YAY! My Kaplan PCAT prep book came earlier than expected!!! :)

I feel like I should blog about fall quarter and explain some of my past posts, but I'm too lazy. Maybe later....

Watch out for those doctors. haha..

Internship

I got to see my first procedure today! Well, it wasn't really a procedure...and it wasn't something I really needed to see. It was still interesting and I learned some information though. I'm glad they're adding onto my responsiblities each week. :)

Thanksgiving past

I miss those Thanksgivings when I had time to sit in front of the TV and watch the parade. I miss the traditional American turkey meal my dad and aunt use to slave over the stove to make. Most of all, I miss being able to sleep and not care about anything in the world.

At least I still got to come home.

Finals are coming up and the next two weeks do not look pretty.

Good bye, teen-hood.

I've officially join the 20 club today!

In other news, I got a perfect on my ochem midterm! :)
I didn't do as well on my NPB midterm. :/

Need to go take an online ochem quiz now. Birthdays do not mean work goes away. Haha...

Boo me

[This a totally different subject]

I hate it when I go to office hours and ask something that is answered in the textbook. I feel really stupid after I discover it in the text after office hours. It sort of goes back to what my anatomy teacher said: "There are stupid questions."

Questioning regrets

I don't really have time to blog, but I need to get this thought out of my head. I can't concentrate on studying with this regret.

I have the same ochem professor I had last year; the same ochem class I withdrew out in the winter. Midterm II is next week and last week would have been the point in the quarter when I withdrew out in the last year, week 5. My ochem professor's exams have gotten a bit tougher. So, here is my regret. Could I have hung on to another 6 weeks and gotten an A+ in ochem? Did I ruin my chance of getting that easy A? Did I really need to withdraw, since I was able to survive for 6 weeks until I actually got the treatment? I don't think I could have because my MG was taking over. I seriously couldn't concentrate on studying then. If I know this, then why am I still beating myself over doing something in the past I can't undo? Isn't it enough that I came back to Davis and I'm getting my life on track? Haven't I learned that regrets are never a good way of going through life? I think I'll beat my self up if I get anything less than an A in ochem and physiology this quarter. Maybe I could have channeled my focus on my class a little more last year, but I'll never know now. The only thing I can do is focus on what's important now, and that's studying like mad for the upcoming midterms.

Paronoid

I don't know! I don't know! I didn't do anything, but it might of seemed like I did do something..which might screw me over. I feel screwed! but how can I be when I didn't do anything! She always finds a way though.....

[If I remember, I'll explain later. Right now, I just feel paranoid]

Damn it! I was suppose to study after I got back from Sac today, but I went out to eat with my parents instead. Then, I came back and moved around funiture for no reason. Now, the room feels weird and I'm tired. Second round of midterms are coming up. This week is going to suck. On the plus side, Tuesday is a holiday.

Ughhh...why am I still sick?!!!!!!!

major procrastination

...to me! Procrastination in my terms! Some of you might be saying "Impossible! Kim does not procrastinate!" But not writing a paper in a week in advance is procrastination to me! Writing this blog is procrastination! Anyways, I woke up at 2:30 today to write a synthesis draft which is due on Tuesday. After wasting 4 hours of typing the whole thing, I realized that I wasn't synthesising but instead writing a research paper (which is the next assignment). So, tonight or tomorrow morning (depending how late I get back or how tired I am today) I need to rewrite my 1200 word essay. Gahhhhrrr, I want this cough to go away but that doesn't seem to be happening anytime soon considering that I'm going to be sleeping less than 5 hours a night for 3 days in a row. Lack of sleep isn't helping me academically either, as you can see, but how else am I going to get all this hw done?!

please, no.

My limbs have been feeling weak and heavy on and off for the past week or so. I know limb weakness is a symptom for MG, which scares me. I also noticed that my difficulty breathing has started up again. It's really subtle though, so I don't know if it's my MG acting up again. It can be anything. I mean, I haven't been sleeping that well, it's that part of the month, and I have a cold. I also notice that I have an awful migraine and small fever everytime my limbs get weighted. It's been six months since my Ritumab treatment, so maybe the medication is wearing off. Of course I don't want this to be my MG. *sigh* Life has been going so great. Please, don't be the MG.

If this continues through after my second round of midterms, I'll email my neurologist.

I almost forgot...

HAPPY AMERICAN PHARMACISTS MONTH!!!! :)

I just discovered that USN is already offering interviews!!!!! I guess they're not sticking to their schedule of holding them Jan-April! AHHHH!!!! I'm so nervous! What if I don't get a call! My current standing/grades aren't competitive enough!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!!!

okay, seriously. I need to study!

Note to self: be more productive (starting tomorrow)

Unprofessional Me

My current living situation has made me realized how childish and immature I act sometimes. I've always been a bad communicator; I don't think before I talk sometimes. As to what happenened last night, I think I need to reestablish how I define "respect." I need to learn how to hold onto my quirks while being an adult. I still have a lot of growing up to do.

Only the second night and I got a bloody nose. BTW, vinegar gets blood out of carpet. Just pour some over the stain and dab the spots with a towel.

Back in Davis DX

It took me 11 hours (maybe more) to bring all my stuff in, CLEAN and unpack! The place was so dusty. I only got 5 hours of sleep last night.

On the plus side, I drove pretty well yesterday. I only swerved once. So, Becky and I are still alive.

I sweated like a pig while unpacking and running around doing errands on campus today. The shower after playing HORSE at the ARC felt so good.

School starts tomorrow. :/

My Car Smells Like Laundry

Actually, it isn't really my car. I'm bringing my father's Honda Civic to Davis, so I can travel to Sac for my internship.

My dad gave away the car soap, so we used laundry detergent to wash it. He told me that it makes the car really shiny..and it did.

I spent yesterday and today packing. All that's left is bathroom stuff I need in the morning and my laptop.

But who wants to hear about packing? Let's rewind and see what adventures I've had in the past week.

Wednesday was a blast. I baked apple pie and steamed bánh chuối. I went over to Jennie's and helped her pack. We had yummy wontons for lunch and played "boardgames" afterwards. Then, we headed down to Taravel for a group dinner. Even though we chose a place beforehand, we ended up going to a different restaurant anyway. Plus, it took us awhile to pick a place. The food was good though. After spending 3 hours chatting and eating, all but Jennie hung out at Sharon's for a little while. It was a good final summer hang out with almost the whole group. :)

My busy Theresa doesn't have time to go out, so I shadowed her to her physics class on Thursday. Surprisingly, I still remember some stuff.

Sunday was my last day out. I accompanied Connie to Crossroads Cafe so she could interview the staff. Unfortunately, we sat there for 3 hours and she didn't get any Q&A. It was nice being in a neighborhood where we don't typically go, so the trip and wait was worth it.

I'm going to miss this summer. It was the best thus far. However, I'm glad that I'm getting my life back on track. Becky is catching a ride with me tomorrow. I hope I don't crash and kill us both. *nervous laugh*

:D

Booyah!!! 2 reasons why I'm happy this morning!

1. I finally got a early registration time from the health internship sign-up with UCD's ICC! Every quarter I've always gotten the last day or second to last day. By then all of the internships were taken. I signed up at 9am, right when they started, and was shocked to see that my registration is at 1pm today!!! The registration times are given randomly because so many people sign-up! Even though my registration time is today I don't know if I can get the internship I want. Spots for pharmacy, surgery and ED fill up quickly! Guess I'm not going to E4 this morning!

2. I found the screw that goes in the corner of my sunglasses and successfully screwed it back in! I love my small screwdriver!! I've used it to fix my watches and other stuff. I would have been fine with my glasses if I didn't find the screw because I threaded a thin wire into the space; it held pretty well. It's great that I got the actual screw in though!

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ARGHHH!!! I'm fr3aking out! I've tried to sign up for a position but it keeps saying error everytime I tried to confirm! I emailed technical support and called ICC. ICC got all my info and they know which slot I'm trying to sign up for. They shut down the site about 10 minutes after I called them. They're probably trying to fix the problem. I'm not too happy with the internship I'm trying to sign up for but it's still pharmacy. I was trying to get into Sutter General or Sutter Memorial but all the positions that fit my schedule are full. HmmMM..retail. They don't say which retail pharmacy but I think it's rite aid. UghhHH..I don't want to work for retail! I guess I should start though because my first few years in SOP will include training in retail. I'm sort of debating whether or not I should sign up for ED instead. It's probably better for me to sign up for pharmacy now and try for another department later on. ED is very tempting though. Actually, I rather wait and see if I can get surgery if I get a good sign up time next quarter. HmMMmmmmmm....I hope they call me back soon. :/

-----------------------

So, I didn't get pharmacy. It turned out that I kept getting the error page because someone already signed up for the slot. The guy called me back and apologized. My inbox was flooded with "error" messages because ICC kept trying to sign me up.

Retail pharmacy definitely isn't worth it if I have to go to Sac or Woodland for the experience. I've been in my cousin's pharmacy and I know a bit about it. So, I'm ecstatic to say that I'm interning for the ICU at Sutter General! I was debating (still sort of debating) between the ICU and ED. I've always had a connection with the ICU because of my medical history. Not to mention, I want to become a critical care pharmacist. I probably won't get much pharmacist interaction, but that's okay. ED would be interesting because of the rush. However, with ICU I think I'll have more of a connection with the patients and families. My learning will be deeper too since the patients aren't being rushed to other wards like the ED.

Anyways, the rest of my day was great! (Geez, I'm so positive..a little fr3aky). I rushed to the LHH Volunteer Recognition Tea Party because I was late. I'm sort of glad I was late because I didn't have to sit through speeches. The tea sandwiches were so cute! I really liked the tea bags too! They were pyramid-shaped and had a fake leaf coming out of them as a handle. I'm in awe at how many years and hours some of the volunteers have dedicated themselves to at LHH. The most hours is 14,000 and the most years is 50 years!!!!! I know!!! 50!!!!!!!! The runner up was 43 years I think. I probably have about 130 or 140 hours. After congratulating the hours and years, they gave out special awards to dedication. I was surprised when the volunteer coordinator called me up. I got a Laguna Honda sweatshirt for going on bus trips! :)

After leaving the party, I forgot my sunglasses, so I ran back to get them. This turned out to be a good thing because there was a hot guy on the bus I hopped on. He was sitting across from me (me on the horizontal seats and him on the vertical-facing seats). I hope he didn't see me staring at him through my sunglasses. He got off at Stonestown. :/ I ended up getting off the stop before my stop and walking into a dead end street because I was still thinking about the nice tie he was wearing (black stripes on black silk XD). Yes, his outfit was hot too...and his hair....ok, I need to stop acting girly.

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WOOOHOOOOO!!! BB10 FINALE TONIGHT!!!! LET THE BEST RENIGADE WIN!!!!! TODAY=AWESOME!!!!!

Sore and Exhausted

I woke up with aching and tense muscles. It was probably due to biking for an hour and walking around at the piers for "Sunday Streets." The day presented a lot of firsts for me and my bike. It was the first time I brought my bike onto BART, the first time I brought my bike up an escalator (scary and hard), first time I biked that much in SF, first time I walked and biked around the piers, first time locking my bike on a SF street, first time placing my bike on the bus rack in front, etc. I think it was the first time I hung out with only Katrina too. It was a fun day. Tiring but fun. Thanks Katrina!

The last day of summer volunteering was...tiring but memorable. I arrived at LHH at 8:30 to help blow up balloons. I never blew up balloons with a helium tank before. My voice turned all funny because I messed up on a few. I use to be so scared blowing up balloons because when I was about 7 one blew up in my face. One did pop today and I ended up with smaller balloons after that. The A.T. took me up to E5 where I met some of the nurses and the social worker. She looked so festive holding all those balloons when we went up. I think the event was for Mexican Independence Day or something like that. I helped pick up the food in the kitchen and set it up. Everybody was scurrying around because they wanted everything ready before 1pm. They were expected to have 300 people come in and out of the ward. I left when we finished setting up at 11:45. I ran down to the fourth floor because I wanted to finish with E4 as soon as possible today. I promised the A.T. that I would organize the cabinet in the kitchen while she was gone. It took me 3 1/2 hours to take out everything, wipe down the shelves and stack all the stuff back neatly. I took up half the kitchen while sorting all the junk. And there was SO much junk! I ended up with 2 bags of trash but if it were up to me I would have thrown away all the left over gifts and old decorations and posters because they all smelled/looked old. I'm glad that all the nurses came in and thanked me because the janitor sort of got me annoyed. I don't think she knew I was a volunteer and was trying to organize the stuff. Oh wells. I still have to go to the volunteer tea party tomorrow since I RVSPed awhile ago saying that I would come. HmMMm...maybe I'll stop by E4 and chat with the patients before the party.

"Boat Ate Dope"

I went to volunteer on Tuesday but my supervisor wasn't there. I was suppose to clear out and organize a cabinet but I didn't have the key. I waited there for an hour until one of the nurses told me the supervisor came earlier to tell the ward that she wasn't coming in today. I was so confused because I told her the day before that I would be volunteering on Tuesday. I learned on Thursday that a devastation has struck her.

What do you say when you aren't religious and a person asks you to pray for them. That's what the A.T. did when I ran into her Thursday. I think I hugged her, told her I would take care of her unit on Monday and Tuesday, and that she would be okay. She'll be okay.

I finally went on a city tour! I got to spend the educational day with Stephanie. We almost couldn't find the first tour, which started at the "southeast stage of Yerba Buena." Our first tour was "Theaters in SF." I knew that there were theaters and shows in SF but I didn't know where. Now I do. This tour was with Sue who lead the group of ~10 women on a brisk 1 1/2 walk. We went into 2 theatures and stood outside others.
Steph and I ate a Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown. The waitress didn't speak Viet. Haha...
Our second tour was of Nobhill. The group was a little bigger. There were 6 people from England, 2 from Oklahoma, 2 from Washington and the rest were from California. I liked this tour more, even though I wasn't listening to our tour guide, Kay, as much. The sights were so pretty.

I had the most interesting bus trip on Thursday. We went to MOMA to see the Frida Kahlo exhibit. When I got to LHH in the morning I went to the wrong ward. There were two that were going on the trip and the volunteer coordinator emailed me the day before telling me to go to O6 but I was actually placed with O7. I was not only excited about seeing the exhibition but about meeting the people on higher floors. I've heard that the higher you go up the more severe patients are..medically and psychologically. After the trip, I can't say that this is entirely false. When I was about to go into the unit, I stopped to introduce myself to 2 guys who were in the hall. It turned out they were going on the trip. One was seemed sweet. He apparently experienced 4 stokes. The other was a super chatty War World II veteran. I probably stood there for 20 minutes. The vet barely took in a breath when he talked to me and he was yapping 10 miles a minute. I tried really hard not to zone out and ignore him. He would yell out "ma'am!" every time I turned to greet someone else passing in the hallway or when I had to leave and help out the A.T. with other patients. The trip didn't even start yet and I was exhausted from that one guy. Plus, I got really annoyed later on by this other guy who flirted with anything with boobs and "nice curves." He asked me to marry him and told me that he loved me a couple of times. I gave the A.T. a "!!!!!!!!" look when she told me I could escort him around the exhibit. She gave me an understanding look when she saw my disgust and gave me the guy who pooped in his pants instead.
We had lunch on the bus right next to a gorgeous view of the Bay Bridge. When we got into the museum we crowded the lobby with our 16 patients, 3 staff members and 3 volunteers. The MOMA coordinators let us go into the exhibit in bunches because it was already packed up there. Seeing the artwork really made the trip worth it. I sort of wanted to buy something at the gift shop just so I could have the Frida Kahlo shopping bag, but I decided to save my money on a another artist. Kahlo isn't one of my favorite artists but her work and the stories behind them are inspiring..not to mention magnificent.
After about an hour and a half, we boarded the patients back onto the buses. One guy rolled into the street and almost went across the crosswalk at a red light. A stranger was kind enough to catch him before he did. When everybody was settled the A.T. mentioned that this turned out to be a smooth trip. Unfortunately, she spoke too soon. We only moved a block and a half away from where we were parked when the engine broke down. The bus was in a middle of a turn so it was blocking two street ways. This wasn't the first time I was stuck in a bus that stopped. We were parked and in a safe spot the last time though. I thought LHH would have gotten new buses by now, since it's the end of summer! The CNA driving the other ward's bus hopped onto our bus and was fortunately enough to start the thing. We reached a red light a block after and when it turned green guess what happened? The engine failed again. The CNAs switched buses, since the other one was more skilled. We had a bumpy ride home since she didn't want to stop too long or else we would have been stuck again. The flirter hollered and yelped since his wheelchair wasn't strapped in tightly enough. Haha..He's not the first patient who's flirted with me. I usually let those comments slip since I know that patients are old and bored, but this dude really got on my nerves.

Friday turned out to be Autumn Krash. We didn't plan it..it turned out that the four of us ended up together. We rushed with our shopping in the morning. Then, we watched "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2" for free. YAY for AE!

Today, I hung out at Sharon's. Poor Sharon was trying to find the first Pants movie for about 45 minutes but couldn't find it. We ended up playing "Mad Gab." It was hilarious. You're suppose to figure out the phrase/word of something that sounded like a jumble of weird sounds/words. The title to this post was one I couldn't figure out because I kept laughing. The answer is "Potato" btw.

Good? Bad? Meh...

9/6/08

Pro: Went to Berkeley to visit Mary with Sharon and Connie.

Con: Only hung out with her for an hour.

9/7/08

Pros: The fog returned. Started on my next art/craft project.

Con: I found limitations to my project.

9/8/08

Cons: According to the doctor, one of the patients I work with won't make it by the end of this month. Some kid tried to shoot a spit ball at me when I was walking home. Bus driver didn't open the door.

Pros: I found a loop hole through my art project limitations. I volunteered. The kid missed. I concurred my laziness and walked home. The fog is still present.

Melted Icing

Monday, I went Labor Day shopping downtown with Sharon, Jennie, Steph, Connie and Becky. Ironically, I was the only one that spent big bucks. I don't like spending a lot but I've been wanting a black coat since I've started college. That want has finally been fulfilled since I bought a $60 peacoat at H&M. I was reluctant to get it because I know it'll be half price during Thanksgiving or December sales, but there was only one more in my size when I went on September 1st. I think I'll hold off on getting a new interview suit and pumps for a few months because of this. At Forever, I bought a long sleeved shirt. The price was good and I needed another one due to the unusually sunny weather SF has been having over the past weeks.

Free days in San Francisco are always fun. On Wednesday, I met with Steph at Taravel, so we could go to the Exploratorium. Unfortunately, we didn't know which stop to get off of the 28. I think we called Jennie and Jason 4 or 5 times to get directions. After wandering near Baker Beach and riding the 28 back towards Sunset, we met up with them and Jason's friend at Judah. The Exploratorium was educational awesomeness. I never get bored of the permanent activities no matter how many times I go, especially if I go with friends.

Yesterday, I volunteered at a BBQ at LHH. The event was both the staff's annual picnic and the Clarendon Farewell party. I felt a little awkward being the only teenage female there. The other volunteers were all old men. I'm sorry if this offends anyone but some elderly men don't know how to take care of themselves. I mean, I understand if you're a patient who's been stuck in the hospital for a long time or in the your own home. However, if you're "healthy" and working with the public don't go rubbing your exposed stomach. That's right, that's not your shirt you're rubbing, it's your hairy skin! UGhh..disgusting. There was this other elderly volunteer who had the worse breath. What was worse was that he didn't give people personal space. Maybe he was afraid others would listen in on the conversations? His breath was like burning plastic mixed with bleach. Yes, horrible. I'm glad that all of the other volunteers were acted sane. The weather was too hot for a BBQ in my opinion. A lot of the patients who were invited decided not to come down because of the heat. There was virtually no shade out in the front court. Even the balloons popped and icing on the cupcakes melted. Despite the sun and the immature, seeing some of the patients I've worked with and catching up with a few staff members made my day.

I didn't go out as much as the past two weeks due to USN's application. The waiting game has started and I can't wait to see what's in store for me this academic year.

To send or wait? I think went over my application 4 times and read my essays at least 20 times. Keeping it one more day won't hurt, right? I'm so nervous. Ahh, think of what will happen if I have to do this process all over again next year but with 10+ schools. *sigh*

USN application

The application got posted 2 days prior to when they were scheduled to come out! It came as a shock to me and made me a little paranoid because I still had one more person proofreading my essay answers. As I predicted the essay questions are exactly the same as last year's. Thus, I only have to polish my writing a bit and I'm good to send. Sticking to my pessimism, I don't think I'll be accepted for Fall 2009. USN is the only school I'm applying to this cycle, so it's for a long shot. It doesn't hurt trying though.

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Goal: Send in application by the end of this week.

Deadline: December 8, 2008.

Umbrella Time

I expect fog when I'm in SF, so it was a disappointment when the sun brought usually hot weather to the Bay Area this week. If you don't know me, I exclusively use my umbrella when it's sunny. I might use it once in awhile when it rains because I hate biking in i6. However, if I'm walking, you can be sure to find me umbrella-less. :) Anyways, what did I do during this heatwave?

Monday, I waited an hour for the A.T at LHH. but she didn't show up, so I asked the nurses on E4 if they needed any help. Of course, they let me leave. Since I got out extremely early, I hung out with Theresa a little longer at her work place. To my surprise, one of my other high school buddies got hired there about 2 months ago, so I got to catch up with him too. Did I walk home after that? You bet I did.

Tuesday was the first day of school for SFSU students. Unlike UC, the majority of CSU professors let student out early on the first day, so I visited the place. I hung out with Sharon during her 3 hour break. After walking around the "Fine Arts" building and surfing the internet at the computer lab, we met up with Katrina and Becky for lunch. Initially, we planned to play pool but ended up with not enough time to do so. After our meal, Becky and I shadowed Katrina and Sharon to their technology class. The professor had some technical difficulties with the wireless connection, so Becky and I left. We decided to take a glance at the art gallery in the building. It was right in front of use but it took three trips around the floor to find it. Yes, we're losers. LOL!

I headed to Geary after leaving State and struck a surprising deal at Office Depot! The price was about 1/4 of what was listed online!! I ended up buying another one because I was so excited. Unfortunately, my excitement made me forget to buy something else at there, so I'll have to go back again.

Ponboré finally had it's 3rd (?) annual Summer Joy on Wednesday! The day was too awesome to describe in detail. In summary, "we went on Geary to dine with Johnny and visit Marc."

Thursday was Sharon's 20th birthday! Jennie, Becky and I met in the late morning to make her a banana cream pie. It looked really nice when we packed it for the trip to SFSU and Stonestown. However, it liquified by the time we ate it. The group ended up not playing pool again. Instead, we strolled around Stones waiting for 5:30 to come so we could enjoy dinner at Olive Garden. Sharon opened my gift at the restaurant since I wasn't going back to her place after the meal. Even though we had some frustration with the expensive bill, the birthday event was successful and produced many memories. :)

Today, I'm hiding from the sun with my curtains closed. Oh but the weather is playing with me; it turned foggy around 4.

These feet were made for walking..

...and that's just what they'll do! I certainly don't want these feet to walk all over you! Ahem, anyways..

This "work" week has been a walking frenzy for me. I probably walked over 30 miles.

Monday&Tuesday: I'm back on E4!!!!!!! Charting, bingo, and catching up with the staff and residents sure beats administrative work. During my lunch break on Tuesday, I met one of the patients I regularly assisted during "Art with Elders." It was so good seeing him because he one of the few who I didn't get to tell I wasn't going to be able to come on Thursday afternoons anymore.

I took the 3 mile walk back home on both days.

Wednesday: I finally crossed a "long bridge" on foot! What's even better is that it was the Golden Gate Bridge! Katrina, Josephine and I defeated the enraging wind and forceful fog on our 12+ mile hike across the bridge and around the twisting paths of Marin County. I got sunburned but the adventurous trip was worth the slight tan.

Thursday: I went on the infamous shopping trip downtown. The event was spent with two superhero gals I like to call Mary and Connie. Even though there's a bunch of stuff that I want/need to buy, I only split a $2.38 large onion ring with Mary at Burger King. haha..

Friday: Words can't explain how awesome perusing at Marc Jacobs was. I finally bought fingerless gloves. I still want a longer pair of arm warmers though.I usually do not like shopping but when you throw in quirky, edgy, punked-out artist work at me, I can't help but be in awe. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera because I misheard Becky on the night before and thought we were only going to Japan town. This regret grew when we ate at Johnny Rockets. My chili dog was enriched with way too much sodium for my liking, but that didn't overpower the fun I had with Sharon and Becky. I'm happy to say that we've decided to add Filmore St. to our hang out spots, so they'll be plenty of pictures when we go next time.

It's surprising that my calves and feet aren't sore from this week's travels.

Ecckkkkk!!! Birthdays are coming up! I need to shop for gifts. It's funny and sad that I couldn't find anything even though I went store hopping 2 out of the 5 days. Buying presents 6 months in advance doesn't work for me anymore.

Follow my wheels

I went to Davis yesterday to check out 2 living quarters. I'm relieved to say that I finally have a place to live for the upcoming school year. I have my own room that is an attachment to a family house. The place is rented out by a single mom and her 2 teenage girls. The room comes fully furnished, so I don't have to put a hassle in moving my bed and table from last year's apartment... Granted, that the girls over there don't mind if they keep it a little longer. The downside to this room is that the family doesn't know if they're going to stay there next year, but that's a small issue. I get my own toilet room (sort of) but I have to share the shower and the kitchen. I'm probably just going to overuse my microwave since she already has a mini fridge in the room. The place is in a quite neighborhood and is pretty close to campus, so that's a plus too! Now, I just have decide on whether or not I need a car.

Before checking out the place mentioned above, I went to Sac to pick up my mother's car. She's giving it to me since my dad told her he was planning to buy me one. She was originally going to sell the car since she only takes the bus nowadays. I don't know if I want it or not. We were in a rush so we brought it back to SF. A '94 Lexus ES seems pretty old. I spent 2 hours cleaning it today and it's still dirty. The starter doesn't work very well; it's hard to turn the key...not hard to start the car (yeah, sort of hard to explain). It's a 6 engine, so it'll drink up gas. In addition, I don't really need a car in Davis unless I decide to work in Sacramento.

Anyways, I'm so proud that I didn't crash. I had to drive my dad's car from Sacramento to San Francisco, since my dad was driving my mother's car. I was clenching the wheel so hard my hands hurt a lot after the 90 minute drive. I suck at checking my blindspot on the right side. As a result, I think I swerved into the left lane 3 times (if not, more) because cars in that space scared me. Good thing the left lane was empty during those times.

So, the ultimate question is: To keep or not to keep the car????

Swimming Supermen and Wonder Women

The past two days have been crazy good! History was made last night when Michael Phelps won his eighth Olympic gold...and I fell asleep!! AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! I closed my eyes during a commercial and I woke up to the sound of track and field!! I watched the relay online this morning but it's not the same. oh well. I'm glad that I didn't miss the women's 50M Fly. Torres won silver by a loss of .01 sec!!!!! She still made history but it would have been nice if she won the gold.

Thursday night was awesome! Phelps won by .01 sec in the 100M Fly!! CCCCCRRRRRAAAZZZZZYYYYYY!!!! Adlington of Great Britain broke Sarah Evans' 1989 Record in the 800M Fly!!!!!!!!!! 1989!!!!!!!! I wonder how long it'll take to break Adlington's record or if she can break it in 2012.

I'm so glad that I'm getting into the pool this week.

Sweaty "Cars"

On the 6th, I arrived back in SF from my first Las Vegas trip. Ultimately, the vacation was to visit my cousins. It was my first time seeing one of my cousin's kids and seeing everybody's houses.

The night of the 6th, I boarded Virgin Airlines. Security was fast and quick and the flight was smooth and relaxing. I had a center seat but it turned out that no one else was in my row. My dad had to sit next to a obsess guy who took up 2 seats. We were both too lazy to find each other when the plane was up and steady.

One of my cousins (H) picked us up and dropped us off at my other cousin's (M) house. M and his wife were both at work, so we were greeted by my other cousin (T) and the nanny. M and his wife came home past 10:30 and we had a late dinner. I met M's kids, one's 2 (S) and the other one is almost 8 months (J). Of course my initial reaction was "ew." Plus, the eldest one sat on me after 5 minutes and farted.

Day 1: T was scheduled to pick me up after her rotation at 3pm to see the pharmacy school. I ended up playing with S most of the day. He was so happy to have someone to play with, since the nanny isn't a very good nanny (more later). At around 3, a thunderstorm woke up the kids from their nap. Rain poured down and flooded the block in front. S made me carry him from the front door window and to the back sliding door so he could point at the rain (he likes to point at stuff). T called at 4 and said all the roads leading to M's house were blocked. She finally arrived at 5 and we got stuck in traffic for half an hour. I told her that it would be okay to see the school another day but she took me anyway.

After switching to pre-pharmacy, USN has always been my first choice (along with UCSF). The only thing I don't like about it is there isn't any lab and the weather in Nevada. I mean, I hate lab in general, but having no lab means that there isn't a great opportunity to go into research. USN is highly geared toward those who are switching careers, so they mostly come out as retail pharmacists. The majority of PharmD.'s still decide to work in retail, but I believe that USN will switch to clinical since the career is advancing national. Anyways, I love the school's layout and the view of the mountains in the parking lot is magnificent!

After the tour, T took my father and I to her place. We then met up H for dinner at Buffet at Asia. I wouldn't recommend the place. The food tasted old. I liked the cream cheese fried sushi though.

Day 2: M took S, my father and I to the strip in the morning after having pho for breakfast. He lives 10 minutes away from Vegas and half and hour away from the strip. We only got to stay for 2 hours because we were afraid that S would get tired. Actually, I think it was so that my cousin could get some rest because S made M carry him around.

I stayed at M's place the rest of the day. I'll talk about the kids and the nanny since I spent all day with them.

S is a hyperactive little brat. He loves cars and the movie "Cars." He can play with his toy automobiles all day. I started teaching him the colors of the cars since all he did before that was point to the car and say something in his baby language. I taught him random letters in his alphabet book since he wouldn't let me flip the pages. He really likes the letter "J" since he can't really say "S" clearly yet. An hour into the lesson he realized that his brother's name started with a J. He was so proud of himself he clapped his hands and started jumping on the bed. I think I grew a little soft and started to like him after that. I know I said that I hate kids, but really..I just think they're annoying sometimes. I still don't want kids though. (Here comes another digression) I've volunteered with kids for a number of years and I'm secretary for an organization that helps kids in third-world countries. I can withstand their wrath but it gives me a headache. M and his wife feel the same way. Whenever they're home they both either sleep in, do house chores, or hide in the office and watch TV. They don't spend much time with their children. Anyways, S also likes airplanes. I tried teaching him the word "airplane." He already knows the word in Vietnamese. I argued with him for 5 minutes when trying to teach him the word. I said "airplane" and he said the word in viet and it just went back and forth like that. I'm known as his aunt in Vietnamese and aunt in viet is "cô" He can't say the letter "M" yet so he calls me "cô kia" which translates to "that aunt." He stuck on me like glue by Day 3. He would whine everytime I left him. Whenever I went to the bathroom he would pound on the door. I don't think he understood because he still uses diapers...lol. When I went to bed he would be so confused. He wanted to come into his room (the room I was sleeping in) and he wanted to go to bed in his parents' room. So, he would stand in the middle of the hallway whaling.

J can stand up when holding on to something, sleep, eat, poop, laugh, whale, throw-up, and say "mama." I didn't spend a lot of time with him since he doesn't do much and the nanny likes him more than S. He likes Nemo and won't eat unless the movie is on. So, the nanny switches the movies back and forth from "Nemo" to "Cars." When the kids are asleep she watches her dramas and Vietnamese music videos.

I don't think the nanny is the best person to watch after the kids. She yells at S even when he hasn't done anything wrong. She doesn't have the capabilities to watch both kids. S has this habit of throwing stuff around (I think it's because he wants to replicate cars crashing). When he accidentally drops something she yells at him for throwing it. She threatens the kids with a ruler or a stick and tells them if they're bad that she'll throw them in the washer and dryer. She makes J sleep all day in his rocker even though it’s obvious that he's not tired. My aunt from SF even said the back of J's head looks flattened because the nanny makes him stay on his back all day. S doesn't like to eat and I wouldn't blame him. The nanny stuffs food into his mouth so quickly I'm surprised that the children don't choke. Her room is neatly put together but the rest of the house is a mess. She sits on her butt watching her shows and the kids’ movies more than watching the kids. I mean, from the conversations I've had with her she sounds like a good person. She's just not a good nanny. M said that she makes the kids sit and watch TV all day. No wonder S can't say much. The time I spent at M's house, S learns so many new words. He's easily frustrated when he can't learn something and throws a fit (it's so funny). The nanny grows impatient and yells at him. I don't think he knew what "pick up your toys" meant. I was able to teach him that in a couple of hours. He might have not picked it up and put it in the right place but I bet if I stayed longer he would have been able to do it.

I feel really bad for the kids. The thing with being a pharmacist is that you’re able to have flexible hours so you can take care of your family. My cousins don't seem to be using that benefit very well. Oh well, I won't do that to my cats...hopefully.

Day 3: I spent all day walking down the strip. I lost $21 dollars from slot machines. I didn't really want to play but my dad said I should experience gambling at least once. What a waste :( My dad got a little drunk after 1 beer since it was so hot. LOL! I still had on a long sleeved shirt even though it was over 100 degrees outside. :)

In the evening, H came over for dinner and took everybody to see his house. I think he bought it around 6 months ago but no one in the family has seen it, besides his mom. I was so happy because I got to swim! M has a pool but he didn't clean it and check the pH until the day I left (arghhh..I didn't want to keep asking him because he always looked tired). I thought M would do it after he saw that I really wanted to swim, but he didn't. Oh wells. S ran around the pool as I swam from one end to the other. The other people talked about H's house. You might be asking, why doesn't J ever get to go on these simple outings? M doesn't let him. I know J is bored and tired of staying in the house all the time though. He tries to crawl to the front door and looks out the window a lot.

Day 4: Stayed in the house during the day. We went out to eat at "Pho So 1" (too lazy to put the tones) and had bo muoc tom nuong vi (beef, squid and shrimp grilled at your table). It was so good. We had 3 orders of it! I've eaten this dish at home before but it was with a griller instead of an open flame. It tastes so much better when being cooked with fire. H drove my father and I down the strip after that. He doesn't go to LV a lot so he didn't know where to park, so we just stayed in the car. We drove by Bellagio just in time to see the dancing water show. That was one time when I was happy we were stuck in a traffic jam.

Day 5: I stayed at M's house all day. T and her fiancé came for lunch. She made yummy sour and spicy Thai soup. She also brought over Trader Joe's ice cream and we ate it with durian *drools* I played with S throughout the day. ughh...It took me 3 hours to get him to take his nap. It worked when I threatened to take him down to his nanny.

Day 6: S ate a lot during breakfast. My dad made it fun by doing the airplane flying into the mouth thing. I bet he wouldn't be underweight if the nanny made eating fun. She left in the morning to go to LA to visit her family, so I couldn't say goodbye. M drove my father and I to the airport at 9:30. I don't think S understood that we were leaving. He just stared as we waved "bye." I hope his parents learn that they need to teach him stuff and not just rely on the nanny and tv. He can be so smart if given the chance.

The TVs didn't work during the flight so we had complementary pretzels during the flight. :)

It was a great first trip. I hated the weather (besides the storm) but I can stand it. Oh! My cousin said that they pay ~$500 per month for utilities; AC in the summer and gas in the winter. CRAZY! H only pays $60 since he doesn't turn on the AC. Argh..it was so hot in his house.

ok..I better end it here or else I'll keep jabbering about the details.

yo, yo, yo! potato! tomato! lay low!

I went to Davis today to visit! It would have been depressing if my friends didn't spend the day with me. My dad didn't trust me to take his car on the freeway, so he drove us. Sharon, Connie and I spent an hour and 15 minutes talking and laughing about random stuff on the way up. After arriving at the old apartment and grabbing Becky, we stole a ride on a bus. Sharon, Connie and I didn't have IDs (they took mine away when I withdrew), so we pretended that we forgot them. We had a fun filled lunch at Fuji's. It was my first time too! Sharon spent a good amount of time trying to rap. NEVER BECOME A RAPPER, SHARON! roflmao. Actually, I might buy your album just to get the laughs. We walked to campus to drop Becky off work. I loved the exhibit at the Nelson Art Gallery! There were these two black oil canvas paintings by Mike Henderson that were mystifying. If you stared at it straight-forward it looked like a canvas painted all black, but when you moved your head or crouched down it turned into different 3-D images. I can't wait to see the Andy Warhol exhibit this fall! We roamed down to the basement gallery after that. It looked like they were doing an installation. The stuff they already had up was pretty cool. There was a broken ramp that said something about men. I don't remember but it was interesting. I took Connie and Sharon to the aboretum after that. There wasn't much, since summer isn't the best time of year to see it in it's real beauty. My dad picked us up so I could check out a condo after that.
I have to say. the place is pretty much perfect besides the rent being a little pricey and being really far from campus. Actually, I think the rent is around average. It could be a little less though. It's near the cemetery and the renter has a cat. I've known the girl since middle school and her habits are pretty much like mine. I don't know how the other female living there is, but my friend said she's ok. There are a bunch of cats in the neighborhood too! I don't know. I think I still have 2 places that need to get back to me.
After spending about an hour playing with the cat, we headed to Yogurt Shack for some yummy frozen yogurt. Then, it was back to SF.

Something sort of pissed me off today. It's not something obvious. Maybe it'll be more noticable once I'm back in Davis.

I'm flying to Nevada tomorrow and won't be back in SF until the 12th!

Mid-Summer Love

Yesterday, the definition of fun was potluck picnic in a playground with close friends. I'm glad the weather worked out because the Sunset can be cold when it's cloudy or foggy.

In the morning, I wrapped my eggrolls and made my french fries. I was going to make potato wedges but that would have been too easy to cut. They turned out pretty. I think my eggrolls I didn't have enough veggies, but they turned out fine. Anyhoo, I drove up crazy hills to pick up Mary and Katrina. When we got to the playground, Steph and Sharon were already there. Some people kicked us off the table because they had the table "reserved." We ended up eating in the boat, which beats eating on a table anyday. I made people pale with my sunblock and we had delicious food! Even Bonny's melted Jelly was good. After hogging the boat from the kids for a good 1 1/2 hours, we migrated to the beach.

A few sat around on my huge, pink towel and the rest went back and forth between the sitting group and the water. Since I wasn't wearing any socks, the sand in my shoes kept scratching my feet. I took them off and joined the water people. We drew stuff in the sand and waited for the drawings to be washed away by the ocean.

Since a few people had to leave after the beach, only a few ended up at Stones. Well, Sharon had to be there for work. Thanks for driving us, Connie! According to a magazine page Sharon was had, A&E was giving out free tshirts if we tried on a pair of jeans. Sharon got the tshirt, but when Bonny, Connie and I tried later on, they said they were running low on tshirts and would only be giving them out if we bought the jeans. I never shop at A&E because their clothes are too happy for my taste, but we all got pissed.

We ended up sitting at the foodcourt drinking Bonny's Icee and munching on Connie's Pringles and Katrina's chocolate baked goods. After walking Connie back to her car, Bonny, Katrina and I loitered around a few stores and then left. I ended up walking home the longer way, which led me close to Mary's street. LOL! I felt so gritty and sandy, but it was worth it.

Best of luck to those still in summer school or starting second session of summer school! We'll hang out again before fall quarter/semester! :)

I didn't CRASH!!!!!

On Friday, my dear (play) sister, Jennie, IMed me and told me she was going shopping alone. Since I wasn't volunteering, I decided to go with her. When I asked my dad if I could get a ride, he told me to take the car. I was like, "WHAT?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!!" He replied, "Yeah. If you get pulled over by the cops, stay calm." I was so excited!!! It was my first time driving a car by myself! I think my dad thought I was only driving to Jennie's house instead of picking her up to go to Lakeshore. I ended up picking up Becky and Connie too. It was good having time to see my best friends. :)

I'm think I'm going car shopping late August. I don't know if I should get a used car or a new one. There are pros and cons to both. I think I'm going to get a Honda Element. The mileage isn't really good though. I can settle for a Yaris or Honda Fit, but I love the space the Element provides. Plus, it's not like a regular SUV. I didn't even know it was classified as an SUV until I looked it up. If you have any suggestions, feel free to comment!

Anatomy <3

I'm going to miss my anatomy class so much. I think I've said this before but anatomy and sculpture were definitely the best classes I've taken so far in college. I'm going to miss my study group!!! Even though we started out with 13 people, we ended up with 8 by the end of the semester. I'm so proud of everybody! We've worked so hard and learned so much from each other. They're all inspirational people and I know they'll strive in whatever they pursue! It's not "E as in Eeyore" it's "A as in awesome!" LOL! Doy!

Okay, on to hilarious, awkward, memorable moments that happened in anatomy. Oh man, where to start.

On the second day of class, I suggested that we form a big group since there were a bunch of people who were sitting in the back area of the lab. We split up the guided readings (multiple choice answers that the teacher had that might or might not have been included on the exam). This one guy always made people say "B as in boy" or "D as in Dog" when we were giving out answers, since B can sometimes sound like D. We also said "A as in awesome" or "E as in ear." These two dudes really made it funny when they started saying "E as in EVERYBODY!" or "E as in Eeyore"..or "D as in Boy!"

The last lab was especially memorable. Usually, only a few people and I (like 6 people) stay for the majority of the lab. The rest of the class leaves after lecture (I don't blame them; lecture was 4 hours and lab was scheduled for 4 hours) or after we've gone over whatever work we needed to as a group. Anyways, during the last lab, more people stayed to cram for the lab final. Being the top in my class, I was scurrying around helping people. By around 8pm, only one guy, who wasn't in my group, and an out-of-state girl, who was in my group and retaking the class, were left (or actually, there were 2 other students in the front too). We were looking at the reproductive systems. When the girl went to grab the guy's reproductive system, she carelessly grabbed the female. Earlier, so many people in my group did the same. I was like "it doesn't have a penis!!!" I told them that the professor told me that he might put penis on the exam because half the guys would get it wrong. Haha. When the guy got the right reproductive model, he totally em brassed me when he was holding it upside down though. He was saying something and I said "that's not right because the penis is.." [I blanked out on the word "upside down"] and he said "the penis is what, Kim?" Then, I was thinking erect and it made me hella blush. He replied with "Aw..you're blushing. I like the pretty colors."

I think most of the guys where the ones who made the class entertaining. It really made our group the best. This one guy always zoned out or was a little careless in his answers for the guided readings. We know he worked really hard (everybody did) on the GR's, but it was hilarious when he read started analyzing the question too deeply. It usually led to the wrong answers, but it was still fun to break down the stuff.

This other guy was UCD alumni with a B.S. in NPB (aka Physiology), an EMT and pre-med. We all thought he was going to be the outlier. He provided a lot insight into our work and was the main joker in the group. There are too many awesome moments to mention about this dude. Geez, I'm going to miss the randomness.

I have to mention the women who stayed late with me in lab. One already has a B.S. in Biology, works part time as a lab tech and has a family. I'm so proud of her (and everybody). She was aiming for a B but ended up with a 90%. This other girl dropped or got an F, but it was nice getting to know her. I'm really confused what happened to her. She had jury duty and couldn't call it off when we had the lab midterm, so the professor was going to double her lab final grade. She showed up on the day of the lecture final, but left before we took it. Plus, she didn't even show for the lab final. Finals week is too late to request a "W" on your transcript. She was retaking the class because she got a "C" in it before (I still don't understand why she had to retake it because she's already in a nursing program). I don't know. Well, I hope everything works out for her.

Okay, on to less important stuff; my grade. I got the highest score in the class. 102% or 1025/1000 points, since every exam was curved and we got a little extra credit stuff. I got the highest score on the lab midterm and one of the highest scores on the lab final. This is totally weird because I hate lab practicals! Maybe it was because we didn't have to do the musical chairs thing. The professor let everybody walk around and spend as much time at whatever station we needed to. He said that we're adult enough to know not to cheat. Plus, people were good in reporting cheaters (2 people dropped the class because someone pointed out they were cheating). Of course, I'm proud of myself because I worked hard. I couldn't have done it without my group! Thanks, guys!! It's not the first time I got top score in my class, but I think it's the first time in college. The professor liked to point out who got the top score (ugh..it's like high school). So, everybody in the class knew I was that 99% (before the final). People joked around at it, but it was all good laughs. I'm so glad no one really leeched off me. My group pointed out that there was this one women who displayed her distaste for my grade. She sucked up to the professor every class period and was labeled the b*tch of the class..not to mention she's a mom too. When the professor said "Q***** has the highest grade" after the lecture final, she apparently looked at me evilly and shook her pen fierily at me. Ahhh...darn those cut-throat type of people. I mean, I'm competitive but I don't think I'm cut-throat. I like to help people if they don't understand the stuff. Anyways, I never spoke a word to her during the 7 weeks, so it doesn't matter. Everybody else congratulated me.

OOoOOo...I was the only one that dissected a sheep's heart on my own because I stayed late during lab. I almost forgot to mention that. It was awesome!!!! I'm really going to miss out on the fun, gross stuff when I go to pharmacy school. *sigh*

I love Anatomy!!!

(I don't know why blogspot doesn't always space when I want it to in between paragraphs.)

Peemen?

Clearly, dead week isn't working. I'm a little behind in what I had planned for studying today, but I needed to find out the anwer to this question. This question came up when 2 of my classmates and I were reviewing the male reproductive system in lab yesterday. Don't continue to read if you think learning about the male reproductive system is gross (because I know some people don't want to know this kind of stuff). Anyways, the question was: How is urine blocked when a guy ejaculates? Answer: the internal urethral sphinter (one of the valves that keeps your urine from leaking from your bladder). After discovering this I thought the answer was quite straighforward. I can't believe we couldn't figure it out yesterday. LOL! There were a lot of other weird, hilarious stuff that came up in anatomy. I'll blog about them after I'm done with summer school.

LAST WEEK=DEAD WEEK!

Time for dead week!! Not the typical Davis "dead day." IT'S DEAD WEEK! I said I was in lockdown mode this past week, but I don't think I stuck to it very well. I have to get serious this week because I love anatomy too much to slack off ("slack off" in my standards and people who know me know how highly I prioritize my studying) and as of now I feel like I'm behind (again, in my standards). I'm even calling off work and volunteer this weekend. I couldn't be happier that I decided to drop ochem earlier this summer.

Ugh, I need to rewrite my book report. Yes, I have a book report for anatomy

Corrugator Supercilii
(kor'ah-ga-ter soo"per-si'le-i)
(corrugo=wrinkle; supercilium=eyebrow)

Sure, when you break down the word it means what it does, but when you say it I can't help but laugh. The next time I furrow my eyebrows I'll probably think of the muscles I'm using to cheer me up. LOL! I'm a dork!

Unethical or Compliant?

Something has been eating at me for awhile. Being closely monitored by physicians throughout my life has blindsighted me in a behavior a few of have conducted. It's horrible that I knew it wasn't right at a young age and I didn't say anything.

I'm talking about overprescribing. Maybe I felt like I didn't have a say in it since I was a minor. I remember having boxes full of cough syrup in the closet, saved for "an emergency," when I was a child. And it was the narcotics, not the over-the-counter stuff. I know my family members aren't drug addicts. We're Asian and we wanted to save money. Plus, I was a kid that got sick every other week. My pediatrician told me there wasn't a point of going to the doctor just for another refill when I can get it all during one appointment. However, it's not really saving money when we ended up throwing it away because the bottles expired. Worse of all, my pharmacy didn't do anything to stop it.

I'm going into a profession where this stuff can't be overlooked. I feel guilty for not staying "no" to my doctors when they told me they'll write for "3 x daily" instead of "once daily." It's not just the doctors either. There was at least one event during one of my hospital stays when a nurse did this (again, I was so naive then). Maybe it was done because they knew the amount was a little over but it wasn't enough to cause a mishap if misused. Maybe it was done because they wanted to make the patient happy. I'm not educated enough to make that call. However, I've had this feeling of knowing that it was wrong for a very long time. At least this guilt will mean that I won't make the same mistake with my patients.

2008 US Swimming Trials Men's 400m

YAY, PHELPS!!!!! His butterfly is gorgeous!

I haven't been in the pool in over a year :(

CA Medicaid Cut Reinbursements

I was going to write a long, complaining post concerning this issue, but I don't have time. I think The Angry Pharmacist expresses my anger and concern pretty well. This state is unbelievable sometimes. This cut will only widen the economic gap. What will happen to humanity? What kind of democracy is America coming to? All the big guns care about is saving their own asses. I applaud those that are petitioning against the cut.

I'm getting annoyed with all trolls appearing on the anatomy online group. The teacher set up this thing so students can assist each other regarding anatomy! It is not a place to beat down people because they asked "stupid questions." Like the professor said "there are stupid questions, just like there are ugly babies." There are also immature responses and people with ugly personalities!! Stop wasting space in my inbox, trolls!!

"Be sensitve to your patients. Don't be kind!"

The anatomy professor talked about "patient management" for about an hour today. It was good, but it almost didn't have anything to do with the class. Granted, the majority of the class aspire to be health care professions. He gave us a bunch of tips on how to not get personal with the patient; how to the train the patient into being just a patient. A lot of the health care providers I've interacted with do get a little personal though. I've had a few doctors tell me that they'll help me get interships and experience when I was premed too. Maybe it's because they know I'm not the type of person to draw out a simple answer into an hour long conversation. I know the boundaries. The professor told us that our "job will be to help people, but don't be compassionate." That really depends on what the person. I have a lot more respect for the nurses and doctors that take that extra 5 minutes to ask something the medical criteria. It's fun being challenged with a medical case, but wouldn't it be a good plus to know the person behind the patient mask. As long as you don't become too friendly I think it would be okay to ask about life. Don't just ask open ended questions like "How are you?" or "Are you okay?" (wait..I've had a few nurses ask me that before, so I don't know). The professor made patients sound like animals. He even compared them to "horses" at one point. There's a fine line between being confident and being controlling. He had a lot of good pointers that I will apply later on in life, but I don't agree with how he portrayed the patients. A patient is a person, just like the health care professional. He shouldn't have called patients "them."

A big part in being a health care professional is being professional on top of being caring. Patients are human, not some toy that you can play with for 15 minutes during a medical examination! The professor had a student pretend to be patient of his. He had her lie down on the table and at one point pulled her legs to slide her forward a bit. People laughed, including the "patient", but it was inappropriate. Anyways, I still love his class, but I just felt strongly against some of his views.

Ahhh, I have to use my 4th of July studying!! It turns out the lab practical next week won't be multiple choice and we're not going to get a word bank!

I <3 curves!

Curves on exams, that is. Curves on people are good too though. :)

Yay on staying late in lab until the end! The teacher gave out a few clues to the practical next week. There were only 4 people in lab then. wuahahahah...

Time to watch some tv and roll into bed. Need to hit the brain and spinal cord tomorrow! Axial is a lot more interesting the appendages! XD

Is your city sweaty??

If that stupid dog barks when I come home or if I wake up to the sound of it whimpering one more time, I'm going to stab it in it's throat! No, no...I'm not that evil person anymore. Ahh!! I hate dogs!!!! Ahhh...All this studying for is driving me insane!!!! My supervisor is even letting me take it easy today. :/

Summer School

My lumbar vertebrae region aches from overworking my psoas muscle. Sternocleidomastoids aren't doing so well either because I flex my neck most of the day, hunched over reading and studying.

The first week of school was hectic as I expected. I was signed up for ochem and speech MWF and hoping to add anatomy for TR. Yes, it was a crazy plan. I added anatomy successfully since the teacher said half the class usually drops before the semester ends (scary). I dropped speech, thinking it would be better to go for 2 rigorous classes. By the end of the week I felt dead! I hadn't even touched anatomy material and the only reason why I was on top of my ochem work was because I had a little of it in Davis. I only got 14 hours of sleep that week. So, I knew later on in the semester I would suffer because the lecture instructor was crazy! One chapter per day, but she only lectured about certain topics. She lectured poorly too! She made us do all the problems in the chapter and at the end of the chapter! A chapter has ~50 problems but each problem has ~20 parts! We had to read the chapter (and I mean read because she gave out reading quizzes) and understand too! Also, I don't really like chem labs and it was horrible having it 3 hours, 3 times a week! So, on Monday I said "screw it" and drop ochem. Ochem isn't a subject I want to teach myself. I need a good instructor to teach me chem. Plus, I didn't want to stop work or volunteering.

For anatomy, the teacher doesn't teach. He says "learning from your classmates will be more beneficial than having me lecture you for 4 hours." He sometimes has notes for us, but they're really sketchy. We watch videos of a British anatomist showing us stuff on a cadaver for about an hour or two, then the rest of the time is used collaborating with our classmates. It's pretty cool, since the majority of the class are going to be clinicians. We'll have to do this in our field, so might as well start now. The thing is, since the teacher doesn't lecture, we don't know what to expect on the exams. So, we have to study everything! He even said "study everything because if I tell you to not learn these 10 bones then would it be okay for me to also remove those 10 bones from your body?" I mean, he gives us a rough outline (like learn the shoulder, forearm, leg, etc.) I think this class is the most challenging course I've embarked on thus far. I've joined a group that has 12 people in it. That's like 1/4-1/3 of the class. It's a good group. We clash sometimes but that just makes us process the information better when we straighten questions out. On of the guys is an EMT, which is really amazing. He majored in physiology, so he knows a lot of the stuff. (bad thing is, people like him will screw up the curve for people like me :( )

The first exam is next week and I'm studying my gluteus maximus off. It's putting a sore spot on my ischial tuberosities. Just decided to take a break because I think my brain has stopped processing information for the rest of the day. Hmm..I think I'm crushing my common fibular nerve by crossing my legs. Wait, is it possible to crush the artery?! I don't know if having if having your limb fall asleep is due to constricted blood flow or crushing a nerve!!

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Edit: It involves both blood flow and nerve sensation! Ok..I think that's where the genicular artery is.

Oh! We got to see the cadaver at Canada College in Redwood on Tuesday! The teacher only brought a few gloves and I (of course) snatched one! Some of my classmates were curious and wanted to see the face so I unwrapped it! I sort of got scared before unveiling the eyes because I didn't know if they were opened or closed. (They were closed! :)). I would never consider having my body donated for students to poke at, but the body was really cool. The chemicals made the room smell like ham. I was sort of hungry during the time too. (No...cannibalism x.X). We get to go see it again before the second midterm! Ok, back to studying!