3 Beautiful Stories!

Thanks SW!  At first I thought, "holy cow! 15 minutes!" so I put off watching it until now...but I gotta say, it was definitely worth the 15 minutes.  What a great speech indeed: Steve Job 2005

Pocket Knife Adventure

I was so excited to travel to Boston this past weekend for PHR conference!  I had so much time to pack, but for some reason, I was COMPLETELY brainless this time.
1) I realized I didn't bring my boarding pass that I specifically used money to print out.
2) I realized I didn't bring my toiletries that included essentials like toothbrush, contact lenses, contact solution/case, etc.
Those two things were relatively ok to forget because I could still print out a boarding pass at the airport, and I could borrow/buy the rest of the stuff I forgot.

But then, I realized that I had forgotten to take out the pocket knife and lighter that I always carry around in my backpack.  Okay, it may seem very insignificant, but it was a very special knife with very special memories.  My dad bought it for me, and it has been with me to Sierra Leone and Nicaragua.  The first two things already got me really flustered, and by the time I found out about my knife, I was kind of in a disarray.  These were the options we came up with on the metro:

1) Find a post office and mail it back to WashU

2) Leave it in a locker pick it up later

3) Check my one and only bag

So we go to the airport and found that the post office was already closed; due to security reasons, airports no longer have lockers; and it takes $20 to check a bag (though the knife was originally $70, I got it for $10).  So what to do?!!!  I even considered randomly going to a random person heading out of the airport and asking if she'd take my knife and I'll get it from her after I get back to St. Louis.  I scratched that idea and my traveling buddy thought I was crazy.  I called my friends to ask for suggestions b/c by that time my brain was not working (I promise when I'm a doctor, it will always work).  They suggested coming to the airport to get it, but I felt bad and decided not to have them come get it.  

Instead, I wandered to an area with very few people, kept on talking on the phone, and just randomly stuck my knife and lighter in a potted plant and buried it in the dirt.  At first I thought I was clever, then I realized there were probably security cameras everywhere.  I got a little worried, and another friend that I called jokingly said the airport security people were probably tracking me down at that very moment.  So being the typical indecisive me, I decided to ask my friends to come and get the knife from the pot.  

I gave very specific instructions, and when I landed, found that they still couldn't find it.  She said she felt weird digging around in a pot with security next to her, which is totally understandable.  :(  Disappointing indeed!  Oh well, I figure I could get another knife elsewhere.  

On the way back, I decided to check out the pot just in case.  My friend said that I didn't really do anything illegal, and if anyone did see anything, they'd probably just think I was weird.  Anyhow, I went to the special pot, and lone and behold - it was there!  I had no idea where my friend was digging before, but there was my knife and lighter!  It was exactly where I had buried it, completely undisturbed.  :D  Great end to a flustering trip!

I Love My Bro!

I love my baby brother! (well...not really baby anymore, but still...)

The other kid is a family friend's son.

Cartoons from Lectures

Attention - I'm having an endocrinologist in tomorrow to look at you

My Type of T-shirt

I like: http://t-shirts.cafepress.com/i-hate-cilantro

Story of My Life

http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs44/f/2009/091/0/8/Daily_Life_by_Ennokni.jpg
Courtesy of AL

National Girlfriend and Sister's Week

I got the following from a friend:

I am only as strong as the coffee I drink, the hairspray I use and the friends I have.

To the cool women who have touched my life. Here's to you!

National Girlfriends Day 

If you get this twice you know you have more than one girlfriend.

Be Happy!

It is good to be a woman:

1. We got off the Titanic first.

2. We can scare male bosses with the mysterious gynecological disorder excuses.

3. Taxis stop for us.

4. We don't look like a frog in a blender when dancing.

5. No fashion faux pas we make, could ever rival the Speedo.

6. We don't have to pass gas to amuse ourselves.

7. If we forget to shave, no one has to know.

8. We can congratulate our teammate without ever touching her rear end.

9. We never have to reach down every so often to make sure our privates are still there.

10. We have the ability to dress ourselves.

11.  We can talk to the opposite sex without having to picture them naked.

12.  If we marry someone 20 years younger, we are aware that we will look like an idiot.

13. We will never regret piercing our ears.

14. There are times when chocolate really can solve all your problems.

15. We can make comments about how silly men are in their presence because they aren't listening anyway. 

Send  this to all the bright women you know and make their day!!!!!

Love ya! Mean it!

Gender Identity From a New Perspective

I was trying to turn on my computer, when I heard the lecturer start speaking.  I thought it sounded like another male lecturer we had earlier, but I look up and see this well-dressed brunette dressed in a skirt.  I turned to my neighbor and whispered, "This is going to be an interesting lecture."

Sure enough, the lecturer pointed to a picture of a young boy and said that was her picture when she was younger.  I guess it was kind of expected, since we were given lecture notes about gender identity.  I have never met anyone who was transsexual (at least, not that I know of), so it was still a very interesting lecture.  She talked about how she was confused and suppressed when she was a child.  How she went through a denial stage in medical school, got married, and managed to reach a stage of professional success, yet, she was still unhappy and unsatisfied.

Finally, despite having everything most people would consider satisfying, she felt "profoundly bothered...depress," uncomfortable as a male, and felt alone.  She experimented with cross-dressing and her spouse knew she had fantasies.  Finally she got help and came to terms with things.

She then went through the sex change process of hormonal, surgical and legal change.  Although it was a difficult time for her to change at that time period, she said she was lucky she had tenure and she was in a relatively understanding environment.  She continued to talk about how most people in her situation become socially marginalized and driven to crime, prostitution, drug abuse, and other health risks, which causes many people to identify transsexual people with those characteristics.  Yet, for her, the most painful part was what the process of transition did to the people who were closest to her such as her family.

This lecture definitely gave me mixed feelings.

So cute - Parisian Love!

This has got to be one of the best commercials ever!  It's so adorable...gives me the chills:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnsSUqgkDwU

Noooooo....Fooooood!

I am broken hearted! I've been in denial for so long, but now the full truth has been shoved in my face:

20 Worst Restaurant Foods.  It includes salads and drinks too!  Recall that recommended DAILY calorie intake is 1500-2000.  Man, to think to the time when I frequently went to the Cheesecake Factory for b-day parties!

Vote for VertiGrow!!!

Hey Guys,
If you have a moment, can you vote for my friend's (TT's) nonprofit to combat
malnutrition in kibera slums?  It's called "Vertigrow":
----------
VertiGrow is aiming to help families living in slums to combat malnutrition by distributing vertical planters that use as little land and water possible. VertiGrow seeks to cultivate entrepreneurship in these communities by creating community-owned small business that build and distribute the planters, and family-owned microenterprises that sell the extra produce. They are currently working in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya, and it'd be awesome if you voted for them in the competition

Three winners will be selected from a pool of 13 finalists based on the number of people who vote for them. You can help her win with just a few minutes of your time. There's only five days left to vote! All you have to do is:

1. Set up an Ashoka account (if you don't already have one). I promise you won't be spammed etc (the account is just to ensure each person can only vote once)
2. Select three finalists you like, and vote!

http://www.changemakers.com/nutrition

Thanks so much!!! Spread the word!

Fun Comics!

Ah...fun comics about random things: http://xkcd.com/
Courtesy of JD!

And here's the pathway to determine your Specialty!  Thank goodness what I'm interested in is what I end up with: Ob/gyn and pediatrics.  Although I could potentially be family practice too. hm...

So Sad! :(

The NICU baby I was paired with passed away!  I only got to see him twice and his mother only once.  I definitely could have gone and seen them more, but I forgot or was lazy to change and walk there (even though it was so close and I didn't even have to outside).  I feel kind of guilty, even though I know there was nothing could have done.  It just came as such a shock because it seemed like he was doing really well!  He was eating 3 ml's of food, which surpassed what he was eating before.  His bowl movement was normal too.  It totally took me by surprise.
I found out when one day I called his mother to ask if she was going to be in the NICU later in the day.  However, one of her family members picked up and told me that the baby had passed away earlier in the day.  I was speechless.  I had no idea what to say.  I blurted out a stupid "I'm really sorry."  I didn't know the family member either, so it felt strange lingering on to ask more questions and it seemed like a bad time to explain who I was.  So I apologized again, wished the mother would feel better, and hung up.  I wish I had been better prepared to receive news like that.  I couldn't believe the little guy was gone just like that.

Emotions: What Goes Up Must Come Down

Warning: splurge post - totally petty, really.
Sometimes I feel like it's impossible to be joyful all the time.  I'd say I'm generally happy/cheerful/smiley most of the time, but every once in a while, i feel like I have to balance all that out with a massive outpour.  I think today is one of those days.  There wasn't even much of a trigger.  I was being selfish and stupid, but for some reason, I managed to justify to myself to wallow in sadness.
Maybe it's a cumulation of stress, but then it wouldn't really make sense that I'm updating my blog. I should be working.  Ah well, this is therapeutic.
Some background: I was feeling okay in general.  But there was a free ice skating event, and I had talked to some people about it earlier, so I was really eager to go since I hadn't gone skating for so long.  Ultimately, after class, I asked people if they were going to it, but it turned out that people were busy, stress, or lame (aka, said it was too cold).  There were two events today: 1) internal medicine dinner 2) two people's b-day party.  Of course, how could a measly little free ice skating event compare to those two?  I guess it wasn't really such a bad thing to not find anybody to go with me, but I just had my hopes up because it seemed like earlier people were interested in going with me.  Sounds so selfish. I know.  I did eventually find some people who were going, but I didn't really feel comfortable hanging out with them.  Yes, another very selfish, bad, prejudiced thing to decide on.  I guess by that time, I also gave up and thought the whole ordeal of getting people to do things too much.  I even told someone I gave up on ever organizing events.  And there were two things to top it all off.  1) I had purposely not asked to go to the IMIG dinner so that I could go ice skating.  2) I felt a tiny bit snuffed since I wasn't invited to the b-day party; though, of course, I probably don't even like those parties.  Sounds like elementary school huh? - which leads me to another issue.
Med school of 120 students is just small enough so that I know everyone, but just large enough so that I don't know everyone well, which makes some things awkward because I'm around these people all the time.  And then people have their own get together with their tight knit groups, which is okay, but just difficult because some people you know are invited to it, while you aren't.  I guess it's totally like elementary school...but even worse because we know what everyone is up to all the time, but we don't know everyone well enough to be friends with everyone.  But I guess the bad thing about having a really small class would be that you're forced to be friends with everyone...but what if you don't like everyone or if someone doesn't like you? Then I guess you're just screwed.  Of course, the ideal thing would be you can be friends with everyone, but I'm sorry to say this, I'm not ideal.  So all in all, with help of some friends, I conclude that 120 people is still good.  Let's you pick and choose a bit - offers some "flexibility."  Even though I'd like to be included in events/whatever, I guess ultimately, it's best to have some really close friends that you can depend on - even though they might go to that interest group dinner instead of the ice skating event.  *There is where you say "awwwww..."*

My Bro is Reading Freakonomics!

I was reading it, but couldn't finish by end of break, so my brother took it up.  I love this book!