HOW TO: USE UP A BOX OF BABY SPINACH // I can cook?

Hello! Once again, I write again from swamped-in-tasks-and-responsibilities land; this time, to talk about food. Yes, I "cook" and "grocery shop" from time to time, particularly at times when I am out of prepared food that had been frozen. And one of the things that pains me ever so deeply - one of the worst things that can happen after a grueling grocery trip is when I can't finishing my fresh produce before they rot. Not only is it gross to find soggy and mushy veggies and fruit, but it's also literally a pain because wasted food equals wasted money, which really hurts when you're a poor university student in $30k+ of debt.

Something that I frequently pick up at the grocery store is a box of pre-washed veggies. I usually get the spring mix, or baby spinach because all the other veggies are very foreign to me (arugula? kale? I mean, they're probably in the spring mix, but I would not be able to tell you what leaf is an arugula). They're pretty convenient and versatile; and my absolute favourite thing about them is that they're pre-washed, which means less time in the kitchen and more time to waste! for studying and doing important, optometry school things...

This time around, I picked up a box of baby spinach and for probably the first time ever, I was able to finish it all before too many leaves got soggy! Here's what I did with it:

1. Sandwiches: for some reason, it always never occurs to me that there are a lot of things that can go into sandwiches. Usually, my go-to sandwich combo is literally a slice of cheese and a couple slices of chicken breast in between two slices of toasted bread. Yes, sad. But this time, I remembered that vegetables can go in sandwiches, so I threw in not one, but two - yes, TWO! - layers of spinach into my chicken breast 'n' cheese sandwich, along with some mayo and black pepper (because pepper is the best seasoning ever. EVER. This of course, is coming from a girl who eats her food bland most of the time).

2. Stir-fry: this was actually the first thing I did with my box of spinach when I got it. Boiled myself some pasta; cooked some ground pork with onions; stirred some spinach around for a bit; and then threw it all together in the pan. Doused it all with some sesame oil, soy sauce, and Sriracha sauce (my go-to combination of sauces for... some kinda of sauce for whatever food I'm making) and topped it off with some black pepper. This was decent.

3. Omelette: today was the last day of my spinach box. I stir-fried the rest for dinner, but in the morning, I made myself a simple omelette. Really simple. It was literally a beaten egg (+ black pepper) with some spinach thrown on top. It was also really pretty because I folded it over like a pro, i.e. no egg-breakage and no spinach-spillage. Should've taken a picture...

The box lasted me......... a week (?! Really? It's only been a week since I grocery-shopped?!), which is great considering the whole darned box costed me only around three dollars!

Anyways, subscribe to my channel and follow my blog for more recipes and randomness!!!!!!!!!

Disclaimer: this post was honestly not meant to be helpful at all to anyone, because you all are probably more mature adults than I am, who can cook real food with real spices and recipes. This is mainly for myself to remember what to do with spinach next time I buy it because going through Pinterest for recipes - or anything - is super overwhelming. Also, I do not have a Youtube channel. Actually, I do. But actually, maybe there'll be more random food blogs?

MIDTERM SEASON SURVIVAL GUIDE

1. Start studying early: for me, that's about a week before the test. It's probably not enough time, but a) I need that bit of pressure in order for me to be productive, and b) it's better than leaving everything to two or three days before.

2. Start studying early: yes, I did list the same thing twice. But, what I'm getting at here is, start your study day early. My brain is usually fairly fresh (assuming its had a good night's sleep) in the morning. Also, getting up early means having more hours in the day to do everything you want to do.

3.Sleep >> studying: ever since undergrad, I've prioritized sleep over studying. There's no use staying up and cramming because a) your brain is already tired, b) when you wake up, you will be tired, and c) how much of that stuff are you actually going to remember when you're studying with your eyes barely open?

4. Stay healthy: don't skip meals, stay hydrated, and, like I've said already, sleep. You really don't want to get sick during a time where you need to be healthy and alert enough to cram a zillion lectures into your head; and you don't want to compromise your immune system when there's a billion of germs around.

5. Take breaks: walk away from your laptop. Look out the window. Talk to a friend. Grab a snack. Do a chore. Or watch some Youtube. Just, whatever you choose to do, focus your energy on something less intensive. You won't be able to stay sane or alert if you go at it for too long.

Now go kick those midterms' asses!

Love,
Yourself

HOW TO GET BETTER WHEN YOU'RE SICK: tips from the 'rents

Today marks a week since I was downed by a virus. It started with the most painful, sore throat I had ever felt in my life, followed by headache, fever, and muscle soreness everywhere (it was then I discovered I have abs, because why else would my abdominal muscles hurt, if I didn't have abs!?). And over the weekend, it evolved into a sinus infection AND bacterial conjunctivitis! Yes, it's been a wonderful week.

Thankfully, my parents took me home where I was able to rest up better than I probably would have if I stayed at school (the window in my room doesn't close completely so I can hear EVERYTHING). I'm also really thankful that they're always really willing to take care of me. It got me thinking - there has never been a time where I was really sick when my parents did not have to step in and take care of me. I.e. I always need my parents to take care of me when I'm ill. I'm a huge baby...

This being said... my parents have these weird home remedies that they always get me to do. Are they legit? I don't actually know. I mean, I'm alive today, so that probably says something about them. Here are just a few things they got me to do this time around:

1. "Gua sha (coin-rubbing) will make you feel instantly better - it will cure you!" I retort by saying there's no proof in its effectiveness or any traditional Chinese medicine. "So? Michael Phelps used cupping!"- Mom.

If you've never had this done to you before - I don't know how it's done elsewhere but I'll tell you how my mom does it. Basically, she uses some Chinese oil and a quarter. The oil goes along wherever she wants to scrape, which is generally in two lines along each side of the spine, and in horizontal lines radiating out from that. "The sicker you are, the darker the lines are!" my mom always says. Yeah, I know. Much legit.

Theoretically, it bursts a bunch of capillaries in the skin and releases "stagnant blood" - which kind of makes sense? You want blood flow to areas of the body that need it the most.

It's an agonizing process because it kind of hurts and kind of tickles and you're already miserable from the cold or flu and sitting upright isn't your thing at that moment. And you're left with a lot of bruising that kind of makes you look like a tiger. But despite being skeptical about it, I do have to say, I always feel a lot better after my mom scrapes the hell out of my back. I don't know what it is - the smell of the po sum on oil, the "good" pain as my mom calls it, or both.

2. "Never eat bananas when you have a cold or flu. They're practically toxic." I say I had one the day before and that I'm still alive. "Okay, well. Don't do it again." - Dad.

Generally, the consensus on the internet is that bananas are an acceptable food to eat when you have a cold or flu, which makes sense because bananas are rich in potassium, an electrolyte your body would need after bouts of puking and diarrhea. However, upon further research, apparently it's a "superstition" in some parts of the world that bananas will make your condition worse; and some people have even experienced worsened cough after eating bananas. Strange. Either way, I am still alive despite having two bananas during the course of my sickness.

3. "Warm fluids are always good for the throat!" I take a sip of the concoction and grimace, telling her that this isn't warm, it's scalding! "JUST DRINK IT!" - Mom

According to this source, warm and cold fluids both have pros. Warm fluids are soothing, and help loosen mucus in the throat, which can relieve congestion. Cold fluids are also soothing, and they help reduce inflammation and irritation.

My favourite things to drink out of all the concoctions my mom and dad throw at me are honey lemon tea (spoonful of honey + two slices of lemon or just the juice + boiling water) and ginger tea (diced/smushed up ginger + boiling water, honey makes it more pleasant).

4. "Soak your feet in hot water with slices of ginger while sitting under a blanket." After five minutes of sitting around and feeling like I'm suffocating myself, he pops by my room. "Are you sweaty?"  I mumble. "GOOD!" - Dad

According to TCM (traditional Chinese medicine), your feet are very important for your overall health. Soaking them seems to have two benefits: 1) the hot water activates blood flow, and 2)  the benefits of whatever the extra stuff you add to your foot bath. Sweating also supposedly "sweats out toxins" but I once read somewhere that this was a myth...

5. "You know what you can do? You can slice lemon - or lime - into thin slices, sprinkle with salt... and eat it!" I tell her I successfully downed two slices without crying. "Only two?! EAT THE WHOLE LEMON!" - Mom

For a lot of things my parents tell me to do, I wonder, "do other people do this, or is it just me?" So, do other people eat lemon slices? Is this a normal thing? Like I said, I usually just drink lemon tea, so eating it sounded... extreme.

If you haven't tried it. It. Burns.

I've decided to cheat and eat the lemon slices that I steep for my honey lemon tea, and they're a little more pleasant with the leftover sweetness from the honey. But is it any help? I can't say from experience, since today is only day two of munching on lemon slices. But lemons are good sources of vitamin C, and a bunch of other antioxidants and electrolytes, which are generally beneficial for the body.

-----------------------
Ironically, we had a lecture yesterday detailing the history of "medicine" and "healing". It really is amazing to see how far we've come since "magic powders" and theories about how we have four humors and bleeding people out to heal them. And yet, people still turn to weird home remedies, and swear by them!

Anyway, I'm feeling better thanks to antibiotics, nasal sprays, honey lemon tea, and naps... and maybe from the gua sha... we'll never know.

SCHOOLBAG ESSENTIALS

Our first day of class was last Thursday, and because it was on a Thursday, in the middle of orientation-week activities, it didn't feel like the first day of school. I'm gonna blame my unpreparedness on that.

FIVE ESSENTIALS TO KEEP IN YOUR SCHOOLBAG:
1. wallet with ID, health card, and some cash
2. extra hair clip/bobby pin
3. a water bottle
4. chapstick/lip balm
5. "the time of month" items
6. a pack of tissue

Usually, I keep items 2, 4, and 5 in a small pouch, which I then put in one of the pockets of my backpack - it makes things easy and convenient. I'm gonna be totally candid here, as I always try to be - I forgot to prepare this pouch, and hence item number 5 never made its way into my backpack; and when Aunt Flo showed up unexpectedly, I was pretty thrown off for the rest of the day. Fortunately, the school day continued without a mess, thanks to a friend.

Now time to pack these things into my bag...

MOVING IN

If any of you reading this will be moving in to a new apartment/house for school, don't forget to pack a cutlery tray. I did, and it sucks. Not too badly, but if you're a person who likes to be super organized like me, then it kinda sucks.

Also, twenty hangers is not enough. Especially when your place supplies you with only one 2-drawer dresser. Maybe it's not so much of a problem for certain people, but if you're a person like me with a generous amount of clothing (hey, I pack for all kinds of weather), then it's kind of a problem.

And, if you're moving in with four other people, make sure to tell them to leave you enough space cupboard space, excluding the shelves that no one can reach, for all your stuff. Who knows, maybe with all this reaching, I'll grow another inch.

Move-in days are frustrating as heck, which is ironic because it's usually a day that I look forward to. I guess I kinda forget about the stress of packing, the struggle to not forget to pack things, the uber slow traffic along the way, and the frustration of finding places to put things and basically adapting your life at home to a brand now environment...

... because at the end of it all, it's just one day. The real adventure starts tomorrow...

HOW TO MOTIVATE YOURSELF // getting back into blogging...

credit

There was this one time some time last semester, when my friends called me from their house while I was studying on campus right after we had written a midterm.

"How do you stay motivated?"

It was kind of hard to answer this because I didn't really see myself as being motivated. I was kind of a robot at that point during the exam period where all I knew was study study study Write exam! study study study Write another exam!. Of course, there were times when the human side of me returned and that's when the moments of doubt and meltdowns or times of procrastination occurred. But I think in general, there are three things that help me truck on through tasks or tough times.

1. Remember who you're doing this for. Whether you're doing it for your grandma, your boss, or yourself, keep in mind that they're counting on you. This might add some pressure on you, but don't let yourself crumble!... Which is admittedly easier said than done - believe me, I've had moments. But, what I've told myself to do is to turn whatever pressure I felt into a driving force for productivity.

2. Remember why you're doing this. But make sure it's for the right reasons for you. Make sure whatever you're doing, it'll be worth all the time, effort, blood and sweat in the end. 

3. Make a plan, and believe in it. Map your way to your end goal, however it needs to be mapped. When I studied for exams, I listed all the lectures that I needed to get through for each course, and scheduled a number a lectures to be done each day until the day of the exam when hopefully everything has been studied at least once (nothing special; I'm sure everyone else does this, too). But for me, it was helpful to see what progress was being made, and that it was possible for me to do something that at times seemed impossible.

Okay, so the real reason for why I'm writing about motivation...

I had lost all motivation for this blog. And the biggest roadblock had to do with number 2 on my list. I got caught up in other people's blogs and trying to figure out why they were so successful and wondering what content I needed to add to attract people to read it and then I started comparing myself to others and doubting myself  and - 

I forgot that I used to blog just for the heck of it. 

I used to write about my day at school or whatever current obsession I had; and I didn't write for other people to read, per se. I wrote mainly for me because I liked spilling my thoughts out.

So there. I had been blogging - or, trying to run a blog - for all the wrong reasons. I mean, sure, it would be great if this could become something more, but for now, I just have to remember that the number one reason I'm doing this is because for self-expression. 

This blog isn't a business (yet). 

It's my public private journal.

// so yeah, stay tuned for more regular blogging about life shenanigans which hopefully won't be too boring.

On violence and hate

I don't usually like to get "political", but what's another voice in a sea of opinions?

Three things happened this week:

1. I was never a devoted fan or follower of Christina Grimmie but I was just as shocked as the next person to learn that she was shot and killed by some deranged fan who showed up to her concert with at least one gun.

2. Some dude walked into a gay dance club and shot and killed and injured a bunch of people. Trump accepted thank-yous from no one. A short time later, another man was caught before launching his plan of attack at a pride celebration or something.

3. A patient walked into our office wearing a green t-shirt that said "BAN ISLAM"; and not only did it say "BAN ISLAM" - on the front along with "BAN ISLAM" was an acrostic poem with adjectives that spelled ISLAM (can't remember it all - S was "SUICIDAL", L was "LYING", A was "ANTI-SOCIAL"); there was also something on the back as well but, again I can't remember. It was a terrible shirt anyway.

Three things to take away from all this:

1. There has to be gun control. Any argument against this is bullshit. I really don't understand how many people don't see that by providing easy access to guns pretty much allows the possibility of a person with a gun doing terrible things with it. Yes, there are other factors that go into these mass shootings like mental illness, or terrorism, but if you just take guns out of the equation, then there would be fewer shootings. How did I come to this conclusion? It took several pages of equations that almost got me kicked off a flight, but essentially: NO GUNS = NOTHING TO SHOOT PEOPLE WITH.

2. Anyone can commit and act of terror. Yes, the majority of it has been carried out by individuals who have some radicalized interpretation of Islamic faith, but this does not mean people with other religious beliefs or backgrounds aren't dangerous either. This also does not mean that every Islamic person is a terrorist. You just can't generalize like that. Each and every person is different and to assume they are one way based on how another person acts is incredibly wrong. So, Donald Trump, go trample over a pile of Legos.

3. You'd think Canadians were all friendly and peaceful, BUT, like I said above you can't generalize. And this guy who walked into our clinic shows exactly why. I honestly can't believe there are people in this country who support such idiotic ideas. "ISLAM" isn't the problem. ISIS is. The idea of banning a whole religion because of a small group of people is as unfair as that time the one kid in your grade 3 class didn't do his homework and so the teacher gave you all extra homework.

Sigh. That t-shirt was a disaster. That acrostic poem was the probably stupidest thing I've ever seen in my life.

The world is a terrible place right now and I don't know why I'm still here.

Also, if Trump becomes president, you can probably expect to see me at the Canada-US border, adding eighty more stories to this wall he wants to build.

Epuris: one year later...

Hello. It's me.

I'd forgotten that I had a blog and how it used to be

When I had time

To blog.

They say optometry school is easy

But it ain't been a breeze...

Got five exams

To study for,

But I'm running out of time...

Disclaimer: I started writing this post during the middle of exams, so my rendition of Hello doesn't apply anymore. But I'd say that's pretty decent song re-writing, eh?

Anyways. Hello! It's been over a year since I started taking Epuris, and if you've been following along, I've been off it since the end of September 2015; so I thought I'd post a little update for all of those who've been checking in to read about my experience.

Here's my background story: I'm pretty sure my acne started around grade 6, and I have a clear memory of having a really bad pimple on my chin in grade 7 when my crush spontaneously told me "You have a really big pimple" and I tried to pass it off as a bug bite. It continued on in high school, and then university where I started noticing that a) my breakouts loosely followed my menstrual cycle and b) it got really, really bad during the summer months. So in the fall or winter of 2014, my family doctor sent off a referral for me to see a dermatologist, and I got in to see her in February 2015, after getting started on birth control pills. And after some blood tests, I was given my first prescription for Epuris in April.

My experience was not terrible. My skin was naturally very, very oily, so Epuris' drying effect didn't desiccate my skin too much. My lips however did get very, very chapped, and the corners of my lips did crack a couple of times too. I also experience some moodiness at first when I started, but that subsided after a couple of weeks. And the last symptom I experienced was muscle pain in my back, between my shoulders - at the same time I'm not too sure whether that was entirely attributable to Epuris, or if it was me and my posture at work, because even since stopping Epuris in October, the back pain still hasn't gone away.

So how's my skin now? I'm still not entirely happy with it because I still have scarring, redness in some areas, and my face still gets shiny in the middle of the day. However, I'm satisfied with what Epuris did for my acne. I still do get pimples - most likely from stress and lack of sleep, with school going on - but they haven't been large, cystic or painful; and I haven't broken out badly (at most, I've had four pimples on my face at once! I mean, that kinda sounds like a lot, but compared to the amount I had on my face at once before, four is a really good number).

My routine has pretty much stayed the same - I still use the same makeup remover and face cleanser. I moisturize with a mattifying day cream, which admittedly doesn't do quite a great job at keeping me matte, but I like it for the SPF (I also use it as my night cream because I'm lazy - there are no negative side effects of too much SPF, right?). I also exfoliate at least once a week to promote skin cell turnover. For the occasional zit that pops up, I've been using a sample of NeoStrata's clarifying solution containing 2% salicylic acid, which I sadly don't have a picture for, but it has been effective, so I'm considering getting the full size product.

TL;DR: my experience with Epuris was great. I still get the occasional pimple here or there, but I'd say Epuris did it's job. Here's a selfie to show that despite the scarring and redness, there's nothing a Snapchat filter and good lighting can't fix!

Cheers!

Myers Briggs test 2016

Personality tests are always interesting. It's always fun to read the analyses and see how closely (or not) they actually line up with my personality as I see it. I took the Myers Briggs test on some random website today out of pure boredom and procrastination and my resulting personality type was different than when I first took the test a couple of years ago and last year.

ISFJ - Introverted, Sensation, Feeling, Judging

Dependable, considerate, and loyal to those closest to you, you have a firm grasp of the factual realities that lie before you as well as an eye for detail, each of which make you naturally gravitate towards others and their emotional needs. Nurturing and attentive, you tend to be quick to assume responsibility and to help out as soon as you see some task that could aid others. Though your surroundings rarely notice it, you tend to carry a lot of responsibility. All too often it is only when you are missing that others notice the immense effort that you usually put in to make sure everything around you is running properly and that everyone is looked after and feels at ease. Conscientious, thorough, and perhaps a bit perfectionistic, you are not one to impulsively chase after new and uncertain prospects before having finished the endeavor at hand. You tend to find a deep sense of satisfaction in working hard to achieve your goals and in selflessly supporting others, demonstrating that you care through your actions and preferring to lead by your quiet, dignified example.

The first time I took this quiz (it was a different quiz that took waaaaaaaaay longer, but last I checked, the quiz was no longer free to take or something), I got INTJ. And last year when I took it, I got ISTJ.

I'm evolving! I'm a feeling, more common-sensed individual now! Introvert has never been a surprise, and I don't think I'll ever grow out of that. As for judging... I don't know how to explain that.

Anyhow, quick post for the sake of posting; but also because I wanted that blurb on my blog for reference. You can take the quiz here, if you want. Or do you think these things are bogus?