Random Things

1. I can't believe it's 11 days until Christmas. I still haven't gotten into the holiday spirit. Maybe I'll take out my holiday CD and listen to it on the way to work. I guess I should ALSO go Christmas shopping and maybe it will kick in. Sigh.

2. I'm sick; fevers, chills, sore throat. I don't mind the sore throat, but when the fever and chills kicks in it's horrible. I've been sleeping early for the past 3 days but I don't seem to be getting better. My whole team at work is sick too, except for the medical student. The kicker is we're all sick with different things. Odd.

3. My mom has been really cool lately. She totally cleaned my bathroom and my bedroom AND did all the laundry!! Thanks mommy! Yeah I know I'm spoiled.

4. Why isn't How I Met Your Mother recognized more? It's a great show! Maybe it's great because people my age can relate; maybe it's not recognized because it's not relatable to other demographics. At any rate, it's well written and the cast is amazing. Maybe someday. Watch on Mondays at 8pm.

5. Gossip at work. Nooo I'm not going to tell you what it is. I'm just commenting on the growing gossip at my work. Someone said, "We have too many secrets in this residency program." My fellow intern retorted, "I think it's the exact opposite! Everyone knows everyone else's business." When it's not you, it's often exciting and fun. But when it IS you then it's not really that exciting and is rarely fun. Just interesting how some people thrive on gossip.

6. Halfway into first year of residency. I can't believe we're almost at the halfway mark for first year. I've had a great time so far, and I love my job! Oddly enough I appreciate my job the most when I'm on medicine or in clinic; probably because that's mostly what I'll be doing when I graduate. I guess that's a good sign right? I love the people I work with and couldn't ask for anything more. :)

American Music Awards 2007

I can't comment on the WHOLE thing because I played Guitar Hero in the middle of it, but I wanted to comment on Alicia Keys' performance. It was her song, "No One" intermingled with a medley of Dancehall/Reggae. Every performance I've seen her do, she has given it her all and it definitely shows. So, once her tour comes around I'll definitely get some tickets!(It really takes a lot for me to go to a concert these days)

The Fergie/Will.I.Am/Nicole Scherzinger opening was pretty good. I wish Fergie would utilize the stage more. At first I attributed it to her skimpy outfit, but then Nicole came out and rocked it with her skimpy dress.

Because of the writers strike, the presenters did just what they were supposed to do and PRESENT! It was refreshing to not hear all the stupid forced jokes and awkward silences. It also made the show go faster. And BECAUSE of the writers strike in leiu of a monologue, Jimmy Kimmel proceeded to do the Souljah Boy dance which was pretty hilarious. I'm still kind of upset that they showcased the dance, but the fact it was Jimmy and that it was so funny made up for it.

ASSHOLE DJ

there are a variety of dj's out there in the clubs, weddings and events. you've got the dj who plays from his computer player and plays the whole song then fades the next song in. he's pretty benign and only mildly annoying if the song he's playing sucks.

then you have the wedding dj/mc who doesn't really have the latest songs and plays the typical songs like 'we are family', 'ymca' and 'the chicken dance.' even this guy you can forgive since he is paid to entertain everyone at the wedding and not just the young folks. he only gets annoying if he talks too much on the mic.

next there is the inexperienced dj who plays all the songs right but horribly mixes the last song into the next song. at times he will play the same song twice.

finally, you have the perfect dj who plays the good songs for a decent amount of time and successfully mixes 4 eight counts of the last and 4 of the next song into the set. if he happens to play a song that clears the dance floor he immediately changes it to a good one.

last night I went to club vive in pasadena and I encountered a new species of dj: the asshole dj. this dj plays good songs. he even is able to mix songs together,sometimes 3. but he is evil because he lures you onto the dancefloor with a cool intro like maybe 'sweet child of mine' but then only plays it for 30 seconds and mixes in an obscure new wave trance song. wtf mate? in addition to that when he does play a craptastic song which clears half the dancefloor he plays the whole freakin song! why are you torturing us?! he played good songs but I was too scared to go on the dancefloor because I didn't want to dance to some random 80's song for the next FIVE minutes! other than that I had a good time. I suppose I'm a little too critical when it comes to dj's but dancing is one of the few things I love and you know I take those things seriously. don't get me started on food!

Blackle

www.blackle.com

Anyone heard of this? It's Google but all in black. The theory is that the dark screen takes less energy than a white screen. My friend told me about this and I thought it was pretty cool. Also glad to know that my blog page "saves energy." I wonder if this is true or not.

random thoughts. my computer is messed up. i beat guitar hero 3 on medium level yesterday. i'm on call tomorrow. i can't wait for the weekend. i need to get my hair dyed. i hope my computer is ok. i don't want to have to reinstall stuff. that kills like 3 or more hours of my day. i'm really annoyed and don't feel like blogging. BLAH!

MY SMARTPHONE: htc mogul

That's what I'm using to blog right now! It's my first mobil blog ever. I got the phone about a month ago because I was getting tired of carrying around a phone, a pager and a pocket pc at work. So far it's working out great! Only con I hsve which might help me in the long run is that now I can't text while driving. Inconvenience for me, safer for everyone on the road!

Pros include internet anytime I want and reference material for work with me all the time. I remember wanting to look up something medical at my cousin's house but not having my pocket pc with me. Now I have everyone at my fingertips. Go technology!

Interviewing Season/Change

The season has started for applicants to come interview at our program. Today I started my Sports Medicine rotation so I had free time to volunteer. I gave them a tour of our hospital, which sounds simple enough, but you have to keep talking and sometimes I just like to walk. Afterwards, I took them to lunch with 3 other residents; one 3rd year, one 2nd year and two of us interns. I was really trying to think of what I thought was important at the time when I interviewed. I hope I wasn't rambling. I was trying to give them as much information about the program as I could. I guess I could have given them more advice about interviewing in general and how to make the decision of what program to rank.

I can't believe it's been a whole year since I was interviewing and applying. I remember that time to be very nerve wracking and draining. I was scared I wouldn't get into a program or have to move far away. I also remember crying for no apparent reason the next day as I drove to work. It's weird how life's transitions affect you so much and once it happens, your life just seems to adjust to the change and you get comfortable again.

I went to get my hair dyed the other day, and my hairdresser was like, "Let me guess, you don't do well with change." I guess I was freaking out about it. (Un)fortunately the dye didn't take very well, so I have to go back. I still want the change, but of course am scared. :)

This is sort of a short lame blog but the link is THE BEST! If you know the classic rap songs, this should be hilarious. If not, then it really isn't that great. :) Thanks Clarence!

RAP REPRESENTED MATHEMATICAL CHARTS AND GRAPHS

I knew most of them but some of them were a big question mark.

Pendulum Stuck

I'm hovering between wanting to be single and wanting to be in a relationship. It's been about 2 years since I've been in a serious relationship and I'm starting to miss it. However, I am enjoying being single and might be a little too selfish to be in a relationship. I guess this is when I should try to start dating people. I have no idea what to do lol. I'll start getting busy with work in 2 weeks. Maybe I'll have forgotten about all this by then. At any rate, I'm just going to wing it and see what happens. It's a really confusing state to be in. :(

(Whoops missed a blog!!! SORRY)

Asian Speed Dating

On Friday my friend invited me to go speed dating with her. Her friend could get us in for free so I agreed to go since I have been curious about speed dating. Now mind you, Asian males don't really like me so I stayed away from them. So really the only reason why I went was because it was free. I'm not sure how other speed dating experiences go, but this is my experience.

Hunting Season: It seems that not alot of girls showed up, so there were a number of guys waiting to see if they could get into the pool. It felt like hunting season while waiting for the thing to start. We were approached multiple times. This is where I also found out that I don't like hearing other people's bullshit trying to flaunt their money or whatever. This one guy was like: "There's a bottle of Cognac that's in a really pretty bottle. It's hand made and ornate. If you drink the last shot out of the bottle you get the whole thing. The shots are 200 bucks each, so I bought it for the bottle. I didn't take the shot.".....YOU'RE A TOOL! Don't get me started on the dude that claimed he was a doctor. LAME.

Timing: It started 45 minutes late. I don't think the coordinators were actually timing each date because my dates lasted anywhere from 4 minutes to 10. In addition to that they cut the dates short so we only saw 12 people instead of the full 14. It also did not help that I had to be somewhere at 9. I didn't get out until 930.

Really you want me to repeat my life history AGAIN?: I think this one speaks for itself. It's freaking exhausting telling your story and then hearing about someone else's and really trying to act interested. It was just too many people at once and there's no way you can figure out who you're interested in. You CAN find out who you do NOT want to see ever again. My strategy was to ask age and location right off the bat because it's important to me. Is it going to make me totally shut off if you say you're 38? No, I'm still going to listen to you. This one guy was totally upset that I asked age(obviously older). He said I'd judge him differently if I knew his age. WRONG. You know why I judged him differently? Because he was an ass when I asked him his age. Get over yourself!!!

Needless to say it wasn't exactly a positive experience for me. Honestly I would have rather gone to the Sushi Party my coworkers through and then go out dancing. At least I didn't have to pay. Would I ever do it again? Maybe if it were a smaller group like 7 people and if there were more of a mix of people.

(SPOILERS...sorry i'm venting) My new favorite character on Grey's Anatomy: Lexi Grey. I think she is the lone interesting character left on GA, and surprise she's new. All the old characters have gotten a bit one demensional as seasons have passed. The McDreamy/Meredith thing is getting OLD. George and Izzy, all that drama, angst and agony just to find out that you have no chemistry with each other? Please. The medicine isn't even that good, not that it was that great to begin with. Can ingested magnets really have enough force to perforate intestines let alone the diaphragm?!

I could see the "please accept me as your sister" bit getting old, but for now, we know the least about her and her character development is at least worth watching. She's charming and sweet, yet not a complete pushover. She's strong in her own way and not as whiny as the rest of the cast.

(I could have sworn I blogged about HIMYM before, but I can't seem to find where....at any rate, here it is!)

How I Met Your Mother: the new "FRIENDS"...almost literally

This blog is basically a shout out to HIMYM. Rumor has it that it's in danger of being cancelled. First, I'd like to thank Brad and Christie for the intro to HIMYM. Secondly, I'd like to urge those of you who haven't seen this show to check it out.

I say "almost literally" because I have found certain subplots/storylines on HIMYM and FRIENDS. The only difference is that I can relate more to HIMYM than FRIENDS. I'm not saying one is better than the other, but the characters on HIMYM are more real to me. It may have something to do with the fact that I'm the same age now, but even when I watch reruns of FRIENDS it wasn't ever that realistic to me. An episode even gives a shout out to FRIENDS where they sit in a coffee house and try to see why it's so fun, only to conclude that sitting in a bar is so much cooler than a coffee house.

The writing on this show is great and all the actors have such great chemistry. The humor is very close to the humor I use in everyday life, which is sometimes dorky and most of the time immature hehe.

Thank you Target for helping me accomplish my mission of buying the Nintendo Wii. I went to Target to refill a prescription and I casually headed over to the electronics section just to see if they had any in stock. I see a box and it reads "Wii sports" and I almost ALMOST let myself think it was just the video game and not the console. Luckily I asked and woohoo it was the console! Next up is Guitar Hero and DDR purchase....maybe on Friday when I have the day off!!!

My New Obsessions
The elliptical is because I want to get some cardio in at home. I don't want to rejoin the gym because I never go and this way I can watch DVDs/TV while I work out. I hope to buy it around Thanksgiving time when Sears has a sale...unless any of YOU are selling one? Anyone? Anyone? This has sort of been an obsession for a while. Two main reasons for my obsession are because I want Guitar Hero III and DDR and I'd rather invest in this than a PS2 or an Xbox cuz I'll actually play the other games that come with this system. Unfortunately it's sold out everywhere or you have to pay an assload of money to get one(that's right, I'm talking to you Walmart!)

WISH ME LUCK!!

Brunch

Not sure how many of you know this but I'm a foodie. LOVE food. I was down in San Diego this weekend and was craving a Sunday brunch. My aunt suggested South Bay Fish and Grill which was priced at $22. I was looking for something under $20 but since it was so close and the menu looked pretty good, we decided to give it ago.

Pros: Although I discovered this at the end of the meal, the creme brulee is AMAZING. It's the best I've ever had, the second being from Yardhouse--yes, Yardhouse. mmm. The breakfast part of the menu was really good which included, lox and bagels, eggs benedict, and an omelette station. The clam chowder and dessert section were good as well.

Cons: Placement. They had a weird set up. The nacho chips were far away from the ceviche and the waffles were in the dessert section(which is why i didn't have any because I was too full!) . I did not enjoy the lunch part of the brunch. The prime rib was dry and tough, and the selection was not the greatest. The rice pilaf, veggie lasagna, and chicken picatta looked pretty ordinary. I also don't like it when buffet's don't have peeled shrimp. I would have also liked some mashed potatoes or some other kind of potato, but alas, there were just the breakfast potatoes. Finally, our waitress kinda sucked.

Conclusion: Thinking back on it, not sure if this buffet was worth the $22 dollars, but the creme brulee more than made up for all the cons listed. :)

November is National Blog everyday month. I can't remember the exact name. I totally missed the last two days. I'm not sure if I want to participate this year. It was fun last year trying to come up with things to blog about but, it was also kind of draining. My schedule this month is not too hectic but actually having to "think" is problematic. We shall see....

I was going to blog about something profound or reflective, but I got obsessed with this song. The lyrics speak for themselves. Plus I have a girl crush on Emmy Rossum of Phantom of the Opera fame. She's so pretty!




I've listened to a few of her other songs, and I'm disappointed to say that they all kind of sound the same. She has a really great voice and the weird digitalized style of her songs kind of mask it. She sounds like a cross between Enya and Sarah Maclachlan. Either way, I like this song. :)

Rushing and racing
and running in circles
Moving so fast, I'm forgetting my purpose
Blur of the traffic is sending me spinning
Getting nowhere

My head and my heart are colliding, chaotic
Pace of the world
I just wish I could stop it
Try to appear like I've got it together
I'm falling apart

Save me
Somebody take my hand, and lead me
Slow me down
Don't let love pass me by
Just show me how
'Cause I'm ready to fall
Slow me down
Don't let me live a lie
Before my life flys by
I need you to slow me down

Sometimes I fear that I might dissapear
In the blur of fast forward I faulter again
Forgetting to breathe, I need to sleep
I'm getting nowhere

All that I've missed I see in the reflection
Passed me while I wasn't paying attention
Tired of rushing, racing and running
I'm falling apart

Tell me
Oh won't you take my hand and lead me
Slow me down
Don't let love pass me by
Just show me how
'Cause I'm ready to fall
Slow me down
Don't let me live a lie
Before my life flys by
I need you to slow me down

Just show me
I need you to slow me down
The noise of the world is getting me caught up
Chasing the clock and I wish I could stop it
Just need to breathe, somebody please
Slow me down

phew, finally a chance to catch my breath. it's been a crazy month and a half. i don't have a blog for 3rd block: ER, so i'll sum it up here.

ER is fast paced, sometimes busy, sometimes slow. I learned alot. I learned how to be fast. It was tough catching up to each attending's nuances, but you learn to adapt. I got to repair a couple of lacerations, which is where I discovered my love for repairing lacerations. I was always nervous about those, but once you jump in there and get it done, it's not so bad at all. It's an art. Night shift SUCKED ASS. I don't know how people do night shift. I wanted to be up when I had to sleep and I wanted to sleep when I had to be up. So that's ER in a nutshell.

Onto residency in general. I have one word to describe it: ROLLERCOASTER. Each day is different. One day you'll feel like the dumbest person on EARTH and feel like you've failed your patients. The next day you adjust and get everything covered, get some good feedback from attendings or patients and you're on top of the world. A day later your patient deteriorates and it's back down again, only to find the next day that patient improves, is lucid and thanks you for all the work you've put in. I'm telling you, it's a rollercoaster; on the way down you feel like your stomach is in your throat and you can't breathe but when you're up there, the high lasts long enough to get you through the bad times. I'm loving it, but can't avoid the fact that it's kicking my ass!

Onto personal life. So, I've been single for a while now and I've honestly been fine with it. However(and this is no offense to ANY of my friends who have spouses/significant others), as I see my friends getting married/meeting people, it makes me a little sad. Obviously residency doesn't help. I'm too tired ot go anywhere, and even if I did meet someone, where the hell would I find the time to hang out with them? I know a handful of people who are in residency and single. I mean we all do fine, but I wonder how many of them are feeling the way I am. It's funny I always thought I'd be settled by now, but unfortunately life doesn't work out the way you planned. Who knows if what you planned would have made you happy. So, as lonely as I am, I'll leave it up to fate and God to figure out my personal life for me. Until then, I'm uber thankful for all my good friends and my family, who keep me sane(or foster my insanity) through these trying times. I love you all!

Block 2: Obstetrics

Have I told you I love my job? I was getting really depressed during my Radiology rotation. I think the reason was that I wasn't actively doing anything; there was no patient contact, my mind wasn't stimulated and I didn't feel any gratification for my efforts. This month, however, has been a breath of fresh air.

As my third week in OB winds down, I've started to reflect on how much I've learned. I was absolutely terrified my first week. I was a bit rusty on my OB and didn't really have any confidence. As the weeks passed, I started managing different cases, doing more deliveries and it all started to click. OB is definitely gratifying AND I love the patient care. It's all very exciting. Another added bonus is that USUALLY the moms are healthy and all you have to worry about is getting that baby out. Even when there are problems, there are only a finite number of things that could go wrong, so it's alot easier to manage theoretically.

Then I started to think, "Am I enjoying myself because it's OB or because it's Family Medicine?" Today I found my answer. I was on call last night, which involves admitting patients to the Medicine team from the Emergency Department. We had three admissions, and I only got 3 hours of sleep, but I was satisfied mentally, emotionally and psychologically. I enjoy talking to patients, thinking through and diagnosing their problems, and finally managing their medical issues. And aside from all of that I actually CARE about these patients. I care about what happens to them and their best interests. I tell you, it's an amazing feeling and I really couldn't imagine myself doing anything else.

Story of the Rotation:
My third day on my OB rotation, I was hanging out in L&D(Labor and Delivery) looking for patients who might potentially deliver soon. I notice one patient is 9 centimeters dilated. I call my OB senior to come down and help me. We find out that her membranes were not ruptured, so we called her primary OB to ask if he wanted us to rupture her. We did so and waited. Five minutes later, the nurse comes out of the room and says she's bleeding alot. We go in and assess her, page her doctor and wait for the call back. We inform him of her bleeding and he says he'll meet us soon. Right as we hang up the phone, the patient's sister comes running out of the room yelling, "The baby's head is coming out!!" We run into the room and indeed the baby's head had come out(HOLY CRAP!) My senior grabs some non-sterile gloves and supports the head. In OB "sterile" is a loosely used term; the priority is getting the baby delivered safe. So I unsterily open the delivery cart and pull out the bulb to suction the baby, in addition to whatever tools we needed to finish the delivery. Both mom and baby were ok, but that was a crazy situation!!

Lesson for the rotation: GOWN UP! Don't get showered with amniotic fluid gownless!!! It's not pretty.

Bathroom Makeover

The other weekend my cousin Novette came to visit me. For some reason she's a catalyst for me to do things I've wanted to do but have been too lazy. So, we made our way to Home Depot and Target to get things for my bathroom. I wanted a light colored motif since my bathroom is tiny. I decided on light green since it matches with the rest of my house.

I know, blogging about one's bathroom is kind of weird, but the reason I blog was because I was so happy with the outcome. I got everything for a good price and for the things I was lacking, I discovered a way to put my own little personal touch with things I had around the house.

The shower curtains, rugs, toothbrush holder, soap dish, cup and towels were all bought at Target. I replaced the toilet seat cover, which used to be the soft cover, with a hard cover from Home Depot

What I was missing was a picture to put above the towel rack, and something to accent my display towels. I searched my house for something green to tie around the towels. My mom has a drawerful of random strips of cloth from pants she's taken in or whatever. I found two green pieces of cloth that used to be the bottom of pants. I twisted them and fastened them with a safety pin on the towels. At this point I was already proud of myself. As I was cleaning out my bathroom, I found these wires with beads on them. I wrapped those around the green cloth and voila, cute towel holder thingies.

The next dilemma was what to put above the towel rack. I found an old painting that had the same color theme as my bathroom, but it looked a little antiquated. As I was cleaning out my sister's room, I came upon drawings that my mom, my sister and I had made at California Disney. I had framed them a while ago in a black frame, and hadn't found a place to put them yet. To my delight, it fit perfectly in my bathroom. I really like the personal touch it adds to the whole place. Plus everytime I look at Matess' drawing it makes me smile.(Far right)

First Paycheck

This happened about a week ago, but I only just uploaded pictures. So I got my first paycheck last Friday and it felt pretty freakin' good to know that I'm getting paid for my efforts. :)

I was on call for the third time this weekend(Saturday-Sunday.) I was definitely more relaxed and sort of knew what I was doing. Last night while we were seeing patients I realized how much I love my job. It's the adjusting to new environments I hate. Maybe it's not being able to control my surroundings, but I get all anxious and panicky.

Yesterday, though, I had fun. It's nice knowing your patients as well as knowing that you're somewhat helping them. I wish I could put it more eloquently, but that's all you're going to get out of me. My call was pretty slow with only two admissions and I actually got to sleep.

And So It Begins...

Two weeks of orientation are done. This last weekend is the absolute LAST weekend I will never be responsible for any patient care. I'm scared and excited to start!

Orientation was a bit long and sometimes redundant, but it was a great opportunity to get to know my fellow residents and get to know the hospital/clinic/system. I did learn that anything you write/blog about can be used against you in a court of law, so I will definitely be keeping my blogs general when it comes to patient care.

I really thought I'd have more to blog about, but maybe it's because I calmed myself down, or maybe I'm blocked by the fear of litigation. At any rate, I'll try to document my experiences here.

Read this: Playing Doctor

Hawaii 2007 Part III

15-18: Oahu continued

Friday was a jam-packed day. My dad took the day off so he took us around the island with the final destination at North Shore. On the way there, we stopped at the Chinaman Hat, Pipeline Beach(where the sandstorms hurt like hell), and Turtle Bay. The first stop at North Shore was Giovanni's Shrimp Truck, one of two in the area. The other must have at North Shore is Matsumoto's Shaved Ice where the shaved ice comes with ice cream and/or red bean at the bottom. I tried the Hawaiian(pineapple, coconut and banana) with ice cream on the bottom and condensed milk on top. Yum!

That night we met up with Ty and his co-worker Jeff for a night out in Honolulu. I guess the trick is to get there early when the cover is free, get your hand stamped and pick out which one is the best bar. Here, you can walk in an out of the bars/clubs as long as you have a stamp! While waiting for the clubs to get going, we got some drinks at the Yardhouse, and decided on Zanzibar's. By the end of the night we were thouroghly intoxicated and STARVING. We ended up at Ono's Cheesesteak where they import their bread straight from Philly! It was almost as good as a real Philly Cheesesteak. Heaven.

The next day was mine and Erwin's graduation party at the Dole Cannery. It was much fancier than I had expected; almost like a wedding. There was a sign in table, a DJ, drink tickets, prepared speeches, catered buffet with prime rib and bananas flambe. Afterwards we went to Ala Moana to buy some last minute gifts, came home and rested. At around 5pm, the BBQ started at my dad's house. Erwin's girlfriend, Natasha, brought over Dance Dance Revolution and it was all over. We spent the night drinking and playing DDR and Guitar Hero(particularly Sweet Child of Mine which is still stuck in my head!)

After an extremely eventful week, our last two days were very low key. Novette and I stayed at the house, while Ben and Maryann met up with Ty at Waikiki to surf/lay out. We made some carne asada nachos, packed, relaxed and played MORE guitar hero. I had a wonderful time and it was a great way to end my days off before I started residency.

Somehow, I got the feeling that someone didn't want me to leave.....

For more pictures click here: OAHU

Hawaii 2007 Part II

June 10-14: Oahu

The first day in Oahu was airport and rest day. All four of us came in at various times throughout the day, which resulted in my dad driving back and forth from the airport 3 times. After we unpacked, planned our itinerary(thanks Ben) and settled in, we had some dinner and polished off a bottle of Captain Morgan(and coke) plus 3/4 of a bottle of Bicardi O Rum(and sprite) with my dad. Halfway through the bottles we decided to play a game of drunk Pac-Man.

The next day was choc full of tourist activities: Punchbowl Cemetery, Pali lookout, the Byodo Temple(below) and hiking up Diamond Head. Needless to say, we were exhausted and decided to stay home and take the night off by watching "Blood Diamond" on DVD. A nice bonus while staying at my dad's house for the week was that his wife's uncle loves to cook and he was our personal cook when we were home. For dinner that night, grandpa made us some Chow Fun.

TueSday, the 12th, was supposed to be "S" day: Shopping, Surfing and Snorkeling. Ben and my brother, Erwin surfed in the morning, while Maryann, Novette and I went shopping at the Ala Moana Shopping Center. After an impromptu lunch at the Pineapple Room with my friend Ty, who lives on the island, we were ready to go snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. Unfortunately it was closed and we drove along the coast stopping at scenic spots. We found oursleves at Sandy Beach, which we later found out was a pretty dangerous beach to swim at. Grandpa made oxtail for dinner and we finished off the night with another African themed movie, "The Last King of Scotland" and some Kahlua root beer floats.

Day four on Oahu lead us to Pearl Harbor and the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet. The timing for those to events ran like clockwork. Unfortunately, since we had made plans to go to dinner and bowling later that night, we had no time to go to Hanauma Bay -- 2nd attempt foiled. Instead we went to Waikiki to lay out and relax for about an hour. There Ben discovered Banyan Trees. That night we took my dad and his family out to dinner to Makino Chaya as a "thank you" for letting us stay and eat in their home. Afterwards we went bowling, which I haven't done in over a year. I scored a 105, 115, 110.

The next day was officially reserved for HANAUMA BAY since we failed our last two attempts and we had a free day. We FINALLY made it to the bay, despite the cloudy weather. Afterwards we went to the Paradise Cove Luau(main picture) where the Mai Tai's rule.

And now I am tired. Since this is a pretty long post, I'll just split this up into 3 parts. More to come later!

HAWAII 2007 - Part I

June 7-10: The Big Island

The whole reason for my trip to Hawaii was that my dad was throwing my brother Erwin, who graduated from high school, and I a graduation party. I invited all of my cousins and fortunately 3 of them were able to come with me! Novette and Ben came with me to the Big Island and Maryann met up with us on Oahu.

The trip started off a little rough -- we missed our flight!! Fortunately, after four hours, we were able to catch the last flight out of LAX on stand-by. We picked up the car, checked into our room and rested up for the next day. Below is the view from our hotel room at the Royal Kona Resort.

The next day we ventured south to the Volcano National Park to see the active volcano and hot lava. On the way down we stopped by random beaches to lay out and take pictures as well as a Kona coffee farm. After hiking thru lava rock in the drizzling rain, we still didn't even get to see the molten lava. At best we saw a red light in the distance that came from the lava. It was dark, raining and we were exhausted so we made our way home without dinner :(

Day 2 we explored the north side of the island; and by "explored" I mean we drove up the coast until we hit a dead end. That dead end was Polulu Valley. We hiked down the valley to the beach, played around in the little camping area, hiked back up and drove back to the hotel in Kona. There we had our last and only dinner on the Big Island at Don the Beachcomber. Not only did it have great food, but it had a great view.

Novette and I decided to go out and drink since it was our last night on the island. On our way to the bar and while at the bar, we got stopped by TWO groups of people who thought we were locals. One asked us where was a good place to eat(they followed us into the bar we randomly chose) and another wanted to take a picture with us(we should have charged them money).

The next day we took my cousin Ben to the airport, returned to the hotel and laid out for an hour or so. We got to the Kona airport an HOUR early, they couldn't find our names on the reservation and we missed our flight AGAIN!!! Good thing inter-island flights run every 30 minutes or so. We landed in Oahu safely. Stay tuned for the next installment of Hawaii 2007!

Here are more pictures(complete with captions) of the Big Island.

Hawaii 2007

Relax. I'm starting you guys off slowly. I have a lot to blog about. This is the first in a series of posts about my trip to Hawaii. Because I just sorted through a bajillion pictures right now I'm a bit lazy to start a real blog. So, for your entertainment I have a 3 picture progression of my tan.

Download the slideshow here:

http://www.snapdrive.net/files/53071/slideshow%202007%20web.wmv

DOCTOR

Funny how one little word can change your life. On May 11, 2007 the word "doctor" was placed in front of my name, and the letters "D.O." after my name. This event has been something I've worked for the majority of my life and it is a surreal feeling to be "done."

I expected to be really emotional on graduation day, but the sheer hectic nature of the procession, taking pictures and smiling, trying to find your family, hunting your friends down took alot out of me. The emotions range from exhaustion, to loneliness, to excitement, to relief, to happiness, and finally fear. I didn't even have time to ponder any of that, or how my life would change in a month.

In a month some of my close friends will have moved far away to their respective residencies and I will be missing them at a crucial time in our lives. In a month I will have made new friends and will have to adapt to a new dynamic; feeling out personalities and figuring out how to work with new people. In a month I will have my own patients who look to me for guidance. In a month I will be responsible for other people's lives; making decisions about their futures when my own personal future is so uncertain. How scary is that?

But before all that could happen, I had to celebrate my accomplishements!! After the graduation ceremonies, I had a luncheon at Coco Palms in Pomona. The place is lovely, has a great view and an amazing buffet of Cuban food. After a quick 5 minute nap on the way back to my house and a wardrobe change, I headed off to a joint graduation party with 4 of my girlfriends from medical school.

The party was held at the Tedesco Residence, my friend Tenli's parent's house(thanks Lisa and Mark!). We had a taco bar which included pork, chicken and carne asada tacos, beans and rice and all the fixings. A margarita machine was spinning, the coolers were filled with Corona, Pacifico and Coors or was it Miller(I don't drink beer), AND huge bottles of red and white wine. The DJ played into the night and we danced until we were tired.

At the end of the night my girlfriends and I opened gifts that we had gotten for each other. It was a great way to end the night: with friends, memories and big hugs!

For pictures of events please click the links below:

Westernu DO 2007 Dinner Dance

Graduation Festivities

DO 2007 Slideshow courtesy of yours truly

Time Flies....

I have 3 more days left of school. Today was my last Monday of being a student EVER!! It's all very surreal. I'm going through senioritis so I don't want to be at work. On the other hand I am terrified of the responsibility that comes with graduating. It's not like I won't have any guidance during residency, but I actually have to practice not looking over my shoulder for approval from an attending and actually MAKE MY OWN DECISIONS for my patients. DAMN!

It's all really bittersweet. I'm really looking forward to graduation and all the festivities. I'm not looking forward to my friends moving away. I'm looking forward to getting paid. I'm not looking forward to being on call. You get the picture.

I was watching this Filipino news show with my mom and they were talking about medical tourism, specifically in Thailand. I've known about Filipino's going back to the Philippines to get plastic surgery and what not, but I never imagined American's and Europeans going on a "medical vacation." The news segment also showed what kind of rooms patients stay in after surgery and I've never even stayed at hotels that were this nice! I was also surprised to learn that people don't just travel for plastic surgery, they travel to get other surgeries such as open heart.

The reason I blog about this is because the Philippines is trying to get in on this industry, but they want it to be on a Thailand scale. At first I thought that this would be good for the country. Doctors would be motivated to stay in the Philippines instead of going to the US. (see my blog about this doctor drain) Good for all right? Wrong! Yeah, the doctors will stay and practice in the Philippines, but for TOURISTS. What about all the medically underserved in the rural areas? That's where most care is needed, but if this whole medical tourism thing blows up in the Philippines, every doctor graduating in the country will be pulled towards these hospital/hotels leaving the poor worse off than they were originally.

Hopefully next year I'll get to go on a medical mission to the Philippines in my moms province. I'm really looking forward to it.

MATCH DAY

This will be a quick one because it's been a long day, but:

I matched at....POMONA VALLEY HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER in Family Medicine!

Congratulations to all my friends. I'm so proud of you all! And remember....we all end up where we are supposed to. Divide and conquer!!

"Did I Match" DAY : YES I DID!!

Today we found out IF we matched, hence the title. The important thing about today is that I know I'll be going somewhere I chose. If I didn't match then I'd have to scramble, which means I would have to find programs that didn't fill their spots and try to get into one of those spots. The unfilled programs can be located anywhere, so it's not something I anyone wants to do. Anyhow, so MATCH DAY is on Thursday. My friends and I are going to find out where we match together; thank God for wireless! Blog about that to come...

This is a cheap blog only because while trying to find pictures for the blog, I found an entry that said everything I wanted to say. I was watching TLC's "My Unique Family" this evening and Bree Walker and family were being featured. What makes them unique is they have Ectrodactyly. I remembered her from when I lived in San Diego, where she was a newscaster.

So...here's the link. I just thought it was really interesting, and I totally agree with what the author has to say.

Bree Walker

You know you've had too much plastic surgery when Wikipedia says so....

"In recent years, it has been observed that Walker seems to have undergone visible facial plastic surgery; her lips especially, appear to have been injected with collagen. It is estimated five quarts of collagen have been used."

Hey all,

I just recently fell in love with this song. It's been out for a while in the Philippines, and continues to be number 1 there. I just wanted to share it with you guys and let you know that I'm there for you. Attached is the English translation of the song(Thanks Dad!) Enjoy

Love you guys!

Christina

http://profile.imeem.com/u0nV1A/music/p4VK0Q-s/hawak_kamay/

Sometimes you feel a heavy load
so hard to bear, you'd say "I can't take it anymore"

Just look at the sky
a silver lining you might find
or, you can count on me (or, you can call me ?)
I'll be here, anytime

[chorus]
Hold my hand… (hand in hand ?)
I will always be at your side
In a world of uncertainty,
hold my hand…
I won't let go
in an empty world

sometimes you feel
the world is crumbling under your feet
and the wave of despair overwhelms you

Just look at the sky
a silver lining you might find
or, you can count on me
I'll be here, anytime

[repeat chorus]

[bridge]
Don't ever feel you're alone
always remember you have me
I'm here for you, oh, I'm her for you

[repeat chorus]

In an empty world…

Hand in hand…

In an empty world…..

CABLE....FINALLY!! The last time I had cable was for 4 months in 2003 when I was living in Philadelphia. My mom has been a subscriber to The Filipino Channel for almost 2 years now, which is through Direct TV. They require you to have at least the basic channel plan(9.99) to add TFC. I decided that when I start residency I would get REAL cable and also get a DV-R to record all the shows I want to watch. I mentioned this during dinner last night. Her boyfriend, who also subscribes said that for international subscribers it's only 20 bucks more to add regular cable. I thought it would be more so I figured, why not get cable now. While I was at work, he called and set up the cable for us. When I got home I was pleasantly surprised to find that we had MTV, VH1, E!, the Food Network, and many more! The only 2 channels I want that are missing are FX and Bravo. I'll have to reassess when I start residency as to what channels I can get for what price. At that time I will also figure out my DV-R situation. Happy President's Day indeed!

My Playlist

Oh how exciting! I saw this on my friend's blog and thought it was the coolest thing ever. Finetune allows you to make playlists or listen to other people's playlists. You can add up to 45 songs and embed it into your myspace or blogger. FREAKING awesome! Plus if you want to sample an artist or similar artists, then you can just listen to it on the website as well. :) enjoy people! I know all the songs are pretty random, but I'm a random kind of person.

If you want to forward to the next song just move the cursor to the far left of the icon and click!

Love Day

This year I was ready to just live through what everyone calls "Valentine's Day" and treat it just like any other Wednesday. It didn't even hit me until last night that it was coming really. I didn't send out any cards(I never do) and I didn't get anyone gifts(usually for my mom, and in years passed the sig. other). I was going to completely deny and avoid the day that makes all single people feel like crap.

This morning however, I was pleasantly surprised by my friend Melissa who had brought me a little bag of goodies and a Valentine. When I got home I had received an e-card Valentine from her as well. She reminded me that I was loved and that Valentine's Day isn't just for couples. It's for the people you care about and letting them know you love them. In keeping with the pleasant surprises, I received a forward from my uncle(just one of many he usually sends along) and I decided to open it. It was a Snoopy powerpoint. Short and simple with the "Cheers" theme song playing in the background. It made me feel all warm and mushy inside so I sent it to all my loved ones hoping it would make them feel the same way.

So I'm changing my perception of Valentine's Day and welcoming all the love. It's turned out to be a pretty good day. I got off work at 1130. I had an awesome lunch with my mom and sister to Market Broiler, where they gave us 2 extra halves of snow crab to compensate for the "long wait"(5 min or so more than usual for our food)!!! Now, I'm going to spend some quality time with my sister, doing nails and vegging out to Charmed DVDs.

Hope all of you had a lovely day!

Project #1: DONE!!

It's about a month late, but I'm finally done. I never did find my journal. I had to Google or Wikipedia certain sights we saw throughout Europe. I wouldn't say the picture book is perfect, but it's done and I'm happy. At least I have some of the memories there, where I can look at them and read about them, instead of sitting in my computer, on some disk or sitting in a box somewhere. I highly recommend doing this. It's takes a while but for me, anyways, it's much less frustrating and messy than doing an actual scrapbook.

****I highly recommend writing in a journal when you go on trips like that. It helps to remember what the hell pictures you took. Also, I highly recommend remembering where you put said journal after your trip is over and making a photobook less than a year after your trip.

In related news....

I have another project that I started. This one is mandatory since it will be showing at my graduation dinner. I'm making a slideshow of all four years of medical school. I KNOW this will be a pain in the ass, but I'm prepared to conquer the challenge!!! I have the right software, most of the pictures, a plan in my head. I'm just waiting for that DVD burner and crossing my fingers that my computer can handle all the work!!

A day to be thankful for...

I woke up today dreading work. My day didn't really start until 10am, which was good, but I knew it would be a long day. The last two weeks have been draining; long hours, patient's health stagnant/unimproved/worsened. Today the first patient I saw was a little old lady who had been on a health rollercoaster; finally getting over one infection and then having to deal with another. She had been depressed over the last week because her status hadn't been improving, she was having some nausea and vomitting and I was scared she would deteriorate over the weekend. I walked into her room to find her sitting up. Her face LIT UP when she saw me. She had this HUGE smile on her face and just looked 100% better; no nausea, no vomiting, tolerating clear liquids and on her way out to be transfered to a long term care facility and out OUT OF THE UNIT(ICU-intensive care unit). It was all I could do to keep from crying. She asked if I was going to see her at the other facility and I told her that my doctor didn't go to that hospital. I told her that she was the highlight of my day and that I was glad that I saw her first. I told her that if I don't see her tomorrow I'd be happy because I know she'd be in a good place, but I'd be sad because I wouldn't see her anymore. It just felt so good.

I know this all sounds sappy but seriously, those moments I spent in the room with her are the moments that remind me why I'm in this profession. It keeps me going after a long day, knowing I have to get up early the next morning.

Plus I got some good news today and I was also able to see my patients, talk to their family and take my time while doing so.

I feel like I've been neglecting this site so I'm forcing myself to blog about random thoughts.

1. I need to watch the movies for Oscars, but I have no time because I just waste my time all day if I'm not doing something that is related to "work."
2. I don't want to go into work tomorrow. I hope my doctor doesn't show up so I can go home early AND not have to look up anything.
3. I'm wondering if I will get any of the things in my post two blogs down done. Well I have to get at least one of them done.
4. I am so freakin lazy right now. Senioritis came early and is getting progressively worse as match day approaches.
5. I'm sad some of my friends are leaving soon to go to residency. We'll all be scattered. :(
6. I'm hungry but it's past my 8pm no eating time. I might just sleep lol.
7. Looking forward to new opportunities.....

Wow, Google really DOES own everything...

Earlier tonight I learned that Google now owns YouTube. Just now, I was just forced by blogger to update my account to the "new version" which allows you to use your Google account information. It was kind of irritating. I mean it's annoying to have to click "old version" vs. "new version" but then they force me to do the new version and I STILL have to click old or new upon sign in. Can I just sign in please?

Ok I thought this was going to be a more interesting blog but really the paragraph above is just what I said in my head. And now I have nothing to say, but at least I blogged! haha.

Too many projects not enough time/motivation...

1. Finish Europe 2004 photobook on Shutterfly. I was supposed to have this finished for my cousin, Melissa's birthday, but that did not happen.

I have arranged all the pictures, however, I need to finish the captions. This requires me to dig up my journal that I wrote on the trip, as I have forgotten the names of certain places we went. Which brings me to....

2. Organize and clean out my cluttered room. This serves multiple purposes. First, I would be able to find my journal for #1(hopefully). Second, it's just good to be clean and organized. and Third, it is part of projects 3 and 4.

3. Install wood laminate flooring upstairs. This won't be happening until April, but I know that date will approach at lightining speed. I researched some of the aspects and wrote down things I need to do. I just have to print the instructions.

What I have to do now is clean out the rooms that we're going to be installing laminate in. First priority is obviously my room because I have the most control over that. I already finished doing one corner of the loft upstairs, but that room should be easy. My mom's room is all her. And the middle room is a half and half deal. I think this will be the most tedious part of this whole process: getting rid of all our junk.

4. Redecorate my room. See, I think this can wait for a while, but if I can manage coordinating this with the wood laminate flooring project, then it might be more practical. I want to repaint my room and make it look more sophisticated.

a. One project for the room is to take all my pictures in my portfolio, print them out
and make them into a collage in one big frame.

I think those are enough/too much for now. I can probably finish #1 by the end of this month. As for #2 I could probably get some headway in February, slowly but surely. The rest are a hefty load so I will just have to get that done when the time comes.

Dr. Nurse

This article was one of the medical news articles on my home page:

Filipino MD Picks Life As Nurse in U.S.

It tells the tale of Elmer Jacinto who trained as a nurse and then doctor in the Philippines. He moved to America in hopes of finding a better future and earning money to send back to his family in the Philippines...but as a nurse.

"A nurse in the Philippines makes $150 to $250 a month; doctors make $300 to $800. But the average registered nurse in the U.S. earns $4,000 a month."

I started think, however, "Why don't these doctors pursue a career in medicine in the U.S.?" It pays even more than a nurse. I could understand that perhaps passing the boards is difficult because of the language barriers, but there are many foreign medical graduates out there practicing medicine just fine. I asked my mom the reason behind the Dr. Nurses. She explained to me that if you're a nurse, you can get petitioned more quickly to work legally in the U.S. than doctors since they are in demand.

Another interesting point the article brought up was that since all these doctors who trained in the Philippines are heading to America for a career in nursing, there is a shortage of doctors in the Philippines, especially in the rural parts. I never really thought about this, but it made me kind of sad. These people are just trying to find a better life for themselves, but in doing so other people are left without healthcare; and those that stayed are being shortchanged even more for doing good. I guess it's just one of those things in healthcare that need a solution, but it will be years before we actually find one, much like the health insurance gap here in the U.S.

27 going on 17

Somehow I thought I would be a little more grown up by the time I hit 27. I think a big part of that is because I still live at home with my mom and my sister, but there are other things too. I know you're not supposed to compare yourself with other people but it's hard not to when you are the outlier in a group of friends. I have friends and family who are planning weddings. Others have bought houses and some are preparing for a move out of state. I have another subset of friends who all have children and husbands to take care of. Most, if not all, have their own places and have independent lives from their families.

Mine is a special situation though. I keep telling myself that, but it doesn't help make it any less..."ok" for lack of a better word. There are various reasons why I choose to/feel like I have to stay living at home. For one, it's easier on my family if I'm home and able to babysit my sister as needed. Another reason is that it's just more practical for me to live here. I'm saving about 10 grand in rent a year, and I'm sure living alone wouldn't make me feel any less lonely than I already am. So in the end, I think it's the right decision. I love my family and consider them a priority. It's just hard to feel like an adult when you live under your mom's roof.

The only thing holding onto my adulthood is the fact that I'm going to be a doctor in 5 months and earning money in 7 months. Hopefully things will change by then. I'm planning on revamping my moms house with new flooring and also redecorating my room. I don't know what that will do, but it gives me a sense of change; a newness to it all. I just feel stagnant even though i'm "going places." I might as well try and take charge of the situation instead of sitting here feeling sorry for myself.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I figured the start of 2007 warranted a post. This year will hold several milestones in my life.

Milestones of 2007
1. 10 years out of high school
2. Graduating from medical school and FINALLY becoming a "doctor"
3. Starting residency, which will determine the next 3 years of my life
a. internship year: the hardest year of residency
4. Taking Step 3 of boards, the last and final one!!! (This might happen in 2008 but if i'm ambitious maybe 2007?)
5. 3 weddings(that I know I'm going to), 2 of which I'm a bridesmaid...this number could climb
6. Trips planned: Hawaii and the Philippines!

Ok I thought there were more than that but 2 and 3 are biggies so they take up like top 5 haha.

Looking back....

2006 was an interesting year. It was the first year in a LONG time that had been completely single. I think it went by so fast because there was so much sh*t going on. But, see, I survivied and made some good memories along the way.

Milestones of 2006
1. Studied for, took and passed Step 2 Clinical and Written boards
2. Residency applications and interviews, which will continue through the new year.
3. 3 weddings, 1 of which I was a bridesmaid: most weddings I've been to in a year.
4. Finished 9(+/-) clinical rotations
5. Bought an iPod
6. Trips: Philadelphia, PA and Plymouth, Michigan...does two trips to Vegas count too?

Seriously that's all I can remember from 2006. Isn't that sad? hehe.

Happy New Year everyone. Hope this turns out to be a good one for all of us!