Praha

Ahoj Prague!

Prague , my first destination this winter break. Prague , famed for its rich cultural and historical background and magnificent architecture, is never short of a place for camwhoring. Never walk around Prague without your camera. The appetite to devour all those pretty sceneries can never be satisfied.

Having taken hundreds of photos , these are the few i feel worth sharing. So let the photos do the talking..

Prague Town Square

Statue in front of Prague Museum

Prague Museum

The museum is so big that i had a hard time finding the way out and finishing the tour. And all it cost was 60 crown = RM10. Worthy!

Shopping....

Shopping , shopping here i come. Most of the european brands can be found here , all within walking distance. From shop to shop , the desire to shop will definitely increase. A view at the price (relaively cheap compared to Malaysia), the momentum will not stop until the pocket is burnt. Zara , Next , H&M , New Yorkers , Terranova , Esprit , Debenhams ,Mark and Spencer....

Charles Bridge

Charles Bridge , popularly acclaimed as one of the most romantic spot for lovebirds, has definitely live up to its name. Strolling along the bridge , taking in the view of Prague with Prague Castle as the backgroud , pigeons nestling on the logs , street performers showcasing their stunts , artists capturing magical moments in the pictures , what a nice way to go on a date. But for me , the company of friends can equally bring out the joy. Though lacking in romantism , it is burning with the warmth of friendship.

Just a piece of art

It's Christmas!Joy to the world! I spent my Christmas eve loitering around Prague , doing nothing in specific , but just to experience a new way of celebrating Christmas in a new place. With a hot cup of red wine in hand to warm the body , i spent my first Christmas abroad with the Czechs singing Christmas carols and counting down in front of the Astronomical Clock at Old Town Square. Merry Christmas!Man peeing...Shhhh

Prague Castle..The Castle Guard

Memories captured

2007

Today is 9 January 2007. Oh! 2007!!

This is my first entry of the year. And it is another long gap since my last blog. Same excuse - BUSY. I guess it is not an excuse , but a fact. Apart from sleeping time , i have been studying 24-7 for my chemistry final exams. I have just sat for it today. So everything is over now, and my winter break has just started.


2007 , a whole new year , with whole new resolutions. Without realising how fast time has passed , i am turning 21 in less than a month! What have i done for 2 decades , what have i achieved so far? Erm......Erm......When people are completing their studies , i have just embarked on my path , completing only the first semester. When people are mesmerising in their love life , i am singly waiting for mine to appear. But no regret , no sigh. I am enjoying my life now. Living the life i want.Enjoy studying. Enjoy my freedom. Enjoy the company of friends. So life isn't that miserable.

When i was 17 , how i wish i could turn 18 soon. And with a few blinks of eye , 3 years have slipped past me. Too fast to even catch it. But it is a good sign in a way. At least i have lived life to the fullest , making full use of it and not let time tick by just like that.

In retrospect , 2006 has been a roller coster year for me. Good memories , worst nightmares all in a year. Car accident , car theft , lost of passport....Winning awards , numerous memorable trips , coming to Czech Republic.... What a year! 2006...

Hoping for the best to come in 2007!

Dissection

It has been some time since i last blogged. The well expected reason from a medical student - Busy! Busy ! Very busy!!!

I have just finished my dissection last week. The wheel has not stopped since then. Tightly tailing behind was the nerve-breaking post-dissection week followed by a series of other tests and exams. I still have Latin final , Czech credit test and biology test before i can go for my much yearned holiday. How long have i not been able to sleep soundly , wake up at noon , watch endless series without feeling a sense of guilt? I have lost count of it.

The bright side of it is , after having described my life as pathetically occupied only by study , study and more study , i seem to enjoy every part of it. Everyday is about gaining new knowledge , acquiring new skills , and putting myself one step nearer to my goal. To think positively , it is part of the training to prepare us to endure the more stormy and choppy journey ahead.

Dissection week was fun , though tiring. I was totally drained at the end of every day. 5 hours a day , 5 days straight in a week , dissecting the same region. Oh Gosh! And it was the same position - back arching forward , hands holding skalpel and forceps , facing the same cadaver , inhaling the pungent formalin. My back , hand , leg and practically all muscles in the body ached.But it was an enthralling experience. Everyone can experience the thrill of a roller coster ride , but not everyone can have a feel of cutting a real cadaver. Lying ahead was a real man (before) and i would be dissecting it part by part. Ooooo...

First day was mainly to peel off the skin. Of course it wasn't as easy as peeling off chicken skin , as i had to apply the right pressure , hard enough to cut off the skin , but not too hard to cut the subcutaneous structures. To remove it , i had to gently peel it inch by inch so as not to remove the adipose tissue below. And just peeling off the skin took me one whole day ,5 hours of work.
The highlight of the day i must say was the removal of penis. Ouch! None of the guys wanted to cut off the "precious" of the other guy , so we let Hamsath do the other.With just a few cut , the penis was gone! Just like that. And all the way into the rubbish bin.

Second and third day was the most tiring day. Removal of adipose tissue. Man, it was so much of fat. My region was just the thigh and the amount of fat was already driving me nuts , what more to say the buttock region. Everywhere was smeared with fat , my labcoat , my hand , my specs. And the whole body also smelt of fat. Of course we also had to search among those lumps of fat some cutaneous nerves and veins. One small posterior femoral cutaneous nerve took us 2 hours to find! And with a slip of hand and wrong maneuvre , i cut the great saphenous vein! An unforgivable mistake. Luckily with Hamsath "sew"manship , she managed to save my day by sewing it back . Phew!
Forth day was more fruitful. Finally fascia layer was off and our exploration started. One by one , each muscle was reviewed. Arteries , veins and nerves coarsing along it were identified too. So at least a few days of hardwork was finally paid back. It's a sense of satisfaction , a feel of pride that we have conquered our region.
Last day was mainly cleaning up the muscles , clearing off more fats , separating arteries and nerves , and preparation of exam.

I took my post dissection discussion straight on that day , and i passed. :) At least i am relief for the time being. No more anatomy until the next semester. Cheers!

Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra

I have a wide taste for music. From enjoying Jazz performance two weeks ago to clubbing at Belmondos last week , this week let's turn to Classical music!It was an enthralling experience watching the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra performed. How long have i not enjoyed one such great classical performance since the last one at Petronas Philharmonic Orchestra two years ago. And it was something i anticipated much since coming here. Afterall , Olomouc is a city of rich musical and theatrical background. How could someone miss it?

From Allegro , Andante to Presto , i was drifted away by every single note of it. The strings , the woodwinds , the percussions , all with each distinctive tone yet all were played with one soul. One music , one soul. From the initial string ensemble with moderate tempo , the music gradually built up. The solo performance by the violinist really melted the audience hearts. The skillful articulation of every notes and impeccable coordination with the orchestra just made the whole performance one worth remembering. But nothing beats the climax of the night - Beethoven 7th symphony. The instructor was so agitated , the players were so passionate , the music shrouded the whole hall and penetrated everyone. By the time it culminated ,one just shouted "Bravo!' follwed by whole house of standing ovation which lasted for 5 minutes. I was just speechless and in awe...

A night to remember..

Success and Failure

I heaved a sigh of relief realising that i passed my anatomy test. Enough by knowing that i passed , with no anticipation for the grades. A , B or C no longer means anythin. Everyone worked hard and strived to survive the torturous torment of weekly anatomy test , yet only half the class emerged with a "pass". Guess i am just lucky to be in that category.

We used to believe that as long as we study , our hard work will be reflected in the results. Yet here , in contrary , hardwork is no longer proportional to the grades we get. Of course everyone work hard here , but not everyone achieve good grades. There are many external factors contributing to the final results : luck is one of it i must say. Sometimes it is not that we do not know the answer , but to answer too much or too less is also wrong. It must be perfectly accurate to gain that mere one mark.

Asian students tend to see marks and grades as larger than life. A loss of one mark is tamtamount to killing oneself. That's our culture and that's how we are being brought up. Parents cane the kids for losing one marks , students beg the teachers for that extra one marks , friends argue for that one mark of difference , see how much one mark can do! But if this attitude is to be carried here , i think one would have committed suicide long ago.

Feel satisfied by getting a C.To see the positive side of it , it is better than fail. Not to be pessimistic by seeing it as inferior to A and B. There is always room for improvement.

Which bring me to this ...
There is a common Chinese saying literally translated as "Failure is the mother of Success". Ironically , many parents do not keep that in mind when reprimanding their kids when they fail their exam. All parents want the best out of their kids , but the fact is everyone is unique on its own with different capabilities as well as shortcomings. Not everyone is meant to do well in study.If everyone were to score perfectly in all exams , there will be all No.1 in class with no one at the bottom. So do not make comparison with neighbour's or friend's children. To cheer for their success and effort but not to belittle their failure. When there is failure , there is always another chance for success.

Life is not just amount scoring high in exams. There are more aims to achieve , more dreams to realise. Sky is the limit. Do not be obsessed by marks...

Belmondos!!

Finally a day to chill out! Jdeme na party v Pahtek! Pivo? Wino?

Finally i can leave my books behind for a night.
Finally i can let my body recuperate from the physical torment and my brain unwind before the spring got over-twitched.
Finally i can enjoy the night life in Olomouc.

Finally i can unleash all the toxic in me that has accumulated over the week.

Finally............ i can sleep well for a night...Zzzzzzzzzzzz

Teetering on the Verge of Breakdown

Stress is building up as semester exam is just around the corner. So many things to cover , yet so little time left. 7 days a week is never enough for a medical student. Weeks fly past without even realising it. Every week , there are loads of works to be cleared off before the next week approaches. The accumulated work can easily suffocate and drown a person. It is critical to complete today's task by today.Procrastination will kill... There will always be more things waiting ahead.

It is a mental , physical and emotional challenge. Everyday is about being physically fit , mentally alert and emotionally strong to face the mountains of notes and books lying ahead to study. From memorising the rules , grammar and vocabulary of Latin and Czech language to understanding the mechanisms of how cell works in biology back to memorising and identifing the blood vessels , bones , nerves , muscles in anatomy and finally to analysing over hundreds of chemical compounds in Chemistry , that is our routine everyday.

Before this semester exam , i have one book of chemistry (~1ooo pgs) , one book of biology (~700 pgs) , one book of Anatomy (~500pgs) to cover. Phew!!

It is a path we have chosen , so it is also a challenge we have to face. May God bless us with the energy and strength to continue this tumultous journey to the end...

"Crossroads" v Olomouci

It's another cultural event in Olomouc. It's the second year of "Crossroads" , a multicultural festival across central europe where they showcase music , arts and films from all over the region.

Not missing this once in a year event , i decided to give myself some chill after a mind-boggling , nerve-breaking morning of anatomy test and lecture. I picked the Jazz performance by 100NKA , a polish jazz trio.

The outcome - superb! It was really a great performance. They bring new dimension to the music by spicing it with electronic guitar. And they are truly masters of groove and improvisation. A few bars of music can be improvised in so many different ways. The rhythm , the synchopation , the running notes , the diminished and augmented chords , everything was cooked into an awesome dish. Everyone was drifted away by their music.

It's an unorthodox way of playing ,in which the percussionist uses various types of household material like pots , pans and chairs to create the extra sound and the guitarist and basist each with their individual style of improvisation. For some it may sound out-of-tune. For others , it's an appreciation of soulful expessions and freedom in music.

Once again , music has proven to be the common language of all. Despite the communication barrier , we can all sit down and enjoy the same music , be bonded by the same interest , see eye to eye in the same thing. Wonderful!

Snow!

This is our first experience of snow. Everyone is so excited by the first sight of it. Waking up in the morning and seeing everything in white outside the room , i can't help but to gasp "Oh my God! It's snow!!" Finally i am experiencing real snow! Not like back in Malaysia where we have to pay to experience artificial snow. This is just amazing.Donning my newly bought white jacket with fur , i feverishly got myself ready for school. Anam greeted us with his throw of snow ball. That's it! We started picking up snow and throwing at each other. Still not losing the inner child in us.It was a mesmerising experience to just walk on the road and enjoy the chill as drops of snow fell on the face accompanied by the cold and crispy wind. Refreshing!Anyway the whole place will be covered by snow for many months to go. Till then , we might just get bored of it and yearn back our Malaysian hot scorching sun and humid weather!

Halloween Party

My first Halloween Party!

We didn't plan to go initially. It was a last minute decision.Party started at 9. We went at 11. So no costume prepared.Hopefully next year i will get myself one.

Anyway it was really fun. Great music , great drink and great friends!