follow me to ohio

this has been the longest month since i’ve started pharmacy school. i decided to join a p&t competition (basically using evidence base medicine and the manufacturer’s dossier to argue my reasons as to why a certain medication should or should not be added to a clinic’s formulary). i was assigned to group of 4 (2 p3s, 1 p2, and 1 p1). materials were passed out during december and i should’ve started over break. of course, i was with family and friends and i pretty much ignored the project :P

when i came back to cbus, my team and i finally started the written portion (20-page monograph + 10 pages of answering other questions). the other p3, p2, and i definitely wanted to quit 2 weeks before the first part of the project was due. of course, we played competition chicken - mostly saying “i’ll quit if you wanna quit”. but our gung ho p1 cheered us on and somehow convinced us to stay in the running. with less than 1 week to go, we scrambled to finish our material…i read several books about pharmacoeconomic models to understand my portion of the project >_< let’s just say, i don’t think i’ll ever go into this aspect of pharmacy. we panicked for a week, stressed out, and went a little nutty. by saturday night of the due date, we submitted part 1 with 10 mins to go and a short freak out session that was accompanied by busta rhymes’ pass the courvoisier. we went out and celebrated that night, to which i only remember a lot of drinking, dancing, and finally starting the once upon a time series (thanks diana!). 

a week later, we typed, semi-rehearsed (a couple times actually) and finally submitted our presentation slides at 11:58pm (it was due at 11:59p). again, we went out, this time we were all present. the next day, we went snowboarding for ~6hrs - we well deserved break from school, projects, and work! at this point, i’m thinking i’m spending way too much time with my group, granted one of them is my best friend :P

finally, during this past week, we met up a couple of times to rehearse our presentation and frantically trying to cut down our time to meet the 30min limit. our p1 and p2 had exams all week and the p3s with a fat exam the following week, so by friday, we were all exhausted, but ready to kick some ass. we met up before the presentation for a quick rehearsal and pep talk. when we gave our presentation to 4 judges (who were specialists in what we were presenting), the feedback and critiques made our jaws drop with excitement. let’s just say, we felt pretty rewarded for the time and effort we put into this project. 

although we did not win the competition, we did get third place and we made pretty sweet t-shirts. now that it’s done and over, i have to say it was a pretty great experience. but it would not have been as awesome if not for my amazing team. we worked hard, played hard, joked hard, and drank hard :P i have never had this much fun stressing over a project. i have also never had this many high fives in a month. it’s a bond that i hope never fades. thank you to the best team ever. 

ps we’re pretty tight. 

up late bc i can’t sleep…same as every night >_< i’ve decided i wanted to learn more about art. don’t ask why, but that’s my newest hobby to collect. i’ve never been particularly great at art (i.e. drawing, sketching, and esp painting), but i figured i should at least be cultured in it. i really enjoy psychology and would love to understand the passion and direction behind the artist’s creation. right now, i’m interested in francisco goya and henri matisse. if you have any recommendations for books/biographies/websites/blogs about either of them, please holla at me. ps my bday isn’t for another 7mos, but i would love a seasonal pass ($60 value) to the columbus museum of art. please and thank you! 

ps please don’t suggest goya’s ghosts…i already know about it :P

Khánh chúc các bạn và gia đình của em mừng năm mới, tràn đầy ơn Chúa, sống lâu trăm tuổi, an khang thịnh vượng, vạn sự như ý, sức khỏe dồi dào, cung hỉ phát tài, tiền vô như nước! ♥

new year’s resolutions (take 2): 

1) exercise (do more yoga and start cycling!)

2) stop complaining about it and just do it!

3) play instruments more

4) get to bed early

5) do something that makes you happy at least once a week ^_^

ladies and gentlemen, i present to you the world’s most expensive photo. it’s a $4.34 million completely focused photo of the rhine river! i’ve been reading more into this (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15689652, http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/00-new-today.htm) and i suppose the only reason i would consider the price is that it’s done with a large-format camera and it’s mounted on glass. i’m not an artist or expert photographer, but this is waaay too expensive. i guess i should see this piece mano-a-mano, maybe then i can understand the worth of it. still, the price is fantastic :) 

1) Honduras
2) D.C.
3) Vegas
4) San Diego
5) L.A.
6) San Francisco (?) 
7) Albany
8) West Virginia
9) New York City
10) Boston (?) 

Pessimism, from the Latin pessimus (worst), is a state of mind in which one perceives life negatively.

Why are people so pessimistic!? I want to live my life inspiring others to love their own life. Has it become a social construct to think so negatively of people and the world itself? I just don’t understand why we perpetuate the mindset that people will not live up to their expectations. In today’s society, we lack respect, understanding, and patience that our ancestors once had. I cannot stand the hatred and disregard that pass onto each other everyday. This construct is the very foundation of our pessimism. We think people are terrible because they treat each other terribly…so does that mean we just stay that way and continue treating them the same way? HOW WILL YOU CHANGE THE WORLD?! I’m sure I am not perfect, but I am aware of my actions and how they may affect others. Even in my own daily life, we think so negatively of our classmates that we continue to think none of us will participate or get involved, which just gives them the excuse to skip out on all those opportunities. i try so hard to motivate others, but how can i keep doing this if someone is shadowing me and taking down my efforts. i guess all i can do is to keep trying.

oh why hello tumblr. i have been been ill for the past several days. i am better now thanks to sleep, food, liquids, and meds. though i will one day become a pharmacist, i tend to avoid the pills when i’m sick. personally, i think you should try other means first - sleep, exercise, diet, therapy, tea/herbals, etc - and use meds as the last resort. though i practice this, i would never recommend it to a patient :P i’m sure this mindset was passed down to me by my beloved mother. 

quick update. i visited my lovable bf 2 weeks ago for his formal, our monthiversary, and early valentine’s day :) it was a wonderful and relaxing 5 day weekend. his city had 2 feet of snow (which was a trade up from slippery ice in cbus). i had the privilege of playing in the beautiful powder thanks to my waterproof merrell boots. formal was spectacular and not just because steven was a chicken, but bc the atmosphere was just wonderful. open bar, music, friends, and of course, delicious food! what more could you ask for :) 

this past sunday…just recovering from my illness…i did a quick photo adventure with a friend/schoolmate. it turned out better than i expected and left me a LOT of learning room. next step is to practice more photos with fill flash and learn how to adjust to the lighting. that evening, i attended cirque du soleil dralion with a few friends and had a blast! i love the acrobats, the stage designs/lights, and the mini-stories that go with each portion of the show! cirque du soleil has yet to disappoint me. 

remind me that i need to yelp for a restaurant we went to after the show: barley’s smokehouse and grill (i think that’s the name). they serve the BEST chicken wings in town…at least thus far. i also had basil tomato soup that was much too creamy and a bit oily. needless to say, i got “re-sick” that evening. i stayed in bed almost all of monday (missing classes…darn!) either sleeping or watching royal pains. now i’m behind in lectures and another wave of exams are coming up around the corner. oh well, i still have time to catch up. for now, i’m just going to sleep and hope for a wonderful thursday! good night tumblr.