My name is Amy, and I'm addicted to Twilight.

I seriously shouldn't act this way. I am a 24 year old adult. I am a medical doctor. Like, I'm seriously ashamed at how retarded I get about this Twilight stuff. It's a sickness. I seriously watched a paparazzi video of Robert Pattinson eating dinner the other day. I've never felt more dirty in my life.

And I'm also like shaking whenever he is shown on my tv screen. It's beyond me having a crush on Edward Cullen. I have a full-fledged crush on this 23 year old kid (I am 24). I think it goes without saying, I would sex him. Hard. Seriously, I've meet five year olds who are more appropriate than me. At least who can keep it together and not lose their shit at the mere suggestion of this guy.

New Moon trailer = fan-fucking-tastic. The birthday party scene? I was not even coherent. I was like looking around my empty apartment for some sort of consensus on the awesomeness of that scene. OMFG. I loves me some Jasper. Like obsesionado with Jasper. Edward is of course perpetually emo and distressed and dead sexy. They really sexed Kristen Stewart up for this movie because she looks a lot cuter. And um, I would so statutorily rape Taylor Lautner. I'm just saying...that boy has the best body I've seen in a long time. Dare I say even better than these pictures that I've been surreptitiously looking at all week.

The transformation was pretty badass, even though Jacob totally looks like an Akita we used to have. Someone's been working out...As Dawn (fellow adult female Twilight fan) says, we are going to jail. Just slap the handcuffs on me now and take me away.

Twilight even forced me to watch the 2009 MTV movie awards to catch a glimpse of my boyfriend. I was not disappointed. Thank God for rabid Twilight fans who probably got carpal tunnel from texting and clicking so many times to vote. All worth it, ladies. There was a lot of him.

Robert Pattinson is so fucking hot. And he was hot while wearing a decidedly probably really ugly on a non-movie star navy blazer!!! Plus his undershirt was showing, which is usually a turn off, but I'm totally into it now. And I never thought I'd say this, but Cam Gigandet is fucking hot too. He played Volchok on the OC, and actually he plays a real asshole in everything he's in--but he and RPattz picked up the award for Best Fight, and I wanted to lick the TV. If I wasn't aware how completely unsanitary that is, I would have. Anything to be close to you, Edward Cullen. Anyway, Robert also made an allusion to shitting himself while accepting the award for Breakthrough Male which is strange and yet unsettlingly arousing to me.

The real surprise here is that I think I have a crush on Kristen Stewart now. She accepted the award for Best Female Performance, and she straight up dropped her popcorn statue in the most awkward Bella Swan moment ever, exclaiming, "I'm exactly as awkward as you thought I would be! Bye!" Plus, her dress was killer and she wore Converse with it. I love her eff-you attitude. As a person who has been misunderstood for being standoffish and aloof, I relate to her. She is a badass. Don't ever change. Plus, she and RPattz cannot keep their hands out of their hair in nervousness. It makes me palpitate when they do it.

The worst part of the night was when the pair won for Best Kiss...and teased the fuck out of their faithful audience including me. They made a big show out of the preparation, with RPattz saying, "I have to remove my gum..." and then they slowly, painstakingly moved toward each other, as Robert's eyes were closed in anticipation, his nose resting on her forehead. It was hot. Oh, that I were a hair on her forehead. Sigh. And then Kristen splashed a bucket of cold water on everyone by turning to the camera and blurting out, "Thank you so much!" Without. Kissing. Him. Even though it was so obviously rehearsed, I think Rob was still a little disappointed (as was the rest of the world i.e. me). Like, I don't know if I believe the rumors that have RPattz and KStew hooking up off set...I think they are obviously very close friends and have a lot of chemistry and mutual understanding of each other...but I'm just saying, if I were her, I would take the opportunity and sex him up. This opportunity presents itself very rarely, Kristen. Carpe Diem. So that we may live through you, please. K, thx.

Obviously, twilighters were out in full force because they won 5/7 awards they were nominated for, excluding Best Song (Paramore was robbed by Hannah Montana) and Best Villain (deservedly won by Heath Ledger, sorry Cam hotness), and including Best Picture. Yeah. The Oscars this is not. I'm like totally okay with that though. MTV is a network that perpetuates Spencer Pratt's fame, so what were you expecting? BTW, who else is excited that Kristen Cavalleri is returning to "reality TV" on the Hills? I'm over LC anyway and haven't watched the show in like three seasons.

Andy Samberg was a good host. His opening sequence where he supplants himself into movies was hilarious--especially the Slumdog and Twilight scenes. "Hey, who is that?" upon seeing Edward Cullen. He also did a homemade New Moon trailer with TEEN WOLF. Awesome. Kings of Leon were sexy of course, and knowing that all but one are younger than me makes me want to kill myself.

The real trailer:


Kristen Stewart:


Best Kiss:




Oh I'm going to NYC tomorrow for vacation...and guess who I just found out is starting to shoot his new movie there this week? I'll be stalking...I mean seeing you, RPattz. Shout out to my boyfriend who has been very good natured about my obsession with another man. He knows to not get in the way though. Happy summer everybody!

I don't practice Sangeria.

Sorry I've been a little delinquent on my Recipe of the Week, sue me, it's graduation week. Because I'm feeling charitable, I'm giving you a twofer on summertime beverages.

This one is a good one though...my infamyous Sangria.

1 bottle of Red wine (I prefer Shiraz for its more berry quality, but whatever works)
4 oz of frozen mangoes
3 oz of frozen mixed berries
2 apples, cored and chopped
1 orange, finely sliced into wheels
Sugar to taste

It's best to keep all the fruits skins on to capture their essences, so make sure you wash them well.

Start with the apples, oranges, berries and mangoes in large pitcher. Add the red wine, and mix well. Slowly add sugar in tablespoon increments until you reach a bittersweet taste. Refrigerate for at least an hour before tasting again. The fruits should have broken down a bit, so it will be sweeter, but if it has not reached your desired sweetness, you may add more sugar. Enjoy!

Mango Mojito

You'll have some frozen mango left over from the top recipe if you're only making one pitcher of sangria. With the leftovers, puree it up in a blender with a little bit of water for a thinner consistency.

4 mint leaves, plus one for garnish
2 oz lime juice
1 oz Mango puree
1 oz Simple syrup or 1-2 tsp sugar
2 oz white rum
2 oz club soda

In a highball glass, place mint leaves, lime juice, mango puree, and sugar/syrup. Using a muddler, lightly muddle the ingredients. Add rum. Add ice to the mix you've muddled, and then stir in club soda. Take a shaker and shake mojito between tumbler and shaker until mixed well.

DUNZO.

Like the kids of Laguna Beach used to say, we're dunzo. Today was the last official day of medical school. Well, actually not yet, I am actually sitting in medicine clinic right now, blogging since I have no one to see. I just picked up my cap and gown, I'm ready to go.

I feel like this day is really anti-climactic, since I've been waiting for so long. Aside from the obvious, like basic medical knowledge, taking a history and physical, and general diagnostic skills, I don't really know what else I've learned.

I have not changed that much since the beginning. My bedtime is a little earlier, I may not spend as much time on Facebook and I probably have outgrown a few items of clothing, but other than that, I'm at baseline. I've remained stable, which is a term we always use to describe our patients. It fits perfectly here...I've remained stable throughout the years. I certainly haven't achieved the inner growth and maturity that this school tries to force upon us with our touchy-feely courses (but, to be fair to myself, I think I was operating at a high level of maturity prior to medical school). I got older, and maybe a little bit wiser, but probably not. Let's be real here, I'm the same ole Orange County girl. Seriously, I just referenced Laguna Beach.

This was me four years ago. I used to have luster in my hair and eyes, and an all around youthful glow about me. Look at those chubby cheeks.


This is my residency picture from this year. I know it looks like I had rhinoplasty, but I assure you that I did not.


What I'm really proud of is the fact that I went to 40 concerts during the 6 years I was here...the standouts include Madonna, the Police, 311, Rilo Kiley, Something Corporate and most recently, Franz Ferdinand. It's important to me that I kept up my #1 hobby, music, while I was here. I saw the Trojans win the Rose Bowl. I met Adam Brody and Rachel Bilson (yeah, that was a long time ago). I traveled to Eastern Europe, Western Canada, South Africa. I matched in Otolaryngology.

The end of the year is usually bittersweet, I guess. People are all saccharine and emo, but I like to look at it not as an end, but as the beginning of real life. Real life starts now.

Actually it does, because the last patient was just grayed out as a no show. Stick a fork in it, I'm done.

6 year review in pictures and playlist to follow...

Official New Moon Poster

They released the official poster for New Moon, which is like only 6 months away tomorrow! I like the background and I like the way RPattz's profile looks (his jawline is killer). I also like the way Taylor Lautner looks, except that Jacob is supposed to be a bigger, badder wolf in this movie, and he still looks smallish compared to the already waif-like Edward. I think Kristen's face looks kind of strange, and I think she's a beautiful girl, but somehow they photoshopped her weird. I think it would have been better if she was staring at Edward, while holding onto Jacob between her and him, rather than at us. I also think RPattz's hand is awkward, and would be better if it was clenched in a fist to beat the crap out of Jacob.

Apparently, the trio of RPattz, Kristen and Taylor are going to be presenting the first footage of New Moon at the MTV Movie Awards which is next Sunday, May 31st. Until then, they are finishing up principle filming in Vancouver with KStew and TLautner while Robert Pattinson frolicks around the South of France at the Cannes Film Festival looking really sexy. His hair is growing back, but at least he's discovered some molding mud. They will be in Italy filming the Volterra scenes next week, then they'll be done. Then they'll be back pretty freaking quick, August 17th they start filming Eclipse, which was my second favorite of the books. The cast has signed on for all four movies, so they better keep this money train rolling.

Nine days until I'm done with medical school, not that I'm counting or anything.

Go Lakers!

Lessons learned from Zack Morris aka Top Ten Best Saved by the Bell Episodes

Okay, say what you will about Jimmy Fallon, but HE. Is. A. God.

Why you ask?

Oh, because he wants to get together the entire cast of Saved by the Bell for their 20th anniversary, which um...happens to be this year. OMFG.

Saved by the Bell is my favorite television show of all time. Note the present tense. I can quote almost every episode, since I've seen each one at least 15-20 times apiece (except for the Tori episodes, I like to forget that period ever happened). I grew up with the gang from Bayside. Literally, they were in my house every day, multiple times a day...on TBS, WGN, USA, TNT, and on our local KOCE channel. I still wake up early every day to catch 1-2 eps on TBS before I go to the hospital in the morning which makes me very pathetic, since I own the DVD sets.

So far, Dennis Haskins is the only one who has agreed, but let's look at the facts here: Dustin Diamond is obviously hard up for money, Elizabeth Berkley and Lark Voorhies are not really doing anything else, Tiffani Amber Thiessen is probably also available between TV movie gigs, and it is apparent that Mario Lopez will take any job, as he is hosting Extra. Mark Paul Gosselaar is currently a series regular on TNT's Raising the Bar with the mom from Malcolm in the Middle, Jane Kaczmarek. I think he would do it though, because he's awesome.

This is a picture Mark Paul and Tiffani Amber did a few years ago as a Zack and Kelly reunion.

To celebrate this stupendous news story, I've ranked my ten favorite episodes of SBTB.

10. Pipe Dreams. This was the perfect example of a dichotomy of greed versus social conscience. When oil is discovered on Bayside's football field, everyone is ecstatic at the prospect of having riches and fame, but when they realize the true cost of this discovery in the form of dead biology subjects, it doesn't really seem worth it, does it?

When they brought in Becky the duck all covered in oil, I cried.

Lesson learned: Don't trust the man, the man being big, bad oil companies. Especially if the man wears a Bolo tie.

Quote: Jessie and Kelly in unison: Stop the Drilling, Stop the Oil!

9. Fake I.D.s. The only reason this ep makes my top ten is because the sleezebag Jeff Hunter is found out to be a cheating bastard when the gang gets fake IDs to sneak into cool kid dance club, The Attic. To this day, I still dislike Patrick Muldoon. Did I say dislike? I mean hate.

Lesson: Don't be a cheating bastard. Plus, girls from USC are easily fooled into going out with anyone.

Quote: Jeff when caught by Kelly: It's not like we're going steady!

I love that it used to be calling going steady in the early 90s.

8. Palm Springs Weekend, part 1. This episode sets up the premise of Daddy issues for Jessie when he marries Leslie, a much younger fitness instructor (which was the whore occupation of the early 90s), and we all know what happens next...Jessie becomes a stripper in Las Vegas. Excellent foresight, SBTB writers.

Lesson: Fathers be good to your daughters, or they will end up schtupping Kyle MacLachlan in a pool.

Quote: Zack: Oh my gosh, I hit on your mother!

7. Boss Lady. I had to at least have one episode of the Malibu Sands Beach Club era, and this one is my favorite because the scene where they are making the old people eat really fast is very comical. And Screech really would take a metal detector onto the beach and cause a frenzy. And the way Kelly is so possessive of "her beach" is pretty classic. Jenny went all My Super Sweet Sixteen like 15 years before than show ever existed. I want, I want, I want...

Lesson learned: the art of negotiating with Mexican kitchen staff. We strike!

Quote: Slater says to Stacey (a pre-Scientology Leah Remini), "Way to go, Terminator 3," which is so indicative of the time period.

6. Screech's Special Sauce. The sauce you can buy, but the recipe, she's-a mine. Soleil Moon Frye is in this ep which totally elevated it in the ranks.

Lesson learned: This episode teaches about entrepreneurship and copyright infringement, but more importantly, that girls from Beverly Hills are shallow moneygrubbers.

Quote: There are a lot, but this one is a favorite. The girls: Mama mia, Papa pia, buy two get the third one free-a!

5. The Zack Tapes. Zack uses subliminal messages in the girls' Bo Revere tapes to get Kelly to ask him to the sweetheart dance. Screech dresses up as a new student named Barbra Bush to deliver said tapes. There was also some homoerotic undertones when Slater announces, "[Zack] is going to the dance with me!" and he puts his medallion on Zack. All around awesome. Plus, other than Mr. Dewey, Ms. Wentworth was my favorite Bayside teacher. Except for Tony Crane, that is.

Lesson learned: Zack...Zack...Zack...

Quote: Zack Morris is a blonde Tom Cruise.

4. Mystery Weekend. I feel like this is a really underrated episode. It's got intrigue, adventure, a twisted ending. Mr. Jamison is like super creepy, too. I've always wanted a mango tonic with a kiwi twist.

Lesson: When a man offers you vouchers, he's really trying to frame you for murder. Suspect everyone, trust no one.

Quote: Jessie: Are you really going to drink that? Lisa: No, it goes with my outfit!

3. No Hope with Dope. In one word, would I do dope? Nope. That quote pretty much sums up my life. Thanks, Zack Morris and the late Brandon Tartikoff, for teaching me that drugs are bad.

Lesson: Come on, this ep was one big PSA. Also, it taught me that people in Hollywood are douchers.

Quote: There are a lot, but one particular from Johnny Dakota stands out to me, "I don't need this aggravation!" He said, in true 90s Hollywood asshole fashion.

2. Wicked Stepbrother, part I. There is a lot to this two parter. Zack pretends he's Jewish to get out of school and go to the Dodgers game. Slater is hired to install a CD player into Mrs. Belding's new Miata. Jessie's mother gets married and she inherits the step-brother from Hell, Eric. Eric is from New York, and you can tell this because he's got greasy hair and a devil may care attitude. He also leaves the toilet seat up and blackmails Slater and Zack, who get him back by trying to catch him in the act of driving Mrs. Belding's car. Unfortch, Lisa ends up driving and crashing, and they are effed.

Lesson learned: Don't trust guys from New York. Just don't do it.

Quote: Lisa: Zack, you are meshugenuh.

1. Jessie's Song. I'm pretty sure this is everyone's favorite or at least it's the most memorable episode when Jessie gets addicted to caffeine pills. Screech dresses up like a janitor named Sinead O'Conner to record the girls. We were introduced to Hot Sundae, which I actually really like their song, Go For It! Put your mind to it, go for it, you're gonna break a sweat. Rock n Roll you ain't seen nothing yet! It was better than anything Zack Attack put out.

Lesson: Hello, caffeine pills?

Who can't quote, "I'm so excited...I'm so excited...I'm so...scared!?"

Honorable mention to the Last Dance, Running Zack, Home for Christmas, The Prom, Cut Day, Operation Zack (is Lisa's mom really an orthopod?). I freaking love this show.

the weekly roundup

-It was this man's birthday this week, buy him a drank! Happy belated 23rd RPattz! Now I'm only one year older than him...which is good because I'm sure he likes his women older and Asian...doesn't everyone? I mean that's why my mom's so popular right?

-And if I mention my mom, I have to mention that my dad has a blog. WTF? What alternate universe am I living in, where my dad has a blog that has more followers than mine? Blasphemy. Perhaps, if I wrote about something of value, people might read. Nah, I'll just stay true to my superficial self and talk about boys.


-The Ducks lost to the Red Wings, eliminating them from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Expected, though disappointing. It's okay, Ryan Getzlaf is still pretty fucking hot. It was his birthday this week too, and he is actually age appropriate for me. He was born in 1985 also, making me only three months older than him. Look at those blue eyes, he's almost as hot as my boo Sidney Crosby. Here is Sidney in his younger, clean cut days. He's two years younger than me.

Hockey players are so sexy and underrated.

-The Lakers are on the brink of elimination by the hands of the Yao-less Houston Rockets. They are literally playing like shit, so no one is surprised. There's a documentary on Kobe Bryant airing on ESPN this weekend called: KOBE BRYANT, Doin' Work. It's a Spike Lee joint, which explains the title. Basically it's like watching a Laker game on DVD with the commentary on.

-At least the Angels handed the Red Sox a humiliating loss (Big Papi left 12 runners on base in the game, going 0-7) so the current shittiness of SoCal teams didn't drive me to do something drastic.

-The Royals have lost 6 in a row (including three to the Angels last weekend). Now there's the Royals we know and love. Huzzah!

-The girl who kissed Marissa Cooper topped the Maxim Hot 100 list this year. What? Leighton Meester is #12. Everyone knows I love her. I also love Chan Marshall who is a surprising #19. What makes it better is that Heidi Montag was like #88. I hate you Spencer Pratt. Lindsay Lohan was in the top 25, which invalidates the whole list, but what can you do?

-Neil Patrick Harris is hosting the Tony Awards. Before you say, "NPH wouldn't do that!" I beg to differ, yes he would. I re-watched the Showdown ep of HIMYM...so genius. Love him.

-Just saw a commercial for the new Sandra Bullock/Ryan Reynolds chickflick. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that they end up getting together in the end. Yeah, I think I can skip that one. Betty White is in it though, and we should treasure every moment we have with her.

-Speaking of older women, we had a debate this week about the ranking order by age. Puma, cougar, lynx, jaguar, snow leopard? I want to be a snow leopard so bad, but at the rate I'm going, I'm not going to make it to puma. I'm fat and out of shape. Just in time for residency.

Recipe of the Week

Since it is so un-summer-like here: thunder, torrential rains, me getting soaked to the bone, I thought the recipe of the week should reflect the upcoming season, and the anticipation I have for it. And nothing says summer more than potato salad...but with a twist.

Deviled Egg Potato Salad

2 lbs potatoes, cubed into 1/2-1 inch pieces
salt
1/2 c mayonnaise
1/3 c dijonnaise
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c red onion, chopped
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 c chopped celery

In a large saucepan, fill with water and bring to boil. Add the potatoes and some salt to season. It should take about 15-20 minutes to soften the potatoes, check tenderness with a fork (should be firm but not crunchy still).

In a large bowl, combine mayo, dijonnaise, vinegar, sugar and salt. Add potatoes, celery, red onion. Mix well. Add egg, and fold into the mixture. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Voila, you have awesome potato salad. But don't leave it out too long, that just breeds S. aureus...especially when I make it. Yum.

I HAVE ONE WEEK OF SCHOOL LEFT BEFORE I BECOME A DOCTOR.

Sorry, I just had to say it. I cannot wait. There has been too much drama and all about fuckery that this school has imparted in the past few months that I'm so ready to leave it all behind. The administrators have no idea how to run a successful program and actually celebrate their graduates. Instead, they beat us down and make us hate them even more with their idiotic rules and mandates. T-minus five days and counting. I'm not ready to be a doctor, but I'm ready to be done.

But, how fucked up is it that I'm gonna be a doctor? Don't actually answer that unless you have a death wish.

Keep fishin'

My boyfriend went fishing today, so I got a chance to catch up on internet gossip, movies he won't watch, and books he won't read.

So this is the best coupling since Saylor (Selena and Taylor, get with the times): Cobra Starship and Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester on a song together called (I make) Good Girls Go Bad.



Cobra Starship is this pop punk outfit fronted by former Midtown lead singer Gabe Saporta that all the coolest kids love. All the kids including me! Their debut cd Viva La Cobra! was infused with a lot of tongue in cheek hits for the masses including Smile for the Paparazzi (as heard on the Hills), The City is at War (as heard as the theme of Top Chef: New York), Guilty Pleasure (as heard on every other MTV show) and my personal fav on the album, One Day Robots Will Cry. All of the songs are catchy, electronic infused pieces of pop magic and I love them.

Leighton Meester is Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl. BLAIR CORNELIA FREAKING WALDORF. For those of you who don't know, instead of reading medical texts, I like to read books geared toward 14 year old girls (i.e. Twilight, Speak, If I Stay). I have loved the Gossip Girl, It Girl, and The Carlyles series from Cecily von Ziegesar since I was in high school. I own every single book of the GG series, actually. These books are salacious, scandalous, and I can read them in about 2 hours, which is about how much free time I have per month. I sometimes like teen books better because books geared towards adult women have the kind of super annoying characters that remind me of the people who are around me on a daily basis. Teen books I can relate to, since it's already happened...it's like nostalgia just without the gratuitous drugs, drinking and sex.

Anyway, Leighton plays Miss Waldorf superbly on the CW series. Two of her other co-stars, Ed Westwick and Taylor Momsen are in bands also, Filthy Youth and Pretty Reckless, respectively. I think with this pairing, Leighton will be the most successful music-wise since she's hit the mainstream with a band that has a rabid fanbase. Her voice is pretty awesome, too. She was recently seen at the Star Trek premiere.

-Speaking of, saw Star Trek yesterday. Umm, awesome. I heart John Cho aka Sulu. In fact, I'm watching his episode of HIMYM right now.

-Speaking of HIMYM, Rachelle LeFevre was on the Moving Day episode which I also watched today. She plays Victoria in Twilight, her hair looks amazing in New Moon. See?

-Speaking of Twilight...since only like one person reads this blog, I'm throwing this in for her and me, because it's real life Edward and Bella! As much as this would be awesome if it were true (squealed in true fangirl style), I'm sure he was just giving her CPR or like looking for a lost contact...with his tongue...in her mouth. I'm seriously surprised it took her this long...have you seen him? I'd have hit that in like the first hour.

-Speaking of Kristen Stewart, I'm going to watch her movie Cake Eaters this weekend. It's about a girl who has Friedrich's Ataxia. She was also in a movie called Speak, and I finished the book it was based on this morning. See people, I can go all night with these segues but I won't because the Angels are playing the Royals soon. Gotta go watch.

Recipe of the Week: Mi Quang

I'm starting a new feature for this blog, the recipe of the week. Since I purport this to be a lifestyle blog, I have to address the number one love of my life: food. According to mint.com, I spend about 75% of my money on food. If I had actually gone to a real college, I could have totally majored in all things gastronomique with a minor in fast food studies.

For Vietnamese people living in the Midwest, there aren't that many places that offer some of my favorite dishes...including Mi Quang, which is my favorite Vietnamese noodle dish, although it's more like a noodle salad. Typically, this dish would take a really long time to make, as there are a lot of different components, but I developed a quick and dirty version, with substitutes, that tastes just as good as anything you might find in larger Vietnamese inhabited areas such as Houston or Little Saigon in Orange County, where I'm from originally.

photo courtesy of baobingduong.org until I can upload my own picture

Mi Quang: Amy-erican style

1 package wide pho noodles
1 tsp Turmeric
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 white onion, chopped
1/2 lb ground pork
1 8 oz can of crabmeat (Caravelle brand is good) or fresh crab if you have it
5 slices of bacon (the dish is traditionally made with chopped up pork belly)
4 cups of water
1 Mi Quang seasoning cube (can be found in Vietnamese markets, caution contains MSG)
1 15 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes
1 shallot, slivered
1/2 lb jumbo deveined shrimp
1/2 lb fresh bean sprouts
3 cups spinach
1 loaf of cha or gio (Vietnamese ham loaf), cut into thin slices
1 package of banh da, which is a type of sesame cracker
crushed peanuts, cilantro and chopped green onions for garnish
fish sauce, pepper to season

Soak the noodles in a bowl of hot water with turmeric for 20 minutes or until soft. Drain and rinse excess turmeric off noodles with cold water.

In a large pot, heat oil at high heat. Saute onions until they are translucent, add ground pork and brown. Add bacon and crabmeat and continue to saute. When all the meat has been cooked through, add the can of the tomatoes. When everything is simmering, add four cups of water and the seasoning cube. When the soup is boiling, decrease heat to low. Add fish sauce and pepper to season.

In a different pan, heat some canola oil on high. Add the shallot and saute until softened. Add the shrimp and cook until slightly pink. Season with fish sauce and pepper. Take off heat.

In a separate pot, bring water to boil. With a metal strainer, place a handful of bean sprouts and dip into boiling water to soften the sprouts slightly. Place in the bottom of a large bowl. Place a handful of spinach leaves on top of the sprouts. Take a large handful of noodles and place into strainer and dip into boiling water to soften completely. Transfer the cooked noodles to the bowl. Ladle about a cup of the soup mixture over the noodles (the soup should not completely cover the noodles), make sure you get a good mix of the meat component of the soup. Place a few shrimp and some slices of Cha over the noodles. Sprinkle with pepper, and top with the Banh Da, peanuts, cilantro, onions. Don't put the banh da on until you are ready to eat, as they will get soggy. Then enjoy! This soup should make at least four servings.

It sounds a lot more complicated that it is, but it's so delicious when it's done. There are a lot of different ways you can make this, substituting lettuce for the spinach, adding crab claw, stewing pork bones to make a base broth, or adding red cabbage. If you are lucky enough to have a place in your town that serves Mi Quang, I would definitely partake and leave the hassle to the professionals, but I think my recipe is really good for a person who doesn't have hours to stew pork bones.

I'm starting to try and eat healthier, since I tend to overdo it on eating at restaurants. I've started to track myself on daily plate again. Live strong, baby.

The Match Game: Medical School edition

I never got a chance to blog about our match day, but better late than never, I guess.

So, every year, on the third Thursday in March, medical students all over the country await their fate in the residency selection process. Match Day. Dare I say, it was probably the most important day in my life thus far which I guess isn't saying much. I digress, it is the highly anticipated end of a strenuous, trying interview season, which for some lasts from October to February. Not only that, but it is also the culmination of all the man hours, hard work, mental/emotional anguish, and straight up self-doubt and questioning that comes with being a medical student. If you weren't messed up already, don't worry, med school will fuck you up. Just ask this guy.

Match day is the unofficial end of the twisted and winding road (complete with the roadblocks and potholes of Pediatrics and OB/GYN rotations slowing you down) to becoming a doctor. At the same time, it signifies a beginning of the rest of our lives. Poetic, I know.

And it is so effing satisfying when it arrives because then you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Technically, a medical student finds out if they matched on Black Monday, three days before match day. That way, if they do not match, they can participate in the "Scramble" which allows them to apply for any unfilled positions.

In the weeks leading to match, I had a semi-nervous breakdown. Every night, I prayed that I would get into my first choice and I was constantly nauseated and was plagued with abdominal pain. I didn't want to go anywhere else. I was obsessed, every other sentence out of my mouth was "Do you think I'll get in there?" and "What if I don't get in?" and "If I don't get in, I'll ____ myself." I'm pretty sure my friends were contemplating taking me out back, Old Yeller style. Luckily for me, when I ripped open that envelope at 11AM CST, I saw my first choice, my home program.

Then I wept like the girl I am.

The thing is, I was trying to get into Otolaryngology residency, which according to the National Board of Medical Examiners was the fourth most difficult specialty to get into this year (integrated plastics, dermatology, orthopaedics). There were like 370 applicants for 250 spots or something. There are people who are absolutely perfect on paper who do not get into ENT. I am not perfect, on paper or in person, but somehow I made the cut.

It's a very gratifying feeling to know that someone out there wants you when they could have their pick of any other amazing candidate. I imagine this is how it would feel to win the Bachelor or Rock of Love or some other equally demoralizing reality dating show. Demoralizing because on the interview trail, you have the sell the shit out of yourself; you do things that you may not be proud of, and you try to focus on making yourself not look apeshit insane while trying to be memorable. As we've learned from those dating shows, sometimes this is not possible.

Interview season highlights include getting inebriated at my home program; singing 'Livin on a Prayer' during an interview; running through Chicago O'Hare, narrowly missing not one but two flights; visiting Charleston, Milwaukee and Minneapolis, where I'd never been before; and lastly, meeting a lot of cool people although the uncool people are the ones I remember most.

On match day, needless to say, there was a lot of celebrating. A lot. Of. Celebrating. When you start drinking at 1 PM, you tend to burn out real quickly (especially if you lack the aldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme as I do), so we didn't even make it past midnight. Another sign that we're growing up or at least growing old. But it was fun, and it was memorable, and it was everything one of the last gathering of our class should be. I'm not gonna get all emo about this stuff, because that might confuse people into thinking that I actually have feelings, but I'll kind of miss medical school when it's all over. I've known these people for 6 years, and it's been interesting to say the least.

We made with rain, with actual shredded money. We are filthy. And I love it.

Happy Cinco de drinko, folks

-I'm abnormally excited about the latest coupling that rocked the tween world last week. Taylor Lautner is so cute (how many days until he turns 18?) and Selena Gomez is so the next Disney cash cow...erm, I mean big star. She's currently filming a movie called Ramona and Beezus (I LOVE BEVERLY CLEARY) in Vancouver where coincidentally, Taylor is shooting New Moon (199 days away!). Sneaky, sneaky, kids. She is so Rachel Bilson's mini-me. Miley who?

-I have been waiting for this forever. It's totally him, google a picture and compare the ears. Tupac is my favorite rapper of all time, and I'm not going to belabor you with the details, but I'm kind of pissed that he didn't resurface in 2003. For those of you not in the know, this all has to do with the number 7, which has played a prominent role in his life. 2003 would have been 7 years after his death. The Don Killuminati: 7 day theory album was recorded in 7 days. Pac died 7 days after he was shot, September 13, 1996 exactly seven months after his record All Eyez on Me was released. His time of death was 4:03 which of course when added equals 7. Yeah, I know too much about this subject.

-I really don't want to talk about this. I just can't watch anymore games. I hope Kobe doesn't have the swine flu...maybe that's why they didn't win. I don't know, but it better not happen again. Oh, and I really, really dislike Ron Artest...especially now that he has the most ridiculous fade in the history of all time.

-Speaking of swine flu, am I the only person who isn't concerned about it? I mean, it may have killed Edward Masen back in 1918, but umm...people, 101 years later we have something called modern medicine and antibiotics/antivirals (although their efficacy is questionable). Yeah.

-If Brett Favre plays for the Vikings next year, I will gouge my eyes out.

-GO DUCKS. That is all.

-Go Royals! Yeah, I'm just as befuddled as you are. $2 Turkeys for everyone!

Potpourri/Si se puede!

Yesterday I saw the Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, starring the effervescent Matthew McConaughey (read in sarcastic tone) and Jennifer Garner. I actually really liked this movie, the critics totally panned it saying that the leads had no chemistry and that it was saccharine and lame, but you know what? In these trying times, you kind of just want the asshole douchebag guy to end up with his smart, witty first love because he realizes that she is good enough that he is willing to change his caddish ways.

Plus, you should never believe anything Ben Lyons says, I'm pretty sure he's public enemy #1. Last week, he literally referred to Seth Rogen as "Bro-gen." Buddy, you are not bros. You work in journalism, he has to talk to you out of obligation. Also, the definition of "bros" does not include you pleasuring yourself to pictures of the new lighter version of him.

Anyway, GOGP had a great soundtrack because all flashback movies allow the best music to be played. Some highlights:

Get Down Tonight by KC and Sunshine Band
Let's Groove by Earth Wind and Fire
Nothin' But A Good Time by Poison (my second favorite Poison song of all time!)
I Hate Myself for Loving You by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
6 Underground by the Sneaker Pimps (which forever reminds me of Val Kilmer's the Saint)
I try by Macy Gray
Time after Time by Cyndi Lauper (played during an especially funny scene with Emma Stone)
Holding Back the Years by Simply Red (how fucking ecstatic was I to hear this...it is still so relevant and awesome that we're still hearing this song in a new movie in 2009)

I'm totally hoping to not pigeon hole myself in the movie soundtrack blog category, but there have just been some great soundtracks out there. If you want that, go to ReelSoundtrack for a comprehensive music/movie blog.

Pros:
-Emma Stone, who I might be obsessed with now; Jules from Superbad! Come on, she's awesome. Her comic relief made this movie.
-Michael Douglas, somehow they unearthed Mr. Douglas for the role as Connor's legendary badass uncle Wayne, and he was perfect. It's that gravelly voice of his, he's a silver fox.
-Christa B. Allen, who played young JGarn in 13 going on 30 (another great soundtrack), is totally back playing young Jennifer Garner in this movie. Awesome, kudos to you, casting director.
-The rest of the cast was great, Jennifer Garner is as always, perfect with those cheekbones and those pouty lips; Breckin Meyer and Lacey Chabert who are apparently ageless, Camille Guaty (who if you are a Disney Channel Original Movie geek like I am, you will recognize as the lead in Gotta Kick it Up! Si se puede, indeed.)

Cons: Matthew McConaughey. I don't find him charming ever, but I actually didn't want to beat him up while watching this movie. I'm still putting him on the con side though.

--Jack Kemp died. He was the quarterback for the Buffalo Bills in the mid-sixties before there ever was a united AFC/NFC version of the NFL. After playing pro ball for many years, he served as Congressman in Buffalo for 18 years. Of course, he was then Bob Dole's running mate in the 1996 presidential election. This is relevant to me because Jack Kemp spoke at my sister's graduation from college at USC. So yes, it goes without saying, he was a member of the GOP.

--I forgot to mention this last week, but Bea Arthur passed. Now, she wasn't my favorite Golden Girl (that would be Sophia; Dorothy was supposed to be the reasonable one, but she kept Stan around and he bugged me to no avail), but she made that show. And that show made my youth. I'm sure this has been said by many a blogger, but thank you for being a friend, Bea.

--Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao = badass. He reminds me of a young Barry Bernabe.

--If you haven't already, read McBrandon's post on HydroxyCut. Jon Marshall, resident physician belongs at Tool Academy.

Choose Your Own Adventureland

So, this post has been awhile in the making. I saw Adventureland last month and really, really liked it. It was very unexpected. Written and directed by Greg Mottola, most famously and awesomely known for directing Superbad, you'd think it would be a nonstop boob and dick fest, but it wasn't like that at all. There were some funny parts, but mostly it was about relationships and shitty situations and life. It was very real for a moment there.

First of all, it's set in the late 80s in Pittsburgh, providing the perfect backdrop of depressed desperation which is pervasive throughout the movie. 80s = automatic win.

Adventureland is a poignant, coming of age story about a recent college graduate named James (loveably awkward Jesse Eisenberg) whose parents, hard up on times, rescind his summer Europe vacation graduation present. Instead, he gets a nowhere job at a local decrepit theme park where, as always, there are a bunch of lowlifes and eccentrics hanging about. Amongst his zany co-workers is Em, a ray of light in the despondent universe of the Adventureland theme park. She is played beautifully by Kristen Stewart.

I am so team Kristen right now. Not only is she Bella Swan in Twilight, but she was so convincingly emo and flawed in this movie that you couldn't help but fall in love with her. You could totally see her appeal to James here (he's saving the damsel), even though she was having an affair with perennial scuzzbucket Ryan Reynolds. She picks great roles, everything from quirky independents to blockbuster vampire flicks which portends to a great career, if she wants it. And I think she's got this really anti-Hollywood thing going on. She's open with her honesty and frank rejection of any of the set 'starlet rules,' and she's not afraid to say what's on her mind. Plus her boyfriend is hot.

The best thing about this movie was the soundtrack. I love mainstream 80s music, I am actually obsessed with it, and almost every time I heard a familiar opening riff during the movie, I died a little bit more inside...of happiness.

Yo La Tengo did the scoring of the movie, which is another total win.

Stand outs include:

Modern Love by David Bowie
Rock Me Amadeus by Falco
Looking for A Kiss by New York Dolls
Hot Blooded by Foreigner
Pale Blue Eyes by the Velvet Underground
Don't Dream it's Over by Crowded House (!!!)
Let the Music Play by Shannon
I Want Action by Poison
Satellite of Love by Lou Reed
Point of No Return by Expose
Obsession by Animotion
Your Love by The Outfield (!!!)
Just Like Heaven by the Cure (my favorite song ever)
Breaking the Law by Judas Priest
Here I Go Again by Whitesnake
Don't Change by INXS

Soundtrack also includes Wang Chung, The Replacements, Rush, the Stones.

This is going to be a big movie weekend, I'm probably going to be seeing Wolverine and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (don't judge). I doubt those soundtracks will be as good as this movie's was, and I definitely recommend checking it out.

Oh, and Kristen Stewart, along with my current obsession Robert Pattinson and future obsession--when he turns 18--Taylor Lautner, is one of People's 100 Most Beautiful this year. I'm sure she's just thrilled about that. Yeah, she really seems to be the type of person who really gives a shit about meaningless lists and celebrity pandering.

I'm still probably going to buy the magazine though. I'm just sayin'.