Whats been going on in Justin's life:

1) Anatomy is nearing the end. We finally finished up dissecting "Rose"'s body. She has been nice to us. Besides the weird arteries and venous drainage we have encountered, she has proven to be a very interesting study on the human body. As we performed the final cut on her larynx, I felt a bit of sadness that we will be returning to lecture styled learning soon. I think I am definitely a process learner, show me how to do something, and I'll do it... explain it to me in words and paragraphs... I get headaches. This has been one course that I have thoroughly enjoyed in medical school. And I forsee others to come. Still coming to gripes with this new identity I am having to develop.. also I need to think on my feet better.

2) I am taking a selective in Spirtuality in Medicine.. that should prove interesting.

3) I am on the last book in the Chronicles of Narnia. I would recommend to kids from 6 to 99.

4) I went home this past weekend to celebrate New Years and be with the ones I love. I saw some old friends, made some new ones. Still waiting to check out some of these tasty resturants... haha. =)

Date:	2005-10-05 22:23
Subject:	Updates from med school
Security:	Public
Mood:	thankful
Music:	King of Queens Theme

There's a certain thrill that comes from being given the chance to listen to a person tell you the most intimate parts of their lifes, to touch and move their bodies, and to give advice you had no right, up to a month ago, to give.

Medical school has been an awesome experience thus far. Sure, the classes are still boring (curse you basic sciences, crossing my fingers for anatomy), the exams still suck, the competition is just as intense; however, the one thing that makes it all worth while and transcends you above the muck of it all is the patients. In my dinky little short white coat (which to outsiders seem to be a 'doctor', but to insiders just means you don't know jack), I get to explore this extraordinary dimesion known as the doctor-patient relationship firsthand.

I'll never forget that first day three weeks ago in clinic, when my preceptor handed me her stethescope and walked out of the room. There I was, with a little boy who had pacemaker bulging out of chest, and holding the stethscope trying to listen to that ST split she keeps telling me about. I realized that the skills I am using aren't things I have learned in school in the past month, but from what she taught me in the last five minutes. I was trying desperately to rememeber the various positions to place the scope in order to hear various things. I think my heart was beating so fast that I was listening to my own heart beat more than anything else. (I do have a beautiful ST split as I found out). Here's me, armed with my volunteer experience in the hospitals of Texas, ready to interact with the patient. And all I could say before I finished my examination was "got a strong heart there kid" To which he just gazed away at me disinterested.

Thank God the doctor came back just before I started.

The point is, I think, no matter where you go, there has to be a certain learning curve to things, big or small. Dealing with slippery slopes of that curve is what makes people (and myself sometimes) become discouraged. But I think it has been espicially helpful for me to focus on what's at the end of the tunnel: experiences like this.

Clinic has picked up in that learning curve this week too. Today, I examined a boy who has marfan's syndrome. The kid was 16 and flew from Italy to see doctors here in the US. Because of his condition, he had a S2 that was noticable just by touching him. Just think about that for a second, if you were my friend, and I came up and touched you in your chest area purposfully, you would most likely run away. Or kick me, then run away. I think it's a tremendous honor/responsiblity that doctors are given to be able to intrude on the privacy of someone's body & life.

Hope all is well.

So I get the email from Johns Hopkins a month ago about admissions. I almost threw it out because I thought I was set on going to UCSF. However, after applying for financial aid, I was surprised at how much money they gave me. It offset the higher tuition of Hopkins and then some. Then I started to compare the match list of Hopkins and UCSF.. man, I was blown away.

My thought is, the pretty beaches and nice weather can wait four years right? When I start earning salary as a resident, I can move over to the West Coast to enjoy that high priced standard living. I guess I am just going to stick it out as a poor overburdened medical student in Baltimore for the next four years.

=)

So:

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
C/o 2009

p.s: The mission in Hong Kong is going REALLY well. Learning so much about life that college never teaches you. Shoot me an email when you get the time.

This is so weird.. my livejournal website is now in Chinese. Anyone else have the same problem?

I guess that's kind of fitting seeing that I am leaving for Hong Kong/China in less than 24 hours. Yup, I am high tailing it out of Texas and going abroad for the summer mostly by myself.

Oh, I graduated from Rice this past Saturday. =) I snapped this awesome photo while President Leebron handed me the diploma:



After that would be medical school. *sigh* starting all over again.. being the freshmen.

So I've been asked a lot recently: "why UCSF (univ of cali at San Fran) ?" I love the weather, I love the people and I love the food. The classes for the first two preclinical year is Pass/Fail. And best of all, it is an hour from the surf and an hour from the snow. And for all of you pre-meds out there, yes, what makes UCSF attractively academically is that graduates have been continually rated by residents as the best clinically prepared in the country.

So, soon, I'll be changing my area code to 401.

But before that, a really awesome summer in Hong Kong doing a mission there with HKYFC. Teaching English and spreading the good news =).

My email will be: justiny@alumni.rice.edu

Send love and cookies!

My vision of heaven:

If heaven was an hour, it would be twilight
When the fireflies start their dancin on the lawn
And suppers on the stove and mammas laughin
And everybodys workin day is done

If heaven was a town it would be my town
On a summer day in 1985
And everything i wanted was out there waiting
And everyone i loved was still alive

If heaven was a pie it would be cherry
Cool and sweet and heavy on your tongue
And just one bite would satisfy your hunger
And hered always be enough for everyone

If heaven was a train it sure would be a fast one
That could take this weary travler round the bend
And if heaven was a tear it'd be my last one
And you'd be in my arms again