Conclusion of Year 2

The VIA(Vertically Integrated Assessment) paper that I sat for yesterday morning marks the conclusion of year 2 of the MBBS program. Instead of feeling relieved, I felt lost as soon as I step out from the exam hall, and I sighed.

It was a sunny afternoon and my colleagues were either either expressing their congratulations to each other or busy indulging themselves in the discussion of the questions that came out. Some of them were jumping in joy, indirectly implying that it went smoothly while some of them just looked emofied and stoned. I did well I would say, mistakes here and there but generally It was a good paper, so comprehensively structured that It could really reflect our clinical competency( not including Theme 1 and Theme 2, I've never considered them as a subject =P )

It felt weird for not having any particular tasks to accomplish after the daunting exam. I guess I am still better adapted to the busy, fast pace, mundane kind of lifestyle. Goals and tasks keep me occupied and focus, almost all the time.

Year 2 indeed has been a roller coaster ride with its ups and down. I'll have to admit that It has been the toughest academic year for me so far, to the extend that I am just too tired to do anything else except to get sufficient sleep once I reach home at almost 12 midnight everyday. The study load is just enormous and the level of stress increases exponentially due to the back to back assignments that might at some point perceived to be unreasonable and a total waste of time.

However, I'm glad that its over. Deep down there, I know I will be roaming around the wards next year, engaging myself with patients. The "real" medicine finally begins.

Here comes the end of the year and I shall summarize some of the highlights that I reckon to be significant in my journey as a medical student.

1)Attended a public forum by Sir Matin Evans, nobel prize winner for medicine in the Academy of Sains Malaysia. Took a few shots with him and managed to obtain his signatures together with a few words of wisdom.
"Knowledge and Understanding", those are the 3 words he wrote on my writting pad.

2) Donated blood for the second time in the interval of just 6 months. Donated 350 mL instead of 450 due to the fact that I am underweight!

3)Finally turned bald after god knows how many years. A bald head + severely cachexic figure = people tend to mistaken you as an intravenous drug user. It was fun for a short period of time as people tend to pay more attention on me and of course, the girls like to touch and play with your head.

4)Represented Monash in the 7th interuniversity physiology quiz held in UM. I am so proud of the team's acheivement for emerging as Malaysia's top university after NUS and Chulalongkorn University beating UM and a few good local universities despite the minimal contribution I've poured in.

5)Celebrated my 20th birthday in the Uni. My colleagues and juniors were awesome people. Thanks for making it a memorable experience. The number "2" is somewhat intimidating to me.

6) Awarded a summer research scholarship by the CCV(Cancer Council of Victoria) to spend 10 weeks in Prince Henry;s Institute if Medical Research/ Monash Medical Centre to work on granulosa cell tumour of the ovaries.

7) Met a few really inspiring figures that serve as a motivation for me to strive harder.

My flight has been scheduled on the 19th, its just merely 6 days after my last paper. I feel so sorry for my parents, for not being able to see their son often throughout these 2 years. I am always somewhere out there, exploring opportunities, hardly even spend time at home. Its a mixed feeling. But well, I guess I'll just have to try harder in juggling my time between studies and family.

Could not afford to lose the warmth of family/relationship for the coldness of a scalpel couldn't I?