Forgotten Dreamers

新年快樂! Happy Chinese New Year

2012-01-23T12:58:00.000-08:00

So I know I've been neglecting the blog for quite some time, but it was becoming the end of the year, end of the semester and things were crazy. My camera decided that it just wouldn't work anymore, although that shouldn't have stopped me from posting up recipes and cooking. I spent hours at school and minutes and home. My bill clearly reflected all of that time spent in my dungeon in the sky. But it's a new semester and new year. So to start things off, here's a little something I whipped up despite a lack of veggies and other foodstuffs.

And not to neglect those at home...

新年快樂! For all the students, 學習進步 and for all those working, 生意興隆! To everyone with blocks today, 金榜題名.

Pan-fried Buns with Turkey and Green Onions
Original recipe is Pan-fried Buns with Chives and Minced Pork (more traditional but you have to make do on the island)

Dough
1 1/4 cups of AP flour
6 tbls hot water
3 tbls cold water (or however much it takes to moisten the dough)

Filling
4 oz ground turkey (you can use pork, chicken, beef, a combination if you like - pork is more traditional)
1 green onion
1/2 inch peeled ginger
2 garlic cloves
salt/pepper
dash of sesame oil
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp soy sauce
2 leaves of cabbage (use any vegetable you like, this was the only thing I could find that was green and would go with the filling) - approx. 1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped

Onto the fun part.....

To make the dough, place the flour in a bowl. Make a small well in the center and add the hot water. Mix until small crumbs begin to form and the flour begins to moisten. Add 1 tbl of cold water at a time until all of the dough comes together and it's no longer sticky. I added about 3-4 tbls of water. Oil a bowl lightly and place the dough in the bowl to sit for approx. 30 min. This will let the dough rest before you roll again.

To make the filling, place the ground turkey in a bowl. Add cornstarch, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Mix well. Mince the green onion, garlic and ginger very finely (Use a garlic press for the garlic/ginger if you so desire). Don't worry if there are a few pieces that are slightly larger. Chop the cabbage into small pieces, the smaller the better (think the size of a mini M&M) If you have chinese chives, use it. It lends a distinctive taste to the buns. If you don't like cabbage, use any vegetable you like, bok choy is a great substitute. Add all the veggies into the meat and mix well, incorporating everything.

To form the buns, divide the dough into 10 pieces. Taking each piece, flatten it into a circle about 4 inches in diameter. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of filling into the center and pinch the sides together. If there's excess dough, you can trim it off. I placed it between my hands after forming the bun and rolled it a few times to get it more even before patting it slightly. Continue until you've formed all of the buns.

In a non-stick skillet/pan, heat 2 tsp of oil on medium heat. Place the buns in the pan and fry on both sides until they're nicely golden. Add 1/2 cup of boiling water, place a lid on the pan and cook until the water has evaporated.
For a quick sauce, you can combine some vinegar, garlic chili sauce and sesame oil to taste.

The Way of the World

2011-11-20T11:40:00.000-08:00

It's a travesty what has happened to the world.

Okay, so perhaps that's a bit melodramatic but in all seriousness, the way in which things have progressed over the years makes me wonder what has happened to people, what has changed them and caused them to lose good judgment and compassion.

Between robberies at gunpoint and the inability of guards to do what they are paid for, I wonder about the state of the world and our future. When individuals foolishly ignore the advice of elders and take risks they shouldn't (including walking through the golf course in an inebriated state), it's understandable. They don't have the right to complain. However, when the intention is well meant and there is a reason behind the actions, those in power with the ability to protect, to serve are obligated to make a difference.

In light of the events on Friday, November 18, 2011, I think it's something that everyone should think about, whether you're in a position of responsibility or not - what has happened?

Watch the video: Occupy Movement @ UCD

Read the letter: Open Letter to Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi

And do something.

As a graduate of UC Davis, I'm not proud of what happened this past friday. It's something that needs to be taken care of. As a current student in medical school, I also don't condone foolish behavior that I've seen and heard of. But different temperaments and backgrounds beget the diversity of individuals in this world.

A Match Made in Med School

2011-10-05T11:48:00.000-07:00

Dating a Med Student

This is almost like a mini social experiment. How many med student spouses/significant others have this kind of relationship with their counterpart? Or even better, if both partners are medical students, do they both learn about gross images and then hide their "eww, gross" reactions? (Okay... I'll admit to this one. First it's ewwwww, then oOoOo. Yup. We're an odd bunch.)

I must say that #1 Don't expect to see them. EVER. is my favorite of them all. It's so true that I barely even know what I'm doing right now. I see myself. *gasp* (okay... so perhaps that's the Ting speaking. Shhhhhhh.)

Truthfully, I still haven't accepted the fact that #2 They will have many affairs... With their books. Even after all the times I've slept with Netter's. And fallen asleep watching Acland. Or gone comatose on top of Robbins. If I had known the med students were such a promiscuous bunch, I would have chosen a different profession. ;)

Then again, like the author wrote, it's not like I'm speaking from experience. This could all be made up, another little story to add to my collection. So, please, take it with a grain of salt. ^_^

Or....

(Yeah... there's not much of an alternative to this. ^.^)

Gluten Free but Gluttonous

2011-09-25T21:35:00.000-07:00

Gluten free for many people brings to mind bland and tasteless, a similar connotation that vegan desserts have associated with them. But that's completely untrue. Granted, flavors and textures are not the same when it's a gluten-ful baked good, but GF baking has its own charms and the experimentation is endless.

This little crunchy cookie has its base in almond meal, essential blanched almond ground into flour. Such a concept opens up a whole new can of worms. Almonds, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts - if you have a food processor or blender, a completely new arsenal of nut flours could be at your fingertips.

I used a store-bought almond meal because that's what I had on hand and wanted to use up, but you could substitute any nut flour you desire.
Chocolate Chip Almond Crunchies

1 cup almond meal (ground almond flour)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (I bet brown sugar would have made them chewier)
1 egg
3 tbls oil/melted butter
a dash of salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips (milk, semisweet, dark etc)

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Mix lightly. Add the rest of the liquid ingredients and mix until fully incorporated. Add in the chocolate chips. The batter will be more liquidy than the usual cookie batter made with all-purpose flour since there's no gluten.

Preheat the oven to 340 degrees. Line a baking pan and drop teaspoons of batter onto the cookie sheet. These will spread, so place them 1-2 inches apart from one another. Baked for 12-15 minutes or until the edges begin to brown.
They're crispy, not overwhelmingly sweet and have a hint of almond that could be enhanced by using almond extract instead of vanilla. Perhaps the next time I come across almond meal, this will have to be tweaked to become a soft chewy cookie.

**there will be pictures... I promise. :)

Jail Time

2011-09-21T14:05:00.000-07:00

August 18, 2011

It was time to face the facts. We were going to the slammer. There was no getting around it. We had been caught. Perhaps learning Spanish in high school instead of French would have been a better idea... =( Our hands were tied and there was no escape from the inevitable.

Alright, alright. I'll stop with the melodrama. But the slew of status updates on facebook were great fun without added explanations. =)

Alive, well and going to jail tomorrow! XD
We're going to JAIL!!! YAY!!!!!!!

So perhaps we were also a bit too excited for the update to be believable, but it was definitely a memorable experience.

A bit of background:
The previous night, we counted heads and broke into 4 groups. To be more precise, 3 pairs and one group of 3.

Group 1 - Naddi and Mike
Group 2 - Steve, Tram and Dr. Shupe
Group 3 - Daniela and Andrea
Group 4 - Jen and Dimitry

Groups 1/2 were to go to the mobile clinic in the morning while Groups 3/4 went to jail. In the afternoon, after lunch, the groups would switch.

After breakfast, we all split up and headed out in our respective taxis. Daniela, Andrea, Dimitry and I met up with Armando, our translator for the day, and went to the jail.

Jail (looks innocuous, doesn't it?)

Steve, Tram, Naddi, Mike and Dr. Shupe went to the mobile clinic.

When we arrived in front of the jail, it didn't seem like we were anywhere near a prison. In fact, it was merely a few blocks away from Pinocho. As it was our first day, we were unsure what was required of us. Standing in the street, we waited for the nurses to motion us into the building. The officers just changed shifts and things were a little chaotic as we waited to get permission to enter.

Once we got the ok, we walked to the wrought iron gate. We were also patted down before we were allowed to continue further into the courtyard. Armando had to relinquish his cell phone into the possession of the guard on duty.

A few tables had been set up with benches along the wall to receive the inmates. After delegating tasks, we took our spots and waited for the inmates to be let out of the cells.

Daniela, as our resident Spanish speaker, took charge of filling out the medical forms with the vital signs Andrea, Dimitry and I took. Name and weight was recorded for each individual while blood pressure was only measured if they had a history of high/low BP or were new inmates. The same principle applied to taking temperatures. Unless they reported feeling feverish or were new, temperatures were assumed to be normal. A fever was considered to be an increase from normal temperature of about 37 degrees Celsius to 38 degrees or higher.

Temperatures were taken using mercury thermometers which had to be shaken down after each reading. We used the axillary route as opposed to oral and used alcohol wipes to wipe down the thermometer in between each patient.

The basic procedure
- the patients signed in on a sheet and told their names to the nurses who found their medical record in a large binder
- Daniela received the records and asked if they felt feverish
- Andrea and I took turns practicing our numbers in Spanish and weighing the patients
* basic vocab to follow this post
- Dimitry, Andrea, and I took turns taking blood pressures and temperatures

Dimitry taking BP

- All the numbers for temperature, BP, weight were reported to Daniela who returned the completed form to the nurse- patients continued on to speak with the doctors at another table
It was in this way that we passed our entire morning. We got to see a lot of interesting things and apply the knowledge we've learned so far in basic sciences.

A little later in the morning when there was a slight lull, another individual was brought into one of the cells. While we only caught a brief glance, Andrea and I instantly began thinking of questions for Armando when we saw the enlarged mass in the man's left cheek. We wondered if it was hard or soft, and the possible causes. Turning to Armando as a pair, we asked what the warden had said about the man when he was brought in. Apparently, he had to see the dentist because his tooth was hurting. Instantly, our mind turned to Actinomyces israelli. However, we were unable to get a closer look since he was in a cell that we were not taking vital signs for that morning.

Another one of our patients had a chalazion that was pretty large. While it was hard not to stare, the second half of block 1 of med micro was a little difficult to ignore. It was most likely another bacterial infection like the inmate with A. israelli. Given the lack of sanitary conditions in the jail, it could be either P. acnes or S. aureus with equal possibility.

In the meantime...

At the mobile clinic, Groups 1/2 were being worked equally hard.

When we think of a mobile clinic in the US, most individuals probably think of the giant vans which the blood banks use when drawing blood for donations. However, the mobile clinic we worked at that day was nothing like the white vans filled with equipment so commonly found during deficits of blood and during large emergencies.

It was truly mobile.

Putting white sheets over open window frames for more privacy

An abandoned building which the nurses and doctors took possession of for a day to provide health care to those who lived too far to make it to the clinics on a regular basis. The windows were devoid of glass, merely the wooden frame where windows would have sat. The doors... yet again, only the door frame.

A screen set up in the smallest room for more privacy during exams

At the mobile clinic, we serviced mostly the elderly and young children. As with the jail, we took vitals and filled out forms consisting of: neighborhood, name, age, birth date, blood pressure, temperate and weight. The forms were then passed to a nurse who placed them in order of their arrival. After vitals were taken, the patients waited to see the doctor who was set up in the smallest room with sheets and a screen to provide more privacy especially during physical exams.

Tram taking the blood pressure of a patient

Steve and Naddi working together with a patient

Dr. Shupe holding a young patient

Both groups spent approximately 4 hours each at the mobile clinic and in jail. After a full day of seeing patients, interacting with another culture and learning numbers and simple medical questions in a foreign language, we were exhausted. In some ways, it was harder than studying and in others, it was easier. But despite still recovering from finals and the plane, we were oddly energized. Our first day opened our eyes, made us laugh and showed us the reason why we had decided to go on a medical mission.

A Basket of Bananas

2011-09-05T15:52:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I made use of my little red riding hood basket. There hasn't been much of a chance to bake in large quantities given the amount of time I spent at school in MPR and LH1 last semester. Luckily it's still the beginning of the semester right now and I don't have to cook dinner, which gives me time to bake in between studying and blogging.

But perhaps a basket will be going out tomorrow morning given how much this batter has risen. I should have done a test batch first... but 3 dozen is still a good amount. It just doesn't have the same ring to it as 6 dozen plus 2 though. *sigh* Those were the good days.

I'll stop with the reminiscing and start the recipe now.

Banana Muffins

1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
6 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla
dash of cinnamon

Cream together the butter and sugar until lighter in color and fluffy. (You can substitute and use 1 cup brown sugar and 1 cup granulated sugar for a muffin that has a more molasses-y touch to it.) Add the eggs one at a time, making sure everything is incorporated before adding the next egg. Mix in the mashed bananas. (I like to mash half the bananas until they disintegrate and leave the other half of the bananas as slightly larger chunks).

In a separate bowl, combine the salt, baking powder, baking soda and flour. Sift and add to the banana mixture. Stir to combine without overmixing. Add a dash of cinnamon and vanilla at the end.Place a heaping tablespoon into each muffin tin. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until done.

The tops will be nice and golden, the muffin soft and moist. Yum. Feel free to add chocolate chips or nuts as desired.

Gringos Everywhere

2011-09-04T15:12:00.000-07:00

August 17, 2011

Afternoon

So after lunch, we headed out to tour the clinics. As mentioned in the main Bolivia page, CSRA has three clinics in Montero - Cruz Roja, Distrito 2 and Villa Cochabamba.

We started off after lunch to Cruz Roja.In the beginning, the Red Cross building consisted only of a few rooms.

Original section of Cruz Roja

Daniel (our on-site coordinator/translator)
Listening to the history of Cruz Roja

However, they expanded over the years, now a larger building consisting of a maternity ward,

Learning about the maternity ward

several rooms for consultations and dental visits as well as a place for doctors and nurses to cook and rest.

Soccer stadium viewed from the kitchen on the top floor

Neighborhood surrounding Cruz Roja

Our second stop yielded one of the best quotes of the trip by far.

Distrito 2

Distrito 2 serves mainly pergnant women and children in the area, including children who attend school in the neighborhoods surrounding the clinic since their visits are covered by the government. As we took a tour around Distrito 2, we also wandered over into the park across the street.

Naddi and Mike running across the street.

Naddi and Mike even joined in on a soccer game that just started.But the best part had yet to come. Walking back to the front entrance of Distrito 2, we saw a full car drive by. The next thing we knew, everyone was keeled over laughing as Steve and Daniela translated what they had yelled.

It's raining gringos!

Our last stop of the day was Villa Cochabamba. Here, at this clinic, they have a TB room where they keep track of the residents with tuberculosis, monitor their health and distribute their medicine. As part of the Tb program, medication and treatment is free if a patient lives in the area; therefore, many families moved into the area to take advantage of the available services. However, due to the cost and the fear of spreading Tb as well as the possibility of becoming resistant to the medication, patients are sometimes jokingly cautioned against leaving the area or missing a day. Family members are also held responsible for the infected patient.

After looking at the facilities, we walked back to Pinocho, stopping by the market along the way. And so, we passed our first day in Montero. But the best had yet to come.

Tomorrow, we would enter locked gates, surrender our electronics and join the jailed.

Creepy Cookies

2011-09-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

The first baked good of any semester must have a story behind it.

This one starts with stories about creeping people out, knocking on doors in the middle of the night and scaring them as they sit alone in their apartment at night. The best part comes when you see someone coming down the path whom you've never encountered before, you watch them go into a previously empty apartment and set down bags of luggage. Now those are the best "victims."

Unaware (ok... not all of them, only the ones who haven't heard of me and my oddball ways), they ask "who is it?" and I respond in a perky voice. Clearly, something is off. The best part is when the door opens and a puzzled face peers from behind the door. =D

I know... perhaps I take too much pleasure in it. But the best time to bake is the midnight hour. And anyone who is awake at that hour deserves a treat, no questions asked. =)

So, to ring in a new semester and welcome the newest members of our Regency family, here's a creepy chocolate cookie for late nights.
Salted Double Chocolate Cookies

8 oz. semisweet chocolate
4 tbs unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp fleur de sel (sea salt)
2 eggs
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two pans with parchment or foil.

In a double boiler, melt the 8 oz of chocolate and butter together until smooth. If you don't have a double boiler, place a heatproof bowl over about an inch of simmering water, making sure the bottom doesn't touch the water.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, fleur de sel and baking powder. Mix until incorporated. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar and vanilla until thoroughly mixed. Once the chocolate and butter has melted, quickly incorporate the egg mixture into the chocolate mix. Stir to combine and add the dry ingredients. Mix until no more streaks of flour remain.

Stir in the chocolate morsels.Drop tablespoons of dough onto the cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the top is crackly but the cookie is still soft.

It's like a decadent brownie in cookie form. Nom nom nom.

It's Raining Gringos!

2011-09-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

August 17, 2011

Morning

Weaving down one way streets, we made our way to our hotel for the next 12 days. Still mildly dazed from the plane and bus ride, it took a few moments before it was apparent that we were to get off, grab our luggage and go inside.Residencial Pinocho

First order of business was to decide where each of us would stay. Thankfully, the math worked out perfectly. 4 males. 5 females. Three 2 bed rooms. And one 3 bed room.

Boys were divided as such. Naddi/Dimitry and Steve/Mike.From left to right: Steve, Mike, Dimitry, Naddi

Girls had the luxury of a three or two bed room. Dr. Shupe had the pleasure of spending her 2 week Bolivian break with Daniela and Andrea. Tram and I shared the last room.From left to right: Tram, Daniela, Dr. Shupe, Andrea, Jen

With a few hours until lunch and meeting up together again, some of us took an early siesta while the rest decided to venture out in search of the plaza, money changers and a possible market despite being unable to speak Spanish.

Walking straight up the street about 5-6 blocks, Dr. Shupe, Andrea and I found the plaza. An open space with benches, a few statues and giant murals, it looked like the perfect place to stop after a late breakfast on the weekend. We made the most of our time, finding a money lender and exchanging some dollars for Bolivianos before exploring. The rate during our trip was about 6.8. With about half an hour to spare, we decided to walk back to Pinocho and get ready for lunch.

The trip was just beginning...

Désolée

2011-09-01T14:46:00.000-07:00

Oops! Pardon, je suis désolé. Perhaps I should have preceded the last post with a little background. For those who haven't visited the facebook group or seen LMSA's blog, here's a little snippet about the medical mission to Bolivia, courtesy of Mike.

The Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) here at the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine has organized in conjunction with Curamericas Global a trip to Montero, Bolivia for this coming August. We are planning on leaving August 17th (right after semester finals) and returning August 30th (right before the next semester start).

We are planning on serving the people, specifically the women and children, of rural Bolivia. We will be working closely with "El Consejo de Salud Rural Andino" in educating and training the local people with regards to public health, health education, vaccination promotion, perinatal care, and in assisting with whatever needs may arise.

Bolivia is the poorest country in the western hemisphere, we are traveling to an area that is rural and quite under-served with regards to medical care.

This is an invaluable experience for us who will be physicians in the not too distant future:

* we will be able to appreciate the US health system more
* we will be able to help and make a difference for the people who need the most help
* we will be able to interact with and learn from patients with the unique perspective of living in a third world country
* we will be able to experience serving people in the Spanish language.

謝謝. Gracias. Merci. ;)

Sin hielo, por favor

2011-08-31T11:25:00.000-07:00

When testing came to an end on August 15, 2011, my day was just beginning. There was still packing to be done, an apartment to be tidied up, garbage taken out, laundry washed and dried in addition to the post traumatic stress of having taken 3 final exams one after another. But we would be flying out in less than 24 hours, on our way to Bolivia with two stops, one in Miami for a few hours and another in La Paz at 6 am.

It was finally happening.

The medical mission to Montero that we had been planning for an entire semester was coming together. We were leaving.

After finals, I don't think many of us really slept. That was the purpose of the 9 hour flight from Miami to Santa Cruz. And post exams for medical students = the sleep we deprived ourselves of during the semester.* everyone found sleep in one method or another despite being unable to recline back. Recline forward, I suppose?

It was a fairly uneventful flight, nothing much of note until 7 am as we flew above Bolivia and I snapped a picture from the plane of the land lit by the rising sun.It wasn't all though. We still had about an hour drive from the airport in Santa Cruz to Montero where we would be spending the majority of our stay.

Piling our luggage into the bus, we all grabbed a seat and prepared for more sitting. The roads (for those who have experienced the Dutch side of Sint Maarten) were immaculate in comparison. ;)It was a new day and we were awake and ready to go. Well.... most of us were awake...

Back at the Beginning

2011-08-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

And so, here we are again, at the beginning of another semester, back from Bolivia and on the island in the midst of the havoc that Irene's passing has caused upon all returning students from the northeastern coast of the US.

There's nothing better than coming back to a place that I consider my home, where I can sleep in my own bed and feel safe, walk along the streets and know most of the people who pass by and be with friends that are my second family. But then again, there's something to be said for working in a foreign country, visiting sights I would never have seen otherwise and meeting people who will never be forgotten.

When we left two weeks ago today, I had yet to feel that sense of excitement, the joy of visiting another country and experiencing a culture different from my own and meeting individuals who will hold a place in my heart forever. But as we drove to the airport in Santa Cruz on Sunday morning, I knew that I didn't want to leave. It was like being at home. Perhaps not home in San Francisco, in the US where comforts are readily available but it reminded me of going to China, of staying in my dad's village and knowing my way around despite being unable to read road signs.

In between clinic and hospital time, we traveled to different homes for follow-up visits and the disparity in health care was clearly evident. In the US, things are sterile, hospitals have an overbearing sense of strict rules but when I visited the clinics and followed nurses to individual homes, I knew that despite the lack of some materials and the different socio-economic status of the two countries, medicine was still the same. They cared. Everyone we worked with strove for the same goal: to see people get better, to help and heal, whether physically or emotionally.

Perhaps this is a bit of a sappy post, but less than two weeks in Montero showed me that I'm on the right track...

After all, where else would I find beautiful sights with fast friends... only hours away from living conditions... that would have the US Health Department up in arms?

Behavioral is teaching us to define culture and ethnicity while becoming more aware and competent, observing and acknowledging without being judgmental. Which brings me to the point that while I may not have grown up in the same cultural group as Bolivian citizens, I felt as if I understood them better than others I have encountered in my educational journey.

The Final Stretch and Food Scarcity

2011-08-14T17:01:00.000-07:00

It's an utter complete nightmare.

My fridge is never ever empty. And yet, here I am, sitting on my couch, reading about skin path and thinking about how creepy it is that my bug bites are no longer merely red papules but tiny little fluid filled vesicles while internally wondering about what it is that I'm to eat.

Granted, I know I have to clean things out. I'm leaving for Bolivia in two days. There's absolutely no reason to keep food in the fridge. There's no reason to go out and buy a carton of eggs when they can't be finished in time. But that still doesn't stop me from wanting more food. It's like a disease. =.=

What kind of person am I that I'm reduced to doctoring up a can of soup. A can of soup that I didn't even buy. (On that note, thank you Kathy for leaving things with Karla and good luck on your Step 1!) And the sad part, using one of two eggs that I have left. Yes, that's right. TWO eggs. And now, it's a measly lonely little chicken embryo in a styrofoam carton in the fridge, waiting for when I next need a quick meal.

Look at this. Just look!What is this? D=

I'm ashamed. You may not be but I am. A can of "healthy" veggie soup doctored up with a little matouk's, a can of sweet corn and ribbons of smoked ham, all nestling a poached egg.

Now, in an attempt to make my brain the same consistency of the yolk encased in the white albumin of that egg, I will return to my regularly scheduled study.

Good luck to all and to all a good night!

Breasts and Buns

2011-08-05T00:07:00.000-07:00

Female reproduction, breast pathology, and the memory of a comment about bunless burgers begins this post about a bakery style Chinese bun reminiscent of childhood, San Francisco Chinatown on a Saturday afternoon and a classic addition to American life along with the previously mentioned burgers.

As the smell of yeast permeates the apartment, I think of how much I don't really like hot dogs or Chinese buns for that matter. But for some reason, the soft bready dough of Chinese style bakeries just calls my name at the strangest moments.Bakery Style Chinese Hot Dog Buns 腸仔包

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1 tbs granulated sugar
1/2 - 2/3 cup warm milk
1 tsp salt
2 tbs unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
Sesame seeds
8 hot dogs (I used beef)

In a small bowl, combine yeast, milk and sugar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes to proof the yeast. In another bowl, combine flour and salt. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients with one egg. Mix to combine. When the dough begins to come together, turn out onto a flat surface and knead. If the dough seems a little dry, add a little water. If the dough is too wet, add 1 tbs of flour at at time. Add the 2 tbs of softened butter cut into small pieces. Knead into the dough until incorporated and the dough is soft and shiny.

Oil a bowl and place the dough in a warm place to rise for ~90 minutes or until doubled in size. Cut into 8 pieces of equal size. Taking each piece, make into an 8-10 inch long log with the middle thicker than the ends. Wrap around the hot dog, leaving very little space between the dough so that when the 2nd rise occurs, the dough meets to close up the space and not show the hot dog.*See that gap in the dough on the top bun? Try and avoid that. ;)

Continue until all 8 hot dogs have been wrapped in dough. Let rise for another ~90 minutes in a warm place.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. As the oven is heating up, beat the second egg and brush on the tops and sides of each bun. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. When the oven is hot, bake for 8 minutes at the preheat temperature. Turn the temperature down to 350 and bake for another 5-8 minutes.Makes 8 buns.

Cupcasms

2011-08-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

For some odd reason, every time Candice and I are in LH#2, we end up having the most interesting discussions. The time I'm thinking of right now includes oocytes and embryology with some inventive vocabulary of our own based upon a story about knitting and yarn-gasms. Yes, I realize it sounds vaguely indecent, but between cupcake and cupgasm, which induces a sense of greater fulfillment and joy upon consumption?

Exactly. So without further ado, I present to you the cupcasm that has been on my mind for days on end.
Oreo Cupcake with Oreo Frosting

2 packages of Oreos (I used regular Oreos)

*the cake batter I used made an amazingly light cake but because of that the batter was too thin to keep the Oreo from floating to the top of the cupcake. If you want the sandwich cookie on the bottom of the cupcake liner, choose a denser cake batter.

Hershey's Chocolate Cake
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Oreo Cream Cheese Frosting
1 - 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar, plus extra if needed
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Quick Fix Frosting
1 can of prepared vanilla frosting

Preparation of Cake
Combine sugar, cocoa, both leavening agents (baking soda/powder), salt and flour in a large bowl. Mix to incorporate all the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, milk and vanilla. Stir to beat up the eggs and mix everything together. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until mostly combined. Pour in a cup of boiling water and stir quickly to incorporate. The batter will look very thin but the hot water begins the action of cooking some of the gluten and helps to produce a light soft cake.

Assembly
Line two muffin pans with cupcake liners and place an oreo in the bottom of each liner. You'll need about 30 oreos. If you don't have extra muffin pans, just line and fill as you go. Pour the batter over the oreos, filling the cupcake liner 1/2 to 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until done. This particular cake batter is a little thin so the oreo will rise to the top of the cupcake as it bakes so if you want the sandwich cookie to remain as the base of the cupcake, use a thicker batter to hold the cookie down.Frosting Preparation
Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and milk, beating until well incorporated and no lumps remain. Add the second cup of powdered sugar and vanillia, mixing well again. If the consistency is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If too thick, add a little more milk.
Fill a ziploc bag with oreos, starting with half a package. Using a rolling pin or a mallet, crush the cookies into small pieces. Add into the cream cheese frosting and stir together. Frost the cupcakes with about 2 tbs of frosting.Frosting Cheat
So this is not the first time I have ever used prepared, canned frosting and neither will it be the last. And I am not ashamed to admit that I have a soft spot in my heart for overly sweet vanilla flavored concoctions. As with above, crush some oreos and add them into the frosting. If you like, add a little extra something (whiskey perhaps?) to keep the frosting from getting too hard. ;)

*Here's the cupcake cut in half...
Oreo... cake... frosting... it doesn't get any better...

Bliss in a Bite

2011-08-03T08:55:00.000-07:00

Heaven and hell meet in this delectable treat of rich ganache, crumbly crust and pure melt in your mouth goodness. What are calories when the pleasure of spooning melted chocolate overrides any other desire or feeling of guilt?

Perhaps this isn't the best recipe for one's waistline, but in all seriousness, what does it matter when sitting in a lecture hall for 8+ hours a day isn't particularly flattering either? o.O Exactly. So just sit, take a spoon into your hand, watch the light slowly die from the shuttered blinds and immerse yourself in a little you time. ;)

Ganache Tart

Walnut Crust
2 - 6 oz. bags (approx. 3 cups) of walnuts, or any other nut you like
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 stick (8 tbs) unsalted butter

Chocolate Ganache
1 cup whipping cream
16 oz (2 2/3 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 tbs unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla (or almond extract, whiskey, irish cream, something to give it a little extra flavor)
Preparation

Walnut Crust
Using a food processor (or blender, like I did), pulse the walnuts into a fine grind. This is the basis of the crust and yields a nutty, crumbly crust without much trouble. Placing the ground walnuts into a bowl, add the sugar, mixing a bit. Melt the butter in the microwave and pour into the walnut mixture, mixing until all of the nuts are coated in butter. Taking a tart shell (or aluminum dish - anything oven safe), pat the mixture into an even layer, going up the sides to create a crust for the ganache filling. (I had enough to make one large tart and 4 individual muffin tin sized tarts)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and bake for 10 minutes or until the tart shell is slightly brown on the edges. Remove and let cool.

Ganache
Heat the cream and butter together in a small pot until the butter is melted and cream is warmed through. Turn off the stove, take the cream mixture off the heat and pour in the chocolate. Let sit for 5-10 minutes as the heat of the cream softens and melts the chocolate. Stir until completely incorporated and smooth. Add in the vanilla at the end.

*You may use other combinations of chocolate, such as dark, white. milk chocolate. However, the ratio of cream to chocolate will change slightly due to the water and fat content in the different types of chocolate. This is where I stop paying attention to measurements and add cream/chocolate depending upon the texture of the ganache mixture.

Assembly
Pour the ganache mixture into the tart shell. Tap on the counter lightly to even out the chocolate. Decorate with slivered almonds or extra chocolate chips placed at evenly spaced intervals along the circumference of the tart.Cool in the fridge for 1-2 hours or until the ganache has set up. Slice with a knife dipped into warm water to prevent the ganache from sticking. If the ganache begins to get too soft, cool in the fridge for a few minutes before resuming slicing.

Asian is as Asian does

2011-07-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

Nothing says a summery Saturday night like endocrine physiology, a fried brain and knowing that the blood pumping through your veins is slowly freezing into an icy sludge due to the blasting A/C of the school's lecture hall.

But the highlight of this summer night lies within a handful of mint, a walk through the dark and sitting alone on the couch with the page open to glucocorticoid hormones and their effects on carbohydrate metabolism - something that will come in handy after this meal.

It's a little labor intensive but totally and completely worthy every second, every minute, and sadly, every hour of work.

First off, something to warm up my blood and make it a true Caribbean weekend night.

Ginger Mojito
*ok... it was supposed to be a strawberry ginger mojito, but I didn't get a chance to go by the store and buy a carton of strawberries

2 oz. light rum (or 4 tbs, if you have measuring spoons like me and no shot glass)
1 oz. ginger simple syrup (recipe to follow)
Handful of mint leaves
1/2 a lime
1/2 cup club soda

In a tall glass, combine mint, half a lime cut into slices and simple syrup. Taking a wooden spoon, muddle the ingredients together. This will bring out the essential oils in the mint and help all of the flavors begin to combine. Add rum and top off the glass with club soda. Add more simple syrup to taste if you like it sweet like me. =) Garnish with a lime wedge, toss in a bendy straw and have a happy night!Ginger Simple Syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
~3 inch piece of peeled ginger root

In a small pot, combine sugar and water. Peeling the ginger root, slice into 1/4 cm pieces and add to the pot. Heat until the sugar has dissolved and let simmer for 5 minutes. Turning off the heat, let the ginger steep for ~10 minutes before removing and pouring the simple syrup into a resealable container.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls
6 - 50g. packages of Lungkow mung bean vermicelli noodles
40 - 50 size 31-35 frozen headless, de-veined shrimp
8 - 10 leaves of lettuce
3 carrots
2 cucumbers
1 package of 3 Ladies Spring Roll Wrappers
2 large chicken breasts
1 bunch of cilantro
fresh basil/mint
2 cups mung bean sprouts

Preparation
1) Filling a pot with water, heat until a rolling boil is achieved and cook vermicelli noodles according to package, ~3-5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside in a large bowl.2) Wash lettuce. (I used romaine lettuce) Tear into about 3-4 inch long pieces.3) Wash and peel carrots. Julienne into pieces about 3-4 inches long.
4) Wash, peel and de-seed cucumbers. Julienne.
5) Wash and chop cilantro. (I used both stems and leaves, discarding the bottom portion of the stem that was woodier.)
6) Wash fresh herbs. (I used basil)7) Poach or grill the chicken breasts, seasoning with salt/pepper to taste. (I tossed them in a pot of water with some garlic salt.) Let cool and shred into bite-size pieces.8) Poach shrimp until they're pink and cooked through. Drain. Let cool for a bit before shelling them and splitting them in half.9) Wash mung bean sprouts, take off the both ends, leaving the center stalk.Rolling the Spring Rolls
Gather all of the ingredients together in one space. Set out a plate larger than the diameter of the spring roll wrapper for assembly. Taking a large mouthed pot or aluminum bowl, fill with warm water. Not boiling because otherwise the wrappers will get soft too quickly and stick together into a giant mess.

This next part is where it gets a little tricky to explain. Taking one of the wrappers, wet it completely in the warm water. You'll figure out if the water is too hot when the wrapper gets soft too quickly and sticks to your hands in a giant web. Just add cold water if that happens. Continuing on... When you've moistened the wrapper, place it on the plate. Arrange 3 shrimp halves on the X as in the next picture, approx. the top 1/3 of the wrapper, leaving room at the top to fold the wrapper over. Layer herbs, vermicelli, carrots etc. on top. Be careful of overstuffing the rolls. If it's too much filling, it's harder to roll. Makes for a great snack for the cook though. I call those my discards and eat them as I prepare another wrapper. ;)

Anyway, taking the top, fold it over the filling. Taking the sides, fold those over. Pressing down lightly but firmly to prevent the filling from squishing out, continue rolling. Hopefully the ghetto paint picture coming up will be of more assistance in explaining. It takes a few funky looking rolls to get the hang of it if you've never used the rice paper wrappers before, but if you've made a burrito, you have the basic concept.Just keep repeating the process until you a) run out of wrappers or b) run out of ingredients and are too lazy to make more. =P I get about 35-40 per package of wrappers since they're sold by weight not number.For a dipping sauce, I just threw together a few things in my fridge since I haven't seen hoisin sauce on the island in a long time.

Dipping Sauce
4 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs chili garlic sauce
1 tsp red pepper flakesCombine everything in a small bowl and dip away! I also added a dash of habenero lime hot sauce I had in my fridge since I like it spicy. If you want this to be gluten free like the rest of the meal, use a gluten-free soy sauce and make sure that the fish sauce you purchased is also gluten-free (which it should be if it were made properly).

See, saturday nights alone can be quite yummy. ^_^

C's here, C's there, C's everywhere

2011-07-25T16:02:00.001-07:00

And so I continue with using the letter "C," alliterating when I shouldn't. But the cookie craze has discontinued, leading into a coup by chicken curry.

It's been on my mind for quite some time to grab some panko crumbs and make chicken katsu. I even contemplated tonkatsu when I had 5 lbs of pork chops in my freezer, granted that was made into Regency sunday dinner instead. Finally, I bought a canister of panko crumbs, eggs always reside in my fridge as does flour and I pulled out 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a fit of allergy-induced sickness.

Mind you, I'm not often brought down by allergic reactions minus that induced by those evil little blood-sucking fiends that carry dengue but this flowering peacock apparently has much to answer for.

In any case, I still had some Japanese curry leftover that I made earlier so what better to go over rice than some pan-fried chicken katsu reminiscent of eating lunch at Kitaro's in San Francisco right before going to the Main Library downtown across from City Hall for a few hours of knitting.
Chicken Katsu

3 chicken breasts, 1/2 inch thick
1/4 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
salt/pepper to taste
1 cup panko crumbs
oil

Taking the chicken breasts, pound each one to 1/2 inch thickness. This will allow the chicken to cook quickly and evenly in the pan, making for a fast dinner option that looks like it took a long time to prepare. Place the flour on a plate or shallow dish. Beat the egg and place in a bowl or shallow dish. Spread the panko crumbs into a third dish.

Season the chicken as desired before dredging in a coat of flour. Tap off the excess before dipping into the beaten egg. When the chicken is coated, allow excess egg to drip off and coat in breadcrumbs, pressing lightly to coat. Repeat for all the pieces of chicken.In a pan, heat a few tablespoons of oil, coating the bottom of the pan. When hot, add the breaded chicken, cooking for 5-10 mins on each side until cooked through and lightly golden brown. With the oven turned to 200 degrees, store fried chicken on a baking pan as you cook each piece so it stays warm until ready to serve.

Slice into strips and place over rice with homemade curry or a favorite sauce. =D

Cookie Monster Cravings

2011-07-21T22:43:00.001-07:00

The more I stay up late, the more I feel a need to bake cookies. Not to eat them, only to make them. I suppose that means I'm more a cookie craver than a cookie monster. Sorry for disappointing you, my dear blue furred cookie loving monster. =(

But I think he would be proud. Not only did I use up ingredients that I had in my fridge but the resulting confection was soft and chewy, perfect on its own or with a glass of cold milk in the middle night. So if you're in the Caribbean, have some coconut on hand, haven't quite gotten to the point of rum and don't have any lime, here's a tasty suggestion.

Chewy Coconut Almond Cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp almond extract
1 egg
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2-2 1/2 cups shredded/flaked coconut, sweetened

Cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg and almond extract (I ran out of vanilla so I used almond, but either is acceptable and yummy) and mix until combined. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt, sifting the ingredients together before adding to the butter/egg mixture. Stir until mostly combined before adding the coconut. The batter will seem a little dry at first but keep mixing until you get a butterscotch colored cookie dough that smells of coconut and almond.
Preheating the oven to 350 degrees, line a pan with foil or parchment. Form teaspoon sized mounds of batter on the pan; they will spread so have them about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 (I baked them for 8 min). When you take them out, they'll still be very soft. Let them sit untouched for 5-10 minutes to cool and get a little harder before transferring to a plate.

Craving Cookies, Chocolate and a Comfort Book

2011-07-21T22:43:00.000-07:00

Cravings in the middle of the night aren't always the best idea... or are they? When cravings include chocolate, the need for baking cookies and reading a comfort book, the soothing power of a soft warm baked good spreads from morning to night, especially when paired with a mug of coffee in the early morning hours following a night of little sleep and too much endocrine physio.

So, searching for a slightly healthy cookie but with all of the trappings of an unhealthy treat, here's a cocoa colored cookie to fulfill those late night cravings.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
4 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 cup water

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. When combined, add vanilla, the egg, oil (I actually left out the oil, adding perhaps a tablespoon after mixing the wet/dry ingredients together) and water, stirring until incorporated. In a separate bowl, sift together, the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. When mostly combined, add the oats and mix until no large clumps of flour and oats remain.

Preheating the oven to 350 degrees, line and oil a sheet pan. Form tablespoons of cookie dough on the sheet pan, pressing down lightly if you want thinner cookies. Bake for 15 mins at 350 or until done. Makes about 30 cookies.

*Yes, I realize there is no picture this time. =( If they're not gone by the afternoon, perhaps there shall be one. ^_^

Planning

2011-07-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

Sticking to a plan can be hard, coming up with a schedule and following it, going through with the motions without getting distracted. It's no wonder that posts just pop up without any order because I'll start a post and then finish it later but it publishes as the day I started it.

Anyway, I'm already off track again. For all the new incoming students to AUC September incoming c/o 2011, Congrats! And here are a few things that students and admin have compiled over the semesters to make transitioning to the island as easy as possible. =)

Directions to the Sint Maarten Emergency Center
Unofficial AUC Checklist
Top 10 Places to Eat and Things to Do
Shanique's Guide to Staying Safe
Settling in at AUC (updated)
Pet Travel to SXM
Map of Surrounding Apts (1 of 3)
Map of AUC (2 of 3)
Map of Key Places (3 of 3)
Cruising Your Way onto Sint Maarten
Checklist for Buying a Car

Increased Estrogen Increased HDL Decreases LDL

2011-07-09T19:19:00.000-07:00

While having higher levels of estrogen during my premenopausal years is all well and good, during pre-block weekend and dealing with the evil that is Skype 5.0, when I weigh the pros of having increased HDL, decreased LDL and a decreased predisposition towards atherosclerosis, I would rather have less hormones surging through my blood stream. Is it so much to ask that skype acknowledge the fact that my camera works fine? That my video renderer is perfectly fine and that they need to get with the program?

I'm on a tropical island. I've been studying for weeks. There are probably 1000+ slides that I need to know by Monday morning and all I asked for was half of hour to see my family. But no, clearly only they need to see my distraught face as I huddle in a jacket because of the subzero temperatures inflicted by the uncontrollable A/C unit in each and every room of this building.

So, skype, fix your bug and let me see my family. Because right now, I would give up the added bonus of being a female with increased estrogen and the benefits it provides in saving me from having plaques in my blood vessels for a minute of video feed from my parents. And coming from a hormonally imbalanced medical student, that plea is the best you'll ever get.

Thick, Creamy Green Discharge

2011-07-07T05:21:00.000-07:00

Dear GEBE, thank you for the wonderful opportunity to experience a loss of power greater than an hour's time span when it's not even true hurricane season. Yes, I know that it officially started on June 1st, but truthfully, we all know that the big storms won't be hitting for a few months.

But I suppose you're good for something. I was finally persuaded to make enough food to last a few days. What with it being block week and experiencing a ridiculous lack of sleep, it's a wonder that I even had the brain space to contemplate cooking. But somehow, it all worked out.

So in the tradition of this block and comparing disease symptoms and signs to food, imagine how the thick creamy green discharge of Gonorrheae relates to a creamy pesto sauce.
Mushroom Spinach Pasta with Pesto Cream Sauce

1 lb of any pasta (penne, macaroni, linguine etc)
1 cup of pesto (homemade or store bought)
1 cup of cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup parmesan
2 cups mushrooms, quartered
1 bag of baby spinach, washed
Salt/pepper to taste

Fill a pot with water to boil on the stove. Cook the pasta according to the directions until al dente.

In another pot or deep saucepan, heat a little oil and saute the mushrooms and spinach together until the mushrooms are mostly cooked and the spinach has wilted slightly. Add the milk and cream, stirring to combine. When the dairy has come to a boil, add the pesto and stir to combine, turning the heat down until you reach a slow simmer. When the pasta is done, drain it and add to the pesto mixture, tossing to combine. At this point, add the parmesan. It'll help bind things together. If the sauce seems a little thin, the cheese will help thicken it and the pasta will absorb some as it sits in the sauce for a bit before serving.
*Ready for lunch and lack of power!

O is for Oreo, and my Open mouth

2011-07-06T07:47:00.000-07:00

It was a rainy Emancipation Day on the island. It was meant to be... stir-fried noodles, chocolate dipped everything, cream cheese and nachos in an amazing townhouse.

Have I set the scene yet? ^_^

Good. Now imagine... in a fit of controlled crushing, we turned a package of regular Oreos into fine pieces of chocolate crumbles. But it's not the end. The pièce de résistance was the addition of a block of softened cream cheese to tie the entire recipe together. It was no surprise that the first batch of Oreo truffles disappeared in the span of a day (maybe two...) and prompted the purchase of another bag.Why, you ask? Because they're good. Is there any other reason for buying chocolate cookies sandwiching sweet cream in between them?

So, a few days later, in another neurotic compulsion to do something with my hands, I filled a gallon sized ziploc with a 16 oz package of Oreos, half a dozen Ferrero Rocher chocolates and half a dozen Ferrero Rondnoir and proceeded to smash them into bits. I must say, it was quite a satisfying procedure. ^_^ But for those who require a bit more instruction, here's the recipe.

Oreo Truffles
1 - 16.6 oz package of Oreos (regular, mint, fudgies, chocolate, whichever you like)
1 - 8 oz block of cream cheese
a dash of vanilla, mint, almond extract - whatever flavor you like
(If you were feeling a little overwhelmed with the amount of chocolate you have stashed away, like yours truly, a handful of Ferrero Rochers crush up wonderfully)
1 - 12 oz bag of chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet, dark, white, or any combination)

So taking the entire bag of Oreos, empty the cookies into a gallon sized Ziploc bag and close it. This is your opportunity to work out a bit of that stress you feel. If you're adding in chocolate candies, this is the time to add them in (the hazelnuts in the centers crush up just as easily). If you have more technology at your fingertips, feel free to pulse them into oblivion using your handy-dandy food processor.

Transfer the cookie crumbles into a large bowl and add the block of softened cream cheese. Now taking a fork, your bare hands, (a potato masher works amazingly!) combine everything together. Don't forget to sneak a taste. ^_^ When everything is incorporated, add the extract of your choice if you have it on hand and mix.To form the truffles, take a small ice cream scoop or a tablespoon measure and make a mounding ball, dropping the finished truffle onto a parchment or foil lined sheet pan. Repeat until all of the mixture is used up. Place in the fridge to cool and harden while you melt the chocolate in the microwave or double boiler. The freezer is a quickie way to get the truffles cool and hard enough to dip without falling apart into the melted chocolate. Granted, it just means more for the baker. ;)

Taking the truffles, dip them one by one into the chocolate, coating them completely before returning them to the sheet pan. When all of them have been coated, return to the fridge or freezer until the chocolate has set up again. Then... munch!The hard chocolate coating compliments the soft, melt in your mouth texture of the truffle. Now, I'm a purist and have made chocolate truffles from scratch but there's a time and place for everything and these Oreo truffles balls are perfect for rainy days, mocha colored puppies and good times with friends on a tropical island.

Sex in the City, on the Beach... in a Lecture Hall

2011-07-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

I'll be the first to admit that I have issues when it comes to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). After all, how many people do you know would tell their friends that they want a 20" std? That they would love to hug HIV and sleep with syphilis?

Seeing as how block 3 of med micro involves the joy of venereal diseases and the cold brought upon us by the howling winds and rain of tropical storms, I felt it was only fair to treat you all to a few more stories of the microbes which serve as our closest companions, whether in the air, the soil, our body or our friends, both human and animal alike.

If you love food, this may not be the best of posts to read. But if you find giant microbes as soft and cuddly as I do, continue on. =D

~*~*~

Staphylococcus saprophyticus

Staph is positive for everything. Gram + cocci, catalase + but coagulase –

If you’re positive you’re going to marry the man of your dreams on a cloudy day with the smell of the sea nearby, make it a tender moment on your honeymoon with few guests

If you're positive (gram + cocci)you're going to marry the man of your dreams on a cloudy (cloudy urine) day with the smell (malodorous urine) of the sea (sea --> water --> dysuria, increase frequency/urgency) nearby, make it a tender (tenderness of supra-pubic area) moment on your honeymoon (honeymoon syndrome - acute urethral syndrome) with few (fewer bacteria needed for infection compared to cystitis) guests.

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli

MacConkey loves drinking bad milk when he’s short of breath but needs to pee a lot insistently.

Mac Conkey (MacConkey agar) loves drinking bad (gram - rod) milk (lactose fermentor) when he's short of breath (oxidase negative) but needs to pee (Pee --> P fimbrae --> pyelonephritis --> kidneyspee) a lot in-cyst-antly (insistently --> incystently --> cystitis)

Proteus spp

Proteus is prone to negative influences from his swarms of lactose-intolerant friends. Hunting for stags in stony places could put him in a coffin with no oxygen.

Proteus is prone to negative (gram - rod) influences from his swarms (swarmer) of lactose-intolerant (lactose non-fermentor) friends. Hunting for stags (staghorn calculus) in stony (struvite stones - kidney stones - magnesium ammonium phosphate) places could put him in a coffin (coffin lid crystals) with no oxygen (oxidase negative).

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Bad lactose-intolerant devils need to breath and PPEE in the soil when their kidneys are infected.

Bad (gram neg rods) lactose-intolerant (lactose non-ferm) devils need to breath (oxidase pos) and PPEE (pee --> PPEE --> PP - Pyocyanin/Pyochelin --> pro-inflam/ disrupt endothelial cell fxn; E - exotoxin A - inhib. protein synth via ADP ribosylation of EF2; E - exoensymes - phospholipase C, Rhamnolipid, leukocidins, proteases)) in the soil(soil/water reservoir) when their kidneys are infected (cystitis, pyelonephritis).

Enterococcus faecalis

DEF (Lancefield group D; E-Enterococcus; F - faecalis)

Good fae need a lot of salt in their diet to catalyze the production of bile and live.

Good (gram pos cocci) fae (Enterococcus faecalis) need a lot of salt (can survive in elevated salt) in their diet (diet --> GI tract) to catalyze (catalase neg) the production of bile (culture on ENT - bile esculin agar - hydrolysis of esculin/bile resistant) and live.

BK Virus

A lot of people who eat Burger King burgers naked with another person feel bloated; the feeling stays with them and gets worse when they’re stressed.

A lot of people (80% adults worldwide seropostivie) who eat Burger King (Burger King --> BK) burgers naked (non-enveloped) with another person (two ppl --> dsDNA) feel bloated (Ureteral stenosis --> water retention, reduced urine flow); the feeling stays (remains latent in lymphocytes, UGT, brain) with them and gets worse (reactivate --> BKAN --> BK assoc. nephropathy - renal disease) when they're stressed (decreased immune sys when stressed --> immunocompromised).

Neisseria gonorrhoeae

If you ever get hopped up on sugar, don’t get LOSt in New York City because you might meet Mr. Martin and his friend Neisseria who wants you inside of her more than she can breathe. She tells you “fix me” when she gets hurt badly, discharging CUPS of thick creamy green pus.

If you ever get hopped up on sugar (glucose user/fermentor), don't get LOSt (LOS - lipooligosaccharide) in New York City (NYC medium) because you might meet Mr. Martin (Thayer Martin Medium) and his friend Neisseria (Neisseria gonorrhoeae) who wants you inside (want inside --> facultative intracellular) of her more than she can breathe (oxidaise positive). She tells you "fix me" (cefixime - drug of choice for treatment - single dose/oral) when she gets hurt badly (gram negative cocci), discharging CUPS (C - cervicitis, U - urethritis, P - Pelvic inflammatory disease, S - salphingitis) of thick creamy green pus (i think it's a bit self explanatory if you see this with cutaneous lesions - run the other way).

Chlamydia trachomatis

Martin and Neisseria have a good friend, Mr. McCoy and his tiny daughter Chlamydia who needs you inside of her, no PUN intended, before her patience wears thin and her nerves fry.

Martin and Neisseria have a good friend, Mr. McCoy (McCoy cells/HeLa cells for culturing) and his tiny (very tiny bacteria) daughter Chlamydia (Chlamydia trachomatis), who needs you inside (obligate intracellular) (need you inside --> sex) of her, no PUN (P - PID; U - urethral syndrome/cervicitis in females; N - non-gonococcal urethritis in males) intended, before her patience wears thin (thin mucopurulent exudate) and her nerves fry (tissue becomes friable).

Ureaplasma/Mycoplasma spp.

HUGging small naked people magnanimously normally doesn’t turn you golden brown.

HUGging (H - Mycoplasma hominis - complications of pregnancy; U. urealyticum - 50% of NGU/NCU in males; G - M. genitalium - urethritis in males) small (small colony producing mycoplasma) naked (cell wall less) people magnanimously (manganous sulfate + urease rxn) normally (culture on A8 agar but oft seen in normal individuals) doesn't turn you golden brown (golden brown pigment from manganous sulface + urease).

Herpes Simplex Virus

Take your CUE from a straight laced friend and keep your clothes on when having sex with another person and stop the cycle.

Take your CUE (C - cervivitis; U - urethritis; E - external lesions) from a straight (linear) laced friend and keep your clothes on (enveloped) when having sex (sexually transmitted/contact with active lesions) with another person (dsDNA) and stop (shorten outbreak with treatment) the cycle (Acyclovir).

Trichomonas vaginalis

Keep things basic, don’t make it tricky because pros don’t insist that the metro is a good place to buy green strawberries from moving nomads frothing at the mouth.

Keep things basic (multiplies when vaginal conditions more basic than usual), don't make it tricky (trichomonas vaginalis) because pros (PROtozoan - fragellate) don't insist (insist --> cyst --> dont --> no cyst form) that the metro (metronidazole to treat) is a good place to buy green (greenish yellow discharge) strawberries (strawberry cervix) from moving (motile trichomonads) nomads (nomads --> monads) frothing (frothy greenish yellow discharge) at the mouth.

Candida albicans

Yeasty bread with cottage cheese naturally tastes good but if you’re sick, you’ll be itchy and red.

Yeasty (yeasty with pseudohyphae) bread with cottage cheese (cottage cheese discharge with vulvovaginitis) naturally (natural/normal flora in skin/mucous membranes) tastes good but if you're sick(immunocompromised at risk), you'll be itchy (itchy --> scratching of labia majora --> excoriations) and red(erythema on cervical mucosa surrounded by cottage cheese patches).

Gardnerella vaginalis

When Nugent goes fishing at high altitudes, he basically stays of the same mind but normally brings different clueless friends.

When Nugent (nugent score - score of 7/10 = bacterial vaginosis - assesses presence of large gram + lactobacili, small gram variable gardnerella, and curved gram variable mobiluncus) goes fishing (fishy odor with discharge) at high altitudes (high altitudes --> more CO2 --> aerobe whose growth is promoted by CO2), he basically (ph>4.5, so more basic) stays of the same (same --> homogenous discharge) mind (mind-->mine--> amine test postive) but normally (normal flora) brings different(gram variable and pleomorphic rod) clueless(clue cells present) friends.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

Don’t CAVE, U CAN beat Fitz-Hugh-Curtis at playing the violin.

Don't CAVE (Chronic form caused by A - anaerobes; V - vaginal flora; E - E. coli), U CAN (Acute forms caused by U - uroplasma/mycoplasma; C-Chlamydia trachomatis D-K; N-Neisseria gonorrhoeae) beat Fitz-Hugh-Curtis (Fitz-Huge-Curtis syndrome - extension of PID) at playing the violin (violin string adhesions between liver and parietal peritoneum)

Haemophilus ducreyi

LOSing a school of fish is bad especially when you get ragged on in a soft voice but it hurts more when a chain of events causes you to cry.

LOSing (LOS cell wall) a school of fish (school of fish pattern in gram stain) is bad (gram neg) especially when you get ragged (ragged ulcers on genitalia) on in a soft (soft chancres) voice but it hurts (painful ulcers/painful inguinal adenopathy) more when a chain (chain of coccobacilli --> school of fish) of events causes you to cry (to cry --> do cry --> ducreyi).

Chlamydia trachomatis (L1-L3)

Elle once knew that when she was small, she needed to stay inside so she wouldn’t get hurt. But as she grew, Elle too wanted to get involved.

Elle once (L1 - Chlamydia) knew that when she was small (very tiny bacteria), she needed to stay inside (obligate intracellulae - need to stay inside) so she wouldn't get hurt (not hurt --> painless ulceration - primary stage). But as she grew (grew --> elephantiasis of genitalia in late stage), Elle too (L2 - because Lymphogranuloma venereum is caused by L1-L3) wanted to get involved (anal sex --> perirectal/pelvic lymph node involvement).

Klebsiella granulomatis

Donovan liked eating rare steaks inside with his clothes on but his bad bipolar kleptomanic aunt ragged on him for doing it in the tropics.

Donovan (Donovan bodies - oval rod shaped org that appear inside infected tissue cells) liked eating rare steaks (velvety, beefy red appearance) inside (intracellulae) with his clothes on (encapsulated) but his bad (gram neg) bipolar (bipolar staining) kleptomanic (Klepto --> Klebsiella) aunt ragged (ragged ulcer) on him for doing it (sexual transmission) in the tropics (tropical/subtropical countries in setting of poverty/poor hygiene).

Treponema pallidum

Intrepid as usual, Syphilis stealthily spiraled into our hearts, going through several stages. First, painlessly invading when the chance rose and leaving spontaneously after 2 months. Secondly, from inside out, elegantly causing us to fall sick. Lastly, appearing to leave us gummed up and only thinking of it.

Intrepid (trepid --> treponema) as usual, Syphilis stealthily (stealth microbe) spiralled (spirochete) into our hearts (can cause cardiovascular syphilis), going through several stages (primary, second, tertiary, CV, neuro). First (Primary syphilis), painlessly (painless hard ulcer) invading (dissemination in lymph/blood) when the chance (chancre at site of invasion) arose and leaving spontaneously (spon. heal w/in 2 months) after 2 months. Secondly (secondary), from inside out (rash start on trunk to extremities), elegantly (elegant syphilis) causing us to fall sick (flu-like symptoms). Lastly (tertiary), appearing to leave us (goes latent) gummed (gummas - destructive granulomatous lesions) up and only thinking of it (in the CSF - not infectious unless have lesions).

Human Papilloma Virus

Coiling up with another person when you’re not wearing clothes guards against rubbing your soft skin.

Coiling (koilocytic cells; circular DNA) up with another person (dsDNA) when you're not wearing clothes(non-enveloped) guards (Guardasil) against rubbing (warts predom. at sites of friction) your soft (soft warts; not scaly) skin (cutaneous) in the cold(cryotherapy).

Genital warts - HPV 6/11

Cervical cancer - HPV 16/18

6+11 = 17 = (16+18)/2

common warts = HPV 2/7/27/9 [2, 7 --> 27 --> 2+7 = 9]

Black and White and everything inbetween

2011-07-03T16:35:00.000-07:00

Like little yin-yang chocolate treats, these peanut butter crackers are made even more special when coated in two types of chocolate. Feel free to change it up any way you like, instead of peanut butter, use Nutella, or even both. Don't like white chocolate? Melt up some dark chocolate and sprinkle with a dash of sea salt for a sweet and salty treat.Ritz Cracker Sandwiches

1 sleeve of Ritz crackers (I used whole wheat Ritz because that's what I had on hand)
Creamy Peanut Butter
White and Semi-Sweet Chocolate to coat

Taking about a 1/2 tablespoon of peanut butter, spread it on a cracker and top with another. Continue until the entire sleeve of Ritz crackers is gone (minus the ones being munched on in the process of creating peanut butter cracker sandwiches).

Line a pan with foil or parchment paper. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl on top of a pan with about an inch of simmering water. Dip one half of the sandwich in the white chocolate, set on the pan to set in the fridge for about 10 minutes. When the chocolate is set again, take them out and repeat with semi-sweet chocolate for the other uncoated half of the cracker sandwich. Place in the fridge again to finish setting (or if you're impatient like me, 5 minutes in the freezer should do the trick. ^_^)It should make about 16 sandwiches.... depending on how many Ritz you eat before they get peanut butter sandwiched between them... or if they've survived this ordeal... how many you eat before they get smothered in chocolate...

Chong Yao Beng 葱油饼 (Chinese Green Onion Pancakes)

2011-06-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

Every so often, I feel homesick and start craving everything I don't usually eat. Even bao (chinese buns) of all types begin to sound appealing. There's something about making my own chinese food from scratch with a deficiency of proper ingredients that makes the process more worthwhile and the final product yummier than anything store-bought.

Since so many people have asked, this is as good a time as any to post up the recipe. Keep in mind, it's more of a guideline as opposed to a true recipe since amounts of water and flour are more of a ratio as opposed to an amount.
Chong Yao Beng
(approx - 2:1 ratio of flour to hot water)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup hot water
A dash of salt
1 cup of chopped green onions/scallions
Sesame oil

Place flour and salt in a bowl. Heat water until a low simmer is achieved. Pour 1 cup into the flour mixture and mix with a spoon. The water helps the dough begin to form gluten before you even start mixing/kneading. When the dough begins to form, you can abandon the spoon and use your hands. Add more flour or water depending on the wetness/dryness of the dough. You want it to hold together without being overly sticky. This is a very forgiving recipe.

Tear off a small ball and roll out into 4-5 inch circle. Rub with a little sesame oil and scatter green onions on top of the circle. Roll up, pressing lightly to make a tight tube. Starting at one end, curl up the tube into a snail shape.Taking the palm of your hand, flatten the coil into about 3/4 cm thickness. Some of the onions may poke through the dough as it gets thinner. Don't worry about this too much. The thicker the pancake, the longer it'll take to pan fry and the chewier the texture.

When all of the pancakes are formed, heat a nonstick skillet with about a tablespoon of oil. If you want a nicer color, use sesame oil. Vegetable oil will give less color but is healthier. Panfry until cooked through, flipping the pancake after about 3-4 minutes. The dough will begin to look clear before turning opaque as it cooks. Continue until all of the pancakes have been cooked. You can also form the pancakes and fry them as you go.

If you want to make a dipping sauce, I combined a bit of chili-garlic sauce, sesame oil, fried scallions leftover from the pancakes, soy sauce, pepper to taste.

Vegetative Bodies

2011-06-27T20:41:00.000-07:00

Vegetation may not be good on heart valves, but in buns, I think they sound extraordinarily good. If I were a piece of rising dough possessing a heart, I don't think I would mind getting Libman-Sacks endocarditis and covering my valves with a mixture of celery, carrots, mushrooms, ham and garlic.

After making Phenomenon's 1 Bowl 1 Hour Dinner Rolls for our weekly Regency Sunday dinner, I couldn't help but think of variations, of fillings, of making it sweet and perhaps chocolatey.

The base of these filled rolls is an amazingly easy yeasted bread. The amount of active yeast doesn't add a strong flavor but allows the rise to occur quickly and fast enough for a last minute addition to any meal when you're strapped for time and can't wait 2+ hours for the proper rise to occur. The filling is not overwhelming, a simple mix of sauteed veggies, pretty much anything you have on hand, although I think next time, a bit more garlic would make for an amazing filling.
1 Bowl 1 Hour Dinner Rolls with Veggie Filling

Dough
1 1/2 cups of warm water (110 degrees F - slightly warm to the touch out of the tap)
1 tbsp instant yeast
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
4 cups flour (I used all purpose)

Filling
2 cups of any minced, sauteed vegetables you have on hand
I used (minced, finely):
A handful of baby carrots
1 stalk of celery
3 white button mushrooms
Cured Virginia ham
garlic, salt, pepper to taste

Topping
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp dry or fresh parsley
3 tbsp olive oilIn a measuring cup or small bowl, mix together warm water, sugar and yeast. Allow to stand for about 5-10 minutes until frothy.

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Make a well in the middle and add yeast mixture and oil. Mix until combined. Then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until soft and shiny. Form dough into a ball, placed in a lightly oiled bowl and allow to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. I preheated my oven to 200 degrees F, turned it off and let the dough rise in the warm oven.

While the dough is making its first rise, mince all of the vegetables and saute in a little oil until soft. Let cool until ready for filling. Also saute minced garlic, parsley, and oil and set aside to brush on top of the buns.When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and shape into an 8x12 rectangle. Cut into 24 pieces. I found it easier to separate each piece of dough as I cut it so that they wouldn't stick back together and become a giant ball again.

To form a bun, take one of the pieces of dough, flatten into a 3-4 inch circle, place a tablespoon of the filling in the center and pinch the sides together to seal the bun closed. Repeat until all 24 buns are formed.Lightly oiling a 9x13 pan, place the buns in rows of 4x6 to rise a second time. Drizzle garlic/oil/parsley over the top of the buns. While they rise for another 20 min or until doubled in size, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake for 13-15 minutes at 400 F (I baked them for 13 minutes, then again, it's naturally hot in the Caribbean without the addition of an oven).Devour when ready. =D

Monkeying Around

2011-06-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

Pictures of gram negative bacilli oddly bring to mind rich, buttery, cinnamon sugar covered balls of dough. Granted, the first thing to pop into my head when I first started taking notes on Fusobacterium necrophorum was necrophiliacs... however, what with medical pathophysiology being compared to food, I only thought it would be a good idea to post up something sweet, like ketone breath, and buttery, like the pools of liquid adipose (perhaps I shan't go one), and yeasty.

At the end of last semester as one of my first forays into the world of yeast and breads, I came across Smitten Kitchen's monkey bread recipe. It looked gorgeous, covered in melted butter and sugar and cinnamon, like a giant cinnamon roll without the effort and I couldn't resist. It was gone in less than an hour, took much longer, but the time to make the bread was worth every second, every minute and every harrowing hour of rising.

Monkey Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

Dough
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) unsalted butter, divided (2 tablespoons softened for the pan, 2 tablespoons melted for the dough)
1 cup milk, warm (around 110 degrees)
1/3 cup water, warm (also around 110 degrees)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 package or 2 1/4 teaspoons rapid rise, instant or bread machine yeast
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface
2 teaspoons table salt

Brown Sugar Coating
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick or 4 ounces), melted

Cream Cheese Glaze
8 ounces cream cheese, softened (1 brick of cream cheese)
2 cups powdered sugar, plus extra if needed
1/4 cup milk, plus extra if needed
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make dough: In a large measuring cup, mix together warm water, 1 tbsp sugar, and yeast. Let it sit for about 10 minutes to make sure the yeast is alive and producing gas.

Mix flour, rest of the 1/4 cup of sugar, and salt in large bowl. Make a well in the flour, then add yeast mixture, milk and melted butter to well. Using wooden spoon, stir until dough begins to come together. Turn out onto lightly floured work surface and knead until dough is smooth and satiny, about 10 minutes. Shape into taut ball and proceed as directed.

Coat large bowl with a tablespoon of oil (like canola). Place dough in bowl and roll around in oil to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in warm oven until dough doubles in size (about an hour)

To prepare the bundt pan - coat in the 2 tbsp of softened butter.

Make brown sugar coating: Place melted butter in one bowl. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in a second one.

Form the bread: Flip dough out onto floured surface and gently pat into an 8-inch square. Cut dough into 64 pieces.

Roll each piece of dough into ball. Working one at a time with a fork, dip balls in melted butter, allowing excess butter to drip back into bowl. Roll in brown sugar mixture, then layer balls in Bundt pan, staggering seams as you build layers.

Place pan in warm oven until dough balls are puffy and have risen 1 to 2 inches from top of pan, 50 to 70 minutes.

Bake bread: Take pan out of oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake until top is deep brown and caramel might begin to bubble around edges, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes then turn out on platter.

Make glaze: Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add milk and a cup of powdered sugar. Mix until smooth, adding more powdered sugar to taste and until desired consistency is reached. Add vanilla at the end and incorporate.

Drizzle the glaze over warm monkey bread, letting it run over top and sides of bread. Serve warm.

Men and Microbes

2011-06-24T12:27:00.000-07:00

Nothing better than a good trashy romance to relax and empty my brain while releasing the stress of sitting in class for an extra hour on a lovely warm Friday afternoon in the middle of the Caribbean. After all, a little laughter is good for you, especially when every medical disease known to man is lovingly compared to food.

Blueberry babies. Cottage cheese candidiasis. Fishy odors. Strawberry tongue. Rice water stool. Nutmeg liver. Thick creamy discharge.

It's a wonder that any student remains a faithful foodie after such eloquent educational terms. Which reminds me of the elegant hand authors have in describing the human body. After all, what woman wouldn't swoon and fall head over heels for a man possessing a "throbbing wand of manhood" or "quivering engorged man mast?" Okay, okay, so perhaps it was a little over the top, but after covering STDs in med micro, "her moist, wet folds, quivering like the open petals of a flower, ready to be pollinated, flushed pink...." (Ahem... I think we all get the point.) means something completely different

Let's just say that there are a few things in life that should be left alone. No descriptions necessary, thank you very much.

6 Points to Live By

2011-06-23T03:52:00.000-07:00

Well, I suppose things make much more sense now. My life defined in 6 points. Granted, the difference here is that her girlfriends and boyfriends have two completely different views of her while in my case, it would have to be old friends and new acquaintances. But given the overall CTA (cue-to-action) as she puts it, I think I'm better off staying as I am.

Life would be a terrible place if everyone pretended to be cruel and petty merely to fend off unwanted attention from the other sex. Anyway, what would be the fun in repressing one's own personality? Where's the gain?

I'm Contagious

2011-06-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

A little late for Block 2 for those who are currently in their 3rd semester at AUC and taking Med Micro, but life always needs a few happy stories about infectious microbes and the lovely diseases they can cause. ^_^

Med Micro Stories Part 2 (Yes, I realize that Part 1 doesn't really exist... well... it does.. in my head. ;)

A pair of blue pigeon twins living in a crypt lined with silver and black chronically breathed spores.

A pair (paired sera) of blue (Calcofluor Alcian blue) pigeon (from pigeon droppings, nature) twins (twins are the same, monomorphic) living in a crypt (cryptococcus neoformons) lined with silver (silver stain) and black - (ink is black - india ink) chronically (chronic meningitis) breathed (respiratory disease first sign of infection) spores. (transmitted by aerosolized spores)

After Naegler swam in some foul water, he ran a high fever, hallucinating that the taste of warm water gave him a headache.

After naegler (naegleria) swam in some foul (fowleri) water (contaminated water/lakes), he ran a high fever, hallucinating (olfactory hallucinations) that the taste (taste alterations) of warm water (hot tubs) gave him a headache (intense prefrontal headache)

When walking in CA, it’s a bad idea to cross small animals or they’ll bite your buns.

When walking in CA (California encephalitis), it's a bad (bad - negative ss RNA) idea to cross (la Crosse encephalitis) small animals (small animals - chipmunks/squirrels) or they'll bite your buns (bunyavirus)

It’s a good idea for sick children to wear togas when riding horses on the eat and west side of Venezuela.

It's a good (ss pos sense RNA) idea for sick (immunocompromised) children (children > adult for symptoms/severity) to wear togas (Togaviridae) when riding horses (horses - equine encephalitis ) on the east (EEE) and west (WEE) side of Venezula (VEE)

Flavaflav is getting old and black and has high BP from battling birds in St. Louis.

Carissa's st. louis/west nile/jpn encephalitis - flavaflav (flaviridae) is getting old (elderly most severely affected) and black (african Amer - increased risk) and has high BP (hypertension - increased risk) from battling birds (reservoir) in St. Louis

As Jesus Christ hung naked and weak with a white sheet on the cross, his visions, speech and personality changed before he died.

As jesus christ (JC Virus) hung naked (naked dsDNA) and weak (progressive weakness) with a white (loss of white matter - myelin) sheet on the cross (cross BBB), his vision, speech and personality changed (visual, speech, personality changes) before he died (lifethreatening disability --> death over weeks/months)

Paralyzed and naked, sabin protected salk.

Paralysed (asymmetric flaccid paralysis) and naked (naked ss pos RNA), sabin (live vaccine - shed virus to protect others - herd immunity) protected salk (inactivated)

Playing tennis without oxygen positively leads to smirks, sweats and spasms.

Playing tennis (tennis racket appearance - bacillus - form spores) without oxygen (strict anaerobe) positively (gram pos) leads to smirks (trismus - lockjaw; risus sardonicus - sardonic smile), sweats (sweating, drooling, irritability) and spasms (back spasms)

Doing acid with armadillos in the cold can lead to two things.

[Doing acid (acid fast cell wall) with armadillos (armadillo - similar disease to humans) in the cold (like lower temp such as skin/nasophaarynx) can lead to two things (2 forms - tuberculoid and lepromatous)

Tubers with dark rings around their pale eyes don’t feel anything when small things positively inflame their immune system.

Tubers (tuberculoid) with dark rings (erythematous - red border) around their pale (pigment loss in center of rash - well definied asymmetrical cutaneous macular rash) eyes don't feel anything (sensory loss) when small (small numbers of bacteria in macrophages) things positively (lepromin skin test positive) infllame (inflammatory response strong) their immune system (T cell - DTH response)

Lepers can’t breath when bees bring bacteria to infect them.

Lepers (lepromatous) can't breath (obstructed breathing - invovle nasal mucosa) when bees (bees --> b cell response) bring bacteria (large numbers of bacteria) to infect (infectious) them

Home, home on the range, where the cows and the antelope sleep, the winter will fall and chancers will form, as flies move in Africa all day…

Home, home on the range, where the cows and the antelope (cattle/antelope - Tb rhodesiense; human for the other one) sleep (sleeping sickness), the winter(winterbottom's sign - enlarged posterior cervival glands) will fall and chancres (chancres - primary lesions) will form, as flies (tstese fly is vector) move (motile trypanosomes in smears) in africa (africa is endemic area) all day (please sing this according to the song home on the range)

Gamblers are slow. Roads help cattle move faster.

Gamblers (Trypanosoma brucei gambiense) are slow (slow to enter CNS – illness lasts from mo-years). Roads (Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense) help cattle (cattle/antelope) move faster (early invasion of CNS – fatal if not treated; illness < 9 mo).

In the sunlight, pigs produce proglottids from their stomach into their stool.

In the sunlight (sun = sol in latin; taenia solium), pigs (swine primary host - pork tapeworm) produce proglottids (in stool, or larvae or eggs) from their stomach (convert from eggs to oncospheres in stomach) into their stool (fecal oral infection)

Heartless demons smell of sulfur and kill with acid, causing oozing lesions covered in wax.

Heartless (no heart - nocardia brasiliensis) demons smell of sulfur (sulfur granules) and kill with acid (weakly acid fast - trehalose dimycolate), causing oozing lesions (pustules; suppurative granulomas over time) covered in wax (waxy colonies that turn chalky)

Crawling on your hands and knees with bad two-faced rats on a hill will put you in bed with relapsing fever.

Crawling on your hands and knees (nonpruritic rash (maculopapular, pustular etc) on palms, soles, extremities - asymmetrical polyarthritis- knees most often affected) with bad (gram neg) two-faced (many faces - many forms – pleomorphic – at odds with name which is Strep. moniliformis) rats (rat bite fever) on a hill(haverhill fever) will put you in bed with relapsing fever(relapsing fever - febrile and nonfebrile periods)

Try to stay straight and don’t move without breathing when someone punches you and breaks your bones. I’m going to kill Nella. Corrodens.

try to stay straight( gram neg, neg sign is straight - rod is straight - needles are straight (please don't lick them)) and don't move (stiffness - limitation of movement), without breathing (anaerobic) when someone punches you (clenched fist injury) and breaks your bones (can spread to bones - osteomyelitis). "i'm going to kill nella" - Eikenella. corrodens - appear to corrode/erode agar - gas pockets (anaerobe) and bleach smell (hypochlorite)

The best Israeli dentists will perform surgery on your molars without causing sinus problems that make it hard to breathe when you summon sulfur smelling chupacabras in the woods.

The best (best - postive -gram pos) israeli (actinomyces israelii) dentists will perform surgery (risk - trauma, dental work, surgery) on your molars (molar tooth shaped colonies) without causing sinus (sinus tracts) problems that make it hard to breathe (anaerobe - no breathing air) when you summon sulfur (sulfur granules) smelling chupacabras (goat suckers) (suck out blood - hematogenous spread - spread thr. blood) in the woods (woody abscess)

Two bad white lumpy cats like to signal each other with mice in soft pastures.

2 (bipolar staining) bad (gram neg rods) white (white mucoid colonies) lumpy (regional lymphadenopathy) cats (zoonotic transmission) like to signal each other (Tox A - affect signal transduction pathway via act. of G prot) with mice (mousy odor) in soft (soft abscesses) pastures ( pasteurella multocida)

Abscesses are SAPpy in the Israeli sun.

abscesses are SAPpy in the Israeli(A. israelii) sun(aura - sun) - abscesses - S(staph. aureus) A (actinomyces israeli) P (Pasteurella multocida)

CVS pharmacy

CVS pharmacy - C (clostridium perfringens) V (vibrio vulnificus) S (strep pyogenes)

Subcutaneous virulence

Claustrophobic diabeties that like eggs get positively gassy when making lecithin crackers.

Claustrophopic (clostridium perfringens - sort of sounds similar) diabetics (diabeties and those with decreased peripheral circulation are at risk) that like eggs (egg yolk agar --> precipitation) get positively (gram + rod) gassy (anaerobe; gas from fermentation - gas gangrene) when making lecithin (lecithinase - alpha toxin) crackers (crepitus - crackling sound)

1-2 days after swimming in the sea, don’t move bad oysters. Sick people get Sepsis and Skin lesions.

1-2 days (progressives fast - 24-48 hours skin lesions after infection) after swimming (water sports) in the sea (salty water), don't move (motile rod) bad (gram -) oysters (contaminated oysters). Sick people(immunocompromised - higher risk of invasion) get Sepsis(decreased BP, septic shock) and Skin lesions (blistering skin lesions - blood filled bullae).

Fat people without muscle can’t put out fires with water.

Fat (destruction of fat) people without muscle (destruction of muscle - deep tissue infection) can't put out fires (Strep pyogenes - pyo --> pyro --> fire) with water (fluid filled bullae)

Dragons spiral in San Francisco making ulcerous rings.

Dragons (dracunculus medinesis) spiral (spirillum minus) in San francisco (francisella tularensis) making ulcerous (ulcers) rings

Drinking with crabby dragons in Africa will give you worms that slowly leave your skin but not before making you slow and sick.

Drinking (consume water) with crabby(infected crustaceans) dragons (dracunculus medinesis) in Africa (tropical africa) will give you worms (guinea/medinia worm - nematode) that slowly (protrude after a year -about 2-3 months to erupt completely) leave (erupt thr. ulcers) your skin (cutaenous ulcer) but not before making you slow (interfere with locomotion) and sick (urticaria, nausea, vomit, diarrhea - flu-like symptoms).

Eating a little bit of chocolate covered wild animals laced with cysteine in San Francisco is bad for your health.

Eating (oropharyngeal/GI tularemia - eating contaminated meat) a little bit (low infectious dose - only 10-50 org req. for infection) of chocolate (chocolate agar) covered wild animals (zoonotic transmission - rabbit/deer/rodents) laced with cysteine (cysteine req) in San Francisco (francisella tularensis) is bad (gram neg) for your health (Cell mediated immune response - hypersens)

Bad rats visited Asia for 2 weeks and went back to the dark 3-9 days later for 2 days FUL of red spiral rashes.

Bad (gram neg) rats (rate bite/spirillar fever/sodoku) visited asia (highest incidence for those visitng/live in asia) for 2 weeks (disease after 14-18 days after exposure) and went back (relapsing fever - recurring symptoms in untreated patients) to the dark (dark field prep) 3-9 days later (symptoms reppears 3-9 days later for untreated) for 2 days (rash for 48 hours) F(fever)U(ulcers)L(lymphadenopathy) of red spiral (spiral - spirillum minus) rashes (red brown macular rash)

Spores like MOTTS applesauce the least.

Spores (sporothrix schenckii) like MOTTS (sorta self explanatory) applesauce the least (leishmania)

Playing with flies in the sand scarred my skin the least. But a mass of goats destroyed my mucosal tissues.

Playing with flies in the sand (sand flies) scarred (spontanously heal but leave scars) my skin (cutaneous leishmaniasis) the least (leishmania spp). But a mass of goats (amastigote - intracellular) destroyed my mucosal tissues (mucocutaneous - infect at mucosal-dermal jct; nasal septum; buccal cavity).

Jensen enjoys the many flavors of MOTTS applesauce with tea outside on rought hard days that rain acid.

Jensen (lowenstein jensen media) enjoys the many flavors (pleomorphic rod - many forms) of MOTTS (duh) applesauce with tea (T cell mediated chronic inflammation) outside (environmental sources) on rough (verrucal - roiugh, wart like lesions) hard (granulomas - nodular lymphangitis - nodes are hard) days that rain acid (acid fast wall - trehalose dimycolate)

When picking mushrooms in rose bushes with clogged sinuses, don’t breathe in spores while touching cold mold before using warm yeast in cigars.

When picking mushrooms (thermally dimorphic fungi) in rose bushes (rose thorms - environ source - vegetation with thorns) with clogged (thickened lymphatics - nodular - abscesses) sinuses (sinus tracts draining to epidermis), don't breathe in spores (Sporothrix schenckii) while touching cold (mold at 25 deg - cold) mold (1 form) before using warm (yeast at 35-37 deg) yeast (2nd form) in cigars (cigar shaped yeast in tissue)

Bop that eschar on the head.

Bop that eschar on the head - B (bacillus anthracis) O (orf virus) P (pseudomonas aeruginosa) – Eschars

Henderson likes smooth mollusks with two shells. When he was a child, he picked them up with his hands and feet and put them on his face; as an adult, he covers his privates.

Henderson (henderson-patterson bodies - eosinic cytoplasmic inclusion bodies) likes smooth (smooth, shiny surface with central induration) molluscs (Molluscum Contagiosum) with two shells (double envelope; dsDNA) - when he was a child, he picked them up with his hands and feet and put them on his face (kids get warts on face, trunk, extremities); as an adult, he covers his privates (adults gets warts on abdomen, pubis, genitalia, inner thigh).

Rule of 3’s. 3 letters, 3 lesions, 3 ganglia

Rule of 3's - HSV (3 letters); lesions in groups of 3; 3 ganglia - Trigem (cold sores; hsv-1); Sacral (genital; hsv-2); Brachial (herpetic whitlow - fingers)

The Japanese are very healthy.

the japanese are very healthy - only jpn encephalitis has a vaccine - others may have animal vaccines

Timeless

2011-06-02T00:05:00.000-07:00

Time passes by so swiftly that sometimes I don't know what has happened, what I've done, and what will come. I don't want anything to pass me by. I don't want to forget something, to have regrets...

Which is why some things should be Timeless...

Give me just one second.

One second to look into your eyes.

One second to say good-bye.

One more second to catch the sigh that escapes your lips.

Give me one more minute.

One minute to say how much I miss you.

One minute to hold your hand.

One minute to wipe that tear from your face.

Give me one hour.

One hour to watch the sunset.

One hour to show you my love.

One hour to admit my mistake.

Please give me one day.

One day to spend with you.

One day to hold you in my arms and tell you how much I care.

One second,

one minute,

one hour,

one day…

will never be enough.

So give me a lifetime,

A lifetime of laughter, of love, of joy…

Beginnings

2011-05-20T18:01:00.000-07:00

It's interesting the things you find when you're looking for something else. After combing through my email, I found a little drabble from 2007. Five years. It still amazes me how different I sound, when I write with an intent in mind or let my fingers take over and type whatever comes to mind. So in the vein of beginnings: the beginning of a new semester, the beginning of my second year of medical school and the beginning of a time of more prolific writing/musing, here's a story of beginning.

Beginning to Live

Taking a breath, Ieni let herself fall forward. The air rushed past her face and she opened her eyes, only to close them once more before she hit the water. It was dangerous to go diving off of the bluffs but Ieni had been doing so for years. At first, it had been a dare, a challenge she had to meet from the others her age. But later, it became her salvation, the one thing to calm her mind when nothing else worked. The sensation of falling kept her from thinking, allowing her to focus her energy on her entrance into the sea. Kicking her legs, Ieni made her way to the surface and breathed in, smiling sadly when she saw the lingering rays of the sun vanish behind the oncoming dusk.

It was time to return, but after running for so long, Ieni wondered if it would be worth the effort. But she had promised to return after a season, and with the setting of the sun, a new cycle was beginning. Soon, the cold would set in and she would no longer be able to stay close to the beach. Swimming back to shore, Ieni reluctantly left the still warm water. She glanced behind her shoulder at the myriad of colors streaking the sky and hoped she would be able to swim without
regrets again. The village elders had only allowed her to live on her own with the condition that she not leave without saying good-bye. It was a strange request, but after the tradition of her family, it was the only promise which would make her return to the village. Every member of her family had left without telling anyone, slipping away silently during the night, never to return.

As Ieni gathered up her clothes and the meager belongings she had taken away with her, she sighed, looking towards the path with trepidation. It wasn't so much the loss of the ocean and her freedom so much as the return to the village which bothered her. She would be expected to marry, to act the dutiful wife and daughter, but all she wanted was to swim, to dive and feel the water caress her skin.

Stepping under the trees, Ieni paused, looking before her at the shadows. There would be no moon this night to light her way and guide her. The sky was dark, covered with clouds to mirror her feelings.

Closing her eyes, Ieni let her feet move her, knowing the path even without sight. It was second nature, something that never really left even after a summer away. The voice of Elder Shi spoke to her as she walked, getting ever closer to the circle of lights which marked the outskirts of the village. "Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live." The ocean would never leave; it would always be a walk away. She would not abandon her village as had her mother before her. She would stay, and watch. Perhaps, Ieni was beginning to live again.

Balance

2011-04-14T19:17:00.000-07:00

Balance is not letting anyone love you less than you love yourself. – Felipe, Eat Pray Love

I think I need a little balance in my life. As the semester nears a close, the more I feel like balance is the furthest thing from my mind. Peace is so hard to find, even in the silence of the waves washing along the sandy shore of the beach when no one is nearby and the closest thing to company are the brown little beach birds that scamper across the rocks in pairs.

Life is a balancing act. Like night and day, partitioned by dawn and dusk.
Like the double suns, it feels almost like a dream, a fictional reality. If only it would end...

Caribbean Chick with Sticks

2011-03-02T15:16:00.000-08:00

The Caribbean is all well and good, sunshine and warmth, interesting flora and fauna. But what is a knitter to do without a LYS nearby?!?

I have to say that despite the lack of fiber-y goodness in close proximity, I had the forethought to bring a project with me. Happily and sadly, it is now finished. And part of the knitting process was even done at Tantra, a club in Maho, while we were waiting for the PhiChi/AMSA Date Auction to begin post-block 2 on Valentine's Day. =D

Granted, this is a terrible picture of my Vixen Camisole and it took an absurd two months due to studying and such. It was little short, so I added a few rows of single crochet at the bottom to a) decrease the rolling despite blocking and b) add a little length so it was less indecent. I probably should have knit the dropped stitch section longer, but I was beginning to get impatient. =PHopefully, I get to take more pictures of knitting in interesting places.

Sundays and Sunsets

2011-02-27T12:32:00.000-08:00

After one and a half semesters, I finally made it down to Cupecoy Beach, and it was devoid of people. Just as we arrived, a couple made their way up the stone steps up the cliff, leaving the beach to us. The sky was just beginning to change colors at that point, the waters were relatively calm, especially after the random spurts of rain we had for the first part of the week.

Watching the sun seemingly fall beneath the edge of the ocean is almost surreal. Warm still emanates from the sun as it sets, as opposed to in SF where watching the sky change colors is far more comfortable from a heated house. So perhaps this sunset wasn't taken on a balmy sunday evening but it was beautiful nonetheless. As sailboats passed across the horizon, we stood on an empty beach, the sand and surf to ourselves. It was definitely one of the most peaceful moments of the week by far, a nice little mid-week break. Nothing beats med school on a tropical island.

The Magic of Maho

2010-10-19T08:53:00.000-07:00

The most interesting things always happen when you least expect them. In this case, after a night of bad life decisions which yielded cupcakes at 3 o’clock in the morning and plans to walk to Maho a few hours later, I didn’t expect the morning I received… to say the least. =D That’s not to say it wasn’t interesting.

So for all of the people in the following list, a walk to Maho is a must.

- Do you have low self confidence? Not quite satisfied with the way your body looks? With all of the looks you’ll be getting, you’ll be wondering where all these men were hiding before this walk happened.

- Are you tired of your monogamous relationship? Your guy just not lavishing you with compliments anymore? Take a stroll through the market and you just might get the admiration you so deserve.

- Ever wanted to cause an accident? Or just witness a car wreck? Walk along the worst bend by the golf course and wait. Every car with a man is an accident waiting to happen. Once that head turns, nothing and no one is safe.

- Feel unappreciated? As if you’ve been forgotten? A few steps along the cracked concrete pavement by the grassy knoll of the golf course and you’ll know that your existentialist existence has been affirmed.

If you haven’t had enough, take a walk to Porto Cupecoy the next morning, bright and early, and you’ll wonder why you ever had self image issues. Appreciative glances on “The Friendlist Island” are definitely a pick me up after late nights and foiled plans. ;-P

Lucky Star Origami Earrings

2010-07-28T17:33:00.001-07:00

Lucky Star Origami Earrings

I love these little earrings. After seeing them on Etsy, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make a few of my own, especially since I have tons of stars lying around. The blue ones I couldn't resist since the design is for the star sign, Sagittarius. The purple ones are little pandas and the pink ones are of a little girl in different costumes.

They're quite easy and with a little practice, are quickly produced. For the knitterly inclined, instead of attaching to earring wires, the stars could be placed on jump rings in needle appropriate sizes for stitch markers. =)

Materials

Size 6/0 seed beads in two colors
Origami Lucky Stars
Earring Wires
Head Pins
Nail Polish/Modge Podge or some sort of decoupage medium
Ceramic Cleaning tool or something sharp
Round Nose Pliers
Chain Nose Pliers
Side Cutter

1) Use the triangular blade of the ceramic cleaning tool to poke a hole in the bottom of the lucky stars.

Poking a hole

Hole on the bottom of the star

2) Place a bead on a head pin.

3) Use the head pin to poke through the hole at the bottom of the star. The head pin should emerge at the point of the star opposite the hole. It may take a little maneuvering for the head pin for poke through the top.

4) Paint the stars with at least one layer of nail polish or decoupage medium, waiting for each layer to dry before applying a new layer. Depending on the paper, it may bleed. This step protects the stars from getting waterlogged, although showering with the earrings is not recommended.

The top coat I used. (I’ve never actually used it on my nails…)

5) String on more beads, or stars, as you like.

Alternated red and clear seed beads.

6) Take the side cutters and cut the head pin approximately 1 – 1.5 cm above the last bead/star. Excess can be trimmed accordingly.

7) Using the round nose pliers, take the head pin, making sure it is flush with the top of the pliers. Place the pin at the diameter of the final loop desired. Wrapping around the round nose pliers at different places will give different size loops.

8) Bend the head pin at the top of the bead/star to prevent them from moving up.

9) Begin making the loop by wrapping the head pin around the pliers. If it looks as if there is too much wire, take the side cutter and trim off the excess before continuing with making the loop.

Beginning of loop.

10) Finish the loop.

11) Open the newly formed loop using the chain nose pliers. Do not pull the loop open, just lift the loop to create a space.

A better tutorial of steps 6-11 is available athttp://www.firemountaingems.com/beading_howtos/beading_projects.asp?docid=691E

12) Attach the earring wire and close the loop.

Open loop with earring wire.

13) Finished earrings

Diamond of My Heart Shawl Pattern

2010-06-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

So... After much dithering, playing around with Excel, and realizing my charts looked exceedingly wonky, Diamond of My Heart is finally up for download. This is my first ever knit pattern.

It came about as my former roommate and I contemplated designing our own shawls after seeing all of the other pretty yet simple shawls available on Ravelry. I have no preference whether the pattern is "easy" or "hard" while my friend likes something of a challenge. So, this is for those who like a little bit of both.

The main body is a simple diamond eyelet stitch while the edging requires a little bit more attention due to the addition of hearts. This is a shawl for all those who think that diamonds are a girl's best friend.

Pattern Link Diamond of My Heart

Larger Version of Chart 2 With More Hearts

The sample was knit on US 6/4.0 mm 24" circular needles in Misti Alpaca Lace Canada - Colorway Blue Mist Melange and used less than 1 skein at 437 yards/50 grams.

Silent Night

2009-12-27T11:12:00.000-08:00

A short little drabble from this year's Eloisa James and Julia Quinn Holiday Anthology. =)

Silent Night

With a single candle in her hand, Annabel roamed the dark halls of the old mansion. It was Christmas Eve, but she couldn’t muster the strength to feel joy. Wind wailed outside the windows, snow covered the ground, and the once happy house was silent.

Silence is for remembrance.

Annabel sighed. Even in death, her grandfather, the late Lord Haversham, knew what to say. He may not have been very old, but he was quite the wise man.

Christmas is for loving.

“I know, Grandfather. And New Year is for beginnings.”

Annabel shook her head. It was the house. She never spoke to herself before moving back to Devonshire. The contrast of the serene countryside with bustling London made Annabel long for noise.

Music makes the days brighter.

Wondering if she were going mad, Annabel shook her head. Soon, she would be gone, the house would belong to another and the voices would stop.

“If it will give you peace, I’ll play a song.” Feeling foolish, Annabel pushed open the door to the sitting room.

The pianoforte sat in the same place. Next to the window overlooking the drive, the piano was an heirloom, passed from one generation to the next in the hopes that one would be able to play it.

Setting the candle down, Annabel walked over to the fireplace. Dying embers sparked, ready to be called to life with a prod and more kindling. Feeding the fire, Annabel warmed her chilled body a moment before sitting.

Carols are the songs of angels come down to earth.

Taking a hint from her ghostly companion, Annabel began playing the refrain for “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

As the tinkling of the piano drifted through the room, Annabel could almost imagine her grandfather standing nearby with a hand on his cane and a smile on his face. The music conjured images of the past and she even felt the warm touch of a hand on her shoulder.

“Stop imaging things, Annabel. He’s gone, and you’re alone this Christmas. Just like every holiday this year.”

Whispering the admonishment, Annabel was sure she felt an unseen frown of disapproval. Turning, she saw no one but the shadows cast by the fire. Her fingers flew over the ivory and ebony keys with ease. The song was so familiar; Annabel could play it in her sleep, much less without watching.

“Hang a shining star upon the highest bough, and have yourself a merry little Christmas now…”

As she sang the last words of the carol, Annabel heard the bell in the town square toll midnight. Looking at the mantle, she saw the clock’s hand move to twelve. Christmas.

Letting her hands fall to her sides, Annabel bowed her head. The song reopened old wounds.

Pain helps us become strong.

“I’d rather be weak and have you alive.”

No.

The harsh refusal made Annabel raise her tear-streaked face and she stared in shock at the gentle expression on her grandfather’s face.

Merry Christmas, Belle.

Happy Valentine's

2009-02-14T17:03:00.001-08:00

So I have been completely lax about updating; however, I suppose since I feel the need to slack for a little while after all of the studying I've done this week, I'll now write a super long post for no apparent reason except to add updates on my life.

MCAT studying is sadly still going on. Hopefully it works out for the best.

Of the fun things that are going on. I've been learning spinning this quarter. Interestingly enough, it garners more interest than knitting in public. Strange, huh? At first, it was "what are you doing?" Now that I'm spinning up the sample of black/brown roving that Carol from The Sheep Shed Studio sent along with my order, people keep asking if it's hair. =.= What can I say but no? I'm spinning wool. This one girl was especially frightened for some odd reason even after I said it was wool. She looked at my tiny first skein of white yarn in disgust. *sigh*
So the second half ounce or so of roving ended up looking like this
It's finally pretty consistent, about 41 yards of single ply.

The other half ounce was slubby and strange; half of which was spun by Isabel because she got addicted and wouldn't leave my spindle alone after I brought it home that night from the first spinning class. It's since been plied and is about 17 yards of double ply (an experiment in Andean plying that didn't quite work out the way I imagined it would).
At the moment, I'm hoping to spin up enough lace weight singles from the sample bag for a shawl for graduation. =) Sadly, the only time I have to spin is before class so it's going to be slow going. More firsts are occurring as well. Yesterday night, after making up my hours at the Craft Center, I tried my hand at Kool-Aid dyeing with the black and white striped roving I bought. Zin says it looks like watermelon candy so I think I'll call it Watermelon Surprise, or something to that extent. Just in time for Valentine's; it's pink and white with patches of white where the dye didn't penetrate with black stripes sort of like watermelon seeds.
~~Anyway, when the pictures get off my camera, they'll be following this post.~~
And here they are. =D

Santa Appearances

2008-12-04T22:01:00.000-08:00

The month of December... Christmas, Santa, presents and more! This year has definitely been a lot of fun and it can only get better, despite finals next week. =) So all three of us (Isabel, Zin and I) decided to be Santa helpers this year. Tonight was the Dixon Christmas event and we got to ride on a fire engine. Sadly it wasn't a classic red one... it was yellow. lol.

It was a good thing we had capes, it was cold. o_O But the bonfire near the firemen's tent was warm and inviting. I could have stayed in front of it all night long. hehe. Anyway, we took a few pics with Zinny's camera and hopefully we can get the ones that Margie took for us. =) I'll put those up when that happens. And we're also doing the Breakfast with Santa event next saturday.

Zinny and Santa

Jen and Santa Jen and Engine 381
Zinny on Engine 381 Bel and Engine 381

The Little Mermaid

2008-08-05T17:20:00.000-07:00

It has been far too long since a retelling so the current project of the week will be a rendition of the little mermaid for Emily. Two days have already been lost however, short and sweet is always the way to go when time is of the essence. Red hair, green eyes and a fiery temper to match, this little mermaid will be anything but. ^.^

Heros

2008-08-01T16:16:00.000-07:00

Initially this started out in my head, just a small little dream about Hercules and the decision he made to sacrifice his life for Megara's. True, this is Disney's version of a classic hero; however, his valor and determination cannot be denied. Perhaps, Megara never existed, but Hercules still did the right thing.

This week, I offer a version of events that could have been (alongside a little artistic license...).

“Meg, what are you doing?”

The world was falling apart but I could only watch as she cried. Her hair tumbled down her back, red as the flames that licked at houses below us, flickering gold and orange like the lava that spilled down Mt. Olympus. Hunger roared through the streets while Disease ravaged the populace. Monsters which had once been confined ran loose. It was as the Fates decreed. The Gods had fallen.

“I never meant for this to happen. I want you to know that.”

Phil held her head up, willing life into Meg’s body, but I knew it was of no use. She was gone.

“Aidoneus, I know you’re watching.”

“And if I am? She’s gone, dear nephew. Not even I control death. I merely watch.”

His eyes were cold, empty of all feeling as he spoke. But it was useless, his attitude did not affect me. I could only think of Meg. As cries of pain met my ears, I made my choice. Jumping onto Pegasus’s back, I pointed him towards the River Styx. The Fates would take no more from me.

Souls gathered around the opening of the Styx, some vying to get in and others clamoring to leave. But Charon and Cerberus kept them in their proper place, just as they tried to keep me in the world of the living. I would not be driven from my decision. If the world was to end; I would do as I pleased.

I leapt, falling from Pegasus’s back into the cold waters. Souls pulled on my body, dragging me deeper, away from the light. I could feel the life being sucked away just as the souls around me grew stronger, turning translucent as they fed on the years which had been denied them, the few years which were still left to me.

I could see the Fates, spinning the tapestry of Life, holding a pair of shears, glinting silver in the cold moonlight. It was my time. I had failed.

“You know. I never imagined that you would surrender so easily.”

The voice was filled with laughter and incredulity. Tearing my eyes from the souls around me, I searched for the speaker. She stood a few yards away, toying with the folds of her gown, her green eyes glinting with mirth.

“What do you know, Envy? I would have thought you’d support him.”

“And I do. But you must remember, when all desires that cling to the heart are surrendered, a mortal becomes immortal. What I do is of no concern to you, dear Hercules.”

Her words woke me from my mindless daze and I turned my back to her, swimming towards the one soul which meant more to me than my life. As I reached towards Meg, trying to grasp her, I felt a sharp tug on my heart and faltered. The water before me cleared, showing a golden thread which would not break under Fates’ shears.

“What do humans cherish most, Hercules?” Envy’s voice broke the vision.

“Life. We desire life above all else.”

Weekly Drabbles

2008-07-26T20:59:00.000-07:00

So Andrea and I have come to the agreement that perhaps this summer should not be wasted especially since a major chunk of it has been used up studying for the test of doom, MCAT. And the title of this post reveals it all. The post for this week, starting on July 27, will be the beginning of our little challenge. Each week will begin on Sunday and depending on who's week it is to choose the quote, that is when it will be announced. The last day to submit the drabble will be Saturday. =) And so,

"When all desires that cling to the heart are surrendered, then a mortal becomes immortal."
- Katha Upanishad

First Final

2008-06-07T12:32:00.001-07:00

In commemoration of EVE 101, a little something that relates in part to ecology and in part to the test this morning. Eight is far too early of a time for a test, one which consisted of 7 pages of pure writing on tiny desks where everyone is cramped and hunched over like turtles trying to hide.

Spider, spider
on the wall.
I really hope
that you don't fall.

It'll make me sad,
I just might cry.
I know you're wondering
and asking why.

Species richness
is the key.
Without it,
where would we be?

Plants Galore

2008-06-06T17:59:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year again: finals. Okay, so it comes three times a year in my case. But in honor of the pain and suffering we have to go through in certain classes such as plants (weeds and crop evolution to be more exact), here are a few poems.

Weeds
Weedy species need to drown,
Weedy species need to die,
No one likes them,
I wonder why?

EVE
EVE made Adam eat an apple,
EVE gave Adam sons,
For evolution and ecology,
EVE is a bad pun.

Crops
Plants and animals,
we grow and keep,
Weeds to crops
was an evolutionary leap.

Pictures

2008-05-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

A picture of the Generations Purse from Knitpicks I made for my mom.

I loved the lacy holes. It was a quick and easy knit, even though I did make mistakes in the beginning which are easily hidden since I knit so tightly. Not always a good thing but in this case, perfect to hide my imperfections. I think I'll make one for Emily since 1) she loves reds and 2) it's cute.

Things To-Do

2008-05-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

A to-do list. I don't think I even remember making much in the way of lists anymore, unless it's for shopping, which helps.. since I don't buy like crazy as a result. But I suppose I should work one out for the summer. Surprisingly, I think it's going to be filled with a lot of things to do, even though I didn't anticipate that in the beginning.

The first month or so of summer should be lots of fun (except for the studying, of course =.=). But I'm finally going to meet Andrea's cousins. I can't wait, especially since I practically know them without having met them. It's almost like one of those lines you can anticipate in novels, "It's like I already know you, even though we've never met." Yes, I know. Cheesy. =D

Then, I'll be in Davis for the second half of the summer. Despite the heat, I predict it should be nice. Last year was, after all. And if possible, I'll be doing training as a writing tutor. They finally have positions available for writing. Joy!!!! So I have my fingers crossed. I mean, how much fun can it be to edit papers and get paid for it? It's just a plus, since I do it for everyone anyway.

An update on all the knitting I've been doing. I made a Generations Purse for my mom and I'm on the third ball of yarn for Andrea's scarf. I'm hoping to be able to start on my Snezi shrug sometime this week, if I'm good about keeping up with my knitting.

Pictures

2008-04-29T21:46:00.000-07:00

Here's the dropped stitch scarf/belt that I made for me and Andrea. I wouldn't use it as a scarf though. Too skinny. =D
This is my very first scarf. It was done in KnitPicks Tidepool Heather which is a nice blue and green swirled heather color.
I have so many hearts now. Joy! Andrea picked the color; it's coral from KnitPicks as well. =)

Knitting Joys

2008-04-27T15:11:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been absolutely forever since I posted but what with finals and then going to China for spring break, coming back with crazy jet-lag and then undergoing a week of midterms, I would say my absence has been justified. Spring is so full of things to do every year. But that's okay, it only gets better every year, so next year, when we're seniors, it should be the best.

Isabel started teaching me how to knit about a week before finals started, so around Andrea's birthday, that would be 3/15. Around 2 weeks ago, that would be around 4/15, I finished my first scarf done in 1x1 ribbing (to hide mistakes... shhhhh... =D). Now I have about a third of Andrea's scarf done. It has a seed stitch border with a heart pattern in the middle. I'm finally on my second ball of yarn. If I had the time, she would have had a finished scarf already. But sadly, 3 midterms in one week does not facilitate knitting.

I'm also taking bookbinding from the Craft Center this quarter, which is lots of fun. I can't wait until we get to binding a book with a spine and cover. If only we could do that one first, but that's took much to ask for, considering how we should learn the basics of making covers and sewing techniques. It's okay though, 2 books down and it's 2 books closer to the conventional type of book we see in stores all the time. I'll put up pictures of the books I've made so far and my (sad) finished scarf as well as Andrea's WIP. If I'm lucky, this week might have some writing as well. ^_^ That's always a good thing, especially since I have so many crazy ideas now that I can make my own books.

Sleep

2008-02-14T00:23:00.000-08:00

College students always seem to lack the essentials: sleep, food, comfort. The anxiety only builds and becomes a gnawing worry over the years. So, heed this advice and perhaps things will seem less tragic.

Sleep is good,
Sleep is great,
Go to bed,
Don't stay up too late.

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day, also known as Singles Awareness Day for those without significant others, brings to mind chocolate, kisses, pink and red flowers and hearts. For the romantics among us, true love blossoms on this day, tears flow down pale cheeks and smiles grace their lips. These poems are inspired by 8 books, each one chronicling the story of a Bridgerton sibling. Only two words need be said. Julia Quinn. Witty and romantic, each book holds a special place in my heart. And so, without anymore ado, Happy Valentine's.

Anthony
Viscount Bridgerton,
The oldest son.
For me,
He's the only one.

Benedict
Cinderella at the ball
caught his watchful eye.
He made of her a painting
unable to say good-bye.

Colin
Always traveling,
Always gone.
Despite this,
My heart he has won.

Daphne
She didn't want to marry
Neither did he.
But they didn't know
What one day would be.

Eloise
To Sir Phillip,
She wrote many a letter.
He couldn't have me
anyone better.

Francesca
When he was wicked,
he seduced them all,
Now he doesn't dare cheat,
He doesn't have the gall.

Gregory
Almost too late
For the wedding he came.
Having made a mistake,
falling for the wrong dame.

Hyacinth
It was in his kiss,
But she didn't know
Neither did he
until they met at the musical.

Preparing for Valentine's

2008-02-13T01:13:00.001-08:00

An aphrodisiac, gourmet and expensive, the best of the sweet world of cacao, chocolate lures people of all ages, sex and race to taste of its exquisite pleasure.

Chocolat
Chocolate's good,
Chocolate's great,
To be in my tummy
is its fate.

Simple and to the point. ^_^ Yuuuuuuuuuum!!!

No More Viruses

2008-02-13T00:41:00.000-08:00

Finally, first round of midterms is done and over with. Not that it ended on a a particularly nice note, considering how a girl yelled out "NO!!" in a panicked voice when it was announced that only five minutes were left.

Viral Nightmares
Too many viruses
in my head,
All I had was nightmares
lying sleepless in bed.

Probing
Aphids probe,
Aphids suck.
When plants get infected,
They run out of luck.

No More
No more thinking
No indeed.
This following rule,
You must heed.
After midterms,
After tests,
Doing nothing
is for the best.

Dreams and Fantasies

2008-02-10T12:27:00.000-08:00

Disney has built an empire based upon the concept of dreams and fantasies. Every story, fairytale and movie they create and rewrite ensures that the characters have a happy ending. Such a shame that the real world doesn't work the same way. It's a good thing it doesn't matter in the world of writing. ^_^

Happily Ever After
Shooting stars,
Wishes dropped in wells,
It'll all come true,
With the chime of wedding bells.

Words I couldn't say
Three little words,
I couldn't bear to say,
I've wanted to tell you,
"I love you" every day.

Stealing Cinderella
Down on my knees,
I look into your eyes,
These few days
have made me wise.
I know that now
You're the only one.
Your family's gone
Their mischief is done.
Happily ever after
awaits us now.
So say yes,
And make me this vow,
I'll love you forever
Until the world ends.
No matter the pain
Or the problems, the future sends.

Books and Movies, Songs and Poems

2008-02-10T12:05:00.000-08:00

Books are always a nice place to start to get inspiration for poems, as well as any other form of art. So, here are a few in the vein of the Enchanted poem from earlier.

Kim Harrison
Roses are red,
And dreams come true,
For Kisten isn't dead,
Just waiting for you.

JC
Roses are red,
Jean-Claude is sweet,
I only wish
that we could meet.

Asher
Ashes to ashes,
Dust to dust,
Loving Asher,
is a must. ^_^

Kushiel
Pain is pleasure,
As are whips,
Cut a vein,
Take a sip.

I just realized... all of these poems are about the male characters in the books, not the females. haha. And to tell the truth... the last one scares even me... o_O

After the Pain

2008-02-10T11:52:00.000-08:00

BIS 103 is finally over. Only now, it prevents me from studying for everything else, which isn't a particularly good thing... Well, I've been remiss in posting for a few days now, so to make up for it, are the requisite poems. To start will be some of Tobes' wonderful science related four-liners.

Forgetfulness
Biochemistry is hard
It only makes you tougher
When using enzymes
Don't forget the buffer

Getting Fired
Classes are too early,
Sleepless nights make me tired
In Hilt's class, using the wrong gel
Will get you FIRED!

The Big Finish 2

2008-02-06T13:20:00.000-08:00

I never ended up doing The Big Finish the first time around, but the premise for this new contest seems quite intriguing. Thankfully, it doesn't end until after Valentine's Day, giving me a whole week to write and edit and throw around ideas. If you're interested, the link is http://www.eharlequin.com/articlepage.html?articleId=1323&chapter=0

~Jen

Dear Friends

2008-02-06T12:55:00.000-08:00

Friends, acquaintances, everyone impacts you in some way. So today's poems are about some of the best people in my life.
* If you want a poem, tell me. Otherwise, these are just random ones I made up on the spot.

Mabs
Eric and Mabel,
They're so cute,
These words,
You just can't refute.

Tobes
Good at chem
And smarter than I could ever be,
A very best friend
Toby is to me.

'Drea
Sweet as sugar,
She's so nice.
Such an angel,
She has no vice.

Jase
Roses are red,
Jason likes pain,
Soon he'll need
To use a cane.

Bagel (By Tobes)
Bagels eat lots.
Bagels sleep hours.
When bagels get together,
They hold all the (brain) power~!

Something Sweet
Time after time,
He looks at me,
I still don't know
What he sees.
His eyes sparkle
Blue as the sky.
Makes me melt,
Makes me sigh.

Internet

2008-02-05T21:00:00.000-08:00

Internet, unpredictable and moody. What other thing could entertain and educate us at the same time? To this invention of man I dedicate this post. haha.

Good Version
Internet's good,
Internet's bad,
When it works,
It makes me glad.

Bad Version
Internet's good,
Internet's bad,
It won't work,
So now I'm sad.

Enchanted
Ever ever after,
She sings all day,
She only wants to hear
three words for him to say.

Early Morning Snippets

2008-02-04T09:35:00.000-08:00

Well... the day hasn't started off particularly well, considering how I woke at 7 and still managed to oversleep for class and then be 10 minutes late. In honor of how this week is getting off to such a "wonderful" start, I thought a few strange poems would be in order.

Take it any way you like
What hurts the most,
Is that you're dead,
Now I'm all alone
In this huge bed.

True Love
Roses are red,
Love is true,
I learned this
when I met you.

Unrequited
Love's a dream,
A fleeting glance,
All we had
was a single dance.
It was the past,
I know that now,
But I still can't forget,
I don't know how.
Fading away
From this life,
I'll always remember
How you eased my strife.

Nighttime Poems

2008-02-04T02:02:00.000-08:00

For missing yesterday's poem requirement, it'll be yet another double post today. Although, one could argue that it's not day yet and merely the night between. In any case... here are a few more Valentine's snippets.

For a Special Someone
Roses are red,
And so am I,
When you look
me in the eye.

Vampy
Blood is red,
Dark is the night,
If you bite me,
I won't fight.

Bad Jen O=)
Roses are red,
Sheets are white,
Come to bed,
And turn off the light.