Tachycardia Awaits

This pretty summarizes up my relationship with EtOH...not:

MNZ: Hahaha. This makes me think of some classic russian movie.  YW, the protagonist shoves on her fur cap and parka about to head out into the cold Siberian night.  Before exiting the bar, she takes one last shot of vodka, slams it down on the table and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand, hoping the warmth of the liquor will sustain her on the trip home.

Little does she know, tachycardia awaits.

Free PC Kindle + Books

In light of the discovery of free Kindle PC download and free kindle books, I've gone download happy and decided to even download books like "how to survive highschool" for my brother who's not even in middle school yet.  Even worse, my happily engaged friend, said, "well, in light of that, I might as well download children's Bible stories for my future children."  My response, "Well, at least my brother is alive!"

Biking Across the US

I'm so proud of my friend E. Cohen for Biking Across the US to advocate affordable housing!  Wow, I wish I could do that some day!  Maybe I'll put that on my bucket list.  Her trip is from Providence, RI to Seattle, WA, and here's a little excerpt from her blog:


One of the things I’m most excited about is the chance to truly meet my home country, both the physical landscape and the people living in it...I’ll interact with locals in each stop along the way while simultaneously educating them about affordable housing issues. ...Of course, I am most nervous about the physical aspect of the trip. I mean really, bike across the ENTIRE country, that’s crazy.... I participate in several intramural sports and was on a sailing team as an undergrad, but I’m not one of those people that can run a mile without huffing and puffing. 

The other aspect of the trip that I’m very excited about is the community service.... My research for the past two years has been focused on building technologies, specifically trying to lower the amount of energy that buildings use...With this trip, specifically focused on affordable housing, I will have the chance to get my hands dirty, both literally while helping build houses and figuratively while raising money that will go directly to helping individuals. I will finally have the chance to make the world a better place now.

Ready. Set. Bike and Build here I come.


In order to go on this trip, she has to raise $4000.  If you are feeling generous, just click on the "Donate" button on her blog!

Bucket List

Inspired by my roommate:

• Skydive
• Learn to ride a motorcycle
• See a Grand Slam
• Play on grass court
• Skateboard
• Diving
• Surfing
• Waterjet ski
• Paragliding
• Ride a helicopter
• Climb a mountain (for reals)
• Milk a cow + drink fresh milk
• Go to a pro-football game, hockey game
• Bike camping trip in Finland (or elsewhere cool) http://www.starfruit-cafe.net/blog/amy/
• 
  
• ...
• Make ice cream...and many other foods...
• Go places, read books, and watch movies on my list
• Where I want to be in 10 years: practicing academical medicine, in an under-served area.  Practicing and teaching abroad either on short term missions or permanent residence.  While abroad...start a hospital/improve the healthcare system (not sure in what way). Be married, have kids (though doesn't fit with being abroad), and adopt a kid.

Done:

• Deliver a baby
• Snowboard
• Learn to drive a stick shift
• Go to Africa
• Ride hot air balloon
• Ride a motorcycle
• Go to a bar/club
• Blind date
• Be on national TV (in Sierra Leone)
• Play hockey
• Hold a live heart between my hands, make a hole in it, staple it, fibrillate it, then CPR it.
• See the aftermath of a tornado (Joplin)
• Do an LP
• Go to a pro basketball game, baseball game
• Climb a mountain (Mt. St. Helens - small one)

Happily Ever After Wedding

Friend just got married in France - well, the Epcot version.  My first time being a bridesmaid!  Man, I was a little sad I couldn't visit the theme parks (way too costly for the little time I had there), but the wedding itself was a lot to handle.  Didn't think it was going to be so tiring and packed since Disney was taking care of the whole thing, but I guess with the rehearsal, tea, wedding dress prepping, other prepping, ceremony, reception, dessert party - it got to be a lot.  Overall it the brides was lovely, everything went smoothly, and the ceremony was perfect - well, except for the weather.  It must have been 30 degrees down there, and I was in this tiny spaghetti strap dress.  Oh my gosh, the things people do to look nice.  Even though I think by the end I couldn't feel my toes ...or the rest of my body for that matter...my friend looked soooo happy, and that's all that mattered then.  :D

Funny things is, right when I got back, two of my friends told me they got engaged.  Dang, my theory is correct, everyone around me is getting married!

I < 3 MIT

The essence of MIT spirit: http://alum.mit.edu/holiday2010/

Peek Back at High School

NT and I went back to our high school with some trepidation.  I think it's been five years since I've seen my teachers.  I wasn't expecting any of them to recognize me, but I was pleasantly surprised when my physics teacher looked shocked, remembered my name, and gave me a big hug!  She was definitely one of my favorite teachers, too bad I couldn't say I became an astronaut and joined NASA.  Most of the other teachers all looked confused when they saw us and thought we were looking for someone else.  One asked if we were asking about an SAT prep class - oops!

I guess it was go-back-to-high-school-and-see-your-teacher-day because we kept on running into other students doing the same thing.  Although they were usually one year removed from high school and looked at us with some disbelief when we said we were 05's.  Haha - never felt so old.

We also managed to catch my 11th grade English teacher who was known as an eccentric and someone I found pretty intimidating back in the day.  Although he didn't recognize us - from the hundreds of faces he's seen in his 50+ years of teaching - he still talked to us with such warmth and happiness, and asked if I sat in "that chair" - which I couldn't remember at all.  In fact, we both got embraces from him as well (I feel so honored!).  He also recalled memories that I've completely forgotten, like how in the Glass Menagerie, Laura would sometimes run around in Forest Park, so he showed us pictures of St. Louis and the Arch.  Although I don't remember any of that, hopefully he will recall who we were as he sits eating his dinner and stares off into the distance - at least that's what he says usually happens.

But what amazed me the most was how timeless all the teachers seemed.  It's as if as soon as I stepped out of high school, they stopped changing.  Maybe they just looked young to begin with, and they were actually a lot older than they really looked when I was there.  For example, the eccentric English teacher said he might retire because he's been teaching at that school for 40 years and some of his students were approaching 50 - yet HE looked like he was 50.  And the physics teacher commented that her students looked 40 - but she definitely looked like she was 30.  Maybe being around young people really do keep you young.

We also ran into my 10th grade English teacher as he was walking to his car - which was kind of amazing.  It was not surprising he taught drama for a time.  He also told us some interesting trivia about St. Louis like how T.S. Elliot was born there, and his great-grandfather was one of the founders of WashU - or something like that.  It was also nice to see another physics teacher who both NT and I agreed was kind of pleasantly geeky.  We both told told him to send "hello's" to his wife who also taught us.  It was a pity I couldn't make it to my tennis coach, but hopefully she'll get my message via another prof.  When we were trying to search for her in the gym, there was a basketball game going on, and the ticket people told us we needed to pay if we wanted to stay for the game - we gently declined the offer.  We also heard the very-likely-hyperthyroid English teacher was running around as usual, but unfortunately, he didn't run into us.

Overall, it became a very amusing trip with many warm smiles and fond memories - I guess I'm good at forgetting the bad ones.  NT and I agreed that the teachers probably got a kick out of having some of their old students visit them - and I hope it really did make their holiday season just a little bit brighter.

Money Stats

Some interesting money stats that were quoted in my church's sermon this past week: (from the book, Passing the Plateby Christian Smith.)

• At least 1 out of 5 American Christians (20% of all U.S. Christians) give literally nothing to their church.
• The median American Christian gives only 0.62% of their income to charity.
• In 2005, Americans spent $27.9 billion on candy.
• In 2004, Americans spent $92.9 billion on soda & bottled water, & in 2005 spent $59.4 billion on jewelry & watches.
• Americans spend over $200 billion on entertainment products (TV’s, iPods, video games, etc.) each year.
• Americans spend over $300 billion on pets, toys, and playground equipment for their children each year.
• In 2004, Americans spent $30.5 billion on consumer (not business or government) domestic air travel & $48.3 billion on travel & tourism abroad.
• In 2005, American consumers spent $24.1 billion on DVD’s (not counting VHS rentals and purchases).
• In 2004, Americans spent $29.7 billion in sporting goods stores.
• In 2003, Americans spent $45 billion in state lotteries.
• Americans spend more than $100 billion per year on fast food.
• Between 1978 and 2005, the average square footage of new, single family houses in the United States rose from 1,750 to 2,414 square feet – a 40% increase.
• The average American spends $372 per year on alcohol.
• The average Christian gives $200 per year to charity.
• If committed Christians in the U.S. gave 10% of their after-tax income, an extra $46 billion per year of resources with which to fund needs and priorities would be available. 
• 97% of Christian respondents said they either never, or hardly ever discussed finances with members of their church.

Me Last Year (MNZ)

Haha, I got a good laugh out of this one.  So true! So true!: Me Last Year (MNZ)

Cafe Eau

Speaking of ridiculous society events, today we had brunch at Cafe Eau of the Chase.  The buffet menu will explain it's ridiculousness: egg benedict, omelette to order, cauliflower, potatos, smoked chicken pasta, carved beef, wallnut salade, apple/cranberry/fruit salade, pasta salad, fruit platter, lox/fish bagel, capers/toppings, cold cuts (4+ types), grilled veggies (zucchini, tomatoes, asparagus...), protebello mushroom, shrimp, oyster, crab, croissant, pastries, strawberry smoothie, cheeses + crackers, sweet potato cheesecake, desserts: bailly dome, peanutbutter/chocolate mousse, rice pudding, apple tart, lemon bar, lemon tart, pumpkin pie, caramel tart, pecan pie, gooey butter cake, fig chocolate mousse, cheesecake, red velvet cake, chocolate mouse cup, eclaire, fruit tart, drawer of cookies...and I'm sure I forgot more things.  So stuff...5 hrs later..

Through a Child's Eyes...

Children are so innocent!  Here are some letters they wrote to God... hehehe, so funny/cute! (KP):

Dear God,
I went to this wedding and they kissed right in church, is that okay?
Neil

Dear God,
Instead of letting people die and having to make new ones why don't you just keep the old ones?
Jane

Dear God,
I think the stapler is one of your best inventions.
Ruth M.

Dear God,
In bible times did they really talk that fancy?
Jennifer

Dear God,
I think about you sometimes even when I'm not praying.
Elliot

Dear God,
I am an American, what are you?
Robert

Dear God -if-we-come-back-as-something-please-don't-let-me-be-Jennifer-Horton - I-hate-her.
Denise

Dear God,
I bet it is very hard for you to love all of everybody in the whole world There are only 4 people in our family and I can't do it.
Nan

Dear God,
Please put another holiday between Christmas and Easter.  There is nothing good there now.
Ginny

Dear God,
If you watch in church on Sunday I will show you my new shoes
Mickey D.

Dear God,
Maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each so much if they had their own rooms.  It works with my brother.
Larry

Dear God,
If you give me genie lamp like Alladin I will give you anything you want except my money or my chess set.
Raphael

We read Thos. Eddison made light. But in Sun. School they said you did it. So I bet he Stole your Idea. Sincerely, Donna

Dear God,
If you let the dinasor not extinct, we would not have a country. You did the right thing.
Jonathan

Dear God,
Please send Dennis Clark to a different camp this year.
Peter

Dear God,
Thank you for the baby brother but what I prayed for was a puppy
Joyce

:D

Saturday Neighborhood Health Clinic

How exciting! SNHC got featured: http://wumcrc.com/spotlight-on-saturday-neighborhood-health-clinic/.  It's a student run free health clinic for uninsured patients.

Scleroderma

Today, 12 patients with various skin problems came in for our dermatology class.  We listened to a short presentation by their physician, and then 10 of us got to touch, poke, and prod the patient.  Yes, I did feel kind of weird going up to the person and just touching their blister, nodule, scarring, or tumor, but it was definitely interesting and they said they were ok/used to it because they've done it before.  Anyhow, one of the most interesting cases as to be the patient with scleroderma.  It's a condition where your skin tightens up.  It may sound pretty good because it makes you look young since you don't get wrinkles (kind of like Botox!), but it's actually really life-changing because people lose their range of motion (can't bend joints), and because of loss of pigment, it can be pretty disfiguring.  What surprised me the most was the feeling of the patient's skin.  It was literally like touching marble.  It was that smooth and that hard.  The touch of the patient's hands was like touching a statue.  The scarring gets so bad that she can't move her fingers beyond a few centimeters.

My Dreams

I've decided I should record my dreams - who knows, it might be interesting to read through in the future...
Here's a blog that talks about dream interpretation: http://ahalifedesign.com/2010/11/07/another-dream-analysis-martha-beck-style/

• 12.08.11: I was reading a book that was so vivid that I was actually in the stories.  Half the time I was watching the main character, the other half I was actually doing things. I don't remember much of the book.  But in one section, we were walking out into the open, and there were enormous billboard signs that seemed to have signs for us, giving us directions or warnings - not sure which.  In another scene, I had climbed up some enormous tree onto a high cliff where MW was.  I had asked where we were going, and she had said we were heading East.  And knowing we were in Illinois, I kept on asking shouldn't we be going North if we were trying to get to the waters (I think we were looking for the ocean)?  Then one of other medical school friends climbed up from the tree, but it seemed like nobody really knew where or how we were going to the ocean.  I think we were trying to go to the ocean to escape this world somehow.  ...at some point, the tree branch or cliff we were on collapsed, and we all fell down onto a boat that was passing by, and so we just all sat there as it carried us down the river.  Soon we saw enormous boats in a port, and I was so excited that we got to the ocean.  Then I saw the drivers of the boat smooching, and the lady turned out to be a vampire biting the man.  After that, I was told to go back to read an earlier portion of the book.  And that's when read/saw the main character girl (maybe the hunger games character?) swings across the room, past an evil character, and kicks open a door in order to kill some other evil character.  And when she came back into the room, she killed the other evil character.  I think they were vampires. It thought it was interesting that the book required me to go back and read other parts, because I realized that there were parts of it that I understood much better the second time around. I think that part of the dream might be related to me, yesterday, looking at a poster that a hand surgeon had given me earlier about median nerve entrapment.  Back then, I just knew it was some kind of nerve affecting some muscles, but  only now do I realize what it really meant.  Meanwhile, there was a high school student shadowing radiologist when I was there, and I kept on wondering how much he actually understood considering these CT's are still much of a mystery to me now, and how they were really just random lines when I first saw them.  I really wish I remembered the other snippets of the book/dream.  
• 10.11.? I was operating on AS.  While the top of her body was normal, she didn't have legs - instead, it was this one long intestine that I was trying to "telescope" aka, cause intussusception.
• I was in the country side, just wandering about. I needed money, and I could only get it from an old guy vault.  It was really strange, he opened his brain and there was a maze within his skull.
• I was a bridesmaid.  I was wearing a white dress and my mom was there too.  We were at some waterfall that came down a rocky structure on an island.  HL was also a bridesmaid and HL's friend was getting married.  I had no idea who that friend was.
• There was a patient being presented.  But during the presentation, the patient was really sick...and he got sicker and sicker.  I was so worried he was going to die during the presentation.
• I was studying - but I needed to go to different levels of hotels and different places to study.
• 2015: I was in a class, but it turned out to be more of an art auction.  One of the paintings I was looking at was miro's painting.  It was on sale for $135k, but I didn't buy it because I didn't have the money, but I kept on wondering if I should have.  I then went to a section of the place with all the paintings that were not bought.  There I also saw some Snoopy paintings.  No Miro.  I then went to computer class and went on a website to get information, but I couldn't find the specific webpage because it was saved on my computer.  I then was worried that I didn't read a book for a class.  
• There was a princess, and there were girls fighting.  Something about doing something successfully (get to the princess?) and you win ...like a nation?  Then there was SW Africa but it was shaped such that there was a zigzag line down it, and on the right was water and left was land (or other way around). And certain places above the land/water would cause you to float, but other parts you would just fall down and die (I think this was influenced by watching Journey to the Center of the Earth).  Anyhow, we were all on a floating boat, and there was the opposing team? enemy? person?  Anyhow, I got to the princess quickly, but when I grabbed her, her head came off. So then the enemy/opposing person said I lost because the princess' head is off. But then I realized something wasn't quite right, and saw her at a distant island.  I knew I couldn't risk it by jumping off the boat in case I was in an area that had gravity, so I launched myself off like from a gigantic sling shot, and went toward her.  I think I won? I don't know, I woke up.
• Oct: My watch was wrong. I need to help JS with something.  I had a meeting with JS at 10.  Then I was in a room with some people.  A mannequin came to the door and said she was hungry and needed help.  My brother had a girlfriend (what???).  Then in another part of the dream, I saw alan, and there was a bible study gathering at the first apartment I lived in Bellevue.  I couldn't wait to have some alone time with Alan.  But then I needed to go take a shower.  But before that, I needed to pee.  But then I realized I was getting urine all over the place and found I hadn't even removed my underwear. And then I was frantically trying to clean up the mess. Yikes. Later I was on a coach, and I saw LS and her husband and her son.  But it wasn't a son. It was a girl and she was way older...like 3.
• Nov: kid was seizing, and gave anti-epileptic medicine, but then child seized again and this time thought maybe due to hypoglycemia.  Then another scene: someone was on a surgical table, and then I was being scrubbed in by someone.  I asked why do I have to scrub in when I'm not doing surgery, but they still scrubbed me in.  Then I got lifted by mini crane above surgical table, and then my arm/hand was used as a stand so the surgeon can do surgery on the patient.  

2016:

• Jan: AB and I went to a reunion. It was a boring town and nobody showed up because we went a year earlier to a reunion.  My parents went too. And then we were by a river  and we biked to a mall and in it too.  We had to play this game that when a guy pointed at you, you had to say a word that started with "A." And it got down to 4 people. Sometimes they would point at you and make you say 2 words. And then when it got down to the final 4, they made you sing the words that start with "A."  I'm not sure who won, but I would mess up and they didn't notice. The mall was very big and had a nice water front. My parents bought some cruise because it was a good deal but they shouldn't have because they wouldn't want to come back to this boring city. I slept and almost missed the flight back.
• I had a strange dream that my mom gave me choices of shows to go to, and I liked this one traditional ballet so we bought tickets for that.  The ballerina started dancing at an area next to the seats, which was strange because normally there were seats, but at that time, the seats were folded or something so it was flat. I was seated in a seat higher up, and I wanted to adjust my seat to get a better look, and I fell to a lower seat right next to the ballerina. Since I wanted to give her space to dance, I kept on scooting to the right, and soon I was sitting on another audience member. The show involved the ballerina taking a fish and covering it with something, and then stabbing it a bunch of times. There were other parts, but I can't remember.  She then left that audience area and I left too... For the next part of the dream, I was in a really beautiful grand hotel. I was worried about my period starting, but luckily the hotel had all kinds of beauty/toiletry/hygiene supplies.  There was one cabinet full of tampons, but all of them had broken packaging, and I was getting frantic. The end.
• I was complaining my clothing had holes or didn't fit, and JS (Baylor Lesotho Dr) said to go to the storage that had different clothing I can pick out. The storage space had other people's stuff and my old stuff all together - decorations, mini clay animals, even mini sauces like those from McDonalds. People used the sauces for dipping and there were used ones all over.  In another part of the dream I had issues with my sports bra - it was too small and didn't provide adequate coverage no matter what I did. In another part of the dream I needed to pay for something, I think it was education, and I needed more than $2k. LW (Baylor resident abroad) pulled out some money and another person pulled out money and it was enough. We went through a sketchy place and felt weird carrying so much money. And then it turned out we were supposed to give that money to a boy from a wealthy family in exchange for teaching him.
• Met my brother's teacher who commented on how we are so different. I said, yes, it's because he doesn't drink milk so that's why I'm so tall. But then she asked if I knew that my teenage brother had a child in the ICU O_o.  
• 3/4/16: We had to go to this show where I had to dress up as mulan and play basketball against AB (fiance). I had a really hard time getting the hair part down. It was this clip that had multiple pieces and I kept on losing a piece or other among all the other hair stuff. AB would be goofing off like squirting something in his nose and having it come out the other side. 
• 4/10/16: Dreamed that AB and my family and I went to Semongkong to do abseiling. But then when we got there, realized it was the weekend before the week we had planned for, and I had planned to go with CY. Ooops! So I asked if we can do abseiling the following weekend, but it was a holiday and it sounded like there weren't gonna be any guides then. But after some time, they came back and said it was okay.  So instead of abseiling, we played mini golf while riding on horses. 
• 1/28/17: 
• Asked Brother if he believed in God. He said no. Then all these large rocks started flying at us and had to dodge them. Then pause and asked again. He said no.  
• 
  
• You like a girl and another girl pretended your girl killed her by chasing her to drown (did something to you). Your girl guilty. Showed up again to try kill your girl. Screw into skin. Train going somewhere...use to hide.
• 
  
• Coming back to relativee home in China after doing some touristy stuff and going up the stairs. Person from of me going slowly and wobbled and Stairs collapsed and she fell down, down, down. I held on to railing really tight, tried not to put body weight on as I went up stairs. 
• 
  
• Going to MIT, didn't finish yet, went back to high school, asked what I should do of I didn't finish high school but going to college? They said to pay a lot of money and finish high school. So I do that, line up to go to the bus, on the bus there is a handicapped kid and his mom. My mom is looking at a plant with interesting flowers.  Skips to back home, mom says I shouldn't have to go back to high school if I'm in college already, so I go back to get my money back and look for a job. Maybe coach tennis team. But I see they have a coach already. I go to tennis courts and all the kids start running towards a bus. So many of them they line up outside. Then I ask the coach if I can help, realize she is my old coach, but she ignores me and attends to kids. Then another bus comes and rest of kids get on that. Then. I'm walking away from school and I see a small alley lined with cute small Chinese restaurants and stores, very touristy (like he fang jie in Hangzhou). I feel like my brother has been there before (since this is his school). Parents telling me time to go home, I keep on going. Come to a plateau, I go up and see a famous man-made humongous mtn with huge chinese writing on it. Keep going, taking a video of the trail I'm on. Goes over a hill and then into double doors. Dad told me time to go, but I wanted to explore. Found all these twisted multiple path stairs and cement wall leading down. Go through different rooms (other strangers going through it too), including one with a large hanging organ in it. Get to one room with a glass, see a man going through the water in a little under water but open on top vessel so his upper body sticks out and lots of metal things, sculptures, clothing around. He touches one and a voice says if you touch any thing, you become that material. The few people around me and I start running out of there.  Metallic people in chain mill start coming from the entrance, have to find alternative routes to get out. Ran out of the room, wondered what would have happened if rode that under water vessel all the way. 
• I had this dream that the 301 group was on a cruise ship and Mary Ann and I have to be surrogates. And I delivered and it wasn't too terrible and I think in the dream I had already delivered in the past before so that's why it went quickly. The weird part was that the umbilical cord was connected to my umbilical cord and every time I had a baby the scar will go up my umbilicus. I just have to show you. I think the sperm donor was someone I had known in the past. 
• I had another dream where I'm not sure where I was but a place similar to the first apartment we lived in in the US and I think I was dating the main character from The Mummy but I felt kind of bad cuz I didn't really like him very much anyhow I woke up and I was kind of out of it so he was carrying me and then I was okay so I started walking around but then I needed to go to the bathroom and there was only this one bathroom which was really strange because all I had was a curtain to separate from the other people waiting and then I couldn't figure out how to use it for a while so people started lining up and I realized you just had to like go on the floor and there's a little drain and then there's a little shower on top that would Wash It Away into the drain but then slipped and fell and kind of exposed myself cuz there was only a shower curtain that wasn't nearly long enough anyways I couldn't go to the bathroom and I woke up.
• There was another dream where I had to obtain ants in this particular format. We were traveling in Europe somewhere and crossed a river and what I had to do was put my arm on the area where the ants were walking so that the ants will crawl up my arm and then also my feet. And then usually there weren't that many ants but once I did that there were tons of ants that came and then the ants would pair off and become one gigantic bubble ant and then we needed to obtain these ants when they were in the two little ant formation which was really difficult cuz they became bubbles and there were so many of them and then they started popping when we tried to grab them.

Dreams. 

Asked Brother if he believed in God. He said no. Then all these large rocks started flying at us and had to dodge them. Then pause and asked again. He said no.  

You like a girl and another girl pretended your girl killed her by chasing her to drown (did something to you). Your girl guilty. Showed up again to try kill your girl. Screw into skin. Train going somewhere...use to hide.

Coming back to relativee home in China after doing some touristy stuff and going up the stairs. Person from of me going slowly and wobbled and Stairs collapsed and she fell down, down, down. I held on to railing really tight, tried not to put body weight on as I went up stairs. 

Going to MIT, didn't finish yet, went back to high school, asked what I should do of I didn't finish high school but going to college? They said to pay a lot of money and finish high school. So I do that, line up to go to the bus, on the bus there is a handicapped kid and his mom. My mom is looking at a plant with interesting flowers.  Skips to back home, mom says I shouldn't have to go back to high school if I'm in college already, so I go back to get my money back and look for a job. Maybe coach tennis team. But I see they have a coach already. I go to tennis courts and all the kids start running towards a bus. So many of them they line up outside. Then I ask the coach if I can help, realize she is my old coach, but she ignores me and attends to kids. Then another bus comes and rest of kids get on that. Then. I'm walking away from school and I see a small alley lined with cute small Chinese restaurants and stores, very touristy (like he fang jie in Hangzhou). I feel like my brother has been there before (since this is his school). Parents telling me time to go home, I keep on going. Come to a plateau, I go up and see a famous man-made humongous mtn with huge chinese writing on it. Keep going, taking a video of the trail I'm on. Goes over a hill and then into double doors. Dad told me time to go, but I wanted to explore. Found all these twisted multiple path stairs and cement wall leading down. Go through different rooms (other strangers going through it too), including one with a large hanging organ in it. Get to one room with a glass, see a man going through the water in a little under water but open on top vessel so his upper body sticks out and lots of metal things, sculptures, clothing around. He touches one and a voice says if you touch any thing, you become that material. The few people around me and I start running out of there.  Metallic people in chain mill start coming from the entrance, have to find alternative routes to get out. Ran out of the room, wondered what would have happened if rode that under water vessel all the way. 

2021.10.07

Dream of a dystopian world: Everyone is normal in the normal world. But the elite bad people, let's call them the elite mafia, like people actually rule the world in a super advanced alternate reality and they control everything.  In the alternate reality, it's super advanced, techy.  There was technology like levitation boards that people traveled on, advanced weaponry, etc.  The Elite Mafria are able to control the alternate reality because there's a vote of who keeps power and since the Elite Mafia make sure no normal people get in or stay in, they always win the vote.  Normally everyone goes about their daily lives normally, but there are a few "normal people" who have the awareness of an alternate reality and also have the ability to go to the alternate reality, including me. And someone was teaching me how it works. There are certain rooms with doorways that you can walk through if you have the special power. But the rest of the people can't. And there are certain rooms that makes it obvious that you are coming out to the alternate reality as a regular person, and others that help you blend into the elite mafia. All the elite mafia people have a special number or item they have that helps distinguish themselves. There are the regular elite mafia people who go about their daily lives, and then there are the senior adults who make sure things run properly and keep the regular people out of the alternate reality world. At one point I was in it with a mentor who was showing me how to vote so I didn't get detected. And then showed me some pretty advanced technology such as the weapons and transportation. In this world, you can make certain things appear.  I was trying to get the hang of gliding a on the levitation pad thing. Then another time, I tried to enter the world myself, and found there was a senior elite person asking people for their numbers. I quickly stuck my hand in someone's cubby, grabbed their lipstick that had a number on there, and the elite person believed me. Phew. And then later I was on a train, and as I was getting off, there was a lot of shooting. I think that's also another way they get rid of "normal" people. When the train was about to stop, I laid on the ground and pretended to be dead. I also had something important that I believe the Elite Mafia people were looking for, so I let go of it and let it be on the ground. When the Elite Mafia people came to kill people, they found the important item, and stopped killing people. Also they really thought I was dead (not sure why b/c I had no wounds). Then I got together with MZ and  she told me she entered through the portal that allowed her to blend in, and I was thinking, "of course, I should have done that."  

At one point, AB and I were staying in a hotel and trying to feed the baby. There was a window with its curtain blowing in. And then at one point of the feeding, a giant insect landed on AB and he nearly lost hold of the baby. I got a tissue paper, and AB managed to gently pick it up and kill it. In part of my dream, my mom came back to help feed the baby. I think I even asked AB if my mom was truly back. 

2021.10.08

I woke up early and was trying to find some breakfast/food to eat. There were plates displayed of different types of food, but I thought it was too expensive? And then I walked around, and saw someone making crepes. Took me a while to decide which type; options were: strawberry + strawberry sauce, chocolate, strawberry, and something else. I chose strawberry, but the person making it said she was really busy and to come back in 30 minutes to order. I didn't want to come back, so decided I just won't get anything, but then I saw a bagel shop and wanted something there. 

I was in some non-American building. I think it was some kind of stand-off between this non-American building and an American building. Perhaps this building had Nazis, or communists, or Muslims? I'm not sure. There was this guy who was walking around the building, and one of his superiors told him to do something. After some time, he didn't, and then the superior told him again (in a scary/demanding manner?), and so then this guy grabs someone and goes to a window. There was a large crowd so I didn't see what happened, but a lot of shouting. Turns out he had tortured that guy (stuck something in his nose?), and killed him as a demonstration to the Americans. And then there was a little boy who was running around too. He was very agile, able to go from swinging to monkey bars, etc. At one point the Americans said something like we have less than some number of people (to show how many people they have), and this non-american guy said, we have more than 47,000 people. I think it was supposed to be large number? 

51 marathons in 2 yrs?! With a broken hip?! On crutches?!

Alumna runs ran marathons in all 50 states + Washington D.C. and set the record for being the youngest to do that.  When I read that, I thought, she must be 40, or something...maybe a few a year? But I couldn't believe she was an 09 MIT graduate b/c she looked so young in the pictures.  After some research, she turns out to be 22 - running marathons since senior year nearly every weekend! She didn't even start long distance running until senior year of college!  How crazy is that?  More crazy facts:

• She broke her hip at one point and had to run marathons on crutches for 2 weeks
• What she eats before races: pizza and beer
• Typical training: "Saturday and/or Sunday I would run a marathon" + weekdays 3-6 mile/day training + evening training
• Record was an "accident" - didn't realize there was a record until she was half way done
• "I try to make my life as normal as possible aside from the fact that I run marathons every weekend."
• She averaged 3rd place before her hip injury

Here's the interview with her: Morgan Cummings
Here's another article about her: New Record Set