While writing the little story of my daughters, my friend PS showed me an email that she received from another colleague of us.
Here you go:
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Hi M,
I write to report to you an incidence
A group of Med 3 students (about 15 of them) repeatedly sent email to me to ask for an additional tutorial. I don't normally due this, but due to their persistence, I finally arranged a time slot for them today. When I arrived at the ward, none but ONE showed up just to tell me that they are BUSY. I left immediately. They did not even inform me beforehand.
I am not sure what can be done, but to reflect it to the concerned persons....
N
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Monday, January 13, 2014
港女
A household story that is better told in Cantonese:
老竇睇完家長通告後：“德德姐姐，你學校遲D有運動會。你可以揀60米賽跑或抛豆袋一樣嚟參加。你想揀邊樣？”
“唔…是但啦。”
老竇：“咁你鍾意玩邊樣吖？”
“都話是但咯。”
“好。慧慧妹妹你過埋嚟。不如咁，依家你兩個猜包剪揼。德德，你贏就玩60米賽跑，妹妹赢就玩抛豆袋，好唔好？”
“好…”家姐蚊滋咁細聲。
“好！！”妹妹大聲附和。
老竇：“嗱，一，二，三…哦，德德贏咗！”
家姐扁咀：“唔…不如再猜多次…”
妹妹：“好呀！再猜！一，二，三…”
老竇：“嗯，又係德德贏。就决定參加60米賽跑啦！”
“唔…嗚…”家姐開始眼淚攻勢：“做乜猜親都係我贏…”
老竇：“贏都唔高興？乜你其實想玩抛豆袋咩？”
家姐點頭。
老竇(有D勞氣)：“咁你又唔早講！”
老竇睇完家長通告後：“德德姐姐，你學校遲D有運動會。你可以揀60米賽跑或抛豆袋一樣嚟參加。你想揀邊樣？”
“唔…是但啦。”
老竇：“咁你鍾意玩邊樣吖？”
“都話是但咯。”
“好。慧慧妹妹你過埋嚟。不如咁，依家你兩個猜包剪揼。德德，你贏就玩60米賽跑，妹妹赢就玩抛豆袋，好唔好？”
“好…”家姐蚊滋咁細聲。
“好！！”妹妹大聲附和。
老竇：“嗱，一，二，三…哦，德德贏咗！”
家姐扁咀：“唔…不如再猜多次…”
妹妹：“好呀！再猜！一，二，三…”
老竇：“嗯，又係德德贏。就决定參加60米賽跑啦！”
“唔…嗚…”家姐開始眼淚攻勢：“做乜猜親都係我贏…”
老竇：“贏都唔高興？乜你其實想玩抛豆袋咩？”
家姐點頭。
老竇(有D勞氣)：“咁你又唔早講！”
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Totoro
Although I am not entirely satisfied with the movie, Vivian has a different opinion.
“I think it is the perfect finale of the great cartoon producer.”
“Why?”
“You know, Jiro and Naoko just reminds me of the story My Neighbour Totoro (龍貓), the ground breaking movie of Miyazaki. The father of our lovely Satsuki Kusakabe (草壁梽月) was an academic of some sort, and Satsuki’s mother was staying in a sanatorium for tuberculosis.”
My wife is right. In fact, the name of the father in Totoro is Tatsuo Kusakabe (草壁辰雄).
For that reason, to add a final touch of comedy, Naoko should write to Jiro and say that she was going to Seven Hills Hospital (七國山病院) for treatment.
“I think it is the perfect finale of the great cartoon producer.”
“Why?”
“You know, Jiro and Naoko just reminds me of the story My Neighbour Totoro (龍貓), the ground breaking movie of Miyazaki. The father of our lovely Satsuki Kusakabe (草壁梽月) was an academic of some sort, and Satsuki’s mother was staying in a sanatorium for tuberculosis.”
My wife is right. In fact, the name of the father in Totoro is Tatsuo Kusakabe (草壁辰雄).
For that reason, to add a final touch of comedy, Naoko should write to Jiro and say that she was going to Seven Hills Hospital (七國山病院) for treatment.
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Wind
Watched The Wind Rises (風起了) with Vivian.
This is supposed to be the last movie to be produced by Miyazaki Hayao (宮崎駿), and my wife has great expectation. Since the two of us are well warned ahead that the story is far from a comedy, we did not bring our princesses along to the cinema.
You may probably know the plot is based on the life and time of Jiro Horikoshi (崛越二郎) – the chief engineer responsible for the design of the Zero Fighter. Alas, a genuine aircraft engineer is obviously less romantic than that appears in the movie, and the love story between Jiro and his wife is based on Tatsuo Hori’s (崛辰雄) novel Kaze Tachinu (風立ちぬ), and the name of Jiro’s wife, Naoko (菜穗子), comes from another novel of Tatsuo.
By coincidence, the two Hori studied at the University of Tokyo at the same time.
************************
I must say I was slightly disappointed when we walked out of the theatre. Well, it is good – but far less impressive than Spirited Away (千與千尋) or Castle in the Sky (天空之城).
This is supposed to be the last movie to be produced by Miyazaki Hayao (宮崎駿), and my wife has great expectation. Since the two of us are well warned ahead that the story is far from a comedy, we did not bring our princesses along to the cinema.
You may probably know the plot is based on the life and time of Jiro Horikoshi (崛越二郎) – the chief engineer responsible for the design of the Zero Fighter. Alas, a genuine aircraft engineer is obviously less romantic than that appears in the movie, and the love story between Jiro and his wife is based on Tatsuo Hori’s (崛辰雄) novel Kaze Tachinu (風立ちぬ), and the name of Jiro’s wife, Naoko (菜穗子), comes from another novel of Tatsuo.
By coincidence, the two Hori studied at the University of Tokyo at the same time.
************************
I must say I was slightly disappointed when we walked out of the theatre. Well, it is good – but far less impressive than Spirited Away (千與千尋) or Castle in the Sky (天空之城).
Friday, January 10, 2014
Equal
You may come to the conclusion that it is the fault of our education system and the problem a sociological one. Yes, that’s exactly what I’m trying to imply.
Nonetheless, I am not saying medical schools pay no role in aggravating this problem.
How?
Let me give you the unlikely answer: We ask how enthusiastic they are to study medicine.
You see? Enthusiasm is assessed by whether they have participated in voluntary work or some of the faculty’s attachment program. The inevitable result is, children from affluent families are more likely to have the time and money to take part in voluntary work. As to attachment by school children, the arrangement is undoubtedly fair and all students certainly have an equal chance.
Just ask George Orwell.
Nonetheless, I am not saying medical schools pay no role in aggravating this problem.
How?
Let me give you the unlikely answer: We ask how enthusiastic they are to study medicine.
You see? Enthusiasm is assessed by whether they have participated in voluntary work or some of the faculty’s attachment program. The inevitable result is, children from affluent families are more likely to have the time and money to take part in voluntary work. As to attachment by school children, the arrangement is undoubtedly fair and all students certainly have an equal chance.
Just ask George Orwell.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Opportunity
If you conduct a survey to determine what schools do our medical students come from, you will be surprised to find that the Pareto principle is wrong – we are not having 80% of our students coming from 20% of the schools, but, 95% of them from 5% of the schools.
Let’s face it: Some school do give better students and have superior result in public examinations. No, these schools may not be offering better teaching (oh, they may, of course), but, rather, recruiting better kids , having more resource, or, having students with more resource.
The reality is, there are, broadly speaking, two kinds of schools in our city: private or public. Yes, both types have good or not-so-good ones. To study in a good private school, the family should be well-off enough to pay for the tuition fee, which is often not a humble sum.
How about good public schools? Alas, they consider several factors when recruiting students, and two remarkable ones are whether your parents are alumni and where you live. In other words, if your parents graduated from a good school, you are more likely to have the same privilege. Alternatively, if your family could afford living in a “good” area (which usually means more expensive), you would also have a better chance.
You see? What we are getting at is, not (or, not only) that students from the grassroots class are less willing to choose medicine, they are simply less likely to have an examination result good enough to apply.
Let’s face it: Some school do give better students and have superior result in public examinations. No, these schools may not be offering better teaching (oh, they may, of course), but, rather, recruiting better kids , having more resource, or, having students with more resource.
The reality is, there are, broadly speaking, two kinds of schools in our city: private or public. Yes, both types have good or not-so-good ones. To study in a good private school, the family should be well-off enough to pay for the tuition fee, which is often not a humble sum.
How about good public schools? Alas, they consider several factors when recruiting students, and two remarkable ones are whether your parents are alumni and where you live. In other words, if your parents graduated from a good school, you are more likely to have the same privilege. Alternatively, if your family could afford living in a “good” area (which usually means more expensive), you would also have a better chance.
You see? What we are getting at is, not (or, not only) that students from the grassroots class are less willing to choose medicine, they are simply less likely to have an examination result good enough to apply.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Grassroots
Very soon after our discussion on teaching assistant, my friend JW appeared in the morning paper and talked about the decline in the proportion of medical students coming from the grassroots class.
(See http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/news/art/20131230/18571510)
I have to admit the observation is entirely just, and my worry is indirectly alluded to in this site previously. (See http://ccszeto.blogspot.hk/2009/02/expensive.html) What I didn't mentioned some years ago, and what my friend is trying to imply now, is that the high percentage of medical students coming from affluent families is the result of the fact that many secondary school students from the lower social class do not apply for studying medicine, because they worry that the degree is beyond what they could afford.
Em… That may be true. It is a global phenomenon that studying medicine is getting more expensive. (For example, see Asch DA, et al. Are we in a medical education bubble market? N Engl J Med 2013; 369: 1973-1975.)
Nonetheless, I believe that’s not the major reason for having fewer students from the lower social class.
(See http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/news/art/20131230/18571510)
I have to admit the observation is entirely just, and my worry is indirectly alluded to in this site previously. (See http://ccszeto.blogspot.hk/2009/02/expensive.html) What I didn't mentioned some years ago, and what my friend is trying to imply now, is that the high percentage of medical students coming from affluent families is the result of the fact that many secondary school students from the lower social class do not apply for studying medicine, because they worry that the degree is beyond what they could afford.
Em… That may be true. It is a global phenomenon that studying medicine is getting more expensive. (For example, see Asch DA, et al. Are we in a medical education bubble market? N Engl J Med 2013; 369: 1973-1975.)
Nonetheless, I believe that’s not the major reason for having fewer students from the lower social class.
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