well well well. first they change the name of our school, then they decide to tear down the library, and now guess what? they've removed systemic patho from the second year curriculum.

like, wow.

i don't know what to say, since i doubt very many people in our batch ever feedbacked to the department that systemic patho was useless in second year. it was a mad cram before pots yes, but it formed the basis of our understanding of diseases. without patho, what significance does an enlarged liver have? i'd feel rather lost during clinicals if i were them. man, this is so weird.

have gone into a book buying spree over the past two weeks. gotten several books, including one by amy tan and another by roald dahl. i've just finished john grogan's marley & me, which i bought on friday. it's a lovely book, and is a must read for dog-lovers. i'm glad that i've read it, because i seem to be buying more books than i can read. i always tell myself they're holiday reads, but when the vacation rolls along, i can't bring myself to pick up a book, even if it has got nothing to do with medicine.

dancing has just become more exciting. my teacher announced yesterday that she hopes to teach us ballet at intermediate foundation (inter-found in balletspeak) level. this is big news, for me at least, because inter-found requires pointework. one of my biggest regrets in quitting ballet as a kid was that i thought i would never ever get a chance to do pointe. well, never say never. if all goes well, i'll be en pointe in a few months' time. whoot!

and so i plod steadily along towards the year end holidays. psychomed has been interesting thus far. the psychiatric ward is so different from the other wards. there's an odd serenity to it, none of the hustle and bustle of a general ward. it's so quiet you can hear the fans whirring, and when you step inside it feels like an empty classroom with the lights and fans on. clerked a schizo patient there, who at first glance seemed pretty normal, but who later began to talk about how he could hear the people at the coffee shop below his block speaking ill of him. he knows he has a mental illness and is hurt when he "hears" neighbours whispering amongst themselves about his condition. he's 40 years of age, has a dad who's got schizo too (which ups his risk to 6%), and hasn't been able to hold down a job since, in his own words, his "breakdown" 12 years ago. he knows he's on risperidone and an antidepressant, and claims he is compliant with his medication. riveting, no? one thing about psychomed is that every patient has a long story to tell, and it's fascinating trying to understand what's going on in their minds. intriguing.