Studying Out

I have recently discovered the joy of literally studying out.

I have the really bad habit of needing to be outside the house to be able to get some decent studying done. Which sounds like a paradox to people who need quiet and isolation to focus, but makes perfect sense to my kindred souls who need stimulation apart from our reading material to keep us awake. That and absolutely no access to the temptation of our beds. I learned to devour academic data in coffee shops through med school and residency, and Starbucks has my undying gratitude for helping me pass two major medical boards.

Unfortunately, there is no Starbucks in Perth - and no coffee shop that would be sympathetic and allow anyone to park at a table all day and night after ordering just 2 cups of coffee. Sure, we have libraries, but even quiet libraries can sometimes trigger a really bad case of claustrophobia.

Fortunately, a picnic blanket spread upon the lawn of any of Perth's beautiful parks is almost just as good, if not better.

I'm not going to lie, studying somewhere surrounded by beauty and activity can be quite distracting. But once you've gotten into the swing of things, it's just like being in a coffee shop - only you're sprawled on a picnic blanket instead of hogging a table.

The downside to this is that this study position is conducive to unscheduled naps - and the propensity towards sunburn. The upside is that it's free... and you can even bring your own coffee. And people-watching serves as a great sanity break.

I really can't wait for Spring.
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Starbucks University Library

Fact: I am completely incapable of studying at home.

Whether this peculiarity is because of my inherent lack of discipline or whether it is the product of conditioning, the bottom line is the same - in order to get a decent amount of reviewing done, I have to study OUT.

Believe me, in the interest of saving my dwindling funds, I've already tried locking myself up in an apartment unit away from all forms of temptation - no TV, no laptop, no internet - but to no avail. After only half a day, I was ready to climb walls and tear my hair out from the stress. In the interest of preserving my sanity, I packed away my books and my notes and lugged them all to Starbucks.

Leave me to do intense studying in an empty apartment with no one around, and you better come back for me with a straitjacket or I will not be responsible for my actions. Just a few days ago, my brain completely short-circuiting from my forced solitary confinement, I was compelled to throw an impromptu concert with my iPod as accompaniment, a hairbrush as my microphone, and the empty office room as audience. (Don't ask me to explain how that helped because I can't - it just did).

Life would be so much easier - not to mention less expensive - if we had easy access to public libraries that are open late into the night. School libraries close at 9pm at the latest and require ID for access. This poses a unique problem for people like me who are: a) no longer affiliated with any academic institution and are studying for make-or-break certification exams, b) at our absorptive best later in the day and into the wee hours of the morning, and c) need the stimulus of seeing other people around to facilitate the learning process. Besides, even if I could find a library that would let me study in it, the point would be moot because all schools are on Christmas hiatus right now.

Thank goodness for Pinoy coffee culture, which means there is an accessible open coffeehouse just a stone's throw away from anywhere in Manila. The ubiquitous coffee house has become a haven for eccentric and reluctant academics like me - reasonably quiet except during peak hours, the pleasant smell of coffee brewing hanging in the air, unlimited access to coffee (if you're willing to spend for it), the sight of other people to break your boredom, and store hours extending into the wee hours of the morning. Rising noise levels and annoying patrons in neighboring tables can be effectively drowned out by music streaming from MP3 players or - for those who don't like studying with music - with industrial foam earplugs which can be purchased from any hardware store for less than P50.

As a case in point... what library would be open on the day before Christmas anywhere in the Philippines? Yet on Christmas eve, my batchmate Vic-vic and I were still both in an almost-deserted Starbucks Libis, poring over our Harrison's like our lives depended on it - which they do. (That we were even studying on Christmas eve is something that deserves a full-length rant in another entry reserved for another time.)

If it hadn't been for the existence of these coffee places, I probably wouldn't have passed our Medical Boards. It might even have taken me reasonably longer to graduate from medical school.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the combined magic of coffee and luck will help carry me through the day again this time around.

That's it for now - I'm already behind schedule in my review as it is. I'm off to Starbucks!

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"Exam Na Naman?!"

One way of looking at medicine as a profession is by viewing it as a series of never ending examinations.


No matter how high up the training ladder you go, there is always one more.

You'd think that after the countless exams we had as medical students, our life would be free from them once we graduated! But the truth is, this constant evaluation is a curse we have to contend with for most of our professional lives.

Lawyers have the bar; accountants, architects, engineers, dentists, and other professionals have their own professional boards to contend with. But for them these major examinations are a once-in-a-lifetime thing -- unless they go abroad and have to take examinations for the country they are getting into. In fairness, doctors who opt to practice as GP's need only take our medical board exams before they hang out a shingle and start their practice. But for doctors who choose the option of specialty training, our medical boards are just the beginning.

It is baffling to my "non-showbiz" friends when I turn their invitations down for a night on the town with the unfortunate excuse, "I have to study."

So, yes, on top of our hospital duties, we still need to pull all-nighters to read our best friend Harrison's for our regular exams. And now, as we're reaching the end of this stage in our training, our reward is... yet another make-or-break exam. *sigh*

I am getting too old for this. Here is proof:




This is my single photo essay on how not to study.

Even the atmosphere and the coffee in Starbucks are not proof to the frailty of the human body - and the wonderfully sleep-inducing text.

Now I wonder how in the world I will be able to get past the next exam.

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