I should probably be studying

I  am distracted. Very distracted.  I did my best to make my "free" time at least somewhat productive. Tonight, I put on my chef hat and made some 4-star chicken cuisine. Yes, I realize that this looks terrible, but it tastes delicious. To this concoction I added brown sugar, seasoned salt, garlic, pepper, oats, a tiny bit of butter, peanuts and some corn oil. I mixed this splendorous meal with some egg noodles and it really hit the spot.

Afterward I began my attempt on research for a side-class called SGL. (I spent at least an hour stuck in a string of youtube videos...). SGL stands for small group learning. Starting last week, myself and six others were given a theoretical case that we need to discuss and pool our knowledge to make decisions. We analyze all of the information that is given, place it into categories and discuss it. Many times there will be conditions or vocab that we don't understand, or maybe someone in the group is an expert in that field or has experience with that specific item. The objects of these exercises is to think critically, present information, discuss information and be professional. My case involved a supposedly pregnant woman of advanced maternal age. Most of the discussion was centered around the possible risk factors of being above age 35, having children and the additional risk of Down syndrome. Other topics  we discussed included genetic disease, amenorrhea, pregnancy precautions, pregnancy tests, etc.

One topic I brought to the table was a memory regarding cats and pregnant women. After doing some research I found information on toxoplasmosis, a bacteria carried by cats in their feces. There are some studies that show severe birth defects or miscarriage as a result of infection during early pregnancy. So pregnant ladies, don't change the cat litter! Tomorrow I will be enlightening my classmates on this and other things pregnant women should avoid during pregnancy to increase the chance of a healthy birth. I enjoyed this process and look forward to the upcoming SGL session tomorrow where we will be presented with a new case. Needless to say, this process makes me feel like Dr. HOUSE.


Let's turn back the clock to last Saturday. Last Saturday I was blessed to take part in something called Kid's Sports Day here on campus. During sports day I more or less got to be a kid for a few hours. I did not deserve to have this much fun! I got to play soccer, dodge-ball, basketball , tag and you name it with these kids. They had a riot pegging me in the head playground balls. Most of them were worn out after several games of tag. (Mostly me, in part because one version of tag is having 8 kids as "it" while they chased me down) I need to work on my Barry Sanders skills. In the event of the zombie apocalypse, I'd be as good as (un)dead.  I got mowed over by the group of hungry youngsters. And here is what I got for losing...  arm and face paint...

 My name and a heart...  (Sarah, she was 8, you don't have any competition, I promise!)

 A tree and an orange snowman.

(I found the snowman cool because the girl 

that drew has never even seen the snow.)

Meanwhile, I know back at home everyone is

moaning and groaning about the snow. :-P

Later that day I went to my friend's house for a group study session and dinner. My walk took me to the infamous "Moo Cow Trail" whose name was a hit back at home when I told my family about it. At home I couldn't imagine why they would name it as they did. It was more than aptly named for these jolly milk maker's wandering the entire length of the trail!

Lately I've been doing some studying near the annex. Outside there are these friendly felines.

 One morning this week I woke up to make some coffee and in the process I moved my book bag. To my surprise, I disturbed the sleep of this little guy. I promptly caught him and escorted him outside. (I would keep half of these guys if I were allowed pets in the apartment)

Is it just me or does this bush look like an enzyme ?

It appears to have an active site and an allosteric site!

 And here is a true charm that I feel some people can appreciate.  Let me start by saying that I have odd passion for random graffiti, although I have never done it. Below is a picture inside a library cubicle where I sat once the first week of class. I saw the writing and tried to make sense of the hieroglyphics. I had no idea, and thought "I really hope that I don't have to deal with something that difficult just yet", and continued on with my business. The best part about random graffiti is that some feel the need to comment on things written on the walls. If you look really hard, on the left someone wrote "EASY" and an arrow pointing to the chaos. And next to that was another person writing "FU" pointing to that arrow. Believe me when I say, I agreed with the latter.  (FU)

That day had long since past until I happened to stumble upon that very stall again today (3 weeks later).  I sat down, looked up and verbally chuckled to myself  in the library. (it's a quiet zone and people STARE at you if you make a peep of noise, sorry guys!). I laughed because I remembered that day when I last sat in this stall. Since that day, I had learned to read the message and exactly what everything meant. It was like I had learned a new language. I recognized the words and the lines as the brachial plexus. I had learned the nerves and the muscles they innervated, where they came from, and where they branched. I understand what happens when one nerve is injured. I understand so much from this drawing.
 This was my first point in med school that I actually felt like I had conquered something. It was a truly wonderful feeling. I laugh now because I realize that I have grown since I first arrived. It really is the little things in life that make me the happiest.  Now, when I look up to see this structure on the wall of the cubical, I can smile and see how far I've come in such a short time.  I have to say, now I agree more with the person who wrote "EASY" rather than the other hooligan :-)  (I promise it wasn't me)

Thanks for reading my blog!  Please comment if you have anything to say! I want to hear from people!



Nick