Never felt sleeping can be such a sweet thing...

This past two weeks has been pretty tough on me, I think I am hitting the mid-semester depression. After going through another semester without a break kind of put you into that situation. It looks like everyone around me is going through the same thing though. I know I should not compare myself to other people because that always put me in a bad mood, I am never as good as my classmates/friends/other people! But you just can't help to do it...every time when I feel so defeated by the exam, I would hear other people comments such as "that wasn't too bad", or when I accidentally hear them checking their answers, and find out that I missed the "easy questions", would you feel defeated? This Wed I had a pathology test, and I have been doing fine in that class-the only class that I could possibly end up with an A. But I think I might just lose it this week. But there's no-body to be blamed on, because I put off the study until couple days before the test. I can't help to be a procrastinator because I just can’t find the motivation to sit down and study…so very hard to focus, and this has been a problem since I started vet school…I am jealous at those hard core people who can sit and study for 10 hours without moving and be productive. Again, I am comparing myself to a separate identity, very stupid move.

Anyway, so because there’re so much information covered on this Path exam, I end up taking little naps on Wed morning, and my last nap was after 6a til 7a… I kept snoozing because…just because :p (you know when you are so sleep deprived you miss everything)…every time I go back to sleep I never felt so happy! Even just for 5 min, I felt so satisfy and fortunate that I can sleep 5 more min! It’s a sense of gratitude, and I bet my GABA (a neurotransmitter that makes you feel happy) is probably releasing from the neuro junction like no-body’s business :D…but I actually was smiling after each snooze. Such a strange feeling.

Needless to say, I could do better on this exam because I really enjoy the class (some portion could have taught better though). But life is tough, and I have been complaining too much lately, I don’t feel like myself again. Think back to the hard corps days, I was proud to be a tough women…now I feel like I kept riding the “whinbulance” . Too weak.

At the end of the day, I was able to take a 2 hour nap after school. Again, never felt so satisfied at the end of the sleep. Now, I am re-adjusting my sleeping schedule (it has been pretty messy since last week, intermittent naps at 2am…), but that sense of happiness seems to gone to its happy place.

This is TOTALLY MY FAV right now, so true!


Totally a reality...depicts my mental battle between sleeping vs. eating

An appreciative day, an emotional day, all these good things happen at same time

Sitting in the computer lab before class right now, and I feel that the reason I can sit here is because so many people have helped me alone the way. I am not a christian, but I like some of the concepts that I read from the Bible (mainly doing the right thing, and helping people), so my friends call me a "buddistian". Today, I feel that it's an amazing journey thus far, and I want to thank you whoever is up there put me at this place with these many amazing people around me.

I want to thank Nikki, with all your support alone the way, every time I ask, you always provide your honest opnion, and take on the task just as one of your own. I truly feel that you are a friend for life. You are always there supporting me, no matter how bizzard my opinion was :p It is a sad news that you are leaving soon (well, not for another 10 mon), but I am still trying to digest the fact that you won't be at the end of the road when I call. I guess party always has to end, but I better make the next 10 mon. as memoriable as it can be and spend tons of time with you!

Then I want to thanks Dr. Posey, everytime I talk to this man, he makes me want to cry: he always encourage me, no matter what kind of peculiar goal I have. He is a confident booster! I thought I would never find any professor here in Texas vet school who would understand me. He is a sensitive man, and appreciate my background and my hardness to go through school, appreciate my hardworking ethic, and ... just being purily supportive. Even though he probably will say the same thing to many students who came across his office, I feel that every time he says it to me, he means it. So...kudos for Dr. Posey~

One last person I want to thank today (because I am running out of time here) is Dr. Ashley. He is the reason that I think there must be someone up there watching me, and protect me. There's always an reason why you end up where you at, and I think the best thing ever happen to me is to meet Dr. Ashley here at vet school. His passion for China and veterinary medicine guide me through my tough times first year, and for the first time, I didn't think becoming a horse vet in China is a ridiculous idea. But I am still a buddistian :p

this is the first time, 5 of my buddies have sent out update at approximately the same time. Couple of them are first senders! I have had a hard time to ask them sending out updates since last we met (June 2008)...I think it is going to the right direction, and I would love to stay in touch with these buddies who went through the hardship of the Corps with me for 4 years. Friendship is priceless.

5 minutes ago, I received the news that I just got another scholarship from the Houston Aggie Mom's club! It's kinda of surprised that they still sending out award this late into the semester. But hey, I am not complaining.

all these good things happen at same time, I am kind of afraid it is not real, and too many good things happen at the same time, which means next week's exams are going to kill me...because all the good things already happened this week.

Stay healthy...ya'll

Sorry that I wasn't able to update my blog lately...got quiet busy with school work...you know how it goes: school starts, exams starts, endless studying, and too stressed to do anything fun. But just want to remind everyone flu season is RIGHT NOW...and even for healthy person like me caught a little cold from my lovely classmates...got a running fever of 101 for couple days, and slept quiet a lot last weekend. Picture is not me...though is one of my fav taiwan drama star - D.T. one of many :p

Everything is all good now, but next week got 3 mid-term exams coming up...just by thinking about it stresses me out~~~ I just physically don't have enough time to read everything for each class...AAAaaAAAHHHHHHH~~~

Make friends with your hand sanitizer. Wish me luck on the exams (Pathology, Nutrition-which is actually gonna be hard cuz I didn't pay much attention throughout the whole semester...and Parasitology...hmmm worms...)

Favorite Youtube videos

Let the collection begin~~~~

Canine Freestyle, got to love the intellengence of border collies...

Maybe K-nut can learn some of the tricks...hmmmm :D





I have seen this twice now in my class, vet professors love the border collies and LED lights ;p

Extreme Sheep Herding...I kid your not, they are too bored...

I LUV Cooking-Tomato Soup

I love this summer because I got a lots of time for myself to search for cooking recipes, and try them out at home~! I found these websites are usually someone’s personal blogs, and they have posted the step by step pic on their website, this way I know it works. It’s much better to go with someone’s recipe than the cooking book ones. In a way, I am not that talented to follow the cook book, it never turns out to be the one I imagined. But this way, I know someone out there already tried out and it actually works! I am also smart on picking the simple recipes, French cooking are too complicated, I will save it for those who are out there dedicated…
I LUV FOOD!
Tomato Soup

Borrow the recipe from my co-worker, a 20 year old poor college student. She got it from a book called “healthy cook book”, you can actually find it on Amazon for $1.35, plus S&H, you can get a very good healthy cook book published in 1998 for 5 bucks total! It’s a bargain~ I actually flipped through the book, and if they got pic I would definitely buy the book. Too bad that I am a visual learner.
Ingredient List
1 TBSP Olive Oil
1/3 C finely diced onions
¼ C finely diced celery
¼ C finely diced carrots
1 clove garlic, minced
3 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced (see note)
1 bay leaf
2 TBSP minced fresh parsley or 1 TBSP dried
2 tsp minced fresh basil or 1 tsp dried
1 tsp minced fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried
1 tsp minced fresh marjoram or ½ tsp dried or 1/3 tsp oregano dried
3 cups defatted chicken broth or reduced-sodium tomato juice
¼ tsp ground black pepper

1) In a large sauce pan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onions, celery, carrots and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes, or until onions are soft.
2) Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, parsley, basil, thyme and marjoram (Oregano).
3) Cover and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the mixture is soft
4) Gradually stir in the broth or tomato juice and bring to a boil. (My 1 can of chicken broth only covers 2 cups, so I used the tomato sauce that was in my pantry forever ago to cover the 3rd cup, turns out just fine)

5) Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the pepper.
6) Remove and discard the bay leaf

NOTE: To peel tomatoes easily, dip them in boiling water for 30 seconds, or until the skins begin to crack. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. When cool enough to handle, slip off and discard the skins.
NOTE 2: For all the vegetables, to cheat, just throw all of them into a blender, if you don’t like chunky soup, I like mine liquidy. Also, you can substitute tomatoes from store bought canned diced tomatoes, but I find them too chunky, then I blend them anyway.

Book said this will yield 4 servings, each serving is about 79 calories, 3.8g fat, 4.7 g protein, 7.9g carbohydrates, 1.8g dietary fiber, 0mg cholesterol, 271mg sodium.

HAPPY SOUP DAY!

Rainbow at work

I love working at the front desk, let me interact with real people, deal with emergency situation, and practice my people skills. Oh, and best part, I can see the blue sky when I first come to work (unlike in the hospital, there's no window back in the treatment rooms).

One day in July, a huge thunderstorm stopped by College Station, and afterwards I saw the rainbow right across the street. It's hard not to capture it, so I pulled out my camera.

Be a wonderful discover. :D

Fall In Love With a Gangster

Public Enemies (4.5 stars)

Starring:
Johnny Depp!!! (there should have nothing more to say about this charming actor),

Chrstian Bale (Bat-man~)

and Marion Cotillard (French, Academy award winner)


Director: Michael Mann (Directed The Insider, Ali, Miami Vice, and produced the Aviator, the Kingdom, and Hancock)

Before I watched the movie, I barely have any idea who John Dillinger was. I went to see the movie because I trust Johnny Depp. I would never doubt his choice of movie, same goes to Robert Downey Jr. , Al Pacino, and Brad Pitt. They got sense.

Walking out from the movie, I am in a stage of paradox. Not about the movie, but questioning my own ethic. The movie is about a criminal, a sly gangstar who rubs banks during the great depression era. But I look at Dillinger from the movie as a hero, and I thought he is actually a very charming and a very charismatic man. Where's my morale? For this, I blame on Johnny Depp. He portraited this character in such a way that viewers like me start feeling bad for the villain. I am not good at critic movies, but just want to share my thought. I can't critic on camera angle, or acting, but I like the story line. I think Depp successfully re-create another historical figure. Depp's Dillinger was a gentlemen, and somewhat like the Robinhood back in the old ages. He rub banks, but he won't take a person's money out of his pocket ("We are here for the bank's money, not yours, put it away"). He was kind of the man who take the secretary of the banker as hostage, but would still leave his trench coat with her to protect her from the coldness of the winter. He is not a murderer, he doesn't kill people because it is fun. He challenged the authorities by exploring the Chicaco police office Dillinger's Squad in the broad daylight. He was a charming man in the America's media's eye and to the general public. When he was captured (again) and drove down the street, the street people treat him like a celebrity. He was also the reason federal government moved on to establish the FBI (well, somewhat contributed to that). In this movie, I felt that he was a hero (don't shoot me because I usually despise the bad guys).Oh, and at the beginning, I couldn't stop to think him as the pirate in the movie, and his facial expression just reminded me so much of him in his successful movie triology. But his magic touch does not stop here, and he successfully (again) build another character of his in this movie. All I can say it's....It's Johnny Depp, what else can you expect?

Christian Bale's character was more like a villain to me than Depp's. I think at the end, he is out of his mind. His department reminds me of mafia instead of police force. I was surprised to see that he soon left the Beureau after Dillnger's death, and end his life by himselves. Sad character...completely gone psycho after chasing the American Number One Public Enemy. Lost his mind, poor guy.

Billie Frechette, Dillinger's women. I am just amazed how tough she was. In order to be an American's Number One Public Enemy's women, she must be tough. It was a sweet thing to see Dillinger really falls for a girl like her, and he was actually very dedicated to this one single women. He would risk his life for hers. I am glad that she is not just part of the ordinary love line, but she is actually a character. Her characters were well built up by Marion Cotillard.

At the end, Dillinger end his life in a quick and fast way. Of course he should be executed...because he was a bank rubber. It's a sad thing to watch it in the movie though, but I am sure during the real old days, people were happy.

"There were indeed a number of instances of subtle humor that few others than Johnny Depp can truly offer in addition to Director Michael Mann’s successful attempt in capturing the early-30s era in all aspects of the film. " (http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/10628)

Afterall, I just wanna say, Johnny Depp, you are amazing!~

~The End~