Simplicity

I went grocery shopping at Trader Joe's today. The one I went to has a super tiny parking lot, and as a result, there's always a lot of cars going in and out and waiting for a parking spot. When I had finished buying groceries and put all my bags into my car, I returned the shopping cart to the "shopping cart parking" place (does it have a name?). I always feel a little guilty if I leave the shopping cart at some random curb or parking spot, so I make myself push it to where it should be parked. When I was walking back to my car, I saw a lady drop a bag of her flowers as she tried to put all her bags of other stuffs into her car. I just felt like I should walk over there, so I did, and I picked up the bag of flowers for her and helped her put it into her car. She kept going "thank you! you are so sweet. Thank you!" and I had no idea how to respond except to smile and say "no problem" and then run off to my car. It was so weird because most times, I think "oh, they will be fine" and just watch to make sure they are, but today, I got a rush of emotions and walked right over and picked up her flowers without any hesitation. Basically, "Hello stranger, let me help you. and... Bye!" It was somewhat strange, but great.

UB Primer

I finally purchased an eye shadow primer! I've been eyeing this for a few years now.. no pun intended. haha

Needless to say, I LOVE IT! I've used it two times since I got it right before spring break, and it's amazing. Makes me wonder how in the world did I go so long without an eye shadow primer? I have tested a few of the other primers at Sephora, but I did not like the textures of those. With this Urban Decay one, it's smooth, perfectly consistent, and the color is invisible after application. It holds the eyeshadow and eyeliner very strongly as well. Perfect.

Stuffed Green Bell Peppers

I (kinda) made this for dinner tonight with Eddie! I chopped up the stuffing, with some help, and cleaned out the bell peppers. Eddie cooked the stuffing-- onions, tomatoes, tofu, and bell peppers stir fried in a Korean BBQ sauce. To keep the bell pepper dices still crunchy, we added it last into the mixture of diced onions, tomatoes, and tofu. After the stuffing was cooked, we filled up the bell peppers. I placed them directly on aluminum foil coated with a thin layer of canola/olive oil, and then stuck them in the oven at 375C for 30mins. The bell peppers shrink a little bit, so the stuffing falls, and we were able to scatter some cheese over the top, stick it back in the oven for about 3-5mins for it to melt, and then eat! Here's the finished product:

Yeah, I wasn't sure how to eat it, since I've actually never eaten stuffed bell peppers before! First time making it too. We ended up cutting it in half (and the juices flowed out were delicious!) and then eating it that way. haha Next time, we're thinking of adding in flavored rice. meat could work too, from all the recipes I browsed beforehand. But, a vegetarian stuffed green bell pepper dish is still delicious! and healthy! :P

The Face

I finally decided, it's too much of a hassle to keep typing the number of each post. It was a good idea at first, but, unfortunately, I can't keep at it.

Anyway, I went to get a facial extraction because my clogged pores were really getting to me, and since I rejected my dermatologist's idea to take medications for it (I was prescribed spironolactone to control the hormones and doxycycline to control the bacteria), I had to work on other ways. First off, even though I am a pharmacy student, I believe that the first treatment to attempt is lifestyle changes-- take control your lifestyle and let your body work at its best. Of course, this is difficult while a student because so many times, I choose studying over exercise. So many times, I chose brain work over taking care of myself. It's time to make a new habit and actually listen to the same principles we are taught to tell patients-- adherence is key to reaching the therapeutic goal.

To prevent my acne from becoming cystic and inflamed (like it did 4 years ago), I started eating more oranges. I also started drinking way more water than I used to, which isn't saying much since I only drank water when I felt thirsty (which I knew was not the right way to stay hydrated). My goal is to finish about 2 bottles of water in the morning and 4 more bottles before the day ends-- I use refillable plastic sports bottles. The body has the ability to clean out all the toxins and dirt to keep itself healthy and clean. In the meantime, I have been finding facial extractions to be very helpful in removing the current dirt clogging my pores. Yesterday, I went to Skin Resolutions in Monterey Park, and the lady named Renee did an absolutely fabulous job explaining the face and skin. Her skills lie with her experience, and not only did she explain what she was doing, she told me how to make changes to prevent these clogged pores (this made me think about how pharmacists are pushing for preventive care and medicine by advocating health screening services and free clinics, at least that's what I see in the USC area). PREVENTION IS KEY, that's what we are taught. It's so true though. It's easier to prevent a disease than to treat it. Also to note, prevention strategies overlap so much for multiple diseases/conditions, while treatment strategies are more specific (there are a few overlaps). I can talk about that some other time though. Renee worked at an acne clinic when she was learning to be an aesthetician, so she has specialized techniques, and through her 18 years of work, she has developed complete confidence in the success of her abilities. Not only that, she enjoys her work. All these factors combined make me, as her client, much more inclined to trust her and believe in her abilities as well.

Something I learned about how to read the face and connect it with the body: acne on the forehead means indigestion. The body is reacting to what or how you are eating. She told me how she identified a cause for the acne of one of her clients-- it was peanut butter. Acne on the cheeks mean the liver is not detoxifying the whole body as it should be-- possibly because of staying up late. In Chinese medicine (which I am still very much interested in learning), the liver's activity is greatest between 11pm and 3am, so the ideally, the body is resting during that time to recuperate. Again, difficult to sleep by 11pm right now as a pharmacy student, but I try. Now, acne around the jaw line and chin means unstable hormone levels. Difficult for females to remain stable when we have monthly cycles, but apparently, if PMS is more severe, the hormone levels are more unstable. So, one sign to look out for is PMS, I guess. Exercise can stabilize hormones. So eat right, sleep right, and exercise. Sounds simple to do, right?

What results have I seen thus far? It's been 3 weeks since I started drinking a lot more, and my skin does feel more hydrated and fewer new clogs. The aestheticians I've been to have all said the same thing regarding water: the more you drink, the less need for your body to produce oils to keep your skin hydrated. Less oil produced means less oil clogging the pores, which can trap the dirt and bacteria inside. Oranges, I am not sure if I see a difference, but diet is not something that changes you that quickly. It also doesn't help that I'm not very consistent with the intake (student life). Yesterday's facial extraction was painful (so much blood and sweat), but my face is smooth again, though there is much healing needed for the next 3 days or so. My internal system now has to keep it that way.

I went to Trader Joe's later in the evening after my facial extraction, and I tried to keep my face up and smile, basically disregard all the unmet gazes and turned faces. It's an interesting experience, but I would hate to have that happen to me periodically. People see your reddened, splotchy face and can't keep looking at you. As a result, it's also difficult to make a conversation with people because they don't make eye contact. But, like all things that can potentially pull you down, keep your head high and be confident. Exude confidence.

CXVIII : Last Winter Break

Sad to say, but I have to come to terms with the fact that this past break is my last official winter break. No more will I be sure that I can get these 3 weeks off from mid-December to January, with no more studying, no more stressing out about schoolwork, just feeling like life has begun again. It really felt like once break started, life began. And so soon now, break will end, and my life will feel like it's in a bubble again.

Well, gotta look ahead, keep striving, and continue on! A new year for new moments, new opportunities, new findings, new accomplishments.