I went to Virginia for the weekend, spending the time visiting a friend in Maryland and then purchasing a book.
Driving down to Virginia, I heard a book being discussed on the radio. It intrigued me enough to make a detour towards the nearest barnes and noble, when time permitted during my trip. I ended up finding and purchasing it.
The title of the book is "Hit Makers: the science of popularity in an Age of Distraction." It discusses reasons why some things/people become popular, or why certain videos go viral. I have my own thoughts on why this is the case so I wanted to see what other ideas were out there in the universe.
I also got the opportunity to properly catch up with a College friend and roommate, who was studying in Maryland. The plan was to stay for about an hour since he had work to do, however, timed morphed into about upwards of 4 hours. Good times.
Monday, March 27, 2017
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Book #3 in the bag!!!!
Yaaay!
I just finished my third book for the year.
2) Stand Up Comedy The book, by Judy Carter:
I picked this book to help me with my speeches. It is a book highly recommended by Darren lacroix, a World Champion of Public speaking, which is the same competition I aim to win. My speeches till now have been more on a somber kind, more serious. I wanted to learn the art of creating jokes to insert in my speeches so that it fits right in. Overall, my impression of the book is that it is helpful. I'm going to put a lot of the things mentioned into action.
The book specifically deals with how to create a stand up comedy routine that you can use to become a professional comedian, if thats what you desire, or if you want to be an amateur. It has specific tips that you can follow to become better, and these are given in the Workshop sections.
If you want to improve your jokes, or your comedy routine check it out.
1) Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story, by Arnold Schwarzenegger
-- An autobiography detailing his life. "Unbelievably" is absolutely spot on. He has done so much, and on top of that has done it by design, most of the time coming from the position of the underdog, from the position of "hey you, you definitely wont succeed." I highly recommend this book, if you want to be inspired, or simply want to know more about arnold -there is a lot to know. Just one thing... Its long... Very long... about 700 pages or so. But if you are a man of vision, a man that likes to strike out a path on untrodden land do not hesitate to get this book.
I just finished my third book for the year.
Books:
3) Ziglar on Selling: The ultimate handbook for the complete -sales- professional. - 3/23/2017
I read somewhere that we are all in sales. Consequently, I picked this book to educate myself on the process. It has a must have book if you are into selling of any kind. It breaks selling down into components, and shows you how to tackle each component. For most of my readers - in the medical field- this would not interest you, I know. lol. Still, if you want to read a book on selling, I would recommend this book.
2) Stand Up Comedy The book, by Judy Carter:
I picked this book to help me with my speeches. It is a book highly recommended by Darren lacroix, a World Champion of Public speaking, which is the same competition I aim to win. My speeches till now have been more on a somber kind, more serious. I wanted to learn the art of creating jokes to insert in my speeches so that it fits right in. Overall, my impression of the book is that it is helpful. I'm going to put a lot of the things mentioned into action.
The book specifically deals with how to create a stand up comedy routine that you can use to become a professional comedian, if thats what you desire, or if you want to be an amateur. It has specific tips that you can follow to become better, and these are given in the Workshop sections.
If you want to improve your jokes, or your comedy routine check it out.
1) Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story, by Arnold Schwarzenegger
-- An autobiography detailing his life. "Unbelievably" is absolutely spot on. He has done so much, and on top of that has done it by design, most of the time coming from the position of the underdog, from the position of "hey you, you definitely wont succeed." I highly recommend this book, if you want to be inspired, or simply want to know more about arnold -there is a lot to know. Just one thing... Its long... Very long... about 700 pages or so. But if you are a man of vision, a man that likes to strike out a path on untrodden land do not hesitate to get this book.
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Critical Advice for your Journey to Residency
The match is becoming exceedingly competitive. This is
something that is common knowledge. In this post I will share some statistics from the match that I find interesting, as well as my thoughts on how to approach the match because of
this.
A record number of people applied for the 2017 NRMP Match:
43, 157. Of this number 39, 969 candidates were considered to be active, i.e. after
taking out those that withdrew or made no rank list. Of the active applicants
23% (8281 applicants) did not match. This comes up to almost a quarter of the
number of active applicants.
IMG’s –US and Non US- made up the bulk of the 8000+ of active
applicants that did not match, making up a whooping 72% of them.
When you look at only the IMG’s, 40-50% of the active
applicants that applied did not match.
What does all of this mean for you, who is considering to
apply next time? What points am I trying to leave you with?
I want you to keep
two things in mind.
First, not all foreign Schools are equal. The top four Caribbean
schools place upwards of 70% of their graduates into residency position – for the
American University of the Caribbean I believe that is 80% or more of their
students match, which is significantly higher than total IMG match percentage
of 50+ percent. This makes sense since the IMG match percentage is just an
average, and with averages some samples can be way larger. If you go to one of those schools you have a leg up on your competition. If not
there is still hope.
Secondly, my main purpose in writing this is not to discourage you
from applying as an IMG –whether US IMG, non USIMG, from the Caribbean school
or not from a Caribbean school. Instead, I want you take the application
process serious so that you can increase your chances at matching. Throughout
this year, I have interacted with other applicants at interviews and other
places, many of whom I kept in contact with. Most of these people ended with matching. These people and I had one thing in common. Focus.
Focus on your Step exams. Do not take them lightly. Pass
everything on first attempt and do as well as you can. If you feel like you
will not do well, or that you are not ready for the exam, then you should take
a class. Do not say you won’t just because it costs money. That money that you
will spend to make sure you pass your exams in one shot will save you tens
of thousands –yes, ten thousand or more- that you will spend applying again and
again because you could not match.
Focus on your interviews. If there was one thing that
annoys the living hell out of me, it was hearing that I wasn’t ready for the interview. Huh? You had
only one interview and you did not prepare for it. Come on!!!
In short, while AMGs and some Caribbean schools might have a leg up
on their competition, everyone can increase their chances at the match with the
right focus.
Good luck on your journey to a match!
Reference:
Friday, March 17, 2017
Where will i end up for residency?
I have no idea, but i will find out today, come 1 pm.
My day is packed. I will be attending my schools match day but before that I have to go tutor a young lady in CS for two hours.
Still trying to determine whether I'll actually share it on here... probably not. I had interviews in the East coast and in the South. I can share that much at least.
That said, I enjoyed visiting all the programs that called me in for an interview and I would be elated to become a resident in any one of the 5.
VERDICT:
I ended up in the EAST COAST. It was a program that liked the best. Yay!
My day is packed. I will be attending my schools match day but before that I have to go tutor a young lady in CS for two hours.
Still trying to determine whether I'll actually share it on here... probably not. I had interviews in the East coast and in the South. I can share that much at least.
That said, I enjoyed visiting all the programs that called me in for an interview and I would be elated to become a resident in any one of the 5.
VERDICT:
I ended up in the EAST COAST. It was a program that liked the best. Yay!
Speech Contest Yesterday
And 2 nd place goes to ... ... Drum Roll... "kwasi".
That sounds great until you know I placed 2nd out of 2. loool. But at least I have a new trophy to grace some shelf.
I hate losing. I really do. I worked really hard on my speech. It had multiple stories interwoven meticulously to create an ultimate impact. But with loss comes an ability to learn.
Giving speeches is all about communicating, and communicating is all about getting your point across to your audience. If I wasn't able to get my point across, no matter how awesome I initially thought my speech was, it really wasn't.
Where did I go wrong? One of the Judges shared some feedback. She made three points:
1) she couldn't really hear me when I faced a different direction. Therefore, she missed a lot of words, possibly important words.
2) She felt like there where too many points being made in the speech
3) she felt I could work on the structure
I always try to be careful when taking feedback- whether it be in medicine, giving speeches, investing in stocks. First off, I always listen to critique, no matter who it is from. Secondly, I try to find its relevance. Was the evaluation on point or was it off the mark because they did not understand something.
In this case, did she feel there was no structure, or that there where too many points being made because she did not hear some vital words in the speech that tied everything together. Or did the structure really need work, and the points really need some sharpening.
If the problem stems from her inability to hear me, then the solution is quite clear, I need to really work on my delivery of my material, in this case my voice in particular.
If the problem is the actual material i need to work it over some more.
To find out which is which, I'll give the speech again and find out what other advanced people think.
All this said, I am taking nothing away from the winner. He did great! While losing is annoying and sucks, it is also the place where one finds growth. This applies to everything, even to the residency match. Do not the pain of loss go to waste.
That sounds great until you know I placed 2nd out of 2. loool. But at least I have a new trophy to grace some shelf.
I hate losing. I really do. I worked really hard on my speech. It had multiple stories interwoven meticulously to create an ultimate impact. But with loss comes an ability to learn.
Giving speeches is all about communicating, and communicating is all about getting your point across to your audience. If I wasn't able to get my point across, no matter how awesome I initially thought my speech was, it really wasn't.
Where did I go wrong? One of the Judges shared some feedback. She made three points:
1) she couldn't really hear me when I faced a different direction. Therefore, she missed a lot of words, possibly important words.
2) She felt like there where too many points being made in the speech
3) she felt I could work on the structure
I always try to be careful when taking feedback- whether it be in medicine, giving speeches, investing in stocks. First off, I always listen to critique, no matter who it is from. Secondly, I try to find its relevance. Was the evaluation on point or was it off the mark because they did not understand something.
In this case, did she feel there was no structure, or that there where too many points being made because she did not hear some vital words in the speech that tied everything together. Or did the structure really need work, and the points really need some sharpening.
If the problem stems from her inability to hear me, then the solution is quite clear, I need to really work on my delivery of my material, in this case my voice in particular.
If the problem is the actual material i need to work it over some more.
To find out which is which, I'll give the speech again and find out what other advanced people think.
All this said, I am taking nothing away from the winner. He did great! While losing is annoying and sucks, it is also the place where one finds growth. This applies to everything, even to the residency match. Do not the pain of loss go to waste.
Thursday, March 16, 2017
Why is today awesome?
There are two reasons why today is awesome, for me at least. There are two things going on.
Today, I compete in the next level in Toastmasters Public Speaking contest. I won the contest in my club, so now I move up to the Area level, where I will be competing against winners from other clubs in my Area. If I win the Area level then I will move up to the Division level to face other Area winners.
However, I will not get ahead of myself. For now, I will just enjoy the competition and try to be at my best.
Today is also the day before people that applied to residency will find out where they will be spending their years as a resident. Yay! I'm looking forward to it.
:)
Today, I compete in the next level in Toastmasters Public Speaking contest. I won the contest in my club, so now I move up to the Area level, where I will be competing against winners from other clubs in my Area. If I win the Area level then I will move up to the Division level to face other Area winners.
However, I will not get ahead of myself. For now, I will just enjoy the competition and try to be at my best.
Today is also the day before people that applied to residency will find out where they will be spending their years as a resident. Yay! I'm looking forward to it.
:)
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Tips for the SOAP!!
I have been through 2 SOAPs and got interviews both times. Unfortunately, I did not match, as I had to apply again this year - which ended in me finally snagging a position, yay!! I did some things wrong - lol, of course since I didn't get an offer- but I also did some things right. I will share with you some tips that will hopefully help you if you are applying for the SOAP.
Honestly, this post is a bit late since the SOAP started on Monday. People have already put in some of their applications. Also, the first round is probably over by now. However, there should still be round 2 and round 3.
The most important thing that you can do for the SOAP is to be prepared. You need to know everything about the Soap, how many programs you will be applying to, and in how many programs you will be applying to in each round, how many rounds there are, how long they last... blah blah blah. :)
The next thing that you need to keep in mind is that you can be called at any time. Therefore, you must be by your phone at all times. If you list your house phone -which is what I chose to do- you have to make sure you are home during the SOAP period. If you are not home make sure there is someone at home to relay your calls. For one of my interviews, I was tutoring 2 hours from home when I got a call from my house. "XYZ program called, I gave them your phone number. This is their number call them back." If you can stay at home.
This next point ties in with the second point above: be interview ready. I do not care if you are in the grocery store picking out some cabbages for some delicious stew at home, you are at work -if you are you have to let them know you might be picking up an important phone call ahead of time. You must be ready to pick up your phone - if they call your mobile phone- and get right into interview mode.
I was driving when I got one of my calls for SOAP last year. I picked up started going on. I could not pull over because I was on a High way. However, when I got off I pulled off to the side of the road and kept going. Unfortunately, I did not get the spot but hopefully you get my drift - hopefully.
Good luck everyone!!
Hope some of you get some good news!
Honestly, this post is a bit late since the SOAP started on Monday. People have already put in some of their applications. Also, the first round is probably over by now. However, there should still be round 2 and round 3.
The most important thing that you can do for the SOAP is to be prepared. You need to know everything about the Soap, how many programs you will be applying to, and in how many programs you will be applying to in each round, how many rounds there are, how long they last... blah blah blah. :)
The next thing that you need to keep in mind is that you can be called at any time. Therefore, you must be by your phone at all times. If you list your house phone -which is what I chose to do- you have to make sure you are home during the SOAP period. If you are not home make sure there is someone at home to relay your calls. For one of my interviews, I was tutoring 2 hours from home when I got a call from my house. "XYZ program called, I gave them your phone number. This is their number call them back." If you can stay at home.
This next point ties in with the second point above: be interview ready. I do not care if you are in the grocery store picking out some cabbages for some delicious stew at home, you are at work -if you are you have to let them know you might be picking up an important phone call ahead of time. You must be ready to pick up your phone - if they call your mobile phone- and get right into interview mode.
I was driving when I got one of my calls for SOAP last year. I picked up started going on. I could not pull over because I was on a High way. However, when I got off I pulled off to the side of the road and kept going. Unfortunately, I did not get the spot but hopefully you get my drift - hopefully.
Good luck everyone!!
Hope some of you get some good news!
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Feelings post Match
After opening my email and seeing Congratulations -i did not read further- I was happy but yet blah. I was elated but still blah. Why?
I knew that I had given the application session my all. I knew that I had followed my plan to the T, and done everything that I believed will help me earn a spot. I knew I presented myself in a manner in which my interviewers got a good look into who I really was as a person. But I still felt blah.
Even though I did everything on my end, I the final decision was not up to me. I was in competition with thousands of applicants.
"We get 3000 - 4000 applications. Out of those we select about 80 people to interview. We only have 8 spots. Why should we choose you." This is the question one of my interviewers asked me.
Talk about competitive!
However, I made it now, so why did i feel blah? I was tired from thinking about it 24/7 and on top of that I was already thinking of the next step. So many times in life we do not sit down to appreciate what is going on around us in the moment. Our minds are always on the go. I was already thinking about preparing myself for residency so that I can hit the ground running.
I felt the same way when I passed my step 3.Right after getting my results and seeing that I passed I instantly started thinking of the next step, interviews. I was pissed that after such an accomplishment it seemed like I wasn't elated. I said this had to stop. I decided to slow down and appreciate the moment. I went out and bought myself a nice watch and went out to dinner to celebrate and boy did I feel great afterwards.
But one does not have to purchase something or reward oneself to become appreciative. One can just sit with friends and family and take in the accomplishment. At the end of the night, as I sat with my folks talking and drinking champagne -i dont really drink so i had about 3 gulps- it finally hit me. Whoa. I did it. Whoa! I am going to get the opportunity to help patients be able to enjoy their lives by treating their ailments.
We talked about the ups and downs of the journey. We talked about the interview trail and my feedback. They were certain I would match this time, they said. Yayyyy! and it panned out.
But but but... ... ... I'm still buying myself a gift to mark the hard work and the result. Lol. Don't blame me i love watches. :) :)
Congrats to all that matched as well! Enjoy it you deserve it.
I knew that I had given the application session my all. I knew that I had followed my plan to the T, and done everything that I believed will help me earn a spot. I knew I presented myself in a manner in which my interviewers got a good look into who I really was as a person. But I still felt blah.
Even though I did everything on my end, I the final decision was not up to me. I was in competition with thousands of applicants.
"We get 3000 - 4000 applications. Out of those we select about 80 people to interview. We only have 8 spots. Why should we choose you." This is the question one of my interviewers asked me.
Talk about competitive!
However, I made it now, so why did i feel blah? I was tired from thinking about it 24/7 and on top of that I was already thinking of the next step. So many times in life we do not sit down to appreciate what is going on around us in the moment. Our minds are always on the go. I was already thinking about preparing myself for residency so that I can hit the ground running.
I felt the same way when I passed my step 3.Right after getting my results and seeing that I passed I instantly started thinking of the next step, interviews. I was pissed that after such an accomplishment it seemed like I wasn't elated. I said this had to stop. I decided to slow down and appreciate the moment. I went out and bought myself a nice watch and went out to dinner to celebrate and boy did I feel great afterwards.
But one does not have to purchase something or reward oneself to become appreciative. One can just sit with friends and family and take in the accomplishment. At the end of the night, as I sat with my folks talking and drinking champagne -i dont really drink so i had about 3 gulps- it finally hit me. Whoa. I did it. Whoa! I am going to get the opportunity to help patients be able to enjoy their lives by treating their ailments.
We talked about the ups and downs of the journey. We talked about the interview trail and my feedback. They were certain I would match this time, they said. Yayyyy! and it panned out.
But but but... ... ... I'm still buying myself a gift to mark the hard work and the result. Lol. Don't blame me i love watches. :) :)
Congrats to all that matched as well! Enjoy it you deserve it.
Monday, March 13, 2017
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Historic comeback by the best team in the world!
Barcelona went into this game down 0-4. In this game they had to score 5 goals or more in order to win if PSG scores no goal. If psg scored a goal then they have to score 6 goals in order to win. After scoring 3 unanswered goals, guess what happened, PSG, of course, scored 1 goal. This meant Barcelona had to score not 2 more but 3 more goals in order to win 6-5 (in aggregate; after adding the score line of the two games played). There were about 10 minutes left, and 3 goals were needed. With every second the light of hope grew dimmer. Then boom... boom... boom... 3 goals and Barcelona has made history. They are the only team to have made it after being down by that many goals from a prior game.
Barca! Barca! Barca!
2nd Book of the year in the bag!
Boyaka!!
I just completed my perusal of the 2nd book on my list. Pure awesomeness. Now I'm almost back on track with my reading goal for the year, reading 12 books.
2) Stand Up Comedy The book, by Judy Carter:
I picked this book to help me with my speeches. It is a book highly recommended by Darren lacroix, a World Champion of Public speaking, which is the same competition I aim to win. My speeches till now have been more on a somber kind, more serious. I wanted to learn the art of creating jokes to insert in my speeches so that it fits right in. Overall, my impression of the book is that it is helpful. I'm going to put a lot of the things mentioned into action.
The book specifically deals with how to create a stand up comedy routine that you can use to become a professional comedian, if thats what you desire, or if you want to be an amateur. It has specific tips that you can follow to become better, and these are given in the Workshop sections.
If you want to improve your jokes, or your comedy routine check it out.
1) Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story, by Arnold Schwarzenegger
-- An autobiography detailing his life. "Unbelievably" is absolutely spot on. He has done so much, and on top of that has done it by design, most of the time coming from the position of the underdog, from the position of "hey you, you definitely wont succeed." I highly recommend this book, if you want to be inspired, or simply want to know more about arnold -there is a lot to know. Just one thing... Its long... Very long... about 700 pages or so. But if you are a man of vision, a man that likes to strike out a path on untrodden land do not hesitate to get this book.
Match countdown: as of writing this there 5 day and 53 min left before finding out if we matched or not.
I just completed my perusal of the 2nd book on my list. Pure awesomeness. Now I'm almost back on track with my reading goal for the year, reading 12 books.
Books:
2) Stand Up Comedy The book, by Judy Carter:
I picked this book to help me with my speeches. It is a book highly recommended by Darren lacroix, a World Champion of Public speaking, which is the same competition I aim to win. My speeches till now have been more on a somber kind, more serious. I wanted to learn the art of creating jokes to insert in my speeches so that it fits right in. Overall, my impression of the book is that it is helpful. I'm going to put a lot of the things mentioned into action.
The book specifically deals with how to create a stand up comedy routine that you can use to become a professional comedian, if thats what you desire, or if you want to be an amateur. It has specific tips that you can follow to become better, and these are given in the Workshop sections.
If you want to improve your jokes, or your comedy routine check it out.
1) Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story, by Arnold Schwarzenegger
-- An autobiography detailing his life. "Unbelievably" is absolutely spot on. He has done so much, and on top of that has done it by design, most of the time coming from the position of the underdog, from the position of "hey you, you definitely wont succeed." I highly recommend this book, if you want to be inspired, or simply want to know more about arnold -there is a lot to know. Just one thing... Its long... Very long... about 700 pages or so. But if you are a man of vision, a man that likes to strike out a path on untrodden land do not hesitate to get this book.
Match countdown: as of writing this there 5 day and 53 min left before finding out if we matched or not.
Sunday, March 5, 2017
7 days left!!!
OOO MMM GGGG. There are 7 days left. Needless to say my nails are short. lol. Just kidding... No I'm kidding that I'm kidding. lol.
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Wednesday, March 1, 2017
First book of the year in the bag!!!
Whew, I'm off to a rough start in my goal to reading a book a week but I am excited to say I HAVE COMPLETED MY FIRST BOOK OF THE YEAR!!!
First book of the Year:
1) Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger
-- An autobiography detailing his life. "Unbelievably" is absolutely spot on. He has done so much, and on top of that has done it by design, most of the time coming from the position of the underdog, from the position of "hey you, you definitely wont succeed." I highly recommend this book, if you want to be inspired, or simply want to know more about arnold -there is a lot to know. Just one thing... Its long... Very long... about 700 pages or so. But if you are a man of vision, a man that likes to strike out a path on untrodden land do not hesitate to get this book.
First book of the Year:
1) Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger
-- An autobiography detailing his life. "Unbelievably" is absolutely spot on. He has done so much, and on top of that has done it by design, most of the time coming from the position of the underdog, from the position of "hey you, you definitely wont succeed." I highly recommend this book, if you want to be inspired, or simply want to know more about arnold -there is a lot to know. Just one thing... Its long... Very long... about 700 pages or so. But if you are a man of vision, a man that likes to strike out a path on untrodden land do not hesitate to get this book.
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