The Blog is Still Alive

Sadly we have not really maintainted this blog. Fortunately it's not because school has been too hard, it's mainly because we have been too busy having too much fun!
Well, since I feel like procastinating instead of doing my learning issue and anatomy prep files i figured i'd try to catch up the blog a bit. As i recall, a picture is worth thousand words...

Block 1 Break at Saucelito Canyon Vineyard

Halloween Party at Wilson Student Lounge

Buffet at the Luxor in Vegas

UCLA Business School Soccer Tournament

Time to reflect...

In the words of our wise and diplomatic president, "This social event [tomorrow] will be an opportunity for us to end Block 1 together, to reflect, and simply have a good time."

Well, I'll tell you what... I plan on doing a LOT of "reflecting" tomorrow night and yes, it will be a "good time," "together." I just hope I don't accidentally "reflect" all over someone I'm trying to impress.

=)

just want to take a moment to point out how beautiful our new hospital looks...

this mystery tour we've embarked on

how "House MD" is this week's PBL experience?

Hopes this helps somebody...

...A certain person has taken on a professorial role in the medical student community, posting pdf's of study modules on pharmacology principles. This has annoyed many, particularly mstps. While I have taken on a relative "don't curr" attitude, I thought I would at least post this. Wish I knew how to quit the shit talking.

A quotation:

___________________________________________________________
I've added to the pharmacological equation derivation sheet to...Angel...
It now includes:
The derivation for Clearance = k_el * V_d (which was skipped last time)
and the complete derivation for C_SS (which I had glossed over)...

Hope it helps somebody. :-) I've also fixed some spelling errors and
included a blurb about LaTeX [the program used to write the sheet], since some of you guys were asking about it. :-)

Cheers,
[name removed]

PS: I appreciate all the thank you's I received . It means a lot to me. =P

___________________________________________________________

wow.

Gunners, I am coming for you...

OK, here is something I've learned lately. I hate questions. I really, really hate them. People that interrupt lecture time to ask questions - I really hate those people. And it's weird, because I'm not really that hateful of a person. But when it comes to questions in lecture, I have zero tolerance. To me, this comes down to the following: lecture (and histopathology lab, et al) is a time for information dispensing in the most efficient manner possible. It's a time for absorption. Not talking. Put your hand down, no one cares. If you have a question, think about it for a little while and either email the professor or put it on the student discussion board later. Later when I'm unwinding and not thinking about vesicles and bullae. Later when I'm reviewing the material and deciding when I want YOUR FUCKING OPINION OH MY GOD WILL YOU PLEASE PUT YOUR FUCKING HAND DOWN PLEASE THANK YOU. The way I see it, so many of the questions in lecture - not all, because sometimes (when USC's campus freezes over, that is) clarification is necessary - are just opportunities for people to think out-loud. And in the most egregious cases, these in-lecture queries are just opportunities for people to effectively offer fellatio to a faculty member.

A few other things:

- Stop clapping after lectures. Seriously.

- Oh really? That's your subspecialty? Funny how you could decide on what you want to do before learning about it ONE BIT.

- You know, maybe, just maybe, the answer to the question is a little more complicated than you think it is. And in that case, maybe you should recognize that your half-assed pre-med explanations are actually stupid. You should read up, or at least acknowledge that you are bullshitting through your hindgut. Stop justifying your own stupidity. At least I am willing to acknowledge I don't know shit.

- I don't curr. Whatever it is, I really don't. So stop asking.

So what's your story?

This picture is most of the MSTP crew after the white coat ceremony on Friday (missing two people and with two non MSTPers).

Having just completed orientation week, my mind is still spinning, filled with a so many new faces and names. Where are you from? and what undergrad did you go to? Most of the people I have met are pretty fun and interesting people. Aside from almost everyone being Californians, the class is pretty diverse, which was not really the case at Wash U. And as expected everybody is a little nerdier than most undergrads. While there are definetly a few hardcore nerds/gunners and some quiet little asian girls (sorry for the stereotype), most of the people are genuinely awesome people who have similar interests and also just want to have a good time. I kind of like that fact that everyone is a little nerdier, it somewhat evens the playing field. We all have our little quirks and seem to get along with each other very well.

Orientation was a pretty incredible week jammed full of various activities, some of which were interesting and some of which were less entertaining than the others (see the previous post by Chuck C). Overall you get a sense that the deans and staff has really put together an awesome program for us. I really look forward to the pass/fail (pass now or pass later) system. I really feel that i will learn a lot and also still have a good amount of free time to go out and do other things with my life instead of being buried in books, which is what most people assume you are doing in med school (and what is unfortunately still true at some schools). I definitly can see myself playing tennis, surfing, snowboarding, and going on trips to San Diego, Las Vegas and Mexico on a fairly regular basis.

The white coat ceremony was like a graduation before you even start, a formal little ceremony mainly intended for the family. While most of the speakers where actually pretty boring some aspects of the ceremony, like the medical oath were actually pretty surreal. Damn... we really are going to be doctors... such responsibility. I guess it kinda takes a while for something so big to sink in. I mean you hear it so many times but this was just a little different. There will be so many people that will really trust you with their lives, and it is know our lifelong duties.

There were also a bunch of orientation social activities at night at various bars and restaurants. It was a lot of fun, but at the same time a little overwhelming. I met a bunch of people and had a good time at most of the events i went to. But combined with the 9-5 orientation classes they really drain you. I look forward to when things settle down in a few weeks where people will hang out more casually. Right now there is a little too much of sense people having to go out to clubs all the time trying to make good impressions and what not. I really enjoyed the few relaxed weeks in July where we were able to bond with a few people that were here early (mostly fellow MSTPs).

Oh boy! Real med school starts 8:00 AM tomorrow with a PBL. I still cant believe Chuck C, John B and I all are at the same anatomy table together, what a mistake that was...

Proximity is solid

So I went to Santa Monica last night with Yen, a girl from my rotation lab, and some of her friends. We first did Power Yoga-- a super-intense, liberating workout--followed by a clean up in Westwood, a quick turnaround, and a debaucherous evening along Santa Monica's Main Street. Yoga and alcohol together at last. Total time to-and-from Santa Monica was about 10 minutes.

Unlike Westwood, where there are basically 3 bars (Maloney's, "BrewCo," and "W"), the Main Street of Santa Monica has a wide assortment of clubs and bars. And although I almost got in a fight with a drunkard at one of the places we visited (Apparently, gently grazing someone's arm on the way back from the toilet constitutes unchecked aggression.), the ambiance was overall excellent. And, like all areas in greater L.A., you are always a moment away from fake breasts, foreigners, displaced coke-heads, and 50-something men who roll up to clubs in mid-life crisis mobiles. It's a perverse sort-of eye candy. I love this city.

So this is what a blog is...

I've been at UCLA for the last two weeks getting settled and doing one of these research rotation things. I'm fresh from a six week stint in Europe and graduating from Wash U. It's nice to be back in Southern California; it's not that i didnt enjoy St. Louis, i'm just glad to be close to the ocean and my family. I'm really excited about UCLA MSTP, living in LA, meeting a lot of new people and all the experiences we will have in the next 7-8 years. Well I hope this blog is useful and I'll try to post relatively often.

In Westwood, on rotation

That (above) was me a year ago. Thanks to Matt and Lucas (two fellow Pomona Alums), I dislocated my knee right before the Beckman Conference. Anyway, in this second post, I would like to comment on the first "required" rotation for the UCLA MSTP. While everyone can agree that traveling in Europe for all the days leading up to medical school is ideal, I have to say that this rotation thing isn't bad at all. For one, I'm becoming acclimated with UCLA and Westwood in general. It's somewhat bizarre to live in a city where you're a short jog from the pool, where Owen Wilson frequently swims laps, while on the same jog you might run into one of O.W.'s friends at the premiere of Miami Vice (True, all of it...By the way, movie premieres are stupid and pointless and just another excuse for L.A. people to point at each other and say, "We're kind of a big deal; I mean, we have stars here.") Another reason I love this summer rotation thing is that I'm getting to appreciate the pace of research before launching into the sure-to-be frenetic world of medical school. In other words, I'm appreciating the fact that I'll have PhD years in addition to pre-clinical and clinical years (the MD components of my training). Anyway, where was I? Oh ya, UCLA is great. There's a bit of everything here, which, at first, is a little overwhelming. Where do you begin, how do you wade through the endless possibilities, each easily within your grasp? I guess I still am figuring this out, but I'm really "getting into it."

So it begins...

This is a test post on the new blog, the MSTP life at UCLA, a blog devoted to the MSTP experience. This is a place for friends, family, and anyone interested in reading about (and seeing) the eight (or so) years that comprise the path toward earning and dual MD/PhD.