Name:Kim Country:United States State:Texas Birthday:9/1/1986 Gender:Female
Interests:i love viet karaoke!!!... i have lately changed my music interests.. techno has grown on me, so has hip hop... im still into my asian music, mostly viet, such as nhu quynh, minh tuyet... people say i sound like cam ly when i sing, i really like listening to her too.-- i also listen to mediation music cuz it helps me study, such as yanni, enya, and anything i can find.-- i like watching chinese epics, korean dramas, and asian kung fu movies. i enjoy playing the guitar. i like markers and bubble tea. asia club at SU rocks my socks.. i also like shopping for bargains(yes.. i am very cheap)..
do you like the music? its me singing! ;) Expertise:Like i said... i am an EXPERT at vietnamese karaoke ;).. but i like singing sad songs (1. they calm me down alot!!! and 2. they allow me to develop more of my voice and 3. i really like the sad/ chinesey tunes)... as you can tell, i am also an expert at giving THREE REASONS why i do things, and i make others do it to ;).... im not an expert at playing the guitar... but i can say that i am... i am also (apprarantly to sally's boyfriend) very good at annoying the crap out of a lot of people... i also make really weird noises and gestures when i am fustrated or really excited... and i am also good at finding bargains!!! i love buying things that cost only $3!!! its soo much fun!!! ;)... Occupation:Student Industry:Medical
Updates on the Cali Experience and Allergy Report.
Before I forget, here are the foods/ things that i know i am allergic to: i get contact dermatitis if i touch _______ for a prolonged period of time metal (cheap jewelry, even some w/ gold, but i dont know about pure gold yet. my body is weird), latex i am allergic to _________ when i eat it. fruit: apples, watermelon, cantaloupe (when i eat it lots), really ripe fruit such as black cherries and soft mango peanuts, soy (especially milk but i still eat lots of tofu), beef, sometimes shrimp, most likely shellfish (but i still eat it sometimes)- crab im lactose interolerant and i get bright cherry red if i drink any alcohol I am allergic to lots of trees (too many to count), grasses, weeds, molds, animals (dogs, cats, cockroaches), stagnant air on cruise ships, california, texas in the spring & fall, smoke (anything that clogs up the air, cigarette, weed etc), solvents in the organic lab (dichloromethane, chloroform, acetone, hexanes, ethyl acetate are the biggest ones)
the bottom line: nature and i are mortal enemies. -----------------------
California was cold. Im not used to the cold during the summer. Not to mention, I am definitely allergic to something in socal. I stayed in orange county- went to a wedding ( i caught the bouquet- so boys.. beware!), navy reunions- sang lots on stages. impressed lots of old people for knowing lots of old songs.
the cruise was fun. i was allergic on the cruise ship too. there was something like mold in my room or my body doesnt like the ocean air or something- but my eyes were definitly red throughout the whole cali/ cruise trip. it was a 5 day 4 night extravaganza. we made 3 stops: san diego, catalina islands, and ensenada mexico. it was so much fun! so much food! the ship was HUGE! 14 stories. at least 20 elevators. 3 dining rooms, 2 saltwater pools, 2 hot tubs, one rock climbing wall, one theater. it was really gorgeous. they crew took meticulous care of the ship cuz it is as old as cindy! 17 yrs old. yet still gorgeous.
next time im going- im bringing my personal air filter and choosing a newer ship. it would be better :)
I am watching Garden State while trying to remember my Nicaragua days.Just came back fr eating 1st Chinese bbq w/ my dad & siblings.It was good.I am full.Tomorrow, I am heading off again to Cali/ Mexico cruise.I am so excited! …. Not packing til the last minute, of course ;)
I love the music in Garden State.
Back to Nicaragua.My schedule of my days in Nicaragua:
5:00 “End of the day” as in no more patients in the door
6:30 Dinner (some chicken with beans & rice), afterwards & devotional w/ lots of singing (no, I didn’t take part b/c the singing in parts part was intimidating), it was our “free time”
Sometimes, we spent it having a tae kwon do class, self defense class, variety show- it was so much fun!People started going to sleep by 9.Almost everybody was asleep by 11.Brian was usually awake til the wee hours of the morn.
My job @ the clinic:triage.Yes, I was a part of the triage team w/ Theresa, Sharon, David (the intern), and my fellow MS0s: Eunice (my roomie) & Brian J
As a triage member, I take in patients, get their weight, blood pressure (sometimes manually!!Whoohoo!!) glucose blood test, urine test, pregnancy test as needed.Then, I would direct the people to the appropriate doctors.We had 4-5 docs on the team, depending on the day.
The mission group consisted of about 20 people.We had the medical team, the dental team, the pharmacy group, and eyeglasses.
Every day we arrived at the clinic, there were HUNDREDS of people were already waiting in front of the clinic.We worked in the rural parts of Nicaragua.People would walk 3 hrs to get to the clinic around 3-5 in the morning and wait all day to get inside.It was INSANE!
I didn’t know that Nicaraguan Spanish is so different fr Mexican Spanish.They emphasize different things, especially when they ask questions.Nicas also talk slower than Mexicans.I would speak and people would have a hard time understanding me because I talked too fast.It took me a while, but I soon got the hang of it.
I saw some really crazy medical conditions.Too crazy to put on facebook.Rampant staph infections- girl w/ one nipple- 16 yr old that looks like a 10 yr old- lots of babies w/ scabies- shingles-baby w/ a tear shaped pupil- 20 yr old skin rashes where the skin is completely gone-a hernia in the groin area bigger than a grapefruit (and I touched it!)
I got so many nicknames- I learned soo much
My nicknames included:tigergirl (for my tiger rainboots) bandaid girl (for putting a bandaid wrong on a poor patient) kim possible (for the tv show) and la china (which was given to me by the little nica kids)the kids followed me EVERYWHERE, taunting me w/ the name la china.They would chase after the bus when we left, yelling out la china.I would get so frustrated, I would answer them (w/ my hands on my hips) “que quieres?” and they would answer- candy! Vitamins! And…. Whatah!!! (bruce lee impression ;)I kind of miss them now.
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CHA CHA BOO-CHI, CHA CHA CHA BOO-CHI, ROLL CALL:“Me llamo Kim, call me LA CHINA
(whatahhhh!!!), so check me out!”
Two words to describe my experience in Nicaragua:Life changing.The trip was amazing.I learned so much.At first, I didn’t think that one week was
enough for anything.Boy, was I
wrong.After one week, my body was
aching to be back to the states.These
next few entries will be devoted to Nicaragua, the amazing place, the amazing
people.I just used amazing about 4
times in this one paragraph.I just cant
think of a better word.
Going on the plane fr DFW to Houston, Houston to
Managua.3 hrs layover in Houston.The other people in the group were able to
identify themselves via the big red tags on our bags.Eunice brought a fanny pack.It was sooo funny!I couldn’t stop laughing, but at the end of
the trip- I wanted one myself JWe started to meet the others at
pappadeaux.Then went on the plane.Got to Nica around 9 @ night.Walked fr the airport to the Best Western
Hotel.
By US standards- this hotel would get around 2-3 stars.It was a typical hotel.There were pools.The rooms were airconditioned, 3 beds to a
room.There was hot water.Everything was functional.It was nice.The continental breakfast was cool.The Nica cheese looks like tofu.I got confused about “tofu” being in the omlet line.
Got stuck on the bus for 3 hrs to Jinotega.The bus ride was ok b/c the roads were paved
w/ concrete.Made it in time for a
Church of christ service. I was so
confused!I had to sit in the front row
too.They gave you something to drink,
something to eat… Such a weird service!Then
we ate some lunch @ the Mission.Went on
our way to Pantasma.It took us 3 hrs to
drive 18 mi b/c we were winding up and down the hills w/ the roads paved w/
rocks.It was torture.
We got to the Clinic to dump off our medical stuff and set
up.It was raining cats and dogs
outside.The rainy season in Nicaragua
lasts from May – November.It rained for
so long and so hard- I was soaked in my dress trying to grab my luggage to go
upstairs to my room @ our “hotel”.
By Pantasma standards- the hotel was NICE.There were walls, a nice floor.It was even two stories.There was running water (cold!!!) and
electricity.There were mattresses on
the bed.Some people got 4 in foam
mattresses- but it was better than sleeping on the floor.Well- my 2nd matress was concave-
so it was not much better for my back, but it was something.
What they didn’t tell us abt the hotel:the water stinks.We brushed our teeth w/ bottled water.The toilets were so stinky after you flushed,
we had to put up a sign “if yellow- let it mellow, if brown, go out back!”we had the mellow yellow bathroom.The smell of urine was better than flushing
that toilet.There were bugs crawling
all over our mattresses &sheets, we
had to spray off on them before sleeping.Lets just say that I didn’t sleep very well when I was in Pantasma.It doesn’t help that my eyes don’t shut
completely when I sleep- which SUCKS.I
usually wake up 2-3x a night anyways…I
had to wake up more often to get the gunk out of my eyes.
Never in my life had I relied on so much antibacterial gel,
bottled water, & OFF bug spray.The
bathrooms were soo gross, it took me 2 nights of not taking a shower- to
finally go take one.I wasn’t completely
gross…I washed my hair in the pharmacy
sink @ work, I wiped my necessary parts before sleep…I guess you just get used to the stink after
a while.You still notice to stink, it
just doesn’t bother you as much.
A yo- necesito pensar mas en espanol. necesito practicar mas en preparacion para mi viaje a Nicaragua. estoy muy emocionada :)
I havent written anything while i have been at home for a few weeks and i think that an update on life is sorely needed.
For the first week of being back home, it has been constant unpacking and looking for stuff that i packed. name, my passport (otherwise i couldnt go to nicaragua) and my phone charger. thank the lord that i located my passport! Dang it! I couldnt find my phone charger for the life of me and I thought that I could find it in the next few days. I even called katy to see if she saw anything that looked like my phone charger. I waited for it in the mail- but it wasnt it. I went to the sprint store, reluctantly going to shell out $40 for a new charger- but they didnt have any in stock. So, i looked online for a phone charger and amazon sold mine for $.40!!! plus shipping was a whopping $3!!! That was great. I was phoneless for a whole two weeks, but it was liberating. I was no longer a slave to my phone. I didnt have to worry about it being charged. No more angry messages about not picking up my phone.
then again, i never knew what time it was. no one could call me. i didnt have contact with anyone. i couldnt make emergency calls, etc. it was a painful 2 weeks. but that is now all changed! i can has a new phone charger! it has been nice :)
i FINISHED the vampire romance TWILIGHT trilogy. took me 2 weeks to finish 3 books. one more book in the series. im excited. especially since i HATE READING. yes. hate is a strong word. i just dont like it. but now, im starting to change my mind. ehh. we will see what will happen.
TWILIGHT was good! i would stay up til 2 each night trying to finish the next chapter. now, off to the harry potter series. im debating whether or not to start from the beginning or just go from the 4th book. hmmm....
i made black bean soup for my family and my mom was actually impressed! they have no appreciation for my food. especifally since my mom is such a great cook. hhmmmpf! i made cookies too! they didnt turn out so good. i was stingy w/ the choc chips and we didnt have measuring spoons and i eyeballed everything. not a good idea. o well. they taste weird. what can you do? im going to throw them out tomorrow.
i have been taking walks in my neighborhood. its so nice.
i went to see VAN SON TODAY IN DALLAS!!! it was sooo much fun! its a vietnamese variety show that travels everywhere and was filmed today in dallas. i am going to buy the dvd b/c i might be in it! while we were waiting outside, there was a guy that was filiming the people's reactions and he actually interviewed me!!! i just kept gushing "I LOVE YOU VAN SON!!!" -- so maybe i get to be on film for being an overly excited fan :)
the show was suprisingly good. better than i expected. better than ASIA. almost everybody sang live. i was barely bored. (this time- i came prepared w/ my knitting) even though the show was 4 hrs- i survived. it was good. the singers are soo good live! tam doan- ngoc ha- thanh tuyen = all amazing! linda chou opened. nothing special. ha vy wore a cute ao dai. cat tien was cute. andy quach is a rebel w/ his faux hawk. the asian boy band group: vpop is comprised of ugly guys. the sound was amazing. the dancers were decent. the production team didnt spend too much time sweeping the floor. we sat in the 2nd floor. it was such a good view! i am so happy i went!!! :) yay!!!
the theme of the show was "chuyen tinh bat tu" which has two meanings: love stories that are lost in time, or love stories that you would never expect. they sang songs that were from famous love stories, like romeo & juliet, hunchback of notre dame, phantom of the opera, zorro- laced with an overlying cowboy theme. it was interesting. cant wait to see what it looks like on dvd :)
tomorrow is memorial day. happy memorial day! have a good day bbq-ing!
I am so proud of myself! I finished the entire Lord of the Rings series! O yea- I graduated 2 days ago. That was an accomplishment too. I cant believe I finished LOTR!!!! Lets recap of what I remember:
1st: The fellowship of the Ring. I was kneading bread, making bread through this one. I have watched bits and pieces before because we had free pay per view for a while back then and we would always put this movie on the TV. I didnt understand it then, but I kind of understand more of it now. I was proud of myself for recognizing the nine evil flying black guys as the nine kings from the very beginning. I wasnt paying much attention though. I need to watch it again to see what Borimir did.
2nd: The two towers. This was the movie that I actually sat down and watched all of. It was good! For some odd reason, i really liked the tragic Smeagol, Gomm (something) character. He was kind of cute. In a weird way. I hated Farimir. I also hated Frodo. I think he is so stupid. Trees are cool. The movie is totally anti-industrialization. I remember wanting to ride around in armor. I like how gandalf evolved to become gandalf the white. Just like pokemon!
3rd and final: The return of the king. I had such a headache while watching this movie. the headache was from eystrain too! I think that I made myself sick from watching this movie. The next day- I drove home with a fever. It was bad. This movie was soooo long! Dang you people who made the movie so long. It wasnt even the extended edition! I figeted/ shifted/ was restless through 3 of the 3 1/2 hours. I had to eat cookies and sweets to keep myself awake. There were some parts where my eyes were about to give out- so booth had to narrate for me.
Frodo is sooo stupid in the movie! it makes me upset. he definitely did not graduate from college with a summa cum laude. :P I hate smeagol now. I forgot his other name. The movie should have made sam the ring bearer. I like the legolas look more than aragorn. I think its the fact that he is cleanshaven. I contemplated being a cosplayer.
It was weird throughout the movie. I had so many questions- that were answered within seconds of me asking. I could also predict a lot of things that would happen in the movie. It was weird. --------
SO yea. I would not have finished this without my friends. I think this was as momentus as my other accomplishments because i wouldnt have done it otherwise. Thank you friends! -----------
Before graduation, katy and I made a list of what we wanted to do before graduating.
Saturday: We wanted to go to Schlitterbahn, but we couldnt because it was too cold outside. Listened to Booth and David practice for Juries and just watched Lord of the Rings. Sunday: Finished the 1st LOTR movie. We went to schlitterbahn! I had to drive :(. I like waterparks- but Schlitterbahn uses river water that is gross. There were some rides where I got up there, and I wanted to go down again. It was scary! I did it anyways and I conquered my fears! My proudest moment: i went on the MasterBlaster (the one i couldnt go on last time even though we waited for 2+ hrs in line) and it was kind of fun! Went to San Antonio and the Riverwalk for some awesome tex mex food @ casa rio. Monday: Dilly Dallied in my room until En Rui finished the Juries. I went to acupuncture for hte last time. went back down to austin to return books, eat thai food, and get durian ice cream. yummy! Tuesday: Cleaned the chemistry lab for 3 hours! it was horrible. Watched the 2 Towers. Wednesday: went pottery painting for bei en rui. Made a rice bowl and a mug. They both look really cool. Thursday: Went to the San Marcos outlets. Helped william get a really nice wardrobe. Made Lava Muffins. Went Salsa dancing- I will dance with anybody. I danced with a guy w/ a potbelly for a couple of songs. It was so much fun! One of hte last times I saw delia. OMG>>> didnt go to sleep until 6:30 in the morning!!!!!! why?!?!?! Met up w/ William and Vickie & Kenny @ the Oil Can and we met some guys that went to UT. They were having a get together @ their apt and they wanted us to come too. It was shady- but then their friends were @ Kerbey Lane & we went to go eat the queso. It was good. it was also 4:30 then. Went back to their place. hung out til 5:30. Got back on campus @ 6. Had to shower,etc. Didnt sleep til 6:30. insane. Friday: Helped Bei En Rui move stuff to Storage. went to the phi beta kappa ceremony LATE. so embarrassing! ate pho. hung out w/ parents. went to the vicki party. htat was fun. listened to piano in the chapel. went to bed. saturday: graduation.
done. i am done with college. done with this chapter in my life. i had to write it down- otherwise i would forget. i am so forgetful, its a miracle that i do well in school. i no longer have: my awesome roomate who i can vent to.-- my neighbors on the side who i can talk anything to, who are always there--- my downstair baking buddy and late night lava muffins-- my salsa buddy-- my bei en rui--
its sad. i will try my hardest to keep in touch. right now- it will be a little hard b/c i forgot where i placed my phone charger. (darn forgetfulness)
