The clock is ticking - title of our PBL!

That has multiple meanings right now. I am turning 21 tomorrow! -- Hence time to evaluate my life. These are also the same words our MCAT instructor told us when he was teaching us about the female reproductive system - he was joking with us about the importance of getting married soon. And this is the title of our PBL!

How should I evaluate my life? What am I doing these days? Well, the only thing I am busy with these days is university!

So I am going to evaluate my life by numbering the most common topics we tend to discuss at university-at least my among friends. This indicates what I keep myself occupied with and my/our worries in life.

1. Education - anatomy, exams, exams in the future, topics to be covered this week, USMLE, triple jump...

2. Life - where we going to be? How are we going to find the guy or girl? There are limited number of choices in Qatar -- guys/girls suitable for us! We are so unique-each from different culture/religion/and more. How are we going to find the prince charming? Where are we going to find him? When are we planning on getting married - med school/residency/ after residency? Where do we see ourselves in the future?

3. Specialization: Peds, Meds, Surgery, Geriatrics, or Psychiatry.

4. For me atleast - MSEC! Upcoming events, issues, and meetings.

4. Daily chores!

5. Travel plans: with having family all over the world, quite a bit of most of our time goes towards planning vacations to see family. My plans during the summer, Eid break, spring break, December break?

Three more weeks till HSF is finished! One more anatomy exam and two more quizzes!

Docs in Training Have No Time to Be Ill

No time in life for getting ill!

You dont really realize how precious time can be until you get sick. When your sick, the only way to heal properly is to rest - not over exert yourself. But if you have exams, assignments, meetings, anatomy labs, lectures, histology labs, gymming, sleeping, and are president of MSEC there is no time to rest.

Ironically, we are becoming doctors to take care of others, but we have no time to take care of ourselves. I have been living on panadol/tylenol for almost two weeks, sleeping in lectures, and skipping classes and even had to skip my histo/physio/embryo exam in the end as a result of over exerting myself while I was sick. Feel so guilty for skipping an exam, but there was no way I could have done it. I haven't been this sick for a long long time, do not even remember.

I had fever and throat/ear infection for a few days -took a dose of Zithromax and thought my body had recovered. So as soon as I felt a little better, I started going to the gym/running again. (The weather is getting hot - so I have to enjoy the last few days that are left to be able to go running outdoors.) After about four days of feeling almost back to normal, I became sick again. Went to the doctor again and she said just take it easy -rest and take panadol. Doesnt seem to have helped. I got worse - with multiple other problems. Then I went to the doctor again and she said rest, sleep, and eat light food. I guess it all happened due to my weak immune system and lack of sleep. I spent quite a bit of time on the internet trying to figure out why I am having bla, bla and bla together. Thats what happens when your a medical student. You also decide to study urself. And often consider things a serious problem. Such as freckles around eyes - due to coughing and vomiting. I saw them on my face and freaked out.

Havent done much in the past few days, except for what has been extremely necessary. But studying is extremely necessary even to just pass the exam on renal. Also, there are two events this weekend - a picnic (that I do not really need to do anything ) medical camp. I am coordinating with the person in charge of medical camp on what Cornell students will be doing. I just feel like telling everyone, call me in a few days after I am rested. But that doesn't happen. I stll receive phone calls and emails asking about this and that. And still got to study. What can you do if your sick? Normally, when your healthy, you can do so much in a day and you dont realize how much energy it requires.

So lesson learned - be thankful for your health. Sometimes we forget how important it is to take care of ourselves. We should appreciate all the energy we have been given.

I have an anatomy exam on Sunday but before that have to make up the exam I missed on Tuesday afternoon. I am soo behind schedule. And suprisingly I sat down a few days ago and thoughtfully planned exactly what I will be studying/doing each day with tentative timings for each till May 15(NOTE: excitement in life is I fly home for the weekend after finishing HSF - just for a change - and then come and start Host Defenses a 6 week course) HAHA following my detailed schedule aint happening. Im so behind. Forget the lectures that are going on right now. I need to study for Histology/Embryology/Physiology and then ANATOMY/RADIOLOGY/CLINCAL ANATOMY for the exam coming up - Heard pelvis anatomy is a tough one. There are so many structures in such a small space.

What am I going to do?

Dilemmas....

Budding Physicians!

During our embryology lecture on GI, the professor called us "budding physicians." Another name for us - docs in training, physicians to be, student doc.

We just had our set of exams on GI-ranging from physiology to anatomy to embryology. Then we had a free weekend surprisingly with no studying! What did we do? We used our weekend to the maximum by spending the day at the beach! See we medical students during HSF have time to go to the beach! We aren't always studying - yah rite!

In two weeks-international evening!