Ha Long Bay

Over the weekend, the main doctor we are working (Dr. T) with took us on a day trip to Ha Long Bay.  The day started when Dr. T picked us up at our hotel with a private van/driver and a security guard (I think we got special treatment because we are at a military hospital). We hopped in the van and went down the street to eat banh cuon, which is yummy pork wrapped in fresh rice noodles. Of course, we couldn't say no so we pigged out :)

After breakfast, we began the long, bumpy journey to Ha Long Bay. Even though it is only about 90 miles away, it took us about 3 hours to get there. This is because the Vietnamese are crazy drivers and there are literally no rules to the road (think of buses passing rows of cars on a one lane road with oncoming traffic in sight). Traffic is terrible and many of the roads aren't in great condition.  We had a pit stop where we got some fresh sugar cane to munch on. We also picked up another doctor along the way.

[in front of our sweet ride]

We passed Ha Long City and went to some place where there were a bunch of Asian tourists but no white people so we felt like we were in the know with the inside scoop. Then, we rented a boat (a huge one! For just our small group of 6... We're so fancy!!) and began our tour of the bay.

Ha Long Bay is super breathtaking with many islands sprouting up from the water everywhere. Just cruising around felt magical. We stopped at one island and explored a couple of grottos which also felt pretty magical. Much of the caves were lit up by different colored lights which could have possibly come across as cheesy but didn't really because they were so cool. 

[grotto!]

After the caves (and many photos), we hopped back on the boat and it was lunch time! We saw some smallish crabs, shrimp, and clams on the table and thought that was it (yum! Seafood!). Little did we know that lunch was a full-on feast!  The food kept coming and coming and it was all delicious and fresh seafood: fish (friend in cakes, fresh grilled, and in stew), squid (fried and fresh), clams, fried spring rolls, French fries, steamed veggies... The works!!! And of course our hosts brought a small bottle of Hanoi Vodka an we kept toasting and sipping vodka throughout the meal. It was pretty much amazing. Also, J and I were stuffed and could barely move by the end of it. 

[lunch time! Seafood feast.]

Our cruise continued throughout the bay for a bit more and then we headed back to the shore. Although our trip was short (many people spend a couple of days exploring Ha Long Bay, spending the night on a boat), we got a nice taste of the scenery and enjoyed amazing company with our new Vietnamese friends!

[Ha Long Bay]

The trip home took about 3.5 hours. The plus side: we saw some monkeys at a random rest stop!

Overall, it was a fun and unforgettable day.

A lovely day in Hanoi

J and I had a pretty great day today. It started out pretty regularly with a strenuous morning at the hospital. We are working in the Department of Pediatrics where we get to round on/play with cute kids for brief periods of time since we don't know the language.

Things really picked up at lunch time (our favorite part of the day because we get to eat yummy Vietnamese food). Three of the doctors we are working with decided to take us to Pho Thin, a delicious pho restaurant where we may have had the best pho our lives. Next we hopped in a cab for some ice cream. So good!! Also, the ice cream scoops were perfect spheres and they were magical.

After lunch we went for a stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake, a small lake near where we are staying in Hanoi. We also got to tour Ngoc Son Temple in the middle of the lake. Overall, it was so lovely!!

Because the doctor we are working with was post-call, we got to go home after lunch! Woohoo!! J and I decided to take advantage of the free afternoon and tour the city. First, we walked over to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum where we watched a bunch of military personnel march around a lot. We also popped into the Ho Chi Minh museum, which was filled with much symbolism such as "this exhibit represents a cave where Ho Chi Minh did some thinking and is also shaped as a human brain to represent such thinking." Overall, it was ok.

Goodbye Thailand, Hello Vietnam!!

After a traumatizing day in Bangkok, we are happy to report that we have made it safely to Hanoi and Hanoi is glorious.

But first, here is a brief overview of our day in Bangkok: 

First of all, Bangkok is super busy and there are a million people and taxis and tuk tuk's everywhere. Also, it was super hot outside and very dirty. Every single cab driver we encountered over-charged us and refused to take us where we wanted to go. It was super frustrating and we missed out on seeing some cool stuff as a result of this. Lame!!!

[tuk tuk at night in Bangkok]

We did go on a boat ride through the canals (because every cab driver basically forced us into it), which was actually pretty cool (though overpriced, obviously).  It felt a little like we were at Disneyland on a combination of the Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean, though much dirtier.

[I bought a souvenir from a lady in a boat along the way] 

After so many run-arounds by cab drivers, etc (by basically every inhabitant of Bangkok), we finally made it to Wat Pho, which is an amazing temple with a giant Reclining Buddha. We missed out on the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha because everyone is the worst. 

[giant Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho]

We did see multiple fake gem shops and silk shops. Scams!! So lame.

The best part of the day was when we went to this insane shopping mall and ate yummy cheap Thai food and then ran across an Anime festival where people were dressed as anime characters and the paparazzi was in full force. 

Also, there were dance performances of teenagers pretending to be famous K-pop bands such as Big Bang and it was amazing. Here is an example of Big Bang's work: http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=AAbokV76tkU&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DAAbokV76tkU

Luckily, we made it safely to the airport the next morning and made it to Vietnam with no problems. We are staying in an amazing hotel called Art Boutique Hotel in Old Town Hanoi where the people are super sweet and helpful. There is delicious street food everywhere. Obvious J and I are going nuts and eating like crazy. 

[Enjoying a welcome lemonade at the hotel]

Yesterday was our first day at the hospital and everyone here is super nice. We are working in the Department of Pediatrics.  I think it is safe to say that Vietnamese kids are SUPER CUTE. Also, they sent us to the hospital tailor yesterday to make us "doctors costumes" and as the largest person in Asia, my measurements dwarfed all others.  The pants were literally five inches too short. 

Okay. That's all for now. We'll be in Hanoi for another week and a half so there will be more to come. 

Phuket, Thailand

Well guys, it turns out Phuket is worth the two days of travel to get here. Overall, it has been awesome!  

Yesterday, we went on a "speedboat" (not really a speedboat) tour of the Phi Phi Islands (pronounced "pee pee," just as Phuket is pronounced "poo-ket"). It was so so.  No, not really. It was pretty much amazing!! Sadly, I do not have pictures accessible for the blog (Don't worry, obviously, I took a bunch of photos with my indestructible camera (thanks mom)), but here is a link to the tour website: http://www.andamanleisurephuket.com/gallery.php 

And yes, it really does look just like that in person.

It took us an hour by boat to get to the islands. Our fist stop was Bamboo island where we went snorkeling and explored the beach. The water was crystal clear and there were fish everywhere (sadly, the coral was a little dead due to "global warming" according to our guide, Mo (or maybe excessive tourism?), but there were still plenty of fish).

Next, we had lunch on Phi Phi island, followed by drive by tours of "Viking Cave" where they used to harvest birds nests for Chinese bird nest soup, and Monkey Beach.  We had to stay on the boat (we were a little sad about this, but I'm not sure if being closer to the monkeys would have made much of a difference... Plus I'm glad they didn't attack us which had happened to our friend, L's husband, when he had gone to Monkey Beach). Needless to say, the monkeys were pretty cute, even from afar.

Our next stop was Pi Leh Cove, which was an lagoon surrounded by cliffs on three sides with crystal clear emerald water.  We all decided to take a swim, which included a bunch of us jumping into the water from the roof of our boat (because, you know, YOMO... Ugh, I'm so embarrassed that I just wrote that, but honestly, J and I said that to each other before climbing to the roof of the boat to take the plunge). This swimming session was seriously SO FUN.  Sometimes basic swimming can be so awesome.

The final stop on our tour was at Maya Bay, which was where The Beach was filmed. The most impressive part of this was the sand, which was possibly the softest sand I have ever felt. Also, I guess the scenery was breathtaking, too.

We had some great people in our tour group including a fun British couple and a woman who looked like a middle-aged version of my granny. Granny decided to not wear any sunscreen and literally looked like a lobster by the end of the day.  Actually, something super striking about being here in Phuket is that 90% (if not more) of people are sporting ridiculous sunburns. It's as if no one has ever heard of sunscreen or skin cancer (I was the cool kid in my UV shirt and big hat in the Phi Phi's). Also, another fun fact is that there are a bunch of European tourists but hardly any Americans here.

So what I'm saying is that the Phi Phi islands were okay (incredible).

Luckily, we made up for yesterday's so-so day in paradise by RIDING an ELEPHANT today!!!! That's right, you guys. We rode an elephant!! And it was super fun!! Our elephant's name was Pancake and she was super sassy at age 18 years old. We mostly rode in the carrier on her back, but we also got to ride on her neck!! We also got to feed her some bananas. Overall, pretty great.

After our elephant ride, we went to a place called Pad Thai Shop, which looked like a random whole in the wall restaurant but was really the source of the best Pad Thai and Pad See Ew I've ever had. The noodles were made right then for us and the flavored were so fresh and delicious. 

We rounded off our day with some reading on the beach.

Rough life.

We are super sad to be heading back to Bangkok tomorrow morning after such a short stay in paradise.

We made it to Thailand!!

After 4 airports, 3 flights, almost 18 hours in the air, 8 hours in layovers, and 2 taxi rides, J and I have made it to Phuket, Thailand!! We are staying at the Hilton in Karon Beach and it is super beautiful.

Here are some highlights from the trip to Thailand:
- J and I lucked out big time and had an open seat between us on the 12 hour flight from LA to Beijing. The Dramamine worked wonders and we slept most of the way (after watching one of our new favorite movies, Pitch Perfect, of course).
- Beijing did not disappoint in terms of showing us how polluted it is as a city: the smog was so thick, it made the daylight look dim and dusk-like.
- We had 3 different "chicken and rice" meals on our 2 AirChina flights and now the smell of chicken and rice makes me feel kind of sick.
- J and I quickly learned that American rules of common line courtesy, such as waiting your turn in a line and not cutting do not exist in Asia. Every single boarding and deplaning event was a straight up free for all and if you aren't aggressive, you quickly get pushed to the back of the "line." Although it went against every bit of line etiquette we've ever known, we found that we had to cut in and hold our ground just to get on and off of the plane.
- We didn't realize we had to switch airports in Bangkok until we got there. Luckily, we had 6 hours to catch a cab and make our way across town.

Today we laid low, exploring the resort and chilled poolside (don't worry, I hid in the shade with plenty of SPF and my giant hat on while J was able to lounge in the sun... It is HOT out!). Our plan for tonight (if we can battle the jetlag with the 14 hour time difference) is to find some tasty Thai food in town... Yum!

Asia Trip!!!

As many of you know, I'm nearing the end of medical school. This of course means that it's time for a "last hurrah" trip before starting residency and losing all free time for good.*

So obviously, I'm going to Asia! (I'm actually en route as I write this on roughly hour 11 of 12 from Los Angeles to Beijing). I'm traveling with my medical school friend, J, and we will be gone until April 24th.

Here's the rest of our itinerary:

April 2-5: Phuket, Thailand
April 6: Bangkok, Thailand
April 7-20: Hanoi, Vietnam
April 20-21: Kyoto, Japan
April 21-24: Tokyo, Japan

I'll try to keep you updated along the way!

*My mom is quick to remind me that I've had "more last hurrah trips than anyone she knows." This may be true. My last one was to Honduras, France and Switzerland back in the summer of 2010. Since then, it's been a long three years of hard work, so I think I've earned this trip.

Fetch!!

For a while, I thought my sweet kitty, Queen Elizabeth, was a little "delayed."  Seriously.  She barely knew how to meow.  But now, she has developed a new skill and I can't stop bragging about it.

You guys, my cat fetches!!!!!!! YES!!

Also, I'm so sorry for posting two cat related posts in a row.  So embarrassing.

Surprise!!

Oh hey guys.  Sure, it's been a bunch of months since I've posted anything, but I think this is worth it:

I love it so much.

White Coat Ceremony

The other day, my classmate, D, and I were lucky enough to give a welcome speech to the incoming MS1s at their White Coat Ceremony.  Here is a copy of our speech (with our notes included in brackets).  Enjoy!

Hi Class of 2016!  I’m D, AMSG Co-President.

And I’m J, 4^th year class Co-president.  On behalf of the class of 2013 and the rest of the student body, we’d like to congratulate you on starting medical school!  This is a huge accomplishment and it is an honor to share this moment with you and your family and friends. 

[pause]

J:  Aaand… That’s all we’ve got for you.  We’ve been kind of busy watching the Olympics, [coughs] learning medicine, and we didn’t get a chance to actually prepare a speech for you.  Sooo… good job guys!

[J&D give a thumbs up with cheesy smiles]

iPad torch

D: But really, the Olympic Fever, commonly found among medical students and diagnosed by the inability to focus on anything but the games of the 30^th Olympiad got us thinking about what a team effort medicine really is.

D: We can think of tonight as the Opening Ceremonies.  Sure, there’s no torch… unless… is there an app for that?  [J: holds up ipad with torch app… F YEAH!!!!] (Aside: Medical education in the digital age!)  But I’m pretty sure you all just paraded in front of us to receive your coats and we’ll have an awesome performance by the medleys to come. 

J: More important than the ceremony is what happened before the ceremony.  Like the Olympians in this year’s games, you have all worked hard to get here.  Years of school, hours of volunteering, and numerous research projects later, here you are.  You’ve made it.  And for that, you should be truly proud of yourselves.

[applause]

D: Don’t get too comfortable, though.  You still have your work cut out for you.  Luckily, the Admissions Office knows how to pick a great team.  Soon, you’ll have study groups formed and next thing you know, you’ll have made some of the closest friends of your life.  Look to your left, look to your right.  By the end of medical school, you will have made out with one of them.

[nailed it!]

J: But seriously, we already have 3 engagements within our class… so, just be careful when you pick your study group.

D: Every team has its uniform and for medicine it is the white coat.  In receiving your white coat today, you have taken your first true step towards becoming a doctor.  With wearing the white coat comes the responsibility to discover, teach, and heal.  And while your white coat’s short length conveys your humble position as a student, your patients may not know the difference and will turn to you for their care, regardless. 

Class of 2016 taking the Oath

J: Over the past three years, D and I have learned that 50% of medicine is looking the part (just kidding, Dean Clayman).  Here are some Do’s and Don’ts to help you avoid making rookie mistakes and so you can look like a pro on the wards, or at least at the Clinical Skills Center:

[for this section, why don’t we model the “DO” examples and get the medleys to come out for the DO NOT]

J: Let’s start with a big one that for some reason, people have a tough time grasping: Cleanliness .  Do: try and keep your coat clean.  Unfortunately this is the cleanest your coat will ever be for the next four years.  Try to wash and press your coat as often as you have time to do laundry.  Use bleach and hot water.  Stain remover is your friend.  

D: DO NOT: Walk around with dirt rings on your sleeves and coffee stains down your front.  Would you trust a doctor who smells like Pig Pen and looks like you’re guaranteed to catch 10 diseases from his coat?  Neither will your patients.  [med student approaches pt looking dirty and pt runs away in disgust]

D: Next up, Writing Utensils.  DO: Carry a couple pens and, perhaps, a hi-lighter.  You’ll look like a star when your resident needs a pen and you magically provide one before she even has a chance to ask.

J: DO NOT: Carry a 24-color crayola marker pack unless you’re using it to color every muscle of the upper extremity.   Not only will this weigh down your coat, you will feel like a fool when you bend down to examine a patient and your pens fall all over him.  [med student with a bunch of pens in coat bends over to examine a patient and dumps out contents of coat and scrambles to pick them up]

J: Definitely stock your pockets with those tools you’ve always wanted to use--your stethoscope, penlight, reflex hammer, surgilube (J&D: because you just never know).

D: But DO NOT go overboard.  You’ll find that the weight of all of these tools quickly adds up and we’ve heard of many med students acquiring back problems from lugging a 20+ pound coat around all day.  Plus, is that speculum really necessary on your psychiatry rotation? [med student walks out completely burdened with stuff… coat stuffed and awkwardly weighed down… hold’s up the speculum sheepishly]

D: It’s always helpful to carry a snack with you.  Granola bars are great because you can quickly gobble them on the run between seeing patients or going to meetings.

J: DO NOT: Make your coat a lunch buffet.  It’s just… gross. [maybe get in ‘n out boxes or something to put in the coat, med student sipping from a straw]

J: Finally, there’s flare.  Just like a gold medal, there’s nothing I love more than a good accessory.  Today, you received your first few items of flare: pins that represent your team – UCI SOM and our mission to “discover, teach, heal” and to include Humanism in medicine. 

D: DO NOT: get too over the top.  This is not Chili's and you are not Michael Phelps.  Plus, what is that boa?  [med students come out with various pieces of bling, medal, boa]

And with these tips, combined with the camaraderie and support of your classmates and faculty and staff here at UCI, you’ll be sure to find yourself atop the podium in just 4 years (or 7 if you’re an MD/PhD).   We are excited to welcome you to our team.

UCI chant?!

And now, we’d like to introduce the Medleys, UCI SOM’s talented singing group.  See.  We told you it was like the opening ceremonies ;)

LAMe! on tumblr

This is pretty much the last thing I should be doing right now, thanks to Step 2CK studying, but I made a tumblr!  It's mostly because my dad wanted pictures of my sweet sweet kitties.

I figured other people might want to see them, too (no, you probably don't).

Anyway, here is the link: sassyjax.tumblr.com

Enjoy!!

Creepy Aunty J

Snuggly Baby E

Lately I've been really into babies.  Not in a "my biological clock is ticking and I'm freaking out" kind of way (though it is, and I am... just a little), but in a "babies are pretty cute" kind of way (um, good thing I'm going into pediatrics!).

What doesn't help the situation is that a bunch of my friends are popping out babies (On purpose! Are we really that old?).  Now, every time I log onto facebook, I'm reminded of this fact due to a news feed filled with constant updates about how "Johnny keeps wetting his pants," and "Anyone know how to help colic?" and "OMG, look at all of these diaper covers, how cute!"  I mostly hate these updates (I don't care about Johnny's potty training progress).  But they do keep babies on my mind at all times (or at least whenever I check fb). 

Regardless of my feelings about babies and their fb presence, there is one kind of update I love: pictures.  I love it when my friends post pics of there cute (or even just so-so looking) babies.  Weirdly, I can't get enough of it.

Baby E being his usual cute self.

There's one baby in particular that I'm straight-up obsessed with: Baby E.  Baby E is possibly the cutest baby I have ever met (he's a little ginger, which may explain my affinity for him). His mother, H, posts pictures of him every day on instagram.  You guys, I LIVE for these pictures.  I literally check instagram several times throughout the day in hopes that she has posted another picture.  And when she finally posts one, I get so excited that I show it to everyone around me.  As if he were my own child.

The other day, I texted H to let her know that I'm creepily obsessed with her kid.  Her response was, "It's okay, so am I!" To which I responded, "Um, you're supposed to be - you made him! I'm just a creeper."  I must confess, I might have a little bit of a reason to be obsessed with Baby E; I helped him come out (I was there for his delivery and was lucky enough to help).  But there's a big difference between helping deliver a baby and actually making one and I think H should be a little more weirded out than she is (I'm quickly turning into "Creepy Aunty J"). 

When I have a little ginger baby of my own, I won't let creepy "aunties" ogle pictures of my adorable child.* 

*Who am I kidding?  Yes I will.  I already force people to look at pictures of my sweet, sweet cats (aaand, I've now sealed the deal on being "Creepy Aunty J").

How to date a doctor

This morning, I was casually perusing the internet* when I came across a super interesting/relevant/helpful article called "How to date a doctor."

WTF?!  This is ridiculous!  For those of you too lazy to read the whole thing (which is absurd, because it's like 50 words long), here are some highlights: 

"Impress your friends by dating a nice doctor. Explore the social side of medicine. Learn about saving lives and medical advances without spending years in medical school. Enter the medical social whirl and you may be surrounded by doctors for the rest of your life. Make your mother proud, and date a doctor."

Here are some issues I have with this:
1) Good luck finding a "nice doctor." (Also, that was bitchy and bitter of me.  Sorry).
2) The "social side of medicine" doesn't really exist.
3) "You may be surrounded by doctors for the rest of your life" = bleak, in a social context, at least.
4) "Make your mother proud..." Fine.  This one might be true.  To be honest, I think my mom would be happy if I dated anyone at this point.

Another good part: "Recognize that doctors are hot properties on the dating scene." Personally, I haven't noticed this yet.  Then again, I'm only 3/4 of a doctor.  Maybe in a year, I'll really be a "hot property."

This article piqued my interest and so I googled "How to date a doctor." About 49,300,000 results came up.  Awesome!  So I spent the rest of the afternoon reading each one.  Okay, no I didn't. But I did check out a couple others. I liked the 6 Step WikiHow, because it says under Warnings: "The people they interact with may be a little bit weird, get used to it." So true.

Finally, I found an article called 10 Reasons to Date a Doctor.  It is terrible.  Honestly, I'm not sure if any of those reasons are true.

Hey Internet, thanks for perpetuating stereotypes!!!  You are so, so creepy (and wrong) sometimes.

*Full disclosure: I was googling "most attractive medical specialties," followed by "most physically attractive medical specialties" (since that was what I really wanted to know), when this article came up.  Oh.  And I was at the hospital. Waiting to round. (In my defense, I had tried to read about acute renal injury first... and then got distracted... it's Sunday!).

Dirty Dancing: Country Nights

The best thing ever happened the other night.  Okay, "best thing ever" might be an exaggeration. Well, no... This could actually be the best thing ever. Definitely life changing.  Anyway, here's what happened: on my last night in Miami, I went to a country music dance club (obviously, are there any other types of club in Miami?!).

This 70+ year-old woman killed it all night

I think it all started as a joke. L's coworker had been talking up a "hick" bar and so we had all decided to put on out boots and plaid and go.  The first awesome thing about this bar is that it is about a half hour outside of Miami (of course). The next awesome thing is that the bar/club is called Round Up and it is painted as a barn complete with stables and horses painted on the side of it.  As we walked up, some drunk guys in cowboy boots stumbled out (it was 9pm). THEN, we saw the sign that is was Ladies Night and we would be drinking free all night.

OMG, you guys! This was going to be amazing!!! And so hilarious, right?!

We walked in to find a huge dance floor in the middle of the club with "fence"/seating around it in the style of a corral.  The country music was bumping and people were dancing.  Line dancing.  Line dancing, you guys!!!! And then the music changed and people paired off and did the cha-cha around the "corral!" That's right, I just said "cha-cha around the corral." Then, more line dancing! I didn't even know so many different line dances existed. 

This was a scene, you guys.  Like a huge country western dancing scene. The best part of the scene (if I had to choose just one thing), was the people. There were all types of people - young, old, fat skinny, black, white, Asian, Latino (okay, mostly white) - and they all had one thing in common: they effing killed at country western dancing. 

I honestly did not see this coming, but I think I've found my calling, and I'm pretty sure it's not medicine. I'm going to be a country western dancer, bitches! But seriously, I loved this scene so much. I honestly had no idea this world existed (or, more accurately, how effing awesome it is); I felt like Baby in Dirty Dancing when she stumbles upon the staff dance party (you know, because she "carried a watermelon") and discovers there is an entire world of super rad dancing out there. 

Baby carried a watermelon into the staff lounge and discovered some dirty dancing

The only problem with my new calling is that everyone was really good and somehow knew all the songs/dances. This actually blew my mind (continuously through the course of the night, since there are so many songs/dances out there). This makes joining in kinda hard because it's pretty obvious if you don't know the steps during a line dance. Especially if you're surrounded by professional country western dancers (okay, maybe they weren't all that good, but it definitely felt like it).

Don't worry guys, I still jumped right in and joined the dance.

Best. Night. Ever.

Happy 2012!