I love new things!

HELLOOOO MONDAY!!!
Other times I would be sad to see Monday come so quickly, but not today.
Starting this week and onward I'll be working on revamping, refocusing and channeling my energy to one certain thing, perhaps the most important thing to me - my new life, school and career. I'm forgetting all the drama of the past year and focusing on the future which is bright and beaming! Who's with me?

Speaking of a revamp, have you noticed the changes around here? subtle but noticeable. Notice the "Patrice's Corner" button? Go ahead click on it! When Dental School starts this blog will mostly be about dental stuff, and of my adventures and experiences in dental school, so Patrice's Corner is a way for you to enjoy my site without all the dental mumbo jumbo; it's where you can learn a little more about me. Not only that but you can shop straight from my Corner, get coupons on my favorite things, and even get free stuff!

I'm adding things daily but you can go ahead and check it out now. Don't forget to come back!

< Click the button above>

Burn calories, not electricity

Take the darn Stairs!!

I've been slacking on my workout routine lately. Remember this post, when I ran all of 2 miles and almost passed out? that was me finding that rhythm again, and I was doing just fine until the lazy bug came out and bit me.
However, not to worry. Thanks to NYC's commisioner and the department of health, in almost every building that I enter I'm greeted with a little green sign strategically placed near elevators and escalators promoting burning calories and taking the stairs rather than burning electricity and harming the environment.
It almost makes you feel guilty, and it works because I find myself taking the stairs more and more... that is, if it's no more than four or five flights. So, the next time you push an elevator button waiting for its arrival, just remember taking the stairs helps to burn calories, while the environment can be saved.


Walking up the stairs just 2 minutes a day helps prevent weight gain. It also helps the environment.

Commitment Issues & Furniture craziness

Just so you know and for lack of a better post, I have 13 days until the big move and 29 until the BIG day! I'm uber excited! So excited that I have changed my furniture selection for my new apartment a total of FOUR times thus far. The themes I have in my head changes the longer  I wait.
First It was all traditional - mahogany cradle bed, matching dressing table, night stands and dining table, earth tone sofa, loveseat and armchair; everything all matchy and monotone. It took me all of 1 week to realize that the 22 years of living under my mother's roof  had rubbed off and in. This arrangement had to be changed immediately! talk about boring. It kinda looked something like this:

 <yya! totally boring and grandmother-ish>

A call to the furniture store to cancel the order was all that took. Phew! saved myself from total doom and premature...oldness? By this time I'm troubleshooting and watching HGTV. David Bromstad, host of colorsplash quickly became my new best friend and I was totally inspired to go all bright bubbly colors and mix & match; but that was AFTER another change of heart. The monotone earth tones bruised me so deeply that I wanted to go completely opposite, black and white opposite. It took me all of 3 weeks to realize it this time... I suppose because it was the total opposite of the household and I felt a long coming rebellion. This look was quite pricey though, and all the accessorizing to not make the place look totally drab would totally break the bank. Not only that but if you know me you'll know I sometimes like to eat dinner on the couch and I'd be damned if I got Ragu on all the luxury.

 <It don't matter if you're black or white...but geesh! >

Now back to David Bromstad and his evil flurry of colors. This would have actually been a pretty chic look, except I have commitment issues and knew I'd get tired of all the bright cheery colors. Like, what are youuu so happy about? Anyway it would have looked liked this:

 < look at it long enough at it'll slowly start to resemble vomit *gag>

Yeah, commitment issues. I finally decided that I liked all these variations and maybe, just maybe I could find a way to blend them all into one big comfy, chic and stylish apartment. If I get tired of all the color, there'd be sultry earth tones to tone it down and when I feel like jazzing it up we'll have those bright cheery colors. When I feel to be different and edgy...yeah I guess that'll be there too. So what did I finally decide? What will the final product look like?

You'll have to wait until after 13 days to find out kids! =) Or should I stick with one of the above? Make something the fifth and final switch? What do you think?

Spend money. Live miserably: Walmart, that was Easy: Staples!

I have a writ against Staples and Walmart! (well, not really)
Actually I think they should be charged for being inconsiderate. Did I mention I start dental school in a few weeks? Of course I did, story told a million times. So here it is, in the heights of my getting ready for school excitement, Staples and Walmart both simultaneously declare SALE! on back to school items.  Okay no big deal 'tis the season for so-called sales to lur people in to spend what they don't have only to eventually get into trouble later with dear old Uncle Sam. Okay, but then I see the Staples store ad. in my mailbox and I had to do a double, no make that a triple take. 1 cent  file folders, pencils, copy paper, 1 dollar packs of pens, staplers and all the glorious school supplies I'll suddenly need (never mind I'll be in grad school and some of these things are screaming elementary). I decide that for 1 cent and 1 dollar you can never go wrong.
 
I drive to the nearest Staples and the first thing to greet me are the 1 cent and 1 dollar items which I quickly fill a basket of. Sneaky Staples. These said items were set in a particular way, forming a pathway into aisle #3 that has all the notebooks, post its and all the things that they make appear that you'll need. Oh well, $60.33 cents later I was running out of the store like I had won the lottery. My naivete. I didn't even see the $5 off coupon laying smack on the cover of the ad, as I was so distracted by the number 1 and the cent and dollar symbols placed together all over the page. 

It wasn't too long after that I saw Walmart's ad. boasting 25 cent notebooks, 75 cent  folder refills, $7 sheet sets, $3 towels and all other sorts of ridiculousness. Again, I was sold. And again, drove to the nearest Walmart. So here was the plan; after being blind sided by staples I vowed to never be so distracted again. First stop the stationery aisle - get only what you NEED. That part actually went well this time. Next stop, bedding and... ay caramba! So $126.12 later I was walking out of Walmart asking myself...what the hell just happened? 
 
So I'm home now and I'm looking at all my "SALE" items (rolls eyes) and I realize, out of the $186.45 spent, I actually need only about $35 of it. Sigh* Screw you Staples and Walmart, for preying on a young girl's heart strings...and pocket.


I Went to the Dentist Today

Nitrous Wednesday! Your Weekly dose of Nitrous Oxide...

A guest post by Chris Scott from www.blogtap.net , originally posted on www.viewfromthebleachers.net

I went to the dentist today and had a significant thought. There I was sitting in a chair betwixt two professionals (the dentist and his assistant) working on my teeth. Yes, two high-paid professionals who had probably both gone through several years of schooling were taking several hours out of their day to attend to my hygienic needs. That’s two professionals. Several years of schooling. My hygiene. Got that? All thanks to our wonderful semi-capitalist economic system (← I had to get that jab in there).

And on top of that, racial diversity had a role in it: the dentist was Asian, the nurse was a black woman and the patient was white. We each represented a portion of post-racial Western society. We were like a symbol of freedom, hope, interracial togetherness – or something like that. I wanted to say something but with all the cotton balls in my mouth, all I could say in response to anything was “ah huh.”

Aside from not being able to communicate properly, a very pressing issue was on my mind. Where does one rest his eyes when two hunched-over individuals are operating in his facial area?
Do I focus on the half-blinding light overhead? Do I stare deep into Choi’s (the dentist’s) pitch-black almond eyes? Do I look at my teeth through the reflection off Choi’s glasses (he’s Chinese and educated so he has glasses of course). Perhaps I should stare to the left, at the face mask of the black nurse which was bobbing up and down on account of the fact that she was chewing gum?
At any rate the internal conflict was making me look nervous. My eyes were going all over the place. My fingers were twitching. I could not settle on an awkward-less place to rest my eyes. Because my brain was so busy trying to solve the eye problem, I had difficulty obeying the dentist’s simple commands: “open wider” and “close more.”

Then I had an epiphany.

Why not close my eyes? The revelation was brought about by a splash of cold water to the face by the water drill which forced me to close my eyes. Afterwards, I kept them close.

“You must be tired,” Choi said about a minute after I closed my eyes.

“ah huh,” I responded.

After all, what else can anyone say but “ah huh” at the dentist?
When the dentist did something painful I usually clenched my fists or wiggled my toes vigorously (don’t worry, they couldn’t see this child-like reaction because I was wearing shoes). But if the dentist saw, out of the corner of his eye, me clench my fists on the armrests he would ask if I was okay. In which case, mouth still full of objects, I would respond with a simple yet pointed “ah huh.” You see, when the mouth is full of objects the patient has severe tongue movement restriction. They teach dentists that in dentist school but I believe they present it as something like a job perk.

But even if I were physically capable of enunciating something beyond the length of one syllable, what could I possibly say?

“Yes Dr. Choi, that hurts.”

Would Choi then put down his tools and call it a day? Somehow I think not. After the roller coaster takes off there’s nothing much “stop the ride Dad!” can do. I learned that valuable lesson early on in life at the seemingly innocuous Runaway Mine Train ride at Six Flags.

I used to ask for the laughing gas, primarily because it feels like breathing in heaven. “Sweet air,” some people call it. I just don’t see why God couldn’t have mixed a little bit of that stuff into the atmosphere – then maybe people wouldn’t be so uptight all the time.

I didn’t get the nitrous-oxide this time. I got something much better. Because of the fact that all Asian people are short, my head and upper-torso were lowered far lower than usual to accommodate Choi’s shortness. It was almost like being on my bud Steve’s inversion table at about a 145 degree angle. The effect was a constant rush of blood to the head which kept me in a very oxygen-high, dazed state. By the way, getting on the inversion table is my favorite thing to do at Steve’s house.

In my 45-degree-angled chair I was drifting off into a trance. Through many years of boring sermons and school convocations, I have gained the unique ability to bring about miniature self-induced comas. The rush of oxygen to the head only sped up the process I had initiated. While in this state I thought about all sorts of things. I thought about how I would talk to the receptionist with my entire mouth being numb. I thought about how lunch would taste with all the fluoride and chemicals lingering in my mouth. I thought about bow hunting for coyotes with my brother in the Casperkill woods at night with night vision goggles. Yes, we have actually considered doing that. The only things we still need before we can embark on that adventure are bows and night vision goggles.

While at the dentist, I’ve also learned how to fake being a masochist. In my head, I scream things like “that feels wonderful” and “bring it on” when Choi does something violent and painful (e.g.: slowly sticking a 10-inch needle deeper and deeper into my gum and not stopping even after 10-Mississippi). Unfortunately, no matter what I do to mask the pain, my tongue always gives me away. My tongue seems to be in the habit of doing a little dance every time a large amount of pain is inflicted via my mouth. I know this because I witness it through the reflection in Choi’s eye glasses. I swear, that little thing has a life of its own.

Well, that’s pretty much all the funny observations I made while at the dentist today. I wish I had some spectacular way of tying all of this up neatly in a conclusive paragraph but I think I’ll go to bed now..

… So I guess I’ll see you later.

In the book of faces

There will be approximately 80 students in my class come August, and I've already met some of them. Ah! the facebook era. I'm already anticipating the great memories we will be making.

We all have such different personalities and are from such diverse backgrounds. It will be like a huge melting pot of cultures! MMmmm... Of course, with diversity come differences, but we will learn to cope and put differences aside, accept and embrace each other. Isn't that right?

I've met such great people over the last couple months and can I tell you? I can't wait to formally meet them! It's like B says, "like it or not we're family - we're pretty much stuck with each other for the next four years." Yep 80 something of us, same classes, all day, everyday for four years. Sweet.

Some of us are already like family, M is my homie, he is HI-LA-RI-OUS!! OUT-OF-CONTROL!! and he's super cool to boot. He's the guy I'll sit very far from in class because there's absolutely never a dull moment. Sorry M, I'll see you after class lol. RA and C are such sweethearts! talk about adorable. These gals are besty material and are lots of fun to chat with (since that's all we can do for now). E is a quiet observer, he is very down to earth, easy going and is a joy to talk with. Of all the other "family" members I think he's most like me. Our conversations transcend consciousness (inny).

Having facebook really makes it a lot easier on you when meeting new people. Now I won't be so nervous on orientation day because I would have already been familiar with some of these guys. Ah, maybe it's my shyness talking, but in any case...and in that regard, thanks facebook!

**The identity of the Individuals mentioned are undisclosed so as to preserve privacy. Initials are used. Initials may or may not match the actual initial of person's name**

Green Thumb

Today is one of those days when you sit in a hammock under the shade and take in nature and all it has to offer. The beautiful skyline, the birds chirping their sweet melody, the scents and beauty of flowers. I've had a couple of those days since the start of Spring. It's one of those days that led me to do something that I'm sure no one my age ever does. The result: it turns out I have a green thumb!

 < from my side garden: a beautiful pink rose>

< from my front garden: purple star gazer lily>

< from my side garden: beautiful orange flower >

< don't know what this is but I'm sure it'll turn out beautiful >

That was my flower garden. What do you think? but I'm not done yet! I also planted some vegetables.

< from my side garden: not ripe yet but I count 5 luscious tomatoes >

< from my side garden: green beans! can't wait to pick them >

This has been my little summer project. Who would've thought gardening would've been this fun? Actually, the results are more fun than the gardening process. As with everything else - once you put the required work in the results are sure to follow, or as  I like to say: you reap what you sow (no pun intended).

Sharing some Fireworks

It was blue, red and white day yesterday! aka 4th of July - the day of barbecues, fire works and lots of drinking. It might have been just that for most people - a day to celebrate the Independence of America, but for me there was more to celebrate...
In a way, yesterday also marked my independence. In a matter of 4 weeks I'll be moving away to a new state to be totally on my own. It will be the beginning of my life, the beginning of a new journey, the beginning of a new chapter...it was also my favorite little cousins 4th birthday - on the 4th of July.

So here's to Independence and new beginnings! Some fireworks for everyone. Enjoy!






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