Tuesday, October 18

4.8km and snowing?

So, Aberdeen's weather is insane. Unpredictable. It could be clear sky in the morning, heavy rain in the afternoon, and then drizzle through the night. It's october, i would say the late-middle of Fall, and the weather new is already saying it might snow next week??? The wind chills goes down to 0 to 5 deg celcius.

But i guess i'm getting pretty accustomed to the cold. Every day, i hike 2.4km to school, and the same distance back. Living in such a climate is different from being a tourist. As a tourist, u may have transportation (ie. Car, Coach), so u can wrap yourself like a dumpling. And who cares if you look ridiculous? You would probably nvr have to even talk to any of the locals. (unless you get really really lost). The weather forecast application on iPhone has turned out to be useful. Rather than showing me, "28 deg, sunny, hot. forever", like in Singapore, the weather does actually change overnight. There is this Aberdeen saying that goes, "If you don't like the weather in Aberdeen, give it 20minutes and it would change.
Wearing what's essential and minimal. Note: This was taken on a sunny week
Wearing what is required helps. Overdressing turns out to be a hassle when u try to squeeze onto the tiny lecture theatre seats, and start shuffling and annoying your neighbours as u realise the heater is cranked up. Then the problem comes to wear do u stuff your jacket? In retrospect, i have yet to encounter such problems. But more often do i wear the bare minimal, and the wind doesn't show mercy. But that's usually unbearable for the first 5-10min of walking, as my aching muscles attempt to contract and thus producing heat.

But some days are simply lovely. A clear blue sky with sunshine. Makes me wanna sit on a tree
I miss sunshine. My room faces west, and being in the northern hemisphere, the sun always shines at an angle, so i get no sunrise, no sunset, basically, sunlight nvr comes into my room. But when i sat in Ivan's room one sunny morning, and let the heat carass my skin, i realise how happy sunshine can make you feel. Everybody on that morning was high and bubbly (despite the perpetual lack of sleep). Wonder why Singaporeans are so gloomy though. Got too heated up?
One of the College's building opposite my Halls of Residence. Sadly, i don't study there. At all.
We occasionally have lesson in the Old Aberdeen campus. (like every wednesday) for only 6 weeks O.o Feels kinda conned, since i stay right smack in the middle of the University. But on those days we walk through campus ground, it reminds us that we are actually University students! Watching students piling up on queues to ridiculously priced and minutely small pastries, or sitting on the grass having a picnic. (Maybe banglahdeshies are related to the locals). When i introduced myself to an Acapella friend, she was so shocked that i was from Medicine. "You are like the first medic i've seen in a long while, they all seem to disappear!" Yeah, cause this profession apparently likes to set itself apart from everybody else. As much as i wanna linger and meet ppl from other courses, it's pretty tough with the schedule, location, work-load. We have school every single day, and they have wednesday off because of "sports day". But it's alright, i'm loving everyday of school. So far :P

Our favourite lunch. Vege-wrapped ham,egg,cheese dumpling :P
Seniors told us that 30% of year 2 medics have liver cirrhosis. I better not get myself near that statistics in anyway. Here is such a boring place. In the night, the only places u can go out to are pubs and clubs. Drinking and getting wasted is the primary past-time for the locals. I wished the had 24/7 prata or mee-pok shops here. The ridiculously early dinners @ 5 to 6:30pm always leaves me munching on snacks in the wee-hours of the morning.

Lessons have started to get interesting. Clinical skills like CPR and gross anatomy from cadavers are so much easier to learn from. Respect to those kind souls who donate their body to a bunch of blur knowledge hungry medical students who rammage through their innards like racoons. But as my lecturer said, if you never put your hands in, you are never gonna learn.

It's been more than a month. Time really passing by fast. It's been so busy i barely have time to miss home, family, friends. But i wonder whether time feels as fast for them back home. And it's the 1st time i've fallen ill since coming here. Hence, i shall sleep early. 12:20am is early compared to my usual 3am study habits, which leaves me with zombie walk to school every morning.