Recently picked up some old band names just to see what they have been up to.
Dashboard Confessional and Death Cab for Cutie are just two examples...
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Old music rediscovered
Recently picked up some old band names just to see what they have been up to.
Dashboard Confessional and Death Cab for Cutie are just two examples...
Everyday wonders
It sure is amazing how every day is different from the other.
It sure is amazing how you one day can wake up feeling gloomy,
It sure is amazing how you one day can wake up feeling gloomy,
just to find yourself feeling the complete opposite the next.
It sure is a wonder...
In the end - everything is okay.
And if it is not okay - it is not the end.
And if it is not okay - it is not the end.
The walk home
I took a walk home from the pub tonight.
It wasn’t the longest of walks, yet not the shortest.
It was a cold walk thou - of that I’m sure – because my muscles were vibrating.
I tend to look down when I walk.
It was a cold walk thou - of that I’m sure – because my muscles were vibrating.
I tend to look down when I walk.
With my eyes searching the ground, as if I am worried to trip.
I didn’t trip tonight – of that I’m sure – because my eyes weren’t blurry.
All I can see tonight is leaves, scattered around my feet,
I didn’t trip tonight – of that I’m sure – because my eyes weren’t blurry.
All I can see tonight is leaves, scattered around my feet,
twirling around as my shoes gently hit the ground.
Yellow leaves, reminding me of the fact that nothing is forever.
There is no timeless and frictionless motion.
Everything is bound to time – and friction.
Every other step I take, leaves keep on falling from their branches.
Every other step I take, leaves keep on getting scattered on the ground.
A single leaf is hanging on its branch – a survivor indeed.
As I walk under it, I reach up, to pluck it from its attachment.
Bleached, pale and tired – yet colourful and beautiful.
I toss it on the ground to see it merge with the others.
From sticking out, into complete merging.
Yellow leaves, reminding me of the fact that nothing is forever.
There is no timeless and frictionless motion.
Everything is bound to time – and friction.
Every other step I take, leaves keep on falling from their branches.
Every other step I take, leaves keep on getting scattered on the ground.
A single leaf is hanging on its branch – a survivor indeed.
As I walk under it, I reach up, to pluck it from its attachment.
Bleached, pale and tired – yet colourful and beautiful.
I toss it on the ground to see it merge with the others.
From sticking out, into complete merging.
Every other step I take, leaves keep on falling from their branches.
Every other step I take, leaves keep on getting scattered on the ground.
Yet inside me,
every other step I take, another seed is starting to grow...
Friday, October 29, 2010
Sneaking into Dissections
Histology was cancelled yesterday due to the Czech holiday celebration but our fantastic histology professor MUDr. Becker booked us a complementary lecture today to make up for it.
We went through the connective tissues and were introduced to a couple of new tissue specimen slides which was good, even thou we couldn't examine them ourselves due to the lack of microscopes in the temporary room.
The test our group's having next week is going to cover the basic techniques of histology, histochemistry as well as epithelial tissues. The facts about epithelial tissue is not a lot deeper than of the knowledge I enquired at the PreMed but I'm still going to expect a hard test.
The good thing about Becker is that he seems very straight forward and gives us clear directions of what to study. It kind of reminds me of some of the tutors at the medical centre of the military, which I really like.
After the lecture me and two of my colleagues and friends, Solveig and Basu, ended up at the benches next to the steep stairs behind the Institute of Pathology (the stairs are supposed to be a "short-cut" to the upper campus but honestly they're just leg killers, especially with a bag full of books).
We sat down in the lovely autumn weather to revise some anatomy.
I've been breaking down the anatomy of the muscles pretty good by now and are halfway through the superior limb.
In the end thou, this is what we've to know, and a bit more to it:
You get a mentally exhausted just by looking at this atlas page but don't worry mates, there's more pages explaining it all in detail.
I've been practising some muscle insertion by drawing them all over the bones. Drawing is a lot of fun, haven't done that since high school, and I find first studying the atlas thoroughly and then label the parts while drawing to be a very good way of learning.
My friend and colleague Dimitris from my group had a really nice booklet from his previous education back in Boston. It's summarizing the muscles and it's different fact in a very good way but since I don't have the booklet myself I thought that I'd still use the idea and started working on this table:
It's a good way to quickly practising the different muscles and there origin, insertion, function and innervation.
I have to finish it by tomorrow because tomorrow we're going to have a study session where we'll test each others knowledge.
Due to the fact that we have a lot of things to do until next week I might skip the Halloween celebration completely. It's such a hassle getting a proper costume and I bet I'll just feel like it's a waste of revising time, after all, scoring high on the test is more important at the moment - at least that's how I feel.
So back to the original story about sneaking into dissections.
After our short study break by the stairs we went down to the anatomy building because we had been informed that open dissections would be held between 1 and 3 pm. Open dissection basically means that you can go to the dissection rooms and study the specimens by yourself.
So, we went to the locker room and changed into lab coats and slippers and went in to the big dissection room. It was all empty, but we didn't think about that since we were just eager to start. We began to uncover the plastic covering the limbs, found a good sample and began orientating ourselves - labelling muscles, nerves and tendons.
Two persons, obviously responsible for the dissections, were running around with a trolley, collecting specimens but we didn't mind them, all of us focused on our practising. All of a sudden they swished by with the trolley and picked up our specimen. They said that they were closing down which surprised us since the clock wasn't 3 pm yet.
We had to pick up our things and leave and then we realised that we were there the wrong time. Obviously there was some kind of misunderstanding - we didn't mind that, we got to practice for forty minutes, and neither did the persons working there - win win situation.
Next week we'll be on time thou, even if it means that it's going to be crowded with students - you don't want to miss an opportunity to practice outside the books on the real thing.
Now I'll have to hit the gym, "gotta stay FTD"...
We went through the connective tissues and were introduced to a couple of new tissue specimen slides which was good, even thou we couldn't examine them ourselves due to the lack of microscopes in the temporary room.
The test our group's having next week is going to cover the basic techniques of histology, histochemistry as well as epithelial tissues. The facts about epithelial tissue is not a lot deeper than of the knowledge I enquired at the PreMed but I'm still going to expect a hard test.
The good thing about Becker is that he seems very straight forward and gives us clear directions of what to study. It kind of reminds me of some of the tutors at the medical centre of the military, which I really like.
After the lecture me and two of my colleagues and friends, Solveig and Basu, ended up at the benches next to the steep stairs behind the Institute of Pathology (the stairs are supposed to be a "short-cut" to the upper campus but honestly they're just leg killers, especially with a bag full of books).
We sat down in the lovely autumn weather to revise some anatomy.
I've been breaking down the anatomy of the muscles pretty good by now and are halfway through the superior limb.
In the end thou, this is what we've to know, and a bit more to it:
You get a mentally exhausted just by looking at this atlas page but don't worry mates, there's more pages explaining it all in detail.
I've been practising some muscle insertion by drawing them all over the bones. Drawing is a lot of fun, haven't done that since high school, and I find first studying the atlas thoroughly and then label the parts while drawing to be a very good way of learning.
My friend and colleague Dimitris from my group had a really nice booklet from his previous education back in Boston. It's summarizing the muscles and it's different fact in a very good way but since I don't have the booklet myself I thought that I'd still use the idea and started working on this table:
It's a good way to quickly practising the different muscles and there origin, insertion, function and innervation.
I have to finish it by tomorrow because tomorrow we're going to have a study session where we'll test each others knowledge.
Due to the fact that we have a lot of things to do until next week I might skip the Halloween celebration completely. It's such a hassle getting a proper costume and I bet I'll just feel like it's a waste of revising time, after all, scoring high on the test is more important at the moment - at least that's how I feel.
So back to the original story about sneaking into dissections.
After our short study break by the stairs we went down to the anatomy building because we had been informed that open dissections would be held between 1 and 3 pm. Open dissection basically means that you can go to the dissection rooms and study the specimens by yourself.
So, we went to the locker room and changed into lab coats and slippers and went in to the big dissection room. It was all empty, but we didn't think about that since we were just eager to start. We began to uncover the plastic covering the limbs, found a good sample and began orientating ourselves - labelling muscles, nerves and tendons.
Two persons, obviously responsible for the dissections, were running around with a trolley, collecting specimens but we didn't mind them, all of us focused on our practising. All of a sudden they swished by with the trolley and picked up our specimen. They said that they were closing down which surprised us since the clock wasn't 3 pm yet.
We had to pick up our things and leave and then we realised that we were there the wrong time. Obviously there was some kind of misunderstanding - we didn't mind that, we got to practice for forty minutes, and neither did the persons working there - win win situation.
Next week we'll be on time thou, even if it means that it's going to be crowded with students - you don't want to miss an opportunity to practice outside the books on the real thing.
Now I'll have to hit the gym, "gotta stay FTD"...
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Humanoid Perfection?
Just had to forward this video from Jessica's blog when I saw it.
It's really mind blowing and I guess that researchers and developers are just getting closer to humanoid robot perfection.
Is it a good or bad thing..?
Next phase
We pretty much entered the next phase of the semester today - and the anxiety that followed was the proof.
The anatomy test went down rather quickly, approx. 35 power point slides with pictures covering ligaments and joint compartments of the superior and inferior extremities. To twist it up a bit our teacher added the regular scheme drawing of either a cross-section of the knee or the hip joint, depending on the group you were placed in.
I got the hip-joint which I knew fairly well and made a quick scheme. I would have preferred the knee joint thou since it was my lecture presentation subject and would probably have nailed it.
After the test I felt pretty good about myself until my friend Paymon started to discuss the questions with me. Then I felt the complete opposite (you know how it usually goes after a test).
I know I missed some bits and pieces here and there and I just hope I'll still get an acceptable grade.
After the test we went on to the dissection rooms and got our first view of a bigger piece of the real thing. The room smelled a bit of formalin, the chemical used to preserve the tissues, but when the sheets covering the limbs were removed the odour just got stronger. Since this wasn't the first time encountering the smell, my obviously very selective nose pretty much overlooked the smell and I could focus at the introduction of the muscles of the superior limb.
Since I can't post any photos of our procedure I'll just randomly link to something similar and let someone else get the blame.
(!)Gore alert(!) on the following google links:
Photo of shoulder girdle dissection #1, joint capsule
Photo of shoulder girdle dissection #2, muscles and innervation
Photo of inferior limb and abdomen dissection
The statement of the day is that the muscles (name, innervation, insertion and function) are rather complex anatomies to conquer. They are all shown pretty good in this overview.
The forearm contains loads and once again loads of parts mentioned in brackets above. For every muscle we need to know these different parameters as wells as being able to label them in a dissected arm.
My plan is to once again, break it down to bits and pieces, study different atlases, then sketch and repeat.
A good thing is that the dissection rooms are going to be open for self studies during the weeks so we'll get a chance to repeat on the specimens.
The next week is going to be hectic and I have to increase my time studying. I got two weeks to learn the muscles of both the superior and inferior limb, a histology test covering the histological techniques, staining and both epithelial and connective tissue as well as biophysics labs and lectures that I still keep procrastinating.
I'm growing the fear that I'll all pile up in the end and I'd like to prevent that by being one step ahead. It's damn hard thou due to the high pace, hence the worries, the increase in studying and the increase in coffee drinking.
Tomorrow is a day off since there's a holiday going on in Czech Republic and since I'm always off on Fridays my weekend begins tonight. Nabeel, a really nice guy from third year, asked my roomies out for a beer and I took some time off to tag along. So did Fredrik and Christian and we had a nice chat over a beer and a XXL drink in a crowded, smoky, basement pub called the Black Sheep.
It was a great start of the weekend, and since Halloween is around the corner it's just going to be better.
To smash that party mood up I'll still have to study a lot, so tomorrow is dedicated for studying and a major workout.
Until next post, have a good one - oh yeah got to end it with another fancy quote - this time in Latin I think (since I got pretty good hang of the Latin grammar today...)
"Aequam memento rebus in arduis servare mentem" - Horace
The anatomy test went down rather quickly, approx. 35 power point slides with pictures covering ligaments and joint compartments of the superior and inferior extremities. To twist it up a bit our teacher added the regular scheme drawing of either a cross-section of the knee or the hip joint, depending on the group you were placed in.
I got the hip-joint which I knew fairly well and made a quick scheme. I would have preferred the knee joint thou since it was my lecture presentation subject and would probably have nailed it.
After the test I felt pretty good about myself until my friend Paymon started to discuss the questions with me. Then I felt the complete opposite (you know how it usually goes after a test).
I know I missed some bits and pieces here and there and I just hope I'll still get an acceptable grade.
After the test we went on to the dissection rooms and got our first view of a bigger piece of the real thing. The room smelled a bit of formalin, the chemical used to preserve the tissues, but when the sheets covering the limbs were removed the odour just got stronger. Since this wasn't the first time encountering the smell, my obviously very selective nose pretty much overlooked the smell and I could focus at the introduction of the muscles of the superior limb.
Since I can't post any photos of our procedure I'll just randomly link to something similar and let someone else get the blame.
(!)Gore alert(!) on the following google links:
Photo of shoulder girdle dissection #1, joint capsule
Photo of shoulder girdle dissection #2, muscles and innervation
Photo of inferior limb and abdomen dissection
The statement of the day is that the muscles (name, innervation, insertion and function) are rather complex anatomies to conquer. They are all shown pretty good in this overview.
The forearm contains loads and once again loads of parts mentioned in brackets above. For every muscle we need to know these different parameters as wells as being able to label them in a dissected arm.
My plan is to once again, break it down to bits and pieces, study different atlases, then sketch and repeat.
A good thing is that the dissection rooms are going to be open for self studies during the weeks so we'll get a chance to repeat on the specimens.
The next week is going to be hectic and I have to increase my time studying. I got two weeks to learn the muscles of both the superior and inferior limb, a histology test covering the histological techniques, staining and both epithelial and connective tissue as well as biophysics labs and lectures that I still keep procrastinating.
I'm growing the fear that I'll all pile up in the end and I'd like to prevent that by being one step ahead. It's damn hard thou due to the high pace, hence the worries, the increase in studying and the increase in coffee drinking.
Tomorrow is a day off since there's a holiday going on in Czech Republic and since I'm always off on Fridays my weekend begins tonight. Nabeel, a really nice guy from third year, asked my roomies out for a beer and I took some time off to tag along. So did Fredrik and Christian and we had a nice chat over a beer and a XXL drink in a crowded, smoky, basement pub called the Black Sheep.
It was a great start of the weekend, and since Halloween is around the corner it's just going to be better.
To smash that party mood up I'll still have to study a lot, so tomorrow is dedicated for studying and a major workout.
Until next post, have a good one - oh yeah got to end it with another fancy quote - this time in Latin I think (since I got pretty good hang of the Latin grammar today...)
"Aequam memento rebus in arduis servare mentem" - Horace
Monday, October 25, 2010
No manners
Right now, there's one thing I really miss from my time in the army; discipline.
You do not talk at the same time as someone with a higher rank than yourself - it's basic military manners.
I wish this could be applied in every day life as well.
Especially at Czech lessons...
You do not talk at the same time as someone with a higher rank than yourself - it's basic military manners.
I wish this could be applied in every day life as well.
Especially at Czech lessons...
Sunday, October 24, 2010
New perspectives
The week is coming to an end and tomorrow is yet another fresh start waking up like an early bird in order to take the metro to the outskirts of Praha for P.E (physical education).
It's a rather long way to go to get there, pretty time consuming and the lessons are not super exhausting but it's a really good start of the week. You'll get activated in a good way, including lots of endorphins.
Recently I haven't had many worries. But the first weeks were rather hectic with a lot of them. It's easy to be wise after the event but by looking back you can always reflect over the things you did, and didn't do.
In one way problems may consist of three compartments; cause, solving process and outcome. The solving process will radiate both negative and positive energy. There will always be negative energy present in one's environment, as well as positive - you just have to chose how to divide the percentage between those two affecting you.
The negative energy will of course wear you down and strife to reach a destructive outcome while the positive tries to accomplish a creative one.
The best thing is that, no matter which way you go, the two ways to solve the problem will always reward you, in one way or another, even if there will be a loss. You see, even if a problem is solved in a "bad" way and you will lose materialized concrete objects such as money, or abstract things such as time, you will always be rewarded with a new experience and hopefully you wont even encounter that specific cause in the future - and even if you do, you know what way not to take.
Even the smallest problem might become a big one - and the big problems might grow even bigger - but regardless the issue, learning how to shift one's perspective, by looking from a different angle, might open up new doors to turning the negative energy into something positive.
By seeing and being affected by the positive energy you might find yourself a little happier.
Recently an inspiring video, a blog post of a father with a sick child as well as a nice conversation over a glass of wine with a new friend reminded me of these things.
How to see good where there's evil and right where there's wrong.
How to appreciate my fortune and everyday life.
How to always look forward and how to invest my energy and use the energy around me to work with me in the best way possible.
The video below is one of many interesting talks from TED.com with Srikumar Rao on the subject happiness and spending your energy in the right way.
I found it very inspiring and motivating and I hope you do as well.
Remember, "the best way to escape from a problem is to solve it" - Alan Saporta
It's a rather long way to go to get there, pretty time consuming and the lessons are not super exhausting but it's a really good start of the week. You'll get activated in a good way, including lots of endorphins.
Recently I haven't had many worries. But the first weeks were rather hectic with a lot of them. It's easy to be wise after the event but by looking back you can always reflect over the things you did, and didn't do.
In one way problems may consist of three compartments; cause, solving process and outcome. The solving process will radiate both negative and positive energy. There will always be negative energy present in one's environment, as well as positive - you just have to chose how to divide the percentage between those two affecting you.
The negative energy will of course wear you down and strife to reach a destructive outcome while the positive tries to accomplish a creative one.
The best thing is that, no matter which way you go, the two ways to solve the problem will always reward you, in one way or another, even if there will be a loss. You see, even if a problem is solved in a "bad" way and you will lose materialized concrete objects such as money, or abstract things such as time, you will always be rewarded with a new experience and hopefully you wont even encounter that specific cause in the future - and even if you do, you know what way not to take.
Even the smallest problem might become a big one - and the big problems might grow even bigger - but regardless the issue, learning how to shift one's perspective, by looking from a different angle, might open up new doors to turning the negative energy into something positive.
By seeing and being affected by the positive energy you might find yourself a little happier.
Recently an inspiring video, a blog post of a father with a sick child as well as a nice conversation over a glass of wine with a new friend reminded me of these things.
How to see good where there's evil and right where there's wrong.
How to appreciate my fortune and everyday life.
How to always look forward and how to invest my energy and use the energy around me to work with me in the best way possible.
The video below is one of many interesting talks from TED.com with Srikumar Rao on the subject happiness and spending your energy in the right way.
I found it very inspiring and motivating and I hope you do as well.
Remember, "the best way to escape from a problem is to solve it" - Alan Saporta
Doctors, Dentists, Nurses party @ Jet Set - Part I
Yesterday was wicked!
I'll just let the photos talk.
Thanks for a great night, and special thanks to my co-photographer :D
I'll just let the photos talk.
Thanks for a great night, and special thanks to my co-photographer :D
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