The Fire Still Burns

So basically I have 5 days of clinicals left, before going back to uni. I like to refer to the whole uni experience as the 'uni grind', but I've never been happier to get back to it. Maybe because this time I was alone for this clinical. There's no one else at my place and I hardly run into the other students at Gosford Hospital. Meh...

Right now I'm typing up a case study. It about one procedure I've done and you have to justify what you did and reflect on it. The limit is 1000 words, but my first draft barely made it past 250. So now I'm making some stuff up, and using longer phrases instead of simpler ones. It's actually a bit of a challenge. I used to write a lot and in detail, but my English tutor noted that I was beating around the bush most of the time and that I'd never be able to write everything I wanted in the HSC. So we spent some time cutting out the bull and focus on making my writing more concise. It worked, but sometimes I wonder if it worked to well. The first draft was very concise, almost dot-pointish in style, if that makes any sense.

I really want a new computer to replace my old one. It's like 4 years old now, and its starting to choke even in normal tasks and I don't have much running in the background. Can't play some of the games I want, and any video that is remotely HD lags really badly. Price is the deciding factor as always. I really want to get some part-time/casual job of some sort, but this year has been ridiculous because of all the clinicals getting in the way. Might see if I can find some short term casual work just for a bit more money.

Blargh...might as well get this case study over and done with.

I listen to my mp3s at 100 kVp

So it was my 20th birthday around a week ago. It didn't really register with me until I was out with dinner with uni friends celebrating someone else's 20th. That's not to say I forgot my own birthday, but it was more in the back of my head rather than hammering about in my mind. Basically, I get myself a cake, take a few shots of a suitably strong alcoholic beverage and celebrate the fact that I've survived another trip around the Sun. I have no idea what to do with my 21st, because I actually have to do something. I don't like the idea of hard partying, but I'm partial to the idea of having some straight drinking. Meh, I'll worry about it next year.

So only 8 days of clinical left. Every day seems to pass so much faster now. It's almost over, it's so close I can taste it. Clinical is fun and informative as always, but the commute to Gosford, being alone at the practice and the fact that it is a private practice does wear me down. I'm pretty confident at doing pelvis, hip, thoracic, lumbar and knee x-rays now, not to mention the usual deluge of chests. But clinical just reminds you that actual work is pretty tiring. I get up before the sun rises and get home after the sun sets. Maybe it'll be more tolerable when I'm actually getting paid something rather than nothing.

Thankfully, the train trips aren't that bad since my trusty iPod keeps me going with music and podcasts. The time flies by especially when you're listening to something funny on a podcast and having to start having a cough fit to cover your laughter, which some people may interpret as you laughing at them. Seriously though, since I started clinicals I've had transit police check my tickets numerous times. In all my years of using Shittyr...I mean Cityrail, I've never had my ticket checked. I even had my ticket checked twice on a single trip. They probably never check the peak times since there is too many people.

I've been adding music on a semi-regular basis. Listening to the same playlist for a week bores you quick. Kate Ryan does some decent tracks, Ludovico Einaudi's composing so awesome that I obtained all his music from 1988 onwards, Regina Spektor's "Us" has me hooked, some awesome piano work from David Sides, an older track with the Foundations and a great anime track from Tokyo Brass Style. Actually, that last band is pretty cool, since they play their music with brass instruments (trumpets, saxophones etc), it's a girl band (which is always a plus) and they do some anime music as well. Clip of them working on and playing 'Sora iro Days' the OP for the anime Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann



That's some awesomeness right there.

International Dateline

Been watching the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, but bloody channel Seven ruins it, by putting ads in the way, so we're not getting an uncut, full version. I doubt other countries are any better off. It's definitely very good looking, I mean China has thousands of years of history to draw on, so plenty of source material so to speak. But I'm skipping the rest of the opening ceremony now. It just doesn't seem to click with me, probably since I'm not Chinese. The Sydney 2000 was the best, but I'm biased since Australia is my home and Australian is who I am. The whole opening ceremony thingo just has me thinking.

Even though I'm Vietnamese in origin, I can say that I have any special affinity for Vietnam in general. It's an alien place, that I've never been too and only heard the stories. I can speak Vietnamese, I can eat the food, I know the culture, but with my parents being refugees, escaping the Communist government and settling in Australia, I don't feel any strong connection to my country of origin. Even if Vietnam was to host an Olympic games I'd probably walk out halfway during the opening ceremony, like the Chinese one, not because it is bad, but simply it doesn't click with me. But I'm glad at least that a whole bunch of people are thrilled and moved by it. China wants to show the world what it can do, and despite the political situations, it's a successful and powerful country. It'll get there.

Three weeks of clinical down and another three to go. I'm so glad that the halfway point has been reached. Clinical is awesome in the sense that it puts theory to practice and you get much needed practice and advice, but it's not all about lounging about . It can be tough going sometimes, especially if you're short on staff. And the assignments don't really help either. They are more of a nuisance rather than a help. It's just too short and restrictive to write anything meaningful about them. At least reflective journals or articles allows me to through some truthful musings in all the bullshit I pull out.


I think someone wanted to see a picture of my room a long while back, and here is most of it. This was a few days ago when I was doing my assignments, so it's pretty messy with all the papers, radiographs and books lying about.

At least there's a birthday dinner happening tomorrow. It'll be funny talking with friends and swapping radiography war stories and whatnot. Makes me wonder what I'll do for my birthday. Probably have a cake and a drink to the fact that I've lived for another year.

Still Marching that Turkish March

To Phu: Yeah, I'm much better now. Thankfully, I got better just before clinicals. Having diarrhoea during clinicals would be pretty tough. Doctor Who season 4 was pretty awesome I enjoyed it heaps. The crappy thing is that next year there's no season 5, just 4 specials, cos Tennant is off doing Hamlet or something Shakespeare. Road trip was awesome fun, but I was pretty much the only heavy drinker. Do you have a Facebook profile? Prolly easier to catch up that, make blogging a little bit redundant sometimes I think.

Two weeks of clinical are over, and that means I only have to endure another month. Endure, I make it sound bad. It's not bad, it's quite enlightening to learn more about radiography, to put theory into practice and in some case ignore what the book says and use amazingly helpful shortcuts.

I have to do a few reports for this clinical, and I managed to work out how to use their archaic computer program. Oh the computers run on Windows but the software that ties everything together is some custom job that while is very stable is a little bit old. You have to select the option you want, then press enter to access it. But it's not that bad. Had to do a couple of interviews with patients asking about their current and past history. Probably something more on the doctory side, since radiographers don't usually take patient histories.

Still, I managed to print copies of the x-rays and the radiologist's reports. The radiologists are basically doctors who have undergone specialised training to better interpret x-rays, CTs, ultrasounds, MRIs and all other sorts of medical imaging. Their reports make it easier for me to type my assignments since I don't have to guess at what I'm seeing, and the technical terms are already there. And future doctors have a look at "encopresis". Had to x-ray a 3yo with that. Wasn't to bad, but it's a pretty shitty condition to have I reckon. And yes, pun intended.

The daily train trips to Gosford and back are still pretty long, but with podcasts, music and other uni radiographers to talk to, it's actually not that bad. Talked to a 3rd year physiotherapist and it was quite interesting to learn about it. They have 15 weeks of clinical, stringed together in three 5-week blocks with a week break in between. Which is kinda sucky.

But TGIF, eh? There's a BBQ on tomorrow with family friends, although I had no idea until an hour ago. Well that will be some fun.