Medicine, Music, & Musings
Tag: vol04
It's finally here. The blog post which some have been requesting. Aptly, it is being published on New Year's Eve. I hope this encourages and inspires you to consider realistic fitness and health goals, particularly if you're one who sets New Year Resolutions. For those just interested in the rough 'before'/'after' photos and only want … Continue reading 04(17): Why and how I lost 10 kg in 5 months, and successfully sustained it; lessons learnt, and next steps
INTRODUCTION It has been a while (about 1.5 months) since my previous blog post, in which I discussed a medical condition where the patient sheds 'crocodile tears'. Well, that condition (Borogad syndrome) is pretty esoteric, and I wrote about it largely only because I wanted to share some fascinating trivia I had encountered in my … Continue reading 04(16): Why 1 kg weight loss takes away 4 kg-equivalent of stress from the hip – a tango between medicine and Newtonian mechanics
BACKGROUND The animated film Tarzan (1999) by Disney is one of the many animated productions that I watched fondly as a kid. The film chronicles the tale of a man raised by apes and must decide where he really belongs when he learns that he is a human. Famous soundtrack from the film include You'll … Continue reading 04(15): A medical condition in which you shed crocodile tears
Introduction Many in society repeat ad nauseam how it's a person's personality that truly matters, perhaps in an attempt by their holier-than-thou attitude to demonstrate that they transcend the reality of the 'superficiality' of physical features. What's funny is that it's almost never the people who are conventionally unattractive that say that 'looks don't matter'. … Continue reading 04(14): What objectively determines the physical attractiveness of a man’s face?
Background What is your favourite cuisine? Personally, it would be Japanese (Western is a joint favourite). My love for Japanese food began at the tender age of nine, when I was granted even more daily pocket money upon advancing to being a Primary Three student at Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary School (PHPPS). A photograph of … Continue reading 04(13): The secret of success according to the world’s greatest sushi chef
Background Yesterday, I went to get a haircut and while I was en-route to the barber, I encountered a sign which advertised the list of aesthetic services offered by a GP clinic, which itself was a member of a chain of GP clinics. Interestingly, aesthetic medicine isn't recognised as a specialty or subspecialty in Singapore. … Continue reading 04(12): Aesthetic medicine – does it deserve such a bad rap?
Introduction During my first week of the IM (Internal Medicine) rotation almost a year ago, I remember being asked by a doctor to perform an examination of a particular patient's cranial nerves. The patient had been diagnosed with Ramsay-Hunt syndrome. That encounter left an impact on me. Now, whenever I encounter the eponymous syndrome or … Continue reading 04(11): Justin Bieber – a case study on facial nerve palsy and basic neurolocalisation
Background & Introduction **Scroll to the bottom of this post for a tl;dr summary if you'd rather not read the details!** In perhaps the first quarter of 2021, I encountered a fellow Singaporean medical student’s retweet on Twitter. The retweet promoted an online event, specifically a global competition for medical students, that had been organized … Continue reading 04(10): The finale of a global challenge that was held in London, and sightseeing in the city
The main body's text was originally published on 27 April 2022. However, my views on social media yet again and with respect to that, I published an update (on 1 May 2022) that can be found at the bottom of this post. Frequent visitors to my site would notice that just a few days ago, … Continue reading 04(09): Evolving views on social media
Last night, I completed my re-reading of Cal Newport's "Digital Minimalism". The book is incredibly relevant to practically every soul whose life involves the use of, to any extent, devices such as smartphones, computers, etc. I realised that when I had read the book for the first time last July, I failed to note down … Continue reading 04(08): Notable snippets from a second read of Cal Newport’s “Digital Minimalism”
Earth without art is just 'eh'. This year, the 73rd NUS Medical Society Arts & Culture Directorate has put together the 2022 HeARTbuzz Art Exhibition and its theme is "Pneuma: Breath of life". The Ancient Greek word πνεῦμα ('pneuma') means “wind, breath, spirit” and wends its way into our modern lexicon, manifesting itself in terms … Continue reading 04(07): Earth without art is just ‘eh’
What a pleasant surprise to receive this in my inbox (see the following attached screenshot of the email correspondence that has been partially redacted). Yishun Health (consisting of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital 邱德拔醫院, 90 Yishun Central and Yishun Community Hospital) had their Teachers' Appreciation Day on 1 March to demonstrate their thanks for the indispensable … Continue reading 04(06): An unexpected appreciation for my piano arrangement of “The Road Ahead”
NB: This was adapted (mainly refinements on grammar, sentence structure, and a few additions to content) from a physical diary entry I made today.---Today, I experienced a renewed urge to become truly disciplined again with respect to my academic work - to work on my Anki reviews (ensuring that they are completed promptly every single … Continue reading 04(05): A revitalised urge for discipline in one’s pursuit of the deep life
Dear 6-year-old Nicholas, I am you from the future, specifically 24-year-old Nic. It must be freaky and overwhelming to receive this letter. In fact, the contents of this letter may be a little challenging to understand at your age, so don’t be afraid to ask Dad and Mom to help explain some of its contents … Continue reading 04(04): A letter to 6-year-old Nic
How the quote ‘Comparison is the thief of joy’ originated “Comparison is the thief of joy”. This well-known quote is attributed to the 26th US President Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919). Attached below is an image of him (taken from Wikipedia [1]). Variations of this advice are common as well. In the US, a particularly well-regarded place … Continue reading 04(03): Comparison is the thief of joy
Skincare routines are not limited to use by women It isn’t challenging to appreciate the sheer number of beauty, skincare, and facial products that are marketed primarily towards the female demographic in society. It’s everywhere: physical advertisements at bus stops, MRTs, shopping malls; advertisements along the side of the page as you surf the web. … Continue reading 04(02): Establishing a basic skincare routine
In this post, I share my journey of how I was diagnosed with myopia and rotated through several glasses as the years passed until I settled on my current pair which I deeply enjoy.
Nicholas Loh 