Monday, 5 July 1999

First day of school! I kept waking up in the middle of the night to check on my alarm clock! My stomach was in knots as I was so excited. I could barely stop myself from grinning as I went about preparing to step out of the house. I had chosen a nice, kinda groovy outfit to wear today to mark the occasion. It was an outfit I'd wore before and that one close friend said I looked young and good in. :) Yeah, I'm vain! :P

The first lesson of the day was English language. Bad news is, there'll be an essay test next week. Good news is, if we make the grade and prove to the tutorial teacher that we have a good grasp of the English language, then, we won't have to attend any more of her classes! I'm really banking on not having to attend any more classes which would give me an extra free period to maybe go for a jog or do some study / research in the library. I guess the English classes are targetted for the foreign students and those really weak in the language. I'm determined to perform well next week. I hope I don't slip up.

Biological Science 1A lecture. I wondered why the Dr-lecturer gave up his career as an M.D. to be a lecturer. Just curious. Learnt that in future practicals, we'll be seeing cadavars (dead bodies). Yeeks! I don't know if I'll be able to keep a brave front when I get to see one. I remember the first time I saw a cadavar in a funeral about two years ago, I couldn't keep the deceased's face out of my mind for the next few days. :/ I kept a brave front as the students around me exclaimed and made remarks and giggled nervously and all but deep inside, I'm just as apprehensive. :P One thought occured to me, that when the time comes to face a cadavar in the laboratory, I'll treat the body with utmost respect. It is afterall, noble of the person to contribute in this manner to the advancement and / or perpetuation of medical science. I'll make the most of the opportunity to study the anatomy but will try to prevent myself from making tasteless jokes and all about the body. Be inquisitive, desire to learn, and yes, respect the cadavar.

Behavioural Sciences 1A - Psychology. Really interesting area of study and quite easy to take to. Some students wanted to know the relevance of studying Behavioural Sciences in a nursing course. The lecturer explained that nurses have to be able to understand the psyche of the patient and know how to deal with them. I'm beginning to like the holistic scope of this course. :)

Biological Science tutorial was a laugh. Since it was the first Bioscience tutorial of the week, we had nothing to discuss except what the difference was between a living and non-living thing!!! DUH?!! I vaguely remember studying that in Primary One, thank you! Well, I guess they have to make sure that we don't operate on a non-living thing, whatever. OK, OK, I'd better stop grumbling. I guess it's the only effortless bioscience tutorial for the entire three years anyway because the next tutorial is going to be so much more demanding. OK, OK, I was being cynical, sorry! :P

Clinical Education class. Oooo, the unmistakable 'hospital antiseptic' smell wafted along the corridor as we made our way to the simulated wards. I'm beginning to love that smell! We were introduced to the two mannequins in our ward, John and Jane. It was a 4-bedder, just like the other simulated wards in the School of Health Sciences. We had some fun cranking the beds, putting the bedrails up and down, and were having the time of our lives until our instructor informed us how much it costs to repair any damages. :P

The first school day ended at 4:10pm. What a relief! As we trudged to the Yio Chu Kang MRT, we were fatigued and uppermost on our minds, SLEEP! ... but not before watching 'Friends' at 10pm! ;)

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