God sent us to medical school.

In the Philippines.

[jpinches]

Still alive

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3t_YFP2yM_2SjE4cjdTbUtRcUU/view?usp=sharing

Link for Ophthalmology video group presentation we did this week.  The goal was to present several assigned topics in a “creative manner.”  I learned that in Nigeria and India when they address the judges they say, “My Lord.”  That was a trip.

School has been pretty overwhelming lately.  But last week of the first semester!  Really looking forward to vacation.

[jpinches]

There is a mini convention going on in SM Center by our condo.  They had an art competition where you draw there for 2 hours and Yiuing convinced me to enter.  I wasn’t one of the top prizes where you win money, but I was a finalist so they are keeping the drawing to display or something.  Well, I had fun drawing this anyway :)

Last week was so brutal, 6 exams with presentations mixed in.  Also, almost no one showed up to basketball practice!  >:(

We are hanging in here and doing okay though.  See y’all next week~

[jpinches]

Working on sprite models for the game I’m thinking of making one day.

Had another good Saturday practice.  Played volleyball and basketball for four hours!  I’m starting to get that awesome feeling when you feel “fit.”  Haven’t been fit in a while haha.

This next week will be really rough - I think 6 exams.  See you on the other side! :D

[jpinches]

Crazy weather

This year has been pretty busy with lots of reports to submit and cases to present on top of the usual study/exam cycle.

Class canceled on Thursday and Friday due to monsoon weather, lots of rain and wind = walang pasok.  Had a great basketball and swimming practice today.  Seriously though, getting court access has been an incredible pain.  We went through a 2 week process of getting the court reserved, signed by the Dean AND the School Director.  Then we show up and have to kick people off the court every freaking practice.  On top of that, some of them won’t even listen!

Student council is putting on a jacket design contest to raise more money.  More money = things that students (sometimes) have: dances, dinner events, yearbooks, etc.  Somehow I got tasked with making the flyer -.-;;

[jpinches]

Finished the course!  It was a bit overwhelming trying to complete the course on top of our third year curriculum.  We had a *fatty* surgery exam this week...As much as I’m looking forward to taking the capstone course, I think I’ll be focusing on med school for a bit.  That also means that starting next week I’ll be drawing again for the blog posts.

Thanks to our hard work and the school’s cooperation we are having another practice this weekend.  This is really the first *real* practice, where the local teams and the international teams will practice together.  Looking forward to it!

[jpinches]

Triumphs and Failure

Another week, another weekend.

So we got school administrative approval to use the gym and track ring on Saturdays!  From 1 - 5 pm.  We showed up at 12:55 to find the entire gym filled with people.  Some were playing basketball on one court wearing jeans, shirtless and barefoot.  On the other court volleyball girls warmed up while random guys shot volleyballs into the basketball hoop.  After our motley crew of first week ballers gathered, a grand total of 5 of us, we kicked off a half court of pick up players for our practice.  I felt really bad about that, but we did reserve the  court...We had a nice practice.  Layup lines, chest passes while sidestepping, defensive slides and finished off with a game of lighting (knockout).  After that we hit the pool for the swim team practice where I preceded to cramp up during my 200 meter streamline kicks.  Our swim captain looks like he’s already graduated from med school and has been practicing for years, but he swims like a dolphin.  I couldn’t keep up with him T^T

The bad news: Silent Manga Audition Round 7 results came back and I didn’t get any special mention D’:  I’ll post the comic I submitted next week; the files are on my old laptop that I packed away into its original box.  Pretty dang bummed out.  I was hoping the judges might have enjoyed the story and given me at least an honorable mention...But maybe some of you guys can at least enjoy the story.  Until next week~

[jpinches]

Game Design - Promo Video!

My assignment due for the third week of Business of Game Design.  The goal was to create a 30 - 60 second video promoting a game (or yourself) that gets viewers excited.  Here’s mine: https://youtu.be/ghoamy925Yo

[jpinches]

2nd Week of 3rd Year

Third year has not been that academically difficult so far, granted we did study a lot over the summer.  What has been hard - being on the student council.  It takes up so much time!  Every lunch break, time between classes and after classes are now meetings!  I used to get studying done, take a nap or relax...  Not no mo.  Walk around, talk around and wait around is the new break life.  Yiuing often skips lunch just for council duties - personally I find that horrifying.

Aside from student council, I am finishing the 4th out of 5 game design classes through Coursera.  A little over 2 more weeks to completion!  Then I can take the final course (5th course).  I am reallllly excited for the 5th class - the final project is to complete a game and post it on Kongregate!!!  I think that class is going to be too much work during med school though.  I would hate to rush and make a half-baked game.

We are also supposed to be going through review questions to prepare for the USMLE Step 1 next summer.  Haven’t been able to start on that yet :D...

I am eagerly awaiting the results of the Silent Manga Audition 7.  I really put a lot of work into that story.  I’m thinking about entering the 8th Audition but the theme Fair Play hasn’t stirred any stories in my heart yet.  I also have a few too many projects in the air currently.

That’s about it for now.  Since coming back I’ve had the usual upper respiratory tract infections along with rhinitis/asthma.  My guess is a mix of pollution irritation and a cocktail of new viruses from people traveling over break.  T_T  By next week things will hopefully feel a bit more stable.

[jpinches]

Med School Year 2 - PWND

Second year finished and survived!  Thank God!  Seriously, it was pretty horrible.  It reminds me of one of those times I felt SO horrible from illness that life was agony.  And now that it’s past I am so glad that it’s over...

Luckily, we’ve decided to take a well-earned vacation this summer to rest and recuperat--PFFFT!  JUST KIDDING!  

We are scheduled to take USMLE Step 1 on June 8th, which is coming up fast.  In case you were wondering, Step 1 is the first of several exams to get licensed as a doctor in the states.  It’s hard, and more importantly, foreign medical graduates are expected to do BETTER on average than the US/Canada students if they want to get into a residency in the states.  (You need to get the residency in order to get licensed.)  So it’s important!  And we are foreign students :O

So we’re now studying for the USMLE Step 1.  To put it mildly, the practice exams DESTROYED US.  We scored LOW.  Like, depressingly low.  How low can you go?  NOT MUCH LOWER!  Anyway, we are working hard and the result is in God’s hands big time.  Cause we ain’t got a CHANCE otherwise...

On the upside, we are going home on May 5th!  AMERICA!  We are SO excited to eat delicious food and enjoy the luxuries of life such as HEATED SHOWERS.  God bless!

[jpinches]

Food Creative 

[jpinches]

On Break until April 28

Good day everyone~ 

After the BIG Silent Manga Contest Entry, Jonathan needed a little break from drawing for a while.  

Between then, we’ve had these creative moments: 

Jonathan baked his first three batches of bread. 

Yiuing created a Jewish Seder Passover Dinner in celebration of the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday. 

Yiuing, with their other classmates, and Jonathan helped to make and plan an end-of-school year party for our classmates.  Jonathan made a cranberry-pineapple punch, and Yiuing some California Rolls and Vegetable Rolls. 

Yiuing and a classmate, Esra (who made beef stroganoff), catered a sushi, green tea, caramelized walnut and orange-rum cake with homemade pistachio ice cream to Medical School Dean and staff. 

Thank you for being patient. 

See you next week.  

[jpinches]

Finally done!  I really put my all into this work and it feels great.  :D

[jpinches]

Inking page one is halfway done!  I’m supposed to ink up to page 4 by yesterday...Hopefully will make it in time!  Submission is due by end of March.  Tomorrow is our second-to-last final and our final final is on Friday.  So excited to be done!!!  Thank you God!!!!!!!

[jpinches]

I’ve finally decided on the first page layout!  I’ve been agonizing over it...After I started inking it earlier I was just too unsatisfied to continue.  I can only thank God this name is done because I almost gave up several times :’D

[jpinches]

Last week, next week and week after 5+ exams per week.  Almost at the finish line for second year.  Also, finished the name (storyboard)!

[jpinches]

This week Yiuing was called into a inter-medical school quiz competition called Brainstorm.  It was fun and we got to go to Manila but it took a lot of time.  Decent progress on the name this week.  :)

[jpinches]

three point shot off the screen by my all-star husband #AllDay