Lapse of Judgement?

Ingy, my insider source and secret weapon, also informs me that im on the Urology team for surg when i get home.
Urology!?
As i recall, it was my second option so i clearly wanted it at some point but.. I`m having a hard time believing I not only put that down, but prioritised it.. although as i was alternating between weeping and gently rocking on my bed, i got to thinking about my reasons for doing so last night and convinced my self they made sense..

1. Kidneys are somewhat important
2. You get no real urology exposure in clinical years and penis`s and kidneys might just be your calling in life and you`d never know and how sad would that be? very sad priya, very very sad.
3. The jocks of medicine work there, with their rodney wayne hair and flash stripey suits.. which means your hair will be tamed by sheer embarrassment factor alone
   

How bad can it be? ...

Its Business Time

This morning I got lost. Then I got found. Then I promptly got lost again. Luckily, having full insight into my pitiful sense of direction, I set out 30mins early for what should be a 6 min slow shuffle, and made it with 4 to spare. Yay me! You`ll all be happy to know, I've since gotten lost enough times to roughly know my way around. Myself and the reception staff at each wing are well acquainted.

Sensei K. is Chief of Surgery and i have the honour of having him as my Surg Supervisor. I met him yesterday at which time he announced that he has arranged for T, one of his residents, to wed me ..as he explains it "Everyone wins Pliya!". I am to facilitate T's aspirations of moving to NZ and T is to protect me for it has been a while since the surgical fraternity have seen a female surgeon and Sensei K worries for my safety. So then i had a moment of panic where i thought he thought i was an actual proper surgeon there to help with their outrageous work load. The panic must have shown because he quickly reassured me that everyone here was most gentlemanly and they were much too busy for consensual sex nevermind the hassels of nonconsensual.. while i was babbling about how i was only a baby intern and needed a parent/caregiver to hold my hand. Off to a good start.

NB: I later discovered that the person sitting beside me was in fact female.. but this was not immediately apparent until it spoke.

Ingy informs me that TI intro day was more fun than one can poke a stick at. I am most distraught to have missed this event. I think i shall comfort my poor self with a nice hot bath.

Konichiwa Kamogawa

A 3 hour train ride sees me in Kamogawa City, which as it turns out, isn't at all near Chiba. My bad. Its better which i'm okay with. Apparently Chiba is a relative hole while Kamogawa is all “small” city charm sea-side view-tastic awesomeness. And it delivers. Sprawling mountains, glittering blue sea, amazing surf and lets not forget the random Sea World with killer whales that promises fun for the whole family, just down the road..

I was picked up by supervisor #1, Dr DG, an american Infectious Disease specialist who splits his time between Japan and the States. He kindly gave me a tour of the city, took me to the local super for supplies (where I also met my first Kiwi of this trip.. ahh lilting kiwi accent, how i've missed thee) then dropped me off at my very own apartment. It took the combined intelligence of an Infectious Diseases Consultant and a 5th Year Survivor to open The Door. two locks plus a bolt was more alarming than reassuring but having toured the town and met the neighbours, ive also deemed it to be excessive.

My place is sweet. So sweet that I must post pictures! Observe apartment sweetness and commence envy:

my pretty white coat of power.. how long will it remain that white? watch this space [ --- ]

yes children, that is a HOT TUB in the bathroom that you can see. complete with smelling salts.
'nuff said.

God I feel grown up.
It'll pass.

Farewell Tokyo

riding the subway is negative fun when ones contacts have fallen out. the little station signs were not made for 6over7346 vision. squinting only made me look funny and eventually gave me a headache. i rode back and forth several times before making what i thought was the correct transfer. wasnt. very very difficult to explain to mr japanese metro man that i couldnt read the tiny metro map he kept referring me to. seriously.. try miming "my contacts fell out, i can not see". its tough. i also think he thought i just couldnt read in general because he slowed his japanese way the hell down. the kinda talk speed one reserves for children and retards. i have however made it back to the hostel and am applying for a seeing eye dog.

also just experienced my first earthquake of the trip.. we gently rolled around for about half a minute.. a little asian girl screamed and ran for the elevator of all places. this made me laugh which is impolite in the sheer panic! and mayhem! of a 2.3 richter scale quake and i received frowns of disapproval from her friends.

leave for Chiba tomorrow to start work on Tuesday.. am super excited.. in part because i wont have to share my room with 27 others. many of whom are australians and spend much of their time being loudly drunk and for reasons as yet unknown, yelling dingo. Bonus. and also because i've recovered enough from the ordeal that was fifth year to do some medicine and maybe even enjoy it.. woop.

to all those starting on monday... enjoy being big, bad TI's.
make me proud.

"Capsule" Hostel - Space Optimiser.
Behind those curtains is a box which houses your futon, a little shelf and a dim light.

a surprisingly comfortable coffin.

ReSpawn

Blogging via facebook is giving me more grief than even I, possessor of the patience of a monk (ha!), can handle.

So ive moved it here.. dependable, reliable Google.
Havent been here in blogger world for a while and was taking a trip back into nostalgia lane, reading through some of our South America meterial. Ahh.. hilarity and good times. I miss the gang.

I'll continue to post most of my photos on facebook.. so if youre not a facebooker.. then ...like, you should be..
but in the rare event that you're not and I like you (Loren, you rare breed of 21st century human you), I will post a select few piccys here for your viewing edification. My thats a big word.

okay. lovely to see you all, do come again but its bed time for me..

RePost

am tentatively trialling this whole blog thing out for the duration of my exile. dont know how well i'll do without scotty cracking the "someone needs to write a blog" whip .. i also cant promise it to be of a quality worth reading.. i can however guarantee an excessive use of ellipsis' and a complete lack of appropriate punctuation.. but its a-okay for i am in japan, the birth place of engirsh and i am but a lonely malaysian/indian/kiwi identity crisised kid, just trying to fit in.

have been exploring avidly since i arrived. was concious of the fact that i only had a week in Tokyo before i head off to Chiba for elective proper ..so many a long days on my poor wee footsies. tis paying off though, have seen most of what i wanted to see as dictated by various guidebooks. have got to the stage where i dont quite know what i want to do in exact minute detail. am considering riding the Yamanote train line loop endlessly tomorrow. apparently theres good "people watching" to be had by doing this. thank you lonely planet, you are both wise and compact.

Toshu-Go Shrine in the background accessorised with authentic face masked Japanese