Tim says...

Don't worry Joyce, my class has been doing differentials for a whole year now and we still have a hard time figuring it out. Luckily, there is a concept called the 'fudge' factor where if you misinterpret one WBC it's not the end of the world...in fact, I regularly fudge my results to correspond more with my colleagues lol...

Unknown says...

l337 [l'-eet] -adj. also known as 1337. Short for elite. Used often in l337 talk.
Example:
ZOMG she totally bs'ed her w4y thru teh h1st0l0gy slides, she's such a l337 hax0rzzzz omgz.

Karen says...

so nobody's gonna ask?? hehe, what does l337 mean?

vivienne says...

Steve: Heh. Botany does help. My whole summer revolved around isolating RNA from plant species...damn, EVERYTHING disintegrates RNA...

Anyhow, I got to play with liquid nitrogen during flash-freezing. Sweetness.

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

definitely taking synthesized notes on class notes next time

tried out a different method (much lazier at that) and now when it comes to review time, im getting very much bogged down in details

trucking along....trucking...along.......

Stephen says...

You think biochem helped you? Man, I have l337 sk1llz over other people here because of botany.

Telling tiny cells apart and teasing them out of tissue is my freakin' specialty!

Gordon says...

no worries guys, we're down to the home stretch...2.5 weeks till xmas break! Can't wait to party it up P&C style!

Joyce says...

timtim, omg, those are soooo the questions I just "gave it to them" on my histology practical.

Just imported next term's schedule onto my computer, marked the written and practical exams. AHHH.........

Tim says...

Hey Joyce, differentiating PMNs is the easy part. Try figuring out the difference between a monocyte/reactive lymphocyte/myeloblasts. Leukemias are also pain to differentiate. Thank goodness hematology isn't in my stars but if I'm forced to do differentials for the rest of my life I'd rather kill myself.

vivienne says...

SEE? I told you guys biochemistry was good one for thing...BSing skills! SKILLZZZ!!!

Joanne says...

Ah but the nice thing about nobody knowing anything about Histology, it makes it really easy to BS your way through when you're presenting an image and no one will know if you're wrong!

Take for example one of my typical lab presenations:
Joanne - "As you can see here, with this being the uhhh...serosa, it's evident that CD36 is localized to the uhhh...mucosal epithelium..."
Supervisor - "Ohhh. Which membrane is that?"
Joanne - "Oh, why the uhhh...apical membrane of course."
Supervisor - "Oh yes, I see!"

Joyce says...

YAR!!!! Histology sucks!
We had this basic histo course last year, and I SUCKED!!
And then, we combine histo and physio had then by systems. I always relied on physio to save my ass and left histo till the last day because 1)wouldn't help if i study more 2) I didn't care enough to put it on long term memory. Until today, PMN cells still look all the same, and so are other white blood cells.

I think this has something to do with our undergraduate degrees. Structure wise, we are used to things no bigger than molecules (cuz we don't really care when it gets bigger, right? right?), and understanding the mechanism is a must. Having my brain geared (sp?) toward that way, histo and anat were awful while physio and patho were/are awesome (except anything immuno, for me anyway... bleh).

mwahahaha... I'm all caught up on my lab work, and there's no immediate tests to study for. Yesterday I was just stressing over the last two exams before xmas, and then realized I have one more week then I had thought. mwahahaha... life's good.

Christopher says...

Aye Histology does suck and its irrelevant. I'm not sure why we learn it. If its to inspire us to be pathologists, it certainly isnt helping lol. I proudly proclaim I've never scored better than 74% on a histology test and more often that not much worse.

And do you know what? I dont CARE!

vivienne says...

Cindy: Heheh...it's not you. It's just the histology. Histology sucks. Sucks a LOT....

Yes, I have unvented anger towards histology ever since Anat 390.

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

just hugely embarrassed myself by getting many questions wrong on a quiz (which we could discuss before submitting). my friends saved my ass.

sigh. i hate histo. but thats not the problem. how do i redeem myself from repeatedly having embarrassed myself whenever it comes to histo quizzes?

i dont deal with being bad at something very well. especially not in public. *sigh*. maybe i have too much pride...

edited: they say you don't learn unless you make a mistake. i suppose i'm making mistakes now to learn. *trying to think positive and move on from the humiliation* haha...

Christopher says...

Karen: I happen to like Chad Kroeger. He reminds me what a certain religious figure should look like.

Vivienne: I think you are definitely right and I'm glad I don't have to teach social justice. A good friend once commented me that I would never make a good politician because I believe too passionately about issues. I know he is right, thats why I plan on going into advocacy and forcing my views upon others muahaha.

Cindy: You can definitely determine the sex of a fetus very early in pregnancy, albeit through the use of DNA not visually. Chorionic Villus Sampling can be done 10-12 weeks and amniocentesis can be done 16-18 weeks. Also since in vitro fertilization is becoming more popular, often one of the stem cells is taken out early and then run over a DNA Chip (haha a shout out to all the biochemists out there), to screen for genetic mutations and for gender.

In Canada, you can pretty easily get elective abortions up to 20 weeks (haha if you are in a major urban centre and have enough money to get there, and a sympathetic doctor who won't shun you), and above that it becomes more difficult and you'd pretty much have to go down to the states for up to 24 to 28 weeks.

I disagree with the fact we should be society's police. Our job is to serve the public and since we are paid through the public's purse. Our opinions should have no impact on whether or not someone can get a service. Unfortunately this is rarely the case, and the impact of our preconceived notions is felt.

Anyhow, good luck studying.

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

i solemnly promise to swear off PC blog for the rest of today. my god i need to study...

CINDY'S NEW YORK CITY VISIT - PART DOS
arrival: Saturday, 9am at Bronx
purpose: medical students for choice regional conference at the albert einstein university, dec 2, 9-5pm
departure: Sunday, to be arranged (lots of upper classmen driving back then so i can just hitch a ride off any of them)

so...that means, joyce, maybe after the conference i'll go to flushings myself (since bronx and queens are so close - i just take #7 to the end stop right?) and then bus out to ur place (#6; i'll call u for directions when i get to that point)...and if ur up for it, catch dinner and the nutcracker with u, and then go clubbing?

sunday's plan is TBA but if u need to study i suppose i can spend the day wandering around manhattan (withOUT my credit card - please remind me if i conveniently forget) until my ride comes to pick me up...

sound good?

will call u fri night after my exam

Joanne says...

I need to find myself an alcoholic doctor then, haha. And one addicted to pain killers, yes.

Oh I'm sorry, am I missing the point? That's because I deal with rodents all day long and whenever one shows signs of suffering after surgery, I put it down. Yep, I put euthanasia to use all the time. Those bioethicists would have a field day with me.

But when you practice Chris, you won't have that clinician breathing down your neck so you can be as open-minded as you want!

Joyce says...

Thanksgiving Parade pictures posted, check sidebar for album link.

karen.. here's one for "the worst" - paris hilton, lindsay lohan and britney spears partying together

I remember my co-worder, Chinese, was not informed of the sex of the child until birth or something. She said it is like that in Canada.

hmmm... personally, I agree with chris on the selecting for a normal child one. And if the mother's wish to have a girl can be interpreted as her way of decreasing probability of another child with fragile X, since it effects more boys than girls, her concerns should be understood.
I think the issue comes down to this - would you bring a life to the world to let him/her suffer through illness or would you rather end things right there. (alright.. i can't put this question as unbiased as it can be :p... but you get my idea)

chirs - take it easy.... when you have your own practice, you can do whatever you want. ;)

need... sleep

vivienne says...

Hahah....I like Karen's column on the left. It's like she's the Perez Hilton of P&C. LOL

What's wrong with Facebook? :D I like it.

Karen says...

cheer up chris. =) my dad always told me that being right is lotsa times just half the battle. =]

pl - *still singing along to jingle...* ... well... well... at least i don't facebook!!! =P

vivienne says...

Chris: Social justice is a very hard thing to deal with. You have to protect the rights of someone by forsaking another's right, or you have to propagate the beliefs that are not necessarily your own. :p I've had so many lectures about this for teaching...you have no idea. I believe that it's probably even harder for teachers because if you make one false move, some parent is gonna sue you for all you're worth.

Even if your group doesn't agree with your ideas, it doesn't matter. Because I'd rather stay true to what you think than to suck up to what some prof thinks. :p

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

p.s. u'll begin to notice the increase in blog posts as the exam date gets closer. specifically, december 2nd.

my apologies in advance. thank you all.

LOL.

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

doctoring is a fine balance between "exercising ur judgement" and "maintaining social responsibility"

perhaps i have the wrong wordings, but what i am trying to say is that we as doctors have the responsibility to be the patient's advocate BUT ALSO to be the society's "police". as an example, we have obligations to advocate for the patient's right to certain drugs, procedures, etc, but we also need to report to the police of child abuse, that sort of stuff.

now social responsibility is a very dangerous term. it's so loosely defined that it cries for the application of the doctor's personal judgement. and that's where things get gray.

btw, dont quote me on this, but i dont think u can tell the sex of ur child until it is too late to legally abort them in canada.

Christopher says...

Man I'm having a shitty day.

Had a really frustrating ethics seminar about prenatal testing where I got lambasted by the clinician for trying to argue that sex selection and wanting to abort a child with a genetic disorder was common.

Basically the case revolved a women who was a carrier for Fragile X syndrome and had a child with Fragile X. She then tells her doctor that she wants to make sure her next child doesn't have fragile X and that she isn't ready to care for another child with it. The group and the clinician basically decided that she was a poor mother and needed counselling around how to be a better parent. Having a child with a serious developmental disorder is no walk in the park. I think that the group is imposing their judgements about the patient by assuming that something is wrong with her.

In addition, she wanted a female child next. Its funny how in Canada, fetuses don't have rights, yet its illegal to sex select. There simply isn't a way to prevent it. Elective abortions are legal regardless of the reasons and an ultrasound will determine the sex of the child. If we don't provide the service, she could walk out of your office, and the next you time you hear of her will be in the news having died of a self inflicted abortion or purchasing sketchy chemical abortants online. Or worse, she could have slit the throat of her male child. The fact is physician attitudes are a major barrier to care, especially abortions. Many women don't get abortions because they fear what the physician will think.

I come from a background where I wouldn't find it surprising to have an asian mother come up and tell me that she wants a male child free of any defect. Hell this happens every day in China. (And they do cull their babies) I'm not trying to downplay the psychosocial aspects of medicine and frankly thats one of the reasons why I'm interested in Family Medicine. The fact is we as physicians always make value judgements on our patients. As the joke goes, you are only an alcoholic when you drink more than your doctor. I don't see the desire to have a perfect sex selected child as a sign of mental instability and I don't think it should be assumed to be so.

Of course the physician disagreed. He even made the crack that there are plenty of other careers in medicine that don't require patient interaction. So now my entire seminar group thinks I'm some sort of monster and its fricken frustrating that I didn't have my arguments understood. I love how he even said, "Oh I'm glad we had this discussion Chris. I want you to know that this is nothing personal". Heck I laughed it off, but you don't make cracks about someone's ability to empathize with others. In fact I'm empathizing and crying for all his patients who felt they couldn't tell him the truth.

Gordon says...

haha...hey, it might feel like -36 degrees with >20cm of snow in Edmonton today, but it's going to be a nice and toasty -7 degrees on Thursday! whoo hoo!

Suck that CN tower!

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

dec 23: since my flight lands at 19:13 hours, I'd be extremely late for part 1 of x'mas dinner. I'll also need a ride - Joyce says she might be able to get me, but if not I will probably have to say no :( and bus straight home.

dec 29: looks clear. i'll be there :)

Joanne says...

Dammit Chris! You beat me to the Rub-our-fantastic-weather-in-our-Vancouverite-friends'-faces-while-it-lasts plan!

Christopher says...

Ah the randomness of it all.

Vancouver: Half a meter of snow and subzero temperatures
Calgary: Oh God Noes, Gordon/Pete watch out for your toes
Toronto: A balmy 12 degrees (its gonna be 18 on Wednesday!)

Haha, I'll get my kicks in now before Winter kicks in here.

Joanne says...

The 29th sounds good. Probably will not be able to make it to the late night post party thing if the ridiculously early curfew imposed by my parents still stands. Eddie can take my place - he's got enough pink shirts to make a convincing me, haha. And he's got more inappropriate comments up his sleeve than I do...

As for clubbing at Cindy's request, I'll try to see what I can do to get one organized...but don't hold your breath. I'm a little out of touch with the Vancouver scene and dunno where all the "it" places are anymore. Actually, I don't even know where the "it" places in Toronto are either...I just go where we know the manager (so I don't have to pay cover, hehehe...cheap student lifestyle! booyah).

Peter says...

reciting gum commercial jingles on the blog....... ok i'm just gonna let that factual statement stand on it's own merit. there's nothing else that needs to be said.

anyway, just posted to say yeah i can make it on the 29th (but unlikely to make it on the 23rd unless u guys are still out late at nite)

Karen says...

yep yep, agreed agreed. we will go with our original PART ONE/PART TWO P&C "Christmas-ISH" Party idea. double the pleasure, double the fun... (it's the statement of the great mint in double mint gum.) hahahaha for those who were here to get my b-day party invite... you know i love that jingle, it's so relevant for so many occasions! hahahaa. but i digress. ANYWAY, the reason why we chose 23rd was cuz leo was leaving the next day but that was before we knew joanne/eddie wouldn't be in yet and before vivienne told us she wouldn't be able to come back in time. so yeah, let's TENTATIVELY say, 29th, the FRIDAY for P&C X'mas Party PARTY TWO?? (i could see the 28th being bad for viv since that's the day she comes back.) i think it'd still be good to get together for the 23rd for those who still want to, for out of towners, you won't see leo til the next time you come back!

PART 1
date: saturday, december 23rd

PART 2
date: friday, december 29th

so yep, lemme know if you cannot attend either... (cuz that would suck!) hehehe. have a lovely sunday afternoon.

Christopher says...

Wooaah, I never said anything about cancelling on the 23rd. Lets have dinner on the 23rd anyhow, because I'm sure many of us have cleared our schedules for that day. It would be a shame to dissapoint. Surely we can do two dinners!

Joyce says...

I second Chris's proposal. Actually, I thought about moving it after xmas before but forgot the post.
Who says xmas party has to be before xmas. well.. maybe the xmas part will be less significant than the party part. I think getting everyone together is more important the actual holiday spirit. and.. we can always name it xmas/new year/welcome/going away (yet again) party, right?

so.. everyone.. we're booking you more than a month in advance now, don't tell me you can't show up.

Christopher says...

Christmas Party:

Hey, lets hold the all night party on another night. Joanne and Eddie won't make it into town until the 24th. Why don't we hold a party between the 28th to 30th? That way everyone can make it, including ViviEnne. I'm also unable to make the post dinner on the 23rd, so I'd appreciate moving it as well.

Random Wine Note:

Joanne, Eddie and I, went to the annual Wine and Food Show today. I picked up some chocolate coated wafer shotglasses, which I figure will serve me well for my next potluck. One neat trick we learned at the tutored wine tasting was to hold the wine in your mouth then suck in air through your mouth. This leads to a huge burst of flavor as you suck all the esters in.

Just becareful, I almost choked on mine after taking a huge breath in. Also note, aspiration is not good for your health or trying to maintain the illusion of suaveness.

Gordon says...

...so...here are the choices thus far for the 4th annual P&C Christmas Dinner (all to be in Richmond):

1) No.9 Restuarant aka "jiu ji" aka "guw gay"
2) Sushi
3) The Boathouse
4) Hot Pot
5) All of the above
6) None of the above

And if you guys have any suggestions on what to do after to extend our holiday fun (like last year with our "one-word-pass-along" stories + fondue + chain saw masacre + sleepover + sambuca + poker) that'd be sweet!

Tim says...

It's true we might've done hotpot for Xmas before...but on the other hand, we've done Sushi x 100+ this year...

Stephen says...

I thought that when we left you would never go to hotpot again!

Traitors!

Karen says...

hmm, all you can eat hotpot with oysters!!! =P =P =P but we've kinda done hotpot for x'mas before...

Gordon says...

ooooh..hot pot and sushi...let's just do a food crawl!!!

vivienne says...

16 days till Japan and Australia! X3

Tim says...

My vote is for all-you-can-eat hotpot in Richmond since I haven't had that all year.

Joanne says...

Okokok, I booked my flight (mental note for next year: book with Travel Cuts WAYYYYY earlier).

I'm arriving the morning of the 24th and then I'm leaving very very late on the 1st. Sorry, it looks like I'll miss the party :'(.

And yes, Eddie will be coming with me.

Gordon says...

man, teen violence is just increasing everywhere eh? apparently, since there's nothing to do in Edmonton, people just stab and shoot people...

One just happened last sunday less than one block from my house.

Who wants to go clubbing in edmonton now!? (if you ever wanted to in the first place...)

As for food... what do people think of The Boathouse? Should be around 20-30 bucks...that's not so bad for a once/yr christmas dinner is it?

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

you know when you've been playing too hard the entire weekend/week when...

3 hrs before u line up for the bus to NYC, u start studying as hard as u would as if the test was tomorrow...

hahaha...oye. my priorities are all screwed up LOL

Joyce says...

nap time wasted and proof that life's not fair (gwen stafani's fans should look away)
I just spent 2 min of my precious post-exam naptime, though being allocated to some gossip reading, on watching Gwen Stafani's performance at the AMA award. Before, I wasn't impressed with that much heard song of hers with "nananananananananaaaa," and told myself she must be famous for some reason. Disappointingly, all she does was chanting in semi-singing that resembles a tonedeaf's desperate attempt at singing harmoniously, saying "uh, uh, uh," moaning, and slouch to the rhythem with her post-preganancy large thighs wide apart. (I'm mean, i know)
wait a minute, she made MILLIONS from singing? Howbout the rest of us working our @$ off just to make a lifetime saving that would equal to half of her earning from one (or several times) flop album(s) or less.

*cue the last line of Malcom in the Middle's theme song*
life is unfair~~~

and damn that exam's tricky

Stephen says...

That's crazy, Chris!

Did you snag any bullets as a souvenier?

I want sushi too. I won't be there, but I still want sushi. There's no good sushi here...

Joanne says...

OMG! Eddie and I were just walking through there from Eaton Centre less than an hour before the shooting happened. And yah, I live pretty much just as close to shooting site as Chris does...

It's a very narrow corridor of safety in downtown Toronto admist all the "sketchy" areas.

Christopher says...

Yay! Atleast this time noone died and it was 2 blocks away from me as opposed to half a block! Funny because I was walking home after a party last night and I was just telling a friend how awesome it was to live downtown.

Part Of Downtown Core Shut Down After Shooting
Tuesday November 21, 2006

As for the party. I vote for Sushi! Haven't been able to get good sushi for a long time.

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

where do u find these hilarious pictures, they are too funny...

dec 23 - i should be able to make it (albeit late), i just need to 1. tell my mom and 2. have someone to pick me up from the airport...please :)

Peter says...

joyce: i don't have rss for the blog... that's why i couldn't check it for awhile hehe i tried rss and it failed :(

everyone who doesn't have facebook: go to www.facebook.com and sign up - this isn't just another network friends thing, it's actualy really usefull to see what's up with everyone... i know gary and cindy are already on this thing... so yeah, do it :p

Joyce says...

Is it clever or borderline child abuse?
(click on the picture to see the website)

I'll have to admit, the picture's hilarious though.

Pete: how do you get RSS feed of the blog? I don't think it's available for P&C's blog, only the beta bloggers get it.

xmas dinner suggestion: No.9 restaurant. Cheap, filling and good tasting (ok, moderate to good tasting). Big round table for chatting and catching up. Huge group friendly.

Gordon says...

whoo hoo...party!!!!!!!!!!!!!

aight richmond fanatics and residents...where's a good place to go in your city?

vivienne says...

I HATE pedagogy!!!!.......

Karen says...

:: P&C Christmas Party Oh Six ::

as we now have only a teeny little bit over a month left before x'mas and it looks as though i'm more and more likely the obvious candidate to organize our...*drumroll*... FOURTH ANNUAL P&C X'MAS PARTY, AND, you know, i have time to kill at work most days, hehe, i'm going to start asking that people suggest 1) places they'd like to go to for dinner and 2) stuff to do post-dinner. please post and/or contact me by other means. =) noooooo complaints if you don't give me ideas!! hopefully, in a while's time, i can get people to vote on the more popular ideas.

as for DATE, if you cannot attend dinner or the post-dinner on the 23rd, also let me know so i can see if we can accommodate you. i think there were several people already who can't make dinner on the 23rd; our solution to that was to have another p&c dinner before or after the 23rd... details for that will come later.

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

p.s. GOOD LUCK ON YOUR EXAM JOYCE~~~

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

LOL at quote of the week
but it's kinda defeats the point of teasing to make fun of someone who doesnt visit the blog regularly...

dont know about IE7...think it's copying after firefox...i suppose the interface is kinda pretty...

Joanne says...

But that's really his name!!! Bah, fine then, don't believe me.

I'm a Sleeman girl anyway 8p.

Karen says...

mohsen...*lol*.

and as much as i'd like to help you joyce, you lost me at ie7. =P

currently craving: TATAKI!!!

Unknown says...

"Well... I have P.E. after math..."

if you haven't heard the story, ask Gary about his pedophilic experience...

Joyce says...

I'm currently trying out IE7. Admittedly, it is a lot faster than Firefox, and the interface is not bad to use either.
Since I've been a Firefox user, for those of you browse this blog with Internet Explorer, has the header been missing its top on your brower? I'm trying to figure out if it's an IE7 issue (perfect thing to do to prcastinating on learning pemphigus vulgaris. imo, pemphigoid sounds a lot worse...) Feedbacks would be much appreciated.

and.. quick, someone say something vulgar and witty so we can change the quote of the season.

Gordon says...

as sorry as i feel for joyce for not being able to entertain herself with the joys and wonders of our reproductive systems, let's get a new quote of the year admins?




34 days till christmas! ...

Joyce says...

oh, and, being 1/2 aboriginal, Mohsen's nickname is Grey Goose.


don't hate me joanne, it's the stress talking.

vivienne says...

*cracks up over Pete's comment*

Peter says...

HAHAHA 'mohsen'....

you've obviously been drinking too much joanne... you're starting to make up fictional characters with names strangely resembling that of beer corporations.

Joanne says...

Ah Elaine won. I gave in to the vomiting before she passed out on the stairs (but she was vomiting for much longer into the night!). You can imagine why Mohsen (a new tech in our lab) pointed to her and asked, "If that's the winner, then what does the loser look like?"

Gordon says...

Joanne: So who won!? You or Elaine!?

Joanne says...

Yah, well I think the rate of sexual abuse in Hamilton is probably already hovering around 1/3 as a whole, haha. There's a reason why there are high profile professors and hospital figures who would rather commute 2 hours each way a day from and to Toronto rather than live in Hamilton.

Ah, our periods. On Saturday, I got horribly horribly drunk (details to come) and told everyone that I was ovulating (I suddenly became very connected with my fallopian tube in my state of drunkeness) so if you think talking about period is oversharing, good thing you guys aren't here with me in Toronto, haha.

So yah, 9 shots of vodka and 2 additional drinks in a span of 2 hours was more than I could handle (I was DRY for the past 2 months, absolutely dry!). Oh, why was I doing that? Elaine challenged me. Why did I accept? Don't ask. The consequence? I have bowing down to the porcelain god for about an hour. I saw that broccoli I ate! And the risotto...and the carrots...and the pasta... And then I went through the whole range of physiological (errr...I think at this point, it's arguably pharmacological though) responses. Hyperventilation (to breathe out the alcohol/aldehyde) and immense shivering (due to all the vasodilation) which prompted Eddie to frantically keep calling Dr. Richard Ahn for help. After manually hoisting me up, I eventually passed out on an inflatable queen size bed next to an already unconscious Elaine. When I woke up, she was on the floor... Throughout the duration of the night, I told everyone that I loved them and that I wanted to eat and at one point, I told someone to take off their pants... And get this, this all happened by 10:30pm... aiya.

So the secret to not waking up with a hangover? Don't time your shots according to a broken kitchen timer.

Gordon says...

whoo hoo...GREY CUP IS OURS!

vivienne says...

I really wanna check out the Wii too!!! I'll probably be getting my first look at it in Japan, though. :p I'll have to ask Pat if anyone he knows has it....XD I might get to play....

Gordon says...

Chris: yeah! I think the lecture said 31% of female med students...with that, i think it was actually Macmaster female med students if I recall correctly...so maybe living in hamilton is sketchy...

but you're definitely right. Sexual abuse is loosely defined and subjectively defined. That's probably how those numbers came about. The only explanation i can probably give for the oddly high percentage of sexually abused medical students (because I'm not going to google/pubmed any stats) is because maybe med students were more prone to report it when they were surveyed vs. individuals of lower socio-economic status, etc.

Anyway...statistics in this area are highly unreliable because of different interpretations and under-reporting... and i apologize if the number i gave is alarming or misleading. Just wanted to share what i saw in class.

On a different note, 150K is the average family income of a med student!?? My gosh, that's crazy. I am definitely in the lower lower lower end of that spectrum.

Everyone: 36 days till christmas!

Christopher says...

Haha actually does anyone want to buy a Wii for Christmas and then return it after we leave?

Christopher says...

Ah fair enough, socioeconomic status doesn't predict abuse. Although it probably leads to more cases of neglect abuse, as its difficult to watch a child as single mother working two jobs.

As for depression. I can easily believe 50% of med students experience depression. Remember that 1 in 9 people in Canada are on anti depressants right now. 40% of people will take anti depressants during their life time. Anti depressants are great drugs with very limited side effects (anorgasmia being a primary concern, leading to a nice downward spiral). Depression is a natural physiologic process that we can all experience. All it takes is stress and circumstance to lower our neurotransmitter levels.

In Canada though, its not that much of a concern, because all med students will get a residency spot and will be living a posh and frankly overpaid life lol. Most schools are pass/fail or honours/pass/fail by now. I hear horror stories about students in the states commiting suicide as the residency positions in the states are very competitive and its easy to be stuck in a crap spot. Man its great to be in a school where every last percentage point doesn't count.

Joyce says...

On a lighter note. WHEEEE. Wii is out!!
Can someone post a review once you have some experience with it? And where's Pat, the person in Nintendo/Sony land.

Joyce says...

Socioeconomical status does not effect the rate of child abuse. From the stats I remember in class, it may affect the reporting rate, but a population with higher SE status does not necessarily mean abuse rate is lower. Our prof has seen some high-profile cases too.

But, again, survey can be highly unrealiable sometimes. I once heard from CBC radiothat 1/2 of the med students in cananda are depressed, and med schools are thinking about reforming their curriculem to decrease the stress load on the future docs.

yeah.. two exams in three days next week. For one of them, flunking any midterms means flunking the course (and there're 4 frigging midterms). tell me about stress, huh.
*sob*
wish me luck

Christopher says...

Girls: All this talk about periods. I don't understand why girls simply don't prevent their periods from happening. Its cheap, effective and hassle free. Plus there are lots of other health benefits to doing so.

Peter: Thats rough, but I guess thats the way it needs to be. People need to remember that these offenders are merely accused and everyone is entitled to their time in court.

Gordon: In fact, I'm sure some statistics are blown out of proportion eg. like 1/3rd of all medical students having been abused. Sexual abuse is very very loosely defined as anything that changes the way someone sees sexuality. Its really easy to skew a survey by asking questions like, did someone touch your private parts when you were young. Guess what? Our mothers did everytime they washed us when we were young. Did someone cause you to experience sexual pleasure when you were young? Hell, diapers make kids experience sexual pleasure and even fetuses get erections.

This is the rate for substantiated* cases:
(*so actual numbers probably higher, but then again innocent until proven guilty)

Rate of sexual abuse by gender:
1.7 victims per 1,000 female children
0.4 victims per 1,000 male children.

Source: US Dept of Health and Human Services,
Administration for Children & Families,
Child Welfare Information Gateway (formerly Nat'l Clearinghouse on Child Abuse & Neglect), 2000.

Here is a rate that nears 1/3rd:

Approximately 31% of women in prison state that they had been abused as children.
Source: United States Department of Justice, 1991.

I just don't think med students are in the same group as convicts. Infact since the average family income of a med student is 150k or so, I think its unlikely.

vivienne says...

I thought talking about number twos were bad enough, but now you're talking about periods? That's just gross. :p

Karen says...

hehehe. sorry boys. i apologize for the inappropriate-ness of that topic. but joyce and i are both admins, so IN YOUR FACE! hahahahahaha. (i just spent the morning with kids 10 years+ my junior.) no i'm kidding. that was admittedly pretty bad. you have my sincere apology. =)

Gordon says...

Cin: I heard it from a lecture and I think the stats are taken from some medical schools in canada...

Re periods: ...

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

gordon: 1/3 of female med students? where did the stats come from? im very shocked...

Tim says...

I'm going to have to agree with you Peter. It's not even so much about ppl like Joanne and Joyce talking about their periods, but when KAREN starts talking about her periods...something is just wrong with this world...

Gordon says...

Oh wow, that does suck. You lawyers don't have that "confidential unless..." statement? I guess you guys are stuck with the whole ethical vs. legal dilemma.

Man, I just had a child abuse/sexual abuse lecture a few days ago... kinda sick how some people are.

Apparently, 1/3 of female medical students have been sexually abused in one shape or form during their childhood. Never knew those numbers were that high.

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

hmm...
i dont really pay attention in these law-related discussion here in albany cuz i figured i'm not really staying, but if i recall correctly, if it's anything to do with the minor and parents (sexual abuse anyways) we HAVE to report it...

Unknown says...

sure i'm up for trying something new, i'll run it by gary and chris too... oh i also invited christina... and are leo and tim coming too? cuz that'd be great!

Joyce says...

hey hey hey, i'm just providing research ideas just in case any of you guys need a topic. :p

oh, peter, you can refer ur client to take their kid to moi, THEN, i'll report it. As long as you don't tell me anything about it and let me find out on my own, you are safe, right? right? And when you get in trouble, you can be like "what are the chances?"

Peter says...

OMG!!! they're talking about their periods....... guys, if we EVER draw the line, i say we draw the line here...

Karen says...

benlai: heyhey, i should be good for sunday! =) i haven't seen bengay in soooo long!! leo/tim/i have a suggestion though. how attached are you/christine/gary to shabusen? (i know, you guys love that place =P) but we've discovered a new all-you-can-eat place recently, OHAKU (it's @ w. broadway and hemlock, one block east of granville, atop of mac's). it's 22 dollars per person (26.50 after tax/tip) but the sashimi is amazing! the variety is like no other and AND, there's unlimited seared raw stuff (fish and beef), there's raw beef, raw oysters (!!!). there's MANGO ICE CREAM SUSHI!!!, really good mango pudding... are you sold yet?? hehehe. hmmm more selling points. unlimited sashimi. it's not super busy like shabusen is so i don't think reservation would be a problem... according to tim/leo there's a hot (but also apparently kinda bitchy) waitress there and we think it's run by taiwanese ppl (!!!). hehehee. lotsa good sushi and food in general. it's just a suggestion. i don't mind shabusen either cuz i know there's a lotta history there...hehehe, and i like shabusen too. i'll give you a call sometime this weekend... =P

Peter says...

joyce: you know what's even worse than encountering child abuse? encountering child abuse and being required BY LAW to NOT report it. that's exactly what's gotta happen if a client approaches a lawyer about abusing his/her own child. lawyer-client confidentiality, unlike doctor-patient relationships, are about as sacred as you can get. we talked about this specifically in class... and it sucks.

Karen says...

ohohoh!! *ahem* i usually dislike talking about menstrual cycles publicly. boys look away. hehe. but yeah, since you brought it up, joyce, actually, my cycle is scarily on time... to your described 6-hour time frame! =P =P. seriously!! for the past 8 to 9 months, except for the last, my period's been on time to the exact half a day... yes it's something i'm proud of. hehehehe.

Joyce says...

sorry, viv, didn't mean to exclude you. I just felt bad the for the boys with the shampoo talk and all.

here's something you biochem/med people should consider researching into:
-- pinpoint the exact time (say a 6 hr window) of a girl's menstruation of a specific month --
I think some of the anxiety the girls have while PMSing is worrying when the first drop of blood's going to come. We don't want to wear the hygeine product all day, and a pantie liner wouldn't help once things start going.
Finding a way for us to be more informed about our physiological event would do a great service to all femalekind, don't you think?

back to Wii...
From what I read on gizmodo.com, the sword swinging experience seems pretty cool with the Zelda game (:p). However, the Wii sports game and those party games definitly look promising!!

vivienne says...

HEY, why is the PS3/Wii question only for the boys? I protest! Joyce, total sexism on your part, shame on you! (hahah, applying my new social justice analysis here. ;p)

Anyhow...I agree with Chris. Wii is SO much better, is actually innovative and not just a mere "upgrade" on the existing system. Besides, I really really really wanna play Zelda Twilight Princess, complete with ACTUAL sword action!!! (My brother thinks it's additional exercise, which is true. Shows how much exercise I'M getting. Blah.)

Unknown says...

ooops sorry KTo... didn't get your msg (was it msn or blog even? i skimmed the blog pretty fast... coulda missed it... and msn? uhhh havent logged on in a loooonnnnng time)

So anyways, can you guys come out this Sunday night for sushi? tentatively 5PM?

Christopher says...

Joyce:

Yeah we got similar lectures on child abuse and spousal abuse. Definitely scary what goes on behind closed doors.

Onto PS3 vs Wii. Why on earth would you buy a PS3 at launch. All the launch games have horrible reviews. Even their centrepiece Resistance: Fall of Man is getting lower ratings than the Xbox 360s Gears of War. The PS3 also is coming out in incredibly limited quantities and costs insane amounts of dough. The Wii is a clear winner and is actually affordable. Unlike the other consoles it actually offers a novel experience that I can't get from computer games. I was talking with a few friends about springing for a Wii so we can have some fun.

Joyce says...

need to rant here.
I just got out of a VERY DEPRESSING yet alarming lecture. By the NY state law, we're required to be educated in child abuse awareness and report any suspected case w/ or w/o proof (if not, we'll face fine or being set to the big house!). The lecturer's an OMF surgeon, and he showed us slides after slides of real life examples. You wonder how could someone do things like that, yet there's a child suffered from the very act in front of you. AHHHH...... thosre child abusers deserve punishment worse than the prison... something like... repeating what they did to the child on themselves again and again and again...

sigh...

looking at the bright side, suri cruise is awfully cute and being treated like a princess.

oh..
and, here's a question for the boys

If you can ONLY pick one,
Wii or PS3??

i'd go for Wii

Gary says...

Hey Benni Lai,

If you are doing Christine's thing this weekend can you give me a bit of notice beforehand?

I have a roommate who is really addicted to sushi and I would like to bring him out if you guys don't mind, since I'm supposed to prove to him that Vancouver is not as crappy as he thinks. Plus I think Christine should meet him anyways so she could grill him about Germany. :)

Karen says...

benlai: did you get my msg? when were you thinking for christine's sushi party? i should drop by bc cancer and visit... haven't done that in a while... =P

Joanne says...

Joyce: You should take her to the Menchanko place...that was good!!! And reasonably priced too.

Ah, being Vancouver born and bred and coming to the east, my one complaint about hair is CONSTANT FRIZZINESS!!!! So clarifying shampoos are a definite no-no since it's much dryer out here and my head ends up looking like a big poof ball (I think Joyce understands what I'm talking about). So when it finally rains and everyone is complaining about how their hair is frizzy, I'm thinking, "Yay! It's back to normal again!"

I've been a devotee of Pantene Pro-V for a long long time. There's the "Winter Rescue" line and I gotta try out this Ice Shine... I switch it up with Thermasilk when the family-sized bottle runs out (yay for Costco!) or when I head to Eddie's because I blowdry like 5 days a week (hey, it's late by the time I'm done my night time shower and believe me, ANYBODY would want to wash their every evening if they're working in a room with 80 hamsters during the day). What I found to be surprisingly moisturizing was this mousse from Biolage. I used it to make curls and I thought the heat would ruin my hair but it was incredibly smooth the day after! Also, start the habit of regular hot oil treatments. I got a free one from the stylist on Sunday and oh man, my hair has never been healthier!

As for skin care obsessions, again the dryness of the east has prompted me to buy the most emollient, extreme skin care products at the Holt Renfrew counters (much to the horror of the makeup counter ladies). I think I found the magic items!
Day:
1. Wash with Kiehl's Moisturizing Cream Cleanser
2. Follow with a Chanel toner (the moisturizing one...I forgot the name)
3. Spread Darphin Intral Creme on cheeks
4. Cover face with tinted Fluide de la Mer SPF 18
Night:
1. Wash with same cleanser
2. Use Dr. Brandt's Microdermabrasion in a Jar
3. Moisturize with Darphin Intral Balm

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

joyce: not a problem. hahaha...i'll see what research i can come up with before i arrive. do u have time this weekend or no? i still need to find out how to get to ur place from wherever bus stop im getting off....LOL...

vivienne says...

Ben: I agree! We need a new quote and a new grad! Wait...Gary's the only grad left....

Where the HECK did you find that cute, yet disturbing, stuffed toy?

Joyce says...

re: dinning in NYC. sorry to disappoint you, cin, and other future visitors, I specialize mainly in cheap(er), large serving and filling food. i.e. Korean town, chinese delivery. (they serve you unlimited appertizer dishes, MANY of them. I usually load up 1/2 of my stomach with them, eat about 1/2 of the stuff I order, and pack the rest for subsequent 1~2 meals. ;) right, joanne? It's not because I'm cheap, well, maybe a little bit, but I'm always hungry and eat too fast when the appertizers come. :p) ... HENCE, rule of thumb for Joyce's visiting connoisseur - pick the places first, and I'll take you there (and if I get lost, my New-Yawker friend's just one cellphone call away. :ppp).

oh, clarifying shampoo always dries my hair out especially if i'm too lazy to condition... think VERY straw-like hair.

alright, the jinx's lifted, gary.

Unknown says...

hmmmm we really should take gary off of the grad of the year.... i think it jinxed him from graduating last year...
Another thing, I noticed Joyce's quote... rarely? so you do go below the waist then... which somehow got me thinking about uterine teratomas.... which lead to this:

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/22515783/

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

hmm...taming hair is not really my main problem. in fact fructis conditioner makes my hair so soft that i have no perm left...lol...not that there is much perm left to begin with. as for turning my hair a lighter color - viv, ur lucky ur hair is so dark. my hair's kinda light colored so it doesnt matter LOL...

joyce: i know flower king! hahaha...

oooh sushi. joyce, u'll take me to lots of ethic food places in NYC right????? heehee...

Karen says...

- shampoos!! -

oohhh, i LIKE this topic. (this is coming from someone who spends 2 hours a week washing her hair, hahaha.)

i'm a fan of the "clarifying" shampoos, of any brand. it essentially just strips your hair of any oils/residues when your hair is feeling heavy. (i personally think that it's just harsher detergents in there...mmm, more charged groups?? =P PSST: that was a nod to all former BIOC404 (and biochem) students out there =P =P). and on good days, that alone, will leave your hair super light and nice and SUPER clean (i love the extra clean feeling!) but if it's dry outside, follow with conditioner, and your hair will be nice and light and smooth!! i like the pantene clarifying shampoo but yes, like somebody else said, switching brands is REALLY the key. i have like 5 different brands of shampoo and conditioner at any given time... and switch pretty much every shower =P. cuz after a while, you can tell which shampoo/conditioner is SLIGHTLY more moisturizing/heavy/light/cleansing, and you can adjust to the particular day...

pantene IS really good AND smells good =P. i also like neutrogena. leaves your hair pretty light most of the time. fructis does not go so well with me. it makes me shed. yes, even more than usual. and body shop ones aren't so good either. i really think shampoos work completely differently with all different hair. although i'm still in search of the PERFECT conditioner, that leaves your hair LIGHT AND MOISTURIZED, wash after wash...most conditioners will do that for like 2/3 times and then you gotta switch. yeah, and i also can't condition with every hairwashing either cuz then it becomes too much, *sigh*.

argh, the art (fuss) of keeping manageable hair!!

PS: joanne, oh yes, i think all lab ppl feel for you. (i always try to ask my questions earlier in the meeting and position myself in the room so that my pi won't see my nod off later =P.)

Joyce says...

continue on the shampoo discussion...
I love fructis and pentene too!!
Now my new in-between shampoo and conditioners are Japanese ones. Having typical thick and stiff Asian hair, volumizing shampoo from the drug store only results in near-fro disaster in the morning. And you won't find any "lightening up the texture" or "thin down and smooth out" your hair product in London Drugs either. This is why I go to Japanese hair product for some rescue.
Right now, i'm using Asience conditioner by Hohoba (cindy: direct translation - flower king... i think u'd know this brand), and this shamboo made with rice extract.
Now, I gotta give a big thumbs up for the Asience conditioner. Even my dad, who has the thickest and toughest hair i've seen, and does not react to any conditioner except blobs of fruictis, loves it. Hopefully you guys can find it in say.. T&T... (maybe the one in Yohan).

k. guys, you can start posting about after shaves and colone or your secret obssessions with skin care products.

vivienne says...

Chris: feel free to pass on my email or MSN to your friend

Cindy: I like Fructis too! The only thing is that I found that using it makes my hair turn lighter. It turned my hair a dark brown when I was using it for about half a year.....

Unknown says...

Hahaha Joanne, I cringed when I read your post...

Hey btw for peeps in Vancouver...

anyone interested in going to Shabusen this weekend? It's mainly for Christine, who, if you haven't heard yet, is 99% going to Germany from Jan-Aug on Co-op (1% failure rate if her work VISA doesn't come in soon enough). So she won't be eating sushi for 8 months and want to get as much in as possible before she leaves.

It's also for her bday (26th).

Let me know soon plz!!!

Peter says...

admins fyi: i'm coming back on the 18th and leaving again for edmonton on the 8th

Joanne says...

My supervisor scheduled a 3-hour lab meeting to begin at 5pm. WHO DOES THAT????

Stephen says...

Chris: Star doesn't check her email that often, but I'll ask her for you. Her email is starnap@gmail.com, in case anyone wants to email her and say "hi".

Christopher says...

Star and/or Vivian:

Hey, I have a friend who is looking to apply to UBC Education. I was wondering if I could get and share your emails with her so she can ask you some questions about the application process, life style and such. Feel free to email me at chrng at rogers.com. Thanks!

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

hairy issues

heehee. i know. appetizing.

i am merely referring to those buggers on my head. I HATE STATIC. i love fructis tho - ever since joyce introduced it to me i've been using it on and off (they say to switch shampoo after u finish every bottle. i assume they know the existence of family sizes). makes my hair soft and nice to touch~~

a girl in my class with long glossy hair recommended pentene ice shine. i'll be giving that a try soon, too. after i finish with this family size bottle of garnier fructis.

i need to get a perm again. it's growing out too straight and the bottom where the perm used to be is getting pulled straight due to the weight of the hair. or should i just grow it out straight? think shoulder length suits my face better so im gonna lob off a good inch at least, too.

ok. time to go to school. so tired...

vivienne says...

Hey P&C Admins,

Please change my flight plans on the sidebar to leaving Dec 8 to returning 28th. Yes, it means that I won't be there for the Christmas party, but I'll see you guys after that.

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

joanne: thanks for the list. will be going over them w/ joyce...

joyce: perhaps i should give u a call some time before i head over to ur place? e.g. directions and plans...

vancouverites: any plans to hit the slopes this winter? i want to go skiing...heh heh let me know

Joyce says...

steve: i found that, pressing down the mouse will innitiate the swing, but the actual release of the mouse will induce the swing. I wonder if it's like.. the longer you hold it, more power you get.

speaking of addictive online flash game....
http://www.eyezmaze.com/tontie/v0/index.html
If you have a laptop, use the NumLk function to use the number pad. I find it easier that way.

Joanne says...

Aaaaahhhhh, sweets, how I love thee.

For Cindy and Joyce, here's a blogger's list of best dessert places in NYC. I have gone to Balthazar's, Payard, Minamoto and Serendipity. All very very good (although not worth the wait for Serendipity in my opinion).

Stephen says...

Thanks guys!

Don't worry about not checking th blog for four days. I don't think I've checked it for months.

Check it yo: http://n.ethz.ch/student/mkos/pinguin.swf

Click to get him to dive, click again to swing. Everyone in my class is addicted.

Christopher says...

Happy Belated Birthday Star and Stephen!
(Was at a leadership conference in Windsor so I missed it. Sorry!)

Peter says...

happy belated bday steve and star! sorry i didn't post this earlier, i haven't visited the blog in like four days or so (due to broken rss feed and general laziness from school)

Stephen says...

Wow! Those magnets are awesome! I'd probably never leave my house if I had those, though. Still, I'm tempted to order them.

vivienne says...

Whoa, that IS the coolest fridge magnet ever!!! Reminds me of that stuff I used to play with at Science World....

Joyce says...

This is the coolest fridge magnet EVER!!
click the image to go to the website.

and. yay for bringing computer to class and having wireless access during boring lectures. This is exactly how I get to discover this cool product.

Stephen says...

Thanks guys!

I'm starting to bring my computer to class now, so I'll be posting more often as I get bored.

vivienne says...

Cindy: Oh, shush. LOL Yes, I know you're still imagining me losing my professionalism. :p How was your movie?

Steve & Star: Happy happy birthday!!! ^____^

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

viv: i can never listen to "sexyback" with a straight face EVER again...LOL...

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

happy bday mr. and mrs. nap!!~~

Karen says...

happy birthday steve & star =) =). we wish all the best and lotsa warmth in winnipeg. have a good one and come back and visit us soon. =P

Stephen says...

Those fake poppies actually only have four petals.

Hi! I'm back. Sorry it's been so long. School is nuts and I had a huge exam today, I'm sure many people can sympathize.

I've only seen poppies for sale here once. I'm convinced that everybody is just reusing theirs from last year.

When I was two, I thought that people wore them because of my birthday. That was a pretty big bubble to burst.

Christopher says...

Just spent a fun morning in the neonatal care unit. Had a 12 hour old baby have a bowel movement on me. And more embarassingly I had to admit to my tutor that I had no clue how to change a diaper lol.

Babies are alot wrinklier than I had imagined. They also have really funny shaped heads lol. They are also much harder to break than I initially thought. Such insight.

vivienne says...

Chris & Joanne: Wow..you guys want a poppy THAT badly? Nuts. You can easily create your own by cutting a five petal flower out of construction paper and then a small green circle to adorn the center. :D Not only will it be cheap, it will also be biodegradable! Ahahahahah!

Gah, I am so tired right now. >.<

Joanne says...

Christopher! I voiced the poppy complaint to Eddie and it turns out that they're sold in every Tim Horton's out here. I guess our ingrained west coast preference for Starbucks/homemade coffee due to cheap student lifestyle has kept us away from a Timmy Ho's (yes, he calls it that) for too long.

Karen says...

it's official...

48 days til christmas!!! =) =) =)

Christopher says...

Joanne! I know! I haven't managed to buy a poppy yet either. I haven't seen anyone selling them on the streets or even in the subway system. Really frustrating.

Joanne says...

Aaaaggghhh, poppy talk! It's almost 3 days until Remembrance Day and I STILL have not found someone selling poppies!!! Does that just mean that I've been holed up in my lab too much??? Or is there really a dirth of poppy sources out there? Yeesh, already Ontario does not give us a holiday for Remembrance Day, and now they don't have veterans peddling poppies???? What's the world come to!?!?!?!

vivienne says...

Well, either way I still end up poking myself when I wear my poppies. Yeah, it's great to show how patriotic you are by repeatedly poking yourself in the forearm. I swear every year that I won't buy one just because I'll lose it in less than 5 minutes OR I'll poke myself silly until I DO lose it...but those veterans always look so friendly and grand-fatherly. Blah. Can't....resist....nice....people....ack!

Peter says...

but then you would be acting negligent in creating an unforseeable safety hazard that innocent strangers could poke themselves on and then subsequently sue you in tort for compensatory and punitive damages amounting to millions... that wouldn't be a very merry christmas.

.........sorry guys, i've actually started to study recently, and yeah all those years of biochem posts are gonna come back to haunt this blog... in 'law' form!

Karen says...

do you spend 10s of dollars on poppies every year? do you put your poppy on your shirt knowing that you won't see it ever again in a few hours? good news!!! i've learned the secret to keeping your poppies in place!!!

yeah, seriously, i go through about 5 to 10 poppies each year. so today my labmate told me that you can pierce the end of your pin through the very edge of the poppy petal to keep it in place like a pin!!! hopefully other ppl will benefit from this very valuable lesson. hehehe. =P =P. w00t!!

Christopher says...

Happy Belated Birthday Joyce!

Joyce says...

thnx peeps. well.. I have an exam on Tuesday, not monday.

Pete: ha.. ha... very funny.

oh, and i've decided to stay 25 once I get there until turning 30.. or 35....

Peter says...

forgot to say it to you on msn but HAPPY 14th BDAY JOYCE!!! almost mid way through your teens now...

Joanne says...

Happy Birthday Joyce!!!!! Live it up New York style, girl (PLEASE dont' tell me you have another exam on Monday...)

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

happy birthday joyce~~~~~

p.s. sorry this has become cindy's blog. im fine. really. thanks for ur support u know who u r...

going to bed now. nite guys.

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

despite my brave midnight excursion to the anatomy lab 2 nights ago....(which in hindsight i should have taken more seriously...)

this might be one of the first times i feel beyond hopeless and upset after an exam...

that anatomy practical portion? was bad...oh my god. MY GRACIOUS GOD.

i had better not end up at the bottom of the class becuz of this practical portion...(it's worth 20%)...the rest of the exam was ok but i dont know if it'll be good enough to get me out of the hole that is the practical...please please please :( i would be happy if i get below average but still stay within the 2 standard deviation...is that asking for too much? :'(

today at the practical i basically found myself repeating the following motion...
1. frantically scribbing down my GUESS from the last question
2. frantically orienting myself to this new question
3. spending more time trying to double check my orientation is right (face up, face down, flexors, extensors, arteries veins or nerves)
4. getting very unsure of my original guess, leaving the answer box still empty
5. bell goes off, i hurry off to the next station
and back to step 1.

seriously, i cant tell nerves arteries and veins apart. i just cant. i cant even recognize the M in the brachial plexus half the time...hand I looke real hard, too...how is that possible?

i need to go shower and cry. im so upset...:(:(:(:(:( and im so getting drunk tonight....^&(^#@#&^(

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

highlight of the day: besides finishing about 1kg worth of candy, i'm currently listening to a remake of "riding dirty" but adapted for medical school students

i dont know how to upload it on the blog..so if u want the file, let me know...

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

it's either the stress or the dry-ness of the air...
but i've had two nose bleeds today

sucks

after the exam i'll be putting cups of water around the corners of my room...so many things to look forward to after the exam...

Karen says...

haha, keep posting cindy. we're cheering you on... though maybe you should go with a buddy to the lab @ midnight next time?? or be careful! =)

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

heh
u can tell my stress level from the frequency of my posting

chris: thanks for the email :) that was really sweet!

post anatomy lab visit report - it went ok. i had company...err, i meant, live companies...who knew, the school library is where the party's at!

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

craziest thing i am about to do to date:

to walk thru the ghetto at 12am...alone...
not to go on some hot date or to clubbing or drinking...

but to the gross anatomy lab to cram for my practical exam...

gawd...this is gonna be interesting...me alone w/ the cadavers...

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

re: banana guard

i forgot who was there with me...or if it was during my ubc years or my year off...

but i remember meeting a guy (white guy to be exact) outside of school who told me he had thought of the banana guard idea and made a few samples to give to his friends as gifts...his original version was like the one in the link, and in fact some guy whom he was chatting with in a restaurant (and to whom he showed off the banana guard to) stole his idea and patented it

the original guy was gonna wait a little before patenting his banana guard idea...in fact, he came up with a new version. his version was a bunch of interconnected plastic rings (stackable) which can fit the curve of ur individual banana, as well as the length...i.e. more versatile...but when he took it to the patent rights place, they refused it cuz there was already that unflexible version...

Karen says...

*lol*. joyce, that was SO made for you. now your bananas will be brown and intact!! (for those who've not seen joyce pull out very a many brown (i don't mean just slightly spotted, it's HEAVILY spotted), mushy bananas from her backpack, yeah, it's not pretty. hahahha.) i heart un-bruised, spotless bananas w/ slightly green tinge!! mmmm.

Joyce says...

put an end to bruised bananas in your backpack!
I think some of you will agree that I should get one, right Karen ;)

Anyway.... just saw that on gizmodo.com today. and yes... I check out that site routinely...

NeverGonnaGrowUp says...

totally off topic - then again cindy has always lived in a world of her own...maybe that's why back in high school ppl thought she was very weird and too self absorbed...

u know u r in the right profession when despite the stress of not being able to trace the nerves of the upper limb or identify any anatomical structures of her cadaver, u somehow find studying clinical anatomy interesting...

ah...what a contradictory world i live in...i still hate stress tho...why can't i learn this on my own time? lol...(cuz i have no discipline and prefer to hang out with friends during her downtime that's why)

Tim says...

Peter and Gordon: Is this just a local phenomenan or is BC like that too 'cause I remember going a couple years back and it wasn't that out of the ordinary......damn, can't wait to move to Edmonton