Chapter 1 · July 23, 2026
Introduction to Biochemistry
If I am going to be honest, Chemistry has always been my kryptonite, even back in senior high school. Hearing that I would have to take Biochemistry made me anxious. Surprisingly, I was proven wrong. The chapter was much more digestible than I expected. It was not exactly easy, but I finally understood concepts that used to be so difficult for me. I was also thrilled to learn that I would not have to “balance out” electrons anymore.
It also helped that we were discussing cells and organelles in Histology at the same time. I could correlate those lessons with Chapter 1 of Biochemistry, making the concepts feel less isolated and much easier to understand.
I left the lesson genuinely happy. It may have been only the beginning, but for someone who had always been intimidated by Chemistry, understanding the lesson gave me confidence that Biochemistry might not be as scary as I thought.
Core memoryMaybe Biochemistry is not my kryptonite after all.
Chapter 2 · July 24, 2026
Water and pH
Who knew water could be that complex? When I first studied this lesson, I was honestly in awe, not because I understood everything, but because I could not understand a thing at all.
Before this chapter, I only knew that hydrophobic meant something “hates water.” I never understood why. Eventually, I learned that nonpolar molecules do not interact favorably with water. In my own way of remembering it, “hindi sila vibes!” Water molecules interact with one another and become more ordered around nonpolar molecules, encouraging the nonpolar molecules to cluster together. A term I had only memorized finally started to make sense.
I almost cried because of this lesson. It took time to understand, and I genuinely felt frustrated. I am thankful for my friends, ChatGPT, and Doc A for patiently explaining the concepts until they started to click.
I did not pass the quiz, and I was not surprised because I knew how much I had struggled. Still, I did not want a failed quiz to be the end of the chapter. It showed me which concepts I had not fully understood and where I needed to return. Not passing did not mean I learned nothing. It meant I still had more learning to do.
Core memory“Hindi sila vibes!”
Chapter 3 · July 29, 2026
Amino Acids and Peptides
I knew this chapter would not be easy, but I was genuinely crying after the lesson. Looking at all the figures and structures made my stomach turn because I felt like I knew nothing. Most of them were new to me. I knew proteins were made of amino acids and were important in the body, but I did not know they could be so intricate and complex. It felt like listening to a foreign language I could not decode.
Eventually, that language started to make a little more sense. I learned that the central carbon is the alpha carbon, while the R group or side chain makes each amino acid unique. Different side chains give amino acids different chemical properties, influencing how they behave and contribute to protein structure and function.
It may sound simple now, but being able to look at an amino acid structure without immediately panicking felt like progress. I did not understand the whole language yet, but I was beginning to recognize some of the words.
Core memoryThe R group gives an amino acid its identity, and that identity influences how it behaves.
Chapter 4 · July 30, 2026
Determination of Primary Structure
After the previous chapter, I started reading ahead because I expected the next lesson to be difficult. To my surprise, this one was a little easier.
Protein purification techniques became easier when I translated them into simple, almost “pachika” explanations. I remembered hydrophobic interaction chromatography as “if maalat, stick; if matabang, release,” while size-exclusion chromatography became “BIG, first to go; SMALL, last to go.” They may not sound scientific, but they helped me understand the principles before returning to the technical language.
This chapter taught me that intimidating concepts become easier when I first translate them into language that feels familiar. Once I understand the story or logic, the proper terminology becomes less overwhelming.
I still did not pass the quiz, but my score was significantly higher than the previous one. Please let me live through my rose-colored lenses. It was not a passing score yet, but compared with where I started, I accepted the improvement. I could see that changing how I studied was beginning to make a difference.
Core memorySometimes I have to understand Biochemistry in my own language before I can understand it in Biochemistry’s language.
Chapter 5 · August 6, 2026
Proteins: Higher Orders of Structure
Here we go again with proteins. At this point, I realized proteins were not going away anytime soon. Thankfully, because of our previous lessons and what we had discussed in Histology, the chapter became more bearable.
A protein structure no longer felt completely foreign. I understood the alpha carbon and R group, and I was beginning to recognize the amino group, NH₂, and carboxyl group, COOH. More importantly, I started seeing how amino acids interact and contribute to different levels of protein structure.
Protein structure is not merely something to memorize. Structure is closely related to function, so disrupted structure or synthesis can lead to disease. Collagen was a meaningful example. Abnormalities affecting collagen can lead to Ehlers-Danlos syndromes, while vitamin C deficiency can impair collagen synthesis and cause scurvy.
This chapter made me appreciate how medical school subjects connect. Histology concepts that once seemed separate were helping me understand Biochemistry. I was beginning to see that our courses describe the same human body from different perspectives.
Core memoryStructure determines function, and sometimes understanding one subject helps me understand another.
Chapter 6 · August 7, 2026
Myoglobin and Hemoglobin
Thankfully, Physiology came to my rescue. We were also discussing hemoglobin and oxygen transport, so I did not enter the lesson completely clueless.
I already knew that hemoglobin is found in red blood cells and transports oxygen through the blood, while myoglobin is found mainly in muscle and stores oxygen. Hemoglobin picks up oxygen in the lungs and releases it to tissues. That foundation made the biochemical side less intimidating.
Biochemistry added the “why.” Hemoglobin has four subunits and demonstrates cooperative oxygen binding, making it suited for oxygen transport. Myoglobin has one polypeptide chain and a higher oxygen affinity, matching its role in muscle oxygen storage.
Physiology helped me understand what hemoglobin does, while Biochemistry explained why it can do it. The subjects were starting to fit together.
I was still not passing the quizzes, but I was still learning the curve. My scores had not reached the passing mark, yet I no longer felt completely lost. The grades had not caught up, but my understanding slowly was.
Core memoryPhysiology taught me WHAT hemoglobin does. Biochemistry taught me WHY it can do it.
Chapter 7 · August 13, 2026
Enzymes: Mechanisms of Action
Let us be real. I did not understand a thing during the first discussion. I was physically present but mentally trying to keep up with all the new terms. Surprisingly, I began understanding at the last minute when Doc A reviewed us, and I was grateful when things finally started to click.
A catalyst speeds up a chemical reaction without being consumed. I like calling it the “instigador” of the reaction because it gets things going. Most biological catalysts are enzymes, although some RNA molecules, called ribozymes, also act as catalysts.
I learned three general properties of enzymes: catalytic power, specificity, and regulation. Catalytic power describes how much an enzyme speeds up a reaction. Specificity determines the type of substrate it recognizes. Regulation controls when and how much enzyme activity is needed.
The lock-and-key and induced-fit models were also interesting. I once imagined enzymes and substrates as structures that simply fit perfectly. The induced-fit model showed me that an active site can adjust its shape when the substrate binds. Enzymes became less like static drawings and more like structures that actually do something.
This chapter reminded me that not understanding the first explanation does not mean I will never understand. Sometimes I need to hear a concept again in a different way.
Core memoryEnzymes are the “instigadors” of biochemical reactions. They make reactions happen faster without being consumed.
Chapter 8 · August 14, 2026
Enzymes: Kinetics
Here it goes, the subject that made me cry the most. Enzyme kinetics felt like Biochemistry had added graphs and calculations to everything I was already struggling with. Terms such as Km, Vmax, Michaelis-Menten, and Lineweaver-Burk made the lesson even more intimidating.
Doc A reviewed us the night before, and my friends helped explain the basic concepts. Little by little, I understood that Vmax is the maximum reaction velocity when an enzyme is saturated with substrate, while Km is the substrate concentration at half of Vmax. I also began recognizing how inhibitors change these values and how those changes appear in graphs.
One realization helped: enzyme kinetics is asking how fast an enzyme works and what changes that speed. Once I stopped treating every equation and graph as a separate item to memorize, the topic became slightly less terrifying.
I did not master the lesson. Far from it. Still, compared with how I felt when I first saw those graphs, I understood a little more, and a little was already progress.
Core memoryVmax: How fast can we possibly go?
Km: How much substrate do we need to reach half of that speed?
Chapter 9 · August 15, 2026
Enzymes: Regulation of Activities
By this time, I was very nervous because Chapters 8 and 9 would make up a significant part of the Prelim Exam, and these were the chapters I was not fully understanding. When Doc A announced another review, I felt relief.
I began to understand that enzymes are not simply turned on and left to work. Their activities must be regulated according to what the body needs. Allosteric regulation involves molecules binding away from the active site and changing enzyme activity. Covalent modification adds or removes chemical groups to alter that activity.
Feedback inhibition also began to make sense. Rather than continuously producing something the body already has enough of, a pathway’s final product can inhibit an earlier step. In simple terms, the body says, “Okay, tama na. We already have enough.”
The concepts still were not completely comfortable, especially with the exam approaching. I still did not pass the quiz, but this time, something was different.
Turning pointThe scores were still difficult, but the logic was beginning to feel familiar.
Milestone · August 27, 2026
The Long Exam
By the time the Long Exam arrived, I was drained from reviewing. After repeatedly struggling with quizzes and spending so much time trying to understand Chapters 7 to 9, I did not expect much from myself. I genuinely thought I would score somewhere in the twenties or thirties.
Then I got a 54.
Normally, I might not celebrate a score below the cutoff, but this one felt different. Considering where I started and how difficult those topics had been, 54 felt like progress. I was getting closer.
For the first time, I thoughtMaybe all this struggling is actually getting me somewhere.
Milestone · September 3, 2026
The Prelim Exam
I PASSED.
For the first time since starting Biochemistry, I passed an exam, and it was the Prelim Exam. I was genuinely happy because, during the examination, I was already crying internally. Some questions made me feel that I did not know enough, and I doubted whether I had prepared enough.
Instead of trying to remember every detail, I returned to the basic concepts I knew. From there, I analyzed the questions and connected what I understood to the choices in front of me. Somehow, it worked.
Passing meant more than receiving a passing score. For several chapters, I had documented the same progression: “I did not pass the quiz.” “I still did not pass.” “I almost passed.” Finally, I could write, “I PASSED.”
I realized that progress does not always show itself immediately. Sometimes I was learning even when my scores did not reveal it. I still have a long way to go, and I have not suddenly become good at Biochemistry. Prelims taught me that struggling does not mean I am incapable. Sometimes I need more time, more explanations, and a learning strategy that works for me.
Core memoryMaybe I really am still learning the curve, but at least now I am moving upward.
