Update on Jaebeom
Posted by: lavendarbliss on: January 24, 2010
It has now been more than 4 months since 2PM’s leader Park Jaebeom left for Seattle after withdrawing from the group due to controversy over comments he made on Myspace. In these 4 months, fans (nicknamed “Hottest’) have been left waiting for any news regarding his comeback into the group. Despite the negative attention that Jay drew to the group and boycotting from fans, 2PM continued to enjoy a high degree of success with their title song ‘Heartbeat’ and following that, ‘Tired of Waiting’. They have also garnered multiple awards, such as the M.Net Asian Music Awards for Best Male Group and Artist of the Year, KBS Gayo Daejun for Song of the Year, etc. Though they always remember to thank Jay in their acceptance awards, the members have stayed tight-lipped about any possibility of his return. And I can’t say I blame them; JYP is probably pressuring them to stay quiet.
As of now, we know that Jay is still staying active in b-boying (multiple videos of him at b-boy competitions in Seattle have surface on the net) and is working multiple jobs to pass the time and make some money. There have been so many rumors in the past 4 months, but recently in the past few days it seems the rumor mill went into overdrive, which is why I decided to finally write a post and put out my opinion.
2PM has just finished up their activities for the first full-length album titled 1:59, and they are scheduled for a comeback in April (coincidentally Jay’s birthday month), and many fans are hoping that he’ll make a comeback with this new album. In the past few days, there have been articles stating that JYP will have a press conference regarding Jaebeom on Jan. 24th; that Jay has been offered a part in Hype Nation, a Hollywood movie about hip-hop dancing that was also trying to recruit BoA and Son DamBi earlier; that Jay will be making his comeback by appearing on MBC’s ‘Come to Play’; and that Jay has been secretly filming a music video in the U.S. All of these rumors have been squashed one by one by JYPE.
There have been numerous accounts from “insiders” on a 2PM forum that I frequent…and a lot of them make Jay’s chance of coming back sound pretty dire. Although many fans and entertainment professionals believe that now is the perfect time for Jay to come back, my problem is with JYPE. I think JYP needs to go attend some public relations classes because he has seriously messed this up from the beginning. There are only a handful of fans who will believe what comes out of his mouth now. At the very beginning when the news broke about Jay’s comments, he announced that there was “no way he would let Jay go.” Did he keep that promise? Obviously not. In fact, there are multiple accounts that state the company pressured Jay to leave. But JYP laid all the blame on Jay, saying that “he knew he was this kind of kid from the beginning” and claiming that he couldn’t make Jay come back. Bullshit, JYP! He’s a kid with an 8 year slave contract-he has NO power or say to just up and leave, plus he would have to repay a huge sum of money for breaking the contract. When 2PM started promotions for ‘Heartbeat’, he stated that the boys wouldn’t be participating in any variety shows out of respect for Jay. Now, Taec has been confirmed as a cast member for Family Outing Season 2. An insider report says that this had been confirmed since Dec. 31st, but when news of it first broke out, JYPE said they were still “considering it” but hadn’t finalized it. What’s even more scary is the fact that there was a rumor that in the beginning of this year there would be a member who would become a regular on a variety show; the rumor also stated that JYP had no intention of bringing Jay back, that he is trying to keep his image clean but doesn’t plan on bringing him back. JYP sure is crafty…telling fans on ‘Golden Fishery’ that he would welcome Jay back when he’s ready. But notice that this was timed right before 1:59 dropped. This was to assuage the fans that he was doing the right thing, so that they would buy the album. And by golly they did…the Hottest are now split between those who support the boycott and those against it. Those against the boycott sometimes bought 2-3 copies of the album in place of the boycotters. Fans have also noticed that every time a video of Jay b-boying pops up on the internet, another ridiculous 2PM article (i.e. the Kim Bo Peep incident, or the Okvatar) shows up the day after and crowds out the attention the Jay article gets. In the end, JYP is a business. He may paint a rosy picture of himself and the artist as family, but he’s definitely has money as his first priority. Why would he need to bring Jay back if 2PM is doing fine without him? And so the strife between the Hottest who support the boycott and those don’t continues…
Most recently, some “insider” information (who knew that the Wonder Girls’ Sunmi would be leaving before she announced her resignation) states that just 2 weeks ago, there were plans to bring back Jay…and now they’re gone. Wooyoung has recently shut down his Cyworld, and fans are speculating that it may be in defiance against JYP’s decisions. There are talks of Jay returning as a solo artist, and that he will be returning around the Lunar New Year. My opinion is: continue the boycott. Jay isn’t even my favorite member, but I support the boys as 7. Any fan would be able to tell you that his presence is very much missed among the boys…especially Wooyoung. Whereas before he had a childish silliness, these days his eyes look dull, his chubby cheeks are gone, and he’s lost a tremendous amount of weight. I admire the Korean Hottest-they’ve been tireless in their efforts, and continue to send gifts to Jay and protest at the JYP building. They’ve also donated to multiple charities, and most recently donated $10,000 to the Haitian relief effort.
I support a 7 membered 2PM. It’s up to us to make them whole again.
Also, Ellen Degeneres is looking for international musical acts to feature on her show. Show support for 2PM by leaving a message on her blog here. It might be the only way the our boys will get to see their leader again. Plus…it’s kinda funny reading the comments haha. The TVXQ fans are having a field day with this! 0_0
Diagnose me
Posted by: lavendarbliss on: January 5, 2010
- In: Medical| School
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*WARNING: Gross pictures ahead!*
Most medical students (mostly in 2nd year, when they usually go through the different organ systems and pathologies) go through a phase that I like to term “the med school syndrome”. It all starts off innocently enough. Students start off each block excited about learning the new material. Let’s take for example…NHB or Neuroscience and Human Behavior. Halfway through that block, I swore I could diagnose half the people in my class with some of the disorders that we were studying (“There’s a narcissistic personality..that person’s ADD…there’s a definite schizoid personality). When studying the cardiovascular system I started to worry about my blood pressure; in GI, I was sure that I had identified the parasite that made me sick in Nicaragua; in Endocrine, I almost went to go see a doctor to confirm that I had hypothyroidism, etc.
And then the inevitable happened. I really came down with something that I had learned about and scoffed at, thinking that it was just one of those “board things” that you had to memorize for a test but would never see in real life.
At first I just thought it was bug bites on my arms. “That’s strange.” I thought, “It’s almost winter, most of the bugs should be dead by now.” But whatever, I just shrugged it off, assuming it would go away on its own. The next day two more popped up. To my horror, over the next day it spread over both of my forearms and moved down to my legs. When I shined the light just right over my arm, I could see the shadows of all the small bumps on my arms. ‘Ok, that’s it.’ I decided. ‘I’m going to see a dermatologist’. So I made an appointment the next week to see a dermatologist. She was young and pretty, like most dermatologists are known to be. I showed her all the areas that my rash was. She asked questions like ‘Does it itch?’, ‘Have you tried anything for it?’ etc. Then I told her that I was a medical student and that I had a suspicion of what it was. She smiled and confirmed my suspicion.
Pityriasis rosea.
A maculopapular rash that we learned can look similar to the rash of secondary syphilis (and I know for SURE I ain’t got that). Ways to tell the difference? PR usually starts with one lone papule usually on the chest, called “the herald’s patch” because it “brings news of things to come” (hardy har har). Also, PR usually is on the proximal parts of your body, meaning the chest and trunk. It classically spreads in a “Christmas tree” distribution on the body. It usually doesn’t spread distally to the hands and feet, whereas syphilis almost always does.
I didn’t take pictures of my rash because I was grossed out. Yes, by my own skin-it’s why I could never be a dermatologist (among other reasons). But this is similar to what my forearm looked like:
And this is what classic PR looks like, herald’s patch and all (the herald’s patch can often be confused with ringworm):
But this is more similar to mine-errr, minus the hair:
The cause of PR is unknown, but many attribute it to the Human Herpes Virus 8 (NOT the same virus that causes genital herpes or cold sores), which may cause an upper respiratory illness preceding the rash. I remembered that I was sick a few weeks before the rash started, and had some sniffles in the beginning days of the rash. While the rash itself is not contagious, the virus certainly is. It is more common in children and young adolescents than older people. It is usually accompanied by itching-mine didn’t itching until a week after. The good news is that it is a self-limiting disease, and usually resolves within 2-8 weeks. The dermatologist wrote me a prescription for some steroid cream to control the itching, but I didn’t feel that I needed it. However, my rash definitely got worse before it got better. It spread all over, and even the dermatologist said that mine moved a bit more distally than she normally sees. The first spots to disappear were on my chest and trunk. Now, 7 weeks later, most of the rash is gone, but I have some residual scarring that will take some time to go away.
Take-home message: Never discount the things that I learn in medical school, because you really might see it (maybe even on yourself) someday!
End of the Year Wrap Up
Posted by: lavendarbliss on: December 21, 2009
- In: Friends| Medical| School
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So my time as a MSIII is halfway over. What’s sad is that I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. =( You know, I started out medical school wanting to do infectious disease because I was bright-eyed and naive and wanted to be involved in global health and “save the world!” I still am very interested in global health, but after my trip to Nicaragua I realized that you don’t have to be an ID doc to go on these types of trips. At the end of first year, I became interested in Neurology-I loved the challenge of trying to put together all the clinical clues and figuring out where the lesion was. I was pretty much set on Neurology until I did my Nephrology rotation. I had an amazing attending who was not only a great teacher but an outstanding professional role model, and although I hated Renal during second year (actually made the worst grade in that class in all of second year) she broke it down so that it was easy for me to understand. So I ended up liking Nephrology a lot too. I’m supposed to be doing a Neurology selective right now, but UTMB screwed me over and told me last Friday that I never registered for the course. After my initial shock at the fact that I would be doing nothing for the next 4 weeks, I went into an e-mailing frenzy and contacted everyone that I knew. Luckily, I was able to get in touch with the coordinator of the UTMB Neuro program in Houston, and he graciously is letting me rotate with him for the next 2 weeks. I just really need to know if Neuro is going to be the path that I end up choosing before I start applying for residencies. It’s been really great so far, everyone is very nice, especially when they learn that I am interested in Neurology. The coordinator (who happens to be the Chief of Neurology–eek!) pretty much lets me do whatever I want and seems to like me a lot. In just these 2 days, I’ve seen patients with myasthenia gravis, a brain mass, neuromyelitis optica, restless leg syndrome, intractable seizures, and possible ALS (Lou Gherig’s disease). So I’m definitely being exposed to a lot of different pathologies. But until the end of these 2 weeks, I won’t make any final decisions. I was actually looking at maybe doing a combined internal medicine/neurology residency. I really love internal medicine, although it’s definitely one of the more “non-glamorous” areas of medicine. The combined program would span 5 years, and at the end I would be able to be board certified in both internal medicine and neurology. But the problem is that there are only a few programs that offer that, and none of them are in areas that I find very desirable…like Indiana, Arizona, and Louisiana. Blech.We shall see…I just need to do more research into it.
One of the unfortunate things about medicine is that you eventually get jaded. It happens to almost everyone. The system is corrupt in so many ways. I’m just going to list a few of my complaints:
1. There is an utter lack of communication between fields. All the specialties do their own evaluation and ultimately the coordination of care is supposed to fall on the internist, who sometimes don’t do such a stellar job of it because they’re overwhelmed with too many patients.
2. I have a friend whose boyfriend is currently an intern at UT-Houston, and he was required to do a four night “float” at MD Anderson, the world renowned cancer hospital. The UT-Houston interns take care of the so-called “solid tumors”-which is basically everything except leukemia and lymphoma. So basically they take a person who is only a few months fresh from med school graduation, and throw them into this crazy world of patients dying from bizarre cancers, with half of their medications being tested in experimental trials, with names like #9F08S79F6SDX. The guy was like a deer caught in headlights-nurses were paging him non-stop about patients whom he didn’t know anything about, and he had to pronounce 2 patients as deceased on his first night there. And while there is an oncology fellow on call for the “liquid tumors” they really don’t like to be bothered. So basically the well-being of 20 towers worth of extremely sick patients rests on the shoulders of a first-year intern. Apparently MD Anderson did this to cut costs. It amazes me so much that such a renowned hospital like this would rely on interns to take care of their patients! And the public probably has no clue that the young doctor taking care of their loved ones at night is scared crapless because he doesn’t know what he’s doing.
3. I really wish that each medical school would have a class on how to decipher handwriting…or at least calligraphy because half my time is spent trying to figure out what the other doctors have written!
4. It’s kinda unnerving to spend time with the really old-school doctors because they either tend to exhibit some unprofessional behavior, do a half-hearted exam, or violate HIPPA. I sorta cringe every time I see this happen…which unfortunately is too often.
5. Some people can really work the system. Some people can go their whole lives without working a day and yet somehow they are still able to receive healthcare. It’s disgusting to see people who claim that they don’t have money to buy medications yet they still have nails that look better than mine and a $500 purse sitting on their lap. People need to get their priorities straight.
6. I think the U.S. places way too much emphasis on saving a person’s life vs. preserving quality of life. I recently discovered that in Spain, doctors don’t admit patients over the age of 65 to the ICU. While I think that’s extreme, I do see the logic behind that. Just today I saw a 77 year old patient who had a really complicated medical history (Seizure disorder, renal transplant, dementia, etc..) who was intubated in the ICU. And he’s still code II, which means that while there wouldn’t be anything invasive done to resuscitate him, we would still take measures to save him if he was to go into cardiopulmonary arrest. Of course, people have differing views on this, but to me it feels wrong to keep a shell of a person alive. I think it has a lot to do with American mentality toward medicine-that the more procedures they have done, the healthier they will be, which generally is not the case.
7. Bottom line is: medicine is a lot more frustrating that I ever thought it would be. But still strangely rewarding.
So what have I been up to besides devoting my life to medicine? Here’s a little update..
My b-day was on Oct. 21st. I kept it pretty low-key: 23 is not really an exciting age, haha.
Then in November we had a CSA Officer Alumni weekend, where we got to meet the AMAZING Wong Fu again! If you haven’t heard of them, these guys are doing big things for the Asian-American community. They’ve been taking their creative minds from college assignments to the big screen, and have recently been featured on CNN. Check out their website!
Then for Thanksgiving my mom and I went to visit my Dad in California and took a road trip to San Francisco:
I have some plans that I still have yet to make public yet, and I don’t quite know why I’m keeping it secret. It could definitely boost my med school resume, but at the same time if they don’t go through it won’t hurt me too much, and I just don’t want to announce it and then go through the embarrassment of not having it work out. But as soon as things become definite I will make it known.
Happy holidays everyone!
Happy Mid-Autumn Day!
Posted by: lavendarbliss on: October 4, 2009
My dad e-mailed me this…it’s quite funny and cute.
親愛的朋友们， 中秋又到， 祝大家身体健康，腰包鼓鼓的。 借国内朋友送来的动片， 向大家问好。 
：
佳節將至為
送上我
的
餅 CC
第餅：圓月餅，代表
一顆圓圓的
，寄託了一份圓圓的
，希望
能圓一個圓圓的
。
第餅：千層餅，第一層
第二層
第三層
中間夾層甜蜜！
你喜歡！
第餅：
工餅，用
浪漫
皮；
溫馨
餡；
幸福
蛋黃；懂得
味的人不需要多
第餅：
法餅，成份：真心
快樂；保質期：一生；營養：溫馨
幸福
真情；製造：想念你的人。
第餅：團圓餅，平安的餡，
的皮，
的盒子，
的繩。
~~明月，一閃一閃
，掛天邊；
~~~思念，一絲一絲，連成線；
~~回憶，一幕一幕，在眼前；
~~~但願，一年一
，人圓全。
啊~~ ，WHO 偷吃
了
的餅？
好了，
圓了，家圓了，肚子圓了
最好錢包也圓了^^”
佳節快樂闔家團圓美滿！！！
最後
I’m too lazy to translate it…but even if you can’t read it, you can still appreciate the cute cartoons right? I’m upset that I didn’t actually get to see the moon tonight though…it is way too cloudy in Houston to see anything!
I went to the Korean American Chuseok Festival in Houston today. It had free food, free prizes, and performances. We got there late, and so we missed the traditional fan dances and gayaneum (traditional Korean zither) performances but we caught the b-boying and K-pop acts, which were my personal favorite. I recorded the K-pop dance act’s performance:
Afterwards I went to the new Amore Pacific store that just opened up across the street from H-mart. A mother-daughter team owns the shop, and they were very helpful. They had a skin analysis software that told you how well your skin was doing in terms of moisture, sebum production, and elasticity. It also magnifies your skin by like 30x. Um, yeah, it wasn’t very pretty lol. I knew my skin was oily and porous, but I was surprised to find out that it also had poor elasticity. I thought that having oily skin would help you with that, ha. The computer said something about externally it may look fine but it was internally weak. I’m not quite sure what that means? Anyway, I decided to buy a couple of things there (I always feel that Asian skin care products are better for Asian skin and use more natural ingredients than their American counterparts) and the ladies were nice enough to throw in a ton of free samples, so I was super happy. They also packed it all into a really cute pink AmorePacific tote, that’ll definitely come in handy for books or groceries. 
2PM’s leader quits
Posted by: lavendarbliss on: September 11, 2009
What started out as a mere complaint on Myspace to a close friend has turned into something much larger than any of us could have imagined. Park Jaebeom, the 23-year old leader of my favorite Korean group 2PM, resigned on Sept. 8th over comments that he made to his friends about Korea:
Many Koreans were immediately enraged at his comments…saying things like, “How can he say that about his homeland”, etc. I understand their anger, because if a celebrity that I liked said that about China, I’d be pretty upset also. However, these comments are from 4 years ago..and so much has changed since then. Jay was just starting out as a trainee in Korea-he couldn’t speak the language, couldn’t adapt to the culture, and didn’t have any friends. He was just practicing 24/7 and even underwent rigorous military-style training. All of that can be pretty overwhelming when you’re just 18 years old. It’s understandable that he’s complain to his friends about his situation. What many people did not realize until it was too late is that Jay made a 180 degree turn and grew to embrace Korea. His more recent comments include things like, “I feel more and more Korean everyday”. You could tell how happy he was just by watching him on interviews and variety shows-he loved what he was doing.
Jaebum issued an apology expressing the shame and regret that he felt at his words. However, many Koreans still found his actions unacceptable; there was even a suicide petition going around that demanded he kill himself…and there were over 5,000 signatures on it. On the 8th, Jay left a message in his fancafe that said:
Hello, I’m 2PM’s JaeBum.
I’m sorry for giving you my last greeting through this letter.
I think it will be hard for me to see you all on stage because of my sorry heart.
I’m really sorry to everyone, and I’m even more sorry to the fans who have shown me love.
From today, I will leave 2PM.
2PM boys, I’m really sorry to the boys and I’m sorry I couldn’t be strong as a leader and a hyung and have to leave like this.
However, I hope you will be more cool and charming.
Again, I’m sorry.
JaeBum
credit: HOTTEST fancafe
He then returned to Seattle to be with his family. Numerous supporters showed up at the airport to try to prevent him from leaving, but it was to no avail. He quietly slipped through a gate different than the one listed on his ticket. His final bow…
There are many rumors flying around, and none of us fans know what to believe. This is one account that was posted online:
Credit: Kor-Eng by Kirstyn@2pm-online.com
“I heard this from one of JYPE staff and this is not a rumor. If you misunderstand me, there’s nothing I can really do about it. But, please trust my words. I’ve got nothing to earn for spreading rumor. I’m active member in Hottest official cafe, onedayroom, and etc; and many people know me as well. I’m over 28 years old, I really have no intention or even time to create a rumor, if I do, and it’ll be too embarrassing.
To tell you the conclusion first, Jay’s leaving was already decided by JYPE before he said it. It is true that Jay himself brought up the word of “leaving” However, JYPE made such situation, and cornered him to say it. They had one-by-one talk with each members of 2PM, and asked Jay what should we do, shouldn’t you be responsible for this; and they pushed him till he says “ok, I’ll leave”
The moment he said “I’ll leave”, none of JYPE staffs blocked him from that. Jay’s leaving won’t give much problem to JYPE Company, because they can simply just choose the other one from tones of their trainees.
But, what about Jay who has worked so hard for such long time. He had already done the recording for the next album which was to be released in October. It was JYPE who kicked Jay out of 2PM. It was not Jay’s decision at all although that’s how it was known through the press in Korea. In Korean Management Company, it is almost impossible for Jay to quit by himself. It has only been a year that he debuted as a singer; he has no power to do such thing. I do not understand why people give such big trust in JYPE.
JYPE is just another typical company where its first concern is business, and making a profit.
There are three solutions currently discussed at JYPE.
1. 2PM with 6 members
2. Bringing in new member
3. Combining one day (2AM+2PM)
In my opinion, 2PM will not be 2PM without Jay. Even though he is not my favorite member, he is undoubtedly the glue that holds everyone together. He’s the most well rounded performer and is one of the most popular members. His spontaneity, passion, and charisma make him a joy to watch on stage and in variety shows.With Jay’s sudden departure, the future of 2PM remains uncertain. Many appearances have been canceled, and many stations have even decided to stop broadcasting pre-recorded shows that Jay makes an appearance in. (I’m going to miss Wild Bunny…T_T)
The amount of support that he has gotten from the fan community and other artists and now even politicians has been amazing. The Hottests (2PM’s fan club) have gone into a frenzy protesting his absence. They’ve stuck tons of post-its with encouraging messages on the JYP building in both Seoul and NYC:
Fans in NYC are organizing a peaceful protest that will begin tomorrow outside of the Manhattan JYP center starting at (when else?) 2 pm. There have been numerous petitions going around, the latest of which is boycotting all JYP ent activities; they are refusing to buy any music or tickets that feature JYP artists. As extreme as this may sound, it might just be the solution. One of Jay’s closest friends wrote:
“Like i said on the other videos everything my homie Jay said was 5 years ago. when he moved out there it was a different experience and he was just homesick. it was purely being an ignorant 18 year old in which he has already apologized. of course he loves korea, he loves his fans country and gained a whole new appreciation for the culture. Jay was telling me yesterday that the only thing saving his career right now are his fans. show some support and cut the dude a break hes only human.
thank the world for people like you. to be honest im not a kpop fan at all. im just really good friends with jay hes like a brother and to see something like this happen to him just really hurts to see. people need to understand he was young, naive and out of his element. he knew very little about the culture and environment.
hes out here seattle w/friends and fam and hes thankful for all his fans doing this for him. he said himself the people who will save his career are his fans.
- Chico”
Of course I don’t want to force Jay into coming back, nor do I want to cause him any extra pain by having him watch the other 6 members suffer. If he really wants out, then I support that decision. However, I just can’t shake off this nagging feeling that his decision was not his own and instead heavily influenced by his management. If we show him enough support, he will be able to come back. He has 7 more years left in his contract, and as a Korean pop idol (notorious for basically being the toys of their companies), he doesn’t have any sort of legal power to stand up to JYP. There has been a ton of press coverage, and he has almost become a martyr of sorts, showcasing the effects that Korean Netizens can have on an artist. In fact, many have criticized Netizens before for their harsh words, which has played a heavy part in the suicides of many celebrities over the years-U;nee and Choi Jin Shil are 2 that come to my mind. This just has to stop. While the girls that exposed Jay have apologized, it’s too late now. The repercussions have already happened.
4 years of hard work and ambitious dreams…shattered by just 4 days.
Hottest love you, Jay. Please come back if you can…we miss our pink grandpa leadja. =(
Fan dedication videos:
2PM: 7-1 = 0
NY Times Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Posted by: lavendarbliss on: August 31, 2009
- In: Food
- Leave a Comment
The NY times posted an article about a year ago about the secret to an amazing chocolate chip cookie. Well, I’ve wanted to try the recipe ever since, but have been in kind of a dilemma because the Jacques Torres recipe that is listed requires specific chocolate disks that aren’t sold in Galveston. Now that I’m in Houston with a wealth of ingredients, the time to try the recipe has come!
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Jacques Torres
Time: 45 minutes (for 1 6-cookie batch), plus at least 24 hours’ chilling
2 cups minus 2 tablespoons
(8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (see note)
Sea salt.
1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.
3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.
Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.
Note: Disks are sold at Jacques Torres Chocolate; Valrhona fèves, oval-shaped chocolate pieces, are at Whole Foods.
The product:
The verdict? OHMAGAWD SO FREAKING GOOD!! Yes, they are humongous…and yes, I ate 2 in one sitting. It was too good!! The edges were crisp but the middle was soft and gooey, and the chocolate was divine (I used the Valrhona chocolate disks). This first batch had been refrigerated for 48 hours; I actually forgot to sprinkle salt on the cookies before I baked them, so I will have to do that when I bake the next batch tomorrow. But this is definitely a chocolate chip recipe that you need to try!!
MSIII so far..
Posted by: lavendarbliss on: August 21, 2009
- In: Medical| School
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I’ve been meaning to post again for awhile now, but I’ve just been busy…but more like lazy. I can’t believe that I’ve already made it so far in my med school career, time seems to have flown by so quickly!
So far, I’ve done OB/GYN and am currently on Psych. OB/GYN was pretty terrible. I came into med school knowing that it was crossed off my list (hours are too long, and I’m not comfortable manipulating people’s genitals all day long) and this rotation did nothing to change my mind. The first 3 weeks I was on L&D (labor and delivery) and antepartum care; the latter part of my 3 weeks was spent in clinic. In my 2 weeks on L&D, I only got to deliver one baby. I kid you not. I almost wanted to be in Austin where they have babies falling out everywhere. I guess it was bad luck on my part, because all of the OB/GYN interns just got there, and they need to perform a certain number of deliveries, so they obviously had priority over us. The residents were so busy that they never had time to just sit down and teach us, so we were just kinda left hanging. Gynecology clinic was even worse. It was not a strictly GYN clinic, and so half the time I was still measuring fundal heights and trying to listen to fetal heart tones. The rest of the time, I was just shadowing…so I think I got to overall do 2-3 pap smears in 3 weeks. I was bored out of my mind. I even got kicked out of the room on several occasions, and I guess I understand because I wouldn’t want any more people than necessary to stare at my privates, but that didn’t make me any less irritated. I did not get to see any gyn surgery or uro-gyn, but I did get to see some REI (reproduction, endocrinology, and infertility). All in all, it really was a waste of my 6 weeks, and I didn’t feel very prepared for my shelf exam at the end. Truthfully, it probably won’t matter in the future that my OB/GYN experienced sucked, because I’m considering neurology, but at the same time, I want to enjoy my clerkships and learn something useful from the experience.
Psychiatry on the other hand is really interesting, and I’m enjoying it so far. I think the reason why I like it so much more is because it correlates well with Neuro-in fact, they take the same test for board certification. The psychiatrist that I work with specializes in organ transplant patients (especially liver transplants) and pain management, so a lot of them patients that I see are really really sick. It’s been so different from OB/GYN, where for the most part you saw young, healthy women who didn’t have a lot of chronic diseases. It’s been really hard for me emotionally to handle some of the patients. I love talking to them and trying to get them better, but some of their stories are really heart-breaking, and everyone is just so depressed. We’ve also been seeing a lot of geriatric patients, and then I start thinking to myself, “Oh God, how am I going to handle my parents going through this?” So many of our patients tell me the same thing, “I don’t want to try to kill myself, but I’m just tired of it all. Sometimes I just wish that I could just go in my sleep. This, with all the tubes and whatnot, this isn’t life.” Almost half of my patients start crying as I start talking to them, and I’ll start to get really emotional and want to start crying too. I stop myself because I know that I have to be professional and crying doesn’t accomplish anything for the patient, but I guess it’ll just take awhile for me to get used to it all. One of the patients that I saw today has full-blown AIDS, and her CD4 count was 0. Which means that none of her helper T cells (which are part of her immune system to fight off infection) are working. I sat there and I realized…this woman only has a few weeks. As I was talking to her, I discovered that she was in denial of how sick she was. Whenever I asked her anything about end of life care, or code status, she would just zone out and refuse to answer me. When my attending came in and talker to her, I was just amazed at how skillfully she drew out answers from her, and that’s definitely something that I’ll need to learn for the future.
On a lighter note, I saw a robot doctor for the first time yesterday. If you’ve never head of it, take a look at this article that MSNBC wrote on it. I was in the ICU with my attending, and she stepped into the room first to interview the patient. As I started to make my way into the room, I noticed some sort of machine with a monitor rolling its way down the hall toward me. I stopped and stared at it, and thought, “Uhhh….ooo..kk..?” but just went ahead into the room. Next thing I know, the robot zooms into our room and interrupts my attending while she’s doing her interview. The man in the screen goes, “Hi, I’m Dr. so-and-so with the ICU team, how are you doing? Etc, etc.” My attending and I just kinda stared at the robot in shock. After it was done, the monitor swiveled around and then wheeled itself outside to park across the hall. Afterward, the message on the screen read, “The ICU Urgent Care team is currently in conference. For emergencies, please contact XXX-XXXX.” I was like, those lazy butts need to walk over here and talk to the patient in person! They’re in scrubs and sneakers; my attending and I are all dressed up and in heels, if we can walk all over the hospital, they can do it too! And how exactly are they supposed to examine the patient? Geez, I really hope that this isn’t the direction that medicine is taking, it’s already so de-personalized.
“The science of Psychiatry is now where the science of Medicine was before germs were discovered”
Malcolm Rogers
What time is it now?
Posted by: lavendarbliss on: May 30, 2009
2.P.M!!
OK, I just had that stuck in my head. I have developed a recent obsession for this Korean boyband, who has been touted as JYP’s secret weapon. From the same company that brought us superstars like Rain and the Wonder Girls, 2 PM has trained for years to break boyband stereotypes and project a multi-talented, manly image. I love the acrobatics that they incorporate into their performances, and their songs are really catchy too. 2 P.M. is composed of 7 members, but my favorites are Ok TaecYeon and NichKhun.
May I present to you…why you shouldn’t be mean to nerdy guys:
From this…
To this!! ^________^
Oh yes. I love me some 6′2 CocoTaec/Giant Mickey Mouse/ Mr. Rich-in-Teeth. Who cares if he’s 2 years younger than me?
NichKhun on the other hand, is just the sweetest, cutest thing ever. He has such an angelic face and a boyish charm that sweeps you off you feet. He’s also a complete gentleman with a warm, caring heart. Just watch this clip of him at Star Golden Bell with the choir from a school for the blind:
Did I mention that he can speak fluent English, Thai, and Korean? He’s also working on learning Chinese.
These two are actually BFF’s, affectionately named Taeckhun, Cocokhun, or Chocolate & Vanilla (referring to the difference in their skin colors, haha).
All of 2 PM together:
*All pictures credited to Soompi’s official 2pm thread*
Their song ‘Again and Again’, which has been on a winning streak in Korea lately:
OMG, I haven’t fan-girled like this in a long time. Speaking of time-it is T-2 weeks until the hardest test of my life, so this is the absolute worst time for me to start liking a new artist! But…I can’t help it, they’re too cute. 
A picture of us girls from the Osler Society Gala from 2-3 weeks ago (I can’t remember how long ago it was, all the days kinda meld together when you study 24/7).
Yeah my hair = frizzball. I tried to curl it with my straightening iron (there IS a way to do this, even though it might sound strange at first) but it didn’t work out too well.
I’ve decided that by the end of this year I will run my first marathon..we’ll see how that goes…
Love is…
Posted by: lavendarbliss on: May 10, 2009
What Love means to a 4-8 year old . . .
Slow down for three minutes to read this. It is so worth it. Touching words from the mouth of babes.
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, ‘What does love mean?’
The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think.
‘When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore.
So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.’
Rebecca- age 8
‘When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.’
Billy – age 4
‘Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.’
Karl – age 5
‘Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.’
Chrissy – age 6
‘Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.’
Terri – age 4
‘Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.’
Danny – age 7
‘Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more.
My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss’
Emily – age 8
‘Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.’
Bobby – age 7 (Wow!)
‘If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,’
Nikka – age 6
(we need a few million more Nikka’s on this planet)
‘Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.’
Noelle – age 7
‘During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.
He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.’
Cindy – age 8
‘Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.’
Elaine-age 5
‘Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.’
Chris – age 7
‘Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.’
Mary Ann – age 4
‘I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.’
Lauren – age 4
‘When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.’ (what an image)
Karen – age 7
‘Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn’t think it’s gross.’
Mark – age 6
‘You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.’
Jessica – age 8
And the final one
The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.
When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,
‘Nothing, I just helped him cry’
For some reason, I feel like people are just hooking up left to right these days. Maybe it’s the stress from board studying, or the rising heat outside, but everytime I turn around or log onto Facebook, I seem to see a new relationship blossoming.
I think I have my weird relationship mentality figured out. So you know how there’s this theory about women either going 1 of 2 ways: they either want to marry someone like their father or someone completely opposite. Fortunately enough, I have a great father whom I really respect. But it’s hard to find someone who measures up to him. Once I do find someone that I like, I go into super-awkward mode. It’s easy for me to talk and flirt and laugh with my normal guy friends, but around guys that I’m interested in, I just clam up. I think it’s a defense mechanism; I had really bad self confidence in high school (I went through a prolonged awkward or as I like to call it, “fugly” stage) and so I still have bouts of self-doubt. Whenever I did get up the courage to tell someone that I liked him, it never worked out. So I think I clam up around guys that I like to prevent myself from being hurt-subconsciously, I must think that if the guy doesn’t think that I’m interested in him, there’s no way that he can ever reject me. But obviously, that’s a big hurdle in me being able to find someone…
Hah. Who needs a therapist? I can psychoanalyze myself, thank you very much. 
Unusual Asian Beauty tools
Posted by: lavendarbliss on: March 19, 2009
The thing about Asian people is that in general, we have a really narrow sense of what makes a woman beautiful. Some of the traits that are highly regarded are
1. A pale, milky complexion
2. Large eyes
3. A small nose with a high bridge
4. Small, rosy cupid bow lips
5. Thin thin thin!!
Koreans are especially notorious for being nit-picky about what they think is pretty. In addition to the above, they look for small faces (literally fist-sized faces), “S-lines”, “U-lines” and “V-lines”. What are these lines, you ask? An S-line refers to the transverse view of a female physique, where the breasts and the butt constitute the curves of the letter “S”. Examples:
Singer ‘Ivy’
A V-line is the line of your jaw; basically a sharp chin is better than a U-shaped chin
An example would be BoA:
Whereas now a U-line refers to the curve of a female’s lower back.
Because of this, there are all kinds of gizmo’s, creams, lotions, etc out there that claim to give us ladies what we need to measure up to the Asian standards of beauty. I browse a lot of beauty websites as well as the selling and trading section of Soompi, and some of the stuff I find is absolutely hilarious…and then some just make you go 0_0 So I thought I would share some of them here:
Double Eyelids
Whether it be glue, tape, or a clip, there are numerous ways for girls who were born with single eyelids to try to obtain the envied double eyelids, which are supposed to make the eyes look bigger.
* Malian Double Eyelid Fibre **
Waterproof and sweatproof.
Helps to create natural double eyelid or deepen existing double eyelid.
Usage: Pull both ends of the stick to reveal the gel sticker.
Stick on the area above eye to create double eyelid.
Cut away the excess gel sticker at both ends.
Use the Y-shape tool for adjustment.
** Koji Eyetalk Glue **
In minutes, you’ll have charming big eyes, with prominent double eyelids!
EyeTalk Glue contains moisturing ingredient rosemary extract,
which moisturise your skin around eye area.
It is transparent in color after application.
** Double Line Clip **
Natural and long-lasting double eyelids by just clipping on.
Simply 5 minutes clipping and you don’t need eyelid tape anymore!
Nose Clips
** Nose Up Clip**
15 mins a day makes your nose nicer & more beautiful.
Face-slimmers
To obtain that V-shape
** Super Face Roller **
Hot pick in asia now! 2 in 1 rollers that can slim your cheek & chin.
You can use them separately or together!
** Slimming Mouth Piece **
Check out this Japan popular beauty tool with special adjustment design,
only need 2 to 3 mins day and night mouth exercise to become a smiling beauty with beautiful oval shape face.
How to use: Place the mouthpiece in between the mouth and make the sound “O” to exercise the face
Lip Mask
** Crystal Collagen Lip Mask **
With 100% natural collagen and Vitamin B5,
to quickly be absorbed into the skin and reactivate the dormant cells.
Whitening Products
** Shiseido Moisturizing White Mask **
Whitening, moisturising and anti-aging.
Helps to lighten pigmentation, freckles, minimise enlarge pores,
lift up whiteheads, reduce wrinkles and enhance elasticity of skin.
** Likas Papaya Whitening Soap **
Award-winning Filipino pure organic herbal soap.
Enriched with Papaya enzyme and blended with tropical herbs to whiten the skin.
For clearer and fine skin complexion.
No strong odor & No harsh ingredients.
Slimming Products
** Korean Detox Foot Patches **
Detox Foot Patches have a long history in Asia, especially in Korean, Japan and China. It is a natural way to assist your body in the removal of heavy metals, metabolic wastes, toxins, microscopic parasites, cellulite and much more. Detoxify your body today, to potentially regain your health and vitality by promoting a strong immune system and healthy lymphatic functions naturally – through the usage of the original Korean Detox Foot Patches.
Detox Foot Patches discharge internal moisture and toxins through foot points. It can relieve tensions & fatigue, promote sleeping, brighten & soften skin and promote health conditions.
Just attach this detox foot patch to your feet before sleeping, then it will help you to dispel toxins easily. It is shown on professional materials that by using the foot patch for 2 hours, the body wastes and toxins begin to be eliminated. In the next morning you will find large amounts of brownish black and sticky waste oil, liquid and toxins which have been absorbed by the foot patch. Sometimes the foot patch bag will turn yellowish-brown,dark brown or black because of individual difference.
Main Functions:
Promoting blood circulation & metabolism
Activating cells, improving functions of vital organs
Relieving foot fatigue
Relaxing muscles & tendons and eliminating moisture
Relieving swelling & pain
Promoting sleeping
Dispelling toxins accumulated in absorbent system
** Reborn Slimming Wrap **
Original Product, avoid imitation and non original wraps.
Marie France “REBORN” Slimming Wrap
Product from France & Made in Hong Kong
Easy to use and convenient slimming wrap that helps you to reduce fats without the need for exercise. Wrap up the slimming wrap for 30 – 45 mins and you can see results! It helps to reduces fat & tightens skin so as to reduce fine lines. It will also strengthens the skin’s elasticity, prevents cellulite & helps to eliminate toxins in our body.
Ingredients: Made with natural plant extracts including Paullinia, Cupana, Hedera Helix extract, Ginger extract essence, Chilli pepper oil, etc. No alcohol.
Directions:
1) Best to use after your shower. Otherwise, use a warm wet cloth to clean the area you want to put the wrap on before using the slim wrap.
2) Wrap the slim wrap round the area you want to use on as many times as you like.
3) Use the plastic cling wrap to hold the slim wrap in place.
4) Wrap for 30 – 45 mins
5) After use, massage the surplus essence into your skin until it is fully absorbed.
Product Specifications:
1. Each wrap can be used for 2 to 3 times.
2. Measures about 2.5m x 15cm
3. Use once every 2 – 3 days. Usage of 15 times is considered as 1 treatment course.
4. Recommended usage: 1 cold wrap after every 2-4 hot wraps.
5. Every treatment course is said to be able to help you to lose 5 to 10 kg.
Important:
1. Please do not apply any other creams or etc on wrap.
2. Avoid wounded areas.
3. If you are those with very sensitive skin, please avoid using.
4. After using there will appear some redness to the skin which is normal. It should disappear after 2 – 3 hours. If the redness persists, just use cold water to wash the affected area.
5. Avoid wrapping too tightly around your skin. Extreme usage may result in adverse effects.
2 Types Available
- Hot wraps – Reduce fats and swollen areas (more serious slimming)
- Cool wraps – Tighten skin & strengthen skin’s elasticity and reduce stretch marks (less serious slimming)
Recommended usage: 1 cold wrap after every 2-4 hot wraps
** Magnetic Slimming Rings**
A pair of toe rings that emit 1,100 Gauss magnetic force to stimulate your acupuncture points for slimming effect.
** Japan Shape-up Camisole **
A Brand New 3 in 1 hot pick from Japan!
Push Up • Tighten Stomach • Body Slimming Massage
Now you can enjoy slimming down anytime anywhere!
The cami firms your body with bust up control.
Seamless design fits in your daily routine. Your must-have beauty gadget!
** Hip-firming Slimming Leggings**
Hip-firming Slimming leggings with massage effect,
it burns your calories just by simply wearing.
- Consume 625 kcl per hour wearing
- Relieve water retention
- Prevent feet/ legs swelling
- Speed up metabolism
- Combat fatigue
- Prevent varicose veins & thrombosis
The leggings is made of different kinds of materials than normal ones and they are manufactured with special techniques to make 18 pressure points to get the massage & slimming effect. It’s better to hand wash to maintain its good shape. It’s suggested to wear about 5-6 hours each time wearing to achieve the desired effects. (if you wear it for 15 mins and take it off, it’s obviously cant make any effect.) If you dun feel comfortable to wear it for long at the beginning, you may increase the wearing hours gradually.
You may wear it just as normal leggings
and mix-n-match with your other clothings
Color: black
Other features: matte & opaque
Material: 33% cotton, 62% polyester, 5% spandex
Suitable for 150cm – 180cm tall
(some may find it ankle leggings or 4/5 leggings, )
- hand wash only
** Balo Slimming Cream **
Helps to break down excess fats, stimulates the blood and lymph circulation and accelerates the metabolism, helping to get rid of fats faster. Suitable for all types of skin.
How to use: Apply to areas with fats, cellulite and anywhere which you think needs some slimming down (e.g. arms, waist, lower abdomen, buttocks, thigh). Massage in an upwards direction.
Note: You will feel a heating sensation 15 mins after applying. Do not use too many times and different people may experience varying degrees of heat due to skin type. If you feel it’s too hot for you to bear, use a cooling agent like aloe vera gel to cool your skin.
2 types available:
- Chili
- Coffee (for sensitive skin)
** Leg Slimming Thigh Calf Shaping Slipper **
Designed to help give you a better body posture and shape.
Comfortable to wear, the angle and toe dividers aid in promoting circulation to unreachable parts of your foot.
Relieve fatigue calves after long time standing * highly recommended to high heels lovers*
Comes in pairs, free size
Body Enhancers
**Air Push-up Pads**
It’s a pair of inflatable push-up pads that you can adjust how thick the pads are, just by simply pressing.
Suitable for all kinds cup or size of bra.
Just release the air when you don’t need to be so busty….hehe…
You can decide how sexy you are in different occasions, it’s perfect for dating, parties & so on 
And my favorite…
Customer Product Rating
| “Helping Women Become More Feminine”
F-cup’s desire to produce tasty foods is evident in the taste, texture, and packaging of F-cup Cookies. To satisfy their customers, F-cup spends a significant amount of time conducting taste tests and listening to customer feedback. They are always looking for ways to improve their new style of health food products. |
Yet another natural breast enhancement innovation from Japan with eight essential amino acids!
Each F-cup Cookie contains 50mg of the herbal breast enhancer Pueraria Mirifica. Pueraria Mirifica is the same safe and effective, natural breast-enhancing ingredient found in B2UP Body Make Gum (Bust Up Gum). Learn more about Pueraria Mirifica »
As the name implies, F-cup Cookies will help you achieve larger breasts while you relax and enjoy a tasty, low calorie cook¡e. (An F cup size in Japan is like a DD cup size in the U.S.). Try an F-cup Cookie with Japanese Tea. A perfect combination.
F-cup Cookies now come in two flavors: Soy Milk (Plain) or Pralines and Chocolate. (Both flavors may not be available at the same time.)
For ease of use, each F-cup Cookie is individually wrapped, ready to enjoy anytime. Just 1 to 2 cook¡es per day is all that’s needed for natural breast enhancement. And it really works!
Look and feel younger. No one will ever know how you did it
YES. Cookies that claim to make your boobs bigger. Gee, I wonder how? My hypothesis is that it just makes you fatter-thus making your boobs look bigger, haha.
I must admit I have actually bought some of these products and am tempted to buy some of the others- especially the slimming products (I don’t really need the F cup cookies…). I always have this hope that there’ll be some miracle product that will help me lose weight in addition to the exercise that I usually do. I’m still on the hunt…
