tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88745029819030658562012-01-29T08:50:44.664-05:00The Purple Mango PandemoniumMusings of an unapologetic, natural, smart, left-handed woman navigating this thing called life.K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.comBlogger3151100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-67833278678680563002012-01-28T22:09:00.000-05:002012-01-29T08:50:44.671-05:00Arrival into BelizeOur trip to Belize was pretty much uneventful. We took an early morning flight out of Newark directly to Belize City. There were a number of empty seats on the plane. About four planes arrived close to each other leading to a a very busy immigration and customs hall however we were able to breeze through to meet a pleasantly surprised driver from Discounted Belize Shuttles and Tours. He was aK_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-76560199903541492402012-01-27T21:40:00.000-05:002012-01-27T21:40:00.031-05:00Belize on my mindThe winter this year has been pretty mild feeling like spring for days in a row. But I'm tired of the cold, the multi-layers of clothing, and the knowledge that a severe snowstorm could hit anytime between now and May. I signed up for snow-boarding lessons this year too, but I am not at all looking forward to going out on the slopes. I fell so much last year, I'm worried that the good Lord would K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-49210747286798766272012-01-25T20:48:00.002-05:002012-01-25T20:49:51.300-05:00State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
This is the sixth novel by award winning author Ann Patchett. I have not read any of her other novels, but the book was selected by one of my book clubs. The book club has not yet met so I cannot say what others thought about it.
State of Wonder is a novel about Marina Singh, a forty-something year old pharmaceutical researcher, formerly an OB-GYN chief resident before that life was altered K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-29166940394513275502012-01-24T19:59:00.000-05:002012-01-25T19:48:37.575-05:00Stuff parents say
So these days YouTube, and thus Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and even mainstream media, is ripe with the S*** X people say meme.
What started out as S*** Girls Say where a man in drag parodied girls somewhat benignly, soon became S*** X people say to Y people such as the S*** White Girls Say...to Black Girls spoof, the equally amusing S*** White Girls Say...to Brown Girls and S*** Girls SayK_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-58481924330130616702012-01-17T07:00:00.000-05:002012-01-17T07:00:05.050-05:00Happy 200th Birthday to NEJM200 years ago today, January 17th 1812, the New England Journal of Medicine and Surgery and the Collateral Branches of Science was born. The oldest continuously published medical journal in the world adopted its current name, the New England Journal of Medicine, in 1928 and has remained one of the most authoritative medical journals with one of the highest impact factors rivaling the Journal of K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-39897349265324444312012-01-16T16:36:00.001-05:002012-01-16T16:37:37.361-05:00Costa Concordia shipwreckWhen I heard about the Costa Concordia shipwreck this weekend I thought it was amusing, wait, not amusing ha ha, but amusing-sad that the captain of the ship was one of the first to leave. Seriously? He probably was frightened, which is understandble, but seriously? As a captain, don't you know not to desert your ship and your passengers? That's on the level of a physician or a nurse deserting K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-57781755760867240432012-01-16T14:31:00.001-05:002012-01-16T14:31:39.853-05:00Trader Joe's Sea Salt Brownie Petites
Bites of heaven
What was it that attracted me to this plastic container of sweet and salty yummy-ness at Trader Joe's? I'm sure it was just that. The sea salt (French s'il vous plait). The delicate petite bites. The simple fact of it being a chocolate fudge brownie. And as in a trance into my cart the container went. No concern for my thighs or hips or previous promises to curb my sugar K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-83583053850954166352011-12-22T23:25:00.000-05:002012-01-08T19:51:34.312-05:00Happiness is a State of MindI haven't blogged in a while because each time I come here all I want to do is spill negativity - frustrations with life, frustrations with the job, annoyance at my lot with life. I AM UNHAPPY. There I said it. It really isn't a secret nor is it a revelation. I've probably been unhappy for several years now that I think about it, but I've been really unhappy as of late. It doesn't help when you K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-51216096166070306892011-12-03T20:25:00.001-05:002011-12-03T21:58:35.760-05:00Can men write good romances?A while ago, one of my book reading groups, both consisting solely of women, came to a discussion of how disappointed we were with the male authors we had chosen to read. From Trey Ellis' Bedtime Stories: Adventures in the Land of Single Fatherhood, to Steve Harvey's Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man (which I boycotted the actual reading of for obvious reasons), to Gabriel Garcia Marquez' K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-49805097236377842792011-11-27T18:58:00.001-05:002011-11-27T20:48:30.569-05:00Confessions of a mango addictHello, I'm KChie, and I suffer from an incurable case of mango lust. After years of buying fresh mangoes in the supermarkets and ethnic stores in order to delight in that rare mango that actually tastes like a ripe juicy mango worthy of being called a mango, I've been driven to delighting in the dried variety. Now some of you may have more serious mango addictions than I do, and groan that I K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-39272896756712269932011-11-27T00:48:00.001-05:002011-11-27T20:46:12.239-05:00Medical futility: When does death occur?I wish I knew honestly. It's always heart-wrenching to be faced with a patient in whom medical interventions amount to maintaining the status quo which is already not good and whose family members don't seem to understand that there is no going back to better or going back to something that most will call "living".
This really isn't a discussion on the rights of the disabled, that is if you K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-82944789073453521232011-11-27T00:14:00.001-05:002011-11-27T01:07:46.008-05:00Brothers Grimm Fairy TalesThere is a new volume of Brothers Grimm fairy tales published by Taschen. It only contains 27 of the most beloved stories but what sets it apart is the artwork, collected from illustrators from various countries working between the 1820s and the 1950s. I'm likely not to get it because when I do obtain a volume of Brothers Grimm tales its going to be COMPLETE and it's going to be as close to the K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-51461000020304446812011-11-19T21:28:00.000-05:002011-11-19T21:57:04.066-05:00Taming our sexualityThe other day, I read on article on the havoc women's eyes create. Specifically, there is a law being propositioned in Saudi Arabia by the "Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice" that will require women with "sexy eyes" to cover them up. It seems by "sexy eyes" they mean "eyes". Mind you, this is the same country where women wear abaya and niqāb by law.
Ha, so it is not K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-60784342671323238152011-11-19T19:12:00.001-05:002011-11-19T19:43:25.868-05:00When grandma/grandpa cannot go homeI once was consulted on an elderly patient who had developed an infection after surgery. The infection required intravenous antibiotic therapy for a long period of time. The patient required rehabilitation after discharge from the hospital. The intravenous antibiotics were given there. On follow-up in the office a month or so later it was determined the patient still needed intravenous K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-33134600104048576282011-10-25T21:46:00.002-05:002011-10-25T21:46:38.307-05:00Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi
This is a novel written in 1975 by an Egyptian feminist writer, activist, and physician (psychiatrist), Nawal El Saadawi. It was as working as a physician that Saadawi observed the inequalities faced by women and connected them to their physical and psychological ill-health. Her activism against female oppression has often landed her in jail and at one point exile from Egypt.
I only K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-89237949767640278432011-10-25T15:47:00.000-05:002011-10-25T17:49:09.479-05:00Sepsis Drug XIGRIS withdrawn from worldwide markets for lack of efficacy
In what is breaking news today in the field of medicine, the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly announced that activated drotrecogin alfa (XIGRIS) is to be pulled off all markets including the United States. This drug, intended to treat severe sepsis, has been shown in the new PROWESS-SHOCK trial to be no better than placebo in reducing mortality. In some way, this news is HUGE. On the other handK_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-51757905212911333602011-10-25T14:05:00.000-05:002011-10-25T18:06:59.613-05:00What a cruel male dominated cultureCartoon making the rounds on Facebook
Interviewer: What would you say to a woman in this country who assumes she is no longer oppressed, who believes women's liberation has been achieved.
Nawal El Saadawi: Well I would think she is blind. Like many people who are blind to gender problems, to class problems, to international problems. She's blind to what's happening to her.
- Posted using K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-73659866483873164152011-10-23T22:34:00.002-05:002011-10-23T22:34:32.045-05:00Thoughts on QuadafiIt's taken a while but I've gotten to the stage of checking my Twitterfeed first thing in the morning. Yes, my ban on news stories is long over. So it came to pass that on Thursday October 20th, 2011 I was fully awoken by what normally just arouses my mind. What? Quadafi captured and possibly dead? Impossible. No way! I was in Boston for the 49th IDSA annual conference and I had planned to go to K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-7711647894341904622011-09-29T23:10:00.001-05:002011-09-29T23:10:26.186-05:00Medical rantI get to attend a lot of meetings in my current role, meetings that medical school nor residency nor fellowship prepared me for, meetings with people who don't have a clue about medicine but either control the money, make the policies, and care solely about the hospitals image. Meetings about value based purchasing or outcome measures. Of course, they are quick to tell you that everything is K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-64383530171101929932011-09-29T20:55:00.000-05:002011-09-29T20:55:07.386-05:00Bacteria are laughing at us!I came across a nice article in the October issue of the Atlantic titled Resistance is Futile. It attempts to describe the problem of antibiotic resistance from an economic viewpoint. While I don't understand all those nuances, despite my couple semesters of economics in college, I still think it's an overall good read and I loved the introduction especially as I wrote a term paper on K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-38746313841156929972011-09-21T17:48:00.000-05:002011-09-21T19:38:57.692-05:00Tears in BerlinAs mentioned several times again, my recent trip to Europe with my sisters was prompted by a Facebook connection of my sister with a former classmate and nostalgia over the best part of our life growing up in communist East Berlin in the 1980s.
In the 20 years or so since we left, we have often wondered about the people we left behind. So, I'm sure it came as a shock to my sister to hear from K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-880249826664132392011-09-21T17:38:00.001-05:002011-09-21T17:38:08.315-05:00Traveling with adult siblingsBefore I begin, I must share a little about myself. Since I suffer from "first-born child syndrome" it follows that I am responsible, logical, and a worrier. Like Flo, one of N'ku's primary school friends in Berlin, said when asked what he remembered of me I had an authoritarian attitude towards everyone else. What can I say? C'est ne pas ma faux! I would have much rather not have to care aboutK_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-37537941309524169232011-09-21T16:58:00.001-05:002011-09-21T17:38:47.538-05:00Visiting (African) Family on VacationOur trip to Europe started out as a nostalgic trip to Berlin, considered by all as the best time in our lives, and was prompted by a Facebook connection of my sister N'ku by a former classmate (and crush) a year prior. I was curious also of the changes in Berlin since the fall of the wall.
When the trip begun to look like a reality, we were excited about the possibility of seeing family as K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-18113209074790713662011-09-20T06:49:00.000-05:002011-09-20T07:01:18.176-05:00Château d'If & Frioul IslandsA boat ride to either Chateau d'If or to the Frioul Islands and entrance fee to Chateau d'If are complimentary with the City Pass. But it's an extra 5 euros if you want to go to both locations though I'm not sure anyone actually checked our tickets.
It was lovely, but our visit was rushed as we had to return back to the mainland to meet a friend of our aunt, a woman we did not know. More about K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-60499164448275467282011-09-20T05:59:00.000-05:002011-09-20T08:46:47.690-05:00Crazy Marseille StreetsI wouldn't want to drive in the city of Marseille. In fact I wouldn't know how. On the other hand, if I ever wanted a fearless driver, I would pick a Marseillian.The streets are narrow, are often one-way (but who cares right?), and the lanes change ever so randomly some with dead-ends. There appears to be no differentiation between pavement and road. Seriously, people chit chat on the road, stopK_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-71434545553535098092011-09-19T20:34:00.000-05:002011-09-19T21:05:34.035-05:00Marseille: an assorted array of picturesRooftop view of Marseille, 5th arrondissement
Carpets out to hang
A modern day house on top of an ancient appearing building on the left
Human statue in Vieux Port
The day's catch in Vieux Port
Imagine fish this fresh every day
Various shipping vessels
Noailles: "colourful markets that make you feel like you are in Africa" is what the internet tells you K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-63078998343042363592011-09-19T18:02:00.001-05:002011-09-19T21:06:03.682-05:00Berlin: An assorted array of picturesNeue Synagogue: the gold plated roof of the Moorish style main synagogue in Berlin as seen from the bridge to Museum Island. Construction on the synagogue begun in 1859. It was saved from total destruction during Kristallnacht (1938) only to be bombed out by the British in 1943-1944.
A storm drain grate: It displays the Fernsehturm, the Victory column and the Brandeburg Tor amongst other K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-51613116613479040802011-09-19T17:16:00.001-05:002011-09-20T08:55:42.604-05:00Marseille: Pesky Gypsy WomenThis narrative was previously part of a post. But I figured it deserved its own post so here goes.-0-0-0-0-0-0- Upon arrival to Marseille, we took a taxi to our rented apartment on Rue de la Republique. We were supposed to meet the owner at 11 am but he was running late. For whatever reason, my sisters and I were hanging around outside the apartment with our suitcases, I guess enjoying the K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-3492544720883830902011-09-18T15:40:00.000-05:002011-09-21T15:41:32.497-05:00Calanques of Marseille
The Massif des Calanques from Marseille to Cassis are a 20 km long series of cliffs with narrow inlets and a rugged coast. In the travel world, they are a not-to-miss when visiting the south of France. These looming limestone cliffs are often called Mediterranean fjords, but they were not created by glaciers but rather are the result of erosion. The limestone from here was used to create K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-34590995828286574872011-09-18T13:13:00.001-05:002011-09-18T13:30:27.310-05:00Marseille: Palais de LongchampThe Palais Longchamp was bult in 1839 in conjunction with a canal to address the city's longstanding water problem! Can you believe that? This amazing splendiferous structure and park was constructed to celebrate precious water.
When we visited the waterfall was not running. On the right wing is the Natural History Museum. The left wing houses the Fine Arts Museum, neither of which we went to!
K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-65496378672664489742011-09-17T13:26:00.001-05:002011-09-21T06:45:58.793-05:00A la plage de Saint Cyr-sur-Mer (Beach day!)Green crystal water and a sandy shallow beach awaited us at Saint Cyr-sur-Mer. Its Thursday and our aunt has decided to drive us about 30 minutes to what she considers the nicest closest beach. Pas mal!We took the motorway towards Toulon......to arrive at la plage......where the sailboats were out at sea......and visitors enjoyed the sun.IT WAS MARVELOUS!- Posted using BlogPress from my iPadK_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-26808018770102654122011-09-16T00:30:00.000-05:002011-09-18T13:30:27.302-05:00Marseille: Abbey of St. Victor
Official website
This fortress like abbey dates to the late 5th century. History has it that the then bishop of Aix, Lazarus, brought a monk, John Cassian, to France. Jean Cassien is said to be the founder of this monastery, built to honor matyr and local soldier, Saint Victor, executed in 290 AD.
Picture of Saint Victor
There is a shrine that consists of the remains of various K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-63580968922829887482011-09-15T00:00:00.000-05:002011-09-18T13:30:27.320-05:00Marseille: Notre-Dame de la Garde
This basilica is situated at the highest natural point in Marseille, south of the Old Port. It is refered to as la bonne mère (the good mother) by locals as it overlooks the city. Foundation began in 1853 on a hill that was already important as a look-out point and a place of worship. The annual Assumption Day (August 15) pilgrimage occurs here.
We took the tourist train, Le Petit Train, K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-77931197423659252482011-09-14T18:01:00.001-05:002011-09-18T13:30:27.331-05:00Egg throwing vandalism at the Memorial Des Camps de la Mort, MarseilleAfter our visits to Notre Dame de la Garde and Abbaye St.Victor we decided to visit a museum with the City Pass. The closest to us, the Musée de la Mode (Fashion), supposedly was closed and relocated so we decided to visit the Memorial des camps de la Mort (Holocaust memorial/museum) instead especially since we were unable to visit a concentration camp in Berlin.So we walked a good 20 minutes inK_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-3630099439949585482011-09-14T17:57:00.001-05:002011-09-14T18:19:18.318-05:00Annoying SoundsYou know how scratching your fingernails on a blackboard drives some people crazy? That doesn't bother me too much. What gets me are oro-nasal sounds. Gurgling, hacking, sniffling, junky coughing, snoring, etc. In medicine, I get to add on the experience of (oral) suctioning someone or being around when they are being suctioned - you know that sound at the dentist's office.So, why do I bring K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-2164991216919988912011-09-14T11:34:00.000-05:002011-09-19T17:25:09.908-05:00Marseille: Sea, Sun & a few SightsMy sisters have fond memories of Marseille, France from our last visit there in 1989. It was therefore natural that on this sibling trip to Europe we will spend a few days there. It is even more anticipated as it had been cold and rainy all week in Berlin and Antwerp. The plan was to be tourists in Marseille. We do have family here too and we hope to see them too.
Hello 80F sun and clear skies!K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-59332180708781319782011-09-11T09:10:00.000-05:002011-09-19T21:06:03.674-05:00Pergamon Museum (Berlin) Highlights
We found ourselves at the end of our Berlin vacation not having yet gone to a single museum. So after meeting up with old childhood friends, and having some downtime before our "next meeting", for this is what the vacation had become, we went to the Pergamon Museum.
It was originally built between 1910 and 1930. During the Cold War it was within communist East Berlin territory. It currently K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-7923758972249513462011-09-11T07:03:00.001-05:002011-09-18T13:32:19.388-05:00Gustatory memories of BerlinPart of the experience of travel is the food. It doesn't even have to be gourmet. I love local street food. Ironic, as as an infectious disease physician I frequently counsel against eating and drinking purchases from street vendors when travelling internationally so as to not acquire a food borne illness. Even better is the experience of eating a food you haven't had in years but have good K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-53091462319071084102011-09-11T04:47:00.001-05:002011-09-18T13:32:19.377-05:00Side trip to Antwerp, BelgiumAntwerp, the diamond center of the world, is a city also known for Flemish artists such as van Dyck and Rubens as well as for fashion. The largest city in Flanders and the second largest harbour in Europe is splendiferous. It boasts many historical buildings reminiscent of the 16th century, the city's golden era.This part of our trip was a last minute addition, designed to acquaint ourselves toK_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-16900107753652659362011-09-11T04:29:00.001-05:002011-09-18T13:32:19.366-05:00Kaiser Wilhelm GedächtniskircheThe Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church was built in the 1890s under direction of Kaiser Wilhelm II to honour his grandfather Kaiser Wilhelm I. It is one of Berlin's famous landmarks, now more so for its ruins as it was largely destroyed by bombs in 1943 (World War II). A newer church was built on the grounds in the 1960s - an octagon of steel, reinforced concrete, and a grid of blue stained glass K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-13382118552804760462011-09-09T06:43:00.001-05:002012-01-16T16:38:23.440-05:00Charlottenburg First School & Havel School BerlinOn Wednesday, we decided to go visit my former schools in the former West Berlin. They were part of the school system for the children of the British Allies (military) stationed in Germany. I attended class 3 and 4 at Charlottenburg First School. I remember Mrs. Davies and Mrs. Folkes (?sp) as my teachers but I also remember Mr. Greenwood and Mrs. Chittenden. I remember the tire swings, the K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-54056598981421432852011-09-07T17:22:00.001-05:002011-09-18T13:32:19.383-05:00Berlin in four hoursWe took an insightful tour of Berlin with Insider Tours. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and spoke with eloquence and humour, which was great as the tour, which took us from Hackescher Markt to Brandenburg Tor, was about 4 hours long. The tour was supposed to be a historical overview of Berlin and it was but it focused mostly on the Prussian monarchy, the Nazi legacy, and the Cold War. All the K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-85450934614960413932011-09-06T17:52:00.001-05:002011-09-18T13:32:19.399-05:00Leninallee 175 Where are you?Today was to be the big reveal. Returning to the place we called home in our childhood. We knew the street was no longer named after Lenin, but instead reverted back to it's previous name Landsberger Allee, a major street easily found on the transport maps. We had in our heads what we expected to see. And so with that we set off. The weather was beautiful. We took the M5 tram and got off K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-4764497044038943492011-09-06T03:33:00.000-05:002011-09-18T13:32:19.371-05:00Wilkommen in BerlinWe Made It!We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare only to find out that our plane was to be delayed an hour and a half. Something about President Obama in our air-space. We ended up requiring a gate change and a delay of over two hours. Exhausted, I slept quite well on the plane, waking up only to disturbances such as "chicken pasta or rice?".Upon arrival in Berlin, we went through K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-79914859568897021782011-09-04T18:21:00.001-05:002011-09-18T13:32:19.394-05:00Panic! Or how not to travelIt was the eve of our departure to Berlin and I was finally in New York - exhausted. It had been quite a hectic few weeks as my two partners at work had taken staggered vacations and it was quite busy. I was routinely getting home after 9pm and hardly sleeping at night. But I had taken the time to start to prepare for the upcoming Europe trip. I did the laundry, sorted out piles of clothes K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-13619601565416545492011-09-04T17:17:00.001-05:002011-09-18T13:32:19.359-05:00Trip Down Memory LaneMany readers of this blog know that I spent some time in my childhood in Germany. Four years + in Berlin, to be exact. Living in the East and schooling in the West to be more exact.My sisters and I always speak of that time in our lives with fondness. We had the perfect childhood existence there.So it comes to pass that this year, we have managed to get our schedules in line and are going on a K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-34295837490031766182011-08-16T22:13:00.003-05:002011-08-17T23:23:46.032-05:00Goodbye New OrleansMonday, our last day in New Orleans, saw us still stuffed. Therefore we smartly scratched our plans to have breakfast buffet at The Court of Two Sisters. Instead, after checking out, we returned to Cafe Beignet for our last beignets then tried to find someplace for lunch. Yep, we love food.
We ended up settling on Mr. B's Bistro. One of us had the barbequed shrimp - they seemed a chore but a K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-17219592557189552632011-08-10T20:30:00.003-05:002011-08-17T23:19:51.261-05:00New Orleans - Sunday Jazz BrunchSunday morning was Brunch Day! We slept in late then got ready for our 11 am meal, and what a meal it was. We sauntered over to Arnaud's Restaurant in the blazing mid-morning sun and we were quickly seated. My co-workers commented as to how colourful we were in comparison to the other guests. I was more concerned regarding the number of people in jeans (and I'm not talking fancy jeans) and khaki K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-87492503444911562412011-08-09T22:17:00.003-05:002011-08-17T23:12:44.975-05:00New Orleans: Swamp Tour & Cocktail TourSaturday morning, we woke up bright and early for Dr. Wagner's Swamp Tour. We were picked up at our hotel and on our way there the driver gave us a little tour of the land, especially regarding the effects of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans. That was sobering.
The swamp was beautiful and serene. We saw alligators in no time. Loads of dragonflies and spiders. Turtles. herons, and egrets too. K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-8761140037877847092011-08-09T21:40:00.003-05:002011-08-17T22:55:31.987-05:00New Orleans - Day 1We arrived in New Orleans on a Friday around 10am and shared a taxi with one other lady to our hotel Astor Crowne Plaza in the French Quarter. It is on the corner of Canal Street and Bourbon Street and at night we could hear the fun, crowds, and music down below from our 5th floor room on the Bourbon Street side. The location suited our plans to have a good time and the noise outside did not at K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-12834706446279709482011-08-09T20:54:00.003-05:002011-08-17T22:51:07.514-05:00Ladies Weekend - New OrleansThere aren't that many women doctors in my hospital, fewer yet in my age range, fewer yet that aren't married and or have kids, and even fewer who aren't from these parts. So all three of us have sort of gravitated to one another trying to have a life outside of the hospital. Not too long ago, we decided to go on a trip away from this dismal place. It took some massaging of our respective call K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-86352880329871687232011-08-06T11:55:00.000-05:002011-08-06T11:55:41.557-05:00Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel García Márquez
B&N link
"The year I turned ninety, I wanted to give myself the gift of a night of wild love with an adolescent virgin." Thus begins the book I just read at the recommendation of a guy-friend. The title itself should have given me a clue that this is a book I should probably not read. But it being a slim novella, I soon was at the end.
It is a well written book but my sympathies are not at allK_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-387466347543226852011-08-05T17:30:00.002-05:002011-08-06T11:17:33.804-05:00Sometimes traveling is a real bear!My Continental flight was cancelled an hour prior to departure. You know, minutes away from boarding time. Apparently, the plane that was to come get us had mechanical issues and no one saw the need to send a replacement. Sorry, you are just going to have to book on the 5am flight tomorrow.
Do the authorities not know that this is a tiny airport? There aren't that many other permutations when K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-39489603943819817562011-07-16T17:54:00.001-05:002011-07-16T17:57:59.101-05:00Legionella at Aria Resort & Casino, Las VegasGreat! Just received a letter from ARIA sent to guests who stayed there between June 21 2011 to July 4th 2011 that their water tests detected elevated levels of Legionella bacteria in several of their guest rooms. In addition, the health officials have confirmed instances of Legionnaires' disease in guests who visited ARIA. The letter goes on to state that they do regular testing, and that since K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-36616262313708170952011-07-16T15:47:00.001-05:002011-07-16T16:10:24.716-05:00Cloth Girl: A Novel by Marilyn Heward Mills
Click for Amazon link
I just finished this 560 page novel and I'm not quite sure where to begin. So many thoughts! First things first, Cloth Girl is the debut novel for lawyer turned author Marilyn Heward Mills. It was shortlisted for one of UK's prestigious Costa first novel award in 2006.
The brief synopsis: Matilda Lamptey is a 14 year old girl in 1930s-1950s Accra, Gold Coast eager about K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-22439321553196326452011-07-14T21:24:00.003-05:002011-07-14T21:31:14.992-05:00The Solitude of Prime Numbers: A Novel by Paolo Giordano
Click for B&N link
Prime numbers are divisible only by 1 and by themselves. They hold their place in the infinite series of natural numbers, squashed, like all numbers, between two others, but one step further than the rest. They are suspicious, solitary numbers, which is why Matttia thought they were wonderful. Sometimes he though that they had ended up in that sequence by mistake, that they’dK_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-10366086696529440242011-06-26T07:20:00.005-05:002011-07-16T17:45:43.920-05:00Gambling in Las Vegas
Our last day in Las Vegas was totally unscripted. We got up at a reasonable hour but I was starving which is unusual for me. I wanted to get our boarding passes. Despite our so called complimentary boarding pass access at the internet kiosks I was prompted for payment. Turns out I wasn't the only one. I went to the Concierge where there was a line of other Aria hotel guests who had been K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-16113250041550239662011-06-25T01:29:00.003-05:002011-07-03T23:35:09.541-05:00Milos & Phantom of the Opera - Las Vegas Style
Flowers make up this painting, Bellagio
The only plan for Thursday was the 7 pm The Phantom of the Opera show at The Venetian thereby allowing my mother to decide what she wanted to do until then. Having enjoyed her restaurant experience the night before, she wanted to have a formal lunch. Having picked out a few places I wouldn't have minded eating myself, I showed her the Prix Fix Lunch K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-25737918966119308792011-06-23T12:43:00.003-05:002011-07-03T23:35:12.839-05:00Dining in Las Vegas
After the 3 beers the night before, Wednesday brought sleep, sleep, and sleep for my mother. I lounged around and used the Aria fitness center. Around 3pm she finally woke up. The plan for the day was dinner at Top of The World at the Stratosphere with a reservation at 7:30 pm in order to be able to catch the sun setting. I picked this restuarant because of the 360 views and not so much for the K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-14945863965027019602011-06-22T23:51:00.001-05:002011-07-16T17:45:43.921-05:00Qua Spa & MystereTuesday morning, my mother woke up feeling unwell. To make matters worse this high class hotel (Aria) didn't have a complimentary coffee machine inside the room.. I had just the thing for her though. Reservations at 11am for a 50 minute Swedish massage at Caesar Palace Qua Spa.
We got into our gym clothing and walked over. After settling in, we hit their fitness center for about an hour. I K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-73721409182289663872011-06-20T22:58:00.000-05:002011-07-03T23:35:12.842-05:00Welcome to Las Vegas
We returned to Las Vegas via the interstate highways without further detours. We got a taxi outside the car rental center to take us to our hotel casino, Aria. The driver was a Californian who had been in Las Vegas for about 6 years. An artist, a veteran, and a truck driver at various phases of his life. He was actually quite friendly, extremely nice, and informative. I asked him to stop at theK_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-4977272066834396712011-06-20T22:55:00.003-05:002011-07-03T23:35:12.844-05:00From Ghana to the Grand CanyonBy way of New York of course.
We left New York in the afternoon and arrived in Las Vegas around 8 pm local time. It was like walking into an oven. We spent the night at Doubletree Airport Hotel. Their shuttle service was convenient (airport or MGM on the strip) but they dropped us off at the car rental center by request the following morning; their beds comfortable and a coffee/tea machine in K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-20264123829109155142011-06-19T23:48:00.002-05:002011-07-03T23:35:12.846-05:00Starry Night Over the Grand CanyonWhen I was planning this trip to the Grand Canyon I did not know that my dates would coincide with a free star gazing party hosted by the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association. I'm so glad I opted for an overnight stay and so fortunate that I got to participate in this event.
I love looking up at the stars above but have little knowledge of astronomy. Last year I finally identified the CassiopeiaK_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-33132247040796951762011-06-18T12:45:00.002-05:002011-07-16T17:46:33.165-05:00Las Vegas HolidaysEver since I went to Rome in 2008, my mother has been on my case for travelling solo without informing anyone until the last minute. She was particularly displeased when I went to Barbados this February and managed to have fun on my own. To top it off, my sisters and I are planning a sibling trip later this year unbeknownst to her as far as I can gather, while she is trying to haul us all off toK_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-58389780527669315492011-06-04T22:33:00.000-05:002011-06-04T22:33:45.935-05:00Hurrah for Summer
Flowers on path to work
The calendar may not say June 21, but hurrah, it is finally summer! Yes, I'm ignoring the fact that the first 80F-plus weather day was followed by a 50F one.
It's summer because I can finally walk to work without getting rained on and without my ears freezing off. It's summer because the rabbits, skunks, butterflies, woodchucks, birds and sometimes ducks greet me duringK_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-11172678776917541392011-05-15T12:38:00.000-05:002011-05-15T12:38:47.248-05:00When kelewele trumped mangoesYou know, despite the fact that a lot of young childhood pictures of myself that included food had me chomping down on a mango, I wasn't always obsessed with them. In the back of my head, they have probably always been my favourite fruit, but my favourite thing to eat? I don't think so. That honour goes to plantains especially of the fried variety. I'm not sure if today though if faced with K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-32031520103640854162011-05-14T18:56:00.001-05:002011-07-03T23:36:00.822-05:00YS Falls - JamaicaThe day after the wedding, a bunch of us decided to do something touristy. It was a toss up between the Appleton Estate Rum Tour and a visit to the YS Falls. They are both about actually in the same vicinity about an hour away and with good planning one could probably do both.
But we were majority Africans (I know, stereotyping like no-one's business), we had had an organized brunch that same K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-69379151852205682352011-05-14T16:36:00.002-05:002011-05-14T16:49:26.412-05:00Feast of MangosIt started harmlessly enough. Faced with a long layover, I stocked my carry-on handbag with dried mangos. Sunkist brand phillipine mango that was ridiculously expensive at about $6 for what was to be only several slivers in the bag.
On the almost three hour drive from Montego Bay Airport to Treasure Beach, we passed by many roadside traders with their array of tropical fruit. Fascinatingly K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-23516133997956111402011-05-14T15:53:00.001-05:002011-05-14T15:54:23.710-05:00King of FruitsKing of FruitsHeavenly FruitGenus Magnifera National Fruit of Philippines, India, Pakistan, and KChielandNational Tree of Bangladesh Symbol of love, fertility and wealthAntioxidant EnergizerRevitalizerAphrodiasiac Soothing, comforting, aromatherapist
Only you make me lose control
K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-20445664258990613312011-05-14T12:01:00.000-05:002011-05-14T12:01:29.518-05:00The Air Between Us: A Novel by Deborah Johnson
I took this book with me to Barbados in February but was too distracted by the blue skies, blue sea, and fine white sand to even open it. So I took it with me this past week to Jamaica. This time, I had a four hour layover which was incentive enough to start the read. Once I did, I had to keep going to get to what the big secret was. I finished it up under a burning sun by the rocky beach, K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-70378328233020388032011-05-10T23:34:00.000-05:002011-05-10T23:34:25.796-05:00Jakes Resort, Treasure Beach, Jamaica
Jellyfish veranda & outdoor shower
I spent 5 nights at this funky, shabby chic, boutique hotel for a friend's destination wedding this past week. Suffice it to say that this is not your typical all-inclusive Caribbean resort. If you want fine white sand and blue beaches this is not for you. If you rather not share your space with God's other creatures of the biting or croaking variety, this isK_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-81085431373588554972011-05-10T20:56:00.001-05:002011-05-10T23:34:51.214-05:00Treasure Beach - JamaicaThis past week, I had the good fortune to travel to Jamaica for a dear friend's wedding. The ceremony was held at Jake's Hotel in Treasure Beach on the southern coast of the island.
I flew into Montego Bay on the northern coast. A ride-share had been arranged and I paid $30USD for the approximately three hour drive through scenic mountains, dangerously curvy roads, and the occasional burst of K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-13006783349829525332011-05-01T22:06:00.001-05:002011-06-09T22:35:54.263-05:00The Reader: A Novel by Bernhard Schlink
After Portnoy's Complaint, I returned to my "To Be Read Bookshelf" and picked out The Reader. Oh how fun, more tales of a boy and his infatuations. However, though this statutory rape (isn't that what it's called when a person has sex with another below the age of consent?) features throughout I get and appreciate that that is not the point of this novel.
I actually enjoyed the read I guess K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-55007665458354855852011-04-28T18:43:00.001-05:002011-04-28T18:48:21.519-05:00Plain Ridiculous that Obama has to Legitimize his PresidencyThis is so sickening that I don't even know where to begin. As Jon Stewart said yesterday, this is such a "NON-SHELL", this new revelation that President Obama, elected three years ago, is indeed born of American soil. Even worse is Trump's gloating that he had anything to do with it and moving on to demand the President's grades.
Really?!
Someone has to convince me that this has nothing to K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-20200909711831040932011-04-18T20:00:00.000-05:002011-04-18T20:00:54.861-05:00See, this is why kids get kidnappedI turned my TV on when I got home today to prepare to watch Law & Order: LA. I used to turn my TV on only on Wednesday evenings, but since this show had just moved to Mondays I was unsure of whether it was in the 9pm or 10pm slot. In either case, when the screen came to it was on NBC and the scene was of a middle aged white man in a car driving and chatting with his front-seat passenger who K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-62229178629350532482011-04-17T00:09:00.001-05:002011-05-14T12:03:45.057-05:00Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth
Amazon link
This 1969 novel had me all confused. I didn't know whether I should be amused or be offended or be disgusted or even be empathetic. All these emotions vying with one another. Oy vey! Which reminds me, I haven't had to look up words as often as I did reading this. Yiddish words. Some of which I could guess at given my understanding of German; others just plain crass words. And I K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-82271731179903377262011-04-03T22:10:00.000-05:002011-05-14T12:03:45.058-05:00Orange Mint and Honey by Carleen Brice
Amazon link
Do you ever read a title of a book, think it sounds delicious and pick it up just because of that?
Well, that's how I came to read this novel. I didn't even read the script on the front describing it as a novel about "a woman's journey to find her own heart and home" and as usual I didn't read the back. So, it took me into the second chapter before I realized that the central K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-33711144765250285332011-03-17T21:55:00.000-05:002011-03-17T21:55:03.362-05:00HIV transmitted from living organ donorThis weeks CDC MMWR reports an unfortunate case where a patient with kidney failure who received a kidney transplant from a living donor also acquired HIV/AIDS. The case, the first of it's kind since 1989, is remarkable not because we don't know that organ transplantations come with risks but rather it highlights the inadequancies of our current screening methods and also the importance of K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-66950122098896783362011-03-07T22:50:00.000-05:002011-03-07T22:50:13.256-05:00It's Your Own Palaver!That's what my English teacher said to me in Junior Secondary School in Accra, Ghana when I had reported lost money to the teachers' office. See, pupils were not to bring money to school. But that was besides the point. What did she mean it was my own palaver?! Palaver?! Isn't she supposed to be the English teacher I pondered.
I had probably been in Ghana about a year or two at this point. K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-10377482282305576172011-03-01T00:00:00.001-05:002011-03-01T00:15:09.360-05:00Life as an infectious disease consultantIt's been almost two years since I pondered over my career path. The job search was just something else. Juggling different priorities to see which opportunity would meet all the needs and most of the desires was not easy. 2009 was just so miserable. Truly. *Shudder* When I signed that three year contract to work "in the middle of everywhere" I knew my non-existent social life was taking a K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-87276807059876029312011-02-25T19:21:00.000-05:002011-02-25T19:21:17.231-05:00This is News!I've had quite a busy week at work and was feeling out of sync with the world. So I decided to catch up with the news. Unfortunately, most of the "news stories" put me into a "what the hell?" attitude.
I started out perusing AP Mobile on my phone where the self-proclaimed King of Kings Gadhafi had me in stitches by blaming Al-Qaeda for exploiting young Libyans giving them "hallucinogenic pillsK_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-75161161082866466052011-02-10T22:42:00.000-05:002011-02-10T23:02:04.907-05:00Final Thoughts of BarbadosI truly enjoyed my on the spur of the moment mini-holiday in Barbados. I had the opportunity to be adventurous but not too crazy. I felt safe at all times and met many nice friendly people.
Like virtually all countries the island of Barbados is beautiful. Yes, I truly believe that each and every single country is beautiful; sometimes you just have to look harder. But it wasn't that hard to K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-82695106105108235302011-02-06T22:17:00.001-05:002011-02-10T21:06:48.916-05:00Oistins Fish FryThe Oistins Fish Fry is one of those things that everyone tells you must be experienced. I don't really care for fish but I figured an experience is an experience.
Oistins is a fishing town in Christ Church Parish not too far from St. Lawrence Gap where I was staying. Friday nights, tourists and locals both descend upon it and wait in ridiculously long lines for a plate of delicious grilled fish K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-52966847895999229942011-02-06T08:42:00.000-05:002011-02-10T20:48:08.829-05:00Island Safari in Barbados
Detail of Edgecliff "rocks"
The last planned excursion here in Barbados is a tour of the island. I booked with Island Safari as I had heard it to be a better experience than Adventureland. However, one of the drivers told me that the latter had recently been acquired by the former.
Sugar mill
I was to be picked up at my B&B but as with the other pickups of the week the driver had a bit of K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-21242038890106205222011-02-05T17:42:00.000-05:002011-02-09T21:48:18.553-05:00Parents at the beachThere is another group of people, albeit smaller, that I have been "sightseeing" in Barbados. The young couples at the beach, young in that the children are merely babies, toddlers, or preschoolers.
Dad with his graying chest hair and the beginning of a gut over what used to be washboard abs; Mom with her stretch marks and hints of facial wrinkles exclaiming "oohs" and "aahs" while fetching and K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-67857421541970195962011-02-04T17:04:00.002-05:002011-02-09T21:41:09.179-05:00Barbados, A Seniors Paradise...or so it seems. Unfair, I know but everywhere I turn I'm bombarded by old white retirees. I haven't watched an official Bajan tourism video but methinks they need to do a better job at attracting the younger folks...or maybe I'm just an old soul preferring activities that they would partake in.
Speaking of the elderly, I once took care of a man hitting 70 years of age who needed to be sent K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-40072826994781020802011-02-03T16:43:00.003-05:002011-02-09T21:37:19.268-05:00Watersports in Barbados
Thursday saw me without any pre-made plans. I headed over to the Dover Beach Hotel/Turtle Beach Resort area to take advantage of the discount Captain Sam had offered me on a 30 minute water-sport when I run into him on Monday.
He had me sit in his shack while he sorted his crew out as to what to do. Then I got on my life-jacket, and off we went jet-skiing. Halfway through the exhilarating rideK_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-1711571262596803272011-02-03T16:40:00.005-05:002011-02-09T21:05:42.870-05:00Bajan Roots and Rhythms ShowThe eve of the fourth anniversary of my 28th birthday was spent at The Plantation Theatre not far from where I was staying. Free alcohol (I had two rum punches and that was enough for me), a Bajan dinner (ok) with a live steel band playing while we ate, and a cultural show.
They started out with dances from Africa - their roots; from the north to the south; then paid a tribute to the culturesK_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-79738155740597666892011-02-03T16:38:00.002-05:002011-02-09T20:42:45.430-05:00Ziplining in Jack-in-the-Box GullyI spent the 4th anniversary of my 28th birthday ziplining with Aerial Trek in the middle of Barbados.
My reservation was at noon and I was to find my own way there - to Jack-in-the-Box Gully. I thought it would be easy peasy, but I was wrong.
What is a gully anyway? The owner of the B&B I was staying in hadn't heard of it (Jack-in-the-Box that is), and all the people I asked along the way K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-18884472943941561672011-02-01T14:56:00.006-05:002011-02-09T20:18:31.891-05:00Crabs on the rocksThe first thing I noticed when I wandered onto Dover Beach the other day were the holes in the sand. Ok, that's a lie. The actual first thing was the clear blue sea, then the sandy white beach. But the holes in the sand immediately caught my eye. They reminded me of crab holes in the Nzema beaches and I was really tempted to grab a stick and start digging for them. But then I thought, what if K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-59740227340342510352011-02-01T14:15:00.002-05:002011-02-09T20:05:03.247-05:00Jammin' n cruisingI had booked a catamaran cruise with Jammin', specifically their Sun Blast cruise. It seemed it would be a fun cruise from their website. However, the owner of the apartment I was staying in told me that it was usually crowded (hence it's name ha ha) and that I should have gone with Cool Runnings instead which incidentally is where her son works. But, she said I may still be ok with my choice K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-43448206413445826322011-02-01T07:08:00.002-05:002011-02-10T23:02:04.908-05:00Initial thoughts in BarbadosI woke up at an ungodly hour to fly out of DC to make my connection flight in Miami to Bridgetown, Barbados.
Needless to say, I spent a significant amount of time on the plane catching up on sleep. But I did wake up now and then to take these beautiful shots.
It took me longer than others to clear Immigrations. I guess it's not everyday they get travelers with a Ghanaian passport by way of theK_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-63146378750057113872011-01-31T07:08:00.000-05:002011-02-10T23:03:51.086-05:00Woah! I'm going to Barbados!This year I have decided to tolerate the cold and snow by enjoying it. Im taking snowboarding lessons and whilst i have fallen on my bum and gnashed my teeth more often than I can count, I've had fun. I've even indulged in bison burgers in my bid to try new things.
However, I refuse to wear 3 layers of clothing, shovel snow, or shiver on my birthday. I thought about Florida, California, and K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-11216043735344814222011-01-29T22:49:00.004-05:002011-02-09T19:03:19.272-05:00Pedicuring, Manicuring, and Threading my way to BlissTo kick off my birthday month I decided on a little bit of indulgence. I last got a manicure/pedicure in 2004 as a gift to myself for graduating medical school. It was at a standalone spa. It was a teeny bit painful and I didn't see the point of maintaining such a practice. So I walk around with fingernails of various lengths and cuticles hanging. No-one has complained.
This my second time at K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-39527214111258302182011-01-29T19:34:00.001-05:002011-01-29T19:34:55.879-05:00Taxicab Discussions I'm spending the weekend in Washington D.C and I'm again struck by the level of enjoyable discussion one can have at the back of a taxi. In fact it is a world of difference from the country music blasting, older gruff white man driving experience I had on my way to the airport to catch my flight here. Both taxi drivers in DC were originally from Ethiopia. One made it clear that he was Oromo and K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-47380257113644283362011-01-17T23:28:00.002-05:002011-05-14T12:03:45.059-05:00Child of God: A Novel by Lolita Files
Click for excerpts at Google Books
Hmmm. Where do I begin?
I read this book over the holidays. It was sitting on my shelf and I just grabbed it thinking this should be a nice read on the plane. Now, I wonder how it made it onto my shelf. It came via PaperBackSwap for sure but why did I request it and who recommended it to me?
This is a story of stories intermingled into one of a Southern K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-60724110620519301572011-01-16T05:34:00.001-05:002011-04-25T19:25:19.931-05:00Nzema Clans and their Akan counterpartsI grew up knowing that I was Nzema, but it wasn't until I came across a book "The Python Killer: Stories of Nzema Life" (1988) while sightseeing and browsing hole-in-the-wall stores in London in 2003 did I become aware of my clan. In fact, I ordered 3 copies of that book, one for myself, one for my father, and another for my paternal uncle whom I was visiting with in England that summer. The K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-3586821789670173012010-12-26T22:12:00.001-05:002011-01-15T13:43:23.653-05:00Oil and Gas Drilling in Bonyere (Nzema)Though the Nzema are a matrilineal society, they are also a patrilocal one which means I am from my father's village of Bonyere while belonging to my mother's family/clan (Ezohile). Confusing, no?
The first time I remember going to Bonyere, I was 11 and we were going to spend Christmas with the family after having lived the prior several years outside of the country. My father had bought a K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-5815072203056389052010-12-23T20:43:00.004-05:002011-05-14T12:03:45.060-05:00Little Bee: A Novel by Chris Cleave
Barnes & Noble link
I requested this book from PaperBackSwap at the suggestion of a friend who had begun to read it this summer. Nothing else. I'm one of those who likes to read the back of a book to prepare myself for what is in store or to decide if a book is worth my time. The back of this book reads:
We don't want to tell you WHAT HAPPENS in this book. It is a truly SPECIAL STORY and we K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8874502981903065856.post-74623783147898808102010-12-21T21:39:00.000-05:002010-12-21T21:39:12.513-05:00C-section before the holidaysI work in a hospital that does not have a huge maternity ward. When a baby is born, a short lullaby (~ 10 seconds) is played overhead on the intercom. I usually hear that lullaby once maybe a few times a week. So why did I hear that lullaby about five times on Monday, and several more today?
The answer makes me uneasy. Christmas is in four days. It's so much more convenient to get these K_Chiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06578964502443236227noreply@blogger.com0