Winter Semester finally came to an end

There's a thing or two that happened and now I got the time to put together a neat summary.

I left off by telling you I failed my first biophysics exam. A lot of different parameters influence the examination and this was my first encounter with this type of examination.
I could write many positive things about it, but more importantly also a lot of negative things - in a constructive way - although I wont bore anyone with such details unless they are interested.
The following week I dedicated to the gym, the booklet and to sleep.
I studied a lot and threw the notes that I've been studied from in the trash bin. Instead I changed perspective and started to break down the green booklet thoroughly. It helped a lot and that's just another proof that there's no point of taking short-cuts.

I rebooked the exam to the upcoming Thursday and this time I felt ready. My questions was good and I switched tactics. Instead of leaving out knowledge on the preparation paper I wrote a lot, and didn't leave anything out, even if is was just remotely connected to my topic.
I believe that when the examiner saw my papers he understood I knew at least something and therefore didn't push me hard.
It took me approximately a minute to explain the first topic; Light Propagation, properties and light spectrum. He heard me out and just asked a follow up question in optics, one of my favourite subjects among the biophysics material - which means that I didn't have much trouble answering that.
I kept talking, in contrast to last time where he did the talking, and the next topic, Particle Accelerators, went through the same procedure with a follow up question on magnetism.
The last topic was about Phase Border Phenomena and I had trouble remembering the different subjects under that topic which left my paper rather blank.
I tried to explain in a non scientific way and the good thing about this examiner is that he is not impossible in any way, especially since we had such a good discussion up until now.
He guided me through it and dragged some knowledge out of my head and the result ended up in a passing credit which made all the effort during these 2½ weeks worth it all.

Next up was celebrating at the Asian sushi restaurant that just opened up around the corner while simultaneously studying for the next exam in First Aid.
First Aid is another course that sort of just have been there as a side dish not really contributing to the meal, so to speak, which is a shame because I really like rice, or potatoes.
It was time to show of some military paramedic training - well, at least that's what I thought in the beginning of the course.
I thought I'd remembered it all, and also know it all - and I was proven wrong badly.
There are always updates and in this topic, as in everything else, repetition is the key.
I think I could have skipped out on the course by giving the examiners my documents from the Army but now when the exam is over (I passed even if I got the hardcore examiner) I'm rather happy I didn't.

It seems that I haven't been taking any short-cuts lately, and I start to wonder if I will ever be able to do that in the future.
When it comes to biophysics, unfortunately and to my utter surprise, cheating is to something worth considering and what scares me even more is the fact that it is to some also a "level up" in the social group interaction.

Regardless the time spent I can now happily conclude that I made it through the winter semester and that I'm excited to begin the summer semester. It's a true fact that studying anatomy will be a blessing to the brain after the massive texts about heavy atoms, quarks and gamma rays.

And, at last, I'll end this with a nice way to confuse your teacher:
(more nice exam answers at smosh.com)

Biophysics: Day #4 - 6 + First attempt

You how authors sometimes begin their books with the end and then what follows is the story of how the character(s) got there? I'm about to do just that.
If you're just here to find out how I did on the Biophysics all you have to do is finish this sentence (although it is not the end).

I've already taken my first attempt and I did indeed fail it, hence my humble adding of the sentence: "I was naive to think that one and a half week of studies was enough to cover the whole course".
But before I begin to explain how it was being examined let me first tell you about the way there, just as promised.

During Friday there wasn't much going on. I hardly left the apartment and tried to dig through the two last chapters in the booklet.
The pages in what we refer to as "the green booklet" really is horrible to read. Not that it lack the information, the other way around actually which cause it to be difficult reading.
My friend said it in a nice way: "...it's medical orientated physics, not physics orientated for medics..."

As I try to write down what I've been doing it hit me that the days all go blurry and starts to get mixed up in my head which is a sign of too much reading and to little living. The fact that I've sacrificed the workouts is not making me too happy but it's exam period and if that's what it takes then fine.
It's safe to say that I got all the other credits and the only obstacle left is the biophysics.
Saturday went by with at lot of formula memorizing and not too much reading which was sort of a good break from all the reading and sorting of terms.
During Sunday I mostly looked over it all and one minute it honestly felt like I knew enough but then waves of doubt went through my mind.
I scheduled for at least 8 hours of sleep and went to bed rather confident.

I wasn't nervous as I waited to get in for the examination. It started at 9 and I woke up, got ready and dressed up nicely one and a half hour before that. Note that the biophysic-department is in the building right next to my apartment so I didn't
have to stress.
During the exam it's really strange how everything in your head seems to just crawl up and hide.
It's easy to be wise after the event but another week would be good to have and a reschedule would have been the right thing to do.

Taking water over my head is just fine, failing an attempt is also fine - mistakes made are almost always good things, because one can correct them.
There's also rumours roaming around that it's fairly easy to cheat during this type of exam but I honestly rather get put down proven to have a lack of knowledge, do the second attempt better and finish it all of with a solid knowledge.
I discussed this matter the other day and the conclusion was as solid. The hard way is the best way, taking that road down will lead to more knowledge, experience and memories. Even if this philosophy covers life in its whole, not only biophysics, one is still able to apply it.

Now I have to schedule another week and I think that will be just enough in order to learn the booklet from inside out.
Although I'll look like this when I'm done it's going to be worth it.

Knowledge is easy to carry...

Biophysics: Day #3

Today have been a really great day, even if I didn't study that much biophysics I've got a lot of other things done.
Since the Latin test is tomorrow I've mainly studied the Latin vocabulary and the declension table. The grammar patterns are pretty much stuck in my head from the first revision for the first test which saved me a lot of trouble this time.

Biophysics are progressing thou, today I spent some time to repeat yesterday's material covering Thermodynamics and Electrical Phenomena. There's still a lot left but I'm slicing it down into pieces and in that way I can easily see how I progress.
I'll post some nice videos for basic understanding in X-ray and MRI theory and once again, check out Kahn Academy for Thermodynamics and Electricity - he is simply amazing.

The weather today was so nice, almost early spring, and I could leave my jacket at home. I took a stroll up and down the streets next to the apartment in search for a printer. I've been needing one for a long time now and today I felt the urge to get it. That didn't happen, all I ended up with in the end were a new set of colour and sketch pencils, new folders and blank papers.
I know what kind of printer I want to buy, the problem is just to find it without going to the outskirts of Prague where I guess all the shopping malls are located.
That reminds me of the fact that I need to go to both Ikea and to a place that sell vacuum cleaners and washing machines, but I'll deal with that after the exams.

So, videos below, enjoy.

Biophysics: Day #2

The title isn't really correct since yesterday was more about Latin.
The final Latin test is held on Wednesday and if one pass it's automatically going to reward in a credit and with that, the subject is out of the way for this semester.
I got some biophysics done after all, a bit of reading in the morning before my friends came over and as well in the late afternoon before, and after, the gym.
We had a co-revision in my room and I went through the first two declensions and did some exercises from the book.
The rules and the grammar tables are easy to learn and the major problem is to learn the vocabulary. Easy you might think, it's just memorizing, and yes it is indeed although that takes time and as I've been stated numerous times before time is of great value these days.

Today I'll try a different approach on biophysics because I'm honestly keeping myself from freaking out - it's only 6 days left now and it feels like the things I read wont stick to my head at all which is really frustrating.

I'd just like to add, and this is a great deal off topic, that making sushi and listening to Christopher Hitchen's book "God is not Great" is a really nice and relaxing thing to do.
My sushi turned out to be amazing (even though it was vegetarian and 40% of the sushi was missing - aka the salmon) and Hitchens can also amaze me in many different ways and I think that I'll quote him later in my 5 minute break from biophysics. Another great thing that amaze me and inspire me lately is to make Skype-calls to Finland.

For those who think in a scientific way, like myself, and that isn't very familiar with Hitchens, Russell, Sagan and let's put Dawkin's in the name drop as well, should really "googl'em up".
If it turns out that you are, or after googling them become, familiar with them and it happens to be the very case that they do not amuse you in any way and are in fact not sharing your opinions at all then just drop it and leave it be - I'm not about to start any discussion, not just yet that is.

8:30 and it's time to get some revision done before the anatomy lecture.

Biophysics: Day #1

I woke up at 8 and started my studies at 9 while eating breakfast. It get a bit messy sometimes with all the papers, the laptop and the salami slapping the keyboards, but it's worth it since eating and studying is a rather nice combination. Or studying while eating, either way you want to put it.

I began with the part that I'm already familiar with just to get my brain in the right mood:
Phase states, Gibbs Law, Analytical and Colloidal Dispersion Systems, Henry´s Law, Properties of Water, Diffusion, Fick´s laws, Viscosity and Viscous Flow, Stokes Law, Surface tension, Biophysics of Blood Circulation, Laplace Law and last but not least Poiseuille-Hagen Equation.
This is just one chapter out of eight so if I calculated the days correctly I should be able to cover it all properly at least once.

The different sources I use is a review and summary of the exam question which helps a lot. Sorting out information in the course booklet takes time and that is something I do not have enough of.
Youtube is another underrated source of knowledge and especially one guy there called Salman Khan (link: Khan Academy) is doing a fantastic work publishing over thousands of free lectures in different subjects.

I'm happy that the exchange of knowledge between the students here is great. Martin, who already have faced the ordeals of physics and have been teaching it before set up a small gathering and held a lecture on the fundamentals of physics.
It was a great improvisation and it really sorted out a lot of blurry stuff and prepared all of us for the more complicated subjects.

I can also say that since Facebook pretty much tracking everything we do, nothing bad about that, I believe most of you guys visiting my pages already know that I found my self completely lost in a box of 'certain' wonderful feelings during the last month. My head is so far up in the clouds sometimes that I forget time and space. I have a lot to look forward to and by getting reminded of that everyday is sort of a love/hate thing that just build up these amazing feelings.
I could go on like this for hours but it's now 9:31 and I'm one minute late.

Photos below from the study session at Martin's, and for those of you that still wait for the photos from the dinner at Lemon Leaf have to be patient, they will be posted but I believe you can imagine the work that must be done during exam periods.
Enjoy!

Quick note on Biophysics

So, yesterday I finished off the remaining school work before the biophysics boot-camp week.
My exam is scheduled at the 24th and I realized that it will be a bit too soon. There's no good dates to reschedule too so I guess I'll have to give it my best shot.
The worst thing that can happen is that I don't manage to cover it all and fail, which means a rescheduled date for a retake. We have three attempts so it shouldn't be impossible.

So from now on I'll try to prove that it is possible to break down the biophysics course in one week. Note that I have orientated myself in the syllabus during the holiday and that I spent yesterday going over one chapter.
Any hints or sources on the material is appreciated.
And with that said, wish me the best of luck - I'll need it.

The game is on...

Bitchophysics

I knew that it'd be difficult to study once I'd come back to Sweden but I never thought it'd be this hard.
Biophysics got a new nickname: Bitchophysics.
I usually find it interesting but the massive walls of text hammering my retina every single page I turn in that green booklet of pure madness is driving me insane.
There's a lot of different strategics how to conquer the boredom of reading the booklet and since there's a lot of formulas to memorize I thought I'd might as well start with that.

The fact that I find some of the theory very interesting makes it a bit easier - I know that some people keep saying that the exam will be easy, no one fails etc. - but that's really not what it's all about. I'd rather spend time learning the stuff properly because it is my strongest belief that it will in one way or another help me in the future, even thou it seems totally uncalled for to put the physics in the first year along with anatomy and histology.

In order to manage to get the studies done every day I'm keeping track of the time and make sure that I spend at least two effective hours.

It's funny how I can already miss certain things in Prague after only four months, in a good way of course...

Microscope Dope

  
Completed the fifth out of the ten biophysic laboratory experiment today.
Me and Paymon tend to start small competitions during the labs and since we were measuring hair thickness this time we wanted to see who got the thickest hair, lol.
My blond Scandinavian hair versus his dark Middle-East hair.
I bet you can guess who won - but only with a few micrometres(!)
Of course Solveig had to enter the game and knocked us both out with her super thick hair, darn.

Last time we were measuring half-thickness of lead and aluminium by registering pulses of radiation sent out by a mega dangerous, neon green cobalt-60 bar (JK). Each measurement was counted from 0 to whatever the random value would end up to be.
Of course we started guessing the value before the device showed us the value and I'm so god damn good - I guessed completely right [the number was 6381] - only one single time thou, but it's still a really lucky shot against the odds(!)

Fainting in class; |X|check

Today there was lot of drama.

It all went well until the biophysics lecture.

When I walked down the stairs to the lecture hall I remember thinking “gosh the air in here is really bad” and it wouldn’t take long until my presumption would knock me in the head.

I felt a distant unease during the whole lecture, had problems concentrating and the bad air didn’t make things better.

Towards the end I got really bad and started to feel like throwing up. I broke out in a cold sweat and turned to my colleges to my right (four of them) and told them that “I really need to go out”. Obviously my friend to the right, Marketa (who was trying to concentrate on the lecture), I can believe surprisingly found herself encountering nothing but a pale face with bluish lips mumbling some gibberish. What a wreck.

After that it all happened in a matter of seconds: The four people on my row went up and I staggered towards the stairs to get out of there to either get water or more importantly fresh air.

By now my hearing was almost gone and my sight was really blurry and as if that wasn’t enough my legs didn’t want to obey me. I tried hard to get up the stairs but my feet felt like rocks and I collapsed to the staircase. I had my reflexes left though, and was able to counter it. I still made quite a ruckus forcing myself up the stairs and I felt the attention switching from the tutor towards me (if that was the case I don’t know, I just remember the feeling of it).

As I got out in the fresh air it didn’t take long for my senses to get back on track but I was still shaking from the cold sweating. One of my colleges and friends from the row, Thomas, came out to check on me and five minutes after that the others came out as the lecture was finished. I had a chance to tell them what happened. The rest of the day I had a major headache and during the night a bad fever.

The worst part is that I still don’t know what triggered it – the best part is that in a couple of years from now on I’ll most probably have the knowledge to explain it...

Structure through chaos

Today we schooled in for the winter semester.
The truth is that I kind of longed for this day for quite some time now. I was curious to see how the tutors were like and, since we haven’t met them all yet, still are. I began the day with anatomy and was looking forward to have a lesson with Dr. Snajdr, a teacher that already introduced himself at the day of introduction. To my surprise, as well as disappointment, another tutor entered the practice room and introduced himself in rather poor English. My guess is that he is a teacher from the Czech branch of our Faculty and is about to have his first international group of students. Good thing anatomy mostly consists of Latin and Greece and is rather easy to understand as well as study on your own.

By his side stood a younger girl, I guess she’s in the last year or so, and she introduced herself in fluent English which kind of balanced my approach to the whole situation.

Later on they both, regardless the poor English which I got used to really quickly, proved their selves to be great teachers!
The lesson was very well structured and I found the time well worth spent and the whole situation just made me really happy.
At first we went through different axis of the body in order to be able to locate and distinguish different parts. Our first parts of the body to get to know were the parts of the upper limb; upper arm, forearm and shoulders. The teacher and his assistant went brought in a big box filled of bones – authentic bones that is. It was a strange feeling to have five different bones obviously from five different individuals – strange but exciting.

I never thought that one single bone could have so many different parts. Just the five bones in the upper limb (the lower is added next week) contains of approximately 50 parts with different names. I need to force them all into my head over the next week – there’s a test on the next Friday continuing as a weekly routine; almost one test every two weeks. I believe that it’s pretty good to have them; I prefer to have something that triggers one to study rather than to sit with it all right before the final exam.
There will be many late evenings under the feeble reading light and a great many visits at the Anatomy study room (aka. “The Graveyard”) where one can borrow bones to practice at.

The day went on with both Histology and Cytology lectures as well as Biophysics lectures, both of them rather long and boring. Tonight I’ve been going over the upper bones of the limb, trying to sort out all the nomenclature and terminology.

It is tough – but far from impossible...