1st bhangra performance...ever!

Yay! I survived my first bhangra experience!! And I'm still in one piece! Phew, two official practices, and one frantic pre-performance practice, and we were pretty decent! Beginning was a bit rough (aka, nobody started at the same time), but once we got it going, we were shakin'! (Literally) The first time I saw some of the moves, I was thinking: "my hips do not do that." I don't think I really realized the insanity of what I was doing. hehehe. There was one "deer-in-the-headlights" moment, but thankfully, i still kept my hands and feet moving, so it all turned out a-okay.

Hooray! It was SO MUCH FUN!!!

Wow, I think last time I performed something was 5th grade in Midsummer's Night Dream. I was a pink fairy.

Anatomy: Head

Dissecting the human head!

Except right now, our's looks like Nearly-Headless Nick from Harry Potter with the face bisected in half. So cool!

Top medical student pick up lines

Some funny pick up lines that a classmate found. Warning, some are pretty bad...

My sudden protracted cardiac arrhythmia makes me think I'm falling for you.

(Hold out a stethoscope) Why don’t you listen to your heart and go out with me?

My adductor isn't the only thing that's longus.

I wish I was your coronary artery, so that I could be wrapped around your heart.

Trust me, this is how they did Mammograms back in the old days.

Is your name Flecainide? Because I think you just made my heart skip a beat.

(Look for any small skin imperfection) Has anyone ever looked at that? Why don’t we go back to my place so I can give you a full exam?

When you walked in the door your beauty hit me so hard that I have a priapism from all the trauma.

How about we ditch this joint and go study some anatomy?

Baby, you make me vasodilate!

No that's not an epi-pen in my pants, I'm just happy to see you.

Hey baby, wanna play with my corpus cavernosum?

That pulsation in my femoral sheath isn't coming from an artery.

I am an organ donor, need anything?

Come into my office and take off your pants.

1st B-Ball Game

Oh boy. For some unknown reason, I decided to join the IM co-ed b-ball team. It was pretty amusing. I need to learn how to dribble. And shoot. And pivot. And contact other people. Oh boy. Tennis is very different. You're not even ALLOWED to cross to the other side of the net, much less stick your butt into somebody's stomach (boxing someone out?). haha. I've learned to be more ferocious. But then that resulted in this 6 inch long, half inch thick bloody mark on a teammate - inflicted by my razor sharp nails during practice. Oops! I apologized profusely, but I still felt horrible. :(
So last Wed. was my first bball game ever!!! Sadly, we lost by 2 points (21 to 23). :'( I got to play in two quarters, which kinda made me feel bad, because the only contribution I was making was pretty much running around and making the other team- and my team - confused. I guess it wasn't soooo terrible. I did manage to defend a decent amount. I didn't even know how to signal that I wanted a sub, so I had to stay in for all of 1st quarter even though I managed to lose the ball to the other team while I was just holding it. ah..need to be more aggressive. Well, I guess first things first...learn to dribble, shoot, and pivot. The really sad thing was that we were playing against first year MBA students and we lost. ah......

Exploring Bhangra and Bollywood and Short Hair

Diwali - never head of it till med school:
Apparently it's a really big thing at my current undergrad and med school. Bhangra was such a big deal at MIT, and they were AMAZING! So I checked it out today. It was so much fun! Although I'm pretty uncoordinated. Oh well, I got matched up with someone equally uncoordinated. Awesome. Haha...and then some people were from yesterday's Bollywood dancing team. And so I tried the dude's part. That was funny and involved a lot of hip/shoulder movement that I don't think I have the nerves/muscles for (although anatomy proves me wrong). It was hilarious!! Ahh!! I didn't sign up for it at first b/c I know I'm stretching myself too thin...but then a classmate asked me to sign up, and I have this terrible habit of not being able to say no. ah...i failed DARE.

Short Hair:
Ah!! Hair barely touches my shoulders! So short!! Man, the only haircutter person I knew of growing up was my mom, so this was probably my second time ever getting a haircut at a professional place. I think I made the lady very frustrated because I kept on being unhappy with the result and refused to use her hair products. Well, there's really no point for her to blow dry and put cream in my hair because I would never do that. She probably thought I was crazy. Oh well, I guess it didn't turn out as bad as I thought!

Baking and Cooking List

Since I'm in the list-making mode...Things I want to try baking/cook (key word: try):
Baked goods:

• Best chocolate ice cream, without an ice cream machine!
• meringue
• buche de noel
• pound cake
• lemon thumbprint cookies
• maple donuts
• blueberry cheesecake
• Raspberry Creme Fraiche Tart - raspberries are so awesome, but so expensive!
• Valentine's Heart Cake (MNZ)
• Twice baked sweet potato walnut streusel
• Lime sorbet
• Mascarpone Cheesecake Ice cream
• Lemon meringue cupcake
• Creamy lemon crumb bars
• Summertime strawberry pie
• Strawberry lemonade scones
• The Sweet Art: Matcha Black Sesame Cheesecake & Ramen
• ...
• I'll take suggestions!

Other:

• Short ribs Mark style: red wine and coffee
• Chocolate pudding ...with tofu
• Home made pizza
• Radish Cakes
• wow: home-made mascarpone cheese
• Mashed potato puffs

The AMAZING Minimalist videos (with parmesan chicken): http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/01/26/dining/20110126-bittman.html?ref=dining#Parmesan_Chicken_With_Jamie_Oliver_(2009) (Thanks MNZ!)

Baked from scratch:

• Pie
• Banana Cream pie (or butterscotch) - my specialty, easy and delicious (need less sugar and salt)
• Blueberry pie -  made a cake version for AL, but it was odd...
• Key lime pie (with and without egg yolks)
• Apple pie (Grandma Opple's) - awesome
• Pumpkin pie from real pumpkins - very pumpkiny flavor, good without too many spices
• Frozen pineapple pie - so easy and good for hot weather
• Chocolate pie
• Cobbler:
• Strawberry rhubarb cobbler
• Peach cobbler
• Peach cream pie (or pear) - nice and creamy, pretty easy.
• Macarons with Amrita (The Sweet Art)
• Strawberry shortcake (kind of disastrous...)
• Pear shortcake - much better, looked like mini-burgers
• Tiramisu - Done! delicious! Lady fingers got too soggy, so need less coffee
• Banana bread - I got a recipe from AS's sister. It was soooo banana-y, moist, and yummy!
• Pineapple crisp -okay
• Cheesecake (plain, pumpkin)
• Raspberry white chocolate cheesecake - AMAZING, from fresh raspberries took a long time.
• Plain
• Pumpkin from real pumpkins
• Caramel macchiato (Helen's b-day) - pretty darn amazing.
• Chocolate scones (KP's recipe)
• Corn bread (real corn! need jalapenos next time)
• Eclaires
• Cookies: chocolate chip, sugar, lime, coconut
• Tagalons (took 4 ppl, but was delicious!)
• Macaroons -really soft and fluffy
• Butter gooey cake - alas, not as good as GA's
• Bars:
• Lemon bar - yum! I love tart things!
• Raspberry oatmeal bar - pretty healthy, need more raspberry next time.
• Molten chocolate cakes - really good with ice cream
• Jelly rolls - one of my first baked goods ever
• Frozen:
• Blackberry Sorbet - so good, esp w/home picked blackberries! One of my fav "ice cream" flavors
• ...

Cooked:

• 10 min pancakes from Minimalist: 1 C flour, 1tbsp sugar, 1tsp baking powder, 1egg, 1 C milk
• Crapes (good recipe from RS)
• 
  

Movie List

Since I'm constantly behind in terms of watching movies:

Small font = watched

More recent:

• 12 Years a Slave
• 50/50: fun to watch from a med student's perspective.
• 127 Hours - not sure I want to sit through 3hrs of torture.
• 1917: really cool cinematography, 2 continuous shots.
• 500 Days of Summer - good movie! highly recommend it! so cute! love joseph gordon-levitt!
• The amazing Spiderman 2: don't remember much 
• American Hustle: AB liked this movie a lot, and it was interesting, but I think the accents and weird clothing distracted me a bit.
• Amour (foreign): elderly couple
• Ant man: well, I like super hero movies, so of course I liked this. It was an interesting perspective
• Argo: American political parties trapped in Iran. Pretty intense, makes me like Canadians more
• The Artist - Despite no sound, it was funny and charming.  Tugs on the heart strings a bit.
• Birdman: strange, didn't appreciate it. One shot.
• Black Swan - Very good! Really expresses the emotions/thoughts/effort required to be a ballet dancer
• Blue Jasmine
• Bohemian Rhapsody: pretty good movie about leader of Queen. 
• Boyhood: great movie. One of the best I've seen. Amazing execution and interesting to see from the respective of a boy. How kids get bits of info, and often times not the whole story. 
• Brave: cute cartoon, although not that memorable.
• Captain America 2: entertaining superhero movie
• Catch and Release
• Clash of the Titans - I like Greek mythology, so I had to like this one.  Stories are just so elaborate and creative.
• CODA: very good movie about child of death adults. Made me cry. Weight and responsibility. 
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons - i like it! sad though
• Dallas Buyer's Club: well deserved best actor academy award, heavy material - interesting beginning to AIDS
• The Dark Knight Rises: Marion Cotillard is a wonderful actress, so I like everything she's in.  This film is a bit long though, and medically impossible (breaking back and healing from that??)
• The Dark Knight: Joker was AMAZING, the atrocity/wit/cruelty is otherworldly
• Date Night - it's funny, but I don't think I really ever appreciated Steve Carell's humor
• Dealt: about one of the best card magicians in the world...and he is Blind! So inspiring and bittersweet!: https://youtu.be/F__DQ1ruYck
• Definitely, Maybe - very cute story and unique style - kind of like a mystery and HIMYM
• The Descendants - a nice reevaluation of the important things in life as a father deals with raising his daughters while mother is in a coma.  
• The Departed: double spies, confusing. Gory.
• Django Unchained
• Don't look up: funny satire about global warming.
• Dune: mandalorian + game of thrones. 
• Dunkirk: good war movie. Planes.
• Ford vs farari: fun movie.
• Fantastic Four: Silver Surfer - i like explosions
• Flipped - cute, kidsy typical movie about a boy and a girl
• Frozen: great movie about love, but not the typical kind.  And the music, wow - really gives me the chills.
• The Grand Beauty (italian)
• The Grand Budapest Hotel: quirky and Johnny Depp always entertaining.
• Gravity: waaaaay too intense. Man, held my breath the whole time. Not good for late night movie before bedtime.
• The Great Gatsby: Beautiful film, but book is better of course.  Some inner thoughts and feelings are more poignant by book.
• The Guardians of the Galaxy: liked it a lot - esp Groot. Superhero movies are awesome.
• Harry Potter 6 - I seem to like all movies. Harry Potter is always amusing to watch because it's putting things I even have a hard time imagining into solid form. ugh, i get scared easily. those dead people really made me jump.
• The Help
• The Hunger Games - while fun to watch, the whole idea of kids killing kids just doesn't flow well with me.
• The Hurt Locker - interesting perspective of bomb detonator squad during Iraq war. 
• Her: unique concept of having a relationship with an operating system, oddly sentimental and questions the basis of love
• Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -this is such a weird movie, but weird in an entertaining way.
• Hobbit 1: Enjoy another adventure, but not much happens here.
• Hobbit 2 (Desolation of Smaug): great effects, strange talking dragon, brave Bard, strange to see Orlando Bloom overlooked by a dwarf.
• Hobbit 3 (Battle of Five Armies): A lot of special effects, seeing the different kingdoms' greed, and how ultimate badness allows everyone to regain alliance and fight for greater good.
• Hugo- Little boy and his automaton.  It wasn't brilliant, but sweet and artsy
• I, Robot
• The Iron Lady (Meryl streep)
• It's Complicated: Cute movie, loved the girl, and unique story telling.
• John Carter - pretty creative, kind of outrageous, and left questions unanswered.
• Jojo Rabbit: I liked it. Sad. Holocaust. 
• Joker: the joker was very well creepily done. 
• The Kids Are All Right
• King's Speech - I love colin firth! he's so good in this! - really feel his struggle
• La La Land: too sad. Bawling. Ab doesn't think it's so sad. But beautiful story still. 
• Life of Pi: loved the book, the movie was pretty interesting too.  I'll always remember the beginning of the book: "a story that will make you believe in God" - the symbolism is chilling.
• Lincoln
• Little Women: I had mixed feelings about the original. This is ok too. Didn't like ultimate marriage decision, but understand now. 
• The Lives of Others - heavy, but good
• London Boulevard - Kind of boring. Pretty actors, ugly language. Left me feeling confused and unsatisfied.
• Marriage story: sad. It's a divorce story.
• The Martian: awesome. Great imagining of what mars might be like.
• Midnight in Paris: didn't really like it so much.  I think I just don't get Woody Allen, and I'm not familiar with literary references.
• Memento: Oh man...messes with me, unique way of filming...confabulation
• Monsters, Inc. - the cutest, most imaginative, best mixture of stupid/intelligent humor ever! Boo! Kitty!
• My Sister's Keeper - Very good!! Sad though :(
• Nomadland: pretty good, interesting look at that lifestyle. Hard to imagine loneliness.
• Non-Stop: plane hijacker, interesting how anyone could have been a suspect, and not obvious conclusion, although few possible holes like why somethings didn't happen earlier.
• Once Upon a time in Hollywood: about random murder and how it came to be. Strange. 
• Parasite: best per AB. Commentary on society. All think others are parasites.
• Paris Je t'aime - interesting - very European
• Pitch Perfect, Pitch Perfect 2: very cute and funny. 2nd one was very entertaining.
• Pirates of the Caribbean 2 Dead Man's Chest - strange, but can't miss Johnny Depp in eyeliner.  Enjoyed the creativity.
• The Power of the Dog: dramatic, dark, Cumberbatch.
• The Prestige: Won't see magic the same way now, kind of creepy.
• The Princess and the Frog - very cute, good wholesome movie, no real surprises, but still good plot.
• Prince of Persia - fun graphics, don't remember much.
• A Royal Night Out: about queen elizabeth and how she spends one night as a civilian. It's got a nostalgic feel, old style, but not that great.
• Silver Linings Playbook: saw bits and pieces
• Sin City - Wouldn't say this was my favorite movie (lots of gore), but definitely a very interesting format/style.
• Social Network - It was very interesting. Makes me like nerdy people more and hate money/business more. hahaha
• The Spectacular Now: a young man's coming of age story, but not the typical cheesy one, especially the last 5 minutes.
• Spirited Away - although it's animated, it's a pretty heavy movie, and very strange - typical Japanese animation
• Spy: most hilarious movie ever. Oh man, Melissa McCarthy is so hilarious. Highly recommended. It's just the contrast to other male-dominated super hero movies
• Superman - Man of Steel: yay, superhero movie.
• Sunshine Cleaners: kind of twisted, but also sweet in a strange way.
• Temple Grandin - not a movie I would've picked up and watch on my own, but I just happened to see it on the airplane, and it was AWESOME - very inspiring, moving, and intriguing
• Thor 2: really like the Loki character, but the "scientific instrument" part was a little disappointing and doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense...
• Three Billboards: very sad. Can't imagine losing your daughter. But touching. 
• Time Traveler's Wife: strange that it's called time traveler's wife when it's not that focused on the wife.
• Top Gun: Maverick: fun movie, interesting to see what navy pilot school like
• True Grit - western movie of girl who avenges her father. Very ambitious/headstrong girl - somewhat inspiring as well as saddening. Leaves an unsettled filling, in a good way?
• UP- Awesome!! It's so cute and so funny! I loved the little people! :)
• Up in the Air: never thought firing people is a job, and makes me feel bad about the main character.
• Watchmen - can't help enjoying superhero movies. Weird ending though.
• West Side Story: forgettable. But good music. 
• Wolf of Wallstreet: very interesting view into the lives of multibillionaires. Although quite crude.
• World War Z: intriguing pandemic film, similar to I Am Legend. zombie movie, interesting twist.
• War of the Worlds
• X-Men: Days of Future Past: Interesting concept.  It was a nice combo of old and young characters and very nice computer graphics
• X-Men: First Class: Great movie! Very interesting to see where the current x-men characters came from. Love the various backstories/explanations.
• X-Men: Wolverine
• 
  
• Nine Lives
• Man on Fire
• Youth in Revolt
• Leap Year
• Perfume
• Where the Wild Things Are
• District 9
• Gran Torino
• Lust, Caution
• House of Flying Daggers
• Curse of the Golden Flower
• The Pianist
• City of God
• Shrek 3
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - love the action!
• The Hangover: clever, and funny
• Monsters vs. Aliens
• Toy Story 3 - way better than 2 or 1!
• Mrs. Doubtfire
• Alexander
• Chicago: saw the musical, KD as backstage person.  Best song was Cell Block Tango
• Hannibal
• The Proposal - typical chick flick - but I like Sandra Bullock, so it was good.
• Die Hard (all: Die Another Day, Live Free or Die Hard...) - Explosions/special effects/hardcoreness!
  
• Sex and the City
• Mama Mia - Brings back good memories of undergrad
• Chronicles of Narnia - yet to see anything other than the first one
  
• Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle - entertaining
  
• The Secret Life of Bees - it's a historical movie about civil rights, death, abuse- so somewhat heavy

Classics/Old Movies

• Life is beautiful: amazing amazing movie. One of my favorites. Very sad. But teaches to make the best of what you have. 
• When Harry Met Sally - so cute! Such a good plot, and interesting characters
• Sleepless in Seattle - kind of strange and not totally believable, but a girl can dream
• You've got Mail: I really like this, interesting noting change in technology.
• L.A. Story: hilarious satire on L.A.
• The American President
• Rear Window
• White Christmas
• Forest Gump - LOVE forest gump!
• Patch Adams - haha, waaaaaaaay too happy for a med student
• I am Sam
• The Addams Family
• A Few Good Men
• Se7en
• 12 Angry Men
• Raiders of the Lost Ark: Indiana Jones is amusing - like them all
• Sunset Blvd
• Sixth Sense - so good! I like it - gives me chills
• The Patriot
• To Catch a Thief
• The Color Purple
  
• The Professional
  
• Monty Python and the Holy Grail - i like this kind of humor.
• Independence Day
• Jerry Maguire
  
• Men in Black II - Entertaining as usual with Will Smith in it.
  
• Matrix - nice graphics and cool fighting scenes
• Kill Bill 2 - very entertaining, good fight scenes
• Bourne Identity; Ultimatum - yay, action movie, and Matt Damon!
  
• Fatal Attraction
• American Beauty
• Taxi Driver
• A Clockwork Orange
• Chinatown
• Edward Scissorhands
• Snatch
• Gone with the Wind - I really disliked Scarlet, but maybe later on, I'll appreciate it more despite it being LONG
• Good Will Hunting: good movie. 
• Farewell My Concubine
• Magnolia
• Hulk: finally saw the more recent version - I like the hulk
• City of Gods
• Schindler's List
• Drunken Master II - Jackie Chan never fails to be amusing
• Mona Lisa Smile - very sweet film
• Sense and Sensibility - i love the bbc version - something about austen movies, makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside
• Persuasion - Jane Austen is awesome.  It was lovely
• Emma - the older longer PBS version with Romola Garai (not Gweneth Paltrow) is better
• Sister Act I/II - Whoopi!
  
• The Truman Show - I love Jim Carrey! Even though I tend to not like stupid-funny movies, he's always fun to watch. The plot is also very intriguing.
  
• The Usual Suspects - didn't know what I was watching, very intriguing, very well thought out plot
• Gran Torino
• The Godfather: very interesting perspective, portrays complexity of mobster life. Good.
• The Terminator: totally not what I thought, but it got some interesting plot and action.
• 
  

Really old

• It's a Wonderful Life
• Chungking Express
• Citizen Kane
• City Lights
• Pink Panther (original): slapstick humor. Not funny nowadays.
• Talk to her
• Sherlock, Jr. - no sound, but still just as funny
• Singing in the Rain - lovely
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• Prob my fav TV show: Ted lasso. Such an uplifting show. Wish there was more of these around. Good, honest, heartfelt, and not forced. People making good/ok/reasonable decisions. Complex characters.

Breast Exam Training

Breast exams are more than meets the eye. Not only did we learn the proper technique (all women should learn! Women: 1/8 chance of breast cancer in life time, 1/8 die of breast cancer), but I also realized what a mammogram consisted of. Wow, did not know that they squish you vertically! In the words of the doctor, they "crank it down!" Oh boy.

Well, during the training session, they had model breasts to try on. Apparently, you're supposed to go up and down the breast from the center of chest to the arm pit like you're "mowing the lawn" - another direct quote. You're supposed to use the pads of your fingers and move in dime-sized circles first lightly, and gradually deeper, then continue mowing. Man, those little nodules are sneaky little buggers! At our table, we managed to feel one, but missed three in the model breast! Got to work on our techniques more.

Of course, after getting home, I had to try it out for real. Hm, it was very difficult, and even scary. I just find bumps everywhere. Ugh. I guess a real nodule is supposed to be harder or more of a concentrated spot? ...I guess I'll learn more later.

Halloween MedSchool Treat & Cute Things/YouTube!

Meatloaf hand

Can't get enough of anatomy? Stuffed Organs! I love the descriptions! (courtesy of MNZ)

Cuteness! And completely unrelated to Halloween Treat!: I wish I had a twin just so I can wear this.

Kitties are so cute!

Amazing kid playing "I'm Yours" with a ukulele, courtesy of KP! I laughed sooooo hard!

I <3 this: 

Kitties are adorable!  http://www.rofldepot.com/got-it_2125.html

Wanted: Places

I decided I should make a list of places I need to go before I die:

1. Egypt
2. Greece (Corfu, Santorini)
3. Nepal (Himalayas)
4. Argentina Patagonia
5. India (Taj Mahal)
   
6. Japan (Mt. Fuji)
7. Etosha Ntnl Pk, Namibia
8. France (Mont Saint Michel- Normandy)
9. Brazil (Amazons)
10. Tanzania: Mt. Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar
11. Southern Italy: Amalfi coast (Ravello hotel), Naples, Pompe
12. El Nido, Philipines
13. Khao Yai National Park, Thailand
14. Oman
15. These places:  http://www.wenxuecity.com/news/2012/08/29/gossip-76317.html
16. Some of these crazy places, probably in the "safer mode" - like by foot on the Ireland cliffs or with chains/hooks on Hua Shan, China.  Definitely want to go volcano boarding some day - whether it's in Nigeria or Nicaragua...
17. Ireland
18. Iceland
19. Australia: Great barrier reef
20. Easter Island
21. Israel, dead sea
22. Cambodia: Angkor Wat
23. Jordan: Petra and Wadi Rum
24. Marrakech Morocco
25. 
    

Places I've been:

• Amsterdam: Van Gogh museum, Ann Frank House, Red light district
• Australia: Sydney (Opera house, bridge, Bondi to Coogee beach hike)
• Bahamas
• Botswana: Chobe
• Canada: Vancouver, Banf ntnl pk; Jasper ntnl pk
• Montreal: botanical barden, Mont Royal, St. Joseph Oratory, Notre-Dame Basilica, Old Montreal
• Moraine Lake (Banff ntnl park Canada)
• China: Guiling, Yangshuo, Kunming, Lijiang, Dali, Xi'an (Terracotta soldiers), Chengdu, Qinghai, Shangri-La, Xishuangbanna, Beijing (Great Wall, Forbidden Palace, Summer Palace)
• England (layover)
• France: Paris, Lyon, Nice, Avignon, Marseilles, Chamonix, Mont Blanc
• Haiti: Port-au-Prince
• Italy
• Lake Como, Bellagio
• Venice: St. Mark's Basilica, Doge's palace
• Rome: Colosseum, Palatine Hills, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica
• Florence: Uffizi, Galleria d'Accademia (David)
• Pisa
• Milan: Duomo
• Korea: Seoul, Bukhansan ntnl pk
• Lesotho: Semongkong, Malealea, Thaba bosiu, sehlabathebe national park
• Mexico:
• Cozumel
• Cancun, Chichen'itza (Mayan ruins, El Castillo pyramid, ball court)
• Puerto Vallerta: Marietas Islands National Park (hidden beach)
• Monaco
• New Zealand: Auckland, Waitomo glow worms, Queenstown, Te Anau, Milford Sound, Roy's Peak, Wanaka Lake, Mount Cook, Lake Tekapo, Christchurch
• Nicaragua: Managua, Granada, Esteli, Matagalpa
• Peru (Machu Picchu)
• Sierra Leone: Freetown, Lunsar, Segbwema
• South Africa: Kruger ntnl park safari, Sentinel peak (Natal national park), Golden Gate ntnl park
• Switzerland: Chateau de Chillon, Geneva
• UAE: Dubai (4 hr layover): fountain, mall, Burj khalifa
• USA:
• Hawaii (Maui): Haleakala crater, Ka'anapali beach, Napili beach, Road to Hana, Big beach, Polo beach
• Grand Canyon (only hiked 3/4 way down), Havasu falls
• US: Yosemite (half-dome!)
• Zimbabwe: Victoria Falls
• 
  

Only for a short while:

• London
• Nairobi
• Mexico

Need Haircut Suggestions!

I need haircut suggestions! Note, I'll be donating my hair, so I won't have much left! Well, hopefully at least shoulder length is do-able. Ah...getting haircut is always a hassle because I have so much hair and it is so poofy.

Here's TL's suggestion of a haircut: mushroom head
More of an edgy look
Or maybe an emo look
This is actually more emo
On second thought, it might require too much hair products to keep it that way. otherwise, it might look like this
Lastly, there's always this option. It'll be a good balding surprise.

I really hope someone has a better suggestion.

Post 1st Exam Week Fun

Yay!!! Done with first exam week! Three exams: Biochem, Histology, and Physiology. I'm actually pretty worried about the practical part of histo - not sure if I passed. eek! But what can I do now but have fun?

Biking to Downtown St. Louis and Arch:
Don't recall how long the ride was, but in total, it took about 2 hrs maybe? We rode on a bike path on the road, and it was so much fun! We ended up stopping at the City Garden for a long time and taking random pictures and climbing on the statues. It was also my first time to the Arch!!! So excited!

Elephant Rock State Park:
It was so much fun!!!! It consisted of HUGE rocks that you can climb or have to squeeze between. And the view of the changing colors of leaves was gorgeous! It took us 1.5 hrs to get there, but it was totally worth it! Next time, I'll bring a rope so we can climb to the top of some of those rocks. Hehehe. On the way back, I also had my first Steak N' Shake steakburger and shake! Yummmmm....fat.....!

House, MD:
Watched two full episodes of House, MD. Man, it's so interesting. I should watch more. hehe.

Health Screening:
Yay! I was actually useful today and acted as a translator in my selective!

7 Acre Haunted Corn Maze:
I don't know why I put myself through that torture. I knew I hated scary movies, so it was probably not the smartest thing for me to go to this thing. Well, the haunted part wasn't actually much of a maze. It was one path, but people dressed up would jump out. At one section, we had to go through almost this tunnel that had a whole bunch of "goons" that scared people. Ah....I'm such a wimp for such things! I totally forced a friend to go first, and grabbed on so tight that I probably choked him. oops! Man, I haven't been so scared for a very long time.
The actual maze part was pretty confusing and still pretty fun. The bad part was that we were all frozen to the point of hypothermia.

Apples to Apples:
Played apples to apples for the first time (essentially)! Ah, it was totally a laughterfest. Hehehe...I'm totally not going to be awake for church tomorrow...

Running 12 miles

Most I've ever ran was 6 miles:
So recently, due to lack of really intense tennis players, I've decided to take on running. I've been consistently running about 6 miles, which is about one lap around Forest Park. But about a week ago, I decided to go running because I had finished class or something. After 6 miles, I still felt I had energy, so I just continued running. By the time I got a little tired in the legs, I was already to the other side of the park, so I decided what the heck, I might as well go around the whole park. Then leg kind of started hurting a little while later, I kind of wanted to walk, but decided if I walked, it'd probably get dark before i got back, so I just continued running until I ran 12 miles. The next 3 days my legs were soooo sore, and i had problems going into the sitting position (e.g. going to the bathroom). Note to self, don't be stupid again.

Later friend asked why didn't I take the metro. Oops, I had forgotten my metro pass and any form of money. Then he said I should've called and asked to get a ride...but oops, I forgot my phone as well. Lesson learned: Always have phone and money.

First Pelvic Exam!

Well, I didn't get one, but I got to see one at the free Saturday Neighborhood Health Clinic that I volunteered at today! Since I'm interested in OB/GYN (and pediatrics), it was a pretty interesting experience. Wow...it was pretty amazing how big things can stretch. And the tool used was a little scary looking. It's interesting comparing it to a cadaver. It looked pretty similar, except pinker. O_o

Med School Quotes

Lecture on bacterial vaginosis:
There were a group of scientists who got together to decide whether to call it vaginal bacteriosis or bacterial vaginosis, and the people for the later group won out - they thought it rolled off the tongue better.  But now it just sounds like bacteria with a lot of vaginas.  (Dr. L) 


2nd year:
Professor's embarrassing story about male genitourinary exam: One time he was teaching some students how to do the GU exam, and accidentally pocket dialed a friend.  His friend picked up the phone, and all he heard was, "...and now please move your phalynx up..."


Example of what we should say to patient for male genitourinary exam: "Uncover what you need to for us to do what we need to do…" (Dr. G)


What pelvic exam professor said while passing out speculums: "you have to touch them …OOO!"

"I know many of you have undesierable lipids [levels].  you may be careful of what you eat, but the best thing to do is to choose your parents carefully" (Dr. S)

Me (in desperate voice after not talking all night): "Oh no! oh no! I'm so behind in studying!!!!!!!"
ED: That was very urgent sounding...like you had to poop or something.


1st year
After renal professor pulled his pants off: "The AV guys are thinking OMG! - he just pulled his pants off!"
Prof 1: "What?! You mean like the full monty?!!
Prof 2: "No, no, I have shorts underneath"


Pulmonary lecture:
"The average American isn't sedentary; the average American is stationary."


Friend's status:
"My mom: Sweetie, I'm getting very worried about you. 
Me: Why?? 
My mom: Why don't you have a boyfriend? I don't care what you do in med school, take 6 or 7 years if you need but please go to more parties and find a guy!"


Prof: At what level do axons carrying these sensibilities (fine touch and pain/temp) cross to the opposite side?
XW: Oh....Oh crap!
Prof: No, that's lower.


YW: "What drives vergence?" - referring to convergence of eyes
GA: "Not having sex?"


"Ahhh, I love how the sun is warming up my butt" - MW referring to the first sign of spring in 40 degree weather


"Nasal Rape" - BK's take on getting swabbed in the nose for H1N1


Regarding telling secrets:
Me: "You're not leaky are you?"
MW: "No. I'm a tight junction!"


Renal exam questions:
"Your life is a mess.  Your significant other has called you a loser and broken off the engagement.  Your dog poops in your shoes and your cat urinates on your bed pillow. However, always the optimist, and inspired by our new president, you are hoping for a change.  You decide to start dating again. Based on your past failures you have decided to utilize a new, innovative strategy. For some unknown reason you decide to pick your next partner based on their renal function.  After weeks of meaningless, encounters and several restraining orders against you, you have found a potential partner.  The prospective partner agrees to a complete blood work up...What is the prognosis?"
"Rob Bilkinson (name changed to protect his identity) decides to “run” in a marathon race.  Immediately before the race Rob carbohydrate loads his body by eating 1 pound of his favorite food, Vinegar & Salt potato chips. One pound of potato chips contains 100 mmoles of NaCl.  After one hour of “running” approximately 0.5 miles, Rob collapses in exhaustion.  His official Richard Simmons™ jumpsuit is covered in 2 liters of sweat (Assume Rob’s sweat consists of only water).  Immediately,  Rob is transported to the hospital.  Assume that Rob weighs 200 kg (440 lbs), that his plasma osmolarity was initially 290 mosmol/liter, and that Rob’s total body water is 60% of his body weight (gross over estimate)." 


“Uh..It's not really trauma, but it's traumatic? Uh... roller coaster rides?” -Me, regarding trauma that cause vomiting

"Oh ya, i've been poked a lot. and i've poked other ppl a lot." -Me, regarding glucose tests

Renal: "What is man, when you come to think upon him, but a minutely set, ingenious machine for turning, with infinite artfulness, the red wine of Shiraz into urine?" Isak Dinesen, Seven Gothic Tales

HK talking to AL (both guys): "You must have really big lactiferous glands!"

(Actually referring to AL's staring contest ability, but mistook lactiferous glands for lacrimal glands)

Physiology: "You'll stop speaking English. It'll be medspeak."

"You'll replace your aunt's phone number with Mrs. Jone's blood gas numbers." - Dr. Brody

MFM: Glycolysis is like the business plan of the Underpants Gnomes in Family Guy:
Phase 1: Collect Underpants
Phase 2: ???
Phase 3: Profit!

Urology lecture on Viagra: Some people might think having an erection for 4 hours is great. But it's kind of like having a charley horse...but on your penis.

Nurse: I won't let certain doctors touch me, and there are certain doctors I won't let within 5 ft of my plants.

If a man says something while in a forest, with no women around, is he still wrong? If a heart tells you its job is to keep pressurized blood in the arteries, but the arteries keep leaking it away into the veins, so it has to keep pumping, could this be right?

Maybe I'll remember to add on to this...