28 March 2014

Spring Break, Day #7

This morning was the essence of "chillax." For those who may be unaware, the word "chillax" is derived from a combination of the colloquial term "chill", meaning to be calm, and the word relaxing. For example, laying in bed half the morning working on homework, reading, and watching YouTube videos was very chillax.
(Source)

Once the afternoon hit, I became increasingly lethargic and managed to convince myself that a nap was appropriate. I always struggle with naps, because as much as I enjoy sleeping, the repercussions are always much worse than I care to handle. This time, however, I tried to fool myself into thinking that it was not a true nap if I was reading and just happened to fall asleep doing so. 

On awakening, I prepared myself for Stations of the Cross and a study/hangout session with a friend afterward. Stations of the Cross always has a way of humbling me and refocusing my spiritual compass. It helps me become more aware of the sacrifice Jesus made and reminds me that I am accountable for his suffering every time I sin. As harsh as it may sound, I do not think of it as the stereotypical "Catholic guilt" - instead, I think of it as the most endearing thing a loved one could do. 

With that in mind, I cheerfully joined my friend for what was supposed to be a night of coffee, catching up, and studying. Instead, we decided to try the hot chocolate from Moonstruck Chocolate (DELICIOUS!), study, and grab some dinner at Little Big Burger (veggie burger and truffle fries for me, of course). 

All in all, it was a very pleasant semi-end to my spring break.

27 March 2014

Spring Break, Day #6

Though today was not terribly exciting, it was not bad either. I redecorated my room somewhat and finally made the decision to try out the bottom level of the bunk bed. It looks... promising.



After a hearty breakfast of oatmeal and yogurt, I took some time preparing for the outdoors - sometimes also considered dressing. The weather did not look like it would change from lightly overcast, so I decided to take the risk and wear a skirt I bought on the shopping trip with my sister. I think I made a good choice.

The first destination of the day was a tea shop just off the corner of 11th and Glisan called The Tea Zone & Camellia Lounge. A friend of mine had recommended it to me a while ago, but I never made the time to try it. Well today was the day I did - and I am so glad! The staff was friendly upon entering and even recommended a drink for me when I could not seem to make up my mind. I took their recommendation for a Heat Wave bubble tea (always a good choice for me) and it was delicious! The place was not only clean, but cosy. I studied there for a bit before moving on with my day.

My next stop was the public library - no surprise there - to drop off a few books and pick up a couple more. I lucked out and found BJ Novak's novel on the shelf which I am very much looking forward to reading. I also picked up a book entitled Why Zebra's Don't Get Ulcers. It claims to be a guide to stress, stress-related diseases, and coping. A book I had read previously, Insomnia by Gayle Green, recommended it so I placed a hold on it as soon as I could.

Just down the street from the public library was Target. The convenient location could be dangerous for some people, but I pride myself in having established particular habits that prevent me from spending most of my time (off campus, and second only to the library) and money there. Usually I have a detailed shopping list as well as bags to carry my items home. This time, however, I thought a casual stroll would be fine what with it being nice day and spare time I had. I ended up buying replacement lightbulbs for my lamp, a Maybelline Baby Lips, a soy candle, a bag of Bugles, and a tin of Yan-Yans.

Of course, upon exiting Target it began sprinkling. A quick dash to the streetcar stop secured me a spot under cover from the rain, although it did not protect me from others' titters about the inappropriateness of my outfit for the conditions. I did bring an umbrella, but - silly me - it was tucked under my recent purchases. Fortunately the streetcar came and whisked me back to the safety and warmth of home.

Upon returning, I settled in bed to read and eventually fell asleep. And here I lay, still in bed, typing this while watching a show called Michiko & Hatchin.

26 March 2014

Sea of Hooks by Lindsay Hill

I definitely wish I had spent more time with this novel. I was initially interested in it because of the author who is a long-time poet who spent a decade writing this novel. It was a decade well spent. 

Sea of Hooks is artfully crafted into an abstract tale of a young man who makes sense of life through found objects. The novel looks at the inevitable consequences and remnants of life events and their impact on the lives that they intersect. 

At first I thought the novel cast a pessimistic shadow over the concept of life, but the thoughts hidden in perfectly woven metaphors were rather inspiring. The give hope to even the most hopeless situation. 

Although this novel may not be everyone's cup of tea, I recommend it if an appropriate amount of time can be devoted to it. 

Spring Break, Day #5

This morning I woke with a start. I barely slept last night, the usual traveling jitters, and was convinced that I had mistaken the time of my flight's departure with the time of its arrival. I have no idea why. Realizing it was a false alarm, I tried with no avail to return to sleep. Instead, I hung in a half-awake daze until my alarm rang.

I sprung out of bed, turned on the oven, and got dressed. My sister bought waffle sandwiches from our favorite waffle sandwich place, Bruxië's, to supplement us for our long day of traveling and it was my responsibility to make sure they were warmed appropriately. Just after I had finished getting dressed, my sister joined me at the mirror to apply makeup. Using the tips I had given her the night before, she coordinated a lovely shade of purple with a nice beige eyeshadow. Watching her in the mirror, I started tearing up - partially because I was so proud of her, partially because I was impressed how quickly she had caught on, and partially because I did not want to leave. Both of us were too preoccupied to notice the time.


After we finished our breakfast and gathered last-minute things, we headed on our way. My sister's flight was later in the day - meaning she had a whole day of work ahead of her after dropping me off. I had hoped to treat her to a coffee or something beforehand, but we soon realized that the most important thing we needed to get was - you may have guessed it - gas.



On our way to the airport I became increasingly distraught at the thought of saying goodbye to my sister. I am sure she could tell by my passivity during the drive. Sure we chit-chatted, but I did not have the strength to hide my despondency, nor did I have the wherewithal to explain my behavior.



Is not that a shame? Throughout the drive I could have reminded her of all the things I love about her, shared some more outrageous nursing student stories, made wisecracks about our surroundings to make her laugh, or even sung my lungs out with her to music. We could have talked about our trips, work, books, music, etc. Heck, we could have played "I spy" for all it matters.

Why is it that some people become so upset at saying goodbye? I could say I inherit the habit from my mother, but it is not as simple as that. I suppose it is because I have a pessimistic view of changes, or because I become so attached to having people in my life. Whatever the reasoning may be, I just hope that it does not interfere with the interpretation of my feelings toward the person to whom I am saying goodbye.

25 March 2014

Spring Break, Day #4

Today was a beautiful mess. I woke up at 11am (do not judge me!) and started preparing for a picnic my sister and I had planned for the day. She was already at work and I had pretty much free range of her apartment, so I goofed around in the kitchen until I realized I was running late.


Our picnic was simple: turkey sandwiches with Pringles and CapriSun. The location, however, was far more notable. We ended up lunching on the viewing deck of the Newport Bay Nature Preserve. I wish we had more time to explore! From what I could see (and could not see, for that matter), the Preserve covers a substantial area that seems to have been badly burned. Although it its restoration appears stunted, I am confident of nature's impeccable powers of adaptation and regrowth.

Afterward, it was back to studying and watching movies for me. On my watch list for the day was the rest of American Hustle and Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters. I have to say, I loved American Hustle much more than I thought I would. Also, Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters was not as bad as I imagined... In fact, I rather enjoyed it! I think Greek mythology is fascinating as is anything involving Greek mythology.


Once my sister returned from work, we celebrated our last night together with Chinese food for dinner, watching FaceOff, and having a packing party. My sister and I both leave tomorrow for separate trips and decided it would be easier to pack our things simultaneously. It was much more fun than packing alone!! I even helped her plan out some makeup looks for her trip. I am no beauty guru, but it was nice to have some "girl chat" about makeup and other beauty products we are loving.

As hard as I think it will be to leave tomorrow, I am content with what time we spent together this weekend and hope that I can visit again sometime sooner than later and that life will not get in the way of that plan.



24 March 2014

Spring Break, Day #3

My Spring Break checklist is near complete. I have successfully slept in (10am), eaten good food (sushi, Chick-Fil-A, In-N-Out, salmon, etc.), finished a book (Sea of Hooks - review to follow), spent time with my sister, watched movies, and caught up on my YouTube subscriptions. I have even had a little opportunity to study!

My sister has unfortunately had to return to work, but I have had the freedom to do all the lazy bits and bobs of a typical Spring Break. In fact, the majority of my checklist was completed today. What can I say? It's been an eventful Monday.

It is weird to think that I have one more day with my sister before heading back to Portland. She and I are mentally inseparable. Lately, what with me still being in school and with her working, it has been harder and harder to stay in touch. My schedule is, for lack of a more succinct way of putting it, not really conducive to my family's schedule.

I have always said I make time for those I love, but lately it is seemingly more difficult than normal. Times like this, when I can spend quality time with my family, I despair going back to school and the rigorous schedule I uphold. As much as I love nursing, growing up is hard.

Knowing that my family is a "weakness" of mine, I have conversely been able to use them as a strength. I know I can rely on them for support as well as motivation. I have several photos of them surrounding focal points in my room and look to them whenever I start to feel stressed. Of course, I pray as well, but it is nice to have a physical reminder to relax.

Anyway, I am determined to make the most of all the time I have with my family. If that means doing whatever they want to do or making all the arrangements, so be it. For the meantime, I will do what I want in preparation for spending quality time with them.

23 March 2014

Spring Break, Day #2


I realize that though vacation is a time for relaxation (i.e. sleeping in and avoiding normal obligations), I cannot use it as an excuse not to attend mass. Thus, the first item on the agenda was to visit St. Norbert's Catholic parish. It is a lovely, small, parish community that is home to a fantastic choir. Not only did I enjoy mass itself, I thoroughly enjoyed celebrating with a companion.

Next, my sister and I went to get pedicures at a local nail salon. The Victoria Nail Salon was a little bit more expensive than I would normally go for, but I thought why not give it a go. The nail salon had a variety of complementary snacks and beverages as well as a plethora of magazines to choose from. The pedicure itself was wonderful. I chose the rejuvenating therapy pedicure which consisted of pumice scrub for calluses, a paraffin treatment for dry skin, and a full leg and foot massage in addition to the pedicure.

After our pedicures, my sister and I went to pick up groceries. My sister wanted to properly celebrate my 21st birthday with me, so we bought ingredients to make sonic screwdrivers. The drink is based off of a British science-fiction television series I am obsessed with called Doctor Who. A sonic screwdriver is very easy to make and it only requires three ingredients (I will do a post on it later). Needless to say, it is now my favorite drink.

One of the key parts of the day was my nap. It was a BRILLIANT nap! I slept from just after lunchtime until around dinnertime, missing a FaceTime session with my mom (sorry Ma!) and several episodes of Parks and Recreation.

For the evening, my sister made a delicious salmon dinner - which I will definitely replicate and post at a later date. We settled for the evening to watch About Time and Thor: The Dark World. I loved About Time and thought the special effects of Thor were awesome! I would definitely recommend both movies.

Spring Break, Day #1

These posts are in no way meant to be bragging about my good fortune. I would, however, like to share my happiness and vacation antics.



Today started off with a nice lie-in and reading. My sister was kind enough to inflate a HUGE air mattress for me and created my own room in her living room, so I had a comfy place to read and relax while I mentally prepared for the day. I am currently reading Sea of Hooks by Lindsey Hill, a novel which I will absolutely review once I have finished it (it is fascinating).

After we ate breakfast, my sister and I headed off to Venice Beach. The area and the houses in the surrounding area are beautiful! The town is similar to its namesake in the sense that streets are intersected by canals.

Spending time at the beach was fantastic. The weather was perfect when we arrived - sunny, but just windy enough to counteract excessive warmth from the sun. While we worked on our tans, we listened to music, read, and talked.



Afraid of ripening sunburns (and our hunger pangs), we departed for our next location - Olvera Street. Known for the enlivenment of the Mexican culture, Olvera Street is home to a multitude of shops and restaurants which are shrouded in vibrant colors and skull paraphernalia. My sister and I meandered through several shops and found a few things to take home.



Next we visited Santee Alley a few blocks away in downtown LA. Santee Alley was a bit different than I imagined. Instead of an alley of outdoor shops similar to Olvera Street, Santee Alley was a conglomeration of shops enclosed in a four-block radius of two parallel avenues. Most of the shops had extremely reduced prices or an ongoing sale, which resulted in huge bargains for all shoppers.

To conclude our day, we stopped by In-N-Out for dinner. Embarrassedly, I asked for a sticker to put on my water bottle when our order was up. I was given the option of children's or bumper stickers, so I initially chose the latter, but when questioned further I faltered. In return, I received a few of each. Needless to say, In-N-Out is a wonderful place.


21 March 2014

Clinical Observations, Part 1

At the moment I am doing my mental health rotation in which I work with patients with behavioral disorders. I am thoroughly enjoying the experience and can picture myself working in mental health in the future.

Some thing I noticed recently is of nurses' expectations for the patients. Our S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Reasonable, Timely) goals are a bit different from other nursing areas. For instance, one might be for the patient to only rely on PRN anxiolitics only six days out of seven and instead utilize coping strategies for one day to reduce agitation. For some behavioral patients, that is a tall order. For others, that is an attainable goal.

Our job as mental health nurses is not to diagnose patients. Our job is to treat and help manage the treatment of our patients, especially because in this area, many cannot do so themselves. For example, for someone with ulcerative colitis who also suffers from bipolar disorder, sticking to a safe nutritional diet can be challenging if not near impossible for those that cope through eating. Nurses must help manage the ulcerative colitis exacerbations as well as the bipolar disorder.

That being said, mental health nurses have to be far more observant in changes in patients' behaviors than nurses in other areas of healthcare. What seems like laziness and sitting around is actually persistent monitoring of patients and charting their behavior in a subjective, non-judgmental manner.

For an example of how difficult this type of writing can be, take a moment to look at a person nearby and describe them without using words such as "cool," "nice," and "cute." Post your observations in the comments below. It is can be a very arduous task if one is describing multiple patients with similar behaviors.

My point being, each patient is an individual and one is most reminded of that in behavioral health.

17 March 2014

Spring: A Time For Renewal

Well it certainly has been a while hasn't it?

Oh there is so much to update! For one, Spring is almost certainly upon us in the Pacific Northwest! The past few days there has been the typical Spring weather fluctuations - and I will not lie, I am very much enjoying it.


That being said, I have returned to running after a brief lapse to accommodate increasing physical fatigue secondary to demands from academia as evidenced by an ever-aching knee, sleep deprivation, and frequent dehydration from increased caffeine intake.

Spring always reminds me of renewal in the most basic sense - "the replacement or repair of something that is worn-down, run-out, or broken"- in that I can either scrap whatever failed or failing endeavors I was attending to or return to them with refreshed vigor.

I love that I have options... They provide hope.

06 March 2014

Frazzled by Learning, Astounded by Knowledge

With all the studying I have been doing lately, I have rarely taken even a moment to appreciate how much I already know. Instead, I have (as usual) become slightly overwhelmed at how much I do not know. 

Tonight, as I was sifting through my overloaded email inbox, I found this gem:

Language
by J. Mark 
It's tragic
the way that everything falls away
when you name it:
those there, looming over this
here, their darkness,
their ability to catch the light
from that, there, hanging brightly.
It sounds so ridiculous to say it that way,
but there they all are:
the sun in the sky
over the small green earth, the peaks
that pull the horizon so close, so high,
glowing, their valleys blue-black
with shadow.
In our eyes they are the mountains
that we were promised: immutable.
But in word
they may as well be made of sugar.
They melt under their names
as under a hot running tap.
I could say nothing,
I should
give up singing these empty psalms,
hold your face tenderly between my hands
and turn it towards the view 

The idea that something as simple as describing something can be so complex in a multi-dimensional way.  It may just be deliriousness from sleep deprivation, but this poem reminded me that I know things that other people (or rather, other little people) do not know yet. For that, I should be mind blown. Yes, I am sure children will grow up and learn all about the sun and the stars - but will they know the things I know about schizophrenia, GERD, or animism? They might... but then again, they might not.

My clinical advisor recently reminded me of the quote, "Anything you learn becomes yours." That makes me feel pretty well off.

02 March 2014

My 21st Birthday

On the dawn of my 21st birthday, I spent some time reflecting on my life thus far.

The eve of my birthday was spent at my aunt's house, eating nachos and watching re-runs of the Olympics. I browsed the internet and ate more than my fill and finally caved in for the evening. I thought I would read instead of watching an episode of Pretty Little Liars on Netflix (DON'T JUDGE ME), thinking that watching Netflix would keep me up. What a mistake I made! The chapter I read kept me up for hours, leading me to my internal reflection.

The thing is, I have felt so much regret about my childhood and adolescence for as long as I can remember. For a long time now I have strived to live virtuously in the present and work towards a better future. Only recently have I truly accepted I cannot change the past and as I lay thinking about my life so far, I cried out, thanking God for the way my life is now. Despite the troubles I have had, I have moved past them to become the woman I am. That is not to say I am perfect, but I feel more comfortable in my skin than I have ever felt.

I promise, this all sounds more dramatic than I intended it to be. The emotions I experienced that night were fleeting, as all emotions are, but gave way to a sort of enlightenment. I am not, nor will I ever be back in my past. That in itself is a blessing. I suppose this all sounds a bit fantastic and ridiculous, but I have waited a week to express in writing the thoughts and feelings I endured that night to ensure that the experience was not entirely delusional.

Of course, once I awoke the next morning it was all about the joy of being with family and finally being "of age." Although 21 years old is commonly recognized as being of legal drinking age, it means a bit more for me. I consider it an inevitable right of passage in which I become a "proper" adult.

I noticed even before my birthday how attitudes have changed upon acknowledgment of one's age. Pardon my colloquialism, but since when has age been such a big deal? That being said, I will enjoy finally being able to drink legally. The only problem I can foresee in the near future is what drink to try next.