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.

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.

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!

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!! :)

Happiness

Happiness is:

Playing Badminton with people who can actually play. (Nothing can beat thd pure joy of playing against a real good opponent. Physical activities have become nearly non existent in my life and that should change. Seriously.)

When you get all tired and exhausted after a good game.

Singing after what seems like ages. Even if I sounded out of 'shruthi', it made me immensely glad.

Taking a walk around the tiny campus with roomies in pleasant weather.

Playing UNO (the childhood game!)

Watching TV with friends.

Chatting until the crack of dawn with roommates (we lead such disjointed lives despite being roommates considering that we spend a major portion of our waking hours in the college and library)

Having undisturbed sleep for 7 hours.

The feeling of having finished exams.

On a lighter note, strange and paradoxical as it might seem, my roommates and I spend a lot more time together only during exam times. The morning of the exam is pathetically funny in my opinion. We panic over the questions, claim to have forgotten every single word and practically go insane as 10AM approaches. Its also very useful considering the fact that we teach each other whatever we know and try (with some success) to predict the possible questions.

I love the fact that despite everything, I am able to somehow stay in touch with friends far far away. Like how I spoke to my cutest friend from California a fortnight ago. And how I spoke to the orator par excellence based in Madhya Pradesh a few nights ago. Then there's my favourite friend from Hassan, the friends from NITK and sheepie who never fails to amuse me.

And I'll be participating in a Physio quiz in KIMS in about a month with Abhi and a few others. Excited to say the least.

Went shopping today and got my Nutella dabbi after a seemingly long time. Sometimes all you need is Nutella Therapy. It makes life seem idyllic and pleasant.

Histology awaits.
Hope to see ya soon. <3

SomatostatinSeratoninSuprarenalSynthase.

My blog doesn't entirely define who I am. And I'm certainly not defined by my blog. It's a space where I contemplate, document memories and share some of my thoughts.
So we (MaPaDiMe) had gone to a few places as a weekend getaway and it was a good break! We saw Yana, Sahasralinga, Sirsi, Sonda and finally the sunset in Gokarna Beach. Di frolicked in all places where she could splash about and it was great fun watching her antics (not to mention tiring too!)

I've been speaking to friends and each conversation makes me happier by a large extent. Yesterday it was Sanjana and Pingi. Today I bugged Sheepie dearest on her B'day.
Our Physio Dept regularly gives people the opportunity to present a seminar on a designated topic. Many of my friends have given seminars on topics from CVS, RS, CNS.. Each seminar is better than the preceeding one these days and every presenter puts in a lot of effort to give a seminar that captivates the sleep deprived, restless and fidgety bunch of students that we are.

College was fun today. I probably seemed weird and slightly crazy but it sure was fun. And Accented. :-D ( So basically I put on an accent. American-Australian ish. Certainly not British. And watching the stunned expression on people's faces was priceless!)
I had the attack of Guiltitis yesterday. I try sleeping around 2.30AM and sadly did not drift off into Dreamland. Instead I was swarmed by thoughts of how I have SO FRIKKIN' MUCH to do. Therefore I sat up and read some Physio and slept by early morning. XD
*KahoNaPyaarHai* *KoiMilGaya* Why have I started to like all old songs?!

Oh and btw, we've got a TV in our hostel. Not that I'm smitten in the least. There's no Star World, Zee Cafe or AXN. So MeNoCare.

Feb 14 2009. I celebrated VD declaring that chocolates were my Valentine on FB. They are the one true love of my life. Its a blessing that Nestle isn't so popular here. Else, I would have definitely splurged. Every other day, halt at Shoprite post school, buy a Nestle and head towards DGPB. And in Deeksha, Canteen Aunty associated Bhopie with Dairy Milk and I; Nestle! XD

Going to the beach meant a lot to me. Maybe a tiny part of me wanted to go to another beach down south but maybe not. It's just a feeling a comfort and security that we want at the end of the day. And it is possible to be self reliant at the end of the day.

“I think it’s very healthy to spend time alone. You need to know how to be alone and not be defined by another person.”

― Olivia Wilde

“Every time I stand before a beautiful beach, its waves seem to whisper to me: If you choose the simple things and find joy in nature’s simple treasures, life and living need not be so hard.” ― Psyche Roxas-Mendoza

I shall hopefully not blog until a respectable number of days have elapsed.

College

Enough has been said about the unending vagaries of my life, the flimsy fibres of affection that entangle us in friendships, relartionships and family.

So here's a sneak peek into how our college is.

Basically we finished the dissection of the upper and lower limbs and the thorax. While we were in thorax, we removed the lungs, the fist sized heart, appreciated its inner chambers, the papillary muscles, chordae tendinae, atrioventricular orifices and the coronary arteries on the surface of the heart.

As a part of the subject, we also study the embryological aspect of the organ concerned. Like today we studied about the development of the heart. Its actually quite interesting.

So basically there are these Intraembryonic and Extraembryonic blood vessels that communicate through angioblast cells. There are 2 dorsal aortae that appear and later these invade the cardiogenic area which is towards the superior or cranial end. This cardiogenic area is just a small enclosure between the foregut and pericardial sac dorsoventrally and stomadeum septum transversum superoinferiorly.

All this still hasn't given rise to any definite structure. The development of def. Heart starts from a sheath of myoepicardial mantle that envelopes the endothelial tubes. This mantle later gives rise to myocardium and epicardium of the heart. There are cephalic foldings and fusion occurs in craniocaudal direction to give rise to a single primitive heart tube which lies vertically.

This tube has 6 aortic arches followed by dilated regions for:
1. Bulbous Cordis
2. Primitive ventricles
3. Primitive atria
4. Sinus venosus which has 2 horns (Rt and Lt)

The Bulbous cordis has further divisions which give rise to inflow part, outflow part of ventricles and also the ascending aorta and pulmonary trunk. Each horn of Septum transversum receives Umbilical veins from placenta, Cardinal veins from body wall and Vitelline veins from the yolk sac.

After this, there occurs the formation of Cardiac Loop which is contributed mainly by Bulbous Cordis and Primitive Ventricle. This occurs around 4th week of IUL. (Intra Uterine Life) In the following 4 weeks, there are several septations that are formed in the heart. (S. Primum, Secondum, Intermedium)

The foramen ovale is an interatrial opening formed from Foramen Secondum by the overlapping by Septum Secondum and in the adult stage, this foramen is closed when the pressure in both atria are equalized.

And of course, there is the formation of the different parts of Right Atrium, i.e the smooth posterior part, rough anterior part and the most ventral smooth part. (But by then I was filled to the brim and couldn't digest anymore info.

Speaking of saturation, I hate it when this happens. I'd like to call it the Breaking Point of a lecture. Considering normal emotional conditions, intermediate hunger levels and a mildly interesting lecture, I find it ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE to sit in the class beyond a point. This point depends on:
The difficulty level of the class
The amount of info the teacher is trying to deliver to our brains
The Interesting Quotient of the class
The interactions in the class.

Basically I get extremely fidgety, uncomfortable and annoyed in such circumstances. And all attempts to curb this awkward psychological state would backfire and escalate matters.

Biochem these days is like swimming in an ocean of reactions, inhibitor, enzymes and their corresponding deficiency diseases. We crossed the high tides of Carb, Purine-Pyrimidine and Amino acid metabolism and now we're up against Lipid metabolism. In these chapters we just look at the fate of the substances that we ingest.

Like I had chappati today. Implying starch. Implying maltose. Implying glucose. Implying glycolysis. Colloquially considered the opposite of Glycolysis, Gluconeogenesis is the synthesis of glucose molecules from non carbohydrate substances. (Say glycogenic amino acids)

Today was Shilpa ma'am's last day in college. Although I didn't know her too well, I liked her from the very beginning. There'something about ma'am, I can't pinpoint what exactly it is, but I feel really inspired by her. She radiates these 'good human, good doctor' vibes, she seems so focused, balanced and composed. She is like the perfect example for the adage 'There is a time and place for everything'. Her stories were few but powerful, examples were simple but effective and her explanation was lucid thanks to her clarity in the concepts.

I always wonder how is it that teachers know so much. I even asked Chetan Sir (Physio sir, the best) how he can answer any doubt on any topic at any point in time. My knowledge seems so ephemeral and here are these people spewing complex laws, processes, functions at the drop of a hat!

I am suprised I am awake. I shouldn't be.
Byee :-)

The Boy Who Dared

Situated on the fringes of the village, the house was shaded by coconut trees and hydrated by a clear stream flowing with a quiet but determined pace. The household was well known, since most of the surrounding agricultural lands were theirs. It was a joint family, with most of the members engaged in the prosperous 'family business'.

His birth did not elicit any surprise. His horoscope was studied, then discarded, for it didn't matter. His future was already decided. He would study to a satisfactory level and join the family as an apprentice.

Little did they know that Fate had ordained differently for this young man.

He seemed different from the very beginning. Different to the extent that it caused his parents much concern. Bright, confident, arrogant, extraordinary, outrageous, curious was how his teachers described him. Among his friends,he was the ringleader, with a growing set of followers to his clan.

They knew. They knew that this youngster threatened to obliterate the thin fabric that held the family together. A meeting was held. A consensus was reached. The boy was too good to remain in the village. He was sent away to study in a bigger town. But before that, he was told that he would always have to return to his family after his education.

Years passed, times changed, dreams were conceived, determination emerged, and there were battles to be won back home.

It was a tough job. One boy, against a family opposing his career, his choice and everything he Believed in. To them, it seemed ridiculuous. To him, there was no other option. He had made up his made and nothing could alter his conviction.

In the end he won, for the simple reason that his passion was unfaltering, immeasurable and impregnable to the lure of fame or finance.

It was a new beginning for him. People from various locations, backgrounds, circumstances; with a common goal, a common desire and a common passion.

However, life wasn't smooth sailing anymore. The goals that he had lay in shambles. He was disillusioned  by the approach, the lack of creativity, the lack of application, the monotonous memorization that was expected of him.

Friendships blossomed. The occasional enemy was obliterated and a small but a definite change was seen.

His dream was his pride. His greatest strength, he felt was in his ambition. It always elicited surprise and awe. A certain regard for him, a silent applause for his courage to dream big. To dream about the unimaginable. About what seems beyond our reach.

But it all changed one evening. A shock that left him angry and hurting. Angry that his castle in the air was destroyed, hurt that it seemed ridiculous and saddened because there was some truth in what she had said.

But to laugh at what he had cherished since time immemorial? That seemed unbelievable. The dejected feeling persisted. It gnawed steadily until he deciced to prove that it was possible.

Years passed, people moved on and life trudged along familiar lines For  most people. After a point, a person is content with what life has offered to him and operates along a standard predictable pattern; oscillating between work, family and friends. Very few end up as what they originally aspired to be and fewer people realize their childhood dreams.

2020. A developed India. Atleast that was the general procrastination a decade ago.

He smiled to himself as he scanned his Acceptance letter. Sitting in his Boston apartment, he couldn't believe the miracle even though several months had elapsed. Not a day passed without him recollecting the day that changed everything. He wondered what had become of her. After all, she had distant ambitions too. But he never ventured to find out. Somethings were better left as the sweet mysteries of life.

It isn't everyday that Harvard is gracious enough to accept you into its privileged folds. And neither did he ever know that she was just across the bridge.

Note: The above story is my first story this year and its coming after a very long gap, so my apologies for any syntactical,logical, grammatical errors. The above piece is fictional and any resemblance to any persons living or dead are mere similarities and are purely coincidental.

The writing is different from my usual type and I suspect that the Jhumpa Lahiri book I read is partly responsible for that...

Adios.

Action Replayy

Listening to a song from the above movie right now. ^  But this is appropriate on so many levels. I think.

Weekends follow a standard pattern here in college. Atleast, its been that way for a while now.

Saturday is Laundry day followed by Sleep/ Novels/ Chat session and post this is the customary visit to the library. Irrespective of saturday's sleep pattern, Sunday is basically a picnic in the library! (Intercepted by plenty of power naps, snack breaks and finally concluded prematurely due to a false sense of 'saturation')

So in reality, Monday evenings are relatively 'lax' and today for example, was spent surprisingly well. Doing nothing, that is! But on the contrary, I have a long night ahead with record work piling up at an alarming rate.

Sometimes I wonder, what is the point? Why covet what will never belong to us? Why desire for the things that will never a part of our lives? Is it hope? Hope against all hope that somewhere deep down, maybe, just maybe...?

The mere realization of this fact makes life simpler. But is simple always the best thing? What is life without imagination, hope and creativity? A demented living, to be brutally honest.

Feeling OMG listening to these songs right now:

• 7 Things: The song and the lyrics actually used to make me teary-eyed. I can only LOL now. I was young, naive and dreamy. I wonder if I will ever be that way again. It just seems so unlikely that I will. And I guess that's a bittersweet feeling.

I guess Sanjana (Hassan)'s quote about fruits is very apt and elegant. :-)

• Chasing Cars (Snow Patrol): :'( Enough said. For now.
• Boulevard of Broken Dreams: Quiz competition with Vikas, Ashita, Varun K, soaking up in the rain like carefree kids.

Constantly reminding myself about priorities, goals and focus tends to get tiring and I sometimes wonder if I'm being a killjoy and stonehearted but for now, its essential.
Guilt is similar to termite infestation in woodworks. It gnaws at your insides with a vicious strength, leaving you feeling hollow and weak from pain. An outer facade of placidity is maintained but there is no substance, nothing within to justify the seemingly solid exterior. It is so efficient in destroying you that the slightest pressure leaves you crumbling down in despair.

Cya.
It's going to be long night ahead.
I am a confused, caffeine intoxicated kothi.

Keep Holding On.

I'm home.

Here's something interesting:

By Deborah Netburn

January 13, 2014, 3:00 p.m.

Have trouble remembering where you parked the car? A double shot espresso could help.

A new study in the journal Nature Neuroscience suggests that the same amount of caffeine you'd find in a grande latte can enhance long-term memory in humans.

"We report for the first time a specific effect of caffeine on reducing forgetting over 24 hours," Michael Yassa, a professor of brain science who recently moved his lab from Johns Hopkins University to UC Irvine, said in a statement. 

To test how caffeine effects memory in the human brain, researchers at Yassa's lab at Johns Hopkins recruited 60 people who have a relatively low daily caffeine intake. Subjects were asked to look at 200 pictures of everyday objects like a chair, or a coffee mug on a screen and tell the researchers whether the object was an indoor item or outdoor item.

"It didn't matter what they said, we just wanted them to pay attention to the pictures," said Yassa.

Five minutes after the volunteers completed the task, half of them were given 200 milligrams of caffeine in the form of two small pills. The other half were given two placebo pills that looked exactly the same. The study was double blind, so neither the subjects nor the researchers knew who got the caffeine pills and who got the placebos.

The next day, the subjects were asked to look at another set of images and identify which pictures they had seen the day before, which pictures were new, and which pictures were similar, but a little different to the ones they had already seen. For example, maybe a coffee cup that was a different color, or a chair photographed from a different angle.

While both groups had the same success rate when it came to identifying pictures that were the same and pictures that were different, the volunteers who received the caffeine pills were better at remembering that a picture was similar, but a little different to one they had seen before.

"It is a much more detailed memory," said Yassa. "If all they remembered was 'coffee mug,' they would say the picture was the same. But they were remembering the exact coffee mug they saw."

Scientists call this type of memory -- when we can determine that something is similar but not exactly the same as something we've seen or done before -- "pattern separation memory." It is the type of memory we use at the end of a work day when we remember where we parked our car in the morning, rather than yesterday morning, or the morning before.

To see if more caffeine lead to better memory boosts, the researchers tried the trial again with 300 miligrams of caffeine. The results were about the same as with the 200 miligram dose, and some of the test subjects reported some uncomfortable side effects from the increased caffeine levels including nausea and jitters.

Yassa  said that there is no magic in taking caffeine five minutes after something that occurs that you need to remember. "Before or between or after or during, it would all work," he said. "The only thing I would say is don't drink caffeine to pull an all-nighter. Sleep is really good for memory, but if you are going to drink coffee to stay up you won't get the boost from either one." 

The next step for Yassa and his team is to figure out why caffeine helps with pattern seperation memory. One potential explanation is that caffeine increases arousal levels, which can be associated with better memory. 

"Other scientists have found that when animals are shocked or scared or stimulated in some way they have better memory," Yassa told the Los Angeles Times. "We know that with caffeine your heart rate can go up and there is jitteriness, and other symptoms of arousal too. Maybe these moderate doses of caffeine can boost our memory without these other side effects."

And here's something more:

By Tom McKay  13 hours ago

It's not all good news: Most Americans drink about 300mg of caffeine a day, ingesting the compound from coffee, tea, and soft drinks. About 80% of Americans are users, but only a small proportion are "true addicts."

Caffeine can be so addictive that in a study which gave addicts a placebo or a caffeine pill, most of the ones who received the placebo "were functionally impaired for a day and a half. One person who had a manufacturing job made costly errors. Another could not bring herself to go to work. Another spent the afternoon in a dark office with her head on her desk. One woman called off her child's birthday party."

While many studies have linked caffeine to positive health effects like reduced liver disease and suicide risk, others have found negative side effects like disrupted sleep patterns and altered heart function.

So sip away, but be aware it might not be great for you.

So on Monday, I wrote the Anatomy test, packed my bags and headed out of college. I boarded the first bus I saw, a nearly tilted private bus with the people clinging on to any possible appendage that would take them to their destination. With forces acting on you in all possible directions, I assumed a classy pokerface and prayed fervently that I wouldn't crash into the group of men standing on either sides of me or lose my belongings or any other possible horrors. Thankfully, I made it to the Bus stand in one segment and I ended up not paying (since I had no change and the conductor (having seen the trauma I'd been through in the 20 minutes inside that bus) decided that I didn't have to pay after all). I booked a ticket to Bangalore and waited for the next 45 minutes in the bus stand, perusing a copy of India Today.

Around 12:00, The blessed bus arrived and I got myself some lunch and made myself comfortable. 15 minutes later, a sappy Kannada movie began playing, and I plugged into Grey's A on my tab whilst having some lunch. But alas, it wasn't meant to be. A defect in my vestibule and possibly in the semicircular canals caused me much discomfort and nausea but after a while, I convinced myself that it was just a figament of my imagination.

Watching the passing landscape and listening to music, I felt a tranquility I hadn't felt in a long time. This peace lasted for a short while only, but I will always remember this journey. My first solo journey.

..............

Once upon a time, I had dreams. Different dreams. :)

'Young and Beautiful' by Lana Del Ray. All over again. The lyrics. *Gosh*

Byeee.