University Life

University is really something very different from secondary school or even preparatory courses. One thing that I think many people dislike about university is the solitude you are constantly subjected to. Most of the time, I will be walking to the university campus alone, and the 15 - 20 minutes always seem like eternity... I don't know what I really feel about it, for certain time I really enjoy the freedom and "autonomy" of being alone; but when I am down, or when the sun decided to cast its full power on me, it is really a forlorn and despondent experience. Life is a mixed bag of sour and sweet, probably that's it.

I am doing medicine, so for this semester basically there are four different components, namely:

• Principal of Biomedical Science (PBS) - For every week, there are 7 to 8 1-hour lectures where we have to learn biochemistry, physiology, anatomy etc. So you know, there are things like enzymes, intracellular and extracellular fluids, body systems, and at this moment I am learning potential and sodium-potassium stuff. Pretty interesting.
  

• Introduction to Clinical Medicine (ICM) - Everyone of us have to learn about the skills and predicaments of becoming a doctor. It's a bit like "moral revisited", but it's done with specificity. For all ICM tutorials, we have to learn to be empathic, professional and the most fun thing of all, we got to role-play!!
  

• PBS Problem Based Learning (PBS PBL) - At this stage, we are not learning about pathology yet, but they have already started honing our skills by exposing us to different cases (on paper only, no REAL patient yet) and let us do our own research. This is my favourite subject, as it's problem based!! (weird, but I do love problems the most... ) Last week the case we did was glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency patient which was stressed by the intake of chloroquine. Haha.. daunting stuff for layman, but I asked my sister and she said, "small case lahh"
  

• Health Practice (HP) - Basically it's lectures about professional ethical codes. Quite boring.

In short, I am yet to adapt fully, but I am doing well here.


Song of the moment: Masquerade from The Phantom of the Opera OST.