Officially Second Year Med!
Posted by Quill on April 11th, 2008 filed in On Being a Medical StudentComment now »
Wow! It feels awful good to know that the promotional boards approved outright that you are fit for second year. This promotional boards is a closed session of all the chairpersons of all the departments where they deliberate on each student, whether he or she is fit for second year or not. I really was very very glad to hear that I am one of those who outright passed first year, and yet a little bit disheartened as well. Apparently, of the 10 or so of my group of friends, only 3 of us passed outright. The rest will have to take remedial classes over the summer break. How sick is that?
Anyway, I am currently ENJOYING my vacation. I’ve been watching tv, playing with Mr. Puffles, going out to buy stuff (new cellphone and a multi-function printer), and I’ve been especially busy planning my HK trip with Don. Woohoo! Four days and three nights. One night on board a cruise ship, another checked in at the Marco Polo, and the last night at Disney’s Hollywood Hotel! Oh my, I can’t wait to go there. Been planning on what rides to go to and especially, what stores to visit. I’ve also been fixing all my gadgets for the trip because aside from experiencing HK and buying souveniers, I want to take loads of pictures as remembrances! LOL!
Anyhoo, I’ll post again soon.
Something I Snagged from LJ.com
Posted by Quill on January 3rd, 2008 filed in Contemplating LifeComment now »
What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?
Hmmm… Assert myself to my parents that I wanted to go on a vacation, with only Timmy and Mich. Twice… and was allowed twice. Uh, open up a cadaver and held many firsts! A human heart, brain, lung, kidney, etc etc… EVERYTHING! And, going to the dance floor to dance and scream. LOL!
Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Hmmm… I’m not quite sure that I did make any for last year. I guess for this year my New Year’s resolution is to vow to do much better in school. LOL!
Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope. At least I reckon none… There might have been births, though I’m not aware of it. LOL!
Did anyone close to you die?
Nope.
What countries did you visit?
Nada.
What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
A greater sense of concentration and initiative. I sort of was losing my touch later in the year in 2007. I was already shifting into the “Holiday Vacation Mode.”
What date(sssss) from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Hmmm… The whole of Summer ‘07! First there was the Canyon Woods outing we had with Mich, Timmy, and I. Then there was the Baguio escapade, again participated by the three of us. LOL! ALSO, my whole Holiday vacation which I spent checked in at the Shangri-la Hotel in Makati. PLUS, December 31, 2007 and moving into January 1, 2008. Yeah, the Disco Rouge at, yet again, the Shangri-la Hotel. Wicked!
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting my Bachelor’s degree and entering Medical School.
What was your biggest failure?
This year? None I guess.
Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nope.
What was the best thing you bought?
My first stethoscope… which I am very much ashamed of because its two toned, orange and light blue. Had I known that doctor’s stethoscopes are color coded ”BLACK,” I’d have ordered black. Apparently, the colorful ones are for nurses.
Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Mine! LOL!
Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
None.
Where did most of your money go?
Leisure.
What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My first day at Medical School… but, I have to admit, opening up my first cadaver was exhilarating!
What song will always remind you of 2007?
Josh Groban’s “February Song”
Compared to this time last year, are you:
I am a lot lot more talkative and bolder.
What do you wish you’d done more of?
Traveling.
What do you wish you’d done less of?
Hmmm… staring into oblivion.
Did you fall in love in 2007?
Yes.
What was your favourite TV program?
A lot! House. Prison Break. Heroes. Rome.
Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Nope.
What was the best book you read?
Bartimaeus Trilogy
What was your greatest musical discovery?
Hmmm… Juanes!
What did you want and get?
My own place where I get to be me. Also known as the dorm I am currently residing at. LOL!
What did you want and not get?
A trip to Europe.
What was your favourite film of this year?
Die Hard 4
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Eat out. Blah. Shop. Blah. 22. It was so unfortunate that it was the Pacqiuao-Barrera fight.
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A trip to Europe!
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
Hmmm… Jeans, shirt, sneakers. Most of the time white pants, white blouse, black shoes. Sometimes with sterile gloves, green surgical lab gown, and a Spongebob face mask. LOL!
What kept you sane?
Family, friends, food.
Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
None.
What political issue stirred you the most?
The whole “Saving the Earth” thing. Environmental stuff.
Who did you miss?
Nobody.
Who was the best new person you met?
My classmates at Med School.
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007:
Medical School pulverizes your ego. You learn then to be humble and patient.
Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Better Days
Goo Goo DollsAnd you ask me what I want this year
And I try to make this kind and clear
Just a chance that maybe we’ll find better days
Cuz I don’t need boxes wrapped in strings
And desire and love and empty things
Just a chance that maybe we’ll find better daysSo take these words
And sing out loud
Cuz everyone is forgiven now
Cuz tonight’s the night the world begins againAnd it’s someplace simple where we could live
And something only you can give
And thats faith and trust and peace while we’re alive
And the one poor child that saved this world
And there’s 10 million more who probably could
If we all just stopped and said a prayer for themSo take these words
And sing out loud
Cuz everyone is forgiven now
Cuz tonight’s the night the world begins again
I wish everyone was loved tonight
And somehow stop this endless fight
Just a chance that maybe we’ll find better days
So take these words
And sing out loud
Cuz everyone is forgiven now
Cuz tonight’s the night the world begins again
Cuz tonight’s the night the world begins again
Another Year Gone
Posted by Quill on December 25th, 2007 filed in Contemplating LifeComment now »
Going, going, gone. I must say, I’ve gone quite a long way from being a drifting bum earlier this year. Now, I am full pledged medical student. It would shatter my pride if I would decide to quit now, especially with the knowledge that I perform much better than some of my classmates. Imagine that, if I decide to quit. In 5-years-time my equals would be doctors and I will be God knows where. Hehe.
Anyhoo, I’ve been spending my Holidays at the Shangri-la Makati Hotel. Yes, since the day I got back from my dormitory, I lived in the hotel. How is life like living in a hotel? Well, every morning you have the option to indulge in the free breakfast that comes with the room or you can go sweat yourself in the gym and workout in the swimming pool. So far, I’ve been doing the latter. I’m too full in the morning to go eating buffet for breakfast. Hehe. So, yeah, I’ve not been immobile… though I’ve been eating quite a lot. Well, not exactly, I only eat once a day-either lunch or dinner… buffet. Teehee!
Aside from that, I also get to go the mall or malls. Since Glorietta, SM, and Park Square are too damn close to the hotel, I just NEED to go. LOL! However, I haven’t exactly bought anything for myself. I’ve had pretty good presents this year… a DVD player from my older brother, a Victorinox Cross pen and mini Swiss knife from my mum, and a Liz Claiborne wallet from my younger sister. I’ve still to figure out what to spend my Christmas money on, which was given to me by my dad. LOL!
Hmmm… Ah yes! When there isn’t anything to do, I just lounge around the room. Take naps. Nibble on chips, cookies, and sweets. Watch TV. Surf the internet. Take endless baths in the shower. LOL! Ah, I love the life! We’ll be spending the New Year at home though. I miss home. I miss Mr. Puffles as well. Too bad animals aren’t allowed in the hotel.
One odd thing. I miss my dormitory. My room in particular. I’ve managed to make it cozy. I dunno but I miss living alone. The quiteness, the thrill of having to decide what to eat for lunch and dinner, the annoying reality that I still have a shifting exam the next day and haven’t reviewed for it yet, and the relaxing moments of watching TV or listening to music.
1/8 MD ^_^
Posted by Quill on October 24th, 2007 filed in On Being a Medical StudentComment now »
Booyah! I did it! I have survived the first semester of first year medical school, and… I want more. Bring it on! Hehehehe!
So, its 7 more semesters, a year of post-graduate internship, 8 months of board review, and the final Physician’s Licensing Exam. Yes! Still a lot lot more to go.
My classmates and I, dorks as we are, jest using the terms we learned for the sem. We would use the medical names of muscles and bones, or say we either felt hyperglycemic or hypoglycemic, or are suffering from hypoxic hypoxia or dyspnea. Anyway, you get the point.
I remember what the chief of surgery of the university’s hospital told us during the review of our final exams. He said 5 months ago, we wouldn’t understand any of the medical terms he was telling us during the review, we would either be confused or lost. But after having gone through the first 5 months of our medical education, he said, we now clearly understood both his serious lectures and jokes. Haha!
Well, that’s about it for now. I am definitely going to treat myself during the break!
The First Semester is Almost Over…
Posted by Quill on October 4th, 2007 filed in On Being a Medical StudentComment now »
And I am honestly poofed-out. I didn’t expect that I’d feel time pass by so very fast. In no time I have memorized loads of information. From the specific parts and functions of histology, to gross human anatomy, to physiology, and even, to my great surprise, the different biochemical pathways in human beings. Yes, I have been disheartened many times, and even thought of dropping and suffering the fate of students marked “losers” for life for not finishing medicine. Despite these waves of depressed feelings and attacks on my ego, I still survive. Yes, strength of character is demanded, no required even, to get to pass through the tough training of becoming a doctor.
My strategy? I do not pour my heart and soul in everything I do–whether it be studying for a unit test, or a pratical exam, or even a major exam; or, in readying for a conference and writing a paper. Why so? I have done it before my midterm exams. I did study and work until the wee hours of the morning. I stayed out late in the internet cafe researching for the topic of our conferences. And still, I got low grades.
Now that I take it easy, as if everything is just a walk in the park, I get by and get above average grades. LOL! I did not even expect to improve my grades in Biochemistry and Microscopic Human Anatomy. Amazingly, the subjects I once adored and excelled in, I no longer adore and, well, get lower grades; on the other hand, those subjects that I hated and flunked in, I now love and excel in. Haha! Talk about getting adjusted!
I vow to improve myself next semester. Probably work a little more harder and read a little more than usual. Maybe I also have to adjust my sleeping habits. I cannot seem to stay awake and alert past 10:30 pm. By that time I must sleep. I hear my classmates stay awake until 2 am, take a nap for an hour, then wake up again to study and go straight to class. I cannot do that. I need to sleep. I honestly do not understand how they can get through class. But upon observation, they look really haggard with “morning glory” stuck in between their eyes. LOL!
Anyway, as of now, my mind is set.
I want to be a doctor.
On First Year Medical School
Posted by Quill on August 8th, 2007 filed in On Being a Medical StudentComment now »
It takes getting used to. I must say, the first few weeks racked my brain. I was not ready for all those anatomical, histological, and medical terms. Everyday is a test day as well. Tuesday is Histology. Wednesday is Physiology. Thursday is Biochemistry. Friday is Anatomy. Basically, everyday you must review for the day’s lessons, and tomorrow’s lessons and test. Miss out on one thing and everything else will crumble.
Honestly, it took quite a while for me to realize that I already am in medical school and there is no turning back. Once you’re in, you’re in. If you want out, you’d be branded a loser by not only your classmates, but also your professors. It took the first preliminary exams to wake me up. I’ve now scheduled my days hourly… yes, with specific hours for waking up, eating, fixing up, and studying. I’ve finally become truly OC.
I guess that’s what medical school requires. You should be organized and dedicated enough to the cause of “saving humanity” to last 4 years of medical school, a year of internship, the board exams, residency training, and practice. I realize now that the choice I’ve made and where I am now is only a baby step compared to the many more large bounds I still have ahead of me.
As early as now we’ve been told of how training and practice is in the different specializations of being a doctor. I’ve been thinking simply engaging in General Practice, where you just start practicing as soon as you get your license (mind you, this is in demand in the US, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand). However, I’ve also been thinking of possibly getting in Surgery, a more specific specialization of which I still do not know, or Obstetrics. For GP, I get to leave the country easily. For Surgery, the money is there, especially if you’re really good. For Obstetrics, you have an endless supply of patients. LOL! Ah well, I’ll know which one to specialize in soon enough.