So far while on prac, all the nurses and staff have been really nice to me, showing me how to do leg bags, tape down IDCs and things like that. But today there was this one nurse who was so rude, not just to me but to the doctor as well. Or rather she just butt into our conversation while discharge planning for a patient. And then she had the cheek to tell me to do my shower assessments in the bathroom outside the DASU cause I “took up an hour and she couldn’t shower anyone else”. I was just so ticked off by that cause I had asked the other nurse who was looking after the patient I was assessing and she said it was fine to shower in the bathroom I took it in. So I retorted back to her that I did ask the other nurse and she said it was fine and she had the cheek to say back to me well don’t do it next time.
I was honestly so ticked off as she had told me off in front of the doctor, the social worker and the other nurse. She could have approached me in private to tell me and the only reason why I took so long was cause the other nurse was drying off the patient’s IDC bag’s velcro and checking that the IDC was still in place. I still remember that lady and I tell you I don’t want to deal with her much anymore. She’s not the usual nurse on staff, she’s from the agency and basically I think they get paid a lot more than the normal nurses cause of them having to cover for normal nurses. Today we were short staffed in the DASU as there were quite a few people sick so everyone was trying to do extra stuff around.
I think I was so angry for about 15 minutes I couldn’t quite think straight and I had forgot about time and that I had the case study tute with Sally at 3pm. Today we got the dog from Animal Companions and he was soooo cute! He even can ’say hello’ by barking to how many fingers are on the volunteers hand. Say if she sticks out 3 fingers, he’ll bark 3 times. So smart he is.
Recently on the DASU, the pressure mattresses for a lot of patients were not set at the right weight and therefore I’ve sort of made it my mission to check and true enough I found 1 today that was turned up to 110kgs for a person weighing about 60kgs. Poor person’s mattress was as hard as a rock. We’ve let the team know and basically continue monitoring people’s mattresses.
Well, I’ve got 2 home visits tomorrow. 1 to do by myself since I first interviewed the person yesterday and I’m going to go check up on his home setup. I’m off to write outline for cell, since I’ll be leading cell and I haven’t prepared anything at all. I’ve been taught not to do it the night before but oh well, things crop up so I have no choice really. Off a writing I shall go!
I was told today by my patient at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital that I have a nice complexion. I guess I didn’t know what to feel: happy that I have good complexion or shocked because that came out of the mouth of a elderly gentleman. I guess I was stunned that after the hour long interview and standardised assessments that I had to do with him that he actually noticed my face. I guess I take what compliments I can get, after all I did wear make up today 
As I work on the ward where most of them are older people, I sometimes see an older couple on the ward, where one of them is an inpatient and the other is visiting them. It breaks my heart sometimes to also see people who don’t get visitors at all and spend the whole day staring at walls and doing nothing. What amazes me to see sometimes is that the old couple have been married for so long and yet still support each other so well. Sometimes I wonder if I’m going to have a husband to look after me when I’m old, a person to spend days with and to look after each other.
Today is one of those days where I spend time on the bus and I think lots of random thoughts to myself. I had interviews with 3 clients and 1 team meeting back to back and now I’m feeling rather exhausted from everything. I have yet to write the reports for the clients. I’ve got a meeting in the morning tomorrow and have to look through files for patient notes and I’ve got that case study presentation things happening tomorrow as well. I’ve just finished the case study and I’m going to get that printed out and I should be done for the day. I took over today for my supervisor at the Falls Clinic at the Day Hospital and I’ve pretty much took over half of the role of a senior OT for the day. I can tell you that it is no joke what she does. She’s in charge of the DASU which is the delirium unit and as well as the Day Hospital OT stuff and home visiting for both places. It’s a jolly lot happening all at once, but I’m glad I took this prac. Its pretty much opened my eyes to a lot of things and I’m loving the experience, though I’m just flat out by the end of the day. Productive nonetheless.
Speaking of being exhausted, it is now 9pm and I’m off to print my case study and off to bed I go. I’m just way to pooped to do anything else but read in my nice warm bed.
I just finished my first week of prac at the sub acute medical unit, more fondly know as SAMU, at Charlies. The verdict? I’m loving it! With it being my 1st prac and things, I was excited but apprehensive like what if I injured a patient or things like that. Getting my bearings around the ward and getting a hang of what OTs do on this ward has been great! When I stepped into G block on the first day, I was so scared and things but now I’m loving it.
The fact that we had like 2 afternoon teas was great too LOL
I got to look at the DASU (Delirium Assessment & Surveillance Unit) and watch in on a kitchen assessment with a patient. It was very interesting to watch.
I must say, I never thought I wanted to work in a hospital but now I do. I walked in on day 1, with everything looking a bit old and slightly dinky, but its not that bad. I was quite scared on Monday I nearly puked my breakfast out hahaha but I’m all good now.
Anyways, I’m off to go shower. Update soon! Possibly with a picture of me in our ‘glamorous’ plastic aprons LOL
It has been a rather busy week for me. In between sorting out my prac preparations, attending tutorials, reading up on rehab and assessment techniques I managed to have a breather down at Amanda’s place in North Dandalup over the weekend. I tell you, that was definitely a weekend well spent. We went down on Friday night and came back on Sunday arvo and I’m feeling a little less stressed with prac prep and a little more on the ball. We all went down for the Leaders’ Retreat for church and it was a wonderful time of relaxing and seeking God. I think I feel a bit more ready to start cell in semester 2 with more to give.
I’m currently reading up on my Trombly & Radomski book, which my supervisor has given me prep readings to do. And I’m supposed to be skimming through half the book in a matter of a few days. I’ve prepared most of my paperwork so it isn’t going to be so bad on the 1st day of prac. I guess I have to say, expect less updates cause I’ll be away from home at 7am till 6pm 5 days a week and I have reading to do after work and sleep to catch up on.
Here’s to an exciting prac!
I got an e-mail from my supervisor over at SCGH this morning and it is been confirmed that I am in the psychiatry department. If you know me well enough, that was the department that I NEVER wanted to get placed in for several reasons. First was the fact that I am afraid of leading groups, especially groups for things that are not hard science: things with gray areas.
second of all, from the feedback I have heard over the past few months about the pracs at SCGH, I really wanted to be in either of the neuro wards, either neurosurgery or neurology. I wanted to experience the fast paced ward settings and where time flies by really fast.
I guess God has other plans for me. I’ve spoken to a few other people about the psychiatry ward and its not that bad so far. I heard that I have to do arts & craft with them and cooking tasks. and apparently I have to wear a durress alarm while working there. Joy joy. One of the consolations is that I don’t have to wear a uniform but rather smart casual clothes.
Well, that dampened my spirit a bit but I guess I’ll have to put up with it. I get to see people in their acute stages of their disorder which means I should buckle down and start reviewing my psychiatry and mental health unit. I still have the self-directed project to finish within these 3 weeks so I best get to it! Oh and I have decided to apply to be a carer at the nursing home as it is good money and I think it’ll be a good experience for me. Wish me luck!
Just checked the graduation dates for 2009 and found out that I graduate on Valentine’s Day 2009 at 8pm, which is coincidentally a Saturday.
I guess having a final graduation date to look forward to is like a full stop to this chapter in life. After 12th December 2008, I would have finished my practicals and thus finished my 4 year OT degree. After that, I’m no longer classified as a student and will be either unemployed or waiting to start employment, depending on applications and stuff. No doubt it is exciting, after 4 long years to finally end up with a degree in my hand. But it is bittersweet in a way, starting off in the working world. No more 3 month summer breaks, no more winter breaks, no more hanging out between classes.
Ahhh…Only 7 more months of slogging it out and I’m done 
Its only the first day at the seminar and already its painfully clear that it is painful to sit there and have philosophical and theoretical arguments about culture and definitions of words and things like that. I have another 3 more days to go. I’m bringing a pillow.
So the procrastination bug strikes again, I’ve got an essay about how culture has shaped my attitudes towards health and to explore and describe how gaining a broader understanding of health beyond my own cultural context might enhance my future practice of occupational therapy. Tell me that just looks like a bunch of big and sophisticated looking words. Its a 4 pages essay with 1 page of references and bibliography which is due in on Tuesday, 11th March. A week from now. For one trying to define culture, the essay can go on for miles if I just sit and compile down all the definitions of culture and how it influences me. But fortunately for me, I’ve got a 4 page limit and free reign over the content I present in the assignment. To take my mind of that pesky headache which has been bugging me on and off for 3 days now and to try and close one eye to my assignment, here I am. Blogging.
So the other day I was juts sitting at the bus port, waiting for my bus to get to work and I just let my mind wander off while listening to the tunes of The Way I Are by Timbaland. Then as I begin to drift into lala land, I began thinking about names. About how most people in Australia always shorten names such as Natalie to Nat, Timothy to Tim and such. I’ve never been a fan of people shortening other people’s names without their permission. Call me old fashioned or a nannna but it has been instilled in me by my elders never to simply go changing people’s names. Its in the Asian culture that we always address our elders by Aunty or Uncle so and so and not by their first names. So when I came here 4 long years ago and everyone started calling our teachers by their first name, you could imagine my horrified face. It’s so laid back here that the teachers insist you call them that. I supposed I’ve adjusted to that but when it comes to greeting my Asian elders or someone’s parents, its always Aunty or Uncle so and so or Mr or Mrs so and so. It’s just proper manners to me.
Back to the shortening of names. I’ve grown up being called by my full first name, Kristine. It is only recently that I have actually allowed people that I know well or am comfortable with to call me Kris or Krissy. It still annoys the crap out of me that some people call me Kris the minute I introduce myself as Kristine. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind people calling me Kris but somehow when a person I don’t know very well calls me Kris it just somehow gets to me that they know me very well and they are quite chummy with me to be able to call me whatever they want. A person’s name is what they are identified by, and to me they’re cutting out my identity for some reason. My given name is Kristine and it will always stay that way, so Kris is just for friends and family. Let’s leave it that way. I don’t know why I have so much of an issue with that but hey, that’s my opinion.
Ranting aside, nothing new has been happening lately apart from work, doing the project proposal, assignment, bible studying and packing up. And since I don’t really want to write that essay, here’s a meme I just felt like doing since Suet Li did it recently and it looks like one of the more exciting ones
Skin Care
What facial cleanser do you use?
Body Shop’s Seaweed Deep Cleansing Facial Wash
What moisturizer do you use?
Body Shop’s Seaweed Matifying Day Cream. Yes I like the seaweed range not cause I like to eat it but its one of the only products that doesn’t burn my skin 
How many times a day do you wash your face?
Once in the shower, sometimes twice if i wake up and my face is just not feeling good or I really need a splash of cold water to get me up and going
Do you use eye makeup remover?
Yes! OMG, eyeliner does not come out unless it is taken out with eye makeup remover
If so, What kind?
Body Shop’s Camomile Waterproof Eye Make-Up Remover. Yea la, I love Body Shop, so sue me hahhaa
Is your skin oily, dry, or combination skin?
Combination….grrrrrr
What is the best part about your skin?
I tan very easily….wheee!!! No need to spend money on tanning lotions…Don’t you know the sun is bad for you to tan with?!?!
What are your skin problems?
Very dry during winter
Makeup
What foundation do you use?
Clinique’s Superfit Makeup only for special occasions though, its pricey
What powder do you use?
Some random in2it brand I bought back in Malaysia… Bwahahaha….Aiseh, from Clinique to random cheap stuff
What eyebrow pencil do you use?
Elizabeth Arden’s Dual Perfection Brow Shaper & Eyeliner
What eyeliner do you use?
Rimmel’s Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil (what kind of name is that??)
What is your favorite eyeshadow?
I like all my eyeshadows but I absolutely love the MAC one mum gave to me. MAC Eye Shadow in Pink Freeze
What mascara do you use?
Some Japanese brand. Its really cool! Better than those branded ones that claim to double or triple your lash volume and length
What are your favorite lipbalms/glosses/sticks?:
My current fave lipbalm is Body Shop’s Hemp Lip Protector
Fave lipgloss is MAC’s LipGlass in Snowgirl
Hair
Do you color your hair?
Yea, but its been a while. Need to go and fix it
What is your stylists name?
Whoever it is at Just Cuts in the City
What salon do you go to?
Just Cuts in the City
What is your natural hair color?
It used to be jet black but now its sorta became a dark brown
Do you have a straightener?
Yes, my beloved Vidal Sasson that I break out when I’m having a bad hair day
What kind?
A thin one? What kinda of question is this?
Do you use a blowdryer?
Yes, I borrow my aunty’s
What shampoo do you use?
The Sunsilk from Malaysia…The grey and purple one Hahaha I can’t find the pictures online
What conditioner do you use?
Either the matching Sunsilk conditioner or now I’m using Edward Beale Daily Latte conditioner thing cause I got it for free…Hahaha
Do you use leave in conditioner?
I own some Sunsilk leave in ones and some random one which I use more in winter when its super dry
Scents
What deodorant do you use?
Hmmm…I used to use Rexona but now I’ve gone over to Dove Hahaha
What body wash do you use?
Lux Shimmering Body thing. But I’m loving Palmolive’s Cashmere range. I buy according to sale price hahah don’t need to be so fussy what
What perfumes do you use or like? Name five.
Dior’s Poison and Pure Poison
Max Azaria’s BCBGirls
Esprit’s For my Peace
Nutrimetic’s Aqua Pour Femme
Do you always have to smell good?
Haha abuthen? You want me to stink is it?
Jewellery
Are diamonds really a girl’s best friend?
Not really but I love my diamonds
What is your jewellery essential?
My necklace and earrings
What jewellery do you wear most?
My cross necklace and earrings
What jewellery do you crave most?
Don’t really crave anything. Maybe a diamond ring Haha
Purses and Shoes
How many purses do you own?
Errr….I think I own about 4 or 5. Most of them were given to me as presents
How many shoes do you own?
I’d say 20? I dunno la, I didn’t bother to count
Which pair is your favorite?
My fave pair is my green flats I got for 20 bucks, super comfortable
Who is your favorite handbag designer?
So far I like the Prada and Guess ones
Who is your favorite shoe designer?
Mollini? I dunno la
This or that
Manolos or Jimmy Choos?
Manolos. Just cause I actually touched a pair at Myer the other day but it cost about AUD1000 *faints*
Dolce and Gabbana or Chanel?
D & G
Michael Kors or Bebe?
Michael Kors
Louis Vuitton or Coach?
LV, they have nice totes
Gucci or Prada?
Both!
Miscellaneous
Favourite Magazine to read?
Cosmopolitan, Cleo
Favourite nail polish?
The pink Chi Chi one I got for free (yes, contrary to the popular belief that I always buy expensive things I get most of my stuff free or at sale price)
Favourite Book?
I’d say Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
Favourite Band?
*N Sync. Did you even have to ask?
Favourite Girly Movie?
I like all girly movies!
Are you high maintenence?
Nope, I’m actually very simple
Do you enjoy being a girl?
Yes thank you every much. I like being me
Well, that killed a bit of time. Now back to my assignment!
With some encouragement to put in my fieldwork appeal to my fieldwork coordinator, and some great appeal writing advice from Edrei I finally submitted my appeal via e-mail last night.
And this afternoon, waiting in my inbox was an e-mail telling me that I don’t have to go to Collie and have instead been reassigned to the Alzheimer’s Association in Shenton Park! I can’t stop grinning from ear to ear 
OK, so the summer heat is really getting to me. Not to mention that the bathroom renovators have just started drilling again without warning. Well at least its not as loud as the other day where I think I quite literally had a ringing in my ears for a while.
Anyways, I can’t help but feeling like I’m back at uni again. True, uni has technically started for everyone else but I don’t have classes till March 10th and I’m already working on an assignment due March 11th, and a project proposal which is supposed to be due March 12th but we got an extension for till March 31st. I look at the unit outline for what we’re supposed to be doing and the bulk of it is to repeat in more detail what was already written in our project overview. I feel like the unit coordinator is just making us write that just to make the thing look fatter. In fact, I’m convinced that’s the case. So much so, I’ve actually copied and pasted some of the overview in there and elaborated on it, see what he says
I’m driving myself crazy trying to construct a timeline of what is supposed to be done using Excel or Word. This really is driving me insane cause I’ve got to colour code everything, get a due date, get meetings fixed up, get things drafted and reviewed and basically chart down every minute of my time spent doing anything related to this project. The good thing about this is that I can claim up to 200 or so hours on this project so I’m looking forward to it.
And this is what my bed looks like at the moment with my project stuff sitting on it:
Albeit its less messier than usual but I look at my diary and how fast that file is filling up and it is getting really crazy. I’ve got more official documentation there than I ever have before and I’m going to protect it with my life if I have to so I can graduate.
Anyways, getting back to the proposal and the timelines.
