when I started wondering if I should prepare for fatal arrhythmias given the four cups of coffee I am drinking every Sunday. So I'm going to try and give up coffee for a week and we will see how that goes. I'm already taking a break from Facebook - might as well throw coffee into the ring too.

Of the many patients I have met in the lead up to my exams, two recent ones stand out to me. Both were fairly young men (relative to the usual patient population in Australia) in their late 50s and 60s who had been struck by incurable diseases. The first had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis a few years prior and the other had fairly well controlled Parkinson Disease. In both cases the men told me about their disease, both speaking about how "it's going to get worse isn't it doc?" The first was bitter, the second, more accepting, but in both cases I wanted to bring comfort. I wanted to tell them it would be okay but I couldn't. I wanted to offer empathy, wanted to say that I understood because I'd been there too, but I couldn't. All I could really say was that I was sorry and that I hoped their hospital stay went well. In Australia we do not speak with patients about faith unless the patient initiates such topics but even at a non-religious level, eve

So true and so funny!

1:51 on a Sunday morning and New York City is still going!

Dr. Charlie Teo is superstar among doctors. Some people hate him (I think largely because of Australia's tall poppy syndrome) but lots of others, especially the younger ones think he's great. I've only had one tutorial with him and he's so unorthodoxed, even in his mannerisms (he swears and hates on some people in front of students). But ultimately you feel like you can trust him because he doesn't try to hide behind niceties and he doesn't seem to care about politics, or whether you like him or not. He's good at what he does, he knows it, and he isn't afraid to put it out there, even if people are going to try to knock him down. I wonder why he came back to Australia.

I've decided to post my nightmares here for posterity because in retrospect, they are so ridiculous they're kinda funny. So I have recurring nightmares about batman. I dislike that series, but I usually watch it anyway. I think it's too dark. Too violent. Too pessimistic as a whole, even if the good guy ends up winning. One of my batman-related nightmares involves me running from Santubong Beach in Sarawak to church in Kuching City. When I get to church I run to the kids room but the Penguin (one of Batman's nemeses) finds me. Another ending sees me hiding under a table at a tea party, but the Joker lifts the table cloth. In another dream I am walking downstairs from my house and I notice a little capsule (kinda like the one Superman came to Earth in) and I look in and see this old little person sitting inside. The capsule is black and doesn't move. I see a button on the wall and switch it on and that batman signal thing? It gets projected into the sky. I look out

I promise you I'm not planning to run only once a month but as you can see from my record on the right (which I keep to remind myself to run), this half of the year has been shocking. Aside from those runs I do no exercise at all, unless you count walking 500m from my car to the clinical school every other day. It's simply appalling. And I'm unbelievably hungry all the time too. I would like to think it is because of my cooking but if I say so my family might make me prove it when I see them next, which would be embarassing if I haven't actually improved. Today I put on my SKINS for the first time in August and noticed to my horror, the undeniable, not-even-hiding-it muffin top which I could have sworn wasn't there last month. I've stopped being in denial about this but yes, I think I am getting fat. :( Now it's one thing to become all anorexic about it, and trust me I love food way too much to go that way, but it's another to just not put in effort

Make It Home by Alex Wong and Rachel Platten This song describes a different side to New York than the one I normally think of. It's the side I try not to dwell on too much coz it's a frightening thought - being in a city like New York where it often feels like it's sink or swim. I deal with New York by ignoring the 'sinking' side and concentrating on just swimming.. but the song is accurate in its depiction of the city. It reminds me of Cafe Vivaldi.. a little singer-songwriter bar somewhere near Wall Street where you enter for free entertainment and a coupla apple ciders. Make It Home (Inspired by an accidental Christmas in New York one year) The lady at the gate said the flights are grounded Over sniffling kids and their parents' shouting I can hear them through the phone at the dinner table Sorry honey gotta go all your cousins are waiting Everybody said, "relax, it's just your first year" Why is California so far from here? O

I felt like procrastinating today so after eating a ridiculous amount of junk food I took out my iPad and watched Cornerstone (Hillsong's most recent album). I thought that familiarising myself with the songs, the rhythm, the instrumentation might be helpful when I next get to direct a service. Last weekend Rich told me that I had to be a story teller and that I had to go with the music or I suppose 'feel' it to make appropriate transitions. Not the easiest for someone who isn't the most artistic or emotional so I decided to try digest the songs a little and see if the DVD director had a particular formula. One hour in, I still can't find anything. I tried counting 1.2.3.4. to see if it would align with the transitions but it didn't. I tried listening for the end of sentences or stanzas/verses but it didn't match up either. It almost seemed like the transitions were happening some time before or some time after what I would have considered to be the 'cut

Today I came across an advertisement for a new hospital in Singapore. Before I left in 2005 I told a friend that I would move back if I got to live at Tanglin and work at Gleneagles, a hospital in the area. I'm pretty sure that as sweet as Gleneagles is, it is nothing compared to the new Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital. I was actually kinda surprised to see the pictures - it's incredibly opulant for a hospital.. and as the weblog says, looks more like a hotel than anything else. I've taken the liberty to steal pictures from the advert and post them up here as a collage but please consider this a teaser and head over to kennysia.com for more information. (PS. Who in their right mind pays $12,888 for a night at hospital?!) Pictures stolen from KENNYSIA.COM

I JUST DIRECTED A HILLSONG SERVICE (TWO!!!). I am going to SHOUT this from the roof tops because while the first service was kinda rough, it HAPPENED , and certain people had to have enough FAITH in me to make that happen, and I was not EXPECTING it when I forced myself out of bed this morning. But it happened! And I'm going to get better... So GRATEFUL . (Did tha

Sometimes I just get really really really really bored. And the stuff you see here.. and really a lot of what I end up doing in these weeks (in the case of med finals, months) leading up to major exams is just the airheaded blubber that my life devolves into during a lockdown.

"If he were black, he'd be just another good guy." Isaiah Thomas. The themes of black and white are recurring and the honesty and extremes to which these athletes push their bodies are compelling. However for me the most poignant moment was at the end of Magic Johnson's career when we get to see how it impacted his relationship with Larry Bird. I never understood the hype surrounding these players. You hear heaps about them, but they don't play anymore and I rarely watch archived games. But the understanding the two men arrived at is something rare and worth watching so if you have an hour and a half, this documentry will be worth your time!

I came across an article today that was exactly what I needed at this point in my life. Here's an excerpt. You can read the rest in its original location here . Why don't successful people and organizations automatically become very successful? One important explanation is due to what I call "the clarity paradox," which can be summed up in four predictable phases: Phase 1: When we really have clarity of purpose, it leads to success. Phase 2: When we have success, it leads to more options and opportunities. Phase 3: When we have increased options and opportunities, it leads to diffused efforts. Phase 4: Diffused efforts undermine the very clarity that led to our success in the first place. Curiously, and overstating the point in order to make it, success is a catalyst for failure .

Food motivates me.. particularly during exam season when other pleasures in life result in a fair amount of guilt. Good food on the other hand - we all need that right? The healthier I am, the better I study? At least that's what I tell myself when I steal a few moments away from my computer. This approximates the salad I have in my mind! Taken from http://passionateeater.blogspot.com.au/2009/03/ka-pow-salad.html Yesterday I roasted a rosemary, lemon, butter & garlic half-chicken. I've also prepared some capsicum-dip rice to go with it but it needs a decent vegetable companion so today I figured I would try to whip up a warm salad. I haven't got a picture yet because I haven't decided how exactly I'm going to go about this but I'm thinking some fresh spinach leaves and soft boiled eggs with a hint of the Mediterranean - so some warm pickled capsicum, roasted eggplant, some fried bacon with a dressing of caramelised balsamic vinegar. I think some warm

I have noticed a definite improvement in my clinical abilities in the last month. It feels great - no where close to being ready yet (by this I mean you can enter an exam with a certainty that you will do well ) but it's very reassuring. I've been working on my NPS cases yesterday and today and am able to complete 4 or 5 cases relatively easily, especially if I've had a good sleep. Working up cases in the ED is also taking less time now - about an hour or two for complicated (acute) patients, as opposed to the 3 or 4 hours per acute patient I would have needed in the past. It feels great. This next month (leading up to the finals) should see more of such results.. wish me luck and thank you for the prayers. 'Medical Students' - Image from Google Images

Today I spent the day watching NEJM's Dialogues In Medicine discussion panels. Afterall, they tell us that we should be working towards being good doctors this year - not studying to pass an exam. I've embedded a video of the cardiology panel below but you can also watch it (and other panels) at NEJM's website .

SUGAR COOKIES!!!!!!!!!!

I'm just going to say this (and mum, if you're reading this, don't get all worried because I'm not about to do anything rash) but as much as I love medicine, and I really truly do, what if my love for medicine is only like what my love for economics was like? I loved it, but I loved medicine more. What if I love medicine, but I love something else more? I think I would love to go into philanthropy, social work, non-profits. Would I do it full time? I don't know - perhaps only from a position of strength because it is being effective in these fields that I enjoy. So would it happen anytime soon? Perhaps not. But one day.. one day that would be nice.

Sometimes you get a little trapped by success.. and as wonderful as it all is, as much as you wouldn't give it up or change it.. there's a little part of you that remembers when you were free... I remember the fantasy world my endless hours in front of the tube let me into. The endless possibilities, the sense of anything being possible. You stand on the brink of that world.. or you stand in reality, which is great, but imperfect. Somehow not exactly as you thought it would be.

This is the daily devotional for May 24, taken from The Doctor's Life Support 2 (ICMDA). O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1 When we first know God the relationship is intense, so intense that it is described as thirst. Real thirst, as in dehydration, is painful. Thirst for God comes from the depths of the soul. It is like the yearning lovers feel for each other when apart. There is an interesting Catalan word 'morena' (homesickness), which means 'little death'. One dies a little when one is away from one's love. It is so in our relationship with God. Thirst for God is not only intense and deep, it is also unselfish. It is centred on God himself and not on his blessings. The psalmist did not approach God to get things from him. Many approach God to get and get and get. The psalmist's thirst for God was motivated by love, and was

Been listening to a lot of music lately to take the edge off this season...

The options have started trickling in - my first offer has been from Singapore. I lived in Singapore for five or six years, back around 2000. For the most part I enjoyed my time there - there are some aspects I like very much, like the Botanical Gardens, the safety, the cleanliness, the dynamic charity/social welfare system, the access to most things I need in life. There are other aspects I do not really like, like the way most Singaporeans cannot see beyond what is pragmatic - people seem to only do things when they stand to gain from their actions. But I haven't lived in Singapore for maybe seven years now and I think it would be nice to be back there at least for a year to see if it has changed much. I am concerned about my ability to survive the 80 hour +++ work week though, and the pay is terrible compared to Australia's 38 hour week and twice the pay. So we will see. When I have more time I will try and figure out where I actually want to head in life and which count

Sometimes I wonder if I am a little burnt out. Being six weeks from my final exams, this could mean nothing - it could simply be a reaction to the lack of much else in my life right now, or it could be something more. I am not feeling anything dramatic at the moment, definitely not feeling overly tired nor jaded by my work. Perhaps I could describe it more as the lack of definite goals beyond my final exams. The lack of pursuit, the lack of that fiery passion I normally feel when it comes to my life. About the future... I do not see a huge amount of value in simply going through life - graduating, starting my internship, toiling this life away. I do not see value in going down the same path everyone else goes down because that path generally just leads to death. It all seems rather meaningless. I do not know what is coming next and I am not worried, but I am... somewhat empty. Yesterday I watched Masterchef All Stars on TV and noticed that Poh (a pretty Malaysian-Chinese-Australian

If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do nto have love, I am nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3) This is an excerpt from Chapter 7 of Joyce Meyer's book on the fruits of the Spirit. The Bible sats that love is not theory or talk, but deeds. Love is action, doing what needs to be done in every situation (1 John 3:18). Developing love isn't a horrible struggle; it is simply being good to people. ... How kind are you to people? What are you doing for people? How are you treating people who aren't treating you very nicely? ... We are known by our fruit, not only as individual members of the b

I love eggplant and one of these recipes is going to be whipped up realllll soon. (Eggplant is already waiting in the kitchen. ;-)) http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/16524/couscous+stuffed+eggplant Couscous-studded eggplant with currants and  fresh mint (will probably leave the cheese out - just not a fan). http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/3324/bolognaise+stuffed+eggplant OR Bolognaise stuffed eggplant - the benefit being that I have both eggplant AND bolognaise ready to go! We will see... mmmmm. ;-)

I had an excellent time at the ED today. I met a cool consultant - Dr. Quirk, who allowed me to take a few cases under her name and run with them. After I was done she would review my proposed management plan and execute it (because as students we can't order tests or chart medications). She also provided a fair amount of teaching throughout the day, which is not something I always get, either because consultants are too busy or because they are just not inclined to teach. But today was just great - two patients complimented me on my clinical skills. I always tell my patients that I am a student and today two asked which year I was at. When I said I was 2 months from being done, one, a firefighter said "I thought so. You're very confident." Haha. Didn't have the heart to tell her that I had little doubts inside. But it all went well... and I even managed to slip an 85 year old lady a freebie sandwich & hot tea and another lady a blanket.. which warmed my heart

"You go through a range of emotions when you hear that stuff, especially because it's so inaccurate," a source close to Lin said. "Initially, you're upset, then disappointed, then angry and you even think about getting even. But when it's all said and done, you have to stick to who you are and that usually prevails in the end. "Ultimately, Jeremy looked at it as reporters being reporters. He never felt anything against the Knicks, and he has nothing against them now. The Knicks gave him an opportunity that was great and he cherished it." An excellent six part read by ESPN on the events which sent Jeremy from New York to Houston. Click here . Personally, I'm just excited to see where Jeremy will go from here, and how he will grow as a person. Hoping for nothing but the best for him!

I can't believe how nasty some New York fans (?) are being to Jeremy Lin. Lots of people need other things to focus on. Jeremy is an awesome dude.. but more than that.. he's just human. With all the hysteria you'd think he's something else. Anyway, sit back, enjoy the clips. Don't be angry! <p><p><p><p> </p></p></p></p> And this:

Apparently Masterchef Australia has an actual restaurant in the Sydney CBD (click here ) which by the looks of it closely resembles parts of the cooking show in terms of both layout and menu. It's all booked out for lunch and dinner though so if you haven't already made a reservation then you've missed out. It definitely looks like something I'd have loved to take my parents to (assuming I can afford the prices). While there are some contestants I really don't care for, because their personal attributes rub me the wrong way or because I do not like their cuisine, there are others like Adam and Alvin whose food I would have loved to try. Okay, fine, so I like Asian food. LoL. Anyway, I still need to figure out where to take my parents when they come by for my graduation ceremony in December. I'm thinking Sails.. for the awesome view, and perhaps Guillaume at the Opera House because well, it's at the Opera House. Maybe just the Bistro though. since