We have all had that one doctor that never seemed to really care. They greet you with your name, and from there on out you might as well just be a talking list of symptoms. When this had happened to me, I know I felt like my situation was not completely evaluated and I was very dubious of the treatment given. But there was nary a word said because I doubted that it would make the slightest difference. In a country where half the people you meet are a minority and almost everybody is carrying their own unique blend of different beliefs, it has become increasingly important for doctors to be able to personalize patient care.

While we tend to idolize the M.D. tag on our physician’s door, to many others the letters mean little else than a difference of core beliefs. Not to mention that most people are quite cautious with their body. This becomes quite a problem if someone has a serious illness, and the treatment is intensive. For instance, if a cancer patient did not believe that chemotherapy would be effective, or may cause disturbances to their life based on cultural beliefs, then the chance that they would be willing to even try the treatment would be slim to none; the side effects are just too severe. And the cancer would just proceed, unabated. So, to provide a community with good health care, it is important for doctors to remember that each patient should be treated differently.

However, this can lead to undesired side effects. For example, if a doctor is so wrapped up in their own desire to communicate effectively that they forget what their method could be perceived as, it may even come across as offensive. An oft made mistake is a loud tone of voice. Or, if a doctor chooses to forgo standard procedure in lieu of abiding by the cultural practices of the patient (such as, informing the patient’s family first of serious illness) they could put themselves at risk. There must be a balance which can only be really achieved with a decent dose of respect, in all respects: a doctor’s respect for the beliefs of the patient, a doctor’s respect for the basic policies of their institution and, finally, the patient’s respect for the ability and knowledge of the doctor.

So next time you walk into your doctor’s office, and you feel disregarded in any way, be sure to speak up. You should respect and trust your doctor to do their job completely, but you should also expect the same from them.

The IQ Bell Curve

I’ve always wondered. When people say: “At least I have an IQ over room temperature…” do they mean in Celsius or Fahrenheit? Cause if it’s in Celsius (25C is room temperature), then that’s a pretty big insult! You’re more retarded than 99.9% of the population. But if it’s Fahrenheit then that’s not so bad! (77F is room temperature) You’re only more retarded than 83.9% of the population. I think that 16% increase is quite important if you’re that stupid.

Lately I’ve been getting incredibly sick of the number of accusations against China that have been shooting around. I understand that there will always be politics involved in the Olympics, but is it necessary for it to be the only thing that matters? Why is it not possible to just celebrate the great accomplishments by these amazing athletes?

Furthermore, people have been determined to believe that many of actions taken by China were done so with an intent to deceive. But really, what is more likely? That this is a cultural difference causing a misunderstanding or China’s out to lie to everybody and they do so by telling the media all about it.

The key difference between Western and Chinese culture is that Western culture revolves around the individual whereas the Chinese culture revolves around the community as a whole. This is most obvious in our choices for government. The Chinese is also far more concerned with the end result than the methods used to obtain it; there is this belief that the ends justify the  means. To bridge this misunderstanding, let me explain a few of the trespasses that has occurred during this Olympics from the Chinese perspective.

1. Lip syncing at the opening ceremony. - As all people are apart of the community which make up China, so do every aspect and part of them. In creating the best result for an opening ceremony, China sought for the best of both worlds. A child with the best aesthetic aspect, and a child with the best aural aspect. Note that this was not hidden from the media, and instead was revealed by the directors themselves. To the Chinese community, it is an honor for both of the children to create the spectacle. No one individual was supposed to be the ’star’. What made it so horrific was that international media did not realize this fact and sold Peiyi’s voice as Miaoke’s and made her a star. Seeing this, the record was set straight immediately. No deception was intended here. (link)
2. Digitally enhanced fireworks. - Let me be frank here. How many people sitting at home would’ve bitched about the fireworks if they were not enhanced, since the smog in Beijing made it too difficult to film them to their full glory? The committee sought to bring the best possible experience to people on-site as well as people at home. They did not replace real fireworks with fake ones, they just went the extra mile to complete the beautiful ceremony. (link)
3. Under-aged gymnasts - First of all, no one can be sure if they truly are under-age. And let me just speak in defense of those who say that they just ‘look’ like they couldn’t be 16. We all know that Asian girls tend to look much younger than they are. I have an Asian friend who is my age (20) and she looks like she’s 14. Asian women also tend to not be as well endowed, something that has frustrated me all my life. So for a bunch of 16 year old Asian girls to look pre-pubescent to Westerners is absolutely possible, especially if they’re chosen to be this way due to the nature of gymnastics. However, let us assume that they are under-age. At this point, we cannot say whether or not the government knowingly forged passports. After all, China is known for its widespread practice of creating bootleg items, what is a few fake passports? The IOC has much more knowledge of the evidence for and against these girls, so we do not know who truly would be at fault here. And in the end, it comes down to the basic belief that the ends justify the means. (link)

By no means am I saying that it is ok for the Chinese government to lie (as may be the case of the gymnasts). But I’m asking for everybody to have a more open mind in considering what may be, and to understand why things may be done the way they are. The country has been through much, and to trash the community as a whole for things that the government has done would be misguided. For change to really occur within China, there must be a willingness from us to communicate and reciprocate their attempts at openness, instead of just writing it off as a black sheep.

Writing about being patriotic towards the U.S. is going to be a little weird for me as I was born in China and raised in Canada.

When I first started dating Dan, I knew for a fact that there was going to be consequences. i.e. the fact that he was being deployed and I wouldn’t see him for seven months. So what’s the obvious solution to this problem? Online support groups of course! Who needs real friends when you’ve got the internet? But after stumbling my way through a few forums, I noticed something. Everyone of these people were so goddamn patriotic. Stupid me, what did I expect? After a few too many references of the greatness that is the USA and military, I closed the door the forums once and for all.

Or so I thought.

The day after Dan had left, I became desperate to talk to someone who knew what the military was like. How controlling they were, and the fact that I had no idea where Dan was going because he wasn’t allowed to tell me. I drove myself crazy and let myself back on the forums. And as I read the threads and allowed myself to be comforted by strangers, I realized something.

These girls are patriotic because they have to be.

How else can they explain why someone they love would be willing to leave them for months at a time? With this they can regain some of their sanity, they have something to put their faith in. A reason and a purpose for their suffering. So I lay myself in their hands. Today, I became a patriot as well.

I knew I wouldn’t be at Greensboro for long, so I made a point to not attach myself. When I moved today, I went about it in a very practical manner. And I wanted it so. But as item after item was removed from my room, and the room returned to its state of white and black, I couldn’t help feeling a little sad.

It’s strange, how a room suddenly transforms from a place of habitat to an echoing cave with flashes of memories flitting over the walls.

—

Note that I wrote this about two weeks ago when I moved out. I couldn’t stomach coming to this site so it wasn’t publsihed til now.

Edited out on Aug 4th

My roommate’s dad decided to threaten my mother with sending ‘photos’ of me underage drinking to prevent me from obtaining American citizenship. (I’m currently Canadian) To save my mother grief, and because I really don’t care, I’ve taken down the post.

If you still wish to view it, I have copies.

I’ve been on vacation around the Virginia Beach/Williamsburg area the past week or so, and it was great. I loved the part when we went onto the beach and just sat there in the dark, feeling the waves crash over us.

That’s until:

a) The waves knocked me off my feet and made my ass red as an apple. It’s still tender.
b) I found sand in my bikini bottom, top, purse, wallet, towel, sandals, or everything. fucking. thing. I. touched. AND IT WOULD NOT GO AWAY.

While on the beach, Dan tried to bury me under wet sand, but failed miserably as he was thwarted by the waves. It made me giggle, but it only made him vindictive. So, he asked that we name the wet sand (his logic here lost me, something about wet dirt having a name so wet sand should too?).

I named it Chunky Sea. He named it Goop.

I like chunky sea better. Sounds like vomit.

PS: Yes, I am vindictive because he refused to have sex on the beach. Something about too many people. PSH.

I make a point to always look and smell nice all the time. At least when I know I’ll be around people. However, when it’s time to go into the field, all of that goes flying straight out the window. Forget nice. As long as I don’t smell like poop, I’m happy. My morning ritual changes from straightening my hair to putting it up into a bun, from putting on make up to slathering on sunscreen and bug repellent. So, I try to keep myself far away from civilization, usually leaving my house at ungodly hours (6am), and scurrying back home afterward with as much dignity as I can muster.

Sometimes though, all of it is futile. On Wednesday, I had an exceptional amount of work to do, including lugging around enormous bins of sand, and nobody around to help. So, to prevent death from crushed-by-large-sand-bins-made-for-dung-cups, I brought my boyfriend to do the dirty work.

I had conveniently forgotten how disgusting I become after a couple of hours in the greenhouse that our experiments are housed in and I seriously felt bad for kissing him afterward. The sweat was just dripping off of me, but he sucked it up.

He also claims that despite me being disgusting for variable hours at a time, I’m still a girly girl. Huh. Maybe that’s why our dung is dyed pink.

txtDrop.com - Completely Free Text Messaging

Easiest way to text spam someone. Dan would know.

So, I just finished registering for courses this week. And I wonder, how is it possible for such a huge university to make this essential task so fucking difficult? Not only did registration start a full month before I was even accepted so that 99% of the courses were closed, just knowing what courses to take should be a class in and of itself. To find out if the class you’re interested in satisfy General Education requirements, you have to go through three separate searches. Making this the most inefficient and time consuming process that I have ever encountered. I dare say that to solidify a course schedule of five, it took me about fifteen hours of work. This does not include the hour I spent talking to an adviser over a period of two weeks.

So yes. Fuck you, Chapel Hill. You would think with all of the prestige and popularity, a little effort would go into making a student’s first experience slightly more pleasant.

–

On a more pleasant note. I checked out the campus last weekend and it is absolutely gorgeous. I also saw the first Bubble Tea shop I’ve ever seen in North Carolina. It made me spontaeneously start screaming in the car, which resulted in multiple weird looks from my mother and boyfriend. For the first time, I’m actually excited that school will be starting.