Watermelon Festival

Salted watermelon popsicles at RVA Watermelon Festival today with my new roomie! :)

Don't it feel like sunshine after all?

Fun weekend!


First, my dear friend H came home after being abroad for a looooong time, and I went up to Northern VA to help in a surprise party to welcome her back! It was so good to finally see each other in person again. Hopefully, being on the same continent will help us see each other more often. Love you, H! :)

Then tonight, I had the chance to see Jimmy Eat World! When I was a freshman in high school, their song "The Middle" started to become popular, and I was intrigued by this new type of music that I found myself connecting with. Before then, I was mainly listening to the likes of Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys (publicly, I was a staunch BSBer, but I secretly also liked N*Sync. The truth is now out!). In response to my interest in the band, this guy that I met in one of my classes that year gave me a burned CD of Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American. After one listen, I was hooked. So now I think of them as sort of the gateway to the type of music that I enjoy to this day, and they'll always have a place in my heart.

Honestly though, I kind of forgot about them in recent years, but going to see them reminded me of why I like them. Also, they are sooo good live. I would totally see them again, especially because there were so many songs that they didn't have time to play, but I would love to hear in concert at some point.

NYC, in pictures

The first couple of days, I stayed at the Millennium Hilton downtown, courtesy of my buddy who currently works in the Financial District. We had an amazing view from the room, and one of the new World Trade Centers is located right in front of the hotel.

On Thursday afternoon, my friends H and M and I went to go see Broadway performances at Bryant Park. I went last year, but it wasn't as good this time. In fact, some of the acts made me not want to go see them. Sorry, Charlies.

Two of my favorite peeps! Gratuitous photos of us hanging out in the Big Apple. :)

For lunch, we stopped at Ippudo's new location in Midtown. At first, I inhaled the ramen and could not get over how good it was (better than Totto, in my opinion). But later, the greasiness got the best of me. :( Still, I cannot deny how delicious it was when I ate it.. the rainy weather probably helped with my appetite for something warm and soupy. The ambiance of the place was clean and modern. AND PORK BUNS. WERE SO WONDERFUL.

The next day, we woke up before the crack of dawn to try to score some Jimmy Fallon show tickets. Unfortunately, we did not get to see the show, but it was a very close call. Sigh.. next time, Jimmy. I shall grace your audience with my presence!

Saturday, I had the chance to watch Cirque du Soleil in a VIP suite at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, thanks to my friend and her cousins. Twas nice! Felt so rich and VIP for a few hours. :)

And later that night, my friends and I participated in a 5K Glow Run at Citi Field in Queens. It was really fun, despite people not actually running during the race.

And for my last meal in NYC, Dominican food. Malecon! Oh man, if they made a restaurant near me I would be their loyalest customer. Plantains, yellow rice, yuca, roasted chicken.. mmm mm.

And that is the end of that trip! Good times with good people! Sorry for the lack of any kind of storytelling and/or transitions between pictures. It is what it is.

Jamaica 2.0

I want keep up a more consistent site!

If only so that all the pictures that I take don't just hide away in my phone, never to see the light of day.

Hence, I blog.

Today I think I'll focus a bit on my Jamaica trip. I won't provide much commentary, but overall it was a good learning experience, both in the clinic and just working with the people on the trip. While schedule-wise it was mostly the same as the trip I went on last year, I will say it was a different dynamic due to the larger group with varying personalities this time.

On the Black River boat tour, featuring crocodiles...

...and dolphins!

Working in the clinic (permission granted by the patient to take this pic).

Our fearless dentist leaders.

This tooth was particularly memorable to extract. First, because it was a wisdom tooth, far back in the mouth where it was hard to see. But also, as I was trying to extract, the crown fractured off due to the extent of the decay, and I essentially lost my grip on the tooth. Instead, I had to slowly elevate the root out. I really wanted to give up and get one of the dentists to come help me but I was determined to keep trying. Eventually it came out! One of my proudest moments on the trip.

The food this year was just as good as the last.. can't go wrong with lobster!

Zip lining at YS Falls.

Sunrise in Jamaica on my last day of the trip.

And to end on a totally unrelated note, a beautiful sunset in Norfolk, VA.

Tomorrow... NYC recap!

Happy belated Fourth of July!

Fireworks, in case you missed them last night.

Hope my patients to dedicate a chapter of their autobiography to me

"I've gone from avoiding dentists and periodontists to practically stalking them, not in some quest for a Hollywood smile but because I enjoy their company."

I randomly picked up David Sedaris's new Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls today while I was at Barnes and Noble, and no joke, the first chapter was entirely dedicated to his strong rapport with his dentists.

Love it.

Hipster remixes

I'm alive. Processing a lot of thoughts these days. Re-evaluating. Mostly recognizing my frail humanity and how much I suck at living life apart from Christ. How do people do it without going crazy? Genuinely curious.

On a more superficial note, my musical preferences lean toward the indie/hipster spectrum-I can't help it! It makes me smile and sometimes do wiggles that kind of resemble dancing. But going a step further, lately I've been into remixes of songs that I like. A couple of favorites, mostly because they sound like odes to the warmer weather!

Ra Ra Riot-Beta Love (RAC remix)

Local Natives-Who Knows Who Cares (Wax Nostalgic remix)

Summer is almost here!