Live from the Mac named Pickles

Hmm... don't know what it is, but I can't sleep tonight. URGH. Let's see... I've been studying nonstop for my USMLE Step 1 exam (a.k.a. the BOARDS... dun dun dunnnn) ever since I got out of school. That makes the total studying time about two weeks of studying like there's a final all the time. I feel like I could DIE. Yes, really. But if I do, then I can't become a doctor, so there.

Recently, I've been playing Street Fighter IV on the PS3. I am totally not a great player by any means, but I derive great joy from testing my skills online. I've won two matches so far! I have lost a lot more. As Ryu says, "I must work harder!"

You know, I have no idea why I can't sleep tonight, I usually drop like whoa after studying all day.

I totally miss buy-it-whenever-you-want dim sum in the bay. Even if it was just at the El Cerrito Ranch 99. :-)

I also miss seeing lots of other people at school on a daily basis. And working out with the SLU karate club. And eating really healthy (like during Lent). I also had a dream about not being able to sing in a choir and got really distraught over that (so I miss singing too).

See, medical students really are the worst at taking care of themselves. At least until medical school is over. Or not.

Oh gosh, I am really bad at updating this thing! So, um, hi!

Happenings:

1.) MED SCHOOL: I am still studying my ass off, but still doing pretty darn well. I also got to sit in on my first Medical School Admissions meeting. I know how people get into medical school now. Woooow.

2.) Karate: I am having a blast kicking butt as a green belt. Last night we did some pretty awesome moves, like the shoulder-busting axe kick. XD

3.) Videogaming: I am playing God Hand for the second time in a row. Look it up, it is so awesomely fun! I also finally picked up Dragon Quest VIII for $9.99, so I am totally playing that next.

4.) Mister Man: This is the most fun I've had in a while. I'd say, "best relationship EVER," but then again, this is my first one too. :-p

And lastly, referring to the title of this post: I am on Twitter now! I think I update that thing a lot better because the updates can be so short. Also, they can come from my phone! OOH. Look me up by name, or by my screen name, tiongson_MD. I look forward to following you!

Till next time. :-)

A very Merry Christmas to you and yours! Surprisingly, my name(s) haven't been overly repetitive this year (yay). I am posting from not my computer and not from my house. My parents have recently moved to a new (!!) house, so no regular internet for me this break. At least having internet suddenly becoming a scarce commodity has now inspired me to post something, yes??

I went to the "family" Christmas Vigil Mass today. Oh gosh, I had a hard time understanding the readings because they were made to be "easy to understand" for kids. Meaning, I can't understand the Bible without all the familiar, flowery-type language. I don't even remember actively trying to listen to the readings in church when I was a kid. Hung out with the cousins and Erica(aaaa) so far this break, but I hope to meet up with more people soon! Before the BOARDS (dun dun dunnnnn) and THIRD YEAR (dun dun dun dunnnnnnnnn) swallow me whole in the near future! I am currently registering with the USMLE website amd it is scaaaary.

Let's see... updates?

So, about med school, I think I'm doing okay for myself. Sometimes I feel like maybe I'm getting a little in over my head trying to score so high for every class, but so far it has worked out for the most part. I'm really hoping that all my hard work (and stress) amounts to something in the "real world" of the hospital floors. All this stress and anxiety does a number to my poor tummy. Why oh why does my stress have to manifest as the "bowels of wrath," huh?? Oh, and the latest: I can do a chest exam and listen to lungs (albeit nervously). Just don't expect me to percuss your lung fields in the right way. :-p

I kept telling Evan "all I want for Christmas is you," but alas, 500 miles separate us. At least we finally got around to celebrating my birthday and our anniversary a month late!

Videogaming updates!
Finished: Time Hollow(DS) awesomely addictive game!
Current: Chrono Trigger(DS), Prince of Persia: Sands of Time(PS2), Dynasty Warriors 6(PS3)
I just picked up a game called God Hand for the PS2. It's made by the same people who did Okami (Clover Studios), so I am intrigued! Plus, it was only $9.99. Maybe after I get through my current stuff. Or maybe not. Evan's got more on his plate too. ;-)

Jody! I got your Christmas card! It was so awesome! Yes, let's keep in touch! But... how??? If you comment, I'll get your message in maybe a few days while I'm home. And to everyone else: Merry Christmas again! I'd love to hear from you, especially if we haven't talked in a while.

Wow, it is amaaazing how long it has been since I've LJ'ed. Let's see, updates?

1. Neurosciences (Weeks 1-8)
a.) AHHHHHH! So. Much. WORK!
b.) Kinda cool because it's the brain...
c.) Even though I conked out halfway through the final exam, I came out with a GOOD GRADE. YEAAAAH.
d.) I can do a neurological exam!

2. Cardiovascular (currently)
a.) AHHHHH? Still. Much. Work?
b.) Kinda cool because it's the heart (and the blood, and the vessels, and the hormones)...
c.) Okay on the first test, gooo second test?!
d.) Stethoscopes are cool, and so are heart sounds. :-)

3. SLU Karate
a.) Has just gotten really cool as of yesterday because of some brand new forms.
b.) There is also a potential for a two-belt grading this semester! (Since the Pathology test messed up the grading day for the last semester)
c.) Meaning: Yay GREEN BELT TIME + BLACK THINGYS ON MY BELT TIME (later).
d.) Did you know that Chuck Norris does Tang Soo Do?? (Like me now??)

4. Mr. Man
a.) Good
b.) Better
c.) Pretty darn AWESOME
d.) Lots of weird videogame-related lovey-dovey lines (ehehehe)

5. Videogaming
a.) Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (DS)
b.) Dynasty Warriors 5 (PS2)

Yes, I am perpetually in test mode. *sigh* Hey woah! My update is done!

Just had a pretty productive doctor's visit yesterday. I love going to the doctor. But then again, that doesn't come as a surprise, does it?

So I didn't have TMJ, aka Temporomandibular Joint disorder, like I feared. *phew!* I'll still lay off my pack a day of gum for the upcoming school year though. Gosh, that almost sounds like I smoke a pack of something a day instead. What I did end up having was some fluid in my ear, and a purulent infection down in my throat thanks to some post-nasal drip. The diagnosis? Seromucinous otitis media. If you look it up on Google, it's confusing (I tried already). For some reason I've got some stuff blocking other stuff up in my FACE and EAR and I have to clear it (the mucus) out and control the inflammation. Because it's probably viral, it'll take a week (or more) to get rid of. The treatment: Mucinex (guafenesin 600mg) + NSAIDs (ibuprofen 400 mg) for a week.

This is like the happiest I've been after getting a diagnosis. I'm all "YAY EAR INFECTION!" because TMJ (a degenerative joint disease of the jaw) is way tougher to deal with and requires a trip to the dentist with possible invasive measures.

Got myself started on the HPV vaccine series (NO I'm not active), as a preventative measure for cervical cancer. Now I too can be "ONE LESS!" like in the Gardasil commercials on TV. That and it stops being covered once I turn 26. And that's coming up really soon. Ain't that crazy?

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NON-DOCTOR STUFF:

Hung out with some MS1's at the Women's Social last night. That was a fun time! The new class seems pretty nice. At least the women part of it.

Also got back to sparring last night with the SLU Karate Club. Boy, that felt good, but I need to a.) not get hit in the teeth and b.) get in better shape for my warmup runs. ;-)

I'm *trying* to get back into study mode by pre-reading a bit of Neuroscience before school starts up. The brain is complicated stuff! My time at UCLA probably only scratched the surface.

I beat Elite Beat Agents (DS)! Oh God, please let me never hear the song "Jumpin' Jack Flash" ever ever again.

I have officially made it through my 4th day without Evan. I'm doing okay! I still miss him terribly though.

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Now back to staying cool in the St. Louis heat wave by hanging out at Panera/Saint Louis Bread Co. all day. :-)

Hi friends... I need company! (In person, phone, IM, email or otherwise) I dropped Evan off to the airport last week and I am going crazy with my role as "that one over there that is bored and lonely."

I've been talking to my parents a lot, because I know they don't mind me ranting and venting till kingdom come. I've also been talking to Evan when I can, when he's not in the middle of some friend or family shindig. Everyone else who's really lucky went home home for the week, so my regular "crew" isn't here. AHHHHH?!

You know the song lyrics: Even lovers need a holiday//just for the day//from each other... I thought of them when I cried myself to sleep on Friday, and my mom did too when she was trying to console me over the phone too. Gosh, I can get to be such an emotional wreck sometimes. This is the first time I've ever felt this distraught over something like this. My mom says... "It's because you're in love!" and that's all nice and pretty, but it's still pretty crappy to feel this way at present. It slowly is getting better the more I get myself busy with other things. Like updating my livejournal!

Status updates:

Internet is quite spotty at my apartment as of late, so access is limited. Until I can get help with that, I will be intermittently using other connections like: Evan's apartment, Panera, and the SLU library (a maybe on the last one).

Going to the doctor's tomorrow, and hopefully she can help me with all my hypochondriac worries.

FINALLY sent off my enrollment for a dental plan, so hopefully I can see a dentist soon to cope with other hypochondriac worries concerning teeth and such.

Saw "Mamma Mia" with my friend Gretchen last night... it was unbelievably silly and enjoyable!

Planning to drop in on some of the orientation events for the new medical students, since a bunch of the orientation leaders (why oh why didn't I become one... oh yeah, being LAZY) invited me to do so.

My good friend Eleain is coming back into town on Thursday (yay!) so I can have some buddy buddy time (not alone alone time) with her and finally get advice on picking a new outfit for Erica's wedding. I completely suck a picking new clothes on my own, and I believe you can call me "helpless" when it comes to malls and department stores. When pushed for necessity, I can do it... but with other people? (Yeah, I'm hopeless.)

So... to take away from this post? TALK TO MEEEE. I can almost guarantee you I won't be busy. :-)

Finished! - Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Overall, a great adventure game with some very challenging puzzles and boss battles. However, as I mentioned before, there are times when the solutions are very obscure. This lead to many-a-frustration on my part, along with the exclamation of "Why did I decide to play this game?!" This is sort of a staple with my Zelda experience, I've discovered.

On the flip side, I love the feeling of solving a really tough puzzle, dungeon, or boss strategy. It's so fulfilling because this game (like other Zelda games) treats you like you're actually smart. I was imagining well: if I'm a 25 year old medical student struggling with the game at times, how the heck do little kids finish the game in 3 days flat? (Answer: a strategy guide.)

The Wii version was interesting for several reasons. First, oops, Link is right-handed while the rest of the world (save Ganon) is left-handed. The clawshot and bow and arrow controls were very intuitive (point and shoot!). What I had the biggest problem with were the epileptic seizures needed to control the sword and shield. The swordplay came eventually, but that shield push... eek! *grumble grumble*

The story picked up lots in the second half of the game (seriously, what was up with the first half erranding?), as well as the complexity of the dungeons. As memorable as Ocarina of Time, seriously!

Next on the plate:
- Dynasty Warriors 5 (PS2)
- Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition (PS2)

Yes, both button mashers. Giving my brain a rest before the second year of med school, yo. ;-)

So, I haven't told anyone how it's going this summer? It's so weird that I don't post as often as I used to! I'll have to start up with the random posting of thoughts when I get bored sort of thing.

Summer Preceptorship goings on.
I ended up getting paired up with a Filipino doctor, so yay! I am still deathly afraid of getting him mad at me, which happened last week (though I think he forgot already). I'm getting in a lot of good experience in interviewing patients, taking a mean blood pressure, pulse, and temperature, but NOT at drawing blood, as jilleh already knows. I'll get it one of these days! At least, as demonstrated at my volunteering just this past Saturday, I can also give a mean PPD shot. Yesss. I only have to do this thing for 20 hours a week, so most days I get half a day to do whatever I want. And by whatever I want, that means video games of course.

Current vacation videogaming!
Finished: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney (DS), Trauma Center: Under the Knife (DS)
In Progress: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii), Sims 2 + expansion packs (Mac OSX)
Next in line: Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition (PS2), Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (DS)
Always around: Dance Dance Revolution Extreme (PS2)

Zelda has been a tough play for me because I find that I'm getting really frustrated with the erranding, trekking, and obscure dungeon puzzles. I really love the handheld Zelda games (Phantom Hourglass especially), and I was just fine with Ocarina of Time, though to tell the truth, I had a guide for that one. Maybe I'm getting old and my attention span for gaming shorter? Or are the 3-d Zelda games just that much more epic and well, BIG?? Anyway. The story for the game is picking up, and so is my interest in playing more. (Goooo Master Sword!) I also feel obligated to like the Zelda series of games because I have the special edition gold triforce DS. Ehehehe.

Summer activities in St. Louis.
Because I'm not going to be able to go home for the summer, save for Erica's wedding, I've been busy doing touristy things in St. Louis with med school friends.

List of stuff already done:
- The Gateway Arch: with accompanying flooding! See Facebook for details.
- Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tour: where they make Budweiser. For the fourth time!
- Soulard Farmer's Market: monster yams 2 for $1.
- City Museum: coolest adult climbing, sliding, and tunneling playground EVER.
- Summer at the MUNY: Broadway musicals outdoors... for free! Saw "The Producers." Funny show.
- Picnic at the Botanical Garden: free music, eating outside, and on a bamboo mat (courtesy of me).
- Miscellaneous eating out at St. Louis-only restaurants

Stuff to do:
- Baby animals at the zoo: there's a new baby giraffe!
- Watch a Cardinals game
- Go to Six Flags St. Louis
- More miscellaneous eating out at restaurants

Now I'm in the camp of Californians that actually think St. Louis is a pretty okay city. Sure, it's not as AWESOME as home, but I'm still having a blast during my med school years here. :-)

Mister Man. XD
I am SO happy to be in a relationship right now. Even when there's "nothing" to do, there's always someone around! (Yay.) It's funny how both our ideas of summer is sitting for hours busting through videogames. He's currently working on Final Fantasy X, annd next will tackle Final Fantasy X-2.

Now I believe we are pushing the 7-month mark, and it's still going strong (awesome!). Pictures as always, are (and will appear) on Facebook.


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Okay, I read everyone's posts religiously, but have been really bad at commenting back. Since I'm technically back on LJ (for this month at least), I'll try to be better about that. If you haven't posted recently... HOW HAVE YA'LL BEEN?! :-)

I'm back (before I disappear again)! Here are some bullet point updates!

- I'm done wth my first year of med school.
Yippee! I've been doing pretty gosh darn well, except for that tiny tiny hiccup in Genetics. Studying with a group has definitely be great for me (yay Evan and Quoc!), and studying away from home all the time has been expensive, but also productive. I have been consuming copious amounts of caffeine to keep up with the studying. A barista at Borders definitely knows my name!

- St. Louis ain't all that bad.
Sure, there aren't as many great ethnic places to eat, or drivers that know how to go over 65 mph, or other Filipinos, but I'm doing surprisingly well in the Midwest. There's still stuff to do, I can still play my videogames, and there are no cows in sight (really). I also say this, because I probably won't get to go home to the Bay this summer because of airfare (*sigh*). I'm okay! Come visit if you can!

- Mr. Man
It's been awesome. That is all. It's weird not hanging out with girlfriends all the time instead, since that was the majority of my life before. But hey, changes, right?

- Videogaming
I've finished a whole mess of DS games! Okay, a whole bunch of Phoenix Wright games (1,2, and 3). Currently working on: Apollo Justice.

- Summer Plans
I'm supposed to be doing a Summer Preceptorship with the Department of Family Medicine this summer, for 8 weeks. It really sucks that I got a really far assignment probably because of my last name at the end of the alphabet, but I have to be optimistic about this *grr*! Hopefully, I'll get some mad doctor skillz at the end of following around a doctor and doing stuff all summer. That and some extra pocket money.

Other miscellaneous to-do:
- Finish more videogames in my cue!
- Play more piano (no getting rusty)!
- Shopping for nice clothes n' such!

Okay, anything I haven't covered but you're still curious about? Go comment! Go, go! (Speed Racer the movie isn't half bad, you know.)

Hi everyone! I've been checking my friends page religiously (so I do know what's going on with ya'lls on LJ), but have been neglecting to post or comment (ah?!). Here are some reasons to make you not mad at me, and they all have to deal with medical school.

1. A final-like pull-out-your-hair and stress-out-like-crazy test every 3-4 weeks
2. School from 9am - 3pm everyday
3. (Necessary!) Independent study from 3pm - 9pm or later everyday
4. Cycle repeat!
5. Also, having a boyfriend to hang out with everyday and on weekends has been pretty sweet too. *ahem*

Oh hey! That was an update on my life! Yesss. I'm actually on spring break as of yesterday afternoon, but decided not to go home so I could do everything I've ever wanted to do in St. Louis. There just isn't time during regular school time! Also, no stressing about airfare or air travel and all that. Besides, I'm planning for a big trip to Los Angeles come August for Erica's (psyham) wedding. That should be fun. My parents are coming along too, so it'll be a big happy reunion.

Let's see... other news? I've been doing relatively well in school, though there was this ONE test that ripped through me and put me in a rut for a week. I'm better now, especially after this last test. I set out to rip it a new one. I hope I came through on my word there.

For my medical school elective starting after spring break, I get to travel to Illinois (okay, maybe this isn't a good point), and learn me some standard procedures in primary care. Clinical stories to come, if I have time to journal! Speaking of which, I got the summer preceptorship I applied for, meaning I'll get even more clinical work experience in a doctor's office over the summer! I'm totally going to be super doctor come third year, which was totally the point of my seeking out so many clinical opportunities.

So, this week? Videogaming! (No, my habits from college have not changed one bit). Thanks to Evan, I've got some Wii games to bust through, as well as a bunch of DS games, and gosh darnit, I'll clean my apartment too.

...and I have given up updating on a week by week basis. I usually don't have a New Year's resolution, but I'll try to update this a bit more often?

MED SCHOOL STUFF:
Compared to Human Anatomy, the Metabolism/Cell Bio block wasn't quite as harrowing. It actually was a quite nice block comparatively because of certain developments (see friends only posts below). It also turns out that I did pretty well in those classes too! Guess those long hours at Borders (+ multiple cups of coffee and tea) paid off. Goodbye caffeine sensitivity.

Oh, said certain development is going pretty well, thanks! (Want details? Comment on this post.)

Here are things I have learned since my last update!

- All this stuff about nutrition (I had this super high fiber week and my GI haaated me)
- How to take a blood pressure reading (Korotkoff sounds!)
- How to take pulses all over the body (carotid, brachial, radial, popliteal, posterior tibial, dorsalis pedis)
- How to draw blood
- That I am not diabetic, non-hypertensive, and have okay cholesterol and triglyceride levels

That being said, my partner for the day, Tabitha was (and is) so awesome for learning how to do all the vital signs/blood drawing techniques.

SLU Karate has been going really well. During testing, I broke a wooden board for the first time (with a hammer fist). It was pretty darn awesome. The club has been really cool about letting me keep my sanshou style during sparring, and thus I am a force to be reckoned with. I got the official club patch now, and have been promoted to blue belt! I shall look cool when I come back all spiffied up in my uniform.

Singing with the small choir at church has been good as well, but it's pretty hard to relate/make good friends with the undergrads I sing with, probably because all we do is sing together. There is little semblance of practice before mass, since we all just jump in and sight read for the most part.

Snow in the Midwest hasn't been too crazy yet (I am not looking forward to this when I get back). I did have an incident of clearing snow off my car with a squeegee (bought in LA). Dropping blocks of snow off my car and into the road must have been reeeal sexy. Throwing blocks of snow at Evan (and him at me) was definitely a highlight. :-p

In other unrelated news: I absolutely LOVE Trauma Center: New Blood for the Wii. Co-op surgery! I can do this game left-handed or right-handed, but decided to go right-handed with the surgery to spare my writing hand for school stuff. Apparently I am slightly ambidextrous, as proven by this game, and actual dissection in gross anatomy lab. This is a good attribute for surgeons?! (But I've never considered it!)

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Statement that is true for all of winter break: I hate hate hate having to worry about skin conditions (Mary, you totally know what I mean). Dammit, stress!

Winter break has been pretty good these past few weeks, but I miss certain people like crazy. ;-)

Winter break: Week ONE
Right off the plane, I had a craving for In-N-Out, so I had an Animal Style Burger + Chocolate Shake, and it was heeeeaven. (I'm planning to go today again, ehehehe.)

Got to meet up with high school friends Brittany, Emil, Mary, and Angela and this nice (but expensive) place on Solano called Fonda. Good drinks, but SMALL portions of good Mexican food.

Christmas with the family. Eating! Eating! Oh, and I got a portable heater from the gift exchange. Yay for no more shivering at night!

Customary San Francisco shopping time! Met up with UCC Choir bud Lewis, and hung out Emil and his niece Ari. Met up later with the cousins, EJ, Eileen, and friend Brandon. Almost a cousins day (Giselle was in Hawaii). Victoria's secret is officially mean for making a BETTER sale right after I buy stuff and no longer have time to go shopping. Ohhh well. I have underwear! Interesting happening: I got to arrange scarves on mannequins because Emil wanted the display one (and I went replacing). It was almost like putting a tie on a guy (which I don't know how to do, btw), which felt pretty cool.

Suuuuushi at Sushi House Alameda with Erica, Tommy, and Erica's Parents. Did I mention I came back to California with a list of foods I must eat before going back to Saint Louis?

Winter Break: Week TWO
New Years with the family. Eating! Eating! And I got to eat my favorite Filipino dish: Diniguan. It is pork stewed in pork blood (with garlic, vinegar, and sometimes chili). We get tricked as children when the adults call it "chocolate meat" (it looks dark brown), and some of us like it when we grow up and find out what it actually was.

Mom brings home Dim Sum from Oakland Chinatown. All is well.

It turned out that everyone I usually visit here went home, so I spent the rest of the week vegging out. I finished The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for the Nintendo DS just today. I am oh so proud of myself because it is practically tradition that I finish some game over winter break.

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Today is stock up on California stuff before heading back to Saint Louis. I am both excited and sad to go, but things are waiting for me in the Midwest now. :-)

25

Looking for payday loans?

Just a quiz that's been going around with my friends online. 25? Is that a lot? Let me know what you get! What I have going for me is martial arts skills, what I have against me is my inability to bash kids at will (but they're kids!).

Sorry, I got SO excited to see this pose somewhere in the "real world." ;-)

[Back box art for an Avatar game]

So... buddha guards the gate = coolest pose ever? Yes. STILL. Compare with my facebook profile picture for extra fun!

I did a random google search on my name last night (oh come on, you do it too), and found out that I finally got published! Whoohoo! Link to my Pubmed author page (OMG, I'm a co-author), here. If you're interested in the details of the research I worked on at UCLA from 2004-2005, feel free to click around. The further up my name is in the ranks, the more work I did for that project as a research assistant. But *shrug* I did more admin work (grants/IRB) than the actual experiment, so my coworkers got dibs on the higher up positions. I am still SO STOKED that my name is look-uppable.

Thanksgiving break, even though we did get a week, was waaaay too short. Heck, I don't even remember what really happened except that I rested a lot and ate a lot. My birthday on Friday (11/23) was pretty darn awesome, since it was on Black Friday this year. I got a load o' stuff from Best Buy (me and Emil were in line, 3:30 AM, Best Buy Pinole), including a new external HD and my new limited edition gold triforce zelda DS. NICE. Emeryville Bay Street shopping plus watching Enchanted with my mom topped off the afternoon. At night, Jupiter's in Downtown with high school buds (of which my cousin Giselle is also). I still don't feel 25, so give that a couple days.

For those in the know, last week was also mind-numbingly anticipatory for well... something. (Emil, picture thing will go up soon!)

If I haven't called you back, it's because I forgot to pack my phone charger (my parents have already mailed it), so I'm trying to conserve the battery for as long as I can.

Extra plug for the Enchanted movie, the songs are addictingly good (what you'd expect from a Disney musical), with a great premise for a romantic comedy. It's almost like a new Disney movie for all of those who are grown up now. The animation style in the very beginning totally got me all nostalgic!

THE RESULTS ARE IN. *drum roll*....I passed Human Anatomy! I kinda sorta rocked that third test without feeling like I did. No honors for me, but I'm friends with someone who did. *jealous* I'm aiming to honor something in med school... in time?

Also, my Mac is back safe and sound, in addition to my old habits, such as posting in LJ when I should be studying furiously. And that's it. Really, that's all I have to say right now!

Oh, and Happy Halloween. (Or... HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERICAAAA.)

So it ended up that the Apple Store here in St. Louis forgot to send off my computer for about four days, because they forgot to take off the notice that I had gone home to back up my files.

Good news is that it got sent to the repair center Thursday afternoon, and was repaired come Friday. Hopefully the shipping is just as fast come Monday (argggggh business day mailing!!).

So yes, computerless for the weekend. Remember last post when I said I was tolerating computer withdrawal well? Ehehehe. I've been SO BAD with my camping out in front of the TV for hours on end. I believe the TV is worse for my procrastinatory habits than the internet!

I did catch up on my Grey's Anatomy unexpectedly though. Heroes catch up to come when I get Pickles back. *sob*

Anatomy is over! *sigh of relief* I'll find out if I passed in approximately 2 weeks, aka on Halloween. So, awesome restful weekend, cleaned my place, and started up on FFX-2 again! YESSS. I'm also getting more sparring practice in, now that I can actually go to the gym. :-)

Biochem and Cell Bio are the current classes, but I can't say for sure how they are just yet, since we're still in the introduction week. Introduction weeks are nice n' easy on the studying workload (yay).

Yesterday, while on a post office errand, I ended up driving all over downtown St. Louis thanks to a road closure. *shakes fist* Roads and freeway entrances seem to be closed all over the place over here! More to do: get a Missouri driver's license, get Missouri plates, and get Missouri car insurance. Not TOO high on my list of things to do, but important nonetheless.

Also: if you didn't know already, I am computerless for the time being, while Apple repairs my computer's laptop latch (I can't... close it with a click!). I will have Pickles back by approximately the end of the week, which will explain any delays or absence of electronic communication on my part. I am dealing with this situation surprisingly well! Not like my withdrawal days during college. Having an easily accessible med school library internet connection definitely helps. :-)

The end of anatomy is LOOMING over the horizon! Actually, this Friday is the third, and last test in Human Anatomy. "Yay!" but also "Panic!". As students, presently or formerly, you must understand this sort of ambivalent feeling.

So, within the two weeks I've posted, another unit of anatomy has passed, meaning: abdominal region, pelvis & perineum, and lower limb have been "taught" and "learned." Yesh. This is supposedly the "easiest" test, but I think that the TAs and professors must have been "joking," or "being nice" immediately after our second test in week 8. Embryology studying two weekends ago totally threw off my flow! Hopefully I'll pull it together within some days.

The Memorial Service for the body donation program here at SLU was this past Friday, and people liked the music (I was part of the choir... of course). It's a nice event put on by the first year class for the families and friends of the people who have donated their bodies to science (and our fumbly dissecting skills).

I had to think about completely suppressing my vibrato and trying to round out my high range (treble clef A - high E), which don't always necessarily go together in my case. And people could tell which voice was me in groups of 3 or 4. Normally this would be a compliment (like "ooh they heard me!"), but I know for a fact that my "unique" voice has this timbre that makes it stick out no matter what I do. But I CAN sing, and that's what matters in services such as this.

As an aside, a family came up to me after the service, recognizing my last name as being quite odd and unique. I might be related to these Filipinos that came from California, moved to Missouri, and married into this family. Wow, family I never knew I had! In the Midwest!

SLU Karate has been pretty fun so far. We've gotten started on forms, and also more fighting applications. Last week, I sparred pretty much full out while sick. It was a fun time, but not for my lungs. This week, I did some pad work for the first time in a long time. The upper belts are all "you have good kicks," when well, I've obviously done this before. I pushed them back real good, while they barely moved me an inch. *pride*

I happened to have only a half an hour break before a review session, which totally explains my time to willingly procrastinate and make this post. :-)

I am now looking forward to free time and having a life AFTER ANATOMY. I just need to do pretty well (notice I did not say "ace") on this test.

I also want to stop falling asleep at 10PM mass because of my long study days in lab. *sniff*

Comment if you want to hear more from me, because I WILL respond. :-D

So, I passed my second test in Human Anatomy. Whoohoo! Like my soul sistah Mary says, I just might "make it!"

The thing is, I studied my butt off for two weeks, and sort of expected to blow this head and neck test far, far away. I did blow it far enough away to blow my first test score out of the water (um... I hope you got that), but I sort of expected more from myself. That means: more improvement for the third test! Goooooo motivation! By the way, I am still not aiming for honors in this class. Pass is a-ok with me. With that goal, I'm actually on my way there. Without saying any numbers, I scored well enough to pass a course in college undergrad! As opposed to passing a course in first year medical school. Anyone see something wrong with that?

Embryology test on Monday. Argggghhhh. Can I muster enough concentration to actually memorize that stuff?

Oh! And for those who like T-shirts from threadless.com, there's another site with cool shirts! Known as Woot Shirt, it differs from threadless in that a.) you literally race to buy these shirts daily, b.) shipping is free, and c.) all daily deals are $10. I got introduced to the site by the awesome TA I mentioned in the last post!

In SLU Karate, (aka Tang Soo Do) news, I sort of brought in my kung fu counterattacks into sparring. I kept forgetting about what I couldn't do (meaning, moves that aren't in the style I'm learning), and ended up being all "weird" anyway with my minimal movement blocks, weaving, hooks, and close elbows. Oh well, at least I'm an effective fighter?

In videogaming news, I've gotten addicted to MechQuest, even though there's not even very much to do yet! Gosh, me. I gotta work more on becoming a doctor, dammit.

But even doctors have to be well rounded, right?

More activities to come after Human Anatomy. (Hopefully!)

Referring to icon: Wicked comes to St. Louis this December. Anyone want to come with??

Referring to title of the post: a.k.a., time period for mastering the head and neck. Yes, the second Human Anatomy test came and went. I felt a lot more prepared before the exam, a lot less jittery during the exam, and a lot less traumatized after the exam! I generally don't like to psych myself up and check my answers before I get the results back, so I won't. Of course, I'll let ya'lls know if I passed or not. All that time up in lab ID'ing stuff must have counted for some improvement.

I like our anatomy TAs. A lot! Especially the one that sits and chats with me and my study buddy for hours on end! (If you read this at all, you know who you are) In school situations in general, I think it's really cool to be able to cross into that zone of comfortability where you stop talking about just school. In essence, that's where I believe friendship starts. *mushymush*

I had my first bout of tiny med school drama, and I hope it turns out okay! (I think it will.) Also, I think it's hilarious how there's this one guy in our med school class that all my classmates, all the TA's, and some professors want to avoid because of his weird mannerisms (I say this nicely). Sad, but funny too. Cause I'm totally in on that now.

I'm settling into SLU Karate a little better now that we've moved out of the impractical front stance (modified bow stance for wushu-ers), and into fighting stance. Yelling out your troubles does wonders for stress relief. Kicking and punching helps too. I've also been doing wushu jump practice in the room after everyone leaves. I would tell you about the recent practice where me and my friend went into practice a little buzzed after the aforementioned second anatomy test, but I think I just did anyway. ANYWAY.

I'm dealing with a little bit of heartburn right now. UGH. I ate some great vietnamese fried rice for dinner, and I just haven't learned that this older body of mine can't take the spicy hot chili sauce anymore (I kinda... load it onto fried rice). So I'm trying to deal with that with Tums n' water. No milk! I ran out! ARGH.

I shall leave you with something med school related. Ta-dah! I totally couldn't fit all 180 of us and have you know where I was, so there you go.

If you have checked my status on Facebook lately: I probably got this recent knee muscle twitch from sitting too much and pinching a nerve or artery (or so I have been told). Most probably from sitting down SO long to study for this ONE class. ALL the time. Off to do more studying (and knee twitching) this weekend!