The greatest of them all

While writing this, I feel like I'm floating in the air!  I've been trying to read something about glucocorticoid pharmacology and therapeutics in preparation for our mid-semester exam on Tuesday but I just can't concentrate.

I tried to get some sleep from two this afternoon, get up at four thirty and took a quick snack, back to bed again and slept until six thirty in the evening.  This 'lack of sleep' feeling reminds me of my years in the broiler farm in Port Wakefield during harvest season and it opens my eyes to the reality that this sleepiness and exhaustion are nothing compared to what I had been having before.  This physical state is a consequence of our dairy farm activities that started at four (that means I had to get up at two thirty) this morning as part of our Clinical Research Project this semester.  

The milking parlour, South Australia.

Luckily, we only have to come to collect data and milk samples twice; which means we only have to go back to the dairy farm one more time, then... we're done!  Unlike the dairy farmer, the milkmaids and the milkmen.  The have to be there early in the morning, everyday.  I have personally seen their hard work and dedication, braving the 8'C temperature this morning to fulfill their duties and responsibilities to the dairy industry.  I can imagine that as these dairy farm workers vigorously burn their energy while attending to the rotary milking parlour, most of the Australians were still snuggling in bed and will soon get up to enjoy milk with their cereals, yoghurt with their fruits, cheese in their sandwiches and butter on their toasts.
 
But nothing really compares to these milking cows- the ultimate sources of milk.  Their body (udder?) is just simply amazing!  Just imagine the 40 litres of milk that each of these cows would produce in a day.  Most of them didn't even have the opportunity to rear their own calf, they have sacrificed everything they have in order to produce milk for the consumption of the human populace.

Just a thought:  How can I thank these cows?




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Connecting the Dots

I seem to feel that my student life has plateaued. It could be an indication that I am well-adjusted to this contemporary way of university life- which is very different from what I had when I was studying DVM in the Philippines.

I would usually arrive home(?) from the uni at five in the afternoon... have my early supper, take a nap from six to seven PM, start reading until twelve midnight or one AM (with some intermittent FB and Twitter breaks, of course)... get up at five (braving the cold Australian winter morning) and read until seven thirty AM, have an oatmeal breakfast, and prepare for the nine AM lecture at uni.  There are times when I would drive to Gawler to take Anna (my classmate, a Filipina who's living with his husband in Marion- a suburb, 1.5hrs away by train from Roseworthy campus) to the train station.  She and I would normally treat ourselves at McDonald's or KFC in Adelaide Road after surviving a tough challenge in our daily grind in The University of Adelaide's DVM program. 

Friday night is 'breaking-the-diet night' with friends at Kangaroo Flat; thanks to John and Lissa for untiringly hosting this regular dinner!  Saturday is my laundry day, and while the washing machine's doing the job for me, I would normally occupy the seat on my study desk to read the course handouts.  If there's a party scheduled on a Saturday night- try to check the attendance, I'm always present.  Otherwise, catch me at Video Ezzy at around six or seven PM, but after watching a rented DVD movie, I would try to sit and read my notes until twelve midnight.  

I'd spend an hour at St. Peter's and Paul's at Cohan St. during Sunday morning, shop at Woolworths or Coles at eleven, cook at eleven-thirty to satisfy my cravings, clean my car if needed, and review in the afternoon.

I have been praying so hard for enough courage, good physical and mental health (for me and my loved ones) and a regular budget so I could pursue and finish this program because I believe that my decision to drop my job so I could pick this one up was right.  It is free to dream, they say, but the journey towards its fulfillment is so costly!  I have sacrificed a lot of things, and have been paying the price of being ambitious.   

My daily routine has plateaued but it doesn't mean I'm bored.  We have six lecturers in Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, each with his/her own teaching and assessing styles; three lecturers in Intensive Production Medicine, and have been forced to learn Theriogenology in three weeks because this is the only time that we can have our imported lecturer (a Diplomate of the American College of Theriogenologist who doesn't have the plan to leave his job in his home country- Jordan).  I don't want to mention anything about my Clinical Research Project which is due before the semester ends.

This three-year DVM program is a pressure cooker!  Those lovely smiles on my Facebook photos are just the tip of the iceberg; one thing's certain, though- it's tough but I am enjoying it.  Honestly, getting a place in this program is, so far, the second best thing that happened to me in this country- next to Australian citizenship. 

My housemate Raymond (a Filipino working at SARDI feed mill in the university) would always quote Steve Jobs to lift me up, "We can only connect the dots backwards..."  Hopefully, someday I could.  

              


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Redfern, NSW

The mural and street art at Abercrombie St., Redfern, NSW, Australia.

The pedestrian waiting for the green light.  Corner Lawson & Abercrombie Sts., Redfern, NSW.

The passenger checking for the train departure time.  Redfern Station, Redfern, New South Wales.

Probably, a student of The University of Sydney walking along Lawson St., NSW, Australia.

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