Just wrote my biochem shelf. Someone described the feeling of coming out of that exam like "getting hit by a bus". I whole-heartedly agree. There were 125 questions and we were given 2 hours to complete the exam. The questions weren't straight recalls, they were secondary and tertiary long questions. Even just reading the questions made my head hurt. By the end of the exam I was just like,

 I'm just glad that it's over. Now to study for the physio shelf exam tomorrow!

I have started jogging in the mornings about a week ago. Like actual jogging. Not the jog-for-five-minutes-around-the-block-jogging. But jogging for 3-4 miles every morning, and sometimes in the evening right as the sun sets. It's a nice work out, and it helps me keep motivated. Now if only I could keep this stress-eating under control, things would be a lot easier… 

Anyways, here are some photos I took recently:

Labels: biochem, biochemistry, exam, med, school, shelf

Just had block 3 exams. Physio, neuro and biochem (in order of increasing exam difficulty). They were a little rough, but it was to be expected. This was the hardest block for biochem (pathways), and we had renal and resp for physio. And neuro was, well, neuro. What used to be an easy course is not so anymore thanks to one or two people in the class that ruined it for everyone. I passed everything but definitely could have done better. One more exam before the shelfs, and I'm already worrying about them. Everyone is agreeing that second semester is one of the toughest. 

View of sunset during one of my runs.

My first week and a half.

I made cookies from only two ingredients: banana and oatmeal!

Labels: biochem, block 3, blocks, exams, md 2, neuro, physio, running

First semester wrapped up in mid-December. I'm happy with how I did in all my courses. Winter break was relaxing but kind of boring, so I was glad to be back in school in January.
My three courses this semester are: Physiology, Neuroscience, and Biochem/Genetics. All the upper semester students have been constantly warning us about the difficulty of Physio, and they were so right! We had our first block exams yesterday (Tuesday), and the class average for Physio was a 56. Even though I passed, I felt very worried about my confidence in the material after seeing my mark. I thought I knew the material inside out, and it was supposed to be the easiest section of the course. The whole class was up in arms about it right after the test was finished, but the professor seemed unfazed about our reactions. I guess we just need to be more on our toes for her exams.
Anyways. The island feels chillier than usual, especially in the mornings. I have yet to turn on the A/C at my place.

I've changed my study habits up a bit. Instead of going to the study hall, I've been confining myself to my house. I hired a cleaning lady to come every two weeks to clean the entire house. It has definitely helped me take a lot of my mind and makes me feel more relaxed and at ease. I feel more focused and less worried about how dirty the floor is or how many spiders are possibly crawling up the wall. It has also reduced the number of trips to the convenience store, which means less consumption of junk food.


Some pictures I took recently:

Labels: biochem, md 2, neuro, physio

MD2 on an island.