Stop. Look. Go.

I apologize for such an idle November, once again it's either my ADHD had gone from bad to worse or the piling workload. This time it's both. Time seems to seive through my fingertips for the past few weeks. While I'm getting used to the 9-to-4 lesson schedules, I was also busy preparing for a pathology presentation which was done for yesterday at the beautiful main campus of National Taiwan University.
I also took my TOEFL exams this weekend, wishing to apply for a one-month exchange stint to the US later next summer. But we'll talk about that next time.
The significance of this weekend is that it's my last weekend before I start clinical clerkship - working in a hospital. Approaching and handling real patients. Up till now everything we studied were oriented around textbooks, guidelines, and standard patients (hired actors portraying patients). To really have a patient in my hands would be a real challenge. Most professors and doctors say you really learn medical knowledge when you see your first patient. We'll see about that tomorrow.

Anyway, this weekend was very enjoyable to me, managed to catch up with a medical student old friend, found some good second-hand books in a bookstore (but lacked the cash to buy), slept on a sofa, and drank beer. My day at the pathology conference was eye-opening as well - chat with several pathologists - human and vets about future careers, flying aeroplanes, and visiting New York.
Time and again there happens to be signs that tell me to slow down and enjoy the moment. To savor time as it slips by unconsciously, regardless of productivity or efficiency.
As I go into clinical I hope I do that to my patients - have more time for them, and learn from every possible moment with them. I hope I'm up to the challenge, while still maintaining a certain amount of life quality. Stop. Look around. And keep going.
And pray hard this blog won't get neglected for too long again!