Just came back from the trip of my life down south in Albany- Me, Tam, Deepak, and Gordo. And as a result of this trip I have realised that it is impossible for the 4 of us to live together for very long as I forsee huge clashes and lots of arguing, but for 3 days it was a very crazy heaven! Yes, all those game nights, amazing scenery, Oscar-worthy moments (for example the 'orange incident' that I still anticipate getting killed for), and getting tackled and thrown into the ocean was all worth it. And for the 1000000000th time I AM NOT AN ALCO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Deepak's mom cooks the best Indian food.


Tam's still around, we're now living it up in college- actually it's more like we're bumming around, lots and lots and lots, but what can I say. Deepak was supposed to come today and take us around, but I cancelled on him at the last minute :S cos for some reason we decided to bum today. Yeah, feeling really guilty now, it's not like he's got much time left in Perth, and I wasted it cos he thought we were gonna do something. Hope he has a good party tonight to make up for it...


But we ended up going to Cott beach really late today. Impulse trip. To eat fish and chips and try to get a tan. The wind was freezing cold.


Gordo's gone to Singapore now, hope he has a good time there... feels sorta strange to not have him around anymore.


And YES Tiffy woke me up this morning screaming into the phone that the results are out, and don't blame me that it took so long to sink in! I did ok, I'm happy with my marks considering the amount of last minute studying that I ended up doing- the last 3 hrs before the exam were CRUCIAL in my case, as was Deepak making me go through EVERY SINGLE THING with him and not taking "we don't need to know that" or "the answers are already there" for an answer. I'm never gonna slack off so much ever again, the last minute panicking is not worth it. Although the last minute panicking is also very effective.


But I agree with Tiffy- the letters and numbers beside "Foundations of Clinical Practice", "Normal Systems 100", "Foundations of Cell Biology", whatever... they don't mean much. They might be a measure of how much you understand the said topic, or on the other hand it might be a measure of how good an ability you have to memorise Moore's and regurgitate it at 9 am the next day. Being a good doctor is about interaction and passion. Not about being able to still remember 90% of the anatomy textbook that you used in your first year of medical school. You try your best to pass not for the sake of passing, but because of where you want to be in 10 years, 20 years, the rest of your life. Those symbols don't show how you've lived and loved, the experiences that you've been through; they don't tell stories of the friends you've made and the things you've done. They say nothing of the risks you've taken and the mistakes you've made, let alone how you may have loved and lost. They make you an intellectual vessel, but not a human being.


But I know how I've lived and loved, and I remember and laugh at memories of this year past, and I'm sure that you do too.


The first year is past, and behold, the next year looms large.


For we are now second year medical (and dental) students.


And this next year I will still refuse to tiptoe through life only to arrive safely at death.