Swim Like A Fish

It has been a really great day today for me :) I am slowly getting better at studying more efficiently (thanks to the wisdom from my wonderful med friends) although improvement is still needed. The sun was out all day today and not a single drop of rain. Everyday when I leave my apartment I take my umbrella with me. Not just for the torrential downpour - it is HURRICANE season here! Sounds crazy but the locals are so numb to it because it never hits Dominica greatly (Thank goodness).

I made an appointment with an orthopedic doctor in Rosseau to have my foot injury checked. The pain has subsided, but the discomfort is still there. I have not been running for at least 3 weeks now. Sigh, this just brings back the painful memories of when I had my first injury from running 2 years ago. I had to take 6 months off running. But back then I was not as into running as I am now, so this time it really hurts me emotionally! But I am rational and perhaps logical and I know the importance of pulling back when necessary if I want to keep running for the rest of my life. This injury is quite bothersome though. I am hoping it is not plantar fasciitis... *fingers crossed* We will find out soon. To compensate for the lack of (my favourite) exercise, I started swimming again. Fortunately I brought my Speedo and my swimming goggles! :) That makes life a lot easier when I do laps in the swimming pool.

Mini 2 is 6 days away. But today I felt my inner calmness come back to me, which is exactly what I wanted. Exam anxiety will always hit me to some degree from now until forever but as long as I put a leash on it everything will be fine. I have been keeping up with the lectures and that, surprisingly, is something that is difficult to do for many students. I guess I can see that - which is why I do not ALLOW myself to fall behind. Even if I have to delay other parts of studying, I make sure I cover lectures on that day before the day is over. We learned about Hemophilia A/B and van Willebrand Diseases. You can do different tests (ie. Bleeding Time, Prothrombine Time, Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time) to find out whether it is due to defect in platelet adhesion/aggregation or absence of clotting factors. Super cool!

Anyhow I gotta do some quick review before I jump into bed. Goodnite!
PS. The photograph was taken the evening after Mini 1 exam - party at the beach! They fixed the pier and you could see that lots of people were hanging out on it getting sunburnt!... and drinking Kubuli.

A sanity check here, please!

For the first time since school started, I am actually completely stressed out. But at the same time I am trying to calm myself down. Also for the first time since school began, I am a bit behind (that happened today when I got dumped on by a load of new material that I had never heard of before). That is the reason for my slight increase in anxiety I suppose. Another big contributor to that is the fact that our Mini Exam 2 is in 10 days! Another term exam? Yes, my darling.

I want to write more but I really need to get on top of this clotting cascade and all those clotting factors involved in it. When I see the light again, I will update...

STUDY STUDY STUDY STUDY STUDY

A Permanent Stench of Formaldehyde and Body Grease

Another exam finished! We had our Anatomy practical today. If you are wondering at all what happens during an Anatomy practical, it is basically a lab exam involving cadavers. There were four rows of bodies in the lab (about 16) with maybe around 10 radiographs on computer screens. The exam was very organized and slightly funny :) Or... maybe it is just me. I often see humor in everything that crosses my path. What made it funny was its structure. So there were 4 rows of bodies and both sides were tagged on each body. Students would go in and move along the line in order of the rows, one person per body per unit time. Each question (ie. each station) was given 40sec for us to ponder and pick our answers. We were not allowed to touch the bodies or pull any tendons haha... it would have been fun if we could. When time was up there would be a chime (relatively pleasant sounding, fortunately) to signal us to move onto the next station. I think of industrial factories in this kind of situation - everything moves in an orderly manner in response to a bell! Anyhow, the exam went well - my feeling that is. This evening I will reward myself slightly and take a few hours off to eat peanut butter (not on its own) and relax. Tomorrow is time to tackle Embryology.

A mosquito is sucking out my blood from my leg at the moment. Should I kill it?

I ripped my favourite pair of shorts yesterday and it made me slightly sad. But I laughed soon after at the fact that I only have 2 pairs of shorts left... plus a pair of jeans that is too hot most of the time for the island life. Hm, will they last me till August? I hope so. I didn't really bring too many clothing items, and I am going to fix that problem when I go back home this August ;) But the fact that I don't have too many clothes forces me to do laundry every weekend. That is good I suppose - I never have a big pile of dirty laundry in my room.

ps. My scrubs smell like formaldehyde and body fat from the cadavers. I washed it already a couple of times but the smell won't come out, which is what happens... How fantastic! And, I learned a new song :) Feels so good to walk near the ocean and sing freely.

Histological or Psychological?

Good morning friends! I just did another exam this morning, and it was our Histology lab exam. Basically we were shown 50 different slides of cells and other microscopic components of tissues, and we had to answer a question on each slide. It wasn't too bad. Of course, after the Mini exam NOTHING will feel as long or as insane. Then 6 days from today we'll have another exam - Anatomy lab practical. This is the one that everyone is nervous about. I just might have to spend a few long days with cadavers drenched in formaldehyde. But for now I think I am going to learn some Embryology.

My mini exam went somewhat well. I could have done better. But I will always feel that way haha. Now I have a better idea of how to direct my study habits although it will still be trial-and-error until who-knows-when. Anyhow, lots to work on still. I am gonna try to go see my exam next week and see what I did wrong.

Now, the unfortunate fact - I think I have a soft tissue injury in my right foot, AGAIN. For the past few weeks I have been experiencing metatarsalgia on a minor level. Then this week it just suddenly worsened! Maybe my running hasn't been helping. I am gonna wait another week without running (that thought alone makes me sad!!) and go see a doctor if it doesn't get better. Sigh... I hope it is just bursitis or other kind of inflammation instead of a stress fracture.

Mini One is OVER!

2 hrs and 45 mins. My first Mini was today early in the afternoon. I pretty much stopped studying last nite at 2330hr. A minor confession - I even checked Facebook a few times! Some of my friends were on Redbull or Monster and pulling all-nighters or sleeping for only 2hrs etc. I thought even though that was crazy and admirable... I could not bring my body or mind to do it. (The picture to the left is of me reviewing the main arterial branches of the upper limb last night. Note my crazy dirty-bum look. Yea that is me in my ultimate study state.)

I have been studying pretty hard since Day 1 of this semester so I gave myself a break on the day of the exam. This morning I still woke up early though - biological clock has been set maybe? Oh wait, no I set my alarm at 0545hr hahaha. Don't ask why. But it worked well. I slept for 6 hrs! That's a lot. After I woke up I made myself some toast with LOTS of peanut butter, which I am running out of again. Sigh.

My plan was to not do too much studying right before the exam on the day of. And I made sure I stick with it. You could call this an experiment I guess. I had never been so 'scheduled' in my life before! Not even in my last year of undergrad when I was totally nerdified! Med school does change you in some really good ways. Anyways, after breakfast I decided to clean my room a bit. My room, either in Vancouver or here in Dominica, is not very tidy most of the time. I usually have books and notes all over my bed (sometimes on the floor, but I try to avoid that). However, things are getting better for me here. I really am trying hard to adopt some good habits that I thought were useless before :) My mom is quite happy to hear that! (The picture to the right is of me studying the amazing Brachial Plexus! Still looking like a student hard at work! And the picture to the left is my condensed notes and lectures for the first Mini exam, which tests a month's material.)

Alright, so onto the exam itself. Difficulty level - I would say medium. 90% of the material tested I was sure I had seen it before in the lecture. The test was much like a UBC final exam. The only difference is that this is a midterm for us! And there are 3 of them in total per semester, in additional to a bunch of lab exams for Anatomy and Histology. Consequently it feels like information overload. But might as well get used to it since that is what it's like in medical school :) I finished the exam one hour early but I stayed to double check some of my answers and went over questions that I were not too sure about. The exam was divided up into small sections of all the subjects but they were not categorized. They just numbered the questions from 1 to 130. Apparently they will be posting the answer key tomorrow but the grades won't be back till the end of the week. Oh well, I can wait! I am sure in the mean time I will still be busy with the next million concepts to be learned. (The picture to the right is me AFTER the exam, ready to head out to the beach party!)

My friends and I went to PBH beach party after the exam. Lots of people were there swimming, tubing, eating free burgers, and drinking Kubulis (I must say that I actually don't mind Kubulis at all now). It was very nice and relaxing, a much needed break for our overworked brains. Talk about how nice it is to have the campus right on a tropical island! I did miss my friends from the same program, because we never see each other during the term! Chatting and laughing with them just made my afternoon glow along with the Sun! I just got back home not too long ago - didn't stay out too late. I wanted to finish this post while my exam experience is still fresh and I also wanted to talk to my mom before going to bed (Secret: I am planning to sleep for a full 7 hours tonite).

Alright, I put up some photos of my pre-exam study state (I wanted you guys to have the REAL picture), my post-exam state, and some pictures taken at the beach today. Goodnite everyone!

Black Friday?

It's 2115hr and I am studying in the library - a different concentration camp located on central campus. There are quite a few scattered around the area and they are ALWAYS filled with medical students. Let me emphasize - ALWAYS. Well, except for when they are closed, which is from 0600 to 0800hr - closed for only 2 hours, yes. We are insane like that. I ran into a friend today on campus who I haven't seen since school started. She said she stayed at the library till 6 this morning. That just doesn't work for me. Yes I have been sleeping 5 hours a night but I still sleep. In fact after studying for the entire day I MAKE myself go home at 2330hr the latest. This week has gone by really fast. Heck, the month has slipped by. I am slowly figuring out a not-so-bad way of studying, but I can't say whether that is a good way until after the exam. Two days away now.

The stress is so heavy in this university-town that I can almost feel it cling to my skin like the moisture lingering in the air. A lot of frustration, fear, anxiety, and doubts are tossed around from one scared medical student to another. But I am staying away from all the drama :) Or trying hard to stay away from that, anyway. Medical school has brought out a side of me that I never thought existed. What side? My anti-social side!! Haha. I have been studying by myself to avoid distractions and all my friends had been wondering whether I was still alive until I reassured them that I was just being nerdy. I ran into 4 friends today on campus. Had a quick chat with each and EVERY single one of them asked me whether I was 'ready'. Hm, it is interesting how that question seems to be kicked around and spread like a virus. I just shrugged and smiled. Will we ever be 'ready'? Maybe, maybe not. But does it it matter? Not so much. Just study hard.

Alright, this break has gone on longer than I planned for! Back to studying!

Peanut Butter on Toast

This is a photo taken on the beach right by the heels of Scotts Head - I believe on the Atlantic side! Don't they look like long beans? I am hungry for nutrition... and I am serious. A couple days ago I bought myself a container full of supplements. Now, for those of you who know me - you know this is CRAZY! I never took supplements and I was never a believer in supplements. But look what malnutrition can do to you? It makes you wanna take tablets! Hahaha. Oh boy. I went to the market again on Saturday morning and loaded myself with starchy potatoes and yams - these you can boil in bulk and store them for a relatively longer period. I also bought 10 grapefruits because I love those juicy fruits. Dominica is a good place for fruits like pineapples, oranges and grapefruits because the sun here makes them big and juicy. I forgot to mention that the oranges are not in season right now so I haven't had one yet on this island. This is one thing I miss about living in Vancouver - all fruits ALL season long (close to perfection)! But I guess that is what you get if you want to be a totally organic person, like I am forced to be now.

I have been eating peanut butter like a mad person. Easy and quick source of protein and fat - which I need and love dearly, especially when I am running. However my running has stopped temporarily for the past week because of some minor soft tissue injuries in my leg/foot. Not a big deal though. I just need to pull back a bit and make sure I don't run through injuries. My coach has taught me well! :) Note to self: buy more peanut butter - the chunky kind.

Today is Monday but it is a local holiday here. Probably the same as the Dominican May Day, which was just 'a day off' for everyone on the island - no joke, those were the exact words from the locals. Apparently there were no exciting historical tales behind the holiday itself. Oh I loved it! :) Island style... I have planned to study at home today and do some massive reviewing (and it's happening). The torrential downpour this morning just made me more willing to stay home and work. Yesterday I went to my Anatomy TA session, and guess what? One of my TAs was from Vancouver. And not only that, she also graduated from UBC! Oh Vancouverites just find each other like that :) She is a smart cookie and I am sure she works hard for her goal. I am going to do the same!

My first Mini exam (or mid-term) is in exactly one week. It is a little scary but I catch myself anticipating it just a little bit. This will be the test that will direct me in SOME way regarding my way of studying and retaining information in my overcrowded brain. For that reason, I am going to finish my entry now and go back to studying. Break is over. But I am still sweating (it's 33C in my room). Ciao!