Boo to You!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

I love Halloween. Why? Not because of the candy. Not because of the pranks. Why? It's a tertiary thing: next is Thanksgiving, and after that, is my favorite time of year: CHRISTMAS! That's right...for me, Halloween marks the upcoming holiday season...this is the time of year that I thrive on. It's not just me, it's my whole family. We're all freaks about Christmas. In fact, I wouldn't put it past my sister that, after reading this entry, she'll whip out a mini Christmas tree and start playing Christmas songs. yes, we are one of THOSE families. (But don't worry...we don't leave our Christmas lights on all year long...just until mid January or so).

Wait until AUC starts whipping out the decorations for the rotunda. It actually looks nice. There's a giant tree that sits there, too, all lit up. I included a pic of last year's tree.

But I shouldn't jump the gun...school to worry about, and a Thanksgiving feast to start planning. (For those who attended the one last year, watch out...I'm upping it a notch!!)

No News is Good News

It's been a rather uninteresting day today.

Maybe aside from the fact that I caught a glimpse of the new Quiznos that will be opening in our brand new airport. None of the new restaurants are opened yet, nor does anyone have any idea as to what the new restaurants are going to be, but one thing's for sure: any new restaurant is a welcomed change in my book (don't get me wrong...i love lal's, rick's, and thai, but those things are overdone sometimes). New additions include: Quiznos (yippee!!!), Carls and Sons, a Japanese steakhouse (yummy), and some kind of typical island sit-down restaurant (palm trees as ambiance, etc). there might be more, but that was all I could see (and yes, I parked the car this time and did a quick walk-through. It's so nice. After being on this island for like, uh, forever, an air-conditioned airport is almost mind boggling).

Okay, i'll have pics of the new restaurants in the next couple of days. Gotta hit the books.

What I've Been Up To

So much going on. Okay, not really. i've been catching up on sleep all weekend, as this past week was very draining.

Yesterday, when I went for a run down to Mullet Bay beach, I decided to go for a quick swim. Water was nice, but starting to get a little rough (as it later rained that night). Anyway, while trying to swim back, the current pulled me back and a huge wave crashed over me. I saw that it was going to happen and tried to take a deep breath to prepare, but the wave came faster than I had expected, and I swallowed a lot of water. I got tossed around a bit and had to relax to figure out which way was back up. I came home with most of the sand from the beach with me, so I apologize for any future sunbathers if there is no beach left at Mullet Bay.

Tonight, I decided to head out and grab a bite to eat. The traffic is still backed up. (Surprise, surprise). I checked that out, too. There's no stop light being put in, as the rumor has it...it's some kind of side-road work that is being done that I can't figure out why it would back up traffic. We're entering high season again, as one could tell from the number of tourists at the restaurants tonight. Perhaps this has something to do with the traffic.

I'm posting some pictures that I took tonight of the new grocery store and the newest ATM that we have at the gas station. I took some pictures of the airport, but they didn't turn out. Good news, though. THE AIRPORT IS OFFICIALLY OPEN. I saw passengers standing in lines inside to check in, and the guy with the yellow shirt who helps you with luggage was there, too (we call them skycaps in Baltimore).

So, that's about it. I have lots of pharm to do, plus I have to study for a med ethics quiz tomorrow...it's the 5th lecture. Only 2 classes after tomorrow, then that class will be over. Yippee.

Cheers.

Some Women Are Men

Okay, not really. But I just learned something pretty interesting. And no, this has nothing to do with Jamie Lee Curtis actually being a male.

Working on pharm today, I learned that acne is actually caused by testosterone. What are a lot of women put on to treat acne? Oral contraceptives (birth control pills). The "MOA" (method of action) is that the drug actually reduces the amount of free testosterone in the body, hence why it successfully treats acne. Those poor women...having surges of testosterone in their bodies.

Thankfully, I am acne free...got through puberty without pimples, too. I will admit that I get pimples before exams. It's almost always on cue: one on the cheek or forehead the day before every exam. It's gone right after I take my exam. So, for that brief period of time, I must somehow get a testosterone surge. I'll take this a step forward to develop a new theory: this might explain my behavior changes before an exam. Perhaps I should conduct an experiment on this. (this would be my second experiment here at AUC. My first came from my frustration at the absolute rudeness of some students. Too many people walk by and pretend not to see you, or make eye contact and then not say hi. My theory on this was that it all depends on where you come from. For example, those from big cities are the ones apt to walk by and not smile at a stranger, while those from smaller, close knit communities will gladly greet a stranger. My theory was proven correct. I went a step further and tested the idea that, if you initiate the "smile exchange" the stranger will smile back, no matter what. It worked 85% of the time).

Back to working on the pimple theory, though.

From now one, if someone asks if i'm stressed, i'll say, "No, it's because of my pimple."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!!!!!!!!

Sorry I can't be there to celebrate with you, but enjoy your day...

Crazy rain

Right before heading to my med ethics class, I took some pics of the rain that was coming...look closely at the ocean and cloud...you'll see a funnel actually coming down and touching the ocean. It was really cool to watch. It almost looked like a tornado, the way the funnel was set up.



P.S. click to enlarge the pics and take a close look, you can see the funnel.

Airport Update

I finally have pictures of the new airport...I have been telling my family how well it's been coming along, since all those who have visited me have had to fly into the ghetto one.

These were taken yesterday. Sorry for the blurriness...I was driving. I made the comment to my friend taking the pic, " Hey, look...they have luggage...wonder why?" Response: "It's an airport."
(In my defense, my line of thinking was that it meant the airport was officially being used for flights...i'm not a blonde).

Say No to Drugs

I haven't really been keeping up with posting as much as I would like, as it's been a really crazy week for me (I'm totally looking forward to tomorrow afternoon when it's all over). I had a pharm exam on Monday... this class has never caused a major problem for anyone in the past, but this semester, with the new prof, it's a totally different story. ...25% of the class is failing, and a lot of people are borderline with low 70's. Now, out of a class of 120 people, that's a lot of people in trouble. Our final is going to be worth 30% of our grade, and half of that exam is going to be cummulative (gulp).

Sitting in class is very frustrating, as we're not getting lectured properly (most lectures are pulled off of other medical schools websites and just copy and pasted, so everyday, we are thrown with random information. Sometimes, we're told something is not going to be tested on, but it shows up on the exam anyway. Or, my favorite, the 1st week's packet for the class, we were told there were going to be 18 questions (out of 50) on the 1st exam. There were like 5.

Anyway, back to me describing my crazy week. After the pharm exam, I have been working on path material for this Friday's exam. I also had 2 quizzes today in med ethics. Let's not forget a crazy med pysch lab, where we practiced pysch evaluations on each other...that assignment needs to be typed up and handed in next week.

Whoever said that 4th semester was cake needs to have that cake thrown at him/her... I sailed through 3rd semester (although I opted to take path I this semester, but still...neuro, phys, micro II...so much easier and much more enjoyable). 4th semester is a pain.

Just say no.

Changes Around AUC

As I have mentioned before, the school has finally stepped up and worked on controlling everyone's crazy schedules by converting a study room into a classroom. Finally, my scehdule won't change on a daily basis. I took a pic of the new set up. It's still not the greatest solution, as it's hard to see around a swarm of people, and I'm not one to look at the tvs to see what is on the slide (as i like to watch that little red dot that the profs are so keen on utilizing).

I'm Still Alive

I know I haven't posted much, but it's been pretty hetic. I had my pharm exam on Monday, and now, I have path on Friday. Not to mention that I still have a med pysch project due, an upcoming presentation, and 2 quizzes for med ethics this week, and a presentation for that class next week.

I cannot wait for this week to be over.

Off I Go

I have like 40 minutes before my pharm exam. For the past 2 hours, I have been only quasi-studying. For most people, it's a sign that you are ready. But for me, it means that I have been looking at this stuff way too long and I'm sick of it.

Ugh.

Those 3 Little Words...

I HATE PHARM.

Use Your Imagination

I loved today's sunset. While trying to take a pic, though, my batteries started dying, so I had to take a pic quickly, which is why it came out blurry.

A Public Service Announcement

Just been reminded by my mom about upcoming elections back home...MD is going to have a tight gubernatorial race. Wanna vote? Get an abseentee ballot!

And They're Off!

The pic, from Pimlico Race Track in MD, is symbolic of all pharm students for this weekend for our exam that's on Monday afternoon.

So far, I've gotten through half of the notes, as well as 2 Dr. Peppers, 1 yellow highliter and 1 post-it note pad. (oh, and my white-out is getting pretty low).

Place all bets to see how it turns out...

A Complete Sense of Irony

Today started the 2 week medical ethics course. Frankly, it feels as though it's a baby-sitting class. Granted, ethics is important in medicine, but it's covered in med pysch (to an extent). For two hours today, we listened to the professor read straight from her slides about the hippocratic oath. After an hour of reading to us like we're kindergartners, we got a break. After break, she spent 20 minutes doing roll call for 100+ people. Surprisingly, she didn't really butcher the Indian names. Why roll call? Because we signed the attendance sheet at the beginning of class, and she wanted to make sure that everyone of us that signed it at the beginning were still there...it would be unethical to sign and leave.

Where does the irony fit in? We have a required book for the class that a lot of people don't have. Her solution is to take it to note service and allow them to copy it for the students that need it. Ummmm....copy right laws? To be fair to her, she is setting up a system that if get a copy, it will be numbered and recorded, and you have to turn it into her at the end of the course, or you don't get your final grade. HOWEVER, she said, "What you do with the copy in between those two times is up to you.... I don't want to know." Oh, so you're telling us to unethically make more copies???? Does anyone else see a problem with this?

Before I get off my soapbox, I'm not one to boo-hoo over school: it's your education, make the most of it, so stop complaining. But this semester, my schedule is being changed on a daily basis b/c the school keeps accepting more and more students without expanding its facilities. Now, added to my chaotic schedule is a ethics course that is being taught by an unethical person who just reads from slides for 2 hours. Thanks, but no thanks...i can get it done in half the time on my own.

Enough ranting and raving...I have 2 exams next week that I need to study for.

I'm Home!

Okay, not really. But it sure seemed like it. Today was a dreary, rainy day. With lots of wind and very cool air. I loved it. Why? It reminded me of home. This, to me, was typical fall weather. All that was missing was the foliage...bright reds, oranges, and browns.

I have to say, I miss the seasons. I know, I know. I complain when I'm at home that it's too cold, but since I've been here, I miss it.

Now, if it could only snow on SXM, like it does at home...
But then again, my dad wouldn't be around to snow blow us out.

4th semester boo-hoos

Tomorrow, we start med ethics. I don't think the school really thought it out, because they threw this class right in the middle of the next round of exams. I've already looked at the previews to come for this class: 7 lectures, each 2 hours long. 2 days of group presentations, 1 final, and 4 quizzes. Great.

This is added to the fact that pharm exam is on monday and path exam is on friday. Oh, and I failed to mention the best thing: unless they get this stupid problem fixed with path I class, things are going to get ugly for all semesters next week. I'll be in class straight from 8:45 to 2:30, which doesn't make me a happy camper.

The Mysterious Y Chromosome

No matter which way you want to look at it, females dominate. It's in our genes.... quite literally. The 2 X chromosomes that we have contain a lot of important genetic material. So much that female bodies shut down 1 X chromosome in every cell, in order to avoid over expression (that, and to attempt to bring ourselves down to the males, who have 1 X chromosome, as well). You can even see how much bigger the X chromosome is in comparison to the Y.

So what about the Y chromosome that men have? It's essentially useless. The only genetic material that it really contains is to make men...men.

So, it's interesting that this seemingly unimportant Y chromosome has had several new genes discovered that control genetic behavior in men:
Mm-1 (mum) : Presence induces complete inability in males to ask for directions, particularly in the presence of females.

Rmt-1,2,3 (remote): Induces strong possession and use of a tv remote control. This is often linked to :
Ftch-1 (fetch): causes the male to plead to the female to bring him a cold beverage
***This linkage is often fatal.

Grp-1/Rtd-1 (group 1 retard 1): causes retardness in any group of males

Rip-1: self explainatory

Thank you, Dr. L for the funniest path lecture ever!!!

Today's Equation

Too many cars+ little island = traffic everywhere.

I talked about how I was stuck in traffic yesterday for an hour and a half to go like 2.5 km (someone please convert that to miles). Think that's bad? The parents at the private school near me line up everyday to pick up their kids. It's funny, I captured like the only 2 small cars...all the other parents drive huge SUVs and other expensive cars. THe line always causes a problem for normal, local traffic, as it gets so lon, it wraps inside of the school lot, around the corner, and to my apartment complex.

I also decided to post a pic of the condo complex that is being built. It's been in the works since I got here last April. I still don't think people are living there yet, as I have yet to see lights on at night.

Don't Diss the Leftovers

So, I promised to make up for the lack of pictures from today. So, I took a pic of my leftovers from Tequilla. Satisfied?

Monday, Monday

I had my med psych exam today, which I thought was fair (you don't seem to say that too often after taking a test). I got my grade emailed to me and was very pleased with my results.

Did my normal routine of going out to dinner after an exam. As I was heading to Simpson Bay, I got stuck in traffic. No biggie, as the bridge often goes up and you just have to patientlly wait a few minutes.

Fast forward an hour and a half later. What in the world happened? It wasn't the bridge going up that caused me to be stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. Something happened, but what, I don't know. As far as I could see, traffic was stopped. It took me an hour and a half to go the short distance from school to Tequilla. Crazy. (I'm sure you're wondering why I didn't just turn around and go home, but it was one of those things that every time I thought that, we would move forward a couple of feet. Then, I would think to myself, "well, we've come this far...")

Dinner was superb, to say the least. A nice treat for hard work.

As usual, I saw a lot of cool things: from people watching to plane watching to a great view with a nice breeze at the restaurant. But, as usual, no camera. I will make it up, somehow.

Time to end this discombulated message... call it "free association" that I learned from Freud.

I'll PYSCH You Out!

I have my med pysch exam tomorrow, which I'm almost ready for (key word: almost). I still have some last minute studying to do. One thing's for sure: I am so sick of defense mechanisms. We had about 20 of them to learn, and they are all placed on a scale that ranges from narissistic to mature. Believe it or not, a lot of adults will in fact regress when they are presented with a problem (key example: the toughest man becomes the biggest baby when he gets sick).

The only interesting thing that I enjoyed learning about when it comes to defense mechanisms is that the term and concept was coined by Anna Freud, daughter to Freud. She rejected his theory that infants contain sexual desires. I guess when she heard that, she was like, "Uh-uh, Dad. No way did I want to have sex with you."

Lal's Is Back in Town!!

Thank goodness: Lal's is back open. I thought I could handle going without his food for 3 weeks while he went away on vacation and to take care of some business, but I was wrong. I called on Thursday of this week to see if he was back, and he answered, but said that he wouldn't open until Saturday. I called right away on Saturday, only to find out that I would have to wait several hours, as a huge order from AUC had been placed (grrr to those people).

I normally get butter chicken either medium or spicy, but I downplayed to mild, as I didn't know how the new cooks would make it. Normally, the container would last me for 3 meals, but I ate all of it in one setting, as I fasted all day in anticipation.

What does this food look like, you ask? I would have taken a pic to show you, but I gobbled it up too fast :) Next time, though.

P.S. You haven't eaten it right if your figertips aren't orange when you are finished eating.

Update on Dad's Car

For those who don't know, my dad is building his own little roadster, and doing a nice job, if I might add. I've included some pics, so the family that has trouble downloading them when my mom sends them out can see them here.

Oh, and I called home the other night and he started the engine up. It sounds bad (sorry, don't know any other "cool car slang" to use). I also heard the horn, an "ooga!" horn.

Friday the 13th

Yup, it's been one of those days. I woke up, felt great. Went to class, still feeling great. Had a standardized patient interview today...it went great. Came home and that's when trouble started. Nothing major, but small things add up. Especially when a problem comes immediately after fixing another problem.

So, what did I do? Ran away from campus, where a song that I never heard came one and sang about having bad days. Talk about irony. While out, ran into some more trouble. Aggghhh. I'm home and hiding in a corner. Tomorrow starts another day. :)

P.S. And I didn't even realize today was Friday the 13th until way after all of my troubles started.

No More View

The new structure that is being built in Cupecoy has now blocked my view of the ocean. I'm a little upset about that, b/c I like to watch the sunset everyday. Normally, there is a picturesque moment as a sailboat passes by. Now, this stupid building, which appears to be yet another apartment complex, has ruined that. If I look to the left of the building, I can see a smidge of the ocean.

On a more positive note, it's an icky day today. Why doe that make me happy? Because it's a change from the normal "perfect" weather seen here on SXM.

My Lil' Sister's Problem

Halloween is approaching and my little sister is unsure of how she should dress up. She has given me several ideas that either she or her friends have come up with:

1. Alice in Wonderland (but this has been overdone)
2. Poncohantas (not too original)
3. Pirate wench (overdone)
4. Smurfette (whoa! stop the presses. This is a cool idea. I wonder who came up with it? ME! And what's funny is that it kind of rhymes with our last name, which is why I think she should do that).

So, any ideas? Oh, and by the way, when I say "little" sis, I mean my sister that's only 14 months younger than me and is in law school (apparently, they have too much time on their hands...we med students could show them a thing or too).

Uneventful day

I pretty much had an uneventful day. School, nap, study. YEA!!! I think the most interesting thing that happened to day was my lunch. Thinking back on it, it was pretty yummy. I made turkey pita sandwhich with cheese, dijon mutard, and lettuce. I ate an apple on the side.

I'm a loser. (but i bet i made you hungry in the process of declaring my loser-ness, didn't I?)

On a side note, I miss my piano. Great stress relief. This past break, I took pics of my piano and videos of me playing, b/c some of my friends didn't believe that I have been playing since I was 8 and have been to several state competitions (where I promptly lost each time).

4th Semester Factoid: Monday

Okay, so today, I learned about blood (yes!). Let's face it, most medical students are fascinated with blood... we were the kids who picked at scabs to see what they would do, who didn't cry when it came to getting shots. (or maybe, i'm the only weirdo).

The normal human body (given "normal" weight) has approx. 5 L of blood. Normal blood donation is 1 "unit," which is about 500 ml...equivalent to 10% of your blood. Now, 10% may not seem like such a large fraction, but it's enough to set your body into compensatory mechanisms, like tachycardia (increased heart rate), and vessel constriction (to help raise blood pressure). (Okay, so I already knew this from 2nd semester, but we relearned it today).

Onto med pysch...we learned about defense mechanisms. The typical adult male defense mechanism is known as Intellectualizaion. It's the whole find it, fix it, principle without taking into account the other person's feelings. Let's role play:

Female: "wah, wah, wah. I had a bad day because Janey thought that my shoes didn't match my purse and earrings."

Male: Well, maybe you should just stick with matching to brown and black, that way, you won't have a problem."

Stop right there! What he should have done was said “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Let me give you a hug. We’ll go shopping later for some new accessories together, and it will be my treat.”

Guys, the lesson to learn here is to keep your mouth shut and just give us a hug.



Side note: Joke from med pysch today about defense mechanisms: how do med students channel anger and aggression? By becoming surgeons. :)

A surrounded by B

I'm working on med pysch homework (yes, can you believe it...i have actual homework). Anyway, in lab this week, we are working on pyschoanalytic therapy, behavior, all tied into psychotherapy. In order to fully understand this, we have been given the task to complete several worksheets that allow us to determine how we handle stress, if we are able to relax, how we solve stressful problems, and finally, personality type.


I'm type A. Not only am I type A, apparently, I'm an extreme form of Type A. I have the desire to constantly be going, tend to cut people off, get annoyed when tasks aren't done correctly, a need to multitask, and extremely comepetitive. What? That doesn't sound like me.

In all fairness, though, there are more subdivisions of personality types, but we were only being tested for Type A vs. Type B (an extremely laid-back, relaxed personality type).

My friends are all type B. I'm a Type A with type O blood, surrounded by type B.

Click!

I finally got around to watching "Click," with Adam Sandler in it. Good movie, I must say. Since he's getting older, he's breaking away from comedy and playing more serious roles, and, believe it or not, it suits him. He did a fantastic job in this movie. Check out www.imbd.com for a synopsis of the movie. (I don't want to give anything away). The movie was so well done, that yes, I will admit a few tears were shed.

Oh, and what else could make a movie better but my newest find at Food Express....(drum roll please)...MR. PIBB!!!! I can't believe I found it on this island. This is one step up from my usual diet Dr. Pepper. Smiles all around :)

The New Grocery Store

I just got back from the new grocery store, Gourmet Marche (the little sister to Grand Marche). Not bad, not bad. Very clean, containing all of the essential high-yield grocery items that one would need, including meats and fruits not bruised (both of which you can't seem to find in Food Express).

Forgot to ask them if I could get my AUC discount, so I can't comment about that. I did have my camera with me, so I could show a picture, but stupid me, forgot to put the memory card in. And after 1 picture of nothingness, the memory was full. Sorry, guys. :(

Compare and Contrast

Still getting ready for my path exam that's tomorrow morning. Take a look at the notes for class (big stack on the left) vs. my high-yield notes (much smaller stack on the right).

Wish me luck...

My Maryland

In honor of our great state, I am posting a pic of the Inner Harbor (Baltimore, MD) and the bumper boats that you can rent there...a fellow Baltimorenian (yes, an actual word) took these.

Trixie the Pixie and I seem to have a growing list of things we miss: Chik-Fil-A and Maryland Blue Crabs. Here's to you, my fellow Marylander!!!

4th Semester Factoid: Wednesday

Okay, so I've been learning a lot about cancer in pathology. The word "cancer" tends to automatically bring about a negative connotation to it, but actually, there have been some pretty impressive advancements in the area. For example, the rate of stomach cancer in the US has steadily been declining. Why? All of the extra perservatives that health nutts stick their noses up at are actually protecting us...they contain a lot of antioxidants.

On the other hand, US has the highest incidences of colon cancers in the world. This again has to do with the typical American diet: red meat and low fiber.

Seems like we need to find a balance: our upper GI tract is okay, but the bottom (no pun intended) is now getting messed up.

My plan? I'll just stick to my Maryland crabs: crabcakes, crab soup...

4 Seasons

Studies have shown that listening to Classical and Baroque music improves memory and concentration. So, I'm listening to Vivaldi's 4 Seasons while studying for my pathology exam that's on Friday. Funny how my least favorite season back home is my favorite Vivaldi piece: Winter.

4th Semester Factoid: Tuesday

I feel it is my duty, nay, my privilege, ..blah, blah, blah. Okay, so here's the deal. I decided that I should make an attempt to post a factoid everyday. Why? If I'm having to learn massage amounts of info, then everyone else should feel the joy of daily personal edification, as well.

So, here is today's 4th semester factoid: cyclosporins, a great immunosuppressant drug, given to transplant patients. This stops any battle that might be waged against the transplant by the patient's own immune system. Essentially, a neutral ground is reached. Who's great at neutrality? The Swiss, so, it's only natural that they are the ones that discovered this drug.

Biochem: It WILL Come Back to Haunt You

Just a word of advice to all the "under-semesters" out there: biochem will come back and bite you in the butt. I never had it in undergrad, so getting through it down here (I had Dr. B and Dr. T, who is no longer here) was a like a chore that you keep ignoring to the last possible moment. So, some things weren't fully learned and forever engraved in my brain, as they should be. That one mistake made in first semester has bitten me in the butt every semester since, including now.

Biochem: it's everywhere.

Sunny Day

I took this pic a while ago, but found it when looking in my picture files. I was looking for a new desktop pic to brighten my day, since I'm stuck in front of my computer, studying pathology.

We're all in a box

This photo is from my sister's apartment. She is a law school student. Perhaps there is an underlying message?

Beware of Dog

Don't get me wrong. I'm a dog lover. I have a great chocolate lab back home. I can handle the small little island dogs that look at you for food. But I cannot take these two big dogs that have suddenly appeared around the Campus Village area. They're huge and chase after you when you go running (as has been my experience). One is a rottweiler and who knows what the other one is. Word is that the rottweiler actually started barking and growling at a student when she got in her car.

The owner needs to step up and take care of this. Too many moms with their babies around, and too many runners that are tired of being chased. And when I say too many runners, I mean mainly me.