Summer To Do List

When I finish my 15 page Hepatitis B Virus Paper I will:

-get a new pair of glasses
-do PT hmwk
-buy an ICE-CREAM maker & make frozen yogurt!!!
-plan a biking trip
-read a lot of books
-spend time with family, freshly flown in from China
-sleep
-smile

Joy Day

Birthdays should also be called Joy Days.

J & M scoured the stores for an "out of season" flavor aka pumpkin cake and it tasted like love & friendship. So good.

J with the help of his baker gal friend made lovely little lemon cakes filled with pudding, in the shape of presents.

HCC prayed for me. It was emotional, and I felt so blessed to absorb these prayers.

In the evening, we had a mother-daughter date night to Swan Lake. I love the ballet because you just have to watch the faces and actions of the dancers to understand their story.

On Monday, I woke up to the special parental birthday card. Alvin bought a scrumptious chestnut cake. D made a pumpkin cheesecake. It was nom nom.

My 22nd year has been good to me thus far.

Nutrition

As a future health care worker, I really need to get these down, for my patients sake and for my own as well. This information is summarized from Nutrition for Life.

• Lipids:
  

Made of C, H, O. Include fats. Good fats =unsaturated fats. Mono-unsaturated fats 1) raise the level of High-Density Lipoproteins (HDL), aka "good cholesterol," which carry cholesterol from the tissues back to the liver. 2) develop less free radicals when heated, during cooking. Free radicals damage cells/tissues->disease.

Poly-unsaturated fats include Omega-3 & Omega-6 essential fatty acids.

Lipids form cell membranes, are a good energy source, aid in insulation and absorption of fat soluble vitamins from foods.

• Protein:

Made of C, H, O, N. Every cell in the body, whether it be apart of the bones, skin, muscles, organs has its own unique set of proteins that help it perform its necessary functions. Proteins provide cell: structure, growth, repair, maintenance. It can be an enzyme, hormone, antibody, etc.

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. 9/20 AA are essential. Essential=body cannot self-synthesize.

• Carbohydrates:

Made of C, H, O...chains of sugar molecules. Great source of energy. Glucose used by most cells, including brain cells for energy. Used to build the nonessential amino acids, process fats, build cartilage, bone, nervous system tissues.

Simple carbohydrates have 1-2 sugar molecules. Monosaccharides (ex: glucose-in blood, fructose-in fruits, galactose-in dairy). Disaccharides (ex: sucrose, lactose-in milk)

Complex carbohydrates, aka polysaccharides include starch-in potatoes, glycogen-body's stored energy source, dietary fiber.

Dietary fiber is obtained solely from plants. Soluble fiber (dissolves in water) slows the breakdown of complex carbs; blood has less dramatic sugar spikes and you feel fuller longer. It binds cholesterol to the stool thereby reducing cholesterol levels.

Insoluble fiber is not easily absorbed by the body. It cleans the GI tract and promotes regular bowel movements, by drawing water into the stools, making them larger and easier to pass.

• Vitamins:

Naturally occuring chemicals, found in all foods. Essential for normal growth/development, and for chemical reactions in the body. Processes proteins, carbs, fats; builds cells/tissues/organs.

Some vitamins are antioxidants (neutralizers of free radicals).

Ex: Vit A, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folate, Vit E.

• Minerals:

Found in rocks, plants (b/c they uptake soil), meat (b/c they eat plants). Aid in make/break body tissues, regulating metablosim (body's chemical reactions). Stored in bones and readily released during dietary deficiencies.

Ex: Calcium, Phosphorus, Zinc.

• Phytochemicals:

Protective chemicals found in plants. Decrease risk of heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers. Similar to antioxidants.

Ex: carotenoids, flavonoids, lycopene, phenols.

• Sources of All of the Above:
  

1. Bread/cereal/grain: contains valuable source of carbohydrates and fiber

2. Vegetables: vital source of vitamins, minerals, fiber

3. Fruits: good source of carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, phytochemicals

4. Milk/dairy: important source of protein, vitamins, minerals (esp Ca2+)

5. Protein sources (like meat, poultry, fish, plant proteins-peanuts): for protein's sake!

My Happiness includes Food

Spring Break 2009:

• First Greyhound bus ride to visit C and her cooking. Worth it
• Successfully made crispy crust pizza w/ JJ. Woot! ..made me nostalgic for NYC
• Musashi. Trophy Cupcakes. Laughing it up with SY
• My favorite chewy rye bread @ Cheesecake Factory with high school buds
• Talking about God with little J while celebrating big J's bday
• Brother treating me to Cafe Ori :)
• Listening to the quiet crackley crust of a baguette @ Pike Place, with HCC.
• Hanging out w/ YH for the first time. A brief hike & making ice-cream sandwiches

A Season to Read

Spring Quarter started yesterday, but I am not taking any classes. I finally have a butt load of time on my hands to do whatever I please, which is mainly to stuff my mind with books that I actually want to read.

SY gave me the book The Complete Human Body over Christmas. The basal or bottommost layer of skin has the Melanocyte skin cells. These cells produce Melanin: the pigment that absorbs UV and determines skin/hair color. Melanin gets packaged into structures called Melanosomes which travel to the epithelial or uppermost layer (visible to the naked eye) and settle in comfortably. The more Melanosomes & Melanin you have, the darker your skin.

However, if you're fair skinned, you may, evolutionarily speaking have adapted to protect yourself from repeated sun exposure by FRECKLING!

Severely burned patients are threatened by dehydration -> kidney failure, I believe because the lack of skin allows water to evaporate? Scientists take 3cm or less of a patient's healthy tissue and grow it on a sheet of fabric, that'll dissolve when placed over the wound. In T minus 3o days, enough "new" skin is grown to cover the whole body. This is a Cultured epithelial autograft (CEA).

In HCC, PJ brought up a profound point. Evolution is a purposeless set of actions over a long period of time. It has no sense of good or evil. It has selected species based on their genetic predisposition. But where does our sense of purpose...our conscience come from? These things cannot have come from nothing. These things come from our Creator.

PJ is also pushing the limits of our philosophical thinking by engaging us in The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis. I found my copy in the used book-store Magus, on the Ave...almost had a sneezing fit from the musty smells. Climbed on a small stool to reach the uppermost bookshelf, and did not see it. Said a brief prayer, and saw, hidden from direct view, stacked on top of the other books the one I coveted. God is good. :)

Living an Authentic Faith

"When God's cooking, you do not need to stir the pot."

"Honor God and He'll honor you."

Am I reading the Bible for myself? Am I willing to commit, and have a genuine relationship with God, to provide me the strength to withstand all opposition, distress and temptation?

These are the things PL asked us to ponder on this snowy Sunday morning.

I have many distractions in my life. I want to de-clutter, and wean off: People.com, blog surfing and facebook. I want to consistently do Daily Devotions, talk to my family members more, and start walking...because Spring is almost here!

Trust & Obey

I worry, I struggle and I fret about my future. Such are the woes of a college senior.

At the end of the day, getting down and sincerely praying is the only thing that's important, because He rules. Monday morning, as usual, I was doing all of the unneccessary things listed above...I love it when the Daily Bread addresses exactly what's on my mind. "Consecration is not the giving over of the calling in life to God, but the separation from all other callings and giving over of ourselves to God, letting his providence place us where He will." Instead of praying about grad school, I prayed that He would use me as he saw fit.

God is humorous.

I got a call within the hour, telling me I'd been accepted to grad school. Here I was in the clinic, crying tears of joy, scolding myself for crying at the clinic of all places, and I forgot to thank God first...He was third or fourth on the list. I have much to learn, and much to prioritize. However, I am grateful and humbled, and look forward to three more years of school...especially the cadaver's...I have been waiting so long to appreciate the human body in its fullness.

First Day of Winter

Snow Day #4. Cooped up, watching movies, baking sweets, steaming buns, reading books. It's so quiet, everyone is taking it slow. We haven't bought Christmas gifts yet, but the forecast says more snow, so no presents this year. I like it like that.

Senior Year

WOOSH and 3 1/2 years of college life has passed by.
And 4 years of high school.
3 years of middle school.
5 years of elementary school.

Savor every moment: the nights spent cramming for midterms, the bus trips to HCC, Friday Bible Study + frozen yogurt, being inspired by TA's so passionate about their field they are willing to study several more years for it, talking to random people, soaking up UW's beauty, etc.

Today was my dear, gracious, kind, loving mother's birthday. My Tiramisu cake was a flop but the #1 fan of my cooking didn't think so. :)

Missing the Point

Were the Pharisee's "bad guys," "good guys" or "us guys"?

The Pharisee's held the scripture in the highest regard, neglecting the purpose of Biblical principles. God told us to not work, but to seek rest on the Sabbath, for our own good. He is a merciful provider, and understands that even us meek humans need a break once in a blue moon. However, the Pharisees misinterpreted this to mean no work could be done. They were so bound to their own laws and self-righteousness that they didn't see helping others was not work.

PM asked the congregation what group we'd put the Pharisee's in. "Us guys," I think. Sometimes I do judge people for not following the "unwritten" rules, forgetting it is God's graciousness that has provided me with a safe & loving community, and kept me from floating away. As PM puts it: a relationship with Jesus Christ, not religion is what brings salvation.

In other news, school has been coming along like choppy waters. I feel like a little sailboat that's just survived a storm, only to have to brace some more. But in the calm times, it has been quite nice. HCC took a long hike to Lake Serene, celebrated 4 consecutive birthdays, and braved the scary haunted corn maze. The corn fields were lovely during daylight! Also, I learned to make nutella (http://www.sugoodsweets.com/blog/2005/12/nutella/), to function on 4 hours of sleep, and to appreciate the greatness of super glue.