survival!! lesson learned?

grades are in and...... survival!! didn't do as well as i normally like to... but did better than just skimping by so i can deal.

things to change... do not pull almost all-nighters days in a row right before the exam. normally i pull some crazy hours the days before the exam but this time was just more than i can handle again. one of my classmates has a really great, but strict, schedule that he follows. everyday he works out after the gym and then goes to the hospital to study. i want to try something like that just to see how it works out for me

im going to meet with a research PI next week to discuss starting up in his lab so i guess my goal will be to research after class for a few hours, hit the library for a few hours and then sweat it out at the gym before heading home around midnight. its tough but i have to give it a shot... for my sanity.

today we had an osce exam... or objective structured clinical examination. pretty much what happens is that its just a simulated clinic appointment to check our progress and to make sure we are on tract... in terms of our clinical skills development. this time, our goal was to do a history of present illness (whats going on today, how did it happen, etc.) and related past medical history and family history. also, depending on the case, we were supposed to do some counseling to motivate them to quit some habit.. normally this is for alcohol or smoking. finally... we had to do a physical exam.... oh and review of systems... and did i mention all in 20 minutes?

20 mins is tough... especially including counseling. i felt really disorganized and a bit flustered... and my self grade... C. however, my review was great. no bad remarks (surprisingly)... and a lot of compliments on the flow and organization of the interview. now im waiting for someone else to review the video of the appointment for more feedback.

despite this... i think im on the road to becoming a good clinician. which definitely brings a (rare) smile to my face. in terms of medicine vs. surgery... i think surgery definitely has an advantage still. i just love it!

currently im preparing a poster for a symposium in a couple weeks. im going to be presenting my work from my previous internships and im getting excited. i really hope that it turns out well... i really enjoy presenting :p

on another topic... i am condo hunting! i saw a place yesterday that was just adorable.... newly renovated with appliances, wooden floors, stone countertops, nice patio with a gorgeous view! just walking through it was just boom bam pow... i was seeing all of my diy crafts and inspirations come to life. i feel like this can definitely be a potential home for me. im looking at a few more places in the next couple weeks but the bar is set high!

woah... neur-woah

so its the been the start of a new term and today was our FIRST set of tests. we had it in neuroscience, pathology, and bacteriology. last term, winter, was supposed to be the WORST and so we were all looking forward to this term being a breeze. oh boy.. i was SLAMMED today.

despite all of this time... i still don't know how to study for exams. each time i always think... wow, how did i get myself in such a BAD situation? well somehow.. each time i manage to get myself into a worse situation. this time i ended up spending the night at the hospital studying!! eeek.... not fun. at least there was free coffee! :p

im soo happy and relieved to be done... or at least until these grades come back and i have to study again.

for now... catching up on grey's, taking the stage and whatever else i feel like! maybe take a little nap... go the gym.. and then dance class! east coast swing... triple step triple step! :p

dry shampoo review

bumble and bumble... two thumbs up!

i washed my hair yesterday and for whatever reason i just felt like it was super gross this morning.... which ended up being a great opportunity to try my new dry shampoo by bumble and bumble.

i was a little apprehensive because there were definitely some cons listed by other reviewers... but i am actually quite pleased. it was super easy to use, not messy, not smelly and did not flake black bits of color... these are all things other reviewers had issues with.

all you have to do is shake the canister and spray at the roots! i used a comb to part my hair and hold it back to expose the roots. i did this a few different times all around my crown, brushed it out and voila! also when i ran my fingers through my hair i didn't notice any black coloring on my hands like i did the first time i used the product at the salon. i think maybe the hairdresser just used too much of the spray.

anyways... buy it! pricey but it saves you time, saves you effort and keeps you looking fly! :p haha

weekend projects

so one of my biggest obsessions is diy decorating.

this is something i came across during our thrombosis lecture in our pathology course. its a jewelry tree made from a real tree branch... you can make it any color... any size and use it to hold any of your jewelry! its free and a super quick project.



something else that is fun and easy and cheap to try... fabric wall art! here are a couple variations of it... either stretched out as a canvas or stretched out on hoops!



i actually have the canvas style in my room as a set of four panels... with a slight twist! in my apartment we are not allowed to drive nails into the wall so the wooden frames would not work. so what i did is wrap the fabric around foam! its very light and can be kept up using some sticky tack. the foam is relatively inexpensive and is easily found at stores such as JoAnn fabrics.

the hoops are a great way to bring some extra pizazz into your space by breaking free of the standard right angle decorations (squares and rectangles). either way... the fabric is great because you can use extra for window treatments, a decorative throw quilt, or some accent pillows! it will definitely add fluidity and cohesiveness across the room. plus its cheap, fun and easy... can't go wrong!

personally... my next project will be hanging wall letters. ive been wanting to do this for AGES... but i cannot think of what i want it to say. i think i want it around my bed.... dream? dare to dream? sweet dreams? haha... creativity = zilch, cheese = through the roof!! any thoughts? lemme know!

want more inspiration? i highly suggest you to check out Centsational Girl's blog!

insomnia!!

ugh... so frustrated!! im having crazy bad insomnia... as usual :(

so i decided to pay around with the fonts on my blog. i found a nice little tutorial at another really cute blog. check out the tutorial (and the rest of the blog too!)

i think i like this font.. its called 'baby boston' but i can't seem to get the colors right.... i guess ill leave that for another night of insomnia...

try this!

im so super duper swamped and behind on studying.... its so overwhelming!

however... if i had some extra time... this is the first thing i would be trying!! i love these lace nails... i think they are super chic with a little bit of a gothic feel. just very edgy and awesome.

ladies (and fellas? hey, whatever rocks your boat!)... if you are bored and feel a little adventurous... definitely give these a shot. from personal experience... the boys do notice and appreciate. :p

another really exciting nail idea: ombre and gradation!

i would NEVER get away with nails like this in clinic so please try so i can live vicariously!

new product

so it seems like there is a bit of debate on what proper hygiene for your hair is. ive heard anything from wash and shampoo twice a day to twice a week! i still can't decide what the consensus is... but i do know that it is not daily.

i typically like to wash my hair every other day and my hair always looks best at the end of the second day.. its the natural oils, better than any finishing serum on the market. however, now that im trying to go to the gym daily (ive gained like over 20 lbs this past year... oy vey!).. its definitely been harder to be on this hair cycle because i really sweating it out... but at the same time all that shampooing is really drying my hair out.

i tried doing a thorough rinse with water and scalp massage and then only conditioning the tips (i read a few years back in a beauty magazine that you should only condition the portion of your hair BELOW your ears). when i rinsed, i would actually not rinse out the conditioner completely to leave some in. even still... i felt that it was a little overwashed.

now... i just bought this new dry shampoo from bumble & bumble. it was definitely a bit on the pricey side... and i have yet to use it, but ill post as soon as i see how much i like it. some people use corn starch for dry shampoo, which i heard can be useful, but seeing that i have JET BLACK hair.... all it does for me is leave a halo of grey. i think the general consensus would be not hot! i bought the dry shampoo spray in black, but it also comes in white, red and blonde.

i tried it at the hair salon and i really liked it. it definitely soaked up some oils at the salon, absorbed some of the odor that goes with it, and it also helps give great body to your crown! the only thing is that sometimes if there is too much of an excess spray on, some of the black will bleed onto your fingers when you run your fingers through your hair. :/

success!!

the dinner party ended up being a great success!! we were running late... but thankfully everyone else was running late too, haha.

it was definitely a feast of delicious food, just to name a few things: stir fry noodles, hawaiian veggie stir fry, pot stickers, potato skins, veggie casserole, beef stew, armenian veggie wrap, kfc, im sure there were more things but i just cannot remember.

my rice pudding turned out so much better than the chocolate one i made previously. it was so much fun with the toppings, i think everyone had a great time. i forgot to put the mochi out as a topping, but when i brought it out everyone just picked at it as a snack and all the fobs (and non-fobs, but especially the fobs) loved it!

also, if you are ever in need of a delicious and cheap wine, check out barefoot! i picked out the moscato and it was great. i learned of it from another friend, a., and loved it! it was a hit, especially with madfox!

last night i also caught up with an old friend, which was so fun. we were gossiping about new boys in our life, old boys in our life, pets (actually pets, not boys.. haha), jobs, etc., and it was a great end to the night!

bringing it back... board games

i cannot lie... im a huge sucker for video games and am down for anything mario in a blink of an eye. lately my friends have been reintroducing me into the world of board games and its so much fun!! as a kid i used to love candy land... i would always shuffle the cards such that i would always 'coincidentally' draw the sugar plum fairy card and surprisingly, no one ever figured out that it was not actually a 'coincidence.'

some fun games to check out:
things...
apples to apples
cranium

btw... turn anything into a suggestive drinking game... fun/funny goes through the roof

note: if you ever find yourself going through a car wash of diarrhea... DO NOT open your mouth. just a thought.. haha

dinner party!

me and my roomies are hosting a potluck for some of our newer friends tomorrow and i am super excited! despite having a relatively small med school class, i know very few of my classmates so im really looking forward to branching out!

one thing i REALLY like (apart from my endless passion for medicine, sarcasm anyone?) is the culinary arts! ive always loved it.. never been too good at it. i have some staples that i can definitely go to for some good eats... but im really trying to expand my repertoire. tomorrow im going to make some rice pudding rice to riches style! i actually dont think ive ever had rice pudding and i dont know what piqued this interested in rice pudding... but imma just go with the flow.

rice to riches in nyc was featured on food network and some of my friends have been and rave about it... ive never been so ill just take their word!



im going to attempt to recreate their goodness with both chocolate and vanilla based rice puddings. i found a recipe for one of their chocolate flavors online... but i did a test run tonight, brought it to a friends house for dinner, and lets just say it was not one of the most popular things in the buffet line! ill play with it more tomorrow and give it one last shot though! i also bought a slew of different toppings for the rice puddings like peanut butter covered pretzels, chocolate pieces, sweetened coconut, marshmallows and cookies! im also making some mochi toppings too!



rice pudding success or fail? more to come!

welcome to my life

so i guess blogging is the cool, fun and posh thing to do these days... and since im such a sucker for peer pressure... here goes nothing!

i am in my first year of my 8 year mdphd degree.... and between balancing notes, labs, shadowing, research, extracurricular, clinic- oy vey, the list could go on forever, im trying my best to not forget that i actually have a life too. its so easy to say oh well after this test im going to do this... or after im not so tired and stress im going to do that... hey heres a thought, maybe i could actually try doing this now! whats the point in putting things off?

i have so many things im interested in and so many things i want to explore and try... if netters made a plate for the mind of a human girl... this is what it would be!

funny