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In other words, regrets T_T. Haha but it’s okay I’ll have fun next year in science, and I’m probably going to apply all over Canada. The good news that came out was that I’m very pleased with my NAQ score…
tomorrow the results come out. Whether I evolve from science into the medical field or I come back to play the game of med school applications again… I’ve never felt so much anxiety in my life. I’ve tried to play DOTA, play Chopin, read Robert Ludlum, or play badminton to relieve my stress, but time and time my mind wanders back to the realization that I have less than 12 hours to find out. Tomorrow, I plan to check right before I head out to the bar to get my feelings fresh and ready for drinking. I will update you all about it tomorrow evening. Wish me luck!
I’m losing my mind… 6 days left until the big decision for UBC med arrives. I woke up from a bad dream today where I was the only one rejected and everyone else was accepted… Too scary. I have low expectations this year but still, being rejected from anything is the worst feeling ever.
My friends all feel the same way, that’s why we’re all gonna go drink on May 15th regardless of being accepted or not. If we’re accepted then we’ll go drink to celebrate. If we’re rejected, then we’ll drown our sorrows in drink. Drink drink drink until we can’t remember that we’re drinking.
I’ve got to say this year has been a phenomenal journey. Practicing MMIs with so many people made me learn a lot about the Canadian health care system, health care ethics, and just the sheer pressure and drive of all the other applicants and the sacrifices they made to get here. Everyone I’ve met we’re really high quality applicants, and it’s a shame that not everyone will make it to the end. I still feel it will remain a long journey for me, but it’s been great getting to know so many people along the way. I’m just happy that I’ve just made it this far.
but apparently today the new President of France was elected. Defeating Nicolas Sarkozy in a narrow margin, starting on May 17th the new Prez is a fellow named Francois Hollande. Hollande is the representative for the Socialist Party (closest equivalent here would be.. NDP I think, correct me if I’m wrong) and Sarkozy is the rep for Union for a Popular Movement (a more centered-Conservative).
I’m guessing France is wanting to become more socially democratic like the States. For now.
So if you vaguely remember, one of my integrated disciplines is nutrition. I chose to study things that were less theory based because I want to learn things that I can apply to in life. One of the more interesting courses that I took this term was FNH 355: International Nutrition, taught by Dr. Judy McLean. She’s a great prof. Knows her stuff, very caring towards students, and passionate not only about the course subject but also humanitarian work (she went to Rwanda to test some micronutrient package trials to prevent major deficiencies!).
So you’ve probably heard all about how there are African kids starving and as a kid you’ve probably carry those small orange UNICEF boxes during Trick-or-Treat to help them. But do you know how they are being starved? The kind of common symptoms of malnutrition that appear? The diets that cause those symptoms? It’s definitely an eye-opener.
There IS a difference between the two
The left is a plantain, the right is a banana. I learned of the plantain’s existence from this class, and decided to buy one and taste it myself. It’s definitely less soft than a regular banana and less sweet, almost bland. I think most of you will prefer your regular banana over a plantain. Apparently plantains lack a lot of the essential amino acids, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. But they are rich in starch.
But did you know that in some countries, plantains are the ONLY things people, including the kids, will eat? You’ll get all sorts of symptoms and diseases like kwashiorkor/marasmus, developmental problems (both physical and mental), apathy, anemia, rickets, immune system suppression, diarrhea, list goes on and on… They really only eat nothing but this. Well, maybe with the exception of wild cabbage or flowers because they want to fill their stomachs with something, but has no nutritional purposes.
Anyways, if you want to learn about courses like this and get tested on REAL case studies of nutrient deficiencies, I highly recommend this course. But be warned; this course is very… heart breaking. I remember Dr. McLean said a student dropped her course because it was too sad. And my friend ended up crying during a video…
This is what a BIOC 301 TA posted on facebook after teaching for 4 years. UBC has some really great TAs; they’re the ones who go out to make sure students understand the course material well and make the extra effort. Now he’s gotten his PhD but (I think) he’s sure that teaching is what he wants to do. Who knows, maybe he’ll go teach biochem again. Whoever he teaches in the future will be very lucky to have him!
Shanghai Kitchen before. Taken from Sherman's Food Adventures
Shanghai Kitchen now
Has anyone seen this yet? Shanghai Kitchen in Kerrisdale has changed! But it’s still not open to the general public. People are greeted at the door by a plain white piece of paper saying “Shanghai Kitchen is being renovated. Closed until further notice.”
I remember when I went to Shanghai Kitchen a long time ago, when it just opened. It was actually not that bad, but the food was a tad greasy. I was introduced to Xiao Long Bao here and I really liked it. But my friends say I haven’t tried the REAL deal until I go to Richmond, or better yet, Hong Kong. Another thing that really caught my eye was the fact that the chefs there were making fresh noodles from scratch! I have never seen that in Vancouver.
I started coming here more often until they drastically raised their prices. I kind of expected actually, because it’s in Kerrisdale. The restaurants here have so much price inflation compared to elsewhere. However, the prices were unjustified in terms of the food they offered, and I could tell because during lunch and dinner rush the restaurant was not even half-filled.
So maybe this renovation is due to new management or trying to re-open the restaurant to the public. Hopefully the food prices are lower. I’ll review it as soon as it opens!
It was so exhausting this year on top of all the ECs. But along the way I have learned a great deal and my life and personality gradually changed… for the better I hope! But yup 3/5 of my undergrad is gone and done.
Unfortunately many of my friends weren’t done by the time I was done.. I was seriously becoming socially deprived and bored out of my skull. Fortunately DHL was done the day after I was done so we hung out. We ended up playing Super Smash Bros. on N64. Ah, what a classic. We spent a solid 4 hours playing and unlocking the secret characters. SO NOSTALGIC. Those were the days, playing retro video games non stop. I miss my own N64.
We ended up going to Sushi Garden and ate to our heart’s content. There were line ups as usual. Even for a table for 2, we had to wait 30 minutes.
And then I went on a shopping spree at TNT in Metro. I think I bought 10 pounds of fruit lol and a hotpot pot! I’m excited to have hotpot at home; it’s much more delicious when you cook food at home. Well, most of the time. Anyways, almost broke my back hefting the stuff back home. All in all, it was a great day.
Occasionally I go to Metrotown to hang out with DHL and the only restaurant I end up going is Sushi Garden. It’s pretty tasty and really cheap compared to sushi places near where I live. Not to mention this is a sushi restaurant owned and managed by Koreans, so their spicy dishes are a big plus.
Seafood Salad
Cost: $5.95 Taste: 4/7
+ Lots for a cheap price, plenty of seafood. Ah tako is delicious.
+ Flavor was good, the “secret” house sauce made it stand out
- Unfortunately, there was so much water on the bottom of the salad, and it kinda diluted the flavor/made the salad soggy. This happens if the veggies were frozen…
Spicy Salmon Sashimi
Cost: $8.95 Flavor: 5-5.5/7, depends on the day
+Now this is spicy as I remember when I was a kid back in Korea. The spicy sauce reminded me of those summer days.
+Certainly a lot of sashimi
+The white carrot or daikon or whatever those white strings are at the bottom, they make a nice accompaniment with the soft sashimi texture.
+If you upgrade to the wild salmon, it’s certainly much more better in texture, but not quite sure if it was worth the additional charge ($12.95)
-It may be too spicy for some. My friends couldn’t handle it. But it’s Korean spicy! So good.
-It was good when I had it during lunch. But when I came back another day for dinner, there was certainly something… “fishy” with the salmon. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something was off. It was more slimy I think…
Dynamite Combo
Cost: $7.50 Flavor: 4/7
+That was a huge prawn.
-In all honesty it’s just an average dynamite roll
House Roll
Cost: $4.50 Flavour: 4.5/7
+There was so much stuff. I remember it having cucumbers, tamago, tuna, imitation crab, roe, and a little mayo
-There was so much stuff.
-I had to take bites, and you know what happens when you bite into sushi. It falls apart and makes a mess..
Kitsune Udon (Plain)
Cost: $4.95 Flavour: 4/7
+Big.
+My friend DHL loves udon. Gets it every time.
-Just your average udon in my opinion (Sorry DHL!)
-The fried tofu just looked so… soggy. It kind of looked like a mess. How about having those small square tofu you find in miso soup instead? Oh but they sink… If they float that would be cool.
This restaurant is not bad. I would just come for their spicy sashimi really because I can’t find that sauce anywhere else. And they have great, great prices for a sushi restaurants. You should see Kerrisdale’s sometime and compare. Ajisai sushi anyone?
ARGH I FORGOT TO ORDER THEIR SPECIALTY: ALASKA ROLL. Next time…
Kelvin Choi