Chapter 23 : New Semester. New Resolutions.

Assalamualaikum,

It has been such a wonderful break. Eventhough I cringe everytime I see my friends post statuses on how the weather is at where they are and how excited they are that it happened to be snowing or post pictures of wonderful places but I tell myself that I get to spend time with my love ones. I can go travel next break and I have a lot of time to do that in the future. But for now, all I need is to spend time at home even if it means sitting alone, watching tv and be a potato couch the whole day. I like doing that because I know that once the new semester starts, I'll never get to be this laid back.

Speaking of the upcoming semester, I've decided to make a new semester resolution. People are always making resolutions every now and then and it has been a trend to make resolutions on new years. Well, I don't. I don't make resolutions because I don't feel the need to do so. It's just that, I have the same goals every year and that these goals never changed. Maybe because I can never fully achieved all those goals I made a few years back. Maybe..

But I doubt that this second semester will be the same as the previous. Four modules in a period of five months and I don't think I'll be able to cope with my studies if I stay with my old routines. I doubt I'll ace the test if I do so.

So here's my new semester resolution ;

- I'd like to wake up earlier. Frankly, I am not a morning person. The earliest I can wake up is at 8 and for the upcoming semester ( which is in three days time ) I'll try to wake up earlier than before. The latest should be around 9 ( ? ) Haha

- I'd try to train myself to go to bed earlier. Now this is why I couldn't get myself to wake up early in the morning. I'm an owl. That's what my friends said. I would stay up all night with no help of caffeine at all and study until 3 sometimes. I'm the kind of person who studies at night and who doesn't take any naps during the evening. Everyone would be sleeping after class and I'b be in my room...trying to figure out why the hell can't I get my eyes shut.

- Obviously, lose weight. I seriously need to lose weight. I've gained a lot during winter and also my time here at home. Been eating like a girl who hasn't been eating since God knows when. I'll need to start cut my meal portions, avoid eating chips and cut down fast food intake. But how can I stop eating all this fast food when all they sell here is chicken burger and fries? -.-'

- Be more productive and healthier. I'll find ways to exercise and eat more fruits than those scrumptious snacks.

- Less surfing, more reading. I'll keep myself away from the laptop until the end of the week. I am going to delete the facebook app in my phone and tweet 5 tweets maximum per day. I WILL. I MUST!

- Stop procrastinating and spend less. Cut down on budgets, save more for summer break and avoid spending too much. And I also have to stop procrastinate and make use of my time. I mean, as a medical student, 24 hours a day is not enough. Never enough for us. Yes, maybe we can take a rest during the evening or at dawn but common, if you can study and make use of that time, wouldn't it be great? Wouldn't it be useful to use it to read novels or go through your notes?

Well, that's all for now, I think. Let's just hope I'll do all of this for the upcoming semester. I'm looking forward to it and I pray that Allah will help me along the way. The modules are not as easy as the modules we took during the first sem. Oh common, the first sem was the easiest compared to the other modules. Wait till we enter second year of med school O.O

Semoga apa yang aku belajar ini diberkati oleh Allah. Amiiin.

Chapter 22 : Change Is Good Sometimes

Assalamualaikum,

It's been a month since my last post here. Wow. Everything is moving so fast now. January had been quite a month. The lectures schedule is pretty packed last month. Class from 0800 to 1600 almost everyday and we sometimes have revision classes at night which were supposed to be a 2 hours class but turned out to be a 4 hour class. Imagine studying embryology for almost 5 hours after 10 hours of lectures and practical classes. Not complaining though. The lecturers are really helpful everytime the exam is around the corner. They would sacrifice their time for us and would talk for 5 hours straight.

I'm on a study week now. My final exam is in a week time. Everyone is studying in their room, at the living hall, burn the midnight oil or stay awake after dusk which frankly, makes me feel inferior.  Though these geniuses never failed in helping me-we help each other. They're not that kiasu here. We share notes, we share tips and we would study together.

One of the things I have learned here is that we can never study alone. Be it in medicine or in anything. There's so much to study in a limited time. 24 hours is never enough but it amazes me how my seniors here can juggle their time. They have lectures and classes everyday, cook and clean the house everyday and can even find time to feed the soul. They go to " kelas mengaji " , tafaqquh, play futsal at night, visit us, juniors ( they even cook for us sometimes ) and yet they can get excellent results. Ya Allah, they amaze me.

I want to be like them. I want to be a better person inside and outside. I want to be close to my creator-to Allah. I want to be a good doctor.

Dr. Hatta, a Visiting Consultant Obstetrician, Gynaecologist & Fertility Specialist came to give a talk last year and he truly inspires me. He's a graduate from Tanta University, Egypt which somehow makes me feel relieved because I've been wondering where are the doctors who had graduated from here? But he answered my question. He is THE answer. And he works in Sabah at Queen Elizabeth hospital. Yeay! That is so me. Hehehe. 

He asked everyone that day ;

" Do you want to be a doctor who happens to be a Muslim or a Muslim who is a doctor? Your choice. "

And that hit me. We learn about our body everyday. How the body functions. How can a single enzyme effect the whole system. When Aldolase B is inhibited which causes accumulation of fructose hence causes  fructosuria. Genetics and mutation which truly is interesting. Looking under the microscope and figuring out what it is and to find out that it's a tissue from the epididymis T_T You'd think it's gross but to tell you the truth, we laugh and at the same time are amazed to see this kind of things. How the tissues of the intestine looks like, the mode of secretion and etc. Not to forget, a chance to stay in the morgue. There was this time when my friends and I sat there for an hour with a cadaver beside us.  Lol. We even ate beside it. Hahaha.

Studying medicine has opened my eyes and make me see everything in a different perspective. It has made me closer to Allah. Plus, who else do I cry to or ask for guideness if not Him? And mum and dad are miles away and they can't be always there for me. So yeah.

I do sound different, do I? Haha. Oh well..Sometimes, people need to change. Change is good sometimes. I used to hate changes but this..this is good. I feel calm. I feel happy :)