| Another year, another opportunity to burn some pent up energy....
(I'm the one on the right screen, near the front of the stage)
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| So here's a bunch of things I learned this semester, as a medical student.
1) How to interview a patient, take down his/her history (and not fumble too much)
2) How to diagnose/recognize a variety of disease types, such as skin, cancer, autoimmune, musculoskeletal, strokes, neuropathy, etc. etc.
3) How to properly use an opthalmoscope, otoscope, blood-pressure cuff, sthetoscope, tuning fork, tongue depressor, etc.
4) How to inspect, palpate, percuss and auscultate a patient during a physical exam.
5) How to get ready for the USMLE Step 1 (Boards) examination.
6) How to drive (yes, really, my first adventure on a highway was just yesterday).
And here's an (incomplete, but accurate) list of what I'll be doing on the 1st week of next semester.
A) How to do a prostate exam
B) How to do a pelvic exam
Any questions? | | comments: 4 comments or Leave a comment |
| I'm in a few of these scenes...
"Lost in Medical school" (editor and actor)
"MD Music Video" (dancer :P )
| | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| I've had my head stuck in the sand throughout medical school, so I haven't had time or patience to comment on a growing phenomenon: a lot of Chinese people, worldwide, have expressed frustrations towards the Western media for its biasedness and criticisms. I'll just list them out one by one, with a brief retort over each idea.
Tainted Chinese imports: Well, what did you expect from a country would've been considered 3rd world only 30 years ago? As if Western companies are MUCH more trustworthy?
A Free Tibet: Not that simple. Like any government, the exiled Tibetian administration (which has been exiled since the 50s) has its own demons and would not be able to handle the current infrastructure developed by the Chinese government. Better cooperation and harmony between Tibetians and traditional "Han" Chinese people, yes. Independent Tibet, no. An age-old parallel - should all non-native Americans evacuate most of the US and give it back to the native Americans? Doesn't work like that.
Sudan: As if China is the only country that "supports genocide." And while I like Indiana Jones, it's a little egotistical for Spielberg to boycott the Olympics production. He alone can save the world, by inconveniencing a few fireworks and dance routines!
Crazy Olympic relays around the world: Chinese body guards that beat up protestors = assholes. Protestors that try to ruin Olympic run, including blowing out the torch or knocking over handicapped runners = assholes.
Now I'm sourly writing all of this, because I can't paint an entire image of what I feel. The recent Sichuan earthquakes in some ways parallels the events of 9-11 in America - There is surge of national and cultural pride that's been hovering around Hong Kong and the rest of China, ever since the Chinese race has been "attacked" by this natural tragedy. For the first time in a long while, Chinese people are proud to be Chinese, they are united. I don't feel that way. I feel sympathetic towards the lives lost in the earthquake, but I don't weigh their lives any more importantly then those lost in Burma. And yet, I can't take in all the BS that has been plaguing China either.
It really sucks to be living on the fence. This is one of those days where I wished that the ideals in Star Trek existed. | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| What 2 consecutive weeks of Medical Physiology and Medical Histology has taught me:
And yes, the pediatric endocrinologist has referred to a baby as a "foreign alien." But that's because she gave birth to an unexpected set of twins on her third year resident... | | comments: 3 comments or Leave a comment |
| Has anyone seen this movie? Great screenplay, great actors (no one says "Go fXck yourself, you pouncy schoolboy" quite like Phillip Seymour Hoffman), with a relatively non-polarizing political message (unless you are non-American, specifically Russian...).
Also contains one of the cleverest soundtrack tracks I've ever heard - named "Turning the Tide." Great usage of Hendel's "Messiah" to juxtapose with the Afghan resistance against the Soviet invasion. And now that I have had a chance to look at specific lyrics used in the movie, it's an absolutely brilliant placement of words for a movie.
Not much else has been happening in life. Some ups and downs, but nothing unexpected. | | comments: Leave a comment |
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See if you can notice the little Chinese man on the far left. ;) | | comments: Leave a comment |
| There is a spinal nerve that splits off into two branches, the genito-femoral nerve and the ilioinguinal nerve. The ilioinguinal nerve partly supplies sensory fibers to the anterior+medial portion of the thigh, while the GF nerve partly supplies motor fibers to the cremasteric muscle in the spermatic cord. These two nerves synpase with one another, allowing for the cremasteric reflex.
Result: Guys can do this on themselves, while girls will have to find their significant other (or VERY close friend). Gently stroke downwards on the front, middle portion of your thigh, and you should see the teste/gonad (corresponding to the side of the thigh) should start rising up.
I tried this, and it isn't very prominent... but it's observable, and I thought other people would like to know.
:P | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| I was planning to whine about medical school life, competitive classmates, desperate catching up with lectures etc, but I'll just sum it up in one statement.
You know you're in medical school when you impulsively start drawing the Brachial Plexus: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/39/Brachial_plexus.JPG , the bundle of nerves that innervates the arm. And you draw it on the bathroom mirror with Dry-Erase pens. | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| So I have settled into Indianapolis, Indiana. I have a few days left until school starts.
There's not much else to say! Just crossing my fingers and hoping that I'll meet new friends, learn new things, and hopefully grow some a little bit more. And hopefully the weather will cool down a bit. And hopefully these zits will finally go away.
*shrug* | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| I try not to think like this most of the time.... but it is, again, July 1st: the day that the British handed over Hong Kong to the Chinese government. It has been 10 years since, so what else can you expect from your friendly neighbourhood China-man? :P
I direct you to the following news article from CNN.com about Hong Kong returnees. http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/06/06/hk.returnees/index.html If you've read any posts here before, the article pretty much summarizes the mixed phenomenons I try to describe about myself, and fellow Hong Kong emigrants: Astronaut parents and satellite kids. Returning back to the city. Romanticising Western life/education over the rigid Eastern one. Reverse culture shock. The question of home. The mentality of an eternal drifter.
If I had been born a few years earlier, then probably the idea of studying abroad would have fit snugly with my parents' decision to go abroad. Most likely then, I would've finished college in the US, returned to Hong Kong, and try to readapt back into the environment... instead, I had the lucky chance to re-emigrate from the city, etc. etc. etc. And now that college is over, medical school will start in Indiana... give that 4 years, then residency... so I will have roughly had 10 years worth of stay in the US. THEN I will have another chance of returning back to Hong Kong.
It's a situation that can be easily romanticized: 6 years of growing conscious, 10 years in Hong Kong, 10 years in the US. What will be the choice to settle down?
Right now, the obvious answer is the United States. Despite my whinings, I like this culture. I've changed in America; it made me stronger, helped me finalize my decision to become a doctor. The only obstacle to this decision is doubt. What if I become so jaded by American society, that I want to leave once I'm done with education here? What if my parents get sick sometime in the future?
I'm hoping that the current challenges to my psyche/identity helps me in the long run. Nothing else soldifies beliefs or values, quite like the displacement of self among different types of environments. I'm not sure what that prior sentence implies, but what the hay. I'm lucky enough as it is, but I just want to stop drifting around so much. I want to settle down, serve people, have kids and tell them my story: "Your daddy came from a strange place in a strange time, but that doesn't mean anything in America..." | | comments: Leave a comment |
| I attended the Centennial Conference for the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) in Minnesota, for the past few days. I was mainly there as support (photographs, taking care of panick-attacks) for one of my engineering friends, who gave her own presentation during the Conference. I'm not particularly into farming or biofuel research, but I did meet some interesting characters who presented, including:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/yhloke/BrianGreene.jpg
Dr. Brian Greene, physicist well known for participation in String Theory. If anyone remembers, he was the host of the TV series (and author of the book) The Elegant Universe. As the keynote speaker, he gave a quick (yet very thorough) overview of Relativity, Quantum Mechanics, and how String Theory fit in. Nothing new if you've seen the NOVA show, but I was very surprised at the excellent speaking talents he presented in his speech - for a physicist, he's very charming! :P Some of the audience stayed behind to ask technical questions, although the expertise of agricultural/biological engineers doesn't exactly fit into theoretical physics. Some questions were downright silly- "Is there any aspect of creationism that you could support?" - to which Dr. Greene flatly replied "No." This was around the same time I took the picture, of course!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/yhloke/BillClinton.jpg
President Bill Clinton; I'm sure I don't need to go into his credentials. I think he presented his speech as a personal favor to the ASABE President, so his speech wasn't special. He reiterated three environmental aspects - energy, sustainability, climate change - that he considered as problems, and left it up to us engineers to improve these aspects. His speech was more relevant than Dr. Greene's, but much shorter - he was probably there for about 5 minutes, while we had to anxiously wait in the auditorium for an hour (for Secret Service cleared the rooms). Oh well, at least I got some shots on the former President (pun intended).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/yhloke/Hubert.jpg
Crazy Genuis who is Dr. Hubert Montas, a professor in my major that teaches our computer course. As part of a panel that discussed ASABE's future in the next 100 years, he took a different approach than his fellow peers. To give you an impression, imagine a dude with a 'fro and a stoned (yet oddly academic) voice presenting:
In his opening, he described that during the 70s "people didn't really think there was much of a future," while showing a slide of the Sex Pistols. But no worries, because his timeline shows that there definitely is a future, for example: in 1984, the world was divided into Inner, Outer and Proles; by the early 90s, energy shortages caused people to rule the deserts in V8s and bikes; in 1997, overpopulation causes Manhattan to become a giant prison; an AI will hijack the Jupiter expedition in 2001; by 2022, food is depleted, and everyone depends on a green substance that is people; 2029 shows the Machines taking over, "but don't worry, because John Connor will have survived to save humanity"; and by 3978, "humans will have disappeared and the planet will be recycled again... to be ruled by apes."
Montas concludes the presentation with several bullets- "YES: Bioenergy," "YES: Integration of Technology," "YES: A Future," "NO: Anti-Gravity," "NO: A Sequel to the Sex Pistols."
Genuis. I was sitting at the side of the auditorium and was literally rolling around, with a hand to stifle my lonely laughter in the audience. And so unfortunate that rest of the folks, composed of mostly conservative and old engineers, did not appreciate his presentation! | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| Still havne't forgotten about June 4th!
So I have around 2 months left at College Park, then a new life for medical school at Indianapolis, Indiana! To address a common question, I don't know what speciality I would like to practice as a resident; for now, I'm leaning towards pediatrics (cliched reason: I like kids), but I may find the other specialities as equally fascinating. I'll see how the clinical rotations turn out.
For a while, I was still moping about how dreary and empty College Park was... however, after visiting the National Zoo (some cool meerkat pics soon), various Museums, and restarting my lab work again, I'm starting to miss the place! I'm also going to miss all the long nights that were spent in the computer lab, with my friends and colleagues... I guess recent graduates have a right to be nostalgic :)
Hopefully, Indianapolis will prove to be another period of change and personal growth. I'm well-aware of the challenges ahead: for one, I need to preserve my "humanity" (empathy for others, hearing) in spite of the stress and constant workload. Also need to improve my communication skills, learn how to "connect" with people more. Still, I'm looking very forward to making some new friends, adapting to the Midwest (i.e. even less profanity!) and becoming a bona-fide doctor. | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| I forgot my mother's birthday a few days ago.... that was REALLY bad on my part (I'm no good with correlating dates with people). But she didn't mind, because according to the e-mail she sent me, her "real" birthday was two days ago. My mom has been baptised by the Catholic Church, and will now be a Catholic for the rest of her life.
Depending on the person I tell, this may or may not be such a great thing-- once, a genuis-like individual snorted and called my mother "intellectually lazy" (thinking back, I should have retorted, but he was a friend of a good friend of mine and I didn't want to step on toes). Some Protestants might groan on the inside and whisper "Mary worshipper!" I personally think of it as a great thing, and in the face of cold, unfair and harsh reality, my mother has made the wise choice of following her spiritual beliefs to fruitition.
It's weird, but my parents seem to be on opposite spectrums when it comes to spiritual development. Both my father and mother studied at Catholic schools, which obviously included Bible Studies in their curriculm. Thus, they already knew much of the technicalties of religion early on in life. Yet, their differnece in personalities takes them in their own religious path -- my mother is now baptised, whereas my father, being the logic-oriented histopathologist he is, always pokes fun (in a truthful way) at the spiritual messages that the church, revealing those pesky logical loopholes in them. My mother , of course, just rolls her eyes and pooh-poohs those comments...
Even then, like every other person they have to deal with tough shit at least once in their life; Mom used to in the Communist youth, studied in the US for 7 years before returning, yada yada, while Dad had a lot of issues with the Loke family. Arguably, Mom experienced more unique events in life (not a lot of people can say that they used to be Communist), while Dad lived a relatively "stable" life with the "usual" obstacles. Yet ironically, I feel that Mom is in a better off state than Dad, who doesn't like to talk about Grandpa and legal disputes within the family.
Describing my parents helps to draw out my thesis statement: there are two distinctive stances in life, one that sees the world as "reality," being logical, cold, and unforgiving, while the other sees the world as "a defined structure of morality," some belief in some higher authority at the cost of some amount of "reality." In other words, my dad is very smart, and sees through religious BS, but at the same time he is embittered by the real world. My mom is aware of the real world, but chooses to accept the BS, "dumb" down things, not ask a lot of questions, while coming off as happier and wiser in the long run.
It's not a very unique thesis, because other people have talked about this distinction. The Woody Allen "Crimes and Misdemeanors," for example, makes an excellent description (albeit an extreme one). One of the protagonists in the movie is a "realistic" eye doctor who struggles with his unstable mistress, and ends up murdering her as the "logical" way. In the end, he actually gets away with the crime, but he is not any wiser or developed since the beginning of the movie. On the other hand, one of the doctor's friends, a rabbi, turns blind as the movie progresses. In the end, he is still blind (no miracles from God), but he still believes in a "moral structure with real meaning." The film ends with him dancing with his recently-married daughter, a sign that things turned out for the better. The metaphorical statements are interesting; people who have a clear view of the world (the eye doctor) may not follow the moral structure, whereas people who are blind (the rabbi) fully embrace it.
Of course, I'm not saying that my dad wants to murder his mistress (I don't think he has one...) or that my mom is blind... they are much more moderate than I have dramatised, and they share a lot of common values in life. Their distinct qualities, however, is what I try to think about a lot . Whether a result of genes or familial reinforcement, I feel imposed with my father's logic and my mother's spirtuality. Like my parents' arguments, these qualities also banter back in forth in my thoughts and feelings. For example, when I recevied my letter of acceptance from medical school, I felt overjoyed by this gracious act of God. My logical voice, on the other hand, was congratulating me for my academic qualities and good personal essay I must have had in my applications.
Who knows, maybe there is a balance between these two. I'm not as spiritual as my mother (I like religion and attending church, but I don't see myself getting baptised in the near future), and I'm sure as heck not as smart as my father. But maybe it'll be good enough for my life. I'm trying to be a doctor... so I'll probably wield my logic as the weapon of reasoning (+20 damage), while I'll use my spirituality as my guide in my ethics and empathy (+20 mana... or whatever). | | comments: Leave a comment |
| Case in point, Snakes on a Plane. Tremendous internet geek support, but only yields $15 million over the weekend.
I think this is a wake-up call to whoever feels that the SA/YTMND subculture really holds any power (i.e. people from SA or YTMND or other related communities). Sure, geeks can easily harass a n00b or two, or Google-bomb a website, but when it comes to the "real world numbers" Hollywood it seems to have hardly made an impact.
And let's not even get into politics, working professions, finances, charities, etc. For the most part, you only see a lot of culture references in video games. | | comments: 5 comments or Leave a comment |
| What do 23 medical school applications equal to?
A whoopin' eight hundred and twenty dollars. You could almost buy 2 PlayStation 3s with that! | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
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