Trying to Get r' dun

Well test block 2 is over and we are done with test 3 for Devo as well. I haven't been a huge fan of the whole Jeff Foxworthy type Get R' Dun, but right now I am just trying to Get R' Dun. Now what exactly is that saying, I mean, I think if I grew up anywhere other than the south, I would have no idea what the heck that was talking about and would probably also think that the South is full of country hicks. BUT I am glad that I am a Southern Boy. Its an easier transition from Indian culture to Alabama than it would have been to New York, even though there would have been more indians around. I guess I am just thinking about family life and southern culture/traditions etc.

I am going to Tuscaloosa this weekend for the Alabama Tennessee game and am pretty excited to be back in town and also to get to visit my friends. I don't know how it happened but at some point I fell in love with that place. I didn't think I'd be one of those alums who would follow our football team or even want to go back and visit. But its like once you go there for school, you love the place.

My next set of tests don't start for 2 weeks but I am trying to stay motivated right now so that I can be ready for the next set of tests since it will kind of be clutch time. Its definitely hard to keep writing on the blog. Its really exciting and stuff at first but I just start getting tired of having to type everything. If only I had someone transcribe it for me. I'm sounding like a doctor already....

And that's the Gulati Opinion...

Test Block 2 Begins

Tests - a way to prove to yourself and to your teachers that you know what you are talking about.

As I embark upon the second test block of my first semester of medical school, I can't help but think about how fast time is really going by. In about a month and a half, I have learned a lot about various subjects and memorized it enough to be able to perform decently on tests. I remember the first week or so of med school when I thought it couldn't get much worse, but I think for the first time today, i realized that I am getting used to the workload.

Why do I say this? Well, after the first developmental test, which coincidentally was the first test of med school, my brain was fried and I wasn't able to do anything school-related for a couple of days. After the test today, I didn't really feel too burnt out, and felt like I could go to class and complete the rest of the tasks that I had to (however, I did get a nap in).

Somehow, I am adapting to what I need to be doing. On another note, taste of nations is really taking off I believe. Apparently there are enough people in our class that share the love of food with me, which is pretty awesome. We are all planning on going somewhere tomorrow even though we do not know where we will go as of yet.

I think its really interesting to see the dynamics of a class work themselves out. Some people will associate with each other because of similarities in education, hometown's, culture, and the like. And even though they said that we don't need to be forming cliques (not sure if that's the correct spelling), it seems that they are somehow forming. Its funny that we are going through professional school but the social aspects of our relationships are very similar to high school students. How can people so smart act so adolescent? I attribute it to the fact that we are given so much information to memorize, we forget common sense and end up doing stupid things that we thought we had outgrown.

So I learned I got used to the workload, people love tasty international food as much as me, and that med students are really like high school students.

And that's the Gulati Opinion...

Down Time

I am not sure if down time is really good for me right now. Since I got finished with my first round of tests, I don't think I am studying that hard. I just feel that I am going through the motions and information isn't sticking as well. I actually thought it would be the other way around. I figured that once I got through one test, I would have a better idea on how we are tested and so I would be able to perform better on future tests. However, that doesn't appear to be the case right now because I feel even more lost than I did the first time around. I'm not sure if everyone else is going through similar stuff in my class, but i'm going to make the assumption that they are.

On another note, I have found out that my OCD is going insanely crazy now that I am fed lots of information in a short period of time. Sometimes I will just be sleeping or about to sleep and then think of what structures are in a certain triangle or what a specific nerve innervates, and I can't fall asleep until I get up and actually find out the answer. I am thinking that the next step of this will be dreams where somehow I get quizzed, freak out, wake up and then look up information about my dream. This does not sound like something fun to do for the next 4 years, but i can't really get around it. Once again, I am assuming other people in my class are going through similar situations.

Thinking outside of medicine, the Fed lowered interest rates, the market went back up, it is close to 14,000 again (I love how people have internal points on where they think the economy should be. some people think things couldn't get much better, and others think it couldn't be much worse. It really is all subjective). I'm not sure what I think about that move right now, I sometimes wish I could talk to some leading economists to figure out how they think certain moves will impact the US and the rest of the world. Its just so hard to be involved with it since at this moment I feel that any federal policies will have a minimal impact on me personally since I am not really in the right state (e.g., I have no money) to invest.

So basically, down time has the possibility of hurting you, med school makes you go crazy (or at least seem it), and the stock market remains confusing.

And that's the Gulati Opinion...

Nap Time

I just woke up from maybe on the of the greatest naps of all time. We finished Test Block 1 yesterday so a lot of people celebrated (including yours truly - see the picture below where we are discussing flip cup strategies at around 2:30 in the morning on a Monday).


And for the record, Yes, I did end my night at Waffle House, and I have to say that Bridgette was one of the finest waitresses the company has and the food was ridiculously good and definitely needed. HOWEVER, I have to say that being hungover during med school classes is a little worse than undergrad classes and here's why:

1.) Classes start at 8:30 every day
2.) Classes last longer. The 50 minute MWF class is no longer a luxury that I have.
3.) Pertinent information is covered every day giving an individual very little downtime

So basically this morning was spent with me having the most stupid look on my face and being unable to understand any of the concepts that were being taught. When we got out of class, I took the much needed nap. I woke up a few minutes ago and now i feel rejuvenated and refreshed. I actually may be able to even study a little bit tonight, which is amazing. So, in conclusion, be careful when you are partying during the week when you're in med school but if you do, please make sure that you take some sort of nap so that you can be ready for the rest of the atrocious week of school coming up.

And that's the Gulati Opinion....

Another Test Down

We finished with our biochem exam 1 today. Now we have gross anatomy in a few more days. I would just like to mention that cramming for med school is not too much fun because there is too much information. I am actually still feeling like my life is a blur right now and cannot seem to focus on the next topic at hand.

I joined a fantasy football league this year, and I must say, it makes me care more about what the NFL is doing. I think its truly insane the amount of money that you can make running a fantasy league. I know many people that have no problem forking down hundreds of dollars so that they can VIRTUALLY play against their friends in a statistical battle. The best part for the people running the fantasy sites, they get paid money and they don't even have to give a reward. Apparently someone thinks its cool enough to just win your league and doesn't think a prize is necessary (and for some reason I have to agree with that because I would just be happy to have the bragging rights that I beat the rest of my friends in Fantasy Football).

On another note, I would like to discuss the statement that "you have to spend money to make money." This seems like a logical term to many in business. I have to agree that this statement. Think about it this way. I want to enter the computer business and compete with Dell. Firstly, I wouldn't really dream to do such a thing because it would be nearly impossible to compete with Dell's amazing supply chain (just ask Gateway, who recently got bought out by Acer). However, if I were to do it, I would have to buy some raw materials (e.g., memory, motherboard, other computer stuff) to build a machine that I could sell to someone. All that would not be free, and therefore, I would have to spend money to make money. If you're like me, you would read this and say, what about if you have advanced orders and have already been paid for your merchandise before delivering it to the customer. I would respond to this by using my accounting knowledge and say, "Revenue is recognized when it is earned. Even if you have the money in your hand, under generally accepted account practices, you cannot recognize the revenue until you DELIVER the product and it is really deferred revenue."

And that's the Gulati Opinion...

Vacation Nation

So today is Labor Day, which means we have no class! I have been trying to study all day and also got some laundry done. I am about to go to the gross lab to look over some of the stuff so that way i will be better prepared for the test.

i talked to a friend of mine yesterday, and he was telling me about his labor day plans (which included beer and poker...and i was envious) and then i told him about how I basically had to make sure some studying got done. he proceeded to laugh in my face, which i would have also done if i was in his situation. Vacation in the Nation (the US) is in full force.

So, that is Vacation Nation, and different people spend it doing different things...I know some people may be out barbecuing right now, but they should remember the students who are unfortunately spending even their vacation preparing for school....


p.s. The Nick Saban Era began, and Alabama beat Western Carolina 52-6, yes Bama fans, this is not an error, we actually did manage to put up 50 points in a FOOTBALL game.

The First Test!

So today was the first medical school test in Developmental Anatomy. A little background: it was 100 questions and covered 6 lectures, yes, I said only 6 lectures. I would have to say it was a pretty fair test though. The questions definitely progressively got harder, but maybe my brain cells got weaker as I progressed thus making it more difficult?!?!

The teacher posted the answers outside his office, and most smart people (not including myself) had the time to write down their answers so they could figure out what they made. I will just have to wait until the wonderful computer department posts it online. I think I did okay though...I am at least confident that they cannot throw me out after this test, which is a good thing.

What is different about med school as opposed to any other type of school (maybe not law) after a test is that you still have to learn a lot of information after taking a test. For example, we had a long and strenuous biochem lecture right after the test, and to say that i could not focus, would be a stretch. I don't even think I understood any scientific words during that time. Then to further compound my insult to injury, anatomy lab covered the nerves and muscles of the hand. Now those of you that don't know, the hand has WAY TOO MANY muscles and nerves and other stupid things that we have to remember. It was insane. So basically, I am now back at step 1. I have a biochem test on thursday which i must incessantly study for (don't know if that's the right usage of the word incessantly, but english is not my first language), and we have a gross test coming to.

so the studying continues....as does school.....and lack of enjoyment and no ARSENAL, at least not in the near future

Taste of Nations Continues

The Taste of Nations resume again after a 1 year absence since I finished my MBA. It involved Thai food and it was basically pretty awesome. I think the people I went with got hype about it too and it appears that it may be an ongoing tradition (lets hope they don't back out).

Speaking of people backing out, what is up with people saying that they want to do stuff and then don't show up...This actually happened with the taste of nations today. I talked to a bunch of people in between classes and like 15 said they wanted to go, and I said to meet up after class. Right after class though, they dashed for the exits. I don't know if they just didn't want to come or forgot about it. At this point since I don't know everyone that well, I will have to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Man, I definitely just complained on my blog. What else is going one....well, I am learning a whole lot of hand muscles. I am also staying up later at night, which seems to be a direct result of getting more coffee in me during the day. I just started getting Americano's and they are basically like regular coffee but smoother. That is somewhat similar to good whiskey and bad whiskey. Sure the bad whiskey will get the job done....but sometimes you want some better flavor.

Lately I have been opting for that better flavor with the Americano...and lets just say that extra 40 cents isn't putting a dent in my wallet yet. But that credit card statement hasn't arrived yet.

In other news, Tom Brady just had a baby with the Whitney girl from the show "Six Degrees". Not really important, but something that I read in the past couple of days!

10%

I realized I am insanely obsessed with numbers today when I had calculated that 10% of the semester was finished today. You ask, how did I do this? Well, there's 16 weeks in the semester so 1.6 weeks would mean Wednesday of the second week. So that's how you get it.....In case you were wondering (and i don't know who you is, it may be me reading my blog a few years down the line).

Today was also filled with a decent bit of studying. I definitely avoided it earlier in the day and went and played basketball for a couple of hours. Then I basically fell asleep at the library for like 30 minutes, went to a meeting, but then somehow I was able to stay up and get some stuff done.

I am now watching some Team USA basketball. They are killing Venezuela, but hey, they are supposed to be the best in the world right, even though Olympic results don't indicate that.

Its hard to believe that I have only been in school for less than 2 weeks, I feel like I have been taught so much stuff in that time.

Also, the stock market is going back up, what's up with this. Its like one day everyone in America is selling their stocks because of credit problems, and the next day they just buy like crazy. It really makes you wonder how much of the stock market is driven by emotions and how much is driven by earnings and financial information like it is supposed to be. I also wonder what investment bankers do working so many hours. I mean, anyone can research a whole lot of companies, but surely they are getting something else done in that time too I would think. Maybe they are getting insider information which basically gives them the edge and that's why most of them think they are kind of a big deal. I am definitely glad I'm not out doing that.

And that's my opinion for the day...

The Essential Weekend

Now Many of you may think the essential weekend would include this:











However, when you are in Med School, for the most part, its more like this:










Now why is it that you think the weekend is so essential during medical school? From what I have learned so far, I am convinced that you are given an insane amount of information during each class period, and most days are from around 8am-4 or 5 pm.

During the week you do attempt to study but most of the information seems to not make much sense. I think that has to do somewhat with being overloaded with information and so your brain does not have the capacity to process any concepts, i guess it only knows to store them. Then on the weekend, these thoughts can actually formulate into concepts that you can use.

You ask how do I know this? The first week of school was like culture shock to me. Even after going through graduate school, I never thought or imagined that we would be given so much information to learn, but we were, and if you want to stay here, you better learn that information. During the week I was super frustrated with stuff about the nervous system, but when i studied it on the weekend it made a lot more sense and I can say that I understand it now.

And REPETITION is necessary to succeed, I cannot say enough about that. To conclude, I would like to say that its not like you are spending your entire weekend studying, but I would get used to spending several hours on Saturday and Sunday afternoons studying, which may create a problem during Football season which is coming up on us very soon.

Well, one week down, only 15 more till Xmas.

It Is What It Is

I have to say that being in med school really takes you out of the loop of current events. I can't believe that I cannot check the news very often or look at how the market is doing or even do my daily login to facebook 25 times. Basically, it engrosses you and before you know it you are talking medical mumbo jumbo and not making sense to a normal individual...I guess I am learning that i have to prioritize.

I guess i would rather write on my blog and check facebook periodically than know what celebrity ended up in rehab today. I haven't even had a chance to keep up with college football even though the season is coming up soon. I have heard that LSU is supposed to be amazing, but I sure do hope we beat them.

Oh, and I found out, some more people tried to break into my grandma's house again. Its like the 3rd time we think its happened. The first time we weren't sure anything was taken and not even sure if someone broke in. The second time it looked like the robbers spent like 3-4 hours in there, which triggered us to get a security system put in place. This time they broke the screen door and i guess saw the sticker for her alarm and ran away. She was luckily not home. I would hate for her to be there when these jerks try to get in there. I wish there was a way we could hurt them when they tried to enter her yard. It basically gives me another reason to worry about someone which I don't think we should have to do in today's world. I think we've got enough problems as it is.

But, in the end the only way to describe all the events going on in my life is with the statement:

"It is what it is"

p.s. I stole it from SNAKES ON A PLANE, and if you haven't seen the movie, i highly recommend it.

Day 2

So I am sitting in class today and I think about this...

About 2 months ago, I was sitting at Forbes Magazine in New York City and thinking to myself, "man this job is not awesome, I can't wait for med school." Then, today i realized that for the next few years I will be challenged like I have never been challenged before. This came to my mind when I got through the first day of classes and instead of relaxing like I had been used to doing after the first day, I had to get myself ready to study. The one thing I know about med school already is that they can keep piling it on and there is enough information to keep me entertained for a lifetime.

Now that job in the cubicle doesn't seem all that bad.

I am currently just in the library and decided to start a blog. I don't know if I will really have any regular readers, but I think it is good for me to have an online space where I can just enter my thoughts, and it doesn't really matter to me if anyone reads them. I think they will be cool to read in the future.

On another note, the stock market is going crazy. I have been thinking that a recession was coming for a while now but while i was thinking it, the DOW went to 14,000 and I thought just investor sentiment would allow it to go even higher before it dropped, but then people got worried about the subprime mortgages. I think its really crazy how investor psychology works, it really does make you sell too soon and buy too late. I have been a victim of this in the past, so i know what its like...


And to end, all of my blogs are kinda random and i think they will be that way because that's just the way i am.