Tumblr time!

For those who are following me here, I have moved to tumblr. Here's where all the magic happens: http://izzytakesonoz.tumblr.com/

Note: This MIGHT have something to do with the fact that John Mayer also uses tumblr

The mismatch between what science knows and what business does- A talk by Dan Pink

If you get the chance, I recommend watching this video:

Some of the great points made in the video are:

- Rewards and punishments only work for a small number of tasks involving simple sets of rules and a clear goal to reach / involving only mechanical skill - in this case, rewards work because they narrow our focus and concentrate our minds

- Expectedly, the higher the pay, the better the performance here

- However, once the tasks called for even rudimentary cognitive skill, a larger rewards actually led to poorer performance

- In fact, these rewards often destroy creativity, so the secret to high performance isn't rewards and punishments, it is rather those unseen intrinsic motivators and doing things that matter

- Dan Pink suggested that we use a new building block involving: AUTONOMY, MASTERY and PURPOSE

- With regards to autonomy, self-direction works better- so in a business setting, putting money off the table and giving people autonomy (over their time and such)

- He talks about a model called ROWE (results only work environments) that's created by 2 American consultants and is in place in about a dozen companies around North America. In this model, people don't have schedules. As long as they get their work done, how they do it and when they do it is totally up to them. This actually has led to increased productivity, better worker satisfaction and lower rates of turnover.

- He makes a final proof with this case by using the Wikipedia model vs the Encarta model- where Wikipedia was so much more successful

So say goodbye to love, and hold your head up high.

The lyrics to City and Colour's song "Waiting" is especially haunting as it seems to depict the feelings of someone who is depressed:

A coma might feel better than this,
attempting to discover where to begin.
You're weighed down, you're full of something.
Of sickness, and desertion.
You're weighed down, you're full of something,
you're underneath it all.

So say goodbye to love,
and hold your head up high.
There's no need to rush
we're all just waiting, waiting to die.

Learning about humility.

I think it's very easy when you are going into a prestigious profession to identify too strongly with your success and your achievements. In my case, it's medicine. (A medical student blog that I won't divulge made me reflect on this point because it was difficult to see the real person behind the doctor role.)

Michael Phelps, who took home 8 gold medals- the most anyone have ever won in an Olympic game, gave this advice. How humble of him to say this!

The article can be found here if you are interested: http://www.positivityblog.com/index.php/2008/08/22/michael-phelps-top-5-fundamentals-for-pulling-off-the-impossible/

I remember someone giving me the advice that being a doctor is a job and that it should not define who you are as an individual.

At the end of the day, I think the most important thing to remember is that you are the same kind of person before all of this happened, and simply remembering this will remind you to practice humility daily.

Morning tea- an art composition

The original composition

A closer look at the different components:

Created on 5th August 2010 via a used English breakfast teabag.

Bad news never had good timing, then the circle of friends will defend the silver lining- A John Mayer Tribute.

Live in Los Angeles

Frayed corners

Where the light is...

Frayed edges

Worn down over time

Simple groove

Simplicity

The Band Set

The Trio Set

All photos taken by Izzy

Guitar Deconstructed.

All photos taken by Izzy

Things we can learn from the Australian Aboriginals...

I attended a cross-cultural workshop this past Monday where we learned about the Aboriginal culture and about the Australian policies that drove them to the state they are currently in. We were taught some parts of their culture and their beliefs. It is the belief in Dreamtime (which is the era before the Earth was created) that is the central, unifying theme in the Aboriginal culture.

We were also informed why land was so sacred and important to the Aboriginals. Land is very sacred to them because it is the core of their spirituality and is the essence of their culture. Since they didn't have maps, they used song lines passed down from generation to generation to depict a tribe's landscape, carrying pertinent information needed for survival in Australia's harsh terrain. Thus, when the British came and took over their land, they essentially washed out their entire culture, leading to the social ills seen today. This relationship between their land and their culture has been misunderstood for the past 200 years and is key to understanding the important issues surrounding Indigenous people today.

We were also shown excerpts from the DVD "The First Australians", which I thought had a great narrative (and cool music). They depicted the colonisation of Australia and the killing of the Aboriginals by poisoning their water and such. In fact, Aboriginals were at some point seen as being less valuable than farm animals...

What was really eye-opening for me was the fact that the Aboriginals had been around for 60 000 years (in fact, the indigenous cultures of Australia are the oldest living cultural history in the world). European settlers had only been in Australia for about 200-300 years. The video raised a point that we must learn to appreciate these natives, and not trying to understand or learn about their way of life would be a very stupid thing since they've been around much longer than we have. What I believe could be learned from Australian Aboriginals are:

- let nature time to regrow (these natives were hunter gatherers who moved around to ensure that resources were not depleted)

- family is very important (these natives had a kinship system, where their nephews and nieces were also considered their children which I thought was pretty cool)

Also, did you know that it was only between 1967-1972 that white Australians went to the polls to cast ballots for Aboriginals to gain citizenship. So the natives were the original landowners, and 200 years later, they are then recognized as citizens of the country that they owned in the first place? How ridiculous is that?!? A quote from the presentation that struck me was that "the enemy is the inability of the system to cope with people who are inherently different". It has come to my attention that so many conflicts in life has been due to this simple concept- of not being able to understand others who are different.

I am really glad to have gained a new respect for Aboriginals and their way of life. I think it is very important as future physicians to be able to understand and respect another culture, and at least try to see things from their point of view. This way, the advice that you give your future patients is something that they can follow, something that does not clash with their personal beliefs/ culture.

That's my take on it anyways.

Life is truly and ultimately about perspectives.

Today in our genetics guided learning session, we had an individual with oculocutaneous albinism come in for a Q&A session. Oculocutaneous albinism is basically a condition that affects the pigmentation of the skin, hair and eyes. Affected individuals do have visual problems to the point of near blindness (some need guide dogs, others need walking sticks) and this is often due to the presence of nystagmus (eye moving from side to side constantly such that their eyes cannot focus on a specific point). This is apparently due to the abnormal way their optic nerves are wired to their brain. Also, affected individuals look very pale (since they do not produce the melanin pigment) and cannot be exposed to the sun (they have to put on so much sunscreen and burn within a few minutes of sun exposure). At this point, I'm just imagining not being able to sit on the beach in the afternoon tanning (painful I say!).

What struck me as really surprising and enlightening was this individual's outlook on life. He had SUCH a great sense of humour. He would crack so many jokes - amongst them was the phrase "the blind leading the blind" to describe his blind boss leading him at work. One of my favourite joke of his was him describing the way other individuals (when he was growing up) would tease him, where he replied that he would just proceed to kick their ass "crouching tiger, hidden cripple" style. When he was asked how he dealt with not being able to go out in the sun as other individuals do, he simply replied with "well that's just the perfect excuse to be in an air-conditioned room!" I just sat there in awe. Here was this guy, who had this condition (which is considered a serious medical condition) that he could have let bring him down (he could've complained all his life about how he couldn't go out in the sun, or that he couldn't really go to school because he can't really see). Instead, he is one of the most happy-go-lucky person I've ever met. I can say that there are so many other individuals out there with 5 perfectly working senses who would complain a lot more than he would on even smaller less significant things. On top of that, this patient did not let his condition hold him back from living life to the fullest as he is striving to be a social worker. How AMAZING and TOUCHING is that?!? His powerful fighting spirit deeply touched me.

He is truly the testament to Randy Pausch's quote "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." Life is truly and ultimately about perspectives. His case also serves as a constant reminder that medicine is not just about treating the condition, it is about treating the individual as a whole. And it is this human aspect of medicine that I know I will truly find rewarding in the years to come.