Homeward Bound

Currently sitting in the Miami airport, waiting to board my plane to San Francisco.  Counting down the hours until I arrive at home.  It has been a fun final day before my departure from the island.  My day really started when the exams ended.  I went home, rested up, and then joined a group of classmates on a tour of the island.  We explored the beaches and rolling hills of the French side.  I thought I knew the island, but I had no idea of the beauty beyond the tourist traps.  I hope to go back next semester to do some more exploring on foot.

After I got back, I finished off last minute errands, including laundry, packing, eating dinner, and getting ready to go out for the night.  I finished all of that off and then headed over to Jafry's place to start the night.  He had his Wii going, along with hookah and awesome nachos.  I made the right choice in pit-stopping.  The plan was to go to Bliss later in the night, since our previous experiences of going around 10pm proved that no shows up until later.  This time, we showed up at midnight and it still was barely filling up.  But by 1am, the place was popping and we had a great time hanging out.  The music was filled with house and some rap, which helped keep the dancing go all night.  When we were about to leave, some 2nd semesters got bottle service, so we ended up staying for another hour and a half to enjoy the VIP area and catch up with the everyone.

By 4am I was home.  I settled into bed and proceeded to get 45 minutes of sleep, which mainly consisted of tossing and turning in fear of sleeping through my flight.  I got up, finalized my packing, and started walking to the guard station to hail a taxi.  I got lucky and saw Dutta (at 6am mind you) and she took me to the airport.  It seems like the days lest planned tend to work out the best.  I don't know how this counter-intuitive idea works, but it does.

Thankfully, Google has provided free internet in MIA for the holidays, so I can hop on, blog, call home, and get some stuff done while I'm waiting for this six hour layover to end.  It will be nice to get home, even though I'll still have a ways to go since I'm getting into SFO and need to make to Hollister tonight.

Are We Done Yet?

I'm over studying at this point.  I would like to take my finals and go home now.  Mandatory finals are a big joke; if you proven you can handle the material during the semester, you should be able move on.  Finals should be the for failing or the borderlines, not for those who are happy with their grades and suffer from island fever.

I'm listening to Coldplay which reminds me of undergrad.  The song "Shiver" reminds me of Winter in California, particular the crisp, cold nights in LA.  Music has a funny way of taking you back to a certain time and place.

I took the BRS biochem comp exam and did fine, which makes me think that I'm ready for the Shelf tomorrow.  I used the same strategy to study for anatomy and it seemed to have worked.  I wish it was in the morning so I could slip in nap and then get back to studying.  Unfortunately, it is in in the afternoon, so I'll have less time to relax before I head back into the library.

Speaking of naps, I've been taking less in the last week.  It's nice being able to wake up when I like and go to the library at my own convenience.  If only life were this awesome.  I've been taking less naps, going to the gym more often, and generally being a better person and student.  But alas, I picked the school with the 80% attendance policy, so all of this is temporary.

8 Days

The countdown continues...

It's freezing in the library.  I'm actually wearing a fleece right now because I can't deal with how cold it is in here.  The tips of my fingers are numb from the cold.  It doesn't help that it has been stormy and cold most of the day.  Twice I tried to go back to campus and study, but the rains came.  I was forced to take a nap while I waiting for the weather to pass. 

I took many a study break today, but I managed to get most of it done.  Tomorrow will be different, I promise.  I got my immuno grade back, which was better than expected, so I'm happy.  It's a good feeling knowing that I don't need to pass the final in any of my classes to pass.  Granted, I'll still end up studying for all of them and probably put equal weight, but that's only because I can't go home and I can't think of anything else to do while I'm here.  I should take up a hobby while I'm out here.

I was talking with someone the other day and we both agreed that finals should be optional.  If you have a passing grade and you're happy with it, then you should be able to skip the final.  I mean, if you're proven you can handle the material throughout the semester, how does testing it one more time make a difference?  Hell, it might even give people more incentive to study harder and get through the classes as quickly as possible.

Alright, time to go home because I'm cold and it's getting late.

My Favorite Shorts

Today, I threw away my favorite pair of shorts.  I'm fairly certain I've used them longer than any other article of clothing I have.  I've had a chance to reflect on the reasons why I liked them.  They were given as a gift, of which I have thought little of to this point.  The reason I liked them was because they were the perfect combination.  They were a good color, had the right texture and thickness, had the nice thick waistband, and were durable.   I have attempted to replicate this combination.  Off-hand, I can think of 5 other pairs of shorts which did not work out.  They were too short, too long, too thin of material, or just the wrong color combination.  I have tried sports brands and school brand shorts, but with no luck.

As much as I enjoyed having those shorts, they ended up not being worth the effort of keeping.  So I decided that I would cut them loose.  Maybe, down the line, I'll start looking for another pair, but I wonder if I'll ever find that combination ever again.  Now the search begins.

So long.

StarCraft OWNAGE!

For the first time in my 10 years of playing StarCraft, I beat the computer in a legitimate 2v1.  I played one game in which I tried to build up and attack them one at a time.  I was able to weaken the Zerg opponent (I don't like playing against Protoss, since I prefer to use them myself), but was not able to finish them off so I could concentrate on the Terran.  And in the end, when I went after Terran, the Zerg were able to rebuild and I couldn't break either one of them.  I was starved of resources and lost.

In the next game, I waited until both the Terran and Zerg computer attacked me, then I countered hard with two control groups of speed upgraded Zealots and ranged Dragoons with some Observers to spot for Lurkers.  I was able to knock out the natural expansion, but didn't penetrate through their base before the Terran came in and wiped my forces out.  I gathered up a new set of forces and went after them for the killing blow.  I was able to take out Zerg and then had my sights on Terran.

I fought off a couple of counters from Terran.  They even managed two successful nuclear bombs, but I was able to kill off two other Ghosts and prevent the nuclear attacks.  I finally had a nice group of Dragoons and Zealots with High Templar to use Psionic Storm against groups of Marines and Battlecruisers.  They stopped my first two waves, but I was pumping out masses of units with 8 Gateways.  I finally broke them and took down a vital expansion.  This time I took out their only mineral-mining base and finally took them down.

Since I've never done this before, I decided to post my experiences.  I normally don't play the computer in a map where I have to expand or I pick a free-for-all so I can build up resources while the computer attacks each other.  This time I had them both after me and I was able to take them down.  I practice some of the techniques I learned from all the StarCraft videos I've been watching online.  I've incorporated High Templar into my attack, which has had mixed results.  Sometimes I take out groups of units, sometimes I fail miserably.

Who would have though a decade old game would still have such appeal.  Now I see why all those Korean players are sill hooked on it.

There is a distinct possibility that none of this makes sense to some people, so I'll apologize ahead of time.

Mandatory Study Time

I had to get up this morning to go to the anatomy lab for the 1st semester mock exam.  It involved getting up at 8am on a Sunday, which is sort of a travesty in itself.  I've been dreading this day, since I've been delaying our mandatory proctoring until the last possible one.  I figured staying for two mocks (morning and afternoon, thanks to the huge 1st semester class) and not getting out until 5pm would be a major drain on my study time and prevent me from getting anything done.  Wow, I sure was wrong...

My time spent in the anatomy lab could constitute my most productive day of studying this semester.  During the exam, we were told to sit and watch the exam take place.  I found a comfortable seat in the corner with a second chair put my feet up.  I grabbed my notes and settled in.  Over both exams, I was able to cover the entire block's MCB and most of Immuno, which is a lot of material to get through.  I thought I would be distracted by the intercom voice telling students to move to the next station, but I was able to zone it out.  After each exam, we stuck around for 30 minute and answered questions from the students.  I wrote out 5 questions for the exam and was commended by some of the head TAs for the focus of my questions... count it.

Overall, I came out of the mock ahead of schedule and finished up my studying for the day at 5pm.  I snuck in a trip to the gym, studied for the ICM quiz tomorrow, and reviewed some physio with Tran.  All in all, it was a productive day.  They even threw in Domino's pizza for lunch, so I ended up not needing to go back on break to get a bite.

I don't know if I'll be TAing again (since it was a relatively big time commitment), but I may end up volunteering for the mocks, just so I can get some studying done.  I hate to admit this, but I think I would get a lot more work done if I left my computer in my bag.

Hello internet, you a big time suck, you!

On Saturday, we borrow Dutta's car and picked up groceries.  I figured I could get enough stuff to last me until I left.  And even though I only picked up food for 3 weeks (which I think is less than normal), the bill still came out to $150.  I think the Red Bulls take a fair amount of that I suppose.  On our way back, we stopped off in Marigot and Tran picked up some sugar cane juice.  We both agreed that it was not as sweet as something we'd get in our respective home countries, but it was still refreshing nonetheless.

With all this food at home, I decided to make some pasta.  I was able to make the sauce, but as I was cooking the pasta, the gas in our stove ran out.  We let the manager know and she took the propane tank, telling us she'd get us a new one when they opened during the week.  So now I have half-boiled pasta in the fridge, waiting to be finished when the new tank comes.

Overall, a busy and productive weekend.  Just what I needed before the last stretch and end of this semester.

21 Days

The marathon continues, but I can almost see the finish line.  Block exams come up in a week and half.  Finals are a week after that.  I'll be hopping onto an American Airlines flight to Miami and then San Francisco.  I wonder what it's like to be in cold weather.  I recall vaguely from DC, but it's not winter without a little cold.  I think it might be getting hotter here and we're not even south of the equator.

Listening to the Sharks game, since video streams a little too bandwidth heavy for the connection here.  I miss fast internet; although my connection at home wasn't exactly a scorcher, at least it was more reliable and quicker, for about half the cost of internet here.  I guess that's what happens when a local ISP has a monopoly.

On a side note, AUC is now enforcing a new rule in which students will need to buy insurance from the school.  Unfortunately, that is not the worst part.  The insurer is Nagico, which is the main insurer on the island.  From the nightmares I've heard about people dealing with their car insurance division, I'm scared to see what their health insurance is like.  For instance, car insurance is mandatory on the island, but does not cover theft, which is a common occurrence here.  If they won't cover a major component of car insurance, I fail to see how they'll protect your health.  The only advantage I could see is that the school would be more responsible to help cover claims.

Either way, there has been an uproar on VMD and people were planning on speaking up at the SGA meeting this evening.  I was planning on going, but I ended up taking a nap.  I'll have to check in to see how things turned out.

Bite Me

I was bit by a centipede the other night.  It happened when I was sitting on the couch, browsing the internet, when I felt a pinch.  I looked down at my foot and saw a creature run out from under my jeans.  I smashed it with my shoe and then finished it off with a butter knife.  It was about an inch long, colored in browns and greens.  Anyways, I quickly ran to my medical information database (www.google.com) and looked up bites.  Luckily, unlike poisonous snakes, the little ones are less dangerous.  They recommended washing the bite and taking a pain killer.  I followed the recommended instructions.  The pain went away after 20 minutes and I was good to go.

It feels like my day is full.  I start at 8am, have a 40 minutes break before immuno review, and then ICM from 1-3pm.  All of this kind of kills my afternoon.  I have a feeling that ICM in the future will be taking over my afternoons and take away from my study (and nap) time.  Grr... messing with my nap!

Intro to Clincal Medicine

We had our first standardized patient yesterday.  Usually, these test "patients" are spouses who come in so that we can practice talking to patients.  I have to admit, even though it was a controlled setting, I still felt pretty nervous and it showed in my performance as it was suggested that I slow down while I was talking.  Oh well, I hit the major points (introduce yourself, explain your position, and then allow the patient to begin speaking about their chief concerns) at the least.

We then went into the Harvey lab.  Harvey, is a simulated patient which allows us to hear different, abnormal heart rhythms.  We were able to listen to murmurs, heaves, thrills, and lifts, which are all different types of heart beat abnormalities.  It's interesting to see all the variations, but also seems difficult to tell the difference in a real world examination.  I suppose these get easier with time.

I sort of felt like a doctor, which is both exciting and scary at the same time.  I don't mind the classroom stuff, since that has not really changed since I first started school.  But now these human interactions with the intention of providing care for another person is a pretty daunting task.  I imagine it gets easier with time, but it sure seems like a big task to take one.

These last 3 weeks of class are going to be tough.  The marathon is winding down, but it does get hard to keep up the pace.  The addition of ICM doesn't help either, since it takes 2 hours out of my afternoon.  Normally, I would be sleeping or eating during that time.

I can't wait to get home, spend time with my nieces and nephew, see my family and fiancee... and play some video games.  I need to load up Win7 64-bit on my desktop (so that I cant finally take full advantage of the 4GB of RAM I bought).  Matt told me Left 4 Dead 2 is coming out soon, so I'll need to buy that and mindlessly blow away zombies when I get a chance.  Still waiting on StarCraft II and still watching Korean pro matches to get my fix of good SC while I wait.

Doctor Training

This week we start Intro to Clinical Medicine (ICM).  The function of this course is to learn how to take vital signs and make basic assessments of patients, so that when we get thrown into clinicals, we'll have some idea of what is going on.  From what I have heard, ICM can be a big time waste, but so far at least the lectures are interesting.  We've talked about professionalism and competence in the medical field.  It almost feels like a medical philosophy class.  It's a welcome break from memorizing pathways in biochemistry or some interleukon in immunology.

I did make it out to the gym for a run yesterday.  I feel like it improves your mood overall to go to the gym.  I need to stop trying to go so late into the night and figure out times that work in the late afternoon.  I think it gives me the second boost I need to make it through the later half of my day.

It Has Arrived

I finally got my laptop.  And what's the first thing I decided to do with it?  Wipe the hard drive.  And thanks to the fact that it does not have a optical drive, I had to make a working bootable USB, which took me three days to finalize.  Now I have Windows XP on here, which puts me somewhere in the mid-90s.  I'm working on trading in my copy of 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium for the 32-bit version.  If only the 64-bit version would unpack in a 32-bit environment, then I wouldn't have to wait.

The island/chiclet keys have a funky coating on them which makes my fingernails scrap against them and has the exact same feeling of scraping your nails against a chalkboard.  I now have to modify my typing posture to avoid the scraping and the wonderful feeling that runs up my spine every time.

Other than that, I really like the design and the functionality of the computer.  It's simple and sleek.  The screen is pretty nice, although it has a funky resolution (1366x768) which might make the few games I plan on playing look odd.  Although, now my battery lasts more than 15 minutes, so I can actually appreciate some mobile computing.

Also, I would like to slap the genius from Dell XPS who put the processor exhaust port in a place where it is blocked by the monitor.  My new computer runs at 38-40C which is about 5-7C cooler and is pretty impressive considering what I was dealing with earlier.

Study Avoidance Maneuver.

It's the weekend before blocks, which means I need to post on here to avoid studying.  Currently, I am on schedule to finish up at a reasonable point, which I guess is a good thing.

I had my birthday this week, but it was mostly in name, since I was in the library.  Apparently, having a birthday is not a good enough excuse to skip exams.  Shuman came to get me in the library with a slice of cake, which I thought was pretty cool but it seemed odd that she didn't bring a fork to eat it with.  So I was under the impression we were going to the cafeteria to pick one up.  As I walked out of the library, I took a peak into the rotunda to see a lot of people I happen to know.  And when I walked down to the first floor, they all surprised me.  I was caught completely off-guard; I had no idea it was coming.  I'm pretty lucky to have awesome friends, and it made me feel a lot closer to my classmates, oddly enough.  Also, everyone who wrote on my facebook wall is awesome too.

After, I grabbed dinner at the Thai Savanh.  All in all, it was pretty cool, although I probably should have gotten a little more studying between, but it was my birthday, so it was warranted.

Four weeks of material is a crap load of stuff to read up on.  I honestly wonder how I'm going to be able to retain all of this information for my exams.  The stack of notes is about 3 inches thick, which is a lot of information when you actually open it up and see what's inside.  I kept up with all the material during the 4 weeks, but it almost feels like I saved it all until the end.  On a cool note, I essentially taught myself cardiovascular physiology this week.  I sat down with the book and read all the information until I felt like I had a solid grasp on it.  And since it's pretty fresh in my memory, I'll should only have to review it minimally.

Alright, I'm starting to feel the hunger pains, so I think I should look into finding something to eat soon.  I've basically run out of food at home, so I think I'll end up ordering out for the next couple of days until I can replenish after finals.  I'm surprised the food I had lasted as long as it did, but daily peanut better and jelly sandwiches are starting to get old (although my $5 toaster could be my most prudent investment so far in medical school).

Back To Reality,

Sadly, my trip to DC is over.  It was well spent and I saw Azima along the way.  A list of events:

• Tour of Congress and Capital Hill
• Walking up to the Supreme Court
  
• Halloween party in the Dupont district
• Caps vs. Blue Jackets hockey game (with overtime!)
• Walking among the monuments at night (including the Lincoln Memorial information center)
• Shoe shopping
• Krispy Kreme donuts and McDonald's chicken nuggets (2 months in the making)
• Warm jackets in cold weather
• Getting "scolded" by the "Poto-mac" River

I had a great couple of days, but it reminds me that I miss home and I need to get back soon.  I landed in SXM and part of me wanted to turn around and head back.  I miss being in the States, even if it's not in California.  I feel a little closer when I'm back.

Being in DC also helped remind me of the great history of this country and the men (and women) who helped shape and evolved this country.  I was reminded of the power behind its founding documents.  Sadly, all of this sits in contrast to modern-day politics.  I'm so proud of the foundation and ideals which the country was founded upon and somewhat disillusioned by the current state of affairs.

We have resided to sounds bites and conspiracy theories.  Although both sides can be held accountable, I can't but think the Neo-Con movement helped drive the discourse of today.  They removed debate and logic and replaced it with a screaming, crying voice and appeals to emotion.  It has worked for this up until this point, but I think its quickly becoming a dying brand of politics and may have met its end.

I believe that Pres. Obama truly wants to change the discourse in Washington, but the entrenched playmakers will continue to make that very difficult.  I understand his want to extent an olive branch, but it seems like people will not change.

Gender English.

 Stole this from fb:

Women's English:

Yes = No
No = Yes... Read More
Maybe = No
We need = I want
I am sorry = You'll be sorry
We need to talk = You're in trouble
Sure, go ahead = You better not
Do what you want = You will pay for this later
I am not upset = Of course I am upset, you moron
You're very attentive tonight = Is sex all you ever think about?

Men's English:
I am hungry = I am hungry
I am sleepy = I am sleepy
I am tired = I am tired
Nice dress = Nice cleavage
I love you = Lets have sex now
I am bored = Do you want to have sex?
May I have this dance = I'd like to have sex with you
Can I call you sometime = I'd like to have sex with you
Do you want to go to a movie = I'd like to have sex with you
Can I take you out to dinner = I'd like to have sex with you

I scientific study showed that women find different face attractive depending on where they are in thier menstrual cycle. for example, when I women is ovulating she will prefer a man with rugged, masculine features. However, when she is menstrating, she prefers a man doused in petrol and set on fire with scissors stuck in his eye and a cricket stump shoved up his backside.

Freight Forwarding.

No laptop for me.  My order was canceled by HP due to their company policy of not shipping to freight forwarding services.  Since I don't currently reside in the U.S., I need the package dropped off in Florida, where it will be sent to me via 4 Star Cargo to St. Maarten.  But since they won't allow the shipping method, I won't be able to get it until I go home.  I spoke to the lady and even attempted to find out about reordering it from the international HP site, but still no luck.

I guess I'll have until I get some in December to finally get the laptop of my dreams, which is still the HP Probook 5310m, in case you were wondering.  I figure the money and effort to find another route for it doesn't really make sense right now, since I'll be headed home in about 7 weeks anyways.  It will be a nice birthday present when I get home though.

I also attempted to finally get rid of the hair, but the salon was closed when I went.  So I grabbed some lunch at my place and I'll head back there in a bit to finally cut it.  I'm usually not a fan of a haircut 1-2 days after.  It feels very unnatural during that time.  I must not be alone in my thinking since they tell you to cut your hair a week before a big event like a wedding, so it must show.  The only time I like it is when the lady in Hollister cuts it.  It's the "supercuts" style place, but she does it better than anyone else I've had do it so far and I don't mind not having to pay a premium for a nice haircut, which means she gets a nice tip in return.

The World's Worst Eater

• Slurps up every bite.
• Smacks while chewing.
• Chews with their mouth open.
• Talks with their mouth full.
  
• "Ahh"s when they drink.
• Scrapes remnants into their mouth.
• Smacks their tongue with delight when they test food.
• Burps with no restraint.
  

Baboon Heart.

I read that today marks the 25th anniversary of the first animal heart transplanted into a human being.  The recipient was a baby with a major congenital heart defect.  The baby lived 21 days, which was longer than most infants (2-10 days) survive with the same defect.  This brings up some interesting medical ethics questions.  As a medical procedure, it's a pretty amazing feat.  To perform any sort of cross-species surgery must have been pretty daunting.  Oddly enough, it was done at Loma Linda University, the same place that does not have caffeine or meat products in the cafeteria.  I'm surprised they approved it.

I feel for animal rights activists, but this was one-time surgery and maybe brought about the preliminary information needed to start making artificial hearts, which is the method used now.  So as a whole, it might have been much more informative than the surgery itself.  From a medical ethics standpoint, I think that the likelihood of survival was quite low, but the information garnered in the process was probably invaluable.

Ethics in medicine will continue to evolve.  We will push the envelope in search of the next medical breakthrough, so it's important we keep it in mind during this process.  To bring up an example, I'm a proponent of stem cell research.  How the Conservatives figured that life begins at conception confuses the hell out of me.  How many zygotes survive outside the womb?  So how can you consider it to be alive if it cannot survive without complete dependence on another human beings metabolism?  Luckily, with Pres. Obama at the helm, more Federal money will be directed toward research with stem cells and maybe the U.S. will rise back to the top of medical research again.

Baby's Baboon Heart.

Sunday Morning.

Back in the library, my real first home.

Suprisingly, getting a decent amount of work done today.  I guess after wasting the last two days, I subconsciously want to get some work done on this wonderful day.

Sharks won last night and have another game tonight.  Two back-to-back wins would be nice.  I would also like to see Greiss play this season.  If they keep letting Nabby play, he's going to be tired in the playoffs and we've seen how that one goes.  They do play Philly today.  Looking back on it, Greiss should have played last night and Nabby should have played today.

Windows 7 is finally installed.  So far, I like it.  The install was long but bug-free (well done MS and Digital River).  I couldn't do a straight upgrade, so the upgrade I bought let me do a clean CD-free install.  It even saved all my old files and programs in a folder on the C drive, so I could access them after.  I saved the important stuff to be safe, but that was an impressive move on MS's part.

It was a little slow at first, but seems to have worked itself out after I installed the chipset driver.  I'm impressed that I only had to install 3 drivers as Win7 figured everything else out.  Firefox was my first install since I've been so impressed with it over the last couple of months.

My new laptop is on order.  I've decided to go with the HP Probook 5310m.  It came out on the same day as Win7 and it's exactly what I'm looking over; I was ready to order it after seeing a couple pictures and reading a few glowing reviews.  It's a business level laptop, so it might not have as many bells and whistles and some other computers, but it makes up for that in sturdy construction and subtle design.  It has a 13" screen, weighs less than 4lb, all metal casing, Core Duo processor, good battery life, and sells for under $1000.  Hell, it even has a linux partition that allows users to access the web from a powered down computer in 20 seconds.  It also keeps them out of Windows, which is a nice safety feature, lest they download something they shouldn't or if you're information is classified.

Thanks to the fact that I'm billing it to CA, but shipping it to FL (so it can be sent out to me), my order has been put on hold.  I'll be calling them on Monday to have it figured out and sent ASAP.

Privacy Notice.

I was added by a high school friend, who I have not seen since I graduated, on facebook today.  She solicited me, so I accepted her offer.  I clicked on her profile to find out a little bit about her current life.  I don't consider it stalking, but a passive updating, as it was she who added me.  Anyways, I clicked on her profile only to find out she has it completely blocked.  On her homepage is her name, profile picture, and a list of mutual friends.

So, what was the point?

If you're not going to share information, that's fine.  But what's the point in adding people you expect to keep all your information from?  Damn, now I've become curious to find out what she's hiding, since surely it must be something devious, no?  I haven't decided if this bothers me more on principle or because this is the first person (of 581) that has actually put me on full block.  Frankly, I don't think she's earned the privilege of blocking me.

I recently met someone who is consciously not on facebook.  He told me he once had an account, felt he spent too much time on it, and proceeded to deactivate it.  You don't meet many people without facebook accounts these days.  I applaud him; I think he's a better man than me.  I see its uses and its faults.  It can be a wonderful took for communication, but it also has removed a personal element from human interaction.  Basically, you can find out what is going on in a person's life without actually having in interact with them in any meaningful way.  Having our information stored by someone else could have far reaching effects later in life.

As I read once: it's not your facebook page, but facebook's page about you.  Makes you wonder about the ownership of online material.

UPDATE: Her profile is not blocked anymore.  I still stand by my assessment.

Firefox, my friend.

Did I mention that Firefox is awesome?  It has a built-in dictionary.  I've found out that I've been spelling words incorrectly the whole time.  Did you know surprise has TWO R's in it?  This I learned about a week ago.  It also makes you look less like and idiot when you're posting in a forum, which I clearly do too much.

The laptop debate is still on.  I'm looking for a sub-4 pound notebook with decent specs and good battery life.  I'm also looking for a typing friendly keyboard, which seems to be a lost art in the portable computer world.  With Windows 7 coming out, I know I can look into a lower spec notebook, since I won't need as much hardware to run it.  C'mon, Oct. 22nd!

Mondays are always rough.  The weekend is over and the school week has begun.  I actually made it to class on time this morning, which is always impressive for me.  I've also become a respectable signature forger.  This is completely unrelated of course, I just wanted to mention it for future reference.

I finally made it out to Bliss on Friday.  This is the "great" outdoor club on the island.  I put the adjective in quotes to imply its inconsistency.  The music was decent, but the dance floor is small and at one point, they stopped the music for 10 minutes to announce a group of DJ's for some reason.  They killed the mood and helped to expedite the end of my evening.  The highlight of the night would be hanging out in the VIP area.  It was nice to sit in a padded seat and relax for a bit.  How did I get there?  Well, I slipped under the velvet rope.

The GOP

Write this because of the circular argument I have with all the Conservatives on ValueMD.  I'm constantly having to battle with the "free market capitalists", who continue to support oligarchies that have taken away free market from the system.  Oddly enough, I used to think I was a Republican based on my socioeconomic level.  At this point, my social leanings put me far away from the GOP.  I can't support the the same party that endorses the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck.  These are dangerous men, who will say anything to provoke their listeners.  The sad part is I am fairly certain they don't believe what they say, but there is too much money to be made for them to stop.  The GOP has gone beyond reasoning.

The problem is that they have also become emboldened.  They make remarks like calling President Obama an "enemy to humanity" at party conferences and a "liar" on the floor of Congress.  As much as I hated the policies of Pres. Bush, I never felt that attacking him personally was the way to go.  I think the GOP has lost all reason and has been reduced to the party of conspiracy theorists and fear-mongerers.  As Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks explains, the scary part is that out of all those people, you need just one person to do something really stupid and irrational.  Now, that's scary.

At the same time, the Democrats need to take a harsher stance against these transgressions.  You think the GOP would have simply asked for an apology if a Dem had shouted at Pres. Bush during one of his speeches to Congress?  No, they would have called for his head.  I think the Dems need to start taking a similar approach.

PK

Pakistan (PK) has begun an offensive in the northern frontier to root out militants.  This will be interesting because the government must balance an effective campaign with also appeasing the populous and preventing a mass uprising.  This is a difficult task, but one which was brought upon by bad governance in the country.  The PPP is a bunch of corrupt, money-grabbers looking to empty the coffers of PK.  There's a reason they ran Bhutto out of town the first time.  She lived in luxury outside the country and I don't trust her return was to take of people of Pakistan.  The irony is that they promised to bring democracy to the region, but Benazir and Zadari were the unelected self-proclaimed lifetime leaders of the PPP.

So with some sort of U.S. backing, I hope PK can drive these militants out of the region.  They've left them alone for too long and it's time to remove them.  Their support of the Taliban has only driven instability and violence in the country.  Since PK is a nuclear-armed country, it is in the interest of the world that PK succeeds in their campaign.  I may not agree with all of it, but if nothing is done then the ultra-conservatives will be able to slowly gain a foothold in the country and drive it further into violence.

And now a turn to simpler things.  I has my exams yesterday.  I've gotten one score back; so far, so good.  Still waiting on the other two (which I should be getting back today I think, assuming they pass them out at the same time as last block).  I'm looking for that nice little buffer that I can ride out through the semester.  It also allows one to take advantage of the short blocks to do well.

We went out for Degaulle's birthday dinner last night.  The place was really nice.  It's in Simpson Bay and puts you right on the water.  There was a beach that you could walk out to and watch the water.  The food was decent.  I'll have to thank Phuong for telling me to splurge a little bit.  I was content with getting a burger, but he reminded me that we had finished blocks and I should celebrate a little bit.  So what did I do?  I ordered the Mahi Mahi.  I'm not a big fish person, but I do enjoy a nice piece of Mahi Mahi.  It's not an overly flavorful fish, so it allows the sauces to stand out.  So, it was well worth it.

We made it out to Soggy Dollar, but no one was there yet.  The thing worth seeing was the $15 million luxury yacht parked right next to the bar.  It was pretty damn amazing.  There is "exotic car" rich and then there is "luxury yacht" rich, which is a whole different category.  It was worth checking out, but I was pretty tired towards the end of the night and came home at 11pm.  I watched the Sharks game for a bit and crashed by 12.

And I actually made it out to class this morning, which is more than I expected today.  Congrats to me.

Library Etiquette

Posted this on VMD and thought I'd pass it along.  I have also nominated myself as the unofficial library sheriff, since there are so many infractions going on, especially from the first semester class.  I don't think I'll actually enforce anything, but I still want the badge.  So here you go:


I thought I'd lay out some constructive ideas about how to make the library more peaceful and efficient. So here we go:

1. SEATING:

Most people sit in opposite corners of a table, giving each person the maximum amount of room to create a work space.

X X O
_____
_____
O X X

Referring to the diagram above, please sit in the O designated spots. In the highly unlikely event that every table has 2 people on it, please begin filling the table at opposite corners. When one individual has begun studying in a corner, please do NOT sit directly across or diagonal. This dramatically reduces work space for you and the other person. Sitting on the same side is also discouraged, although not as offensive.

2. FOOD AND DRINKS:

Please do not bring crunchy foods as snacks. The library has a strict (unenforced) rule against food and drinks in the reading room. Stick to canned or bottled drinks and soft snacks. If you must, please eat crunchy snacks in the hallway. Also, do not bring meals into the library and proceed to chomp down while studying. Step outside, enjoy your meal, then come back in. Trust me, your books will not run away.

3. TALKING:

This is not a group study environment. Please do not talk and minimize whispering. The ICM rooms are great places to engage in group studies; the reading room is not. A quick 1 minute low-voiced chat with a friend is acceptable, but don't drag it on for 5 minutes. If you have a tendency to speak to your friends while studying, try sitting at a different table or using Skype to keep a conversation going.

4. CELL PHONES:

If you have a cell phone, please put it on silent or have it readily accessible in case it does ring. One or two rings is acceptable, but I really don't want to the hear "All the Single Ladies" for 3 minutes because you left your phone in your bag while you stepped out. Please be more considerate.

If you do take a call, please wait until you've reached the door to start using your "outdoor" voice. Whoever is on the phone can wait 4 seconds for you to make it to the door. They most likely won't hang up on you and if they do, it probably wasn't that important anyways.

5. UNATTENDED ITEMS

I believe leaving your stuff to step out for an hour or two is acceptable, even if the library does not. There is no pressing need to pack all your items every time you go to eat or relax for a bit. That being said, seat saving is a malicious and selfish act. It puts you above others and ruins all good will in our society. A kitten dies every time you save a seat for yourself and then peace out for 6 hours.

Secondly, if someone steals your precious seat next to the window or your favorite painting, life will go on. But some people are neurotic, so I'll let that one be.


I hope you all have a wonderful and pleasant experience in the library.

Thank you. 

Landlord.

We met our landlord yesterday.  She's from NY, but has a couple of places in St. Maarten.  Apparently, she owned her own recording studio in 70's and worked with some of the greats of the time.  Then she owned a travel agency and sold that.  Now she travels with her husband and owns property all over.  She was telling us that she initially wanted a place in Jamaica, but was told she couldn't be the majority owner.  She also said they smoked too much ganja there.  So she came to St. Maarten because she wanted a place on the ocean.  And she got in before the real estate prices boomed.  Pretty interesting life.

My favorite time of the month is coming around.  You know, when my emotions are out of control and I'm in an irritable mood.  That's right, block exams!  So tomorrow I start reviewing and continue until Sunday.  We had another short (3 week) block, which means the next two are going to be about 4 or 5 weeks long.  I think my grades are inversely proportional to block length.  So short blocks work for me, since there is less information to cover.  The key is to do well on the first two and ride it out through the semester.

I think I miss home.  Time goes by quickly on the island, but it still seems like forever.  Funny thinking that I'm about 25% (5 months) done.  Now I'll just need to figure out how to make the other 75% go by faster than the first part.

My sister moved to Morgan Hill, which is pretty nice.  It'll put her closer to home, but I can still use it as a launching pad for my trips to the Bay Area and then I won't have to travel as far on my way home.  I think it's a win-win.  She'll be working with my father, which is a pretty cool and unique opportunity for both of them.  I'm sure my dad will be proud to have her around.  I don't know, but part of me thinks I might end up on Hollister.  It may not be such a bad thing; I like the small town atmosphere.  Maybe I'm just a small town boy at heart.

Alright, maybe not Hollister specifically, but south Bay Area would be nice.

Time Wasting.

I've been posting on VMD way too much.  I swear I've posted about 4 articles today on the health care and Republican fear mongering.  I should attempt to get some studying done.  In my defense, I did cover MCB and I'm 2/3 of the way through Biostats stuff.  Tonight, we're going to the casino to watch Cal romp on USC.  Gotta round the wagons for a UC team.  With UCLA losing to Stanford, my hope rides on Cal to win tonight.

The Sharks-Ducks game is tonight, so I'm gonna stream that one and watch my Sharks take them down.

Fill in the Blanks.

Alright, let's see if I can lay out the last week or so.

There is still a brown lizard in our apartment.  We've been trying to get him/her out, but no luck so far.  I saw it hiding in the pantry, so I brushed it out to the slider and finally got it outside.  I thought I had finally achieved my victory, but alas as I was leaving the house, I saw it scurry across the floor and hide under the couch.  It's a persistent bugger.  There was a mosquito in my room earlier today.  And since I won't knowingly allow one to bite me, I waited in the corner of my room and just watch the little bastard.  I stood next to the white walls, so I could see her coming.  And when she came... *clap*!  Took me 3 tries, but I got her.  Unfortunately, more have bitten me in the last 3 weeks than all last semester.

Our MCB professor is the most unauthentic apologizer I've ever met.  Throughout the lecture, he makes comments like I'm sorry this is confusing which is then followed by, well you're just going to need to learn it.  At one point he has if his slides were confusing, only to explain that there was nothing he could do about it.  I don't mind if you're stuff is confusing, but don't ask if you're not planning on changing it.

They came to replace our kitchen faucet, except they couldn't gather the right parts, so now we have no faucet for the night.  They are planning to come tomorrow to finalize it; I just hope they get it right.  I'm not exactly prompt on my dish washing, so I guess I won't be too inconvenienced.

And now I have to figure out what the hell happened to warrant a $300 utility bill!  When I lived by myself, I paid $60 in total.  No way our usage went up 5x.  We only run the A/C at night and we're not home often enough other wise.  And here I am trying to barely use the A/C only running it as warm as I can tolerate (which is like 80 F).  I guess they were right when they commented that GEBE (the local utility provider) sometimes just makes the bill up.  I actually might have to start watching over the meter.

Finding the motivation to study seeems to be getting harder and harder.  Don't get me wrong, I get it done, but I don't have the sense of urgency or fear of failure I had last semester.  I guess that could be a good thing as I feel I have a better understanding of the system, but it could also mean I'm just getting lazy.

Thai Savanh is finally open.  This might not make headlines around the world, but I'm excited to have (not entirely) authentic Thai food!  I miss their chicken Pad Thai.  My Asian friends tell me it's not the real deal, but who am I to complain about good food.  The same could be said for the local South Asian restaurants, but I'll reserve judgment since I don't have Mom's home-cooking available.

I also found a way to stream the Sharks games online!  That is freaking awesome!  The quality is not great and it freezes a lot due to the internet connection, but it's live Sharks hockey!  And that is where the excitement ends, because they had their asses handed to them last night.  They got a beat down from a "rebuilding" Avalanche team.  We looked a long way off from the President's Trophy winning team of a year ago.  The sad part was watching the fundamental lapses.  Not covering the 3rd man on a rush, not clearing pucks, losing battles to the puck, and just plain getting beat.  And Dany Heatley has no excuses.  He got the trade he wanted and the money he demanded, yet his back-checking is pitiful and he missed on a wide open net for a goal.

Don't get me wrong, they'll get it together.  But wow, they did look bad coming out of the gate.  But I was excited to see hockey in any form, and I look forward to watching more games.

Take Home Exam

Still excited for the new member of the family.  I'm waiting on more pictures of little Isra and I can't wait to get back to California to see her.

Looks like we'll be getting a take home exam for biostats.  I never thought I'd see one of those again, but I guess they're pretty motivated to get everyone through this class.  I don't want to be a heartless jerk, but how did people fail this one-unit course?  Unless you absolutely neglected the entire four weeks worth of notes, there should be no reason for having to do it over again.

I know I mentioned that physio was like my old engineering courses, but wow they really are hitting up the concepts that are right up my alley.  Today, we talked about forced and muscle velocities.  It's interesting to take concepts of physics and apply them to the human body.

We had our dodgeball tournament over the weekend.  Out of 12 teams, We Aim For The Fat One (WAFTFO) took 3rd place.  That was a pretty good showing considering how stacked some of the teams were.  After watching a couple of games, I noticed that it was not the strongest throwing teams that won consistently.  Those teams who had good catchers were the teams that one.  Hitting someone knocks them out, but catching an opponents throw knocks them out AND brings a teammate back.  There were a couple of scenarios where our team was outnumbered 3-to-1, but managed to make it back into the game and won, thanks to a couple of great catches.  The tournament brought out everyone's inner child and the crowd was really into it, following along with their Ohs and Ahs.

New Arrival!

So, some exciting news in the family.  We now welcome a new member Isra Barra.  She was born today in Rancho Cucamonga and my brother and his wife are pretty ecstatic!  I can't wait to see her; pics should be in my mailbox soon.  Sadly, I was in class while my brother was trying to call me all this morning.  I finally got his call was a just getting back to my apartment.

Excitement all around and I hope to have more information throughout the day.

Windows 7 64-bit

I finally got around to pre-ordering Windows 7.  It's scheduled to launch on October 22nd.  I'll be waiting patiently until then.  Microsoft has also given a deep discount for students.  You can get the Home Premium edition in 64-bit as a upgrade for $30.  Basically, you can have any type of Windows OS and have it upgraded for cheap.  Unfortunately, if you're transitioning from XP or from 32-bit, you'll need to do a complete install which means you're going to need to save your programs and files for the installation.

Windows 7 is everything Vista was supposed to be, but wasn't.  It's streamlined, sturdy, and user-friendly.  I never considered Vista to be a bad OS, but I thought it was too resource heavy.  Those will mid-range computers would find issue with the slow workings of the OS.  Vista takes 2GB of RAM to run, which is just plain excessive.  Windows 7 should remedy this and put Windows back where it needs to be. 

Kudos to Apple for taking advantage of MS's complacency.  It also helped remind MS that they need to create a good, reliable product if they don't want people jumping ship.  It was as if Vista was a filler until they could put out something they liked.

I've come to the realization that I like physiology.  It is the engineering of medicine.  We actually use engineering concepts like forces, stresses, strains, and voltages.  It's also pretty conceptual, so there is less need to memorize terms and gives me a chance to focus on the workings of the human body.  I'll take this stuff any day over straight memorization.

Slow LJ.

For some reason, AUC seems to have restricted access to LJ. I'm sure exactly why, but I can only access it in basic mode.

I finished up my block exams earlier this week. They went well, so I can't complain with the start. I just have to keep up the pace through the semester. We ended up having a biostats quiz on Wednesday, so I was back in the library late the next day to study for that too.

Did I mention that I like physio? Basically, it's the engineering of medicine. It deals with all the stuff I like: forces, volumes, voltage. I actually have an easier time paying attention because the material is interesting.

MCB is rough, but it seems like this block might be a little better.

I'm still watching a ton of Korean StarCraft online. Those guys are unreal, with their 300 APM. I was so inspired last time, that I was ready to start playing, but I couldn't find my mouse. So now I need a new mouse, which is kind of annoying. It was the only thing holding me back from a game.

I'm also thinking that I would like to beat the compaign as well. I'm thinking I might look into it. I've got to find my copy, which is around here somewhere.

Alright, time to get back to class.

Great Article.

This article really breaks it down; people need to start working harder and understand that we need to sacrifice for the benefit of our society. So, stop being so selfish.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/4-problems-that-could-sink-america.aspx

Biostats.

Our biostatistics class is being taught by the author of High Yield: Biostatistics. Dr. Glaser is also an AUC graduate and currently on the faculty at Medical Univeristy of South Carolina. I think it's all very impressive.

Suprisingly, for all the math I had to take for engineering, I never took a stats course. The math is pretty simple, but the concepts and the variables are all new. So far, I like it. After tomorrow's quiz, I'll know whether I actually understand it or not.

Sunday.

The A/C is out in the library, which is making it pretty hard to study. It's in the mid-80s in here and a funky smell is starting to permeate through the room (I assure it's not me... although I really don't know at this point). Didn't get as much work done as I wanted yesterday, so I was back at it today. At this point, I'm starting to wind down. I was able to get MCB and Immuno out of the way and I'm working my way through Physio right now.

I watched the USC v. OSU game last night. And for the first time (ever, I think), I was routing for USC. I think it was a combination of things. It was the California loyalty, the Pac-10 representation, and the fact that I might hate OSU a little more. This has to do more with the BCS than OSU since they slipped into the national championship game and proceeded to be manhandled by LSU then Florida. So any calls from OSU fans for more love from the BCS better fall on deaf ears.

I was able to switch out my anatomy TA lab day from Monday to Wednesday. I was thinking about doing it, but it wasn't until another student sent an email that I was able to switch. And how did I receive this said email so quickly? Vista gadgets!

Vista Gadgets allows me to have desktop notes, a gmail notifier, as systems resource monitor, and a network monitor all running at the same time. I no longer need a program for each function. In its infancy, there were not enough gadgets and I quickly gave up on. But they have improved drastically and I like it. I read they removed the gadgets from Windows 7, so I'll have to find some equivalent to run my programs when I finally do the upgrade.

Also, I have fall in love with Firefox. I gave up on Firefox long ago, when they had a lot of formatting issues with web pages and that it didn't work with Windows Updates. Now that Updates is its own program, I was able to make the complete switch. I was dealing with having to open 3-5 IE windows to get a connection. Many times links and videos would not load or would crash IE. With Firefox, it works on every start up, I have no formatting issues, and it's much sturdier. Hell, it even has a built-in spell check. Well, it's now back in my life and I'm not giving it up. Now I can see why MS was so scared to give users the options to move to Firefox; it's just better

3 Days Down.

Getting back into the swing of things has been coming along. We do have most of the things we need for our place. Phuong was cooking up a storm this morning. I hope this inspires me at some point to do the same. I did buy ground beef, so I do plan on at least making my own pasta sauce (probably some time this week). So far I've killed 2 mosquitoes in my apartment. I saw one in there this afternoon and I'll be after it soon enough.

We still don't have internet at our apartment, which is a real pain. I hope to resolve that sometime this week. I'm trying to re-use an antenna from my old apartment, but I'm running into typical (make them up as you go) St. Maarten rules. On any given day, you'll hear a different set of rules or regulations. I notice that the local establishments try to start out strong (and ask for the most money possible), but if you talk your way through it (and threaten to take your business somewhere else) they're much more willing to work with you. So the key is to stay patient.

When I first walked into the store to have the internet installed, they told me that I could not use a previous antenna and I'd need to pay $300 for a new antenna and installation. I purposefully discussed going to another company with my roommates at the front desk and quickly, the employee changed her tune. All of a sudden, she wanted to help us get the antenna issue resolved; money talks.

I've been playing more basketball these days. Tonight will be the 4th night I've played since I've been here. My new (free) basketball shoes are working out well. I finally can walk home without any major pain in my feet. Last time I played, my mid-range jump shot wouldn't fall. We'll see how it goes tonight.

As for school, so far so good. I think my new studying tactics have freed up more time each day, which is awesome. I'm less drained each night. I hope this will help me keep pace for 16 weeks. People have mentioned that 2nd semester is the toughest, so I'll keep a vigilent eye on how things go.

Also, I'm going to be an anatomy TA. First day is tomorrow. I have to do some refreshing tonight so that I'll be ready to answer questions from the anatomy students tomorrow. I was looking over some review sheets and luckily, a lot of it came back to me once I was able to review it. I was hoping for only 1hr/week, but I guess we now have to stick around for the whole 2 hours this semester. This incoming class is 180 students (and it's normally around 120), so it's huge. Also, we have to do two mocks (and a set up), which will pretty much kill one Sunday. I'm going to try to pick the 1st or 2nd mock, so I can get it out of the way.

Alright, back to immunology

Back in SXM.

I got in this afternoon. There were a couple of AUC students in Miami and we were all on the same flight, which made it a little nicer (and less scary). We got into St. Maarten, along with the east coast people on the JetBlue flight and proceeded to clog up the lowly immigration booths of the island. But eventually, we got through and now I'm back.

Phuong and I got the keys to the apartment. Unfortunately, I have not been able to get my stuff from Degaulle's apartment, so I'll hopefully be picking it up tomorrow. I have most of what I need to get by for a couple of days, but I will be nice to set up my room.

I still have an irrational fear of flying. I was talking to someone else about it and I think he explained it to me. The problem with our fear is that when we get on a plane, we start thinking about all the ways the plane could malfunction and visualize the events of an untimely death. I try to think about all the things that are statisically more dangerous (driving a car, holding a large metal pole in an electrical storm, etc.) to help calm myself in knowing I have a safe way to travel.

The other component is the loss of control involved in flying. When I drive, I have control over the car and my decisions determine where I go, but with a place of course, I'm at the mercy of the pilot, who I trust fully (well, as much as I can).

Tomorrow is the first day of class. I'm much less nervous this time around, since I know what to expect (for the most part). It also feels nice to not be the lowly new class on campus. I feel like I can boss the 1st semester students around. Maybe I'll toss one of them in a trash can.

We'll be back in LH4, which is a welcome carry over. I much prefer the table setup to the folding desk on a traditional lecture hall. I need the ability to set out my notes and laptop, while also having elbow room to work with. I imagine it will be the same seating arrangement as last semester and any deviation will cause major upheaval. So long as I get my center-left spot approximately 2/3rds from the back, I'll be fine.

AWOL is not until next week. I should have stayed home for a couple more days.

Like a Dream.

Where the HELL did my last 13 days go? Seems like I just got back into California, and now I'm back in Miami waiting on my flight back to "the rock." I think I only was able to waste two days sitting on the couch, watching TV. That was my game plan all along. Alas, seeing people and Iftars made my dreams a little harder to achieve. I was forced to get ready, spend time with friends, enjoy the company of my friends and fiancee, and eat home cooking. All in all, I would say it was a good trip home.

So one semester down. I did check my anatomy grade and I passed (although the likelihood of failing was pretty low going into the final). It feels good to have one semester under my belt. At this point, I'm quite far from study mode, but I'll get back into it on Wednesday. I feel better prepared and more confident for this semester. It will be tougher having three full-time classes, but I think I've found a study plan that works and seems be sane, which is all I can ask for at this point.

First, I'll need to move into my new apartment. When I left, Phuong told me he would be getting the keys from the landlord so that we can move in. I've got stuff coming from two apartments and my suitcase. I came home with a carry-on and now I'm go back with a checked-in bag; shopping adds up.

I just got an important Skype call, to be continued....

Two More Weeks.

Where did all this time go? There were 14 weeks before this, and now they're done. Med school is one big rush. I am hitting the home stretch though, so I gotta stay motivated to finish this one out through the end.

I bought some steak strips from the grocery store, hoping to work on my own (simple) cooking skills. The plan was to fry them up on the stove, add some Caribbean spices, and enjoy some protein. Unfortunately, the meat here is pretty subpar so I ended up throwing out half. I also bought some ground beef to mix in with spaghetti sauce when I make my next batch (which would be some time this week). And to make my mother proud, I bought bananas, mangos, and apples. The mango was quite good, but the bananas browned after only 2 days. Next time, I'll pick them up when they're green.

The first thing I'm doing when I go home is going out for a drive. Yesterday, I was chatting it up with Degaulle and we talked about my rims. Good old Volk Racing TE-37's. Oldies, but goodies. I miss them already. I could end up in a traffic jam and still be somewhat content.

This week, there are still lectures in MCB, but anatomy is all review. So really, we only have one class leading into the coming exams on Monday. It's quite nice of them to wind down to finish off the semester.

Done.

I'm officially done with studying. I could do more, but why would I subject myself to more pain. I think I earned myself a movie and an evening to chill out.

Last weekend was amazing. The trip out to Prickly Pear was great. The company was awesome. Even better, I didn't get sea sick. I had been debating taking dramamine; I even bought some from the pharmacy. I decided to go without and take my chances. I got on the boat and nursed a ginger ale on the way over and back. In total, I think I drank 6 cans on a 3 hour round trip. The only close call was eating the funky, exotic cheese on the way over. As soon as it hit my tongue, I started feeling queasy. I should have spat it out, but I swallowed it instead. After that point, I stuck to ginger ale. The island itself was beautiful. I laid out on the beach and then jumped in the water. At the end, I swam back to the boat which was a good distance out, but it was a cool experience. After, we all took turns jumping off the side into the ocean. It was a pretty cool experience.

We also ate at Temptations. I believe it was the most expensive meal I've ever had. And sadly, it was not that good. I thought the local BBQ joint had better food. Although, the food highlight of the weekend was crepes and eggs from the gelateria in Simpson Bay. It was the perfect way to end the weekend.

We also made it out to Marigot to see the marina and stare at the million dollar boats. I guess a little day dreaming can't hurt.

Only a few more weeks and I'm done with my first semester. I guess I can be a little nostalgic, although I have a long way to go. It's funny how lost I felt when I first got here and how quickly I've been able to adjust to a new environment and culture. I went to the airport and remembered the traumatic experience I had when I landed. I was ready to get on the next flight out. When I went this time, I felt like a seasoned veteran, knowing where to wait and how to get in and out smoothly. I'm a little proud of myself to see who quickly and well I have been able to adjust.

Don't get me wrong; I miss home and I can't wait to go back. Only 18 more months until I get back to the states... the clock is ticking.

Oddly enough, this entry is also post-studying, pre-test in nature. We have out last histology exam at 11:30am. Luckily, I'm doing well enough in the class that I don't have to worry too much about the outcome of the test, but I'm still going to try to do my best. I spent the weekend studying for it, so I think I'm pretty well prepared.

Normally, I don't study the day of the test, but I got bored so I looked at slides to jog my member about cells and microscopic features. I figure that it's going to be 10% of the test, so I should pay a little bit of attention to it.

I'm counting the weeks until I get to go home. I now stand at three weeks and one day. Just gotta get through anatomy and MCB, then I'll be headed back to California. I miss it already. The niece and nephew are getting bigger everyday and I really feel like I'm missing out. I can't wait to get back into "uncle duties", which means lots of playing and goofing off.

This marathon they call med school has barely begun, and already I'm starting to feel the the burn. I think I'll work on pacing myself better for the coming semester. Step one is passing all my classes; step two will be passing while being more efficient with my time. They say second semester is the hardest, so I'll make sure to hit the ground running when I come back, but I'll need the recharge.

USA! USA! USA!

I watched the USA v. Brazil game last night at the casino. Under normal circumstances, I don't root for US teams in international competition. Usually, we're the dominant team and expected to win. My apathy toward my home country sometimes made me wonder if I was indeed somehow un-American. I considered my lack of loyalty with a little bit of worry.

Last night, I was relieved to know that my apathy was not associated with my loyalty. The US team was clearly the underdog in last night's FIFA Confederation's Cup. And when they were up 2-0, I was genuinely proud of my home team. I cheered for each goal. And then the second half rolled around. Brazil dominated, came back, and won 3-2. Although it was a tough loss, I was happy to know that my loyalty in most sports lies with the underdog, not necessarily the country. And since the US is not a strong soccer country, I was happy to cheer them on.

In MCB today, I was the only person who was able to answer a question about genetics. I was pretty proud of myself. And it wasn't just repetition of a fact, but there was some actual thinking involved. He was asking how an autsomal dominant trait could be passed on through generations and yet not be seen. I explained that the trait could be latent and that a recent introduction (such as diet soda) could trigger the trait to appear. If I could think like that as a physician for the rest of my career, I would be a happy camper. Maybe, Dr. House has it better than I thought.

More Than Meets the Eye.

I saw Tranformers 2 last night. The action was impressive. Some of the comedic timing was amazing. The dialogue was sub-par (which was to be expected). My overall impression was postive. There are a couple of classic lines like, "I know these people... I'm 1/36th Arab." I'm stilling trying to figure out the purpose of having Tyrese, other than carry over the cast from the first movie. His lines were short and annoying. He complained throughout the entire movie and his one-liners were awful. I can't tell if it was a badly written script or bad acting. It could be a bit of both.

MVG Tech (the Dell tech on the island) took my laptop today in an attempt to diagnose the problem, but I have not heard from them yet. The computer continues to lag while on external power, have bad boots, and the media pad continues to intermittently stop working. I'm fairly certain I'll be replacing this computer when I go home. It'll either be the Lenovo U330 (or U350, which has a worse GPU but only weighs 3.5lb!) or a tank (ThinkPad T400)

The fiancee is planning on getting a MacBook Pro 13". Although I'm a dyed in the wool PC fan, I am impressed by the new Apple line. The workmanship of the computer and ease of use are very intriguing. Also, I've pretty disappointed in Vista on the Dell. I have Vista Ultimate 32-bit on the desktop at home and it runs flawless. The Home Premium 64-bit on the Studio XPS is absolute crap. Bad boots, freezes in the middle of menial tasks, bad shut downs, problems coming back from sleep mode; the list goes on. Even having the 64-bit edition, which allows me to run the entire 4GB of RAM is still not worth it.

I'm considering pre-ordering Windows 7. But being the geek that I am, I only want to Pro edition and don't want to pay full price for it. If Microsoft's Ultimate Steal program has it on sale, I might pull the trigger. I'm on the wait-and-see approach right now.

Alright, back to the cave I go. Although it seems slower to use a pen and paper, I still feel like I get alot accomplished in a reasonable amount of time and with a pretty good comprehension of the material. I'm going to have alot of paper (scrap and lecture notes) when everything is said and done. Guess I'll have something to contribute during the 5th semester bonfire.

Strange Day.

I don't know how else to describe it. First Farrah, then Michael Jackson. We just lost a couple of celebrity icons. Although, I do feel bad for Faucett since she passed away first and then lost the headline spot to MJ a few hours later. I noticed alot of people had comments about Jackson on their fb accounts. Frankly, I didn't really know the guy, so I'm not going to get too personal. Although, he did have some great songs. Some of them remind me of times in my childhood, so I guess there is some nostalgia. But he also hasn't really made any new hits since this "Thriller" album.

The Dell tech came today and repaired my computer. He replaced the motherboard and hard drive, while I swept the floor of my apartment. I had time to kill, so I figured cleaning would be a good way to go.

In anatomy lab, someone got yelled at for having their cell phone on them. This was the second day in a row and Dr. N was pissed this time around. He should have kicked her out like he promised prevously, but instead told her to leave the room and turn it off. I had my phone on me, waiting on the Dell tech. I decided it wasn't worth the aggravation and went to the back of the room and turned it off, lest is make a power down tone.

Team dynamics are a funny thing. One can really work well with someone and get alot of quality work done in a short amount of time. And sometimes, working with people is an exercise in patience. The first half of lab was wondering, I worked well with one classmate and we were able to reflect the skin and muscles, exposing the abdomen in a short period of time. And in the second half of class, I had to go back and forth with another student. In the end, I ended up needing to TA to come over so that my request could be filled. This sounds a little more confrontational than it really was. In reality, the TA had the tools needed to remove the thoracic cage. But in the end, I was right and she should have listened to me. Now I can understand why they put us in these groups, since there is alot to be learned.

We went out for thai this evening and I was discussing the situation with a friend. Apparently, he has had no issues with any of his group members. Frankly, that would be a little boring. I mean, put a couple of medical students, deprived of sleep, in a room full of scalpels and scissors and see what happens.

Alright, library closing; to be worked on later.

The Future.

I read an interesting article this morning about the primary care physicians who cannot retire because there is no one take their place. This is especially true in rural locations. For the most part, these are one doctor towns. The article also highlights the fact that most young physicians are going into specialties, which allow for a better pay and more reasonable hours. This is going to be an issue in the future as the amount of primary care physicians decrease and the need increases. The President Obama's plan, many more uninsured Americans will soon be getting health care, so the need will become even greater.

It brings up some interesting points. Medicals students are $200k in debt coming out of school and don't plan to spend the rest of their lives paying it off. There needs to be more incentive to join primary care. Working for a federal clinic is an option, since many have loan-forgiveness programs. Also, primary care needs to be more than just a spring board to send patients to the required specialist. For all the work they do, they don't nearly get enough credit. Primary care physicians are the first line of care for most, if not all, patients and they should be acknowledged and compensated for it. We need to move away from procedure-based reimbursement.

And now I move onto myself. I just had a turkey sandwich. I've switched to buying turkey cuts from Cupecoy Market. I tried the processed turkey from the grocery store, but I can't deal with slimy meat. It may cost more, but at least they actually use a real roast of turkey.

I've heard people talking about the stores here; one day you'll find something and then you return a week later, it's gone. I'm starting to experience it firsthand. I guess we get spoiled in the states, expecting everything to be there when we arrive. There really is no efficient distribution system here. When they run out, they order more. It makes you appreciate the system back home, but also reminds me how complacent I am back home.

I'm compiling my list of items I need. It includes more t-shirts (they aren't kidding when they say the weather is good day and night), iPod and workout gloves (for the gym), and an umbrella. So far I've been good about timing the rains, but I was caught in one and I hope to have avoid that next time around. Plus, there is not much of a window before class, so if I need to go in it, I'd rather be somewhat prepared.

The class trip is coming. We're going to Prickly Pear island on a catamaran. According to wikipedia, the island is known for prickly pears and had alot of tourism. It has a native population of 12. It is also radioactive, since the British stored spent fuel rods from their submarines on the island. They are housed in mud covered wooden huts. Not exactly the 18 inches of concrete I would have hoped for. Well, the water is supposed to be great there (must be a great heatsink for the fuel rods).

Time to get ready for anatomy. Everyday, I wake up from my daily nap, and I debate the merits of going to lab. I learn everything I need the weekend before the exam, but not much I can do about the attendance policy, so I'm roped in. I figure I'll save my excused absences for the end of the semester, so I can get out and focus on studying.

And with that, I'm off...

To Be Filed,

watched half of Dark Knight last night (odd sentence structure, I know). I forgot how awesome of a movie it is and how good Heath Ledger was in it. Didn't finished it, but I figured I might get around to it tonight. The workload so far this block is alot more reasonable compared to the last two. I guess the information in head and neck is alot more dense than in abdomen. We've spent more days on the heart than on whole brain, which is alot more complicated. I'm sure it due to the high yield of heart on the Step 1.

I'm learning that basic sciences is about passing the USMLE Step 1. It looks good for the school to have a high Step 1 pass rate and they want to ensure they are teaching us things that are high yield for the test. I'm not sure if I agree that this is the best teaching method, but I also want to do well on the test and go home, so I won't really object to it.

I finally got groceries yesterday. I stocked up on 1-liter juice packs. They even have arabic writing, so you know they are authentic. I think I went overboard as I bought 12 puches worth, but it is better than soda. I'm taking my sister's advice and trying to eat well, since it's an important component of effective studying. I also picked up a ton of frozen food items. I know it's not great, but it is a step up from ramen noodles. I figure I could at least vary it up once in awhile. I also got yogurt for the mornings and a case of red bull. Now, why is that red bull costs $1.20/can here and $1.80/can at Costco back in California? I have no idea. I think it correlates with the fact that alcohol is cheaper than water down here.

I also went to office world to pick up a new unlocked phone. I found a really thin one from motorola, which I thought would be perfect. I brought it home and found out it had a calculator LCD screen and couldn't be used for text messages. I went with Andrew and Zan to return the phone and so they could pick up some items, only to find out I left the phone on the counter. So now I have to wait a week or two before I can return it and pick up a new one. At first, I didn't care what I had (which is why I bought one on VMD), but I am kind of a technology whore and I do want something thin and sleek now.

We stopped at KFC to eat and remind us of home. The chicken tastes the same here, which is a credit to the manufacturing process back in the US. The pepsi was flat, but the sandwich was well worth it. Also, they can sell alcohol at fast food restaurants. You can buy a beer with your drumsticks, which is pretty odd at first. And the beer costs as much as a soda or bottle of water and is cheaper than a large soda. But it makes you wonder if our laws are too stringent or too relaxed. Then again it's illegal to talk on a cell phone in the car but not illegal to drink and drive down here; go figure.

Alright, time to finish up MCB so I can go home, finish my movie, and sleep.

PS - Very jealous that the fiancee gets to go see Third Eye Blind; I loved that band as a kid. They're playing at a music-in-the-park event, which means they've started to fall on hard times, sad.

Monkey Genes.

I sit in here in MCB wondering exactly what the hell I'm looking it. Currently, I'm staring at the Southern Blot of a monkey's DNA. I'm not sure exactly how we got here.

On a brighter note, I found out that you can make video messages on fb. It will make typing a thing of the past. Hell, I could switch over to a video blog if I'm in the mood. It would save the flexor and extensors of the phalanges.

The debate still goes on over my laptop. I'm still planning on ordering the T400 and having Dell take this one back. If it doesn't work, then I'll wait for them to fix, leave it in the box, and eBay this thing.

Fleeting Moments.

After 5 hours of studying (and a moment in which I had considered applying to law school), I have completed my work for the day. And for my accomplishment, I'll watch part of the NBA finals game tonight. The morning started off with finishing up my laundry and cleaning up the apartment. Even though I have washed my sheets three times, they still managed to make all of my bartop towels pink. How much cheap dye did they use in those things? Then it was off to the mock practical to remind myself how little of the head and neck I know. I came home, decided to skip my daily nap, and headed straight to the library. And this is where I have been since.

I did talk to Dell technical support last night and got them to at least admit I needed a new motherboard. Now the plan will be to make them take it back, so I can get a ThinkPad instead. Thanks to SlickDeals, there is a pretty good deal on a T400 with discrete graphics for $700. That's how much I paid for this Dell, which has been nothing but trouble for me.

It did rain intermittently this morning, so I was glad I didn't have to step out for long periods of time. The hardest part is timing tropical rain. It could be clear and sunny out and all of a sudden, you'll find yourself in a downpour; these rains are not mild. Last time I was caught in one, I was soaking within 20 seconds. A minute later, the clouds part and the sun starts shining. You wonder if you made the whole thing up. On a side note, hurricane season has officially started.

This first semester is really a marathon. After the first block, I felt pretty accomplished. One quickly finds out about small victories to help cope with the volume of information. Each night, you chip away at some of the material and you feel good about it, but you get back to work at 8am the next day and it all starts over. So each day is a little academic battle. The key is knowing when you call it quits, so you can fight another day. I try not to get myself worked up if I don't get every detail right off the bat; I know some people that do. I figure, so long as I stick to my study plan (review the day of, the weekend after, and the weekend before finals), I'll see it three times and by then, it should stick (long enough to be put down on a piece of paper).

So I'm four weeks in and I wonder how one could keep this pace going for a whole semester. I guess it's about keeping it perspective and working with what you can. I just want to make sure I haven't burned myself out before the end, so I'll have enough in the tank to finish strong.

Day Off.

We had the day off from school today. I woke up this morning to join Andrew to look at apartments for next semester. The realtor showed up 50 minutes late on a one hour appointment, so we took off and had Solutions show us a place. It was a two bedroom, but the walk to campus was a little farther than I was planning, so we decided to hold off.

I was supposed to meet another realtor later in the day and walked over to the building for our appointment. After 15 minutes, I called her to see where she was, only to find out that she had never left. She sent me email to re-confirm, although I already told her I would meet her. Anyways, she didn't show and I ended up walking to my place in the rain (one day I'm going to get an umbrella) and took a nap.

On a side note, I'm really into naps these days. I usually get 7-8 hours of sleep a night, but after all my classes, all I'm thinking about is hitting my pillow and crashing for 30 minutes. I don't even think it's that effective, so I'm usually more tired after I get up. And yet, it's so worth it. Something psychologically satifying about taking a mid-day nap.

Other than that, it was standard stuff. Studying, eating, and sleeping. I had a green apple and peanut butter, which is the ultimate (semi-)healthy snack. It's delicous.

I have some extra time tonight, so I'm headed to the casino to watch game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. This series is looking eeriely similar to last year's. I predict Detroit in five games, although I can still hope for a Pittsburgh miracle. And for the record, Malkin should have been suspended for a game for instigating a post-whistle fight, but that wouldn't make a compelling series, so the NHL decided to waive its own rules. One more reason to hate Gary Bettman.

My Studio XPS 13 (XPS 1340) Review

I ordered this Dell laptop with high hopes. I was looking for a nice 13" laptop to take to school with me and after some previous positive experiences with both a Latitude and Dimension models from Dell, I decided to go with them for my graduate school experience. So far, I have been very diappointed. So, for now, I'll list my issues with the computer.


Technical Issues:

- Computer does not boot properly and hangs in the Windows loading screen; it needs to be rebooted 2-3 times before it will work again.
- While plugged in, the CPU operates at full capacity (100%) for no reason, then quickly drops to 5% (around idle) when unplugged.
- The media pad/buttons will not work approximately 25% of the time and the computer needs to be rebooted before they will work again.
- Installing the infrared port drivers causes the computer to continually cycle the drivers on and off until the computer is rebooted.


Personal Issues:

- For a 13" laptop, this is a heavy computer. My 14.1" ThinkPad was lighter than this.
- The plastic cover on the screen gathers alot of finger prints.
- I'm not impressed by the leather accent on the outer cover.
- The glossy cover also gets alot of finger prints on it.
- The CPU gets hot very quickly and cannot be held for any length of time.

So far Dell Support has given me the standard run around, telling me to run the OS repair utility on Vista disc. Because I wanted to get rid of the Dell bloatware, I did this long before they told me to. And even then, I was experiencing some of the issues before hand. When I get home from school, I high priority will be to find a better laptop than this. I'm not impressed at all by this Dell. I'd like to go back to a ThinkPad if I find the right deal.

New Life.

Looks like AUC's network policy has expedited my transition from livejournal to blogger; they've decided to block LJ.  I guess the server LJ is on has links to some site that might potentially slow down the network.  I'm not in the mood to argue or fight over it, so I'm switching over.  This might be a good idea, since I figure a new blog would better reflect the new chapter in my life.  That new chapter would be medical school.  So let's see if I can give an overview of my blog intentions.

I hope to use this blog as a diary of sorts.  I want to write about my feelings and attitudes towards the my studies and my life in general.  I don't plan on having much of a structure, so we'll see how things come together.

At some point, I'm going to transition my previous medical school related LJ posts onto blogger.  I do like the google connection to blogger.  I can now use my gmail account to log into blogger, which is a nice little feature.