kai studies

kaiden // 27 years old // doctor of pharmacy student // research // mental health & addictions advocacy // bsc (hons) neuroscience grad // he/him pronouns // studyspo and bujo posts // i track #heykai

[future-pharmd]

hi! it's been long enough that i figured i'd re-introduce myself, and because i've made some updates to my blog (previous user @//muji-boy as an example).

name: kaiden age: 27 country: canada pronouns: he/him joined studyblr: fall 2017

previous degree: bsc (hons) neuroscience current degree: pharmd (starting year 2/5), aiming for concurrent msc current work: summer research position current course: retaking organic chemistry II theory specialization interests: mental health & addictions, harm reduction career goal: clinical pharmacy/research

hobbies: volunteering in harm reduction, long term mental healthcare, and eating disorder awareness, reading, slam poetry, nintendo switch 2 video games (rip xbox 360), spending time with my labrador retriever and cat (no breed, just formerly feral). chronic illness: psoriatic arthritis (nope this is not "just psoriasis", this is a huge pet peeve of mine i've heard too much, and i've also seen psoriasis itself be disabling while i was working in dermatology), bipolar type one (in remission for almost three and a half years). other things i enjoy: tattoos, getting lost down a rabbit hole of reading academic papers, sitting outside on a grey, chilly day, sitting next to the ocean, cheap coffee.

things i post about: really just study notes, study aesthetic, personal updates, and the odd bujo post.

[future-pharmd]

11 jul 26 // saturday

yesterday i got through all of my data collection! after six weeks and hundreds of phone calls i finished with a 49% response rate which is well beyond what we ever expected!!! i have my demographic numbers crunched and the quantitative stats for the data collected done. i started coding my qualitative data but this is my first time working with that so i feel like a small child riding a bike for the first time.

i met with my supervisor on thursday and we went through my data. she brought me starbucks which i thought was the absolute sweetest. she helped me conceptualize the qualitative analysis and we went through some other relevant research so i could have a stronger background approaching this. she's been really great at giving me information or prompting me to think about things in ways that help me go through the process to get there as opposed to just giving me instructions or examples and i really appreciate that. teach me to think!!

she also surprised me with the offer to submit an abstract for my work for a conference happening in the fall! this was mostly supposed to be just a silly little project but it's been going really well and we do have some really good, useable data.

then yesterday i come into work and the research coordinator comes up to tell me i should have heard my supervisor bragging about me and that i'm really well respected around there. that made my heart melt. why? because i have spent so much of my life feeling like nobody wants me, like i'm never quite good enough. i work so hard at what i do and i always miss out on opportunities by like, a cm. i don't have to be the best, i don't want recognition, i just want to have the opportunity to better myself, make things better for my patients, and contribute to knowledge where i can. and maybe it's because i am actually truly passionate about pharmacy and that shines through, but i am finally doing it.

i started working on a custom digital drawing of the clinic for my supervisor to give her as a little gift at the end of the month just to show her how much this project and her supervision has meant to me.

[coffeemlk]

physical writing has a special place in my heart

[wildflowers-for-june]

[smalleffortsrepeated]

08.07.26 || a break of sorts

I am taking a break from Instagram, which is doing me a lot of good. I am being mindful of how I spend my time, cooked a lot today, sat in the sun for a bit and now writing again, always, as usual. Doesn't matter how awful I feel, it always pulls me back somehow.

music from the wyld - andy portman

[sucharomantic]

09.07.26 / study update

currently working on learning Norwegian every day this summer. it’s hard to be consistent when I have bad days, but I’m trying my best. still waiting for my application results.

[study-success-hub]

One small step today: I officially enrolled at university. It feels surreal. A little scary, a little overwhelming, but mostly exciting.

[future-pharmd]

...only one and a half more days of data collection... i can do this...

[mortalityplays]

here's a secret: whatever you're doing, you have to root for your peers with all your heart because it forces you to root for yourself too. I've seen people in various spheres of my life (workplaces, education, art, activism) fall into the trap of envy and resentment when they see others succeed while they struggle, and it always always goes hand in hand with them pulling back and giving up and stagnating.

when you let yourself get sour grapes about shit, you tacitly give up on yourself. when you sit around hoping other people will flop and fail so you can catch up to them, you stop trying. it's a fantasy of mediocrity, the vain wish that other people would walk so you could take the gold medal at a jog. wouldn't you rather come last place at 27mph?

[future-pharmd]

OH I REMEMBER WHAT ELSE I WAS GOING TO ASK!!

Have you got any tattoos yourself??

yes!!! i have four and currently getting a consultation for number five next month! my first tattoo was an arrow on my wrist to symbolize mental health stuff, my second was a camping scene because i lived sort of off the grid for a couple of years in the middle of the forest as a teenager, my third is "survivor" with the neda symbol for the s (in my own typography), and my fourth is a neuron that i got for getting my bsc (hons). my next tattoo will be a memorial for my best friend who passed away from arthritis, and the appointment will be on the two year anniversary. it'll a mix of her writing and cytokines that are implicated in both her arthritis and mine, but it's also meant as a symbol of pharmacy as well. sorry for the rambling

[future-pharmd]

Hello! It was nice getting to know you through your into post ^^ Just got a couple of things!!

What's your approach to studying Orgo Chem at uni/what resources do you use? I'm in first year and need to retake the exam and struggled learning the information — but more so applying it to actual questions, and we don't get mark schemes for our exams unfortunately 😭

What are your pets called?? I've also got 2 goldens! I present thee Joy and Bella ✨️

And lastly good luck on your Pharma journey!! 🌟💕💪🍀💊

hello!! thank you for the ask! honestly it made my day. i feel you on the applying the concepts thing. in both ochem I and II i have struggled more with keeping all of the concepts straight and then applying them. i always do well on the questions that test concepts directly but not so much on anything that involves applying it to something new. what helps me the most is doing all of the practice questions i can get my hands on. i do every single question in the textbook, in the practice content we're given, and i seek out more practice questions as much as possible. i have appreciated master organic chemistry but i don't like that some of it is behind a paywall and i've actually been on the fence recently about whether i should pay for a month's subscription. i guess it just comes down to practice, practice, practice. this also works very well for me in all of my other heavy science subjects. those are adorable doggos!! my dog and cat have really unique location specific names, but here's a pic for attention and treats :')

[alfalfaaarya]

It's a marathon, not a sprint.

Are you being productive?

[rions-room]

10/June/2026

I recently used up all the pages in my plotter notepad, and started using a new one! The novel I’m reading is about to reach the climax, too :)

[mindfulstudyquest]

discipline is self care

self care isn't just face masks and bubble baths, it's also doing your assignment in advance so you won't pull an all nighter before the deadline, cooking at home instead of ordering out; discipline is an act of self love and care

[meee-dot-jpg]

9-6-25

[blubalum]

[blueprint-9376]

26.06.2026 [😄]

📋: 밀린 서평 쓰는 날/ catching up on overdue book reviews