#studybuzz

10.04.17 // 10:29 PM

Trying to stay on top of things with my chronodex! How do you keep track of your time?

09.30.17 // 1:59 PM

Productive Saturdays are my fave. Bike-run training in the morning, coffee and studying in the afternoon. I hope everyone’s having a great weekend! ✨

09.19.17 // 12:03 PM

Finally done with exams for the month but all the quizzes and papers are starting to pile up. Can third year med just please chill???

09.12.17 // 8:56 AM

It’s going to be a long day, so I started the morning with a little note to self. Wishing everyone a productive Tuesday!

09.08.17 // 12:59 PM

Crunch time! It’s the weekend before exams and there’s still so much to cover, but I’m buzzing with energy so it’s time to get productive!

09.04.17 // 7:29 PM

We’ve had so many holidays these past few Mondays that I’m not used to Monday classes anymore. Today’s not particularly good either, but that’s the thing about med school—you gotta suck it up and keep moving forward because there are bigger problems for the next day.

08.02.17 // 6:43 PM

A month into third year of med school and I’m just so drained. I’m not sure where I’m gonna get the energy to power through the rest of the year.

07.31.17 // 5:06 PM

Officially the last day of summer! Working on my calligraphy before everything gets too busy with med. I hope I can still find the time to sneak some writing in the chaos of studying.

I hope everyone’s having a lovely Monday!

07.10.17 // 3:32 PM

It’s been a while! Haven’t been posting much because I’m still on vacation for 3 more weeks, but hello again! I decided to break my silence since a certain anon asked me about my fountain pens. I still have a couple more in storage, but right now, these are the ones I have in rotation. They’re nothing fancy, but I love them still. I used a Zig Cocoiro Letter Pen in extra fine for the brush lettering on top.

05.20.17 // 7:42 AM

Most days, I don’t really know what I’m doing. But as my man, @neil-gaiman, once said, “When things get tough, this is what you should do—make good art.”

I love med school (well, most days), but it gets exhausting. So I’m grateful I have the opportunity to take a break and do other things that I love.

05.09.17 // 2:42 PM

Sometimes I sketch and journal to take a break from studying med.

Summer’s almost here! Just one more day of exams then I can focus more on art and triathlon. I hope everyone’s doing great! ✨

Neuroscientist captures an MRI of a mother and child

Professor Rebecca Saxe (MIT) has taken the first ever MR image of a mother and child. 

“This picture is an MR image of a mother and a child that I made in my lab at MIT. You might see it as sweet and touching… an image of universal love. We can’t see clothes or hairstyles or even skin colour. From what we do see, the biology and the brains, this could be any mother and child or even father and child at any time and place in history; having an experience that any human can recognise.

Or you might see it as disturbing, a reminder that our human bodies are much too fragile as houses for ourselves. MRI’s are usually medical images and often bad news. Each white spot in that picture is a blood vessel that could clog, each tiny fold of those brains could harbour a tumour. The baby’s brain maybe looks particularly vulnerable pressed against the soft thin shell of its skull.

I see those things, universal emotions and frightening fragility but I also see one of the most amazing transformations in biology.”

Quotes have been taken from a TEDx talk given by Professor Saxe explaining the story behind the above picture.

https://www.instagram.com/dolceartist/

My Productive Morning Routine : Quarantine 2020

Hi all! All of my exams were cancelled, meaning I don’t have any academic work set by school. It’s quite exciting to be able to choose what I do - here’s how I’ve redefined ‘productivity’ and am trying to make the most of my time at home.

1. Wake up and read in bed - 8:00 am

I start off by reading blogs using RSS feeds on my phone, then checking BBC news, then reading an eBook on my iPad. The world’s most successful people often report similar habits with reading for all it’s benefits, but additionally aside from that, having this habit in place stops me from going on social media first thing in the morning.

2.  Workout -8:40am

I use the Chloe Ting workouts on YouTube and do at least one a day. Sometimes I do more, sometimes less, but the endorphins really make me feel happier in the morning, and it’s nice to know you’ve done something good for yourself straight away after getting out of bed. Sometimes, I follow this up with yoga practice or meditation, depending on how I feel. 

3. Shower and choose an outfit - 9:00am

I’ve got to admit, I am one of those people who gets properly dressed in quarantine - wearing joggers all day just makes me feel sleepy and unproductive. I’ve been opting instead for soft, wide legged trousers or a pair of looser fitting jeans (mom jeans/wide leg) and a jumper.

4. Skincare! - 9:20am

I’ve recently been watching a lot of YouTube videos by dermatologists and other licensed professionals recommending certain products. I have quite sensitive combination skin, and I’ve been using the brands Cerave, Cetaphil and The Ordinary. I might make a post on my full skincare routine if people are interested!

5. Journal - 9:30am

I’ve been using the 'self-discovery’ prompts from the blog the bliss bean and they have been really good so far! The process of journaling I find to be really therapeutic, and these prompts help me get the most out of it. It’s really helped me with making certain decisions and changed the way I’ve thought about previous friendships/relationships. This is also where I do my manifestation for law of attraction practice.

6. Duolingo - 9:50am

Since quarantine started I resolved to try and pick up French again, which I achieved a grade 9 in at GCSE, but didn’t take it forward for A Levels. It helps that I have a 40+ day streak on the app now, and my competitive self really doesn’t want to lose it!

7. Bullet Journaling - 10:10am

I love my bullet journal. This doesn’t take me very long, but each day I’ve been logging a few things I’m grateful for, writing down my to-do list, and making myself write down a good deed I’ve done for someone else the previous day. I’ll be posting some images of my bullet journal soon, no doubt.

8. Breakfast - 10:20am

I have the same breakfast most days - oats with almond milk, topped with a banana, any berries we have in the house (today was blueberries and strawberries!), flax seeds and almond butter. It fills me up and tastes really, really good… I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of it!

9. Online Learning - 10:50am

Without school, I can do this for as long or as little time as I want, but I’ve been trying to use Khan Academy at least a bit every day. I’ve been working through the Health and Medicine section, looking at all the different body systems. At the moment, for example, I’m making notes from the videos on the Endocrine System.

10. Other projects - 11:30am

The rest of my morning following this massively varies. I’ve started sewing during isolation, and it’s a skill I’m working to improve, as well as re-starting and re-branding this blog, improving my writing skills and so on. Of course, all of those are things I’ve done, but some days I end up lay on my bed watching TikToks. It’s all about balance!

I hope I’ve given you some ideas of your own with this post! I’m really thankful to have what I have right now, and to be safe at home, and I know not everyone is so lucky. All my love and applause goes out to key workers who are being incredible in this time. For everyone else - I hope you are staying well!