Namaste Again :)

My 1st internals are done and dusted already. I did alright I think(for the 1st ever exam in India) but lots more room for improvement. My practicals were over last week and I will be having my second internals next week. I will make sure I study really really hard for that. Going back to Malaysia straight after my last paper will definitely be a great motivating factor.

Once again, I am too lazy to upload pictures on my blog. They're all in facebook so you can view them there. Like I said in the last post, surprises await you everyday in India. Both good and bad. I recently went for my first long trip in India during Diwali. It was great to meet my best friends there after a long time. Hope we all stay connected throughout the 5 years . Keeping in touch with people is a two-way thing. If you're the only one 'pulling the strings' and making an effort to keep in touch with your friends, then that friendship will not last long. Well, that is how I see it anyway. Too lazy to elaborate on this point.

Anyways, I went to Mangalore and visited Manipal as well (Manipal is about an hours bus ride from Mangalore). So Cheng and me, with two of our seniors (Albert and Yi You) bought train tickets online and we were on our way to Mangalore. We went via sleeper class ( THE SECOND WORST CLASS ) but it was a good adventure though. If you are young and healthy, it shouldn't be a problem to travel in this class. We couldn't get better classes as we booked our tickets quite late. The journey took about 8 hours and 45 minutes. It was a really long ride and I didn't really sleep well because I was rather worried about my bags about pick pockets. I was probably paranoid after hearing alot of stories about theft in the train but to be honest, it was quite safe. Better be safe then sorry though and you mustn't be complacent cause everything could happen in a split second.

I had an awesome time in Mangalore meeting up with ALOT of my friends from KTT. Thanks to those who took time off from their studies to meet us and to those who took the trouble to bring us around.

We went to Manipal on the second day. I have to say, being in Manipal , you don't really feel like you're experiencing life in India. They're so many foreigners and Malaysians there. The main admin building was not as nice as looked in the pictures but one thing that was AWESOME was MARENA. The newly built sports complex in Manipal. I wish there was one here in Mysore but I shouldn't complain. We had some Malaysian food in Manipal and I was off to Marena to play badminton with Selvan. People would probably think I'm crazy. Travel all the way just to play badminton but that makes me happy. Too simple? Maybe. It was fantastic to meet up with both my former housemates again. HAHA..it was as if we we're in KTT. The good ol days. Too bad the BDS students were having exams during that time so I couldn't really spend much time with them.

We came back from Mangalore by bus and the cold weather that greeted us back in Mysore was a welcomed change from the scorching conditions in Mangalore. Okay, maybe scorching isn't the right word but it was certainly really hot there.

I came back and had practical exams 10 days after that. It was a good exposure to practical exams. VIVAs can be really scary at times especially when you don't know what the lecturers are going to ask you. One thing I learnt from this exam was that you need a certain amount of luck during practicals. I did relatively well in my practicals and the thing I need to improve alot is my spotters for gross anatomy. Need to play around with the cadaver more often during dissection .

The weekend after our practicals ended, the Manipal Family (thats what they call themselves) came down to Mysore for a visit. Had an amazing time with them again. Thank God for enabling us to be able to meet up quite often. We went to Ooty too but the whole trip was rather a rushed one as they just spent one day to travel around Mysore and a few hours to cover Ooty. Ooty is definitely a place that everyone should visit if they're here. Its really peaceful and not polluted up there. I really enjoyed the journey through the forest reserve ( we got to see wild deers,peacocks,bixon, elephants and even a BLACK BEAR...and did i mention in the WILD?? ) haha.I prefer these kind of places rather than shopping centres and busy polluted cities.

Well, pictures can once again be viewed on facebook. I'll stop writing now. Can't wait to go back HOME next MONTH!! WHEEEE:)
Till then, You'll Never Walk Alone :)