Letting Go

It's been a long term. 

By entering medical school, I thought I swallowed my happy sugar pill that was at the end of a long road. 

What is happiness?

As I walked from the study hall near my dormitory, my dear Lebanese friend sticks his head out from a window to taunt me like he always does about my nerdy study habits..

I'm stressed. There is so much information to learn and so little time. 

When will I be satisfied?

Life is not a long road to the sugar pill...

What is your sugar pill?

Getting a residency?

Finding a wife/husband?

Making 6 figures?

You will spend your whole life chasing after that sugar pill and realize that you never lived a happy life.

As of today, I will no longer chase sugar pills.

As of today, nothing will permanently be mine.

A Fitting Quote for First Term Med Students

Rome was not built in one day.

Sugar Baby!!

So what happens after we devour our Valentine's Day Chocolate? 

First, Glucose (sugar molecule) gets converted into Glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) by an enzyme called hexokinase (in liver, the enzyme is called glucokinase), a highly regulated enzyme. Afterwards, G6P gets isomerized into Fructose 6 Phosphate (F6P) by an enzyme called phosphofructokinase (PFK1), which is another highly regulated enzyme. F6P then gets cut in half into two products: DHAP and G3P by an enzyme called aldolase. DHAP then transformes into G3P. So now we have 2 G3P. The 2 G3P both become phosphorylated to become 1,3 bisphophogylcerate (1,3 BPG) by an enzyme called G3P dehydrogenase, which uses 1 inorganic phosphate per G3P and produces 1 NADH per G3P. Now we have 2 1,3BPG. This is where oxidative phosphorylation occurs, where 1 phosphate gets plucked off 1,3 BPG by phosphoglycerate kinase, yielding 3PG. This yields 1 ATP per 1,3BPG. Now, our bodies then change the 3PG to 2PG by phophoglyceromutase. 2PG then gets reduced to phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) by enolase. Finally, the PEP becomes pyruvate by the third highly regulated enzyme, pyruvate kinase. The conversion of PEP to pyruvate also yields ATP. 

The 3 highly regulated enzymes in this reaction are:

hexokinase (glucokinase in liver)

phosphofructokinase (PFK) 

pyruvate kinase

These enzymes not only facilitate irreversible reactions but are also key sites for control of the glycolytic pathway.

It boggles my mind that an act as simple as eating a candy bar can elicit so many metabolic reactions without us consciously knowing. 

Hungry?

Bioethics

Physicians have a duty to only certify that which they have personally verified. 

My happiness cannot depend on the weather, environment, or people. If I let these factors dictate how I feel, I will never be in control of my happiness or my life. 

Gah!!

I am exhaustified and have no one to bitch to..and here you are..

So, I'm a bit overwhelmed...I feel like there is too much studying and not enough hours to complete everything....

it's funny how 1 week makes you feel SO behind

Yes, I'm in Med School!

So, a lot of things have happened since my last LAME entry.

1: I left Texas.

2. I started med school!!

So, med school is a lot of work...I love it!

Tomorrow will begin my 3rd week and we will be learning all sorts of exciting stuff such as the introduction to metabolism, bioenergetics, structures of the arm, and histology of bone and muscle. I don't get much sleep these days, but I don't feel it.

Going to this medical school is one of the best decisions I have made in my life.

On Finance

6.2% of my salary goes to Social Security taxes and 1.45% to Medicare taxes. My former employer also paid the same amount for me. By 2017, the government will be paying more benefits than it collects in taxes and in 2041 the SS Trust Fund will be delinquent.

So what does that mean? 

I must invest and save my money properly. Most importantly, I must differentiate between what is an asset and a liability. In simple terms, an asset is anything that puts money in your pocket (stocks, bonds, real estate, intellectual property) and a liability is anything that does not. 

By continuously investing in more assets than liabilities, I will begin laying the foundation of a secure financial future. 

you and me