~Charmatii

About a month has passed since I first trod the sands of the Emirates, and by now I've pretty much figured out my likes and dislikes--well pretty much, though there's more of the former rather than the latter.

However, i think it's about time I stopped acting all tourist-y around the place and started getting serious about studying here. After all, being an exchange student is all about being flung to another country to see if the study experience would be any different, or any better, than your status quo. However, be it better or worse, you'll still have to wake up and get back to your native campus environment. A good thing or bad? Hard to say.

Which brings me to the story I've been itching to put down--my experience with this extremely excellent course I'm taking, Toxicology: essentially the study of poisons! I can't help loving everything about this particular subject--the deadly yet beautiful chemistry of intoxication; the inspirational lecturer Dr.Z: "I don't claim to know everything. In fact, I'm expecting to learn more of this subject from you as we go along."; the unique setting of the sessions, which are held at his cosy little office with the six of us huddled together around the LCD and his ultra-mini laptop; and of course, the sugar-coated peanuts in the jar!

I'm also proud to admit that this is one of the few classes during which I can never feel bored, let alone doze off! (though i actually did once, trust me it had gotta be one of those freak incidents bound to tarnish any perfect statistical record) Which is very much unlike Waste Management that almost never fails to turn off every sense of wakefulness in me, despite the whole practicality and importance of this subject. Maybe i'm just allergic to garbage talk.

Back to toxicology. Actually i should be preparing for the midterm tomorrow, but the insanely optimistic side of me always has this delusions about remembering everything there is, and that it's all perfectly common sense. However, experience has taught me that there are always parts that were overlooked, thus resulting in the consequent pang of regret and panic during the paper. Annoying isn't it?

But then, what could possibly be so hard about answering an all-MCQ midterm about the whole concept of how everything is potentially toxic (i do mean everything!) unless their safe dosage is adhered to; the way most, if not all poisons always involve the liver and kidney in their destructive path; the grotesque symptoms toxins elicit in you--it's amazing how Dr.Z can excitedly describe the stages of arsenic poisoning "diarrhoea, followed by falling blood pressure, organ failure" and later he would add as an afterthought "oh and then you die." all the while sipping tea in his favorite mug--and also the antidotes and treatments which, thank God, exist for most of these nasty little fiends. Come to think of it, it's a good thing that the exams are all in writing, and not practical a la Snape where you'll need to be deliberately poisoned for the test, and will pass only if you could identify which poison is in your system and immediately procure the antidote, all in one session and live to tell the tale. Whew.

Ah enough rambling for now, I must study, for the pessimist in me does not think me ready for tomorrow's 9.30am paper.