is a warm gun…”

[Original Date: 08/16/2010]

Well… In a couples of hours I begin kaplan. Some how a new adventure. And as far as I know the last track in my preparation for the Step 1.

[Update 08/21/2010]

What? the week passed so fast! I feel like I’m in my internship again. Not because of being at a hospital, but more because of being busy all the time.

Let me tell you about what has happened in the las couple weeks.

So, I sold my sold to the devil, I mean UCLA, more appropriate the Family Department of UCLA, and I got a scholarship in UCLA to prepare myself for the medical boards, that will help me to pass the boards with an excellent preparation and they will give me their support to get into a Medical Residence, a program that I wrote about a while ago. And I’m happy.

UCLA paid for kaplan, which is one of the best preparation program to get ready for the USMLE, and it is even better because it was free of cost for me. So now I have 7 months of videos and use of the Kaplan Center, 7 months of QBank, and a 7 week live lecture review by the end of October.

I’ve using the Kaplan Center for a week now, and I can surely say that it is the major league of examn preparation. The issue is that, as I stated earlier, I have seen people getting into UCLA that has no ideas of what it is like to be there, they do not know the materials or the subjeects being studied, and because of that they are struggling right know trying to cover as much as they can before they run out of time.

Fortunately for me, I had my pre-review course, so I already saw all the kaplan materials, and right know it would be my 2 full review of those materials. When I take my live lectures it would be the 3rd review, and i’d be making some sort of 4th review when I get to complete the Qbank in the last 2 months before my exam (that is in 6 months from now).

So far this week, I’ve been studying anatomy. 2nd review on this subject, and at a faster pace this time. By the end of this week I studied 19 hours of video, 400 pages of my book, and I made other 40 flash cards regarding the most important stuff (Anatomy and Pathology) I needed to learn when i began anatomy (e.g. Brachial Plexus, Abdominal Circulation, Carotid circulation, Femoral Plexus, Most important anastomoses, Embryologic derivatives from pharingeal’s arcs and pouches, and the list goes on and on).

Today I began Neuroscience, a enormous, giant, hill I need to overcome. I’ll take this whole week to study it. At a slow pace, understanding every detail and memorizing every bit of information. And by the end of the week, I’ll kick any neuroscience-resident’s butt.

I still can’t believe how fast my weekend passed by. Every night I arrived home, I tuned on my laptop, and i opened this draft to finish it, but it was not until today that I finally got some time to finish it.

I’ll probably won’t update with any new cartoons in the following months but I’ll try to update a little bit regarding how has been my process on preparing for the USMLE with a little help from UCLA.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Every 6 months or so I change my image, the way I look, and somehow the way I think. i was reviewing all the pictures I have and It is pretty noticeable the changes I’ve made and I’d like to share some of them with you guys.

Every pictures is in chronological order.

2002 Six months after I moved to Guadalajara. I was skinny!

2002, A year in medschool, still a happy teenager without problems.

I just feel I looked good in that pic. 2003.

December 2003, Still young and thin.

2004, My first days officially dressing in white and being a real doctor.

First day of internship. First call on the Internal Medicine Urgency area. 2006

Surgery! I loved Surgery!

Pediatrics, I moved the babe from the cradle so I could take myself a picture. Ok, no.

Gyn/OB, first time I shaved my head.

Graduation TIme!!!!!!! 2007

Social Service… niiiice.

More Social Service! and the look I’ve liked the most.

MOBY time!

More social service… I had boobs for a while.

End of Social Service,, Late 2008.

Instructor Lehi. With one of my CPR sons. Somewhere around 2008-2009

Mid 2009.

Late 2009, in my new journey in Los Angeles.

Toontown! It was raining in Disneyland that day.

BeefFest 2010! Early 2010.

SuitUP! February 2010. I know how to look professional when I need to.

Looking good! Don’t you think?

Last week.

Today… going back to basics.

So, what do you think? Do I change a lot?

“Sometimes I lie awake at night and I ask, “Why me?”, then a voice answers “Nothing personal, your name just happened to come up.”

Charles M. Schulz

I really like Schulz’s quotes, sometimes he defines what I’m going trough.

Today was a day different from every other day. Karma played me so well today. There was a crow in my window this morning. It was cooing as if it was dying. Apparently it was telling me “good morning, wake up you lazy ass”. That’s when everything started running “differently”. I run out of milk. My bananas went bad. There was no hot water. I got lost in the freeway. My GPS didn’t help me out. I lost my wallet. I lost my lucky $2 with it. Also my electronic card for the parking lot. I didn’t have a lunch break. And my grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner got burnt.

The only thing that I felt quite good tonight, and that made me smile, was driving back from my class in my mini. Feeling the cold air coming through the moonroof. My iPhone playing the soundtrack of “500 Days of Summer”. Everything was perfect for those 20 miles from my class to my apartment.

I don’t know what has happened this week, I feel like thing are changing. There is a major change coming my way and I’m not aware of what it is. I just hope not to get struck by a giant wrecking ball.

“Sometimes I lie awake at night, and ask, ‘Where have I gone wrong?’ Then a voice says to me, ‘This is going to take more than one night.’”

Charles M. Schulz

I don’t know what happened today. Everything was running smoothly and suddenly something changed. Someone told me that I was doing stuff that i shouldn’t be doing… but I wasn’t doing anything at all.

I know I have done some wrong, but when this person told me that I shouldn’t be doing what I was “supposedly” doing, It was not even close to what I was doing.

I always like to keep appearances (not in a bad sense). I like to be on the grace of the people I know I will need in the future. I like to be trusted, cause I know I can do the work. I just don’t like to loose any of that confidence.

I feel weird.

So I’ll leave you with a video I made yesterday, it is called “The Twilight Zone”\

Time to go to bed. It’s time to think a little bit.

So, today was not like my usual Monday. It was cloudy, gray, no sun at all, like it could rain on any moment. It was also cold, and I could feel the freezing breeze coming from my window all day. It felt like nostalgia hit some new memories. Like if my past met my present and both were in peace for now.

I felt good.

Ka

Que habían pensado??? eh???

7 u 8 negros y uno blanco… de donde salió?? nadie sabe.

Every couple of weeks I have the feeling that I have to organize my life, organize my time and organize everything around me. I usually fight that feeling until I can’t ignore it anymore, mostly because a huge mess is formed in my desk and I can’t study as I should, and some other times it’s because I rotate my Circadian Cycle and I stop sleeping at night and I sleep on the morning.

This time, I’ve been sleeping during the day only, and I have the feeling that I need to fix that since I’m loosing my days when I’m asleep, and when i wake up it is already time to go to class, so I have no day life at all.

When this happens, i like to go back and read a little bit about personal organization. The book I like and I mostly recommend everyone who ask for my advice is “Getting Things Done” by David Allen. I like it because I feel like it is “user friendly”, and shows you how to do your things intuitively. It also shows you how to use your calendar, and your to do lists, how to categorize (I love to do this), and how to prioritize.

For all of you who feel that might need a little help, give it a try, and see if it works for you as it has done for me. So tonight, I’ll work on my calendar once again, probably I won’t sleep tonight either, but I’ll manage to fill out this month so I now exactly what I have to do, and I do not forget about important things like birthdays (there a lot this month), and my class schedule and program, sending my applications to UCLA, and get my work out routines in order.

While I’m writing this, I’ve been listening to “The Beatles”, it’s relaxing, and helps me think. I also really enjoy it because I got a pair of Ear Pollution stereo headset, Hustle Edition. (Thank you Jess!), and the sound is awesome!

Well, I gotta start working on my calendar.

NIght

Pero bueno, el día de hoy los quiero dejar con una selección de videos con las que quiero qeu inicien el año. Unos son buenos, otros, son diferentes, otros no tienen sentido pero, hey! es youtube!.

Primero, “Tales of Mere Existance”, no es animación pero me encantaria que lo fuera, el conetido es buenisimo y te deja pensando, les recomiendo ver todos los videos de Lev Yilmaz, son de maximo 3 minutos y se que quedarán pidiendo mas.

Segundo, las animaciones canadienses, este es mi video favorito basado en la canción de niños “And the Cat Came Back” la animacion es Cordell Barker, el cual tiene otras animaciones interesantes, medio raras, pero te entretienen sanamente.

Este video lo pensaba dejar hasta el final, pero no pude aguantarme las ganas de que lo vieran ya!. Es otra animación canadiense y el cual considero me favorito de todos los cortometrajes que he visto en mi vida. Historia: La Bella durmiente. Con un twist. El dibujo es sencillamente genial. Los colores y delinieados me gustan mucho ya que son muy parecidos a las ilustraciones de historias antiguas.

Bueno, esta es la primera parte de un cortometraje de Carles Torrens (la segunda sale al finalizar el video), y ya que pasó navidad y ya es sona segura para reirse un poco de santa, aqui lo tienen. Espero les guste el humor negro que manejan.

Este ultimo es una mencion especial, es un corto, mejor dicho, el inicio de una miniserie producida por mi Building Manager Jay Holt. La idea sema hizo interesante y el hecho de que parte se haya hecho en Detroit, explicaria por que no lo vi por aqui un par de semanas.

Y hablando de miniseries y ahora que recuerdo está es una miniserie por Dean Koontz’s que la verda dme llamó la atención. No hablaré mucho de ella, solo espero la vean y comenten.

Y bien, por hoy me despido, estoy a 22 preguntas de teminar fisio en el USMLE World y hoy es el gran día de terminar.
Un saludo a todos, espero estos videos les agraden y no olviden comentar por su favorito!.

Entonces tengo dos meses para hacer las cosas que necesito hacer y como me encanta hacer listas y nunca terminarlas esta es mi lista para esta navidad y año nuevo:

-Terminar el Usmle World con calma en dos meses.
-Hacer una animación.
-Conseguir un escritorio y una silla para mi depa.
-NO TRABAJAR TIEMPO COMPLETO.
-Conseguir una cita.
-Conseguir una Macbook Mini.
-Terminar de contestar el QBook de Kaplan.
-Conseguir una cama para mi depa.
-Terminar de leer Fisiología de Kaplan.
-Terminar de leer Farmacología de Kaplan.
-Hacer una animación.
-Ir a Guadalajara en enero.
-Hacer un roadtrip.
-Ir a una graduación en Monterrey.
-Conseguir una mesita de Te para mi depa. (Conseguí otra caja. jaja.)
-Tener Snow Leopard.
-Ser feliz y dejar el estrés que he tenido desde que llegué a Los Angeles.

Y bien. Ustedes que planes tienen para el año nuevo?

Por cierto les dejo una foto de mi Dell Studio (d’Book) y mi Dell Mini (m’Book), las dos con Leopard, las dos trabajando como Macbookpro, y no he llegado ni a la mitad del precio de una Macbook Pro.

Premio (Tira) a quien note el mensaje subliminal de la foto.

[Update]

Bueno, llevo algunas cosas de la lista y completaré otras en la siguiente semana.

@ Ray: Felicitaciones! Te has ganado una tira comica! Las reglas son simples, un historia graciosa y/o interesante y/o embarazosa, que quede en 4 paneles. puedes mandarmela por twiter, facebook o a vorguees[@]historiasdeunaguardia.com, como se te haga mas facil. No te prometo seguir al 100% la historia pero tratare de no hacerte ver gay. jajajaja. Y no, no hay resentimiento por el comentario.