Peak Performance Team Building 2008

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All the residents from my program got the day off to go hiking and figure out how to work together. Good times all around!

Other Contributions

Not sure if any of you know but I blog on two other group sites. Lately, since I've been on vacation I've been posting quite a bit on all three of my blogs. They are located ------>
over on the side navigation bar. They're on "Jason's Blog" and "742evergreenterrace;" two very different sites. Jason's Blog used to be his own personal blog, but as his friends we took the liberty of making it our own haha. There's just random random things posted on there. It's mostly pictures and some inside jokes. 742 is mostly a review blog, but we've been adding some personal blogs on there as well. However the posts are usually limited to entertainment. So check it out if you're bored.

Finally Got a New Guitar

For a couple of months now I've been wanting to get a new guitar since my old guitar is over 15 years old and, well, is a junior guitar. I feel like my artistic side has been dying since I started medical school so this is one of the things I'm doing to remedy that. So today I marched into Guitar Center looking for a particular guitar, the Jasmine by Takamine which was on sale for 100 bucks. However, they didn't have that particular one. I tried playing some other guitars on display and found the Epiphone PR-150 for 30 bucks more and got it. I'm loving it right now. :)

Vegas 2008: Off the Strip

After testing out multiple photo servicers online, I finally decided on Picasa for my Vegas album. It does everything I want and it's easy to use. AND it has this nifty little thing where I can embed a slideshow in a blog.



The reason for my trip to Vegas was because I was on vacation and I've always wanted to see a show. I decided to take my family and go see KA at the MGM. Three weeks before my trip, I found out my friend Sheila from Chicago was ALSO going to be on vacation at the same time! So I booked the room and she booked her flight.

Our first night we all ate Dinner at Nora's Cuisine off the strip. My friend had had her rehearsal dinner there and I thought it was one of the best itialian food I've tasted. Afterwards, we headed over to the Orleans to watch Step Up 2 the Streets, which was actually better than what I had expected. Sheila and I shared some coffee while my mom played the slots. She won 100 bucks! SWEET.

The next morning, I woke up at 5am thanks to the construction outside of our hotel room! I moved into the living room where Sheila was sleeping and slept for the rest of the morning. My mom wanted to go to Chinatown for Boba because we had seen a lady drinking Boba the night before. So we headed over to Chinatown, again, off the strip and had some fantastic DimSum. Since we were stuffed, we decided to walk it off and shop at the nearby center. There, we found Boba and good deals on cheap jewelry. We stopped off at Rio because my mom wanted to shop at this store there. While we were there she suggested we catch the "Show in the Sky" which was supposed to start in 30 minutes. Hmmm what could we do while we waited? We played the slots of course! And THANK goodness we did! I won 450 bucks!


We headed back to the hotel for a much needed nap and got ready for KA. The show was amazing. The technology was as impressive as all the gymnastic tricks that were performed. Back at the hotel, we ate the leftover italian food and called it a night. The next morning we ate at Paris buffet and took Sheila to the airport. Good times.

On our ride home there was heavy rain and heavy sunshine at random times. Very interesting drive. It definitely kept me on my toes. What a great way to start off my vacation!

My Daily Fortune For Today

It's time to turn over a new leaf....again.

GREAT.

Market Broiler

The fact that my family has been going to Market Broiler at the Ontario Mills Mall consistently for a couple of years now can attest to how freakin' fabulous this place is. What kept us coming was the Snow Crab that comes with this creamy butter sauce. Mixed with lemon, it is hands down THE best crab out there. It is always fresh and I've never had a bad crab in that place.

This year(or last year) they opened up the Kamiyama Sushi side to the restaurant only available in Ontario. We've tried a few rolls, including the Dragon roll, the Krunch roll and Tuna roll which are all available on the regular menu. On the Kamiyama Sushi menu, there was an albacore tuna roll I wanted to get. At the time I ordered it, they were out of all their tuna. So the chef made me this awesome roll with salmon for free. I don't know what it was called, but it was great and kudos to them for giving it to me for free. Talk about service!

Today, my mom's boyfriend took us out to dinner to Market Broiler for Valentine's day and I was definitely in for a pleasant surprise.

For appetizers we wanted to get a roll. We decided on the OC roll which had tuna(I can't remember), cream cheese, hints of wasabi, topped with panko and drizzled with sauce; OMG #1.

For entree, I decided to get the Duo platter with my staple, the Snow Crab and something new, the Hawaiian Glazed ribs. I'm not usually a rib person, but I had gone to Lucille's the previous weekend so I figured I'd try these out and OMG. The meat was practically falling off the rib and it was full of flavor; I didn't even need to add the hoisin sauce they provided.

My mom's boyfriend got the surf and turf with the NY steak and the King Crab, of which I had a bite and another OMG! I came into to the restaurant grumpy and left full and satisfied. Not only is the seafood there always a pleaser, but now I've discovered their non-seafood just as good! AWESOME!

YEAH BABY!!: A Guitar Hero 3 moment

This accomplishment deserves to be posted on all 3 blogs I'm involved with. I beat "Cliffs of Dover" on Guitar Hero 3 on HARD level, not once but TWICE last night. Granted I didn't do very well but I beat it!! To help you understand how difficult a feat it is, I have attached a YouTube video to help demonstrate.

Music

“Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." - Berthold Auerbach

“I have my own particular sorrows, loves, delights; and you have yours. But sorrow, gladness, yearning, hope, love, belong to all of us, in all times and in all places. Music is the only means whereby we feel these emotions in their universality. ~H.A. Overstreet

Lately, I've been going through some “drama,” we'll call it, for lack of a better word. I've also been needing to study and clean among other things. Thus, this past week I've been trying to get over the “drama,” I've studied a little bit and I've cleaned a little bit. All three things were catalyzed by one thing, MUSIC. I then realized the importance of music in my life.

No matter what I'm feeling or going through at a certain point in my life, I can usually find a song to describe my situation. One example would be my “Hmmm...I feel like going clubbing.” song and right now that is Low by Flo Rida featuring T. Pain. When I was in junior high, I would get into tiffs with my mom and I would blast Disarm by The Smashing Pumpkins. If I really need some cheering up, I usually listen to showtunes/musicals and sing along. And finally DANCING, one of the loves of my life is an interpretation of music, both of which are an interpretation of life. Likewise for this situation(s) I'm in at this time, there are songs to accompany it/them; a soundtrack of my life if you will. So, “thank you, music,” for getting me through the roller coaster that is my life.

“Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back on loneliness.” - Maya Angelou, Gather Together in My Name.

“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” ~Victor Hugo

Positive Feedback

This post is definitely not here for bragging purposes. I've needed something like this for a while, especially since I didn't do too well on my intraining exam and I'm about to start studying for my Step 3. This past Wednesday I had procedure clinic. We did mostly skin biopsies which are my favorite. This is what my preceptor had to say about it:

"i was very impressed with dr.(insert my last name here)'s skills during the 1/23/08 procedure clinic. she demonstrated the skills and initiative normally seen with a third year."

Death

Yes, I know. What a morbid subject to be talking about, but death and the subject of mortality are all around me lately. It might have a lot to do with the fact that I work at a hospital, but nevertheless, it's been on my mind quite often.

It all started during my Medicine rotation when half of our list of patients were cancer patients. Some were newly diagnosed with terminal cancer, while others have had cancer for a long time and were losing the battle. One in particular is a woman who has breast cancer that spread to her brain and bones, leaving her in excruciating pain. She is 33 years old, has two children and is slowly trying to process and come to terms with the fact that she will never be normal again, and probably won't live to see her children grow up. Just from that example alone I think you can appreciate why I am writing about this subject.

Onto personal matters, my uncle was diagnosed with throat cancer a few months ago. He is in the process of getting treated with chemotherapy and radiation. He has six children and is now using a gastric tube to receive nutrition because the radiation has affected his ability to swallow and take in food by mouth. I had finally come to terms with that, and felt okay about the whole thing when I found out that my ex-boyfriend's dad was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He's like a second father to me and has always supported me. Needless to say it hit home and was really too much to take. It made me think of what if my parents were the ones diagnosed with cancer? What would I do?

As a child I would think about death all the time. For some reason my mom would always take me to funerals because she had no one else to go with, so I was terrified of death and would cry to my mom saying that I didn't want to die. That phase eventually passed and I hadn't really pondered my own mortality until I got the news that Heath Ledger died unexpectedly. He was my age. I think his death impacted me, and a lot of other people, because he wasn't exactly one of those actors who were “at risk” for this sort of thing(that we know of.) The fact that he was so young really made me realize that we could all go any minute. It's quite scary and depressing!

The whole point of this blog is not to depress anyone, but to give you guys a little perspective. We're all mortal and we are all here for a finite amount of time. Shouldn't we spend what time we have in this world doing things that are worthwhile? Are you happy in life? If not, why not and what can you do to make yourself happier? Sure, there are things that are lacking in my life, which I am working on and searching for. I could give up and say I'll never get those things, but that's what life is all about: the journey. I am a product of the experiences I have had, all the hardships I have faced and people I've come in contact with. With that in mind, I feel like I'm pretty blessed with my friends, family and the way my life has turned out. Am I ready to die? Hell no. But if I were to die, I would hope that I could go knowing that I had tried my best to live a fulfilled life, with great appreciation for the people who have helped me accomplish such a feat.

Inquiring Minds Want To Know
p.s. really sad about Heath Ledger's passing. :(

The following is an email I sent out to a group of friends in response to some questions that were asked during dinner. Since I worked so hard on it, I figured it could serve as a blog. I'm trying to blog at least once a month(it was once a week, but that's not gonna happen).








This email has come about thanks to Yolanda’s inquisitive nature which subsequently inspired Jason, Alex and I to ask some questions of our own on the car ride home last night.

1. What are the different types of Panko?
-There are two forms of panko. White panko is made from crustless bread, while tan panko is made with the entire loaf. Both types are usually sold plain, and panko can in fact be rather bland. However, the crumbs absorb flavor readily, making them an extremely versatile ingredient. Some companies also make seasoned panko with popular Asian spices.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-panko.htm

2. What’s the difference between Au Gratin and Scalloped potatoes?

"Scalloped potatoes are a milk based potato dish. Thepotatoes are usually sliced very thinly although what technically makesit 'scalloped' is the milk base. A gratin on the other hand is any dishthat is topped with cheese and/or bread crumbs and layered with bits ofbutter and is baked until brown and crispy. People often get themconfused and use the terms interchangeably. However, gratins can be madewith a variety of vegetables”http://food.families.com/blog/ask-a-food-blogger-scalloped-potatoes-vs-potatoes-au-gratin

3. (While discussing Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons in the car)
a. What is it called when you have a word/words and you rearrange the letters to make a different word/words? Ex: sliver = livers
anagrams :(LATIN ana- 'again' + gramma 'letter') defined as words made from the letters of another word. an anagram does not have to use all the letters of the first word. You create words using only the letters that create names or words, or phrases or sentences, and these words within names or words are anagrams.

perfect anagrams : defined as using all the letters of a word or name to make another name or meaning or revealing from the first. To claim a miracle real, you have to be a miracle claimer.
(This one is a bit confusing and a bit more philosophical but eh, you get the picture….my head hurts.)

b. What is it called when you have a word or group of words, that can be read backwards and forwards? Ex: a man a plan a canal panama, or civicpalindromes(GREEK palin ("back") and dromos ("way, direction") ) : definition : same spelling forward and backwards, and so reads same forwards as backwards
c. What is it called when a word(usually) or figure is drawn a certain way that you can read backwards, forwards, upside down? Example below
ambigrams(ambi=both, gram=word) - names, phrases or words made to read the same forward and backwards, reversed upside down. The master of Ambigrams is John Landgon. You can see many examples of his art at the web site of John Langdon, including his creation of the Angels and Demons ambigram as used in Dan Brown's books, Angels and Demons

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. :(