Rejection is also frustrating. Its validity can be so ambiguous. Am I being rejected for a legitimate reason? Or is it just a byproduct of something else? Someone's ego? The economy? You may have a few black and white instances of rejection. If you get rejected from every job at a certain pay grade, with the reason "needs more expertise", perhaps it is a valid assessment of a current needed area of improvement, and you work to improve. If you get rejected from most jobs you applied to, in a post 2009 sub-prime mortgage Great Recession job market, perhaps the rejections are more a byproduct of the economy. But the in between situations are much more common, much more tenuous in explanation, and leave us wanting of reason.
...with tea
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
On Coping with Rejection
Rejection is never a pleasant feeling. Whether it be from that guy or girl you like, that group you thought were your friends, a job, or a school, rejection, especially a lot of it, inevitably makes you reevaluate yourself, and begrudgingly... your worth. Am I not worth that guy or girl? Is there something about me that that group of people doesn't like? Was all my hard work not enough for that school?
Rejection is also frustrating. Its validity can be so ambiguous. Am I being rejected for a legitimate reason? Or is it just a byproduct of something else? Someone's ego? The economy? You may have a few black and white instances of rejection. If you get rejected from every job at a certain pay grade, with the reason "needs more expertise", perhaps it is a valid assessment of a current needed area of improvement, and you work to improve. If you get rejected from most jobs you applied to, in a post 2009 sub-prime mortgage Great Recession job market, perhaps the rejections are more a byproduct of the economy. But the in between situations are much more common, much more tenuous in explanation, and leave us wanting of reason.
Rejection is also frustrating. Its validity can be so ambiguous. Am I being rejected for a legitimate reason? Or is it just a byproduct of something else? Someone's ego? The economy? You may have a few black and white instances of rejection. If you get rejected from every job at a certain pay grade, with the reason "needs more expertise", perhaps it is a valid assessment of a current needed area of improvement, and you work to improve. If you get rejected from most jobs you applied to, in a post 2009 sub-prime mortgage Great Recession job market, perhaps the rejections are more a byproduct of the economy. But the in between situations are much more common, much more tenuous in explanation, and leave us wanting of reason.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Absence Does Make the Heart Grow Fonder...Of Green Onion Pancakes
This is a farm we ate breakfast and lunch at on our way to and back from Cotopaxi, Ecuador. |
So this past month I had the free time and the privilege to explore/experience the wonderful cultures of Ecuador and Peru. Both countries warrant full blog posts to themselves, so I wont go into extensive detail here. What I will say is that the food in both countries is cheap, fresh, and delicious. My group would frequent a lunch joint which would serve a 3 course lunch for $3.75! This would include fresh squeezed juice, a small appetizer, soup, a main dish, and a desert. Muy delicioso!
The standard fair at an Ecuadorian restaurant is churrasco served over rice with fries or beans, plantains, and aji. I unfortunately did not take a single picture of this standard meal, which I consumed multiple times... In reparation for this somewhat tragic mishap, here is a photo of a fluffy dog, people watching out of a second story balcony in Cuzco, Peru.
Long story short, as the days of my 4 week trip drew on, while I was still enjoying fresh ceviche et al, I was starting to miss the foods of my home. And the first thing which popped into my mind, and not coincidentally, the first thing I cooked, were these green onion pancakes! These are oh-so-simple, yet oh-so-good, fried, crispy on the outside, doughy on the inside, flaky treats. Below is a step-by-step recipe adapted from a spattering of sources.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Medical School Applications: Why do you want to become a doctor?
Why do you want become a doctor?
As spring is rolling around, many of you out there are probably
asking this very question, as it is the question you have to answer on your
medical school application. If you haven’t started to think about it, and you’re
applying to medical school this year, get your rump working! The earlier you
apply, the better. (As I write this, I can feel 100s of college advisors saying
the exact same thing. I know it might seem like overkill to say it again, but
it’s so true to the application process, it might as well be a truism. Apply
early!)
A California Spring last year. |
The process of applying to medical school makes you jump
through so many hoops, I feel like it has dichotomized the average applicant
into two groups. Firstly, those whom unquestionably know they want to become a
doctor, who have been fixated on the idea since infancy, and who never deeply question
the decision, no matter how large the barrier to entry. The second group, one
which I think the majority of applicants fall into, is one which involves very
deep seeded questioning. Each barrier to
entry, whether it be a sustained high GPA, the Mcat, or the high cost, has you
analyzing the opportunity cost, and other possibilities.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Question: I am starting Medical School next year, will I have time for anything?
This was the question I was asking myself last year at about
this time. It’s hard NOT to think about, given the gargantuan pile of stories
from SDN, friends, and family alike (some whom haven’t even gone to medical
school). I asked one of my medical school friends this question last year who
said he didn’t even have time to watch 1 hour of television during the week. During
our white coat ceremony, our school dean was warning our parents that we won’t
call them for months on end because we’ll be too busy.
No time to watch Modern Family? No time to call my family?
Was this hyperbole or honest advice from veterans of the field? Either way, I
was bracing myself for the worst…a deep spiraling hole of oblivion, piles and
piles of information creating a “blood brain barrier” of sorts to the outside
world. No news, popular culture, or extraneous relationships (is there such a
thing?) will get through the astrocyte like piles of paper.
To be honest, there are definitely weeks like the above
mentioned. Namely, the week before an exam (every 3 weeks at my school). During
these weeks I sometimes feel like I don’t even have time to eat. I’ll shovel
some cereal, or mac and cheese in my mouth just for the purpose of eating, but
I’ll be studying at the same time. Get a call from a friend, ignore button.
Season Finale of Sherlock, who cares?
But, don’t worry audience, this is at one end of the
spectrum. In medical school you’ll definitely
have time for hobbies, family, and the like. I’m writing this blog after all.You’ll have a lot less time than
you’re used to, so you’ll probably have to give your time management skills a
revamp makeover. From my personal experience, it’s hard to be fully caught up
on all the information, so you’ll always feel behind regardless of the many
hours you study every day. But once you get used to feeling behind, the
neurotic need to study all the time to catch up lessens (a bit), and you’ll make
time to have a balanced life.
For example, this weekend I made time to go to the beach. It
was a quick half hour trip, but it was therapeutic, energizing, and still 35
degrees Fahrenheit outside, so a short trip was the preferred modus aperandi
anyway. The time spent on this outing, meant I was still behind in lecture,
but it was worth it.
Yes, there is some unmelted snow by the water. The juxtaposition of ice and beach really threw me for a loop for a bit, being from California. |
I also made time to trace this picture for a friend’s
birthday card. This took about 2 hours, so I added another 1.5 lecture reviews
to my backlog.
I know, it’s a horrifying looking drawing. Am I trying to scare my friend before his next exam? Maybe a little, but just kidding. It’s from a show
called Attack on Titan. Its a very good anime, with a very interesting political
socioeconomic premise. I highly recommend it if you can handle a bit of gore.
Speaking of which, I do have time to watch shows on occasion, but keep in mind
I am writing this on a post exam week. Perhaps during an exam week I would
detail a completely different situation, which I presume was the reason for my
friend’s answer last year.
So a brief summation of my answer: Yes! You will have time
to do other things because you will make the time, by using your time
management skills and by compromising with your more neurotic tendencies.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Wake Me Up! – With some Breakfast Soft Tacos?
Most days in medical school, I don’t have time for elaborate
breakfasts and usually opt for something fast. I’ll eat some cereal with milk,
oatmeal, an apple, or a fun sized chocolate bar or two. The chocolate grab and
go happens a little more often than I would like to admit. This past week was
no exception. My boyfriend’s mother sent us a wonderful package of Saint
Patrick’s Day treats, including but not limited to some very tasty individually
wrapped chocolates from a specialty shop. Amongst the green wrapping paper, laying
at the bottom of the box, so happened to be some instant oatmeal . So what did I eat before my 8AM FOUR hour exam
ensued? Well, to put it frankly and in scientific terms, my dopamine mesolimbic
pathway took over. I grabbed a few of those beautifully wrapped jewels of joy,
bypassed the oatmeal, and went out the door to take my test.
I know, I know, not one of my best moments in life. But
before anyone starts judging me, other things went into my choice calculation
other than my addictive attraction to chocolate. I was running late, and
oatmeal microwaving just seemed too time consuming. Additionally, grab and go apples
were out of the question, because they have actually been banned in the test
taking room… That’s right. The crisp crunch of the apple is too cacophonous for
the average concentrating med school test taker, so they have been banned.
I wasn’t the only one who used the banning of the apples as an excuse for junking it out. My testing neighbor had a donut and a baggy full to the brim of sour punch straws. When I gave his breakfast selection a sideways glance, he shrugged “Hey, they banned my apples.”
I hear yuh brother, they banned my apples too…
I wasn’t the only one who used the banning of the apples as an excuse for junking it out. My testing neighbor had a donut and a baggy full to the brim of sour punch straws. When I gave his breakfast selection a sideways glance, he shrugged “Hey, they banned my apples.”
I hear yuh brother, they banned my apples too…
Anyhow, on weekends I like to make up for these breakfast
shortcomings when I have the time. One such brunch option is the Breakfast Soft
Taco (or burrito if you can manage to wrap those darned things). The
combination of savory from the potatoes, tart/sweet from the tomatoes, and
creaminess of the avocado really does the trick. It is a meal jam packed with
nutrients, in case you also suffer from the nutrient deficits of banned apple,
chocolate addiction choices.
Ingredients
(Serving for 2)
- Flour Tortillas
- 3 Eggs
- 1 Avocado – diced (inch squared)
- 1 Russet Potato
- 1 cup fresh Tomatoes – diced (cm- inch squared)
- ¼ Red onion diced (mm-cm squared)
- ½ cup fresh Cilantro – stems removed and julienned
- ½ tsp Rosemary
- ½ tsp Thyme
- Vegetable oil
- Black beans (Optional)
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Peal the skin off of the potato, and dice into bite sized pieces (1/2 inch squared).
- Add 2 tablespoon oil, salt, pepper, ½ tsp Rosemary, and ½ tsp Thyme to the cut potatoes, and mix. Put the potatoes in the oven and bake until browned. (you can add some julienned red onion and garlic into this mix too)
- While potatoes are baking, scramble eggs. To do this, whip the three eggs, add some salt and pepper. Put some oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Wait until the oil has a liquid consistency, then pour in the eggs. Cook until the eggs are no longer runny.
- Next, mix the diced tomatoes, cilantro, and red onion. I like to add about ½ tsp of sugar, and half a limes worth of juice to the mixture. It helps enhance the flavor, but these aren’t necessary
- Once all these components are in order, you are ready to assemble! In a pan, over medium heat, heat up your flour tortillas until warm and pliable. Add in whatever combination of ingredients you desire.
- Eat and enjoy!
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Basil Sprigs a Springin'
It is, the first week of spring quarter. The expansive blue
skies look over melting heaps of snow, refrozen puddles, and peeking through
dirt patches. The extremes of Chicagoland weather, while terrifying at first
(40 tornados in 1 day!), truly bring out the subtle and varied beauties of
nature.
I have a fresh bundle of Thai Basil smuggled over from sunny
California, Japanese eggplant, and a couple of free hours on hand. What should
I do? Well, cook some tasty eggplant of course! Below is a slightly tweaked
recipe from Tyler Florence. I’ve been making it since my Junior year of
undergrad. The combination of sweet, salty, and spicy keeps me coming back. It
is a …with tea, tested and approved recipe!
Adapted from Tyler Florences' Szechwan Eggplant
3 Japanese eggplants cut in ½-1 inch pieces
3 tablespoons Vegetable oil (for frying the eggplant)
1 inch peeled an minced ginger
3 peeled and minced garlic cloves
Red pepper flakes to taste
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
3 tablespoons Vegetable oil (for frying the eggplant)
1 inch peeled an minced ginger
3 peeled and minced garlic cloves
Red pepper flakes to taste
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
½ cup of water or more
2 green onions, sliced in ½-1 inch segments
½ cup Thai holy basil leaves lightly chopped (very important!)
½ cup Thai holy basil leaves lightly chopped (very important!)
Salt and pepper
1. Pour the oil into a large pan, and fry the eggplant on medium high
heat (in batches if needed). I do this until there are some brownish
caramelization marks on each side.
2. Sprinkle eggplant with salt and pepper.
3. Remove the eggplant.
4. Add more oil if needed. Fry the garlic, ginger, and red pepper
flakes for a couple of minutes on medium heat. You should smell some tasty
aromas.
5. Add back in the eggplant.
6. Add in the soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and a half cup of
water. Cook until the sauce is absorbed. Add more water if you want the
eggplant to be softer. I like mine very soft, and almost falling apart, so I
usually add about 2 cups of water in smaller batches.
7. A couple minutes before you take it off the stove, toss in the
green onions and Thai basil. Continue cooking until you see the leaves wilt and
look kind of like cooked spinach.
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