Bliss.

Bliss.

Monday, March 24, 2014

EndocrineEndoCochlearPotentialElectronChainTransport

Summer has well and truly begun and Shimoga feels like an inferno. (Especially since we're nearly always forced into sweltering uniforms and aprons and made to sit in a classroom that is akin to a furnace and yet adorned with ornamental ACs)

Sitting in class has sadly become a herculean challenge. What with the soaring temperatures, the babble of bullshit, the cacaphony of idle chatter emanating from the bench behind and even the lecturer's suggestion that uninterested students may sleep or quietly do as they please, listening to the lecture seems to have become thing of rarity. Rare but not extinct, because there are some who make you hang on to every word, scribble every point furiously and listen wih rapt attention because they seem so eager to share their knowledge.

Head and neck is the final installment of gross anatomy for the year and and as usual we are galloping at a pace that can be matched only through burning the midnight oil. So far, we read about the scalp and its layers, the face and the muscles of expression, triangles of the neck and the vertebral canal. Next, I've got to read about cranial cavity and the cavernous sinus.

Physiology is steadily growing more expansive and requires much more understanding for permanent retention of concepts. Chetan Sir is regularly quizzing me on anything and everything in the book and this is a blessing in disguise, I suppose. We read about the sense organs and the pathways taken by these.

The visual pathway is particularly interesting. It begins in the bipolar cells which are the first order neurons, travel through optic nerve, optic chiasma and the cells of lateral geniculate body form the third order neurons. From here, fibres are mainly relayed to the visual cortex, but also to suprachiasmatic nucleus, pretectal nucleus and superior colliculus which help in interpretation, perception and light reflexes of the eye. Its also important to understand how a lesion anywhere along this pathway affects the vision in both eyes.

They also skimmed through the endocrine glands and now we're hurrying through reproductive system. Hormones are chemical messengers that bring about any physiological changes. What's noteworthy is how hormones are interrelated because they regulate secretion of the hormones released at their target sites and vice versa. The Growth Hormone for example is a peptide released by the acidophill cells of Anterior Pituitary and this occurs because of secretion of GHRH from the hypothalamus which acts on Anterior Pituitary to secrete its hormone..

Amma was here for the weekend. I enjoyed every minute of it and I realized I miss her more than I have ever acknowleged. I miss the healthy banter that we used to have back in Bangalore. I suppose I've got to wait for the long holidays post the Finals to enjoy quality time with family.

College is otherwise good. The seniors who cleared the recent exams are back and the college looks alive to some extent. I actually enjoy each day because there is something to look forward to and always something that will end up making me happy.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

But why?!

You will never realize how much somebody means to you until they can no longer be a part of your life. And when that realization sets in, you debate internally about how much the person matters, you realize you must acknowledge their importance in your life and yet they are are irreversibly no more who they used to be nor can they ever be. Sometimes things change and its like the ground you are walking on lurches unsteadily, leaving you unbalanced and disoriented.

Why the frikkin' hell did I read Nicholas Sparks? I will always hate him.

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Realization

Hello there! :')

Mornings are well begun with a round of jogging and a good game of badminton. I should probably do this more often.
I'm so excited about the KIMS Quiz!! I'm going to meet Sanjana, Adi, Praj, Chitra and Sahana! I really need to prepare well. We need to make an honest attempt and give it our best. Thank god I'm in Abhi's team. :P

I was talking to the above mentioned college friend yesterday and I realized that it is not necessary to conform. All that matters is our goal. No matter what anybody thinks, we've got to keep working and keep doing what we believe in. In the end, nothing else matters. I can't explain how much that reaffirmed my approach. It also reminded me that I know practically nothing. I've got to put in more, be more effective and have faith.

It also hit me that such people exist here in Shimoga as well. It's just that I've always seen them differently. It doesn't matter if you're aloof, reserved or even labelled weird. One must stick to the values they believe in. The worst thing would be to fall in your own eyes.

Got a lot of catching up to do, so seeya!

Monday, March 3, 2014

Foolishness.

It is an inherent trait in most of us. I seem to have an abundance of this quality. Not a day passes without me saying something extremely foolish, acting unbelievably foolish and assuming foolish things. I've realized (over the years, since I discovered this virtue several years ago) that the best option is to accept it and move on (like nothing happened, or what happened doesn't matter). 

Blogging at this unearthly hour is certainly uncalled for, considering that I have a bus back to Shimoga in a few hours but I want to rediscover the joy of blogging on a laptop, so here I am. :)

Back to the central theme, what prompts these Random Acts of Foolishness (RAF) is beyond anybody's guess since they occur without warning, and leave me pondering about my existence on this planet. But since this happens on such a regular basis, I suppose I've become immune to it!

Couldn't make it to IISc's Open Day once again this year due to transport issues and unforeseen circumstances. Hope to attend it next year atleast! To all those who aren't aware, IISc throws open its plethora of research labs in practically all the fields from Astrophysics to Neuroscience and visitors are encouraged to find out more about the ongoing projects and they get the opportunity to interact with PhD students and professors as well.

So I'm done with second internals and once again, I get the overwhelming feeling that there is SO much to read, SO much to learn and Time always seems to be scarce.

I've made mistakes, I continue to make mistakes on an alarmingly regular basis and sometimes I don't realize my mistake until a while has passed. Sometimes it's easy to make amends. Sometimes it takes some effort. While in some cases, it seems practically impossible to set things right. 

Coming home reminds me of my commitments, of the odds to be overcome, of how lucky I am to have what I have, of the dark days that always threaten to return and haunt our present and of the reasons why I chose to study this course. 

Sleep beckons, I still have emails to send, so Seeyaa!! :)