gregwho

More than a 4.0

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 21:13:00 -0400

My summer internship has really made me reevaluate my perception of education. Are all A’s really worth it? Is a 4.0 worth the effort? I’ve been given the amazing opportunity to shadow various clinicians over the summer, both doctors and pharmacists alike. I’ve learned about their paths to success, engaged in their daily duties and even shared some good laughs. After all, behind every health professional is a personality with a story.

What I discovered startled me. None of these people had straight A’s. None of them. In a span of 8 weeks, the people I’ve begun to idolize and grow so fond of seemed to always speak of struggle and disappointment when it came to the classroom. And yet, these were some of the most intelligent and hard-working people I’ve ever come across. But why? How did they struggle?

They struggled not because of a lack of effort; they put in more effort than anyone else in their class. They did as a result of their choice to lead others. They were involved, self-sacrificing and most importantly, knew very early in their education that personal growth was far more important than intellectual growth. Now here I am rethinking my academic gameplan. P2 year will be a year of change - let’s just hope it’s for the better.

Wait... what?!

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 01:23:00 -0400

Amy: Aww, I know what will cheer you up. You want some chocolate?
Me: ... No, sorry... I'm actually allergic to chocolate.
Amy: WHAT?! REALLY?! What kind of reaction do you get?
Me: I guess it's not a true allergy. I get really sleepy and pass out.
Amy: WOW! You'd be so easy to rape!

Note to Self

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 03:24:00 -0400

Working out while having the hiccups. … Yeeeah, not a good decision. At all.

How to Work Like a Boss

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 03:26:00 -0400

This pharmacist I shadowed today revealed his life philosophy to me! He said the secret to keeping doctors and patients satisfied or impressed is lowering their expectations as much as possible. Then… overachieve at the task at hand!

For example, if making an IV bag takes 3 hours, tell them it will take 5. Then BAM! They will either praise you for getting it done in 3 or at the very least, not give you any crap. Or… something more familiar - tell others you barely study. Then, secretly study hardcore. Relax the day of the exam and ace it.

When you lower people’s expectations and overachieve, you can look like a boss doing anything. Anythingggg.

When people Facebook their problems...

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 00:58:00 -0400

…instead of facing their problems. Yeah, it’s a bit hypocritical for me to post this, but people need to face reality. It’s therapeutic, yes, but social media sites don’t solve your issues; they just let the whole world know you have some.

Whoaaaa...

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 20:59:00 -0400

I somehow accidentally set up my Chase account so that it sends me text messages whenever it senses fraudulent activity on my debit card. Then, I can confirm or deny any purchases. Cooooool! Now I can worry less about the very, very small minority of people that somehow want my identity.

Dieting and Workout Decisions

Sat, 02 Jun 2012 10:19:00 -0400

Working out and dieting just aren’t what they used to be anymore.

Now I realize everyone has unique experiences that shape their beliefs of how their bodies should look. For some, it’s past relationships and others, maybe social media or ambitions for better health. However, the key motivators for most people nowadays is their discontent with the person staring back at them in the mirror. This isn’t always a bad thing, but it can potentially turn into one. From what I can tell, dieting and exercise are becoming more and more of an image issue at the expense of health.

When I see friends skipping meals, feeling constantly fatigued as a direct result of their dieting decisions, even coercing themselves to throw up, I can’t help but feel a bit disturbed. Where is the foresight to see the consequences of their health choices? Oh, there it is - clouded by their pursuit to simply look better. And for who? The sad part is when some people truly look within their themselves, the pursuit for a better body is not even for them. At times, it’s for people in their life whose sentiment towards them shouldn’t even matter. Other times, it’s a habit of comparison, only worsened by scrolling through Facebook, Tumblr and the like. After a few model-esque photos of people you will never know or meet, it’s easy to feel wistful and hopefully inadequate in your own skin.

Confidence and self-image are very important things, but they comprise of more than just physical appearance. Most importantly, confidence should never be rooted in the approval of others.

"If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never..."

Mon, 28 May 2012 23:23:00 -0400

“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.”

It's All in the (Re)Mix

Mon, 28 May 2012 21:47:00 -0400

So I’ve been in studio for the day… and by studio, I really mean my parents’ room with their glitch-prone PC since Mac OSX can’t run Sony Sound Forge.

After a 4-year long hiatus to the turntables… and by turntables, I really mean pirated music-editing programs, I’ve returned with a urge for mixing. It’s been so long and speaking of which, the entire process takes soo long - shifting pitches, designing beat loops, stretching time intervals, overlaying beat after beat after beat, then resampling. And more resampling. And more… resampling…

It’s a nice personal reminder that both music listening and creation should be equally appreciated. Either way, I love investing my time into mixing, because when I finally listen to that perfect mix, it makes everything so worthwhile.

Men 'more attracted to women who act dumb'

Sat, 26 May 2012 14:46:00 -0400

That’s the title of this “study” I’m reading right now conducted at UT Austin and this probably pissed me off more than it should have.

The study enumerates 88 factors that make women appear more “exploitable” (i.e. lip biting, immaturity, other random bullshit). Photos illustrating this type of behavior were shown to men. Then, they were then asked to rate the “desirability” of these woman. Across the board, these men found women with these so-called vulnerable traits more attractive than women that portrayed other traits such as intelligence, sophistication and the like.

Okay, so there’s link to the actual study and no elaboration of how the data was analyzed - cool story. My biggest gripe is that the study only used 76 men. Does it even mention the age range? No, and as much as I’d love to argue for diverse melting pot of cultures and ethnic backgrounds that intermingle in Austin, 76 men can’t represent of the entire male species. Sorry Austin.

Why do I care so much? Because it’s articles like these that turn women into jaded cynics. Someone cited this article to me today in an argument about what men look for in women. I see articles like this all the time, and part of me cringes at the thought of someone treating these oversimplified studies like gospel and proclaiming that science has “proven” that men or women are predetermined to think and act a certain way.

Plus, it sucks trying to reason with someone who blindly swears by an article suggesting that women should be more “vulnerable” to attract men. So basically - men are psychologically doomed to be assholes, right? I believe men have appetites - sexual (let’s not kid ourselves), intellectual, emotional and so on. The kind of women that men find attractive heavily depends on a balance and hierarchy of those appetites. Most importantly, this is not something you can assert to be same for every man. Personally, I cannot stand women who act dumb as a means of attracting male attention. I don’t how much you bit your lips. End rant.

Friendships

Tue, 22 May 2012 11:36:00 -0400

Lately, I’ve been thinking about my friendships. My most memorable college experiences have hinged around meeting new people and the promise of newfound adventure, but like the ebb and flow of a beach tide, many of them simply come and go.

But why? And how? Sometimes the friendships I value turn out to be circumstantial. Maybe we took the same classes, or perhaps we were dating mutual friends. But once circumstances changes, so do friendships. Even worse, sometimes relationships revolve around the conditions of exploitation - what can you gain from this person to justify a friendship with them? Two things are likely to happen. Either one stops being friends with the other because they can no longer leech further benefit from the friendship or one continually takes advantage of the other until a breaking point is reached. And breaking points are never good.

Many times I’ve felt like an accessory to others - a quick resource for academic problems, someone to spot their dinner tab or dumping ground for emotional outpours. While I naturally do enjoy helping others, I hate being so guarded about it. Why? Because I’d like to avoid having my relationships revolve around such small parts of who I am. Sometimes I feel like it’s my fault because I’m so accessible to others and that people mistake my willingness to help as an open invitation to manipulate me.

Well, the only solution to this is to be more observant, I guess. Can’t be friends with everyone.

New Beginnings

Fri, 18 May 2012 11:34:00 -0400

And in the blink of an eye, my first year of pharmacy school is over. A part of me wishes I had documented and cataloged all the events and changes that brought me to this point, but… c’est la vie. I’ve faced challenges and overcome them, forged new friendships and saw the grind of school cultivate me into a better, more mature person - sounds like one of those crappy low budget movies with a sappy ending. But! With every ending comes a new beginning and I anticipate tremendous change will take place once again. This will be my busiest summer ever and I’m not even taking summer school. Oh Lord, here we go again…