Anyone who is reading this blog must have long since realized that I am a very random person, with very random thoughts streaming through my mind. In the midst of reading my ophthalmology book and overhearing clips of American Idol, my mind wandered over to memories of one of my favorite childhood television shows: Lip Sync.
I looked up this program on IMDB to no avail. Apparently I was the only one who ever watched this show. Several other programs have similarly low viewership, though I was at one point able to find videotapes and websites dedicated to Beverly Hills Teens, but that is another story.
So anyway, I was thinking of lip synching and googling the topic, when I came across a Wikipedia listing of Milli Vanilli, the dearly-departed late 80s group, which has a more tragic history than I knew. See the Wiki article for more info. I did not realize, though, how widespread lip-synching has been in our media. I never knew, for instance, that C+C Music Factory, another "manufactured band" as Wikipedia describes, also participated in a great deal of deception of the public. And of course, we have all heard of Ashlee Simpson's antics on Saturday Night Live just a few years ago.
It's amazing how prevalent the talent of lip-synching is, and how widely it is used. I mean, it is something standard and clearly recognized in Indian cinemas. The musicians receive separate billing from the actors, and singers like Lata Mangeshkar were made famous for voicing the films of Bollywood.
Lip-Synching was even used and recognized in the Gene Kelly film Singin in the Rain. Betty Noyes performed vocals for Debbie Reynolds for the tune of "Would you." Ms. Reynods did do her own vocals in "Good Mornin'" and "All I Do is Dream of You." Interestingly enough, this dubbing of "Would You" was ironic, given the themes of the film. Its plot involved a young woman named Kathy Seldon (Debbie Reynolds), who vyes for screen credit for performing vocals for the famed, but woefully untalented actress Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen). This leads me to wonder: why "Would you" dubbed by an alternative singer -- as a literary device, or because Debbie Reynolds's voice was considered unsuitable? You can do the searching on that one. I'll save that for another night!
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
My most recent paintings
Untitled
Oil on Canvas
2005
Originally painted as an "ode to my roommate kristin."
Oil on Canvas
April 2006
Too damn tired
Man oh man I need a rest! Just got back from a particularly cool day on opthalmology where I saw:
1. Viral Conjunctivitis (also saw a Bacterial conjunctivitis, which is very rare.)
2. Distichiasis (aberrantly grown eyelash which caused my patient tiny corneal abrasions)
3. Malignant glaucoma (another rarity - this patient's intraocular pressures in the OP clinic were in the 60s!)
4. Subconjunctival hemorrhages (common, but interesting and largely benign)
5. Orbital and maxillary fracture from facial trauma
6. Post-op cataract patients who demonstrated dramatic visual improvement
7. Periorbital cellulitis (evaluated for r/o orbital cellulitis, but had no post-septal inflammation)
8. Post-head fracture baby withOUT retinal hemorrhage
9. Nodular scleritis in patient with vague myalgias
10. Lots of cool corneas and irises and conjunctivae and pupils and lenses (with and without cell and flare) on slit-lamp exam. I've finally started to learn those cool ophthalmic tools which I never got to play with and will, unfortunately, never use again.
11. I also learned to evert an eyelid to evaluate for foreign bodies. Don't try this at home, but as a reminder to myself, I used a Q-tip at the superior eyelid crease as a fulcrum for flipping the lid.
Mmmm. . gross.
And now I am very sleepy, which I only realized as I made my rainy way on the bus home. Night night.
1. Viral Conjunctivitis (also saw a Bacterial conjunctivitis, which is very rare.)
2. Distichiasis (aberrantly grown eyelash which caused my patient tiny corneal abrasions)
3. Malignant glaucoma (another rarity - this patient's intraocular pressures in the OP clinic were in the 60s!)
4. Subconjunctival hemorrhages (common, but interesting and largely benign)
5. Orbital and maxillary fracture from facial trauma
6. Post-op cataract patients who demonstrated dramatic visual improvement
7. Periorbital cellulitis (evaluated for r/o orbital cellulitis, but had no post-septal inflammation)
8. Post-head fracture baby withOUT retinal hemorrhage
9. Nodular scleritis in patient with vague myalgias
10. Lots of cool corneas and irises and conjunctivae and pupils and lenses (with and without cell and flare) on slit-lamp exam. I've finally started to learn those cool ophthalmic tools which I never got to play with and will, unfortunately, never use again.
11. I also learned to evert an eyelid to evaluate for foreign bodies. Don't try this at home, but as a reminder to myself, I used a Q-tip at the superior eyelid crease as a fulcrum for flipping the lid.
Mmmm. . gross.
And now I am very sleepy, which I only realized as I made my rainy way on the bus home. Night night.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Stephen Colbert: not just ANY puppet
Last week I received a link to Stephen Colbert's roast of President Bush last week at the White House correspondents dinner. Widely circulated across the Internet, this video clip struck me with Colbert's vicious, biting tone, masked as a humorous sendup of the president. Ok, maybe not so well masked, and not so humorous. But I think that salon.com hit the nail on the head when assessing that:
Colbert refused to play his dutiful, toothless part in the White House correspondents dinner -- an incestuous, backslapping ritual that should be retired. For that, he had to be marginalized. Voilà: "He wasn't funny."
The point is not so much that Stephen Colbert failed to garner more than a chuckle from his gawkish, awkwardly smiling audience. Instead, he followed his own agenda and made critical statements about the president, to the face of his supporters. True, Mr. Colbert didn't say anything new, but he was cruel and, many times, inappropriate. It seems like it flew in the face of what the President would have liked to see: humor that even he could chuckle at. A cunning man keeps his enemies close at hand. He also gains from the wit of the people surrounding him. By being intentionally inappropriate, taking the same grammatical and cultural missteps that our President has taken in the past, Mr. Colbert called direct attention to our nation's boss's failings as a professional.
And I actually found a lot of his lines funny. My friend told me that the Colbert piece were reminiscent of Mitch Hedberg, who I've never seen but whose jokes were more smart statements: not pieces that you laughed at but ones that hit you 10 seconds after the fact. Colbert had that Colbert Report randomness, that stream of consciousness that I'm afraid is characteristic of the way my brain works. Normally I don't find his work funny, but I chuckled this time, and as salon.com indicated, who gives a damn whether he was funny anyway?
Colbert refused to play his dutiful, toothless part in the White House correspondents dinner -- an incestuous, backslapping ritual that should be retired. For that, he had to be marginalized. Voilà: "He wasn't funny."
The point is not so much that Stephen Colbert failed to garner more than a chuckle from his gawkish, awkwardly smiling audience. Instead, he followed his own agenda and made critical statements about the president, to the face of his supporters. True, Mr. Colbert didn't say anything new, but he was cruel and, many times, inappropriate. It seems like it flew in the face of what the President would have liked to see: humor that even he could chuckle at. A cunning man keeps his enemies close at hand. He also gains from the wit of the people surrounding him. By being intentionally inappropriate, taking the same grammatical and cultural missteps that our President has taken in the past, Mr. Colbert called direct attention to our nation's boss's failings as a professional.
And I actually found a lot of his lines funny. My friend told me that the Colbert piece were reminiscent of Mitch Hedberg, who I've never seen but whose jokes were more smart statements: not pieces that you laughed at but ones that hit you 10 seconds after the fact. Colbert had that Colbert Report randomness, that stream of consciousness that I'm afraid is characteristic of the way my brain works. Normally I don't find his work funny, but I chuckled this time, and as salon.com indicated, who gives a damn whether he was funny anyway?
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Memories of Berlin
A quick note just before I tuck in:
I was rereading my old Germany trip diary and looking at pictures from a few years ago - in preparation for my upcoming Berlin adventure. One of the places I'm dying to visit again is a fabulous set of murals I randomly found in East Berlin during my last trip. I was wandering through the city on my own and came to a book store where I saw a postcard of the most terrific mural. I had no idea where to find it but looked at the back of the postcard to find the neighborhood in which it was located. Then I set out walking, as I had nothing better to do than to just enjoy the city.
And all of a sudden I came upon the mural, standing, immense before me. And below the mural was this huge park full of industrial-looking art. I was all by myself in this wonderland gallery. Completely mysterious and uninhabited. And then I walked into the building, which is apparently an abandoned department store, and viewed the most interesting anti-capitalist posters. I didn't quite know what to make of it all, but there it was, lots of anger, lots of frustration, standing silent before me.
I was rereading my old Germany trip diary and looking at pictures from a few years ago - in preparation for my upcoming Berlin adventure. One of the places I'm dying to visit again is a fabulous set of murals I randomly found in East Berlin during my last trip. I was wandering through the city on my own and came to a book store where I saw a postcard of the most terrific mural. I had no idea where to find it but looked at the back of the postcard to find the neighborhood in which it was located. Then I set out walking, as I had nothing better to do than to just enjoy the city.
And all of a sudden I came upon the mural, standing, immense before me. And below the mural was this huge park full of industrial-looking art. I was all by myself in this wonderland gallery. Completely mysterious and uninhabited. And then I walked into the building, which is apparently an abandoned department store, and viewed the most interesting anti-capitalist posters. I didn't quite know what to make of it all, but there it was, lots of anger, lots of frustration, standing silent before me.
The verdict on Mystery Eve
So last night was one of the great events in Pitt Med Social History, bringing up memories of the Blair Witch Project -- not for the horror, but for the sheer genius in the hype that surrounded the event. Mystery Eve was billed as a night that would be at an unforgettable location -- undisclosed till we arrived at the venue.
I think that the most enjoyable part of the night was the bus ride to get to the location. We were equipped with covered, shaded buses, with various curtains hung throughout to completely conceal where we were headed. Sitting in the back, my friends and I were straining to hear the triumphant "mystery music" playing from a student's I-Pod up front, so we entertained the bus with our personal renditions of "Bohemian Rhapsody" [in full], the Tiny Toon Adventures theme song, "Pour Some Sugar on Me," "Hold On," and as a grand finale - the B-52's own "Love Shack." Someone should have been paying us, I swear.
I had suspected the Science Center initially, but the final location did exceed my expectations - we partied at Heinz Field, home to the Steelers and the Pitt Panthers. Not bad for a med school party, eh? And it turned out pretty nice - they set up a tent with live band just above the field, with appetizers galore and lots of semiformally attired medical students and faculty, mingling and enjoying eats and the cash bar.
I have two criticisms, aside from which the planners did a fabulous job and really succeeded in keeping their secret and giving us all a nice evening. First: In the end I pretty much forgot where we were - I sincerely hope that the greatest expense was not accrued in securing this location. While it adds a great surprise value initially, once you've started to party, where you are doesn't matter as much as the people who are with you.
My other criticism is that the band was bent on playing music from 1972, peppered with Blues and - what? - music by Chicago?? I would have loved some more party-type music. Like the stuff you hear at weddings that makes you want to boogie-oogie-oogie. I don't need to be played boring swanky music at a swanky place. And I think the band could have done a better job of building on the good party songs that emerged throughout the night - like playing a string of 3-4 good fast songs before bringing back slow bluesy stuff.
But this is all just to be whiny - it was fun. The class was brought together. I got to see several attendings socially, when I usually just see them on the wards. And the conversations were inevitably more entertaining and enjoyable! It's nice to let loose and just enjoy the people around you, learn what their lives are like outside medicine and to enjoy each other's sense of humor. Overall I give it 4.2 out of 5 stars.
I think that the most enjoyable part of the night was the bus ride to get to the location. We were equipped with covered, shaded buses, with various curtains hung throughout to completely conceal where we were headed. Sitting in the back, my friends and I were straining to hear the triumphant "mystery music" playing from a student's I-Pod up front, so we entertained the bus with our personal renditions of "Bohemian Rhapsody" [in full], the Tiny Toon Adventures theme song, "Pour Some Sugar on Me," "Hold On," and as a grand finale - the B-52's own "Love Shack." Someone should have been paying us, I swear.
I had suspected the Science Center initially, but the final location did exceed my expectations - we partied at Heinz Field, home to the Steelers and the Pitt Panthers. Not bad for a med school party, eh? And it turned out pretty nice - they set up a tent with live band just above the field, with appetizers galore and lots of semiformally attired medical students and faculty, mingling and enjoying eats and the cash bar.
I have two criticisms, aside from which the planners did a fabulous job and really succeeded in keeping their secret and giving us all a nice evening. First: In the end I pretty much forgot where we were - I sincerely hope that the greatest expense was not accrued in securing this location. While it adds a great surprise value initially, once you've started to party, where you are doesn't matter as much as the people who are with you.
My other criticism is that the band was bent on playing music from 1972, peppered with Blues and - what? - music by Chicago?? I would have loved some more party-type music. Like the stuff you hear at weddings that makes you want to boogie-oogie-oogie. I don't need to be played boring swanky music at a swanky place. And I think the band could have done a better job of building on the good party songs that emerged throughout the night - like playing a string of 3-4 good fast songs before bringing back slow bluesy stuff.
But this is all just to be whiny - it was fun. The class was brought together. I got to see several attendings socially, when I usually just see them on the wards. And the conversations were inevitably more entertaining and enjoyable! It's nice to let loose and just enjoy the people around you, learn what their lives are like outside medicine and to enjoy each other's sense of humor. Overall I give it 4.2 out of 5 stars.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
A non-vegetating discovery
While I was out running today, I came upon the East Liberty Farmer's Market Coop. What a find! This market, just across from the Home Depot and open Saturdays 5 a.m. - 12 noon, has just about every fresh food I need - milk, eggs, meats, various seasonal fruits and vegetables including rhubarb, baked and bottled goods, and tons of beautiful potted plants and herbs. It feels good to be giving money directly to the farmers who make our food, and to get great deals in the midst of it. I should have started shopping the farmer's markets years ago because, so far, it's way better than my standard Whole Foods. Now, if I could only get up early enough in the morning to get milk while it's freshly available there.
My other recent discovery is another Farmer's market, located in the parking lot behind McDonald's in East Liberty. I think it is set to open Monday and will run Mondays throughout the season until November, 3:30-7pm. The market is City of Pittsburgh-affiliated and is operated by GrowPittsburgh. I can't wait to go! According to this website, its offerings are pretty diverse! I feel ashamed to have avoided the Farmer's Market scene till now; I was a big fan of local produce and Farmer's markets when I lived back in Philadelphia, but it is so easy to lose sight of small vendors when sometimes all you want to do is one-stop-shop at a place where you can get Ramen. But I will make a valiant effort this time - and it certainly helps that such great food-shopping is available in my neighborhood!
I also to to join in on neighborhood pride by attending the Friendship Folk and Flower Festival, organized by the Friendship Development Associates. It was a lovely little fair with hot dogs, burgers, cooking demonstrations, folk music, and lots of little activities. The centerpieces - the ever popular used book sale and the flower sale - both grabbed me. I picked up copies of Wicked and, as I dug around, quickly found one of my favorite Children's books: Tibor Gergely's Great Big Book of Bedtime Stories. I was amazed to find this as a 1970 printing - which looked just the same as the Golden book I had as a child. Apparently it is now out of print, so I feel really lucky to have found this book - in great condition, too! I loved reading the story of little Yip Yip and his bark - and another of my favorites was "Seven Little Postmen," a story of how a letter written by a little boy passed through the mail system to arrive at his granny's house. I remember imagining the feel of sealing a letter with red sealing wax.
My other recent discovery is another Farmer's market, located in the parking lot behind McDonald's in East Liberty. I think it is set to open Monday and will run Mondays throughout the season until November, 3:30-7pm. The market is City of Pittsburgh-affiliated and is operated by GrowPittsburgh. I can't wait to go! According to this website, its offerings are pretty diverse! I feel ashamed to have avoided the Farmer's Market scene till now; I was a big fan of local produce and Farmer's markets when I lived back in Philadelphia, but it is so easy to lose sight of small vendors when sometimes all you want to do is one-stop-shop at a place where you can get Ramen. But I will make a valiant effort this time - and it certainly helps that such great food-shopping is available in my neighborhood!
I also to to join in on neighborhood pride by attending the Friendship Folk and Flower Festival, organized by the Friendship Development Associates. It was a lovely little fair with hot dogs, burgers, cooking demonstrations, folk music, and lots of little activities. The centerpieces - the ever popular used book sale and the flower sale - both grabbed me. I picked up copies of Wicked and, as I dug around, quickly found one of my favorite Children's books: Tibor Gergely's Great Big Book of Bedtime Stories. I was amazed to find this as a 1970 printing - which looked just the same as the Golden book I had as a child. Apparently it is now out of print, so I feel really lucky to have found this book - in great condition, too! I loved reading the story of little Yip Yip and his bark - and another of my favorites was "Seven Little Postmen," a story of how a letter written by a little boy passed through the mail system to arrive at his granny's house. I remember imagining the feel of sealing a letter with red sealing wax.
Ebay Memories
As I went to Ebay today to learn about selling items, I couldn't help but hearken back to my high school memories of being scammed by dunk009@aol.com. Darrell Duncan from Seattle I think. That was at least what he called himself. He was a nice guy; we even spoke on the phone - I sent him a check to buy an adobe program which he said he had at a cheaper rate than what I was paying to someone on Ebay. And I was a stupid idiot and sent him the money. I figured that since he had given me his contact information - address and phone number - I could trust him. But no dice. Weeks passed and he sent several excuses, and I never received my computer program. I must have been around 16 or 17. Thanks Dunk009, who I occasionally see online incidentally and have to hold back from emailing. I decided against harassing him, as I didn't have much of a case for myself and was more likely to get myself in trouble . . .but the memory won't fade. Sucks to get scammed.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Jeezy Chreezy, what a night!
It figures that whenever a boring, rainy night is in store -- with nothing to do but enjoy the free time -- the weird things will happen. And I don't even think that there was a full moon this time. Because we had so much liberty with time this weekend, we invited friends over for a game night where we got our game on with Guesstures and Catch Phrase. We were chowing down on munchies when all of a sudden one of my friends got anaphylactic and puffy, went home to get benadryl, and returned to our house with shortness of breath, 8/10 chest pain, facial swelling, and a red rash. I took her to the ED down the street, and meanwhile, as the party was starting to break up another of my friends got a terrible bout of abdominal cramping and rushed to use our toilet. What a weird way to end the work week!
One life to live
Cannot figure out a job, can't figure out a job . . all I've figured out is that I like clinic and enjoy meeting patients there. I think I like kids most of all, but I do like adults too and would enjoy working with them. This week I got up close and personal with patients of the VA hospital. . . . Rather licentious patients who were excited just to hold the hand of a young woman. When I suggested to one patient that such behavior would get him in trouble, I knew I was getting MYSELF into more trouble when he told me that he would accept punishment and would follow my rules from now on.
But the final act of that encounter will not be told today.
Hey, this ain't no porn. Who do you think I am?
But the final act of that encounter will not be told today.
Hey, this ain't no porn. Who do you think I am?
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Dude
OH man, why don't I post to this more? Have so much to complain, comment about, etc. First of all, I can't believe that Chris Daughtry got kicked off American Idol tonight. I know that there are several hypotheses for this, but really, he was pretty kickass and certainly better that Katherine McPhee, who didn't have the greatest of nights this week or last. Can you tell I've been watching this show . . . erg . . .pretty consistently?? Call it a guilty pleasure, because it is one.
In other news, today I went through the most joyful pleasure of getting fingerprinted for the purposes of identification. How freaking excruciating THAT was. You feel like a derelict, a reject, a cad, an evil menace to society, as height, weight, and basic physical features are recorded for posterity. For my information, I am now and forever will be considered "Asian" by the law. And all that for 3 days in a hospital. Pretty sweet this bureaucracy is. Now to just consider all of the possibile outcomes that will come to pass with my demographics fully recorded.
In other news, today I went through the most joyful pleasure of getting fingerprinted for the purposes of identification. How freaking excruciating THAT was. You feel like a derelict, a reject, a cad, an evil menace to society, as height, weight, and basic physical features are recorded for posterity. For my information, I am now and forever will be considered "Asian" by the law. And all that for 3 days in a hospital. Pretty sweet this bureaucracy is. Now to just consider all of the possibile outcomes that will come to pass with my demographics fully recorded.
Friday, May 05, 2006
Mr. Green Jeans
I have been reading some of the most terrific articles lately. A new great one that I have to at least mention in passing is about jeans. I know, sounds boring to some, but I have been convinced that based upon the overwhelming popularity of low low (low) rise, boot cut jeans, something had to give, and that something was, in this case, the pant leg. A garment which has now narrowed to a choke around a skinny calf. I've been convinced that big American butts (my own included) hanging out of jeans has been an issue in itself, but this whole new skinny leg thing took me by surprise. I feel the earth shifting beneath me.
Ok, enough of that. Couldn't think of much substance to add to a skinny jeans article that wouldn't be redundant and certainly not as interesting as the New York Times article I've linked to above. Eric Wilson put together an enjoyable article that takes me back to 1987, when I was 7 years old and wearing pink denim skirts and high tops, watching Michael Jackson on MTV. At least skinny jeans will flatter our skinny calves.
Another fabulous article which I picked up lately is from the New Yorker, regarding the criminal activities of Sister Ping, a woman from the Fujian province of China, who successfully smuggled in thousands of Fujianese Immigrants during the 1980s and 1990s and made over $40 million in the process. For years she evaded government officials. In 2000, she was finally caught by the Feds and recently sentenced to 35 years in prison. Her story amazes me. I can hardly believe that this woman, of my parents' generation, was so successful and conniving in her tasks.
And I can't believe what the immigrants would go through to get here - paying vast sums of money, sitting for months in filthy, crowded boats and arriving in the United States half-starved, some dead - to work their debts off for years and then spend their money bringing other family members over in the same way. And Sister Ping, who lived and worked it all, operated with her family members and husband close at hand. Her story brings to mind Native Speaker by Chang-Rae Lee, in which a Korean grocer learns that his work has been more sinister than he imagined before. In any case, it is nearly time for me to go to work. But read Mr. OKeefe's article. It is sure to impress and teach us about the life and times of a Chinese American Godmother.
Ok, enough of that. Couldn't think of much substance to add to a skinny jeans article that wouldn't be redundant and certainly not as interesting as the New York Times article I've linked to above. Eric Wilson put together an enjoyable article that takes me back to 1987, when I was 7 years old and wearing pink denim skirts and high tops, watching Michael Jackson on MTV. At least skinny jeans will flatter our skinny calves.
Another fabulous article which I picked up lately is from the New Yorker, regarding the criminal activities of Sister Ping, a woman from the Fujian province of China, who successfully smuggled in thousands of Fujianese Immigrants during the 1980s and 1990s and made over $40 million in the process. For years she evaded government officials. In 2000, she was finally caught by the Feds and recently sentenced to 35 years in prison. Her story amazes me. I can hardly believe that this woman, of my parents' generation, was so successful and conniving in her tasks.
And I can't believe what the immigrants would go through to get here - paying vast sums of money, sitting for months in filthy, crowded boats and arriving in the United States half-starved, some dead - to work their debts off for years and then spend their money bringing other family members over in the same way. And Sister Ping, who lived and worked it all, operated with her family members and husband close at hand. Her story brings to mind Native Speaker by Chang-Rae Lee, in which a Korean grocer learns that his work has been more sinister than he imagined before. In any case, it is nearly time for me to go to work. But read Mr. OKeefe's article. It is sure to impress and teach us about the life and times of a Chinese American Godmother.
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