Week One Is Done

It's Friday afternoon and I am done with my first week of school.  I definitely hit the ground running, making it almost seem as if I never even had time off.  After my first week, here are my impressions:

Clinical Engineering:  I have a lecture and lab for this class, both on Monday.  The subject should be interesting, but I've received feedback from other students who have either taken the class or had the professor lecture in another course and have said that as a lecturer he could be better.  We'll have to see on that one because it's hard to tell after only one meeting.  The lab section of the class is going to be difficult.  The major project we will be working on is modelling the cardiovascular system, which will be super cool, using a program called LabView.  The only experience I've had with this program was senior year at Stanford in the devil class ("Intro" to Sensors) and it wasn't fun.  Hopefully it won't be as painful this time.

Biomaterials:  Finally in my element.  I've had three lectures so far (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday) and will add in a tutorial next week, but we began the class by talking about hard and soft tissues and their mechanical properties.  Surprisingly, I am one of only two people in the class with an engineering background, so I realized that once he began throwing around terms like stress, strain, elasticity, anisotropy and Young's modulus, that I finally have a leg up.  He showed pictures of stress-strain curves and I knew what they were...it was a good feeling.  I think I'm going to like this class, especially because our professor is a biomechanical engineer himself.  All of the research he references really catches my eye and I'm really excited to continue on with this guy.  Our first assigned reading was a scientific paper about how bones respond to loading, and the author cited three different papers written by my Stanford advisor, Dennis Carter.  I thought that was pretty cool, not only because I took an entire class on the subject already, but because I can say, "I know that guy!"

Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells:  This is going to be the Medical Imaging class of this semester, meaning that I'll be spending the bulk of my time trying to wade through all of the information thrown at me.  I only have two lectures (Tuesday and Wednesday) and a tutorial, but we are going to have to write two 4000-word papers (about 15 pages; one due in three weeks) and we'll have work to prepare for each tutorial section.  In this first week we learned about the tissue engineering paradigm and how scientists have successfully grown a human ear on the back of an immuno-suppressed mouse (called the Vacanti mouse...look it up).  Kind of crazy stuff.  We also took a background quiz and from that I learned that I need to go back and brush up on some basic biology and organic chemistry...fun, fun, fun.

Anatomy and Physiology for Engineers:  This was the shocker of the group because it's way different than I thought it was going to be/what I had prepared myself for.  We only meet once a week and luckily last night we didn't take up the entire three hours, as was scheduled (I don't know how any brain can fully function for three hours, especially in the late afternoon).  There was hardly any introduction to the course and we just jumped right in to learning about neurons and neural pathways and how this influences the types of prostheses we can successfully implant/attach to humans.  It was really an amazing lecture, but next week, as well as every week after that, we will be getting something completely different.  It was stated that the goal was to get us to think like engineers when we are faced with a medical problem.  I think I'm going to like the course, especially because our only assessment throughout the semester is one 2000-word essay  :)

That's all as far as classes go.  It was quite stressful jumping back in, and I didn't even have any real tutorials or labs this week.  The days seemed to fly by and if that's any indication of how the rest of the semester is going to go, then it's going to be over before I know it.  This weekend I have to get started on my reading for the first Tissue Engineering tutorial as well as getting myself organized so I can begin my 15-page paper.  It's been nice to settle back into a routine after being gone for so long, but I'm sad to say that I think my beautiful tan is beginning to fade.  It's not nearly the type of weather where I can go outside in shorts and a tank top.  In fact it's quite the opposite; I'm back to winter coats and scarves.  It's okay because it's dry and at least the sun is out.

Lastly, I got hired to write for a website called WeekendNotes.com.  It's basically just a place where people write about fun/cool things to do around Melbourne and other cities.  The pay isn't spectacular, but I'm already tracking all the cool things I do so I might as well cut and paste it onto this website and get something out of it.  If anything it will pay for my trip to the cinema to see Harry Potter!

Last First Day

Tomorrow marks my last ever first day of school.  Round two of my studies at the University of Melbourne start in the morning and I'm both excited and nervous.  I have high expectations for my classes this semester and I'm really hoping that I won't come out disappointed.  It's hard to believe that I am only 12 weeks away from my degree.  I still often wonder if this is all for real and feel like I'll wake up at any moment in my bed back in Menlo Park.  It's been a crazy five months so far and I'm sure the next five months will prove to be much of the same.  The best part about this time around is the fact that I'm more prepared and have some idea of what lies ahead. 

First up at 9am tomorrow is Clinical Engineering.  Throughout the week I'll also have Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells, Anatomy and Physiology for Engineers, and Biomaterials.  I say bring it on.

Thank You, '10's!!

My classmates sent me a package for my birthday while I was away, and I was finally able to pick it up today.  I love what we've done over the past couple of years; we decided that it would be cool to pretty much give each other the same thing but with personal touches added in.  For example, last year we took an article of clothing and wrote birthday messages all over it (Weedge got a shirt, T some pants, Blur a hat, CJ some shoes) as well as a picture frame with class pictures and the word "inseparable" on it.  This year we ordered keychains in the shape of a star (significant because of a song that Blair wrote for us) and had them inscribed and we also put together CD's with songs that made us think of each person.  It's amazing because we are all so different yet we are tied together with such a strong bond.  These girls are my friends, my teammates, my sisters, and I am so lucky to have them in my life.  I love you, '10's!!

Cairns and The Great Barrier Reef

It's been awhile since I've written, partly because I didn't have adequate internet access.  Now I've been to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef and am actually sitting in my room back down in Melbourne.  It's crazy to think that I've been gone for almost a month and looking back, I've covered a lot of ground.

Cairns was fun, especially because the weather was so great.  I spent a total of six days in my final city and split up my time between a hostel located a bit farther away (so I could take some down time) and one right on the water in the center of town.  My first three days were rather laid back and spent by the pool reading or watching TV.  The hostel had a bar on the grounds and so one evening I had dinner there and on a separate night I participated in the pub quiz with an older couple serving as the other members of my team.  We had fun but unfortunately didn't win.  My two shining moments included being able to correctly identify 10 of 12 cartoon characters and also getting to the front of the bar fast enough in the lightening round to earn my team a free pitcher of beer (which my partners gladly drank).  After I learned some interesting facts, such as all polar bears are left-handed and Alfred Hitchcock didn't have a bellybutton, the couple at my table started giving me life advice.  Granted they were pretty drunk, but it was still fun to see what they had to say.  One of the things they pointed out is that I am a "square" and that I need to loosen up (aka they wanted me to drink more with them).

After I moved across town I was directly located on the esplanade, which is home to many restaurants and "Cairns Souvenirs" stores.  It's was much busier than the previous place, though I was still able to relax outside by the lagoon.  I went running along the waterfront and also ran a couple of errands to pick up some last minute things for my trip to the barrier reef.  After much deliberation I decided that it was something I had to do, in spite of my fear of getting seasick.  I went yesterday and it was awesome.  I think one of the things that makes it so cool is the fact that it's so perfect that it looks man-made, but it's most certainly not.  I clogged my body up with enough anti-nausea drugs to get me through the first half of the trip, but after lunch the waves got really bad and I spent a great deal of that time looking over the side of the boat (well, not really looking because I had my eyes closed) and just tried to breathe deep.  I wasn't alone...there were many barf bags filled during the course of the afternoon.

Cairns

We were given the opportunity to snorkel in two locations and not only did I see all the coral and some sea cucumbers (I held one!), but I was also lucky enough to spot some whales, a few sea turtles, and a couple of HUGE clams.  I went alongside one of the boat/tour guides and he pointed a bunch of cool things out and also stroked the clam so that we could see it open up; it was really neat.

snorklers

It took me a little while to get in the water (I thought it would be freezing but it was fine; I didn't even need a wetsuit) because of my small fear of fish.  I don't know what it is about having them swimming around me but it just makes me feel weird.  I got over it eventually and just went in, but the first few moments were...interesting.

fish right off the back of the boat

I finished up my trip and then went back to my room to try and settle my stomach.  I made a very light dinner and ended up taking another anti-nausea pill before going to bed just so that I could attempt to sleep without feeling like I was still rocking back and forth.  I woke up today and headed out the door to the airport.  Cairns International is a nice little airport, but my flight was delayed and I ended up sitting in the terminal for awhile.  Once on board, the flight was easy (until we started descending into Melbourne...the flight crew was told to slow down because of the bad weather) and we landed about an hour past our scheduled arrival time.  I was welcomed back into my apartment by some mail, including a notice that I have a parcel to pick up at the post office, a book from Amazon sent from some unknown source (I need to figure that one out), some birthday cards (thank you!!) and a bill from UniLodge that I have to sort out.  I have a big to-do list for tomorrow and the weekend.  I can't believe it but I'll hit the half-way mark tomorrow, meaning that I only have 5 months left in Australia.  School starts on Monday and I'm sure I'll be expected to hit the ground running.  It's nice not to feel as overwhelmed this time around.  I'm definitely more comfortable with the system and won't be the kid running around like a chicken with their head cut off.  It's time to switch my brain from vacation to work mode; good thing I gave myself a couple of days to do so because I know it's not going to be easy.

Townsville

I woke up and wasn't sore, so as I promised myself I got moving and went back up Castle Hill.  I went the opposite way this time, walking/running/shuffling my way up the paved road and heading down the gravel stairs.  I was very cautious going down and every step was meticulously calculated.  I brought along my camera this time and got some pictures of the view.  I could see all the way to Magnetic Island as well as the entire city of Townsville.

 After I got back I showered and had lunch before embarking on a journey to The Strand, which is the boardwalk lining the water.  However it was not at all what I was expecting and found myself growing quite bored, so I turned around and went back to the hostel for a nap (which was completely awesome).  My conclusion is that besides the hill, this town doesn't really have much to offer.  I am off to Cairns in a couple of hours for the remainder of my trip and am really excited.  This also means my last bus ride, woohoo!

I feel like I should also mention that for the past two nights I've eaten kangaroo for dinner.  I picked up some fillets at the store and decided to give it a go.  It turned out really well and I liked it a lot!  And no, it doesn't taste like chicken  :)

Castle Hill

This morning was a bit rushed but I got out the door in time to catch my bus up to Townsville.  It ended up being almost 30 minutes late (go figure) and I arrived around 2:15pm.  There were a lot of clouds along the way but when I arrived it was sunny and warm...probably the best weather I've encountered so far.  I got in and settled, ran to the store and came back ready to get moving.  In my travel book Castle Hill was listed as a popular running/walking site, so I thought I'd give it a try.  I started off well, but soon encountered steep hills as far as my eyes could see.  I kept plugging along until I thought my lungs were going to burst.  What I didn't realize was that I wasn't even at the start of the designated trail yet.  When I finally found it I began to walk because there was loose gravel everywhere and rocks sticking out of the ground at all angles.  The hills continued, along with the added pleasure of stairs.  Making my way up the hill I was reminded of the times I'd climbed Vernal Falls in Yosemite.  I kept looking up and seeing no end in sight.  However, as painful as it was, the view at the top was amazing.  I could see the entire city, the water, and Magnetic Island.  Instead of braving the stairs on the way down I went the long way around on the pavement.  It was a better choice for me I think because I was able to jog down and not worry about my leg giving out on me or rolling an ankle on a loose rock.  Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera with me, so now I'm debating about going back tomorrow.  I think it's going to depend on how I feel when I wake up in the morning; even though I would like to think that I'm in relatively good shape, I have this feeling that I'll wake up with a sore butt and quads.  However, it's doing things like that that make me feel lucky to have had a great ankle surgeon and reinforces my decision to have had my surgery when I did.  I've said it before, but thanks Dr. Hunt!  You're the man  :)

Airlie Beach

Ahhh, back by the water.  I arrived in Airlie Beach a couple of evenings ago and even in my short walk in the dark from the bus station to the hostel I could tell that more stuff goes on in this town than in either Rockhampton or Mackay.  I checked into the hostel and unpacked my stuff before getting to bed.  The hostel is nice, but I wish it were warmer.  I'm getting tired of being cold at night.

I woke up the next morning and took advantage of the free wi-fi by getting started with Google+ and video chatting with my entire family at the same time.  We were all on different computers and I just couldn't get over the fact that we were able to hold a conversation and see each other at the same time.  It's my new favorite toy  :)

After spending a good chunk of the morning on the computer, I got up and went running.  There is a little boardwalk lining the beach and I went back and forth along that a couple of times.  I went to the store to get enough food for my stay here, had lunch and then hit the beach.  I walked along the boardwalk again and snapped some photos.  I was really impressed with the man-made lagoon adjacent to the ocean; it was beautiful and the water was really warm. 

I ended up sitting in the sand by the water, just watching the sun set and listening to the waves coming in.  There was a guy sitting not too far from where I was and he eventually made his way over and sat next to me.  We started talking but unfortunately didn't have too much in common.  He started out at university and then dropped out because it was too hard.  Needless to say, he's not too fond of studying and wasn't exactly enamored with the way I talked about school.

This morning I got up and did pretty much the same thing, except this time I spent the afternoon at the lagoon.  It was really nice while the sun was out, but the clouds kept rolling through, blocking out the warmth.  I'm really hoping that farther north the clouds will disappear.  I'm so ready for straight sun.