u/Sad-Plane-9128

I don't know if I want to go through med school. I studied biomedical sciences abroad, and I loved it. The thing is, I know I'm capable of going through med school, but I also want to start working and building things. I don't want to burden my family anymore. They've already done enough.

Every time I'm back home, I get pressured into pursuing an MD, like it's the only way to be employed in the Philippines and to be respected. I've had people talk shit about my course when I was an undergrad. This weird mentality that belittled what I was doing.

The thing is, I've always wanted to be a scientist, and I'm becoming one. I fell in love with bioinformatics. My thesis was on molecular docking for antifungal compounds. What actually excites me is the translational side; affordable diagnostics, testing kits, public health applications. The kind of work that reaches people who need it most.

Right now, I'm about to start my internship at a biomedical engineering department, and I couldn't be more excited about where this is going.

Posting from Southeast Asia— Has anyone here chosen the research track over clinical, and do you have any regrets?

I think its so weird that tiktok is trying so hard to let us take pictures of ourselves to join the "let tiktok decide the music it will put in the picture" so many different types of videos saying "It's so accurate" "Omg i can't believe tiktok knows me so well". It does this all the time. It's like an ad. it feels like a virus. Another example was the search, your name and the outfit trend, or search your zodiac sign and your outfit.

Why does tiktok do that? Want you to use the search bar or use the camera so badly? It's weird. Another time I realized it changed the perspective; gave me a "spiritual" video saying tiktok checks the vibes through the camera depending on the sound of it, it reads your energy, to see if it's off or what. Or even "search these three words up" thing. Why does it do this? It's honestly creepy asf.

Is late June considered peak rainy season in Chiang Mai? I’m wondering if hiking around the waterfalls during that time is doable or if it gets too dangerous/slippery.

​I also have a few questions about the commute:

​Ease & Affordability: Between Mae Sa and the Sticky Waterfalls (Bua Tong), which is easier or more budget-friendly to get to?

​Transportation: I’m planning to use Grab or Bolt, as I’m still a bit confused by the Songthaew system. Is it easy to find drivers willing to go that far, or is there a fixed-price route I should look for?

​Which of these two would you recommend for a first-time visitor in June? Thanks in advance!