Gotta Stay Optimistic...

On Friday I basically got told that my health science degree would be useless and I would find it hard to get a job with it!

This has led me to have quite a few epiphanies...well not exactly epiphanies as they haven't come straight away to me but it's really made me open my eyes and realise I've got to start thinking about these things or else by the time I'm 30 years old I'm going to end up a lonely old man living in a shack and on the dole! To be honest...right now I have no idea where I'm going or what I'm doing!

So on Friday I decided to go to the Coke Careers Expo at the ASB Showgrounds. Now usually I'd spend this event going around asking useless questions, collecting rubbish and trying to get as many freebies as I possibly can. This time though I was going there solely for purposeful reasons! I went straight to the Auckland District Health Board stand to ask them what sort of job opportunities there were for someone with a Bachelor of Health Science degree.

This guy who's working on his Masters Degree in Nursing told me that in order to get a job I'd need to be registered, and and when I asked about health promotion and non-clinical jobs he said there weren't that many around and most of them would go to clinicians who had had enough of the clinical side of things and wanted to move on. He started promoting nursing as an alternative and it kinda made me think...Calum as a nurse? Hmmm......

I went straight to the University of Auckland stand afterwards to check if what the DHB guy told me was correct, but the lady from University of Auckland told me that it wasn't and that I should have a talk to the careers people at Tamaki.

I'm so confused!!!!! Everyone is telling me different stories and I don't know what to believe or what to dooo!!!! Alternatives I've been considering have been:
-Biomedical Science
-Bachelor of Health Science/Law (but apparently that is the most difficult combination)
-Bachelor of Science

This morning at church I got my Sunday School class to pray for me so hopefully God can help me! haha Jennifer said she understood my situation because I think she's facing the same dilemma (although she's a year 13 so she doesn't have to screw up her first year at uni!). She also gave me her CV to pass on to Aonghas so he could see if he could try get her a job at Cotton On. She told me not to read it because it was embarrassing but hmmmmm ;) Angie didn't go to church today because she was too busy working on her English seminar (or some sorta story like that!)

Last night though I chatted to Phoebe for the first time in a few weeks! It was a bit surprising that she actually replied to me, but it did feel a bit like de ja vu, because when I asked her how things are going and she said I've surely heard something, and so I admitted that I heard something about her, and she said she didn't expect me to hear about it and asked me if I had someone who gives me a weekly report on what goes on at school before abruptly going offline. I'm not too sure what happened there! Oh well hopefully we're on speaking terms again!

Later that night I also had a webcam/voice conversation with Diane for a few hours too which was really cool! She wasn't having such a good day due to earlier events and I really wanted to cheer her up. When she came online I then remembered that she told me a while ago that she got a microphone and so I suggested having a conversation over the Internet! I admit I was a little unprepared as I hadn't prepared any songs! For some reason we have this thing where we just joke around and sing songs to each other. I grabbed my ukelele and just tried rehashing a few songs using the only chords I could remember. Apparently I'll Make Love to You by BoyzIImen is our song because we jokingly sang it at this place we had lunch at when we met up with each other earlier! Fortunately by the end of the night she had cheered up so that's good! Now all she needs to do is get a webcam! I also promised her I would write a song for her so I've got to do that too!

Which led me to think...maybe instead of health science I could revive my fledgling singing career. It kinda stalled after my first single I'm a Chocoholic got me nowhere...

The Last Minute

Well I'm bored while I'm at uni... I really should be studying but I just handed in an assignment on the biopsychosocial model for population health that I had stayed up for two nights trying to complete (OK I still had a few hours of sleep!) but I'm too tired to so I thought I'd just waste some of the $7.00 the university has given me to spend on the internet till 7pm when I go off to Auckland Grammar to support Rutherford vs Auckland Grammar in the advanced debating grand finals!!! Go Rutherford!!

 

More good news - the senior Rutherford debating team (my brother's in that one) just defeated Auckland Grammar in the semifinals last night and so they're through to the grand final in a couple weeks time (or 21st August to be exact...put it in your diaries!!) to take on either Tuakau or St Kentigens.

 

Anyway flash back to Sunday. I DARED Angie to come to church that morning and guess what? She did! I kept myself awake trying to keep Aonghas awake by kicking him in the shoe. Angie was sitting behind us with her mum either doing her homework or doodling.

 

Finally when the service was over Hamish, Angie and I walked over to our Sunday School classroom to find it stinking inside, so we hung outside talking for a little while catching up with each other after four weeks since I last saw her and since she last went to church! Sunday School was a little boring. There weren't that many people there for some reason...well three of them were moving houses (they're brother and sisters) and Jennifer had her ball the night before so that's probably why! While our Sunday School teacher Sherman went on and on about something in one of the bible's chapters, Angie scribbled a little note to me saying

 

"I'm kinda lost!...lol"

 

And that's when we started having a secret little scribbling conversation! That was until the class finished...

 

Later that afternoon we went to the Auckland Town Hall to watch the Auckland Symphony Orchestra perform river music. Yes I know river music doesn't sound all that riveting, but it was a loosely themed programme anyway. Once again we got told off for taking photos in the Town Hall! How come we seem to be the ones who always get picked on when other people get away with it??!!!

 

While my mum spent half an hour checking out that Japanese $3 shop after the concert, Hamish, Aonghas and I walked down Queen St looking for interesting things to look at. I decided to show them the arcade that Alice had taken me to, and showed them what DDR was like! We didn't actually try it out. We just watched someone else attempt it.

 

Monday was just another uni day, except that I:

- caught up with my German friend Michael in MEDSCI for once because I came early! Yay!!

- paid Sarena to buy my KiwiAsian Club ball ticket. YES I'm going to a ball this year and the first ever KiwiAsian Club event for me! Yay!!

- went to Tamaki an hour early to attend my tutors' office hours to get some advice for my assignment. Yay....

 

I tried staying up all night working on my assignment. I managed to do a little bit but didn't quite get it all done. I managed to only have two hours of sleep before it was back off to uni!

 

The topic of my health psychology lecture that morning? SLEEP! Some worrying things we learnt are that sleep deprivation can make you sick, get cancer or KILL YOU! Eeek I've got to sleep earlier! I'm getting an assignment for health psychology next week in which we have to modify our behavour or something like that. My dad suggests I try going to bed early!

 

As expected I kinda dozed off a little in that lecture. Medsci was pretty good. Our lecturer concluded his last lecture on the endocrine system by singing a song about MEGA-STRESS (to the tune of I want to be in America from Westside Story). I'll try put it up here somehow!

 

I had my health pscyhology tutorial up in Grafton where I got to play with the cool access cards again, oh and learn stuff. I met a few new people in my class too! I did fall asleep a little during the video clips that were shown!

 

I was originally going to hang around Grafton because I heard the biology class from Rutherford were somewhere on campus, but I never found out so I went back to the city and had lunch with Alice before working on my assignment in the computer room till about 6pm when I went off to catch the bus to Diocesan School.

 

Fact: till last night, Calum had never caught the right bus or get off at the right stop while trying to get to Diocesan School.

1st attempt - I got off and found myself at Epsom Girls Grammar.

2nd attempt - The bus just ignored me and drove off!

 

This time I was hoping I would make it! I thought I'd take a quick snooze on the bus. When I woke up though I found myself looking through the window at this building that said 62 on it. I knew I had to get off at 29 Great South Road, and so I thought I might've missed my stop! I pushed the bus stop button. As the bus moved a little more along the road, I saw a road sign and realised that this was a different road! I was thinking I might have to get off to save face! However, the bus stopped at the next bus stop. No one got off, the bus driver closed the doors and continued. PHEW!

 

I managed to get to Diocesan all on my own only to find the building locked! Mrs Betanzo, an English teacher from Rutherford just turned up at the same time though and we saw someone working in an office who we got to unlock the door.

 

As I mentioned before, Rutherford beat Auckland Grammar in the semifinals, and I must say I've never seen depressed Grammar boys before! Although these guys weren't overly sad, they weren't acting like it didn't matter either! Seeing that kinda felt...yeah anyway...

 

I was going to get a lift back to uni with my dad who was transporting the rest of the team, till he realised he locked his steering wheel and didn't have the key for it! That's when I took my cue to exit! I ended up staying at the uni till 11pm working on my assignment before catching the bus home.

 

I got really frustrated at night while trying to work on it as this biopsychosocial model has been so confusing to get my head around! I eventually decided to take three hours of sleep before keeping on going.

 

As soon as I got up I took a shower and planned the rest of my essay in there and then kept on working right up till 11.45am. My first lecture for the day was at 12pm so my dad rushed me into the city for the lecture. That kinda reminded me of the last time I finished my assignment at the last minute! Anyway I handed in my essay with a couple hours (which were occupied by a lecture and tutorial) to spare, and spent the rest of that time nodding off in Tamaki.

 

When I got back I caught up with Shen and his friends for the first time! And now is about the time I should get going to catch the bus to Auckland Grammar. Hopefully I don't miss this one! Fingers crossed for a 2-nil Rutherford clean-sweep over Auckland Grammar!

Racism Alive and Well

Just a day after a story was featured on 20/20 about racism in New Zealand, I myself got racially abused as I delivered newspapers!

Yesterday I was strolling down the path while delivering newspapers when these two boys up in a tree called out to me

"GO BACK TO CHINATOWN!!!!"

I just kept going on my way, with a smile on my face. What a change, they think I look Asian! :D

Thank Goodness These Reasons Aren't why MOST People Have Sex!

As featured in this NZ Herald article:

BOTTOM FIVE REASONS TO HAVE SEX FOR MEN

1. The person offered to give me drugs for doing it.
2. I wanted to give someone else a sexually transmitted disease.
3. I wanted to punish myself.
4. I wanted to break up my relationship.
5. I wanted to get a job.

BOTTOM FIVE REASONS TO HAVE SEX FOR WOMEN

1. I wanted to give someone else a sexually transmitted disease.
2. Someone offered me money to do it.
3. I wanted to get a raise.
4. It was an initiation rite to a club or organisation.
5. I wanted to get a job.

Week Long

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ESTHER!!!
And condolences to Mr Jameson (ex-principal of Rangeview Intermediate) upon the passing of his wife

It's been a week, so here's a look back at that week:

Last Thursday I had my first MEDSCI lab at the Grafton campus, and guess what? My access card was working, so you could picture me standing there swiping my card just for the fun of it! Anyway time caught up and I had to go to the lab. Not knowing anyone in my lab, I was hoping I'd be able to make a new friend (preferably a girl hahaha nah boy or girl I don't mind!). I caught up with Sheena, the girl I met on the bus the week before, and so I sat next to her and became her lab partner.

We had to pick the rat we wanted to dissect. I picked this large male rat with his face covered in blood (due to the CO2 - they died in a 'humane' fashion). We were shown how to open up the rat on the TV screens. At first everyone felt really bad about cutting open the rats as they looked so innocent! Once we got into it though playing with the guts, lungs, stomach and other bits and pieces inside, we soon forgot what we were playing around with! The smell was horrible though. Fortunately no one popped a caecum or else the whole lab would've stunk!

The following Friday I had one lecture in the morning and then spent the rest of the day sleeping in the library (I was trying to study!), before Hamish and I went to the Dessert Club's movie night in the engineering building later that night. Of course dessert was available before the movie!  We watched a Cantonese movie 'Infernal Affairs' which is supposed to be the movie that 'The Departed' is based on. The movie was pretty cool, and I was able to pick up a bit of the Cantonese which was an added bonus! (NB please please please Cantonese-speaking people speak to me in Cantonese!!!)

The weekend was just the usual music lessons and church. Boring boring boring...

I had a meeting with my scholarship mentor Aritra on Monday. We had a discussion on what my future should be and what I should aim for this semester. Pretty much I've got to aim for the very very very best! Not too sure if that's possible for me!

On Tuesday we had a VERY interesting health psychology lecture in which the lecturer spoke for 15 minutes and then put on a BBC documentary which was really fascinating! The following health psychology tutorial was very short because the DVD we were supposed to watch didn't get delivered. This meant I got back into the city earlier. I caught up with Melissa at the KiwiAsian Club tent trying to type her assignment. It's been a while since I last talked to Melissa! I've also been a little behind on what the KiwiAsian Club have been getting up to (actually I haven't done anything with that club or the Hong Kong Students Society!!!), and I discovered the reason for this was because their emails were being delivered to my junk mail folder! Anyway I found out that the KAC (KiwiAsian Club) ball is in September, and so I'm definitely going to try attend that!

Following that, I had a dental check-up at Middlemore Hospital. I now have green braces! :D

My dad later dropped me off in Mt Roskill to watch Rutherford vs St Peters in the Soccer Knockout Cup with Patrick, Niven and another guy. Unfortunately Rutherford weren't at the top of their game and lost 5-0. Then again, Rutherford are in the B grade while the St Peters team are in the premier grade (despite being one of the weakest in their grade!).
Mr Moore (Rutherford's principal) joked that I might've been their bad luck charm!

Another major achievement last Wednesday - I didn't fall asleep during population health for the very first time this semester! I kept myself awake making notes this time! I was hoping to make some new friends in my tutorial class as once again I knew no one in my tutorial class. There didn't seem to be too many girls in my class! I sat next to this Asian guy called Oliver. It didn't exactly start off too well! Because he didn't say too much, I asked him

"Oh so you been in New Zealand for long?"

He replied:

"I've been here for nine years....is that long enough?"


OK not a good way to start off but it got better towards the end! I don't know why I always seem to make friends with the less talkative people! There I am constantly struggling to find something to break the silence!

I sat there in the Tamaki cafeteria by myself (all my friends went back to the city without me!) waiting for the Health Science afternoon tea, so I would hopefully be able to get a better idea of where Health Science could lead me. Weeeellll....I can't say I'm any wiser. The lecturers kept telling us that Health Science students were in hot demand, and most people employed in the health promotion area at the moment didn't have qualifications, so if we graduated with one, we would get a job with almost no problem. They also said they were developing an honours programme for Health Science, which would mean you would only study the normal three years for the degree, plus one extra year for honours, and then you'd be able to go straight to PhD! That would mean if I got into honours, I'd be able to start my PhD by the time I'm 22! I guess that's not too bad, but would I want to have a PhD in Health Science? We'll have to see....

Yesterday I had two classes in the morning and then I hung out with my friend Henry for a little while before deciding to catch the bus home from the city. I caught up with George on the bus and had a good chat!

Today I've got the day off so I can spend it on starting (and hopefully completing!) my 2000 word essay on the evolution of the Biopsychosocial Model and its impact on the practice of medicine :S