last friday's dinner at Taxi bar was absolutely awesome...all thanks to the glaucoma conference. Taxi restaurant at federation square is one of the most highly rated restaurants in melbourne. it was kinda uneasy though...being a low ranking medical student...sitting amongst all the consultant ophthalmologists...pple who have somewhat made it in life and made it to the top of their game.

here's the menu for the night

Deguatation dinner

• konbu roll of snapper with spicy plum sauce
  
• peking duck gyoza with pickled cucumber and spicy hoisin sauce
• lemongrass broth with scallop wonton coriander and cherry tomato
• steamed atlantic salmon with blue swimmer crab crust and green asparagus sauce
• wagyu porterhouse with green bean and tofu salad with japanese horseradish cream
• chocolate tian with honey ganache and cherry foam
• Taxi petit fours. selection of fine teas and giancarlo coffee by grinders.

and that includes free flor of a selection of australian wines and sparkly and portugese port.

i guess these pple are really passionate about what they do, and i've decided that ophthalmology is not my passion in life and there's no point for me in wasting so many years of my life as a young doctor trying to get into this very coveted and elitist speciality. i won't find much meaning in it.

as i agreed upon with james the other day on skype... global funding for eye research is actually drying up as most of the funds are channeled into the diseases that are claiming most lives...such as cancer and HIV/AIDS. though eye diseases severely impair one's quality of life, it doesn't actually claim lives...only rarely.

this AMS yr has been a great experience for me playing around in the lab and getting a feel of research in basic sciences. i won't say my lab is the most well-equipped and established one around but its been great working with a rather supportive and inspiring professor, someone who epitomises the upper class british society. not forgetting of course the wonderful colleagues whom i had a great time chatting with and sharing a tiny office with. and that includes some of the ophthal registrars from overseas who are really brilliant and yet nice to a humble medical student like me. haha.