in rotation: joe budden - halfway house
well the 08-09 nba season is well under way. my raptors currently stand at 4-4 and have the heat next game. although 4-4 isn't spectacular, my faith is still strong. i'm not going to expand on that any further. instead, here is andrea bargnani in the philly t dot game owning reggie evans with a filthy mcnasty dunk. damn reggie, you got fucked up. that's what you get for grabbing peoples ballbags.
bargnani shakes evans and finishes with a reverse dunk
on another nba note, damn can't believe the billups/iverson trade. initially i hated it but the more i think about it, the more it grows on me. nuggets havent had a decent pg in i don't know how long, and ai is the offensive threat that the pistons need. think about a backcourt of rip, ai and stuckey. one word - damn. i don't know though, it is still early so i guess we will have to see how it all pans out.
i also don't know if ai is ever going to get that ring. in all honesty, i don't see it happening until the end of his career when he becomes a role player (if he can become a role player). its just so strange to see billups not playing with the other big three. chauncey, rip, tayshaun and sheed have all played over 500 games together in the league. oh well, i guess all things have to come to an end eventually.
today's results suggest that it was a good trade with the pistons knocking off the lakers and the nuggets winning against the celtics. crazy. i'm just glad someone beat beantown. i like the big three as individual players but damn i hate the celtics as a team. especially rondo, that smug bastard. anyways i have to say that yes the hawks are looking suprisingly nice, and yes this may be the season that joe johnson jumps from star to superstar but after pierce nailed the go-ahead jumper against the hawks with just over seven ticks left, i was speechless. even though p-double is the reigning finals mvp, i still feel like he doesn't get the respect that is due. pierce is easily one of the top five players in the nba right now. don't believe me, check out his ball-breaking shot over the hawks.
pierce ends the hawks undefeated record
how about that rockets/suns incident? i admit, fighting is not a good thing for the league but damnit it is so entertaining to watch. the pistons/pacers brawl is easily in my top 10 nba moments of all time. whilst the rockets/suns scuffle was nowhere near as exciting, that was a punk move by barnes on skip. from there, it all unravels. as a result of this skirmish, alston and barnes were suspended for two games each, with nash receiving a one game suspension for what the league deemed "escalating the altercation." check it out below.
barnes cheap shot on rafer
before i do end this entry, i feel it is of utmost importance to post two clips from the lakers/mavs game. both of them involve ariza doing his thing. bulk up sasha!
trevor and sasha chest bump
ariza's monster block on stack
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
blazers rockets o.t. finish!
in rotation: kindred the family soul - the arrival
this is just retarded. yao's shot was amazing but damn brandon, that was just some crazy shit. check it out.
roy finishes the game in style
this is just retarded. yao's shot was amazing but damn brandon, that was just some crazy shit. check it out.
roy finishes the game in style
Thursday, November 6, 2008
slaughterhouse is here!
in rotation: illa j - yancey boys
damn in the midst of exam period, i find myself procrastinating more and more. anyways, in between listening to the new illa j album, which is fucking wicked, and watching the raps take their first loss of the season to an iverson-less pistons, i thought it would be important to make note of how sick 'slaughterhouse' is going to be, unless a product never eventuates. for those that don't know slaughterhouse is what one would call a "rap supergroup". slaughterhouse comprises of four of the dopest emcees today - joell ortiz, joe budden, crooked i and royce da 5'9. that is just fucking absurd to me. from the bodega chronicles to mood muzik to hip hop weekly to the bar exam i don't even think i can put into words how excited i am to hear more tracks from them. i guess i should shed some light on who each of them are. i could probably drop a bio on each of them but it will be much easier to convey my message through youtube haha...
joell ortiz
joe budden
crooked i
royce da 5'9
judging by the first track they have released, this shit is going to be ridiculous. royce and crooked take the cake on this track by far. if you don't believe me, you're just going to have to listen to it for yourself. download the new slaughterhouse track 'onslaught' here.
"...no, it's not h to the izzo but i push buttons like jay should of done joe..." - crooked i
damn this shit is filthy. i hope these guys know what they have in their hands because it would be a real shame if this fell through like everything else. the videos popping up all over the net suggest otherwise and have been pretty interesting. the friendly competition is bound to transform into some crazy dope hip hop. check out the videos below.
chilling with dj enuff part 1
chilling with dj enuff part 2
joell ortiz and joe budden throw friendly shots
damn in the midst of exam period, i find myself procrastinating more and more. anyways, in between listening to the new illa j album, which is fucking wicked, and watching the raps take their first loss of the season to an iverson-less pistons, i thought it would be important to make note of how sick 'slaughterhouse' is going to be, unless a product never eventuates. for those that don't know slaughterhouse is what one would call a "rap supergroup". slaughterhouse comprises of four of the dopest emcees today - joell ortiz, joe budden, crooked i and royce da 5'9. that is just fucking absurd to me. from the bodega chronicles to mood muzik to hip hop weekly to the bar exam i don't even think i can put into words how excited i am to hear more tracks from them. i guess i should shed some light on who each of them are. i could probably drop a bio on each of them but it will be much easier to convey my message through youtube haha...
joell ortiz
joe budden
crooked i
royce da 5'9
judging by the first track they have released, this shit is going to be ridiculous. royce and crooked take the cake on this track by far. if you don't believe me, you're just going to have to listen to it for yourself. download the new slaughterhouse track 'onslaught' here.
"...no, it's not h to the izzo but i push buttons like jay should of done joe..." - crooked i
damn this shit is filthy. i hope these guys know what they have in their hands because it would be a real shame if this fell through like everything else. the videos popping up all over the net suggest otherwise and have been pretty interesting. the friendly competition is bound to transform into some crazy dope hip hop. check out the videos below.
chilling with dj enuff part 1
chilling with dj enuff part 2
joell ortiz and joe budden throw friendly shots
Sunday, November 2, 2008
my social psychology e-portfolio / the raptors' first week of the season
in rotation: dj k.o. - picture this
oddly enough, i was required to create a blog which monitors my thoughts, feelings and opinions throughout this semester, as part of one of my units at uni. it was such a strange piece of assessment, - very different to the traditional assignments i am used to such as essays and speeches. nevertheless it had to be done so i set up a wikiversity account and put together my 'e-portfolio' for the subject of social psychology.
i have to admit, i enjoyed it. i'm the long-winded type who talks jibberish for several minutes before i actually get to the point. plus i enjoy talking as much as i enjoy writing. this assignment gave me the freedom to write like i talk. moreover this blog didn't have the anal connotations attached to marking schemes the same way that many other psychology essays unfortunately do. i was pretty much free to explore the course content and relate it back to my own experience.
social psychology is such a unique unit in that it encompasses a vast array of issues from prejudice and the social self to aggression and prosocial behaviour. these are just some of the topics i explored in completing this blog. despite the fact that i winged it a bit, i feel like i made it my own. it is more personal than some of the other students' blogs, and at least it provides you with a little bit of insight into my existence (probably only for the topics i thought were interesting). anywho if you are bored and want to partake in an activity only a tad more exhilarating than playing a game of netball, then read my social psychology blog.
before i sign off, i just want to mention that my raps are currently 3-0 with wins over philly, golden state and the bucks. bosh had a phenomenal week with averages of 26ppg, 10rpg and just under 4apg. he's deserving of player of the week honours. some might say that i am on bosh's nutsack, and they are probably right haha. i think that after winning the gold in the olympics, bosh has come back more focused than ever. he is more poised, more confident, and more determined. he is playing better at both ends and has showed tremendous growth thus far. i think the whole olympics experience has really helped him to become a better leader.
hmmm i guess this entry is going to be longer than i expected haha. anyways i have to say the addition of j.o. has been great so far. he's doing exactly what we expected him to do - amazing defense, decent rebounding, and enough of an offensive threat for defenders to double him. this is great because with both bosh and oneal on the floor, it creates more space for our shooters. i also have to say that bargs has played well in the last three games. he really must have bulked up in the off-season because he looks so much bigger now. bargs had a great offensive outing with 19 points against the warriors where he really impressed me with his aggressive play. the last three games, he hasn't just sat on the perimeter waiting to shoot a 3, nor has he looked like he doesn't belong in the post. bargs has been playing great defense as well. he has 7 blocks in the last three games! amazing!
everyone's been doing their thing. jose has been doing what he does, plus he saved our ass against the bucks last game. i was really impressed with roko during the sixers game. parker and kapono have been shooting the lights out. a.p.'s defense against the warriors was particular exceptional. i could go on all day about how promising this season is looking but it's still early days. i definitely do not want to jump the gun, and despite our current record, the raps still have a lot of work to do. the sixers and warriors outrebounded the raptors by 14 and 10, respectively. these kind of rebounding numbers are atrocious, plain and simple. rebounding is an area which the raps have needed to address for the last few seasons. hopefully we can turn that around in the upcoming games.
currently the raptors have a few days off to rest then it's motown at home next game. let's keep up the good work and get that w. raptors all day motherfuckers!
I'm off to bed.
it's 10 in the morning and I haven't slept because I've been doing this crazy social psychology blog.
peace suckers.
sincerely,
nix to the uno
oddly enough, i was required to create a blog which monitors my thoughts, feelings and opinions throughout this semester, as part of one of my units at uni. it was such a strange piece of assessment, - very different to the traditional assignments i am used to such as essays and speeches. nevertheless it had to be done so i set up a wikiversity account and put together my 'e-portfolio' for the subject of social psychology.
i have to admit, i enjoyed it. i'm the long-winded type who talks jibberish for several minutes before i actually get to the point. plus i enjoy talking as much as i enjoy writing. this assignment gave me the freedom to write like i talk. moreover this blog didn't have the anal connotations attached to marking schemes the same way that many other psychology essays unfortunately do. i was pretty much free to explore the course content and relate it back to my own experience.
social psychology is such a unique unit in that it encompasses a vast array of issues from prejudice and the social self to aggression and prosocial behaviour. these are just some of the topics i explored in completing this blog. despite the fact that i winged it a bit, i feel like i made it my own. it is more personal than some of the other students' blogs, and at least it provides you with a little bit of insight into my existence (probably only for the topics i thought were interesting). anywho if you are bored and want to partake in an activity only a tad more exhilarating than playing a game of netball, then read my social psychology blog.
before i sign off, i just want to mention that my raps are currently 3-0 with wins over philly, golden state and the bucks. bosh had a phenomenal week with averages of 26ppg, 10rpg and just under 4apg. he's deserving of player of the week honours. some might say that i am on bosh's nutsack, and they are probably right haha. i think that after winning the gold in the olympics, bosh has come back more focused than ever. he is more poised, more confident, and more determined. he is playing better at both ends and has showed tremendous growth thus far. i think the whole olympics experience has really helped him to become a better leader.
hmmm i guess this entry is going to be longer than i expected haha. anyways i have to say the addition of j.o. has been great so far. he's doing exactly what we expected him to do - amazing defense, decent rebounding, and enough of an offensive threat for defenders to double him. this is great because with both bosh and oneal on the floor, it creates more space for our shooters. i also have to say that bargs has played well in the last three games. he really must have bulked up in the off-season because he looks so much bigger now. bargs had a great offensive outing with 19 points against the warriors where he really impressed me with his aggressive play. the last three games, he hasn't just sat on the perimeter waiting to shoot a 3, nor has he looked like he doesn't belong in the post. bargs has been playing great defense as well. he has 7 blocks in the last three games! amazing!
everyone's been doing their thing. jose has been doing what he does, plus he saved our ass against the bucks last game. i was really impressed with roko during the sixers game. parker and kapono have been shooting the lights out. a.p.'s defense against the warriors was particular exceptional. i could go on all day about how promising this season is looking but it's still early days. i definitely do not want to jump the gun, and despite our current record, the raps still have a lot of work to do. the sixers and warriors outrebounded the raptors by 14 and 10, respectively. these kind of rebounding numbers are atrocious, plain and simple. rebounding is an area which the raps have needed to address for the last few seasons. hopefully we can turn that around in the upcoming games.
currently the raptors have a few days off to rest then it's motown at home next game. let's keep up the good work and get that w. raptors all day motherfuckers!
I'm off to bed.
it's 10 in the morning and I haven't slept because I've been doing this crazy social psychology blog.
peace suckers.
sincerely,
nix to the uno
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
the fresh coast movement
in rotation: bo-rat - project cutty
for those that don't know, the fresh coast movement is upon us. i've been following emcees like the saurus, passwurdz, franco, bo-rat, illmaculate, ex-i, okwerdz and nocando for a while now. their battle legacies cannot be denied. with the emergence of jump off's world rap championship in 2006 and 2007, and now with grind time divisions being erected across the usa, it appears the fresh coast movement has really established its place in the international battle scene. for proof of how dope these left coast emcees are, check out the fresh coast all-stars cypher footage below. okwerdz is just filthy with the rhymes in this clip. if only pass, apes, bo, plex, ex-i and illmac were there. haha i shouldn't be complaining. this scene is taken from the bonus features of the long anticipated documentary dvd titled 'fresh coast'. support these dedicated artists and buy the dvd here.
fresh coast cypher part 1 (nocando, okwerdz, the saurus, lush one, d-lor, tantrum and franco)
fresh coast cypher part 2 (nocando, okwerdz, the saurus, lush one, d-lor, tantrum and franco)
i think the fresh coast is best summarised in avocado's (i'm pretty sure he's the dude who did the editing for the dvd) post which reads:
"the fresh coast began as a loosely based coalition defined by freestyle and lyrical supremacy and a high standard for hip-hop on america’s west coast, particularly california. the name was inspired by the phrase commonly referred to in the late 80s/early 90s good life/freestyle fellowship-era of project blowed, as well as the boom bap movement of oakland, ca in the early 90s. it was an homage to the stylistically-driven and innovative rhythmic foundation originated by the trail-blazing coastal fore-fathers of this new artistic resurgence/renaissance. the laid back vibe juxtaposed with the high risk and fast paced energy that define the pacific region is ubiquitous throughout this movement. overall excellence in everything from song craftsmanship to battle dominance begins with the finest dank smoke and some of the hungriest most dedicated emcees in the world. these emcees were all brought together by a desire to prove their prowess on the emcee battle circuit, and would later attain extreme notoriety and accolades in the realm of rhyme fighting. this is the fresh coast. west up."
for those that don't know, y'all need to go and youtube all of these names. i really like what the grind time folks are doing. noteworthy gt battle performances which have stood out to me so far include: both the saurus and madness, both tantrum and reverse live, passwurdz, franco, and d-lor. i repeat, for those that don't know y'all need to youtube this shit. to save you some time, below are the videos of the grind time battles of the emcees i just mentioned. i cannot wait to see jaze juce vs okwerdz. i put my cash on okwerdz. he's just a rap machine. anyways, keep up the good work grind time!
the saurus vs madness part 1
the saurus vs madness part 2
tantrum vs reverse live
illusion-z vs passwurdz
kodyack vs franco
xt vs d-lor
the fresh coast is seriously what is up. nothin' but the dopest emcees.
for those that don't know, the fresh coast movement is upon us. i've been following emcees like the saurus, passwurdz, franco, bo-rat, illmaculate, ex-i, okwerdz and nocando for a while now. their battle legacies cannot be denied. with the emergence of jump off's world rap championship in 2006 and 2007, and now with grind time divisions being erected across the usa, it appears the fresh coast movement has really established its place in the international battle scene. for proof of how dope these left coast emcees are, check out the fresh coast all-stars cypher footage below. okwerdz is just filthy with the rhymes in this clip. if only pass, apes, bo, plex, ex-i and illmac were there. haha i shouldn't be complaining. this scene is taken from the bonus features of the long anticipated documentary dvd titled 'fresh coast'. support these dedicated artists and buy the dvd here.
fresh coast cypher part 1 (nocando, okwerdz, the saurus, lush one, d-lor, tantrum and franco)
fresh coast cypher part 2 (nocando, okwerdz, the saurus, lush one, d-lor, tantrum and franco)
i think the fresh coast is best summarised in avocado's (i'm pretty sure he's the dude who did the editing for the dvd) post which reads:
"the fresh coast began as a loosely based coalition defined by freestyle and lyrical supremacy and a high standard for hip-hop on america’s west coast, particularly california. the name was inspired by the phrase commonly referred to in the late 80s/early 90s good life/freestyle fellowship-era of project blowed, as well as the boom bap movement of oakland, ca in the early 90s. it was an homage to the stylistically-driven and innovative rhythmic foundation originated by the trail-blazing coastal fore-fathers of this new artistic resurgence/renaissance. the laid back vibe juxtaposed with the high risk and fast paced energy that define the pacific region is ubiquitous throughout this movement. overall excellence in everything from song craftsmanship to battle dominance begins with the finest dank smoke and some of the hungriest most dedicated emcees in the world. these emcees were all brought together by a desire to prove their prowess on the emcee battle circuit, and would later attain extreme notoriety and accolades in the realm of rhyme fighting. this is the fresh coast. west up."
for those that don't know, y'all need to go and youtube all of these names. i really like what the grind time folks are doing. noteworthy gt battle performances which have stood out to me so far include: both the saurus and madness, both tantrum and reverse live, passwurdz, franco, and d-lor. i repeat, for those that don't know y'all need to youtube this shit. to save you some time, below are the videos of the grind time battles of the emcees i just mentioned. i cannot wait to see jaze juce vs okwerdz. i put my cash on okwerdz. he's just a rap machine. anyways, keep up the good work grind time!
the saurus vs madness part 1
the saurus vs madness part 2
tantrum vs reverse live
illusion-z vs passwurdz
kodyack vs franco
xt vs d-lor
the fresh coast is seriously what is up. nothin' but the dopest emcees.
the toronto raptors - the 08-09 nba season begins
in rotation: reef the lost cauze - a vicious cycle
in approximately nine hours, the toronto raptors will play their first game of the 08-09 regular nba season. my beloved raps will be playing a philadelphia 76ers team who with the new addition of elton brand, hopes to contend with both the celtics and the raptors for the atlantic division crown. it is going to be a tough match.
for those that dont know, i am a diehard raptors fan. whilst many teams have added some new pieces this upcoming season, the raptors have been no different. with the offseason acquisition of six time nba all-star jermaine o'neal, toronto is looking to get past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since vince carter donned a raps jersey. jermaine o'neal brings a rugged edge that the raptors have lacked in previous seasons. jermaine can score, is a defensive force in the paint, and is a tenacious rebounder. he brings a swagger to the raps which could potentially take them that one step further.
a new season marks a new journey, and i have a million questions which can only be answered as the regular season progresses. jermaine has been injury plagued over the last four seasons - can he remain healthy? with tj ford out of the picture, can jose handle the starting point guard position? is sam mitchell going to draw up a play this season? can cb4 and jo co-exist together as the newly formed twin towers? will kapono actually be utilised this season? apparently bargs has bulked up and worked on his midrange and post game - will he continue to regress or will the addition of jo lighten the load? will jamario drive it more this season?
these are questions which cannot be answered immediately. tomorrow at 9:00am eastern daylight time (i live in australia), the first regular season game of the raptors schedule will be played - a new opportunity to make some noise and really move forward as a unit.
this is a clean slate - tabula rasa.
my questions will be answered.
tomorrow, it begins.
attached below is the toronto raptors regular season schedule. let's go raptors!
in approximately nine hours, the toronto raptors will play their first game of the 08-09 regular nba season. my beloved raps will be playing a philadelphia 76ers team who with the new addition of elton brand, hopes to contend with both the celtics and the raptors for the atlantic division crown. it is going to be a tough match.
for those that dont know, i am a diehard raptors fan. whilst many teams have added some new pieces this upcoming season, the raptors have been no different. with the offseason acquisition of six time nba all-star jermaine o'neal, toronto is looking to get past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since vince carter donned a raps jersey. jermaine o'neal brings a rugged edge that the raptors have lacked in previous seasons. jermaine can score, is a defensive force in the paint, and is a tenacious rebounder. he brings a swagger to the raps which could potentially take them that one step further.
a new season marks a new journey, and i have a million questions which can only be answered as the regular season progresses. jermaine has been injury plagued over the last four seasons - can he remain healthy? with tj ford out of the picture, can jose handle the starting point guard position? is sam mitchell going to draw up a play this season? can cb4 and jo co-exist together as the newly formed twin towers? will kapono actually be utilised this season? apparently bargs has bulked up and worked on his midrange and post game - will he continue to regress or will the addition of jo lighten the load? will jamario drive it more this season?
these are questions which cannot be answered immediately. tomorrow at 9:00am eastern daylight time (i live in australia), the first regular season game of the raptors schedule will be played - a new opportunity to make some noise and really move forward as a unit.
this is a clean slate - tabula rasa.
my questions will be answered.
tomorrow, it begins.
attached below is the toronto raptors regular season schedule. let's go raptors!
Friday, October 10, 2008
my disappointing achievement
in rotation: pez - a mind of my own
as some of you may know, the past year of my life has been devoted to the pursuit of an australian postgraduate medicine position. most postgrad med schools base their entries on three components - gamsat exam score, gpa and an interview. entry into an aussie med school is an arduous, year-long process characterised mostly by a series of long waiting periods. you sit the gamsat then wait a couple months to receive your score. if you did well enough in the gamsat you apply for med schools then you wait a few more months. if fate is on your side, you get offered an interview then you wait some more. if you are lucky to get that far after almost a year, you finally find out whether you made it or not.
whilst my gpa is pretty decent and i did manage to pass all sections of the gamsat, my overall gamsat score was not so great. i was fortunate enough however to get an interview offer at the university of notre dame fremantle (undf). i remember i was in disbelief when i first discovered that i had even been offered an interview given my poor gamsat score. it was only until traveling cross-country for the interview itself that i could really taste it. fremantle was so beautiful that it was hard not to envision what life would be like studying med over there. i wanted it bad. for the first time in my life, i felt like i had a real goal to strive towards.
so after jumping through the numerous rings of fire and much waiting, here i stand- valiant and proud - for on thursday the 9th of october, i received my letter of rejection.
upon finding out about my not getting accepted into undf, i felt pretty numb. i dont know why my rejection was such a suprise. i was lucky to even be offered an interview. i suppose that after getting so close to achieving my first real goal, i just thought that this was another one of those things in my life which would just work out. throughout my lifetime i have been pretty lucky in wandering the academic galaxy. i was lucky to scrape into a psyc/comm course at the australian national university (anu) after scoring an unfavourable uai. i was lucky to get into a psyc course at the university of canberra (uc) after getting excluded from anu. i was lucky to get a undf med interview given my poor gamsat score. i just thought that this was another one of those instances where god would help me out.
ive been thinking about this all a lot and its odd how things have conveniently worked out for me in times of turmoil, confusion and hardship. in the past, i have pretty much cruised along without exerting much energy or committing myself to what i want to do in life (not that i had any direction) - i just assumed that things would always work out. although i believe that my exclusion from the anu was my most pivotal moment in life (it helped me realise the notion of responsibility), this whole undf experience is the first time i have truly felt in control of my life and where i want to take it.
its quite apparent that things did not work out as i had hoped. initially i was pretty cut that i did not get offered a position at undf. i probably still am cut about it. to not get accepted after getting so close - it's just so ball-breaking. moreover i did and still do feel like studying medicine in fremantle would have been an ideal platform and an ample opportunity for me to stand on my own two feet and just grow the fuck up. i guess just thinking about going through the whole grueling year-long process again, let alone sitting the gamsat is enough to make me want to bang my head against the wall.
although getting turned down from undf is disappointing as hell, in my eyes this year marks a chapter of growth and personal achievement. maybe its due to the fact that the process to get into med is so darn long but i feel like i have still achieved something i can be proud of - something which ive never really been able to say before. sure i dont think i applied myself to the best of my abilities but i put more effort into this than anything else in my past. i feel like i earned this rejection letter. in this light, my disappointment is somewhat justified, but also simultaneously nullified by my sense of accomplishment.
so what now? well i am trying to extract both the positive and negative points from the current situation. sure it sucks that i didnt get in but my not getting accepted has left me hungrier for the prize. i want it even more now. i need to accept the challenge and take it all as a learning experience. life goes on and i have to keep on truckin. i suppose it would have been a bit of a cop-out to get into med school without feeling truly deserving of such an accomplishment. this time around i really just have to focus. i have to make larger sacrifices if i hope to attain my goal. i have to put my head down and study that much harder for the gamsat. i have to stay persistent and believe in myself.
i now have direction.
so i guess in exploring the aftermath of my rejection from all possible angles, all i have left to say is that i look forward to stepping up to the plate and working that much harder so that this time next year, instead of feeling proud to have earned a rejection letter, i will be feeling proud to have earned an acceptance letter.
see you on the other side.
peace.
good luck to everyone who is still waiting on acceptance letters and also to anyone who has the desire to pursue the endearing realm that is medicine. i would like to thank my family and friends for their support and concern throughout the year. you are all amazing.
as some of you may know, the past year of my life has been devoted to the pursuit of an australian postgraduate medicine position. most postgrad med schools base their entries on three components - gamsat exam score, gpa and an interview. entry into an aussie med school is an arduous, year-long process characterised mostly by a series of long waiting periods. you sit the gamsat then wait a couple months to receive your score. if you did well enough in the gamsat you apply for med schools then you wait a few more months. if fate is on your side, you get offered an interview then you wait some more. if you are lucky to get that far after almost a year, you finally find out whether you made it or not.
whilst my gpa is pretty decent and i did manage to pass all sections of the gamsat, my overall gamsat score was not so great. i was fortunate enough however to get an interview offer at the university of notre dame fremantle (undf). i remember i was in disbelief when i first discovered that i had even been offered an interview given my poor gamsat score. it was only until traveling cross-country for the interview itself that i could really taste it. fremantle was so beautiful that it was hard not to envision what life would be like studying med over there. i wanted it bad. for the first time in my life, i felt like i had a real goal to strive towards.
so after jumping through the numerous rings of fire and much waiting, here i stand- valiant and proud - for on thursday the 9th of october, i received my letter of rejection.
upon finding out about my not getting accepted into undf, i felt pretty numb. i dont know why my rejection was such a suprise. i was lucky to even be offered an interview. i suppose that after getting so close to achieving my first real goal, i just thought that this was another one of those things in my life which would just work out. throughout my lifetime i have been pretty lucky in wandering the academic galaxy. i was lucky to scrape into a psyc/comm course at the australian national university (anu) after scoring an unfavourable uai. i was lucky to get into a psyc course at the university of canberra (uc) after getting excluded from anu. i was lucky to get a undf med interview given my poor gamsat score. i just thought that this was another one of those instances where god would help me out.
ive been thinking about this all a lot and its odd how things have conveniently worked out for me in times of turmoil, confusion and hardship. in the past, i have pretty much cruised along without exerting much energy or committing myself to what i want to do in life (not that i had any direction) - i just assumed that things would always work out. although i believe that my exclusion from the anu was my most pivotal moment in life (it helped me realise the notion of responsibility), this whole undf experience is the first time i have truly felt in control of my life and where i want to take it.
its quite apparent that things did not work out as i had hoped. initially i was pretty cut that i did not get offered a position at undf. i probably still am cut about it. to not get accepted after getting so close - it's just so ball-breaking. moreover i did and still do feel like studying medicine in fremantle would have been an ideal platform and an ample opportunity for me to stand on my own two feet and just grow the fuck up. i guess just thinking about going through the whole grueling year-long process again, let alone sitting the gamsat is enough to make me want to bang my head against the wall.
although getting turned down from undf is disappointing as hell, in my eyes this year marks a chapter of growth and personal achievement. maybe its due to the fact that the process to get into med is so darn long but i feel like i have still achieved something i can be proud of - something which ive never really been able to say before. sure i dont think i applied myself to the best of my abilities but i put more effort into this than anything else in my past. i feel like i earned this rejection letter. in this light, my disappointment is somewhat justified, but also simultaneously nullified by my sense of accomplishment.
so what now? well i am trying to extract both the positive and negative points from the current situation. sure it sucks that i didnt get in but my not getting accepted has left me hungrier for the prize. i want it even more now. i need to accept the challenge and take it all as a learning experience. life goes on and i have to keep on truckin. i suppose it would have been a bit of a cop-out to get into med school without feeling truly deserving of such an accomplishment. this time around i really just have to focus. i have to make larger sacrifices if i hope to attain my goal. i have to put my head down and study that much harder for the gamsat. i have to stay persistent and believe in myself.
i now have direction.
so i guess in exploring the aftermath of my rejection from all possible angles, all i have left to say is that i look forward to stepping up to the plate and working that much harder so that this time next year, instead of feeling proud to have earned a rejection letter, i will be feeling proud to have earned an acceptance letter.
see you on the other side.
peace.
good luck to everyone who is still waiting on acceptance letters and also to anyone who has the desire to pursue the endearing realm that is medicine. i would like to thank my family and friends for their support and concern throughout the year. you are all amazing.
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