The Vitamin D cycle

This is how I study medicine. I find boring things and turn them into this shit to make them easy to study.

This is the story of how Vitamin D was perverted into its present form. Once, long ago, The 7th (7-dehydrocholesterol) led a happy life. It lived peacefully in the skin, minding its own business and going about its own dehydro duties. Then, misfortune struck, for her virtue brought her to the attention of the Heavens and UV light sought to marry her. 
"Nay, I am sworn to celibacy, Your Brightness" The 7th said.
"But I will make you Queen of the Heavens," said UV, trying to grab her.
The 7th fled in fright and this rejection so angered The Great UV that he cursed her, condemning her to be stripped of her titles, and because she rejected him she would now be available to everyone, hence she was renamed Cal Fer All (Cholecalciferol/D3). 
Cal Fer All was pushed out into the strange world of The Blood where she was buffeted about by all manner of twisted things rushing by. Finally, a blood cell took pity on her and took her to The Liver in the hopes that the Great Modifier might have a solution. 
But this hope backfired for The Liver's response was something along the lines of, "Wha'chu talkin' about nigga? Can an'body understan' a thang of what this here gal is sayin'? Throw out this motha'fucka" 
The Liver's guard, 25-Hydroxylase was ordered to escort out Cal Fer All, but because the guard was a pervert and because she had been declared Fer All, 25-Hydroxylase dragged her to a corner, had his way with her to the extent that she took on his name as her own and pushed her back into The Blood. Cal Fer All, now renamed 25-hydroxy Cal Fer All (25-Hydroxycholecalciferol) went weeping to the kidney where useless things like her were destined. But The Kidney, being a great fortune teller, saw that 25-Hydroxy Cal Fer All still had a use in the body and order his guard 1-alpa Hydroxylase to throw her back in The Blood. But this 1-alpha Hydroxylase, considering himself a great, virile alpha and being brother to the pervert 25-Hydroxylase, also dragged 25-Hydroxy Cal Fer All into a corner and then pushed her back into The Blood. Now known as 1,25-dihydroxy Cal Fer All, her nature had been completely changed. Gone was the sweet child of the skin. In its place was a monster, who perceiving that her second name Calcitriol suggested three Cals, set about finding someone else to share in the trio of misery. Her eye fell on Calcium and Phosphate, setting up house in the Bone and later trying to escape in the intestine. She dragged them, kicking and screaming, back into The Blood and there they drift to this day. 

Words, words, words

Which of us is not aware of the cathartic power of words in a moment of extreme rage. Be they words flung at another person, or scribbled feverishly in an attempt to calm the mind, or even words from another, in a book, a magazine, a blog, a movie perhaps, which seem to so adroitly describe the rage which coils inside oneself.
Needless to say, this post is dedicated to the power of words, brought on in a mockingjay-inspired reverie.

 Now, I'm not saying it's the most well-written of books. I've read better writing styles. But Mockingjay had a powerful ending, one which struck deep. And I must say, the choice of words for that unexpected ending had a big role in making it as interesting as it was.

I love dramatic sentences. And the use of a word in an unexpectedly different way. There's just something about the shape of a certain word, the way it fits a particular situation, the myriad ways in which it can be expressed, which make words something much more than just a means of expression.

Here, have some amateur photography.

All the proof you need of the fact that I'm a proud bibliophile.

And a self-proclaimed writer.

  

Sepia is quite beautiful, is it not? I can see this post has degenerated from a tribute to words, to a mere ramble about some of my idiosyncrasies. But then again, that's what blogging is about, yes? With the only difference being, some bloggers ramble much more eloquently than others and have more interesting lives to ramble about. Alas, for an ordinary life.

The idiocies of men

This is not a feminist post. I'm all for women's rights, because, hell, I don't want to be stuck at home, but I can't get myself all impassioned over it. This is just a rave brought on by desperate housewives. I'm not a fan but I've seen some episodes. And in the last one I saw, I HATED TOM. yes, I gave in to capitals. Asshole leaves his wife for another woman, then doesn't divorce wife, effectively preventing her from moving on, and when his 'lover' hands over the divorce papers to his wife, now ex-wife, he gets angry and says he still cares about the wife. Well, too bad mr. want-every-woman, you gotta choose between the two. But oh no, he must be selfish and dangle them both along. Keep one in case the other ditches him. MEN -_-

10% doctor

With a total of 10 semesters over 5 years, I figure one semester done should make me 10 percent of a doctor, right? Right.
After starting at university again I've realized I need lots of fancy quotes around me to excuse my recently acquired antisocial tendencies. Not to mention, they still haven't shown us any dead bodies. With all the deaths in Karachi, you'd think they'd be able to get their hands on a few cadavers for us, but no. Still not showing us the morbidness which med schools are famous for.

I'M BACK

Hey all,
So after a hiatus of over a year I am back again to start adding inane details about my life to the already overcrowded world of the interwebz. But that's freedom, right?
 Moving on, why have I been away so long and what have I been doing? Mundane questions. Suffice it to say, I've changed from a multitude of incidents. And I like the new me.
Why am I back? Well, I've recently started reading a number of blogs and I've been toying with the idea of restarting my blog. The real pushing factor came from a class fellow's blog, which I unexpectedly stumbled across and which kind of fascinated me. So now, I is back.
What is happening now? I'm in med school, I'm having fun and I'm finding out I have hitherto unsuspected depths of depravity in my soul.
Who do I think will read this? I shall have to wait for the comments for that one.
Until then, bless ye who read this

Time Travelling

So for those of you who don't know nothing about my comic craze, allow me to explain. I love drawing. I have these dreams of becoming a comic artist someday. And NO, I am not one of the sad creatures who wanted to study fine arts but instead are being forced into the murky world of science by the parental body. I simply find the idea of being a doctor plus part-time comic artist, fascinating. So enjoy the bizarre humour of my comics.

Cliches

So yea, we're all taught to frown upon cliches and avoid them at all costs. And nothing is more annoying then having cliched versions of "i told you so!" when you've just flunked a university entrance exam.

But sometimes they're so damn true. Take this for instance,

Grief comes in 5 stages: denial, anger, depression, regret, acceptance.

DENIAL: NO! NO! NO! HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN TO ME! I'M SUPPOSED TO ME SMART! HOW CAN THEY FAIL ME BY 4% *tosses letter aside* this not happening! this is not happening! *starts tearing at hair quite literally*

ANGER: oh so you've rejected me huh? I'll be the best fucking doctor in asia one day and then when you beg me to come work for you I'll spit in your faces! HAH! I'm better then this! I can do so much better! *has no idea what the hell to do* 

DEPRESSION: *lolling around in bed* i wanna diiiiiiiiiiie! *sends emo suicidal text to friend who freaks out and starts texting back like crazy* i was born to loooose! why do people like me exist! *forgets about the exam being held next day*

REGRET: *sits crying at kitchen table in front of mommy* MY FAULT! MY FAULT! I should've worked harder! why didn't i work harder! why did i waste so much time on the computer! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME! *bangs down fist hard enough to spray self and mommy with mashed potato bits* I'll never feel like this again! I'll always work hard for what I want!

ACCEPTANCE: will blog about it when it comes -_-


Currently, I'm still hovering between no 3 and 4 with random bursts of hysterical-laughter induced optimism thrown in.

A Japanese dream come true

This incident actually happened quite a while ago, but I thought it worth blogging about since I have nothing else to blog about at present (not writing about drones yet). So the other day I went to the super market to get some stuff. And this was one of those big, fancy markets where all the foreigners come too. I'm standing in front of the chocolates rack and suddenly all these Asians come outta nowhere, like 7 or 8 of em. I almost swooned there and then (LOVE the far east). So anyway, they're standing in front of the racks, and I'm like "Uh excuse me" No response. "EXCUSE ME" NO RESPONSE. Then I say, "Sumimasen?" (excuse me in Japanese). ALL of them turned around to look at me with these wide eyes and shocked expressions. One minute nobody's paying any attention to me, next minute they're gaping at me. Instead of making small talk (THEY'RE ASIANS. HOW COULD I MISS OUT ON THAT OPPORTUNITY), I grabbed the chocolates I wanted and walked away, highly confused by their gaping. 

Such an ultimately spontaneous experience. I will never forget the sheer epicness of that encounter. Ever. Not even when I'm cruising through the sea of Japan on my private yacht.  

Unity

Most Pakistanis, it seems, are born and bred to hate the nation that was once a part of their own. Come any competition and along with a fervent desire to see Pakistan win, we start booing down India. But recently, I found out from a friend across the border that most Indians actually support Pakistan unless they're playing against India. He told me there were so many fans (Indian and Pakistani) who swapped tickets with each other so that they could watch one inning each. And this guy has never once said anything insulting about Pakistan or Islam. Which leaves me wondering, if so many of us common citizens can overcome the hatred of decades, why is it so hard for those political bigshots to not be at each others throats. Pakistan, India, Bangladesh; we're all the same race, same land, share a common past. What is it that makes it so hard for different facets of the same culture to co-exist in peace?
These thoughts are exactly why I've shocked half the people around me by saying; "COME ON INDIA! I'm as much on your side as Srilanka's!" :p

Addiction of a whole new kind

I've heard that the radiations from your computer screen can eventually turn your brain to goo; destroy the left side of it, which is the creative part of the brain and in general do lots of other horrible stuff. All the horrible stuff that comes from an unhealthy addiction. And for me that's typing. I love typing. It's so soothing. The keys giving way, the staccato clicks, the plastic feel: oh so lovely and mechanical and familiar. I'm addicted to typing. No wonder people think I'm nuts.

MUNIK 2011

Much as I'd like to believe that I've been blessed with literary talent, the belief is often challenged by my inability to find the right words for transcribing events onto paper. Or perhaps, life is sometimes just too rich to be confined to mere words.

MUNIK '11 is the perfect example. To describe the seriousness of the debates, the companion ship amongst delegates within regional blocs, the camaraderie within committees and the sheer festivity of the last day, is beyond my limited scope.

Even in this digital age of pictures and videos, concrete memories are hard to hold and already MUNIK '11 has become as fleeting as something my imagination would conjure. But no amount of time will erase such epic moments as Maha saying, "Pretend Ehab is a pole and dance around him", or the delegate of USA announcing "With great power comes great responsibility" (EPIC) or Brazil's desperation to find out who sent the "Brazil is sexy" chit. (XD)

The length of this reminiscence is a testament to how fast time erases memories, even if they are as rich as the acronym MUN itself.  

English inspirations

After years of exhilaration every time there's a hint of rain, and looking at forests in England it's not hard to see where masters like Tolkien and C.S. Lewis get their inspirations from. Rainy weather has brought the best in my poetry and I'm just an amateur. The epics seem to be as much a product of their surroundings as of their mastery of words and unrestrained imaginations. Its not just the English, everywhere it seems, the wilder and lusher the scenery, the greater the stories. Now if only I could find a nice cave up north to complete my epic in....

One of a kind New Year Resolution

This lovely image shows THE DOLDRUMS. Which is where my brain seems to be right now. My very unique, highly individualistic New Year's Resolution is to jerk it outta this vegetative, slowly decomposing into shit state and bring it back to its former glory of a poem a week and more ideas than i know what to do with. Or maybe i could revert to the comforting refrain of 3 idiots: All iz well. I am, after all, supposed to not have existentialist problems at this age. How comforting.

Ecosytem of women

A few days ago, out of sheer boredom, I went to pick up my little brother from school. FPS. Maila-burger school. Teeming outside were WOMEN. Lots of them. And so fake they made me want to either vomit or kill myself for fear that I'd grow up to be one of them. Like the title says, they were like this ecosystem where the dominant species were women, attracted to each other by lieu of their similar clothes and similar over-done makeup or repulsed if one of them turned up looking plain. What made them flourish? gossip. Talking in fake accents. Pretending to be all western and high-class. Seriously. Somebody needs a reality check. Bleagh.

Food for cynics?

I had a fit of patriotism plus social awareness a few minutes ago so I went reading today's dawn online, and stumbled across a pretty hilarious article in which dear Nawaz offers his esteemed advice to President Zardari (if only there was some cyberspace pathway to project sarcasm in that) on governance. I quote "Prime Minister Gilani in his speech in the National Assembly on Nov 3 had remarked that he would welcome suggestions and recommendations from those who had misgivings about the government`s commitment to good governance. It is in the spirit of his offer that I want to share some of my thoughts with you, as I have done in the past with all sincerity" Yeah, that's what "Mr. Sharif" says in his letter. Seriously, the name "Nawaz Sharif" in itself is an oxymoron. Now I'm wondering if this new letter will be fresh fodder for the cynics who've come to believe Pakistani politics are doomed or maybe an extra point for the ones who argue there's still hope. Either way, I just think it's funny.


To read the full article: Nawaz offers advice to zardari

Star Wars Hybrid

welwitschia merabilis. Yes, it's a plant. That thing is actually alive somewhere on this planet. Pretty cool isn't it. Botany can be so much more interesting if those droning, learned-everything-by-heart people were replaced with someone slightly more human. Happy plant viewing ;)

Living through history

Karachi. Pakistan's biggest metropolis with over 16 million residents and one of the most dangerous cities in South Asia. You'd think we were all jaded survivors by now, but I happen to be among the lucky, clueless ones. Agitation like this is nothing new: zia, benazir...just recall their times and its history's repeating itself. Which means one day people will write about these events and we're actually living through history. Its so surprisingly uneventful. Which is sad because in the future someone like me will write a history of something which someone in his/her position won't even dream of experiencing. And the actual biographies are the ones nobody sets up as a syllabus. Which is sad.

Butterfly in the spider's web

Smile, Smile,
Ye Goddess of Love,
Too readily did I see thy charms,
Thy follies from the eye are hid,
O, thoughtless youth,
Tell me who,
Will take the blame of hearts astray?
You or me or some divine?
Perhaps winged Eros,
Whose fabled charms,
Transcend the worlds of myths of old,
Saw fit to fire the deadly shafts,
One the poison,
One the cure,
Those dualities,
They landed true,
O sweet archer!
With mirth dance thy wine-touched eyes,
For your poison is the only one,
Whose coming makes the heart rejoice,
No antidotes can I unearth,
Laugh great Goddess!
Your twilight paths,
Why must they be trod,
By only us,
Whose blood runs thick with Cupid’s charms?
Too long has run this litany,
The world must only read this far,
But one last thing I dare to ask,
The butterfly in the spider’s web,
O heartless lover,
Which is you and which is me?

Once Again.......Arashi

There are some songs you listen to because you can't find something better, and there are some you fall in love with on the first line. This song is MUSIC, true MUSIC. And the love-struck lyrics actually strike deep :p


You don't have to know japanese to get hooked onto this :3

Lyrics:
Mou ichido bokura wa ima ugokidashita mirai e
Kogidase mune ni omoi kizamikonde
Tsukamitoreru sa te o nobaseba mada
Wasureteita yume ga soko ni aru

Bokura zutto tobenakute sora miage nagameteta
Nani mo dekizu ate mo naku tada sagashitsuzuketa ano koro

Tohou ni kureta toki dake sugite
Nemurenai yoru kasaneteitanda
Obieta kyou no mukougawa e
Tadoritsukeru hi ga kuru kitto

Mou ichido bokura wa ima ugokidashita mirai e
Kogidase mune ni omoi kizamikonde
Tsukamitoreru sa te o nobaseba mada
Wasureteita yume ga soko ni aru

Tashika na mono mienakute toikaketeta every night
Mawari mo miezu ni tsukisusumi muchuu de kakenuketa ano koro

Furidashita ame ni kesareta koe o
Mune ni kizami wasurenai you ni
Wakiokoru omoi to tomo ni
Kimi ni todoku hi ga kuru kitto

Mou ichido bokura wa ima kakenuketeku mirai e
Egaita yume wa kitto omoi no mama
Akirameru na kuyamu kurai nara mou
Shijite kita asu wa soko ni aru

Miushinaikaketeta
"Negai kake egaita yume" no saki e to once again
Ano koro idaku fuan datte
Muda ni nante nannai matteta tte datte...
Yori takaku tobu tame ni hikuku shagamu koto datte bokura ni wa hitsuyou
Dakara douka ima chance o once again
Sou nando nando mo again and again

Mou ichido bokura wa ima ugokidashita mirai e
Kogidase mune ni omoi kizamikonde
Tsukamitoreru sa te o nobaseba mada
Wasureteita yume ga soko ni aru

Stand up!! Bokura wa ima kakenuketeku mirai e
Egaita yume wa kitto omoi no mama
Akirameru na kuyamu kurai nara mou
Shinjite kita asu wa soko ni aru


Once again we're pedaling toward the future that has just begun
With our feelings carved into our hearts
We can still grab it if we reach out our hands
The dream we had forgotten about is right there

All that time we couldn't fly, so we kept looking up at the sky
Unable to do anything and with no destination, we just kept searching

We just spent all our time not knowing what to do
Sleepless nights kept piling up
I know the day will come when we'll reach
The other side of the today we were so scared of

Once again we're pedaling toward the future that has just begun
With our feelings carved into our hearts
We can still grab it if we reach out our hands
The dream we had forgotten about is right there

We couldn't see the things we were certain of, and asked after them every night
We just pushed forward, blind to our surroundings and absorbed in running

The voice silenced by the rain starting to fall
I'll carve it into my heart so I won't forget it
Together with these feelings surging forth
I know the day will come when I'll reach you

Once again we're running toward the future
The dream we've created will surely be just as we imagined it
Don't give up! If it's already enough to make you regret
The tomorrow we've always believed in is right there

I had almost lost sight of it
Beyond "the dream I set my wishes on" once again
Even the anxieties I had back then
Will never go to waste - I've been waiting, because...
We have to crouch down lower before we can jump up higher
So please, give me a chance now once again
Yeah, over and over, again and again

Once again we're pedaling toward the future that has just begun
With our feelings carved into our hearts
We can still grab it if we reach out our hands
The dream we had forgotten about is right there

Stand up!! We're running toward the future
The dream we've created will surely be just as we imagined it
Don't give up! If it's already enough to make you regret
The tomorrow we've always believed in is right there

Letters to myself

When I was younger, I used to write letters to myself. I kid you not, I'd write them and date them two years in the future. So I read one the other day and I was surprised because I've honestly changed so much. I was pretty idealistic-no wait, I still am. though a little realistically so...what an oxymoron: realistically idealistic. Anyway, back to the letters. 2 years ago I was all set to be the next Einstein...big scientific ambitions. Zoom on to the present and the science ambitions are still there but I'm 10 times lazier and more liable to get distracted by a random hot guy walking by XD So, crazy as it sounds, writing letters to myself is a pretty good past-time....who knows when I'll need them to make me laugh <3