Today is Australia Day which is a public holiday however I’ve been fostered to work from 8 til 5pm. On a lunch break so thought I’d post this entry I never got around to post. Happy Australia Day!

My boyfriend and I have been wanting to visit this joint since it’s conception in 2008. Named after for its previous use, Auction Rooms is a lovely old blue paint chipped building revamped with large windows, PVC pipe lights and random woodwork.

Situated in the suburb of North Melbourne, it’s popular for locals and those who just want to get away from the city for breakfast and lunch or in between.

I hear it’s an ideal spot for coffee lovers, unfortunately I don’t drink coffee so I had the hot chocolate. A little on the bitter side, but I do prefer my hot chocolates to be extremely milk chocolatey like the ones at San Churro’s and Lindt Cafe.

I was hoping to have the french toast but it was no longer on the menu so I had sourdough bread with 2 poached eggs served with tomato relish and home-made chorizo. Chorizo was goooood!

Boyfriend had the Ploughman’s sandwich which was surprisingly filling.

Food was pretty good but the venue and location were really the kicker for this place.

As much as I wanted to blog more this year, it has been difficult to fit it in since I started work two weeks ago. The first week was Orientation week which involved getting rid of the cobwebs developed over the Summer and then last week was my first official week of working as a doctor. For my first rotation (10 weeks) I will be in Horsham (country town 4 hours away from Melbourne) doing General Surgery.

I went home over the weekend to celebrate Chinese/Vietnamese New Year and just arrived back in Horsham 2 hours ago, exhausted from the drive. In many ways I’m surprised I survived the first week of work… and my patients have been okay.

It’s so weird working 5-6 days a week and being accountable. As a medical student I was used to asking the Intern for help or his or her signature on a drug chart I completed or a medical certificate I filled in, but now I’m the one with the important signature. It’s scary!

Last week I was looking after the Surgical patients on the ward and in ICU, this week I’ll have my time in the Operating Theatre, hopefully having the chance to help out.

There’s limited internet here, so I am using my Iphone as a modem, so my posts may have less images but I hope the content is still exciting :p

Happy Chinese/Vietnamese New Year!

Combine a love for records and decent lunch in the setting of suburbia and you have “White Rabbit Record Bar,” a record store slash restaurant nuzzled in the quiet funky suburb of Kensington. They have a lunch menu and a special brunch menu and we were lucky to make it in time for brunch.

The homey comfy surroundings.

My dish was a Mexican inspired vegetarian dish with beans, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, salsa on top of a wrap. Cannot recall boyfriend’s dish name but it was an omlette.

The place has a very laid back atmosphere and staff. When we first walked in there was no one behind the counter, we had to walk further inside to find someone and we were pretty much alone as we ate.

A relaxing place for brunch.. actually the whole street next to the train station is lovely if you prefer quiet than bustling.

2012 started off on a quiet note as I spent the final hours of 2011 sitting in the lounge room watching movies and news and song recaps of the year then the first minutes of 2012 watching fireworks from my balcony.

Suddenly it’s five days into the new year and in three days I’ll be entering the real work force world as a “Doctor”.. well.. not quite as we have Orientation week first! :P

This week has been catching up on “How I Met Your Mother” episodes; squeezing in as many lunch and dinner dates before work begins; experimenting with make-up; relaxing under the aircon on 35+ degree celsius days; celebrating the release of Series 2 of BBC’s Sherlock TV series (it’s sooo good); tasting the best Madeleine at a restaurant/bar names after a cloud; taking a sneak peak at the new Children’s Hospital and getting organised before work begins.

Nothing beats good hot chocolate that is also pretty! This week my boyfriend and I found the time between errands to brunch at Auction Rooms, a place we’ve been meaning to visit since it’s conception in 2008! In depth review coming soon!

Anja, a lovely girl I befriended during my trip to Austria sent me a little package containing a panoramic card of the city of Graz (where I spent most of my time) and “Magical Snow Powder” to bring some snow to Australia :) All you have to do is add water, it’s magical!

Before New Years, a group of my friends and I went on a mini trip to Rye (2.5 hours from Melbourne) which was loads of fun! We splashed in the ocean, sunbaked on the beach, cooked together, drank Frangelico with apple juice, relaxed at the Peninsula Hot Springs, and my highlight- played with Steph’s new puppy! He’s a Chihuahua x Pomeranian and his name is Mikey, named after Michael Jackson because he has one white paw (too cute!). He’s 9 weeks old and very cheeky!

Have a wonderful weekend! xx

For 2012 I’ve decided to jot down a “Dream List” – a list of goals, dreams (however small or far-fetched). The list is still in progress and from that list I’m going to narrow it down for 2012. It is quite interesting as I write this personal list to see how tentative I am when I want to write something I think I cannot achieve and then I realise it’s these thoughts which prevent me from moving forward.

I want to do much more with this blog! I want this blog into more like a magazine which teaches others! I love teaching and it makes me sad that I won’t do it as much this year due to Intern commitments. I want to use my status as a young female recently graduated from Med school to help others and to inspire people to look after themselves and that we can do anything if we put our mind into it! We’re not just a single label, like “Doctor”, “Accountant”, “Architect”, “Stay at home Mum”, “Graphic designer”, etc. we’re more than that… By writing this I want to imprint in my mind that I can do this and it’s possible!

This is going to be a crazy year and I know there will be obstacles, but we’ll get through them (we always do)… anything is possible!

I can’t believe how fast this year has flown by! It only feels like yesterday that I was a final year Medical student, excited but anxious about this year and now I’m a Doctor, solo traveller extrordinaire, Yearbook editor, event planner, fashion blogger and other crazy feats I can’t believe I’ve done!

Things I’ve learnt in 2011

• I CAN DO IT! Fear of failing and disappointing has been the primary reason for not persuing my dreams and this year I’ve been able to overcome some of that doubt to do things I’d never dream of like travel solo to Austria and Germany and work in a hospital!
• There will always be friends who disappoint you
• Whining does not cure anything, it only worsens the problem by passing it onto someone else to worry about

Things I’ve done in 2011 which I’ve never done before

• Saw a professional Musical- West Side Story!
• Travelled solo/backpacked around Austria and lower Germany
• Dined and drank at an actual beer hall
• Relaxed in hot springs (in Rye)
• Assisted with Maxillofacial surgery (fractured jaws, cancers, broken noses, fractured skulls, wisdom teeth extraction)
• Ventured inside the largest icecaves in the world (Salzburg)
• Enjoyed 2 blissful weeks in Fiji
• Jetskiied, parasailed, white water rafted
• Lived on an island for a week (only took 10 minutes to cross from one side to the other side of the Island)
• Dined at Nobu, Chin Chin, Coda, Movida, Paco’s Tacos, Mamasita, LuxBite and the list goes on!
• Received a full body massage and facial – so good!
• Attended the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival and had a blast!
• Perused an Australian designer’s market
• Visited a Tutankhamun and Lego exhibit
• Editted and partially designed a yearbook
• Graduated and became a Doctor

This year has been amazing and I only hope 2012 to be a stunner! 2012 is going to be about stepping into the “real world” and working as a doctor for the first time and I really want to work hard at maintaining a work life balance and looking after myself and continue to do whatever I want and not be held back by doubts.

Thank-you so much for the support and comments and wishing you all a Safe and Happy New Year!
xx

Before my boyfriend left to America to see his family, we had lunch at a place called Chin Chin on Flinders Lane. It was one of those places we always passed when we dined at other restaurants near by and it always looked so popular! My friend recommended that I should try the place, especially try the “Son in Law egg.”

It’s a really cool place! The place mats have manga drawings, there’s a fluorescent pink bunny on the wall, the food is a mix of Vietnamese, Thai and Japanese so if you’re not keen on mint or chilli I say this is not the place for you!

Apologies for the poor quality photos, they were taken with my Iphone.

Snippet of the cool place mats

DIY Shredded pork wraps with special sweet jam

Dry red curry with soft shell crab (this was my favourite!)

Son in Law eggs – I’ve never had this before and it was quite nice!

Wagyu salad

Wow this year has gone by fast! I can’t believe a couple more days and it’s a new year! I will be going on a mini roadtrip with my friends in the next few days, so when I get back it will be the perfect time to do my annual “Year look back” post. :)

This week has been about last minute Christmas shopping, lazy Summer days, finishing chores, celebrating with friends who are graduating, still getting used to having the title Dr., paperwork, eating great steak, karaoke-ing til 4 in the morning and movie marathons!

Last week I organised a lunch at Izakaya Den with my close friends to celebrate my Graduation. Two of my friends bought me cupcakes– this one is passionfruit flowered.

I don’t live in the most clean or sophisticated area in Melbourne however it is home to the Top 5 steaks in Melbourne! Honestly, I have no clue when it comes to steak but the boys love the place! However I do have more knowledge when it comes to fries and potato wedges, and these are the best I’ve had! Handcut and fried with the perfect crunch!

My sister’s boyfriend bought the family a Christmas cake which was really too cute to eat. Mango flavour with Pucca’s face (which symbolises my sister, haha).

We have a family friend who bakes cakes and has come up with incredible creations for my grandmother and sister’s birthdays. For Christmas she made us a Christmas log (which Mum tells me is custom in Vietnam) with a cute Christmas tree, flowers and chubby Santa- all hand-iced, no ready-made sugary decorations here!

Have a lovely Christmas weekend!

I wanted to be involved in my graduation and make it as close to perfect as I can so what better way than be on the Graduation Committee?! If I wasn’t doing Medicine I would be an artist or designer (travelling the world), so when the Graduation Yearbook Editor job was up, I instantly applied. As it was a two person job, my friend Melissa, who is from the Post-Graduate campus, also applied with me.

In previous years, the Yearbooks had been thin soft covered magazines with generic layouts, Mel and I wanted the Yearbook to look modern and chic. Initially we wanted to design and create it ourselves then send it off to a printing company, however time wasn’t on our side. As a compromise we designed some parts and the Yearbook company, Rockstar Memoirs did some designing too based on our suggestions.

We wanted the cover to be elegant but modern and the interior to look like a fashion or art magazine with heaps of photos and typography, with emphasis on the typography! The cover is a black leather hardcover with gold embossing. Unfortunately we could not include the Monash University Logo because of political reasons, which was a pity.

Mel included an inspirational quote from one of the famous Doctors, Doctor Seuss on the “From the Editors” page.
It reads: “You have brains in your head, You have feet in your shoes, You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own, And you know what you know, You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”

I did a quick survey on what Medical students wanted to be if they hadn’t gone down the Doctor path, some of the responses were hilarious!

I designed the divider pages and the profile pages. It was a huge hassle getting everyone to send in their photos and profiles in time, but we managed in the end!

Photo collages grouped into “Pre-Clinical Years”, “Clinical Years” and “Social.”

Mel and I were in Europe (separate trips) as the printing deadline was approaching. Extremely stressful when we were both relying on free wi-fi at hostels and hotels across Europe, but thanks to the girls in the Graduation Committee for being so helpful and giving us an extra hand and to Rockstar Memoirs for being so patient and trying to incorporate all our ideas and designs.

After 5 years, this is what I’ve been waiting for…

The next chapter begins…