Boundary Waters Trip (February 8-10, 2002)
That was one of the most amazings weekend that I've had in medical school. It was a time of many firsts: cross-country skiing, broomball, sauna, dipping into an ice hole, getting the 50 point bonus in scrabble, snow-shoeing.
I didn't know that the boundary waters is so far away. We stopped by Duluth and I thought that we were almost there. Ummm ... I was wrong. Although there wasn't any snow on the side of the roads, pastor Sanny was telling all of us to keep faith that there was actually a lot of snow up there. Our next stop was at Grand Marais. Still no snow, but I still had faith :) John and Diana also pointed out the hotel where they went for their honeymoon. The North Shore is really pretty, but I'm not really sure that I would want to honeymoon there during winter. We went up the gunflint trail and saw two meese. Actually JR, our resident hunter, saw them. After 6 or 7 hours from Minneapolis, we finally reached Adventurous Christian retreat.
I didn't go last year, but according to Connie (our guide for the weekend) we were legends. Note to self: long-johns and fire do not mix.
We were playing with Amy and Jess' magic ball when we got the fan's cord tangled up. One of the coolest pictures I have is of Chris trying to fix the fan. Anyway, I had some time to think about giving a bible bullet. Somehow, Jeremiah 29:11-13 came to mind. Awesome bible verse!
I woke up at 6:30 the next morning and had some quiet time for myself. The first thing I tried to do was to run in the snow. I felt like a kid again -- running and tumbling across the snow. JR thought I was nuts, but it must have been the Canadian air.
At 9:30 all of us got ready to do some cross-country skiing. It was a little bit nerve racking, because I was the only one who has never cross-country skiied before. However Kathy was an excellent and patient teacher. I did fall numerous times, but I actually enjoyed it. After a while, I was looking forward to zooming down the little hills. The moment that I finally found the groove was when I stopped paying attention to my form and started to enjoy the woods, trees, and nature. I have another amazing picture of the whole group waiting for me. It was an amazing accomplishment! To top it off, I still feel like I have enough energy to do another loop. Hmmm ... after a couple of weeks, I sorta forgot about the pain. My right knee was killing me, and I found out from class that my femur and patella was not in exact alignment. Gotta work on my VMOs .... Still I would go cross-country skiing in a heart beat!
We were tired, but we felt like we should go snow-shoeing. That was a blast too, but then I realized that I did get tired after a couple of hours of skiing. I didn't have boots so I borrowed Russ'. That mean that I could use his special snow shoes. Unfortunately I broke it while trying to chase the girls (just kidding!). I actually have no idea why it broke, but the straps on those snow shoes were pretty messed up before I put them on.
The evening was spent watching people do some rock climbing. Oh, before that Tim Anderson and I were the dish-washing crew. We made it our mission to be the fastest dishwashers this side of the Mississippi. Unfortunately, while washing the dishes I missed Amy's ascent to the summit. Even though we had a ballayer, it was still pretty scary when you fall off (I did that :) but it was a really big high to go all the way to the top.
Saunas are Hot
My friends say that I like to point out the obvious, and obviously they are right (just wanted to point that out). How hot was it ... 200 degrees fahrenheit. People say that I'm crazing for jumping into the water hole, but you can't help but jump in there after spending 15 minutes in the sauna. This is further proof to me that the Finns are the hardiest people on earth.
The best part of the evening was when JR lost his sandal in the ice hole. He wasn't able to retrieve it, because it sunk down to the bottom. I suggested half-jokingly that we should pray about it. Right after we prayed for his sandal, it floated up. You might say that this is a coincidence, but God answers way too many prayers for me to claim it to be a coincidence. Wow, He even cares about JR's sandals!
Broomball
I was in no shape for more punishment, but I agreed to play broomball anyway. I don't remember much about it anymore, except that I kept falling on my right rear end.
Scrabble
The entries are getting shorter and shorter, because I'm getting tired of typing. Here is my 78 point word: JASMINE.
Gooseberry Falls
A frozen waterfall? I can't believe that I was actually walking on the river bed. Still, there were others in the group who did far more adventurous things there. Believe it or not, while we were up there someone came up to John and said "Are you John Sanny." He is famous!
Trip Home
We made a gentlemanly's wager among the guys on who could predict our arrival time. I was the closest, but all of us went a little bit over. What a weekend!
Good times,
John
Monday, February 25, 2002
Done with Tests for Now! (February 25, 2002) (Warning: Rated R for Religiously Explicit Content)
Moral of the story: Don't procrastinate by studying 34 lectures in a day. Although it is humanly possible, it is very stupid. I know ...
It probably is a sin, although I don't see that expressly printed in the bible.
The wisest man on earth once wrote
But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.
Ecclesiastes 12:12
Like all the athletes out there (such as my hero Kurt Warner), I have to praise the Lord for letting me do alright on the exams even though I procrastinated big time this weekend. I didn't do as well as I normally do on exams (108/122) but I'm just glad that I passed with a comfortable margin. I've made a promise to myself that I would never, ever do this again.
What I need to do is have some quiet time and meditate on where my life is going. No, I'm not talking about what kind of doctor I want to be (I've already thought about that). What really matters is what I'll be doing outside of medicine. Yesterday, pastor Harry Maghakian preached about the dash (1976-?). Although it is a measly dash, it is far more important than the numbers that bookend it. I know what life isn't ... life isn't just studying, eating, and sleeping.
Thoughts on _Just Like Jesus_ by Max Lucado.
Just imagine somehow that Jesus had complete possession of my heart. Everything else about me would still be the same ... my life, my studies, my profession, my family.
One of my biggest blessings this year was to receive an email from Kelly Helenihi. I became friends with her family when she came to Minnesota for her son's bone marrow transplant. Sometimes you wonder why there is so much injustice and suffering in this world. Yet she taught me so much about being totally dependent on God's grace. It is so amazing to be able to cry together and pray. I didn't have any answers that night, but I did feel like Christ placed me in that very moment.
I know that there are a lot more people in my apartment complex who need prayer, yet somehow I've not taken the time to get to know them. If Jesus had complete control of my heart he would take away the fear and self-doubt.
John
Moral of the story: Don't procrastinate by studying 34 lectures in a day. Although it is humanly possible, it is very stupid. I know ...
It probably is a sin, although I don't see that expressly printed in the bible.
The wisest man on earth once wrote
But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.
Ecclesiastes 12:12
Like all the athletes out there (such as my hero Kurt Warner), I have to praise the Lord for letting me do alright on the exams even though I procrastinated big time this weekend. I didn't do as well as I normally do on exams (108/122) but I'm just glad that I passed with a comfortable margin. I've made a promise to myself that I would never, ever do this again.
What I need to do is have some quiet time and meditate on where my life is going. No, I'm not talking about what kind of doctor I want to be (I've already thought about that). What really matters is what I'll be doing outside of medicine. Yesterday, pastor Harry Maghakian preached about the dash (1976-?). Although it is a measly dash, it is far more important than the numbers that bookend it. I know what life isn't ... life isn't just studying, eating, and sleeping.
Thoughts on _Just Like Jesus_ by Max Lucado.
Just imagine somehow that Jesus had complete possession of my heart. Everything else about me would still be the same ... my life, my studies, my profession, my family.
One of my biggest blessings this year was to receive an email from Kelly Helenihi. I became friends with her family when she came to Minnesota for her son's bone marrow transplant. Sometimes you wonder why there is so much injustice and suffering in this world. Yet she taught me so much about being totally dependent on God's grace. It is so amazing to be able to cry together and pray. I didn't have any answers that night, but I did feel like Christ placed me in that very moment.
I know that there are a lot more people in my apartment complex who need prayer, yet somehow I've not taken the time to get to know them. If Jesus had complete control of my heart he would take away the fear and self-doubt.
John
Tuesday, February 19, 2002
Sunday, February 17, 2002
Monday, February 11, 2002
Fewer Blogs until February 25 (Outline for upcoming blogs)
1. Boundary Waters
a. trip up
b. cross-country skiing
c. devotional (_Just like Jesus_, Max Lucado)
d. sauna
e. running into ice hole
f. broomball
g. devotional (Phillipians)
h. random thoughts on the other devotional
i. Gooseberry Falls
j. KFC
2. Bell-ringer
3. Amy's concert
4. Valentine's day
1. Boundary Waters
a. trip up
b. cross-country skiing
c. devotional (_Just like Jesus_, Max Lucado)
d. sauna
e. running into ice hole
f. broomball
g. devotional (Phillipians)
h. random thoughts on the other devotional
i. Gooseberry Falls
j. KFC
2. Bell-ringer
3. Amy's concert
4. Valentine's day
Wednesday, February 06, 2002
Tired of Typing
Sometimes I wish that I were a more selfish fella and not be such a nice guy :) Just kidding ... the thing is that I volunteered to do some help for neuroscience knowledge coop. I got snuckered into rewriting one of the reviews, and it takes way too much time! I wouldn't mind if I learned the material again, but all I'm doing is just retyping notes that the third years wrote last year.
Oh well,
John
Sometimes I wish that I were a more selfish fella and not be such a nice guy :) Just kidding ... the thing is that I volunteered to do some help for neuroscience knowledge coop. I got snuckered into rewriting one of the reviews, and it takes way too much time! I wouldn't mind if I learned the material again, but all I'm doing is just retyping notes that the third years wrote last year.
Oh well,
John
Tuesday, February 05, 2002
Good Earth
No, it's not the title of a book but instead it is a really nice "organic" healthy-fusion restaurant in Roseville. My good friend Jon Gully just turned 27 or 28 (I lost count, he's just old) and we all went there to celebrate his birthday. The best part of the evening of course was the dessert ummm .... I mean having everyone sing happy birthday. The dessert was the cheesecake with multiberries as decoration. It was really yummy and it was complimentary of the restaurant. My theory about desserts is that I almost never eat them, so I keep thinking about them. We also had a very good time embarrassing Jon by making him wear a crown and hold balloons in front of all the other patrons in the restaurant. At least he didn't have to dance with a belly dancer :)
Dr. Gary Miller
If I have to choose a role-model on who the ideal doctor would be it would have to be a mix between Dr. Gary Miller and Dr. Dye. Dr. Miller is my current preceptor and Dr. Dye was one of my other preceptors last year. Dr. Miller is one of the nicest and funniest people that I've encountered. Everytime he enters a patient's waiting room, you could already see the patients smile in anticipation of his corny jokes. He also cares so much for all of his patients. Unlike some other doctors, he takes his time and is never hurried. The downside is that he is sometimes late with his patients. On the other side, we have Dr. Dye who is extremely efficient and super smart. He can dictate really fast. The common denominator is that both of their patients love them. Oh, Dr. Dye also has some of the corniest jokes too. Hmmm .... I wonder whether the reason I like these two is because they have corny jokes :) Here's my goal:
1. Be as caring as possible without becoming jaded by human nature
2. Enjoy my patients as much as possible
3. Have a stock of corny (not tomato) jokes
4. To be comfortable with the latest technology and be able to do a complete dictation super fast.
5. Be the best possible doctor I can be
Shuang Chen
Going out two nights in the same week? You might wonder what is going on. The problem you see is that I have too many friends. Just kidding!!!!!!! This time I went out with Roseann and Eric Ekstrom and Steve Chao. Roseann is such a cutie and she is one of the nicest people in medical school. I keep teasing her for being older than me (she can't help that), but in fact she is just like a big sis to me. I'm probably her bratty little brother :) Her husband is a PMNR doc who was the chief resident at Hennepin (One of my goals is to be chief resident in internal medicine, but that is still a long ways away). Steve Chao is my compadre in crime. We are organizing a triad based on the movie Oceans 11. Ok, so that isn't entirely accurate. He and I are study buddies for the USMLE Step 1 for the boards. Probably the hardest test that I will ever take in my life :) The dinner was awesome: we had lobster, walleye, chicken almonding, and black and pepper shrimp. That was one of the best dinners that I've ever had in a long time. Roseann knows all the good places to eat, so I probably have to invite her and Eric out more often :)
Venipuncture
I drew Stanley Iyadurai's blood, Stanley drew John Asleson's blood, John Asleson drew Caitlin Anderson's blood, and Caitlin drew my blood.
The circle is complete.
John
No, it's not the title of a book but instead it is a really nice "organic" healthy-fusion restaurant in Roseville. My good friend Jon Gully just turned 27 or 28 (I lost count, he's just old) and we all went there to celebrate his birthday. The best part of the evening of course was the dessert ummm .... I mean having everyone sing happy birthday. The dessert was the cheesecake with multiberries as decoration. It was really yummy and it was complimentary of the restaurant. My theory about desserts is that I almost never eat them, so I keep thinking about them. We also had a very good time embarrassing Jon by making him wear a crown and hold balloons in front of all the other patrons in the restaurant. At least he didn't have to dance with a belly dancer :)
Dr. Gary Miller
If I have to choose a role-model on who the ideal doctor would be it would have to be a mix between Dr. Gary Miller and Dr. Dye. Dr. Miller is my current preceptor and Dr. Dye was one of my other preceptors last year. Dr. Miller is one of the nicest and funniest people that I've encountered. Everytime he enters a patient's waiting room, you could already see the patients smile in anticipation of his corny jokes. He also cares so much for all of his patients. Unlike some other doctors, he takes his time and is never hurried. The downside is that he is sometimes late with his patients. On the other side, we have Dr. Dye who is extremely efficient and super smart. He can dictate really fast. The common denominator is that both of their patients love them. Oh, Dr. Dye also has some of the corniest jokes too. Hmmm .... I wonder whether the reason I like these two is because they have corny jokes :) Here's my goal:
1. Be as caring as possible without becoming jaded by human nature
2. Enjoy my patients as much as possible
3. Have a stock of corny (not tomato) jokes
4. To be comfortable with the latest technology and be able to do a complete dictation super fast.
5. Be the best possible doctor I can be
Shuang Chen
Going out two nights in the same week? You might wonder what is going on. The problem you see is that I have too many friends. Just kidding!!!!!!! This time I went out with Roseann and Eric Ekstrom and Steve Chao. Roseann is such a cutie and she is one of the nicest people in medical school. I keep teasing her for being older than me (she can't help that), but in fact she is just like a big sis to me. I'm probably her bratty little brother :) Her husband is a PMNR doc who was the chief resident at Hennepin (One of my goals is to be chief resident in internal medicine, but that is still a long ways away). Steve Chao is my compadre in crime. We are organizing a triad based on the movie Oceans 11. Ok, so that isn't entirely accurate. He and I are study buddies for the USMLE Step 1 for the boards. Probably the hardest test that I will ever take in my life :) The dinner was awesome: we had lobster, walleye, chicken almonding, and black and pepper shrimp. That was one of the best dinners that I've ever had in a long time. Roseann knows all the good places to eat, so I probably have to invite her and Eric out more often :)
Venipuncture
I drew Stanley Iyadurai's blood, Stanley drew John Asleson's blood, John Asleson drew Caitlin Anderson's blood, and Caitlin drew my blood.
The circle is complete.
John
Saturday, February 02, 2002
Winter Carnival
Did you know that it has been one of the warmest recorded winters in Minnesota history? Fortunately it has cooled down enough this week for the ice sculptures to stabilize. I didn't get a chance to go on the giant slide, because I missed the exit sign and headed south to downtown St. Paul instead. It was quite nice to spend some time with Amy and Jessica around downtown St. Paul. Hmmm ... Let's see. There was some eagles, humpty dumpty (intact and crashed), the statue of liberty, firefighters, biplane, and a really cool-looking red/pale yellow/blue decorated pine tree. Then we went to a candy store and got some orange-flavored white chocolates. Yummy ...
Skyway experience
Skyways are a uniquely Minnesotan thing. It is sorta like an above-ground maze that connects all the buildings to one another. We went in the World Trade center and saw Charlie and Snoop Dogg (oops ... I mean Snoopy). Long-live St. Paul.
Ok, I'm getting delirious right now ...
Signing off,
John
P.S.: Will complete the set of blogs later
Did you know that it has been one of the warmest recorded winters in Minnesota history? Fortunately it has cooled down enough this week for the ice sculptures to stabilize. I didn't get a chance to go on the giant slide, because I missed the exit sign and headed south to downtown St. Paul instead. It was quite nice to spend some time with Amy and Jessica around downtown St. Paul. Hmmm ... Let's see. There was some eagles, humpty dumpty (intact and crashed), the statue of liberty, firefighters, biplane, and a really cool-looking red/pale yellow/blue decorated pine tree. Then we went to a candy store and got some orange-flavored white chocolates. Yummy ...
Skyway experience
Skyways are a uniquely Minnesotan thing. It is sorta like an above-ground maze that connects all the buildings to one another. We went in the World Trade center and saw Charlie and Snoop Dogg (oops ... I mean Snoopy). Long-live St. Paul.
Ok, I'm getting delirious right now ...
Signing off,
John
P.S.: Will complete the set of blogs later
The Gophers won again!
It was soooo loud over in Williams Arena. The house was jumpin' and Rick Rickert was totally unbelievable. That guy is tall, but he still looks like a freshman -- I can't wait till he can hold his own agains the big bad bruisers of the big 10. At first, it looked like Indiana would totally dominate the game but somehow the gophers got the energy to come back in the second half. Boy was that an awesome game.
Wisconsin is coming up next. If they win, I can't wait to rub it in ....
John
It was soooo loud over in Williams Arena. The house was jumpin' and Rick Rickert was totally unbelievable. That guy is tall, but he still looks like a freshman -- I can't wait till he can hold his own agains the big bad bruisers of the big 10. At first, it looked like Indiana would totally dominate the game but somehow the gophers got the energy to come back in the second half. Boy was that an awesome game.
Wisconsin is coming up next. If they win, I can't wait to rub it in ....
John
Thursday, January 31, 2002
Saturday, January 26, 2002
More Dumb Tests
I'm not linking it to this site, because it was a really dumb test. 99%. For all you Mudders out there, fill in the blank
Dr. Myhre (Organic Chemistry Guru) --> Heart --> Blank --> Strength
Key to New Year's Resolutions
I believe that the key to New Year's Resolutions is to have two mutually exclusive resolutions. For example:
1. Be more spontaneous
2. Plan more
Yet Another One
1. Study
2. Relax
Isn't my plan ingenious? By doing whatever I'm doing, I'm fulfilling my New Year's resolutions. Now I don't have the pressure associated with it. Hmmmm ....
John
I'm not linking it to this site, because it was a really dumb test. 99%. For all you Mudders out there, fill in the blank
Dr. Myhre (Organic Chemistry Guru) --> Heart --> Blank --> Strength
Key to New Year's Resolutions
I believe that the key to New Year's Resolutions is to have two mutually exclusive resolutions. For example:
1. Be more spontaneous
2. Plan more
Yet Another One
1. Study
2. Relax
Isn't my plan ingenious? By doing whatever I'm doing, I'm fulfilling my New Year's resolutions. Now I don't have the pressure associated with it. Hmmmm ....
John
Big Win for the Gophers!!!!!
I was at the Gopher-Ohio State Basketball game today. For those who don't follow college basketball, Ohio State was the #1 team in the Big 10 and their stifling defense has limited opponents to a mere 56 points. Today the Gophers won in dominating fashion, beating them 89-71. That was the most points Ohio State has given up this season. Chant with me M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A, Minnesota, Minnesota, YAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY GOPHERS!
Sitting next to me was Dave Quayle, a buddy of mine from Nu Sig. It was just amazing to be cheering in the student section. I'm sure I'll be in for another treat for the game against Indiana. After Ohio State's loss, Indiana is tied for the top spot in the Big 10.
John
I was at the Gopher-Ohio State Basketball game today. For those who don't follow college basketball, Ohio State was the #1 team in the Big 10 and their stifling defense has limited opponents to a mere 56 points. Today the Gophers won in dominating fashion, beating them 89-71. That was the most points Ohio State has given up this season. Chant with me M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A, Minnesota, Minnesota, YAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY GOPHERS!
Sitting next to me was Dave Quayle, a buddy of mine from Nu Sig. It was just amazing to be cheering in the student section. I'm sure I'll be in for another treat for the game against Indiana. After Ohio State's loss, Indiana is tied for the top spot in the Big 10.
John
Change of Plans
It is simply too warm to go cross country skiing, but I did try out the nordic track equipment at school. I'm definitely out of shape since I was feeling a little bit pooped after just 10 minutes. I'm surprised that I could still swim after my nordic track workout. I'm pretty sure it is more fun to do it outside, though.
As for Sunday, I might just do a little bit of preview for my GI/musculoskeletal segment. I'll save Como Park for next week.
John
It is simply too warm to go cross country skiing, but I did try out the nordic track equipment at school. I'm definitely out of shape since I was feeling a little bit pooped after just 10 minutes. I'm surprised that I could still swim after my nordic track workout. I'm pretty sure it is more fun to do it outside, though.
As for Sunday, I might just do a little bit of preview for my GI/musculoskeletal segment. I'll save Como Park for next week.
John
Impulse Buy 01/26/02
I woke up this morning thinking that it would be neat to bike to the recreation center every day, since I've been too lazy to walk there. (Read my new year's resolution about working out). Out of impulse, I went and bought a bike at Varsity Bike Shop. My wallet is not quite as thick, but that's ok I'm really excited about my new bike. I'm normally not extravagant about buying stuff, but I decided to buy myself a belated birthday gift (actually, my aunt Janice helped to subsidize this purchase :) Plus, the weather is really nice for biking and the bike was on sale.
John
P.S.: The best time to buy a bike is during the winter season. However it feels more like spring right now.
I woke up this morning thinking that it would be neat to bike to the recreation center every day, since I've been too lazy to walk there. (Read my new year's resolution about working out). Out of impulse, I went and bought a bike at Varsity Bike Shop. My wallet is not quite as thick, but that's ok I'm really excited about my new bike. I'm normally not extravagant about buying stuff, but I decided to buy myself a belated birthday gift (actually, my aunt Janice helped to subsidize this purchase :) Plus, the weather is really nice for biking and the bike was on sale.
John
P.S.: The best time to buy a bike is during the winter season. However it feels more like spring right now.
Friday, January 25, 2002
Life is Beautiful
It is so gorgeous out here in Minnesota. Right now, I'm stunned that it is in the 40s in the middle of January, who woulda thunk it? I'm planning on going cross country skiing this Sunday at Como Park and then partake in the festivities of St. Paul's Winter Carnival. The snow is melting as we speak, so I might have a change of plans and do some ice skating either. Ok, I've never gone ice-skating or cross-country skiing but I figure that it could be a self-taught kinda thing. I mean do you have to teach your child to walk? I think that he or she would pick it up automatically, but then God didn't create human beings with skates or skis on them :)
John
It is so gorgeous out here in Minnesota. Right now, I'm stunned that it is in the 40s in the middle of January, who woulda thunk it? I'm planning on going cross country skiing this Sunday at Como Park and then partake in the festivities of St. Paul's Winter Carnival. The snow is melting as we speak, so I might have a change of plans and do some ice skating either. Ok, I've never gone ice-skating or cross-country skiing but I figure that it could be a self-taught kinda thing. I mean do you have to teach your child to walk? I think that he or she would pick it up automatically, but then God didn't create human beings with skates or skis on them :)
John
Thursday, January 24, 2002
Done with Tests!
Sometimes you wonder why you study for these exams :) I took one of the renal practice tests before studying for it, and I got everything right. Then I read my notes and got a question wrong because I misread my notes. If I hadn't read my notes, I probably would have guessed the right answer.
Ah, I'm becoming a whiner. I missed 3 questions out of 76 for my combined renal-endocrine pathophys/pharm exam, and I probably missed a point on the essay. As for pathology, I missed 2 question on lab and I got everything right on the lecture portion. Overall, I guess I did alright. The point that I'm making is that medical school warps your mindset about grades. Back in Mudd, I don't think that I cared that much about my grades. The cruel irony is that in Minnesota, the first two years of medical school is honors/pass/fail so theoretically no one should care about grades. However, compared to my classmates I'm a lot less warped about it than they are. After every single test, you would find a stack of challenge forms from my classmates. They resort to going on medline to get an obscure medical journal reference (which I bet they didn't read before the test :) to get a single extra point on the test. After the test, I'm done, through and through ... I don't spend my lunch hour in a bar talking about questions that I missed :)
I guess I shouldn't be writing this when I'm exhausted from test week. I went to medical school because I really believed that I would make a difference in people's lives, not to be a state-of-the-art test taking machine. That is how I felt this week. I could regurgitate facts backwards, forwards until the second after the exam when I begin the slow purge of data. Of course there is the test that begat all tests that is coming up in May (step 1 of the boards). What has kept me going is rereading Sharon's advice on how she loved studying in her kitchen table and in the park. It is also the one time of the year that you get to synthesize all of the information you learn during your first two years. It is a really daunting challenge, but the fun starts when I finally go into the wards. My biggest fear in writing all of this is to convey the wrong impression about school. Like I've written before, there is nothing out there that I would rather do than be in medical school. I love learning the material, and I even like taking the tests :) I like the adrenaline rush I get when I am bubbling at full speed. The downside is the day after ... then you feel the mind-numbing effects of studying 10 hours a day for three days straight. Yup ... time to decompress. Time to give thanks.
Ora et labora (that is what school is all about),
John
Sometimes you wonder why you study for these exams :) I took one of the renal practice tests before studying for it, and I got everything right. Then I read my notes and got a question wrong because I misread my notes. If I hadn't read my notes, I probably would have guessed the right answer.
Ah, I'm becoming a whiner. I missed 3 questions out of 76 for my combined renal-endocrine pathophys/pharm exam, and I probably missed a point on the essay. As for pathology, I missed 2 question on lab and I got everything right on the lecture portion. Overall, I guess I did alright. The point that I'm making is that medical school warps your mindset about grades. Back in Mudd, I don't think that I cared that much about my grades. The cruel irony is that in Minnesota, the first two years of medical school is honors/pass/fail so theoretically no one should care about grades. However, compared to my classmates I'm a lot less warped about it than they are. After every single test, you would find a stack of challenge forms from my classmates. They resort to going on medline to get an obscure medical journal reference (which I bet they didn't read before the test :) to get a single extra point on the test. After the test, I'm done, through and through ... I don't spend my lunch hour in a bar talking about questions that I missed :)
I guess I shouldn't be writing this when I'm exhausted from test week. I went to medical school because I really believed that I would make a difference in people's lives, not to be a state-of-the-art test taking machine. That is how I felt this week. I could regurgitate facts backwards, forwards until the second after the exam when I begin the slow purge of data. Of course there is the test that begat all tests that is coming up in May (step 1 of the boards). What has kept me going is rereading Sharon's advice on how she loved studying in her kitchen table and in the park. It is also the one time of the year that you get to synthesize all of the information you learn during your first two years. It is a really daunting challenge, but the fun starts when I finally go into the wards. My biggest fear in writing all of this is to convey the wrong impression about school. Like I've written before, there is nothing out there that I would rather do than be in medical school. I love learning the material, and I even like taking the tests :) I like the adrenaline rush I get when I am bubbling at full speed. The downside is the day after ... then you feel the mind-numbing effects of studying 10 hours a day for three days straight. Yup ... time to decompress. Time to give thanks.
Ora et labora (that is what school is all about),
John
Monday, January 21, 2002
Perspective
The problem with problems is that it forces you to deal with the present, yet you lose sight of eternity. These are just temporary afflictions according to the apostle Paul, if we hold on to the hope of glory.
Dreams
No time to write something coherent. Letting my mind wander through the stream of consciousness along the river Seine onto the Cathedral in Roen taking a picture, click, click, getting out a postcard of Monet. Enters the church, hears the heavenly father say je t'aime, gazes through the prism of the stain glass windows, wakes up to see 7:30 am on the alarm clock ... needs to go but lets Chris Rice sing hallelujahs for the day shall come.
John
The problem with problems is that it forces you to deal with the present, yet you lose sight of eternity. These are just temporary afflictions according to the apostle Paul, if we hold on to the hope of glory.
Dreams
No time to write something coherent. Letting my mind wander through the stream of consciousness along the river Seine onto the Cathedral in Roen taking a picture, click, click, getting out a postcard of Monet. Enters the church, hears the heavenly father say je t'aime, gazes through the prism of the stain glass windows, wakes up to see 7:30 am on the alarm clock ... needs to go but lets Chris Rice sing hallelujahs for the day shall come.
John
Renal Pathologists are NERDS
Don't get me wrong, I love nephrology but my teachers seem to delight in testing us on the most obscure facts imaginable. I thought that I knew the kidney pretty well, but the old tests are hard, really hard. One of my biggest concerns is that I won't have enough time to study for my other final on Thursday. This too shall pass ....
I don't know why, but I feel like I'm a little bit more stressed this year. It is probably a cumulative effect of not having enough vacation time in the winter :) Anyway, John's sermon really helped me out yesterday. The key word that he stressed is perspective.
Sometimes our problems seem like that they are the biggest problems in the entire world, but compared to what other people go through my problem is actually very trivial. Just think, I have the good fortune of studying medicine and having great time (aside from this week). Sometimes I feel like I need to slow down and dream. Yup, that's it.
Writing more about dreams in the next blog,
John
Don't get me wrong, I love nephrology but my teachers seem to delight in testing us on the most obscure facts imaginable. I thought that I knew the kidney pretty well, but the old tests are hard, really hard. One of my biggest concerns is that I won't have enough time to study for my other final on Thursday. This too shall pass ....
I don't know why, but I feel like I'm a little bit more stressed this year. It is probably a cumulative effect of not having enough vacation time in the winter :) Anyway, John's sermon really helped me out yesterday. The key word that he stressed is perspective.
Sometimes our problems seem like that they are the biggest problems in the entire world, but compared to what other people go through my problem is actually very trivial. Just think, I have the good fortune of studying medicine and having great time (aside from this week). Sometimes I feel like I need to slow down and dream. Yup, that's it.
Writing more about dreams in the next blog,
John
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