Sunday, November 17, 2013

Online Dating Danish Style


Sometimes, a girl has just gotta do what a girl's gotta do! And today is one of those days !

Dear Danish boys, what's going on? ! Sometimes I think I see you glance at me over your cup of morning coffee, or I see you smiling awkwardly on the train, and I definently see you staring at the bar...! But I have been in Denmark for three months and I have not been on a single date(at least none that I was aware of)- nadda- zero- nothing! I am not the type of girl that sits around idly complaining about her lack of a love life- so today I have offically decided to sign up for online dating in Denmark! Why not?

Now, if you have read my blog before, you will know that I have already tested the murky waters of online dating in Stockholm, and while I was skeptical at first, I actually had a great time on most of my dates there. In theory, my online dating experience in Denmark should be better than in Stockholm because this time I have elected to try out a paid website which will hopefully filter out some of the rather "strange" messages I recieved on the unpaid Swedish website.

AND now before you eager naysayers interject, we DO live in a digital world and practically do everything online these days, so is it a stretch to think that a little Chinese/American girl could find her very own viking online ? Ha! ...I guess we will have to wait and find out...


- ! :P - Ran-

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Finding My Happiness in CPH


How long has it been?
Feels like I have been in Copenhagen forever yet it feels like I just arrived. Sometimes I almost forget I am thousands of miles away from "home".

Am I lonely here?
Sure, sometimes. Today I feel a little down. Its grey and rainy outside my window, and the wind is howling. Its been a tough week with so many unpredictable things happening in rapid succession. So now its finally Sunday and I just want to have a cup of warm tea, and cuddle in bed... I guess I am missing those slow cozy days in Chicago...

However, most days I am busy and my life here is overflowing with events, people and opportunities. I am truely lucky to have such great friends and classmates, who have made my time in Copenhagen an amazing adventure! So I will keep my head up and keep on fighting the good fight. A couple grey days here and there are to be expected, no?

So you ask am I happy?
Long answer short- Yes, I am happy! While I cannot predict the future, I know I am where I am supposed to be right now in my life, and I am doing what I am passionate about. Everyday I am learning something new, meeting someone new, getting crazy ideas and starting to put pieces of the puzzle together. Thank you Copenhagen for inspiring me and for pushing me to do more than I ever imagined I could. Moving here has not been easy, and I have had more than my share of mishaps and mistakes, but I have also had many small victories along the way. I am challenging assumptions and I will change how healthcare is done in our modern world. I know I will create a revolution and that day is sooner than later... :)

-xoxo- R

Keeping it classy with Smørrebrød and Red Wine!



I am listening to:



Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Stockholm 2.0


I just got back from the Nordic Life Science Days conference in Stockholm, and apparently I am now a "Nordic Young Life Science Entrepreneur"! Wow...so I have been in Copenhagen for 2 months now and my life continues to be crazy. I have been traveling, studying for finals, living with out a bathroom door, trying to track down my boxes that never arrived from Chicago...and OH did I mention I am working on a startup?


....to be continued ...









Sunday, September 29, 2013

Should I Be Worried?


Friday night was the first time since I moved to Copenhagen that I got a full nights sleep.
Saturday was the first day I had time I had free time and a chance to spruce up my humble abode. And last night was the first time I actually slept in my bed(now that I finally acquired sheets and real pillows) !

As I have had a warm coffee and some time to think, I realize that my life has been one nonstop chaotic rush forward. I haven't had any personal time, no time to work out, no time to unpack and definitely no social life-(other than school events**at least I love my classmates!)


Should I be worried? Will things get less hectic? ha! I somehow doubt it....

Hey! But a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, right?! If I don't work hard and put in the time, how will I ever succeed in this new land, this new field and start my own business? In the words of one of our guest lecturers, I want to "do good while doing well!" Its no secret that I want to create something extraordinary and change the world. However it seems the tradeoff for my ambition is a nonexistent dating life, which unbelievably is even worse than it was in Stockholm- where can girl get a "fika" around here? I can admit that this situation is mostly partially my fault as I've had negative free time lately, but still, if Denmark is the land of the *true* Vikings, then where art thou?! :p

Sighs...well I guess worse case scenario, I can always join a Danish version of HappyPancake.com (See my foray into online Swedish dating here)...  >.<

Or maybe I am just approaching this all wrong: "Dating in Denmark get drunk and find your true love"! << ??!!


A well-spent Saturday at IKEA= Apartment now at maximum "Hyggeligt" level !


-Ran-A Chinese-American Girl Lost in Scandinavia


I am listening to:
The Submarines- You, Me and the Bourgeoisie (Tonetiger Remix)

Saturday, September 28, 2013

An Overdue Update


I am officially nearing the one month mark for my stay in beautiful Copenhagen, Denmark and I know I have been getting slower and slower with my posts. However, this is not because I have nothing to write about but rather I have been doing too many things and not sleeping enough to put finger to keyboard! But now after much needed peaceful Friday night's rest, I think I have finally recuperated my strength...

Soooo what have I been doing?

I had a friend visiting from Chicago last week and we enjoyed a wonderful Autumn Moon Festival dinner with some new Chinese friends. We went on a crazy pub-crawl with my classmates(Danes sure know how to party!) and then had a very cozy(maximum hyggliet) International Potluck Dinner with my program.

And on top of that, I along with two fantastic co-hosts organized a "Networking and Pitching Workshop" for our program with guest speakers Michael Bak, Troels Kranker and Aleksander Borkvik! A really interactive and informative event and I would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone involved ! Greeeeeeat Success! :D

So I guess in short, this month has been a whirlwind! I have so many projects/readings/papers due for school, my little asian brain just can't seem keep them straight. Additionally I will be attending the Biopeople Nordic Science Days Conference in Stockholm(yay back to Sweden!) in three weeks and I am a bit intimadated as I will be the only student(non-company) person there. But....everyone has to start somewhere right? I am very grateful for this opportunity, and I will try my best! I am sure I will gain some valuable insight and feedback on my entrepreneurship idea.

Now my clock is flashing 10:00am, I think its high time for a quick coffee run(I seriously need to buy an Nespresso machin..) with my favorite little papillon sidekick. The sun is out and the it is looking like a perfect Autumn day in Copenhagen.....I have a million and one things to do so it's time to get started! <3

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! - Ran


Renior being extra stinky

After the rainstorm: View from my balcony

To Matt: This is not "Goodbye", but rather "See you next time..."



Monday, September 9, 2013

Do you ever have those days?


Do you ever have those days where you don't feel like yourself? When you are left feeling slightly downtrodden and very confused.

Welp, I am pretty sure I just had one of those days. Today, I am small and without my usual confidence(#swag). Words get caught in my throat and end up coming out in a jumbled mess, and I am awkward and self-conscious. I would say a babbling idiot is a pretty accurate description. :(

This is funny, right? Does a switch just go off somewhere in one's head? How does one just suddenly have one of these "not-quite-myself-days?"

Sighs.

Maybe this sh*t-astic cold(is it possible to cough up a lung?) currently wrecking havoc on my system is to blame, or maybe...I am just overthinking it all...




--Blahhhh-Hate being sick -Ran



Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Guided by Danes: A walking tour of Copenhagen



--coming --soon





To do list for an Expat in Denmark



---under construction---

If you are one of the lucky ones who has a bike and knows how to ride it, then read this bike riding rule guide. But if you are like me, and cycling-challenged then to get the most bang for you buck for transportation in Copenhagen, you will need to purchase a train/metro/bus month pass:
Month pass for 2 zones-350DKK
Picture ID - 100DKK


Registering for CPR-coming soon


Opening a Danish bank account-coming soon-

Signing up for Danish language classes-coming soon

Monday, September 2, 2013

Finally, a fitting end to my Danish housing saga!


Finding housing in Copenhagen, where do I begin?

Yes, it is competitive!
Yes, it is time consuming!
Yes, there are a lot of rules!
Yes, it is much harder for expats!
And of course it is expensive!!!

But if you don't give up, think outside the box and with a bit of luck, I believe everyone can eventually find a place in this city!

So, how exactly did I find my place? Well, if you read my previous blog posts, you know I tried everything I could think of- even paying a hefty subscription to several Danish apartment hunting sites and staying up all hours of the night prowling online listings. However in the end, my Danish apartment lead actually came from the most unlikely of sources...

Back during my final month in Stockholm this winter, I was getting a bit restless so I embarked on an excursion to Lund and Copenhagen via Couchsurfing. I had such a fantastic time with my amazing and musically gifted CS hosts in Copenhagen that I decided I had to repay the CS community in kind. So upon my return to Stockholm, I hosted two sets of CSers during my final week in the city. The schedule was tight, and my apartment was cramped but we made memories and friendships for a lifetime! However, little did I realize, just how pivotal this experience was going to be...

As it turned out one my Couchsurfers actually lived in CPH and when he heard I was moving to town and was struggling to find a place, he generously connected me with one of his friends who just happened to have a fully furnished apartment available. So, long story short, I am now the happy tenant of a comfortable, dog-friendly, and affordable apartment in Østerbro! Not bad, eh?



The takeaway message for the day? The Couchsurfing community is truly amazing and...all hail KARMA!


"Hygge"-licious! A place to call my own in Copenhagen :)


--Ran--

I am listening to:
Cloud-Shake the Ground(Nordic Lounge)


Sunday, September 1, 2013

"Hej!" from København!


Im here! Im here! I, along with my luggage and my dog are all safely in beautiful Copenhagen, Denmark! My friends have been anxiously asking, "Well Ran, what is life in Copenhagen like?" Sadly, I am afraid I cannot yet accurately answer this question because my life has pretty much been a nonstop whirlwind since I arrived. After two full days of orientation at Copenhagen Business School, crippling jet lag and going the wrong direction on the train ..(or is it called a metro here?), I have barely had time to sleep, not to mention think. I also need to figure out where to get my CPR(personal identification number), because without it, I pretty much don't exist in Denmark. So after I get a bit more settled in, I will post more in depth about this wonderful city, but in the meantime I will offer some of my first impressions:

Bicycles are everywhere! - Even though I most nearly got run over a couple times by fast-pedaling yet deadly silent cyclists, I must admit it is very refreshing and frankly damn cool that this city is so green! Back home in Chicago, publicly available rental bikes were only just recently added to the city over the summer, and while this is a step in the right direction, there are not enough bike lanes and safety is a very real concern(cyclists are required by law to wear helments). Apparently Chicago is making an effort to learn from the bike culture of Copenhagen:
I wonder if there are bike riding schools in Copenhagen because even though I am Chinese, I am ashamed to admit that I cannot ride a bike... :(

Everything is expensive! - Well I think this title pretty much says it all. I mean I just bought a THREE DOLLAR coke the other day! Yikes! And all the electronics, i.e. iphones, macbooks are 1/3 more in price and I have been told that cars are 150% the price of cars in USA. Wow, no wonder there are so many bikes in Copenhagen!

More international than Stockholm! - Even though I have been in Copenhagen for less than a week, just in these short couple of days I can already sense a very international vibe. My class is only 50% Danish, with the rest hailing from all over the world. In the bars, on the train and on the streets- I have definitely encountered my far share of foreigners in Copenhagen, much more than I ever did in Stockholm. I was pretty much the only asian person (other than a few adopted Koreans who were completely Swedified) that I saw out in Stockholm. This international feel in Copenhagen is amazing and I know there will be much for me to learn from this very diverse point of view!


BioBusiness and Innovation Platform
2nd Year Full Degree Students


-A Cycling Challenged Nomad -Ran


I am listening to:


Wednesday, August 21, 2013

How to move everything you own and...one little papillon to Denmark

So the time for my move to Denmark has finally come and while I started my apartment search three months in advance, I, for some unknown reason decided to leave the issue of finding movers until my very last week. Urgh! Why?!

Oh man, I f*cked up, f*cked up real bad this time. Not only did I underestimate how MUCH its going to cost to move, I also sorely miscalculated how LONG it is going to take to ship my items to Copenhagen.

I contacted three moving companies, Laser International, Allied and last but not least, UPackWeShip. Each company had its own distinct pros and cons. Allied($3000) was the most expensive and a complete moving service while UPackWeShip($1500) was the cheapest but required the owner to self pack everything and deliver the boxes to the shipping terminal. If the price wasn't bad enough, even with the fastest company-Allied, my boxes would not arrive in Copenhagen for at least TWO MONTHS!!! ah! Everyone knows that I am not the kind of girl who can bear to be separated from her precious clothes and SHOES for such a long time :(. To say the least, I was heartbroken.

After a near melt down and some furious googling, I finally found an unlikely solution. My flight to CPH was through SAS and according to their luggage rules, a passenger is allowed to take up to 5 checked lugguage at 50 lbs each. The first piece is free and each additional is $135. So I decided to bite the bullet and just lug my stuff to Denmark myself. So I single handedly brought 1 carryon, 1 overpacked backpack, 5 huge boxes and...one little papillon from Chicago to Copenhagen?! Whew! and did I mention my apartment in CPH is on the fourth floor and does not have an elevator!? So, yup, I guess I'm pretty much a badass ninja of moving since all this cost me only $665($540 for the boxes and $125 for my dog).

Even though I am beyond exhausted now, everything was worth it because all most of my beloved clothes are safe and sound next to me....well that is except for the 8 additional boxes coming in 2 weeks... :D

-A Nomad and Possible Hoarder -Ran



My trusty little travel companion

1/4 of my beautiful shoe collection-Must bring them all!



I am listening to:
"I Don't Know What I'm Doing" - Brad Sucks




Wednesday, August 7, 2013

20 Days


While most of me is ecstatic and looking forward to having the experience of a lifetime in Copenhagen, why is it that I can't quite seem to quiet a small but growing voice inside of me that is afraid?

Afraid of the unknown.
Afraid of failing.
Afraid of being far from all the things, and more importantly the people that I love in America.

Feeling lonely is not  a foreign concept to me. Seems like I have felt disconnected from my family and alone for the greater part of my life.  I grew up in USA, far from my extended family in China. When I was 12, my father move back to Wuhan for work and he was shortly joined by my mom when I started college at 18. So, I guess I already know all to well the emptiness one feels when loved ones are far away.

Yet here I am, 26 going on 27, about to make the biggest move of my life. Do I have what it takes as a young(am I still young?), single girl to move to a foreign country where I barely know anyone and flourish there?

Well, whether I am ready or not, its going to happen...in 20 days.

-Ran


ps.
This great international move of mine has been beyond stressful, but the hardest part by far, (even more difficult that finding an apartment in Copenhagen) is saying goodbye to the people I love. I think the only way I will make it through this is if I remember that this not "goodbye", but rather "see you later"....

I'm listening to:
"Love Rhino"- Sunny Levine


Monday, July 29, 2013

Why I am awake at 2:53 am...



Sure, I would love to be curled up, warm in my bed right now, but thanks to a 7 hour time difference I am instead pounding back a steaming cup of joe and feverishly trolling Danish rental sites for new listings. I am frustrated, exhausted and on the verge of a caffeine overdose.

So, what is all this painstaking effort for?
I am but a simple girl and I would be more than happy in a studio or a humble one bedroom. I lack bicycling skills, so I would prefer the apartment to be somewhat close to Copenhagen Business School. I think these are very reasonable requests. Yet, I have tried everything from Couchsurfing forums, expat blogs and Facebook groups to subscription online listings and apartment company websites, all to no avail. If the dark bags swelling under my eyes are any indication of my effort, then I can safely assure you that I have been trying my damn hardest. So far, my email inquiries have been met with either the all too familiar "apartment is already reserved" message or... a cold unnerving silence. When I called into apartment companies, I was told that there was a 100+ person waiting list for current listings, and nothing new is available until November. Oh and the kicker - company policy mandates that rentals are for professionals only, NO STUDENTS ALLOWED. When I pushed the the agent to elaborate on their policy, she explained that the landlords in their company view student tenants(even graduate students) as liabilities since they are often "unreliable with rent" and "irresponsible with the apartment".

WTF??! When did students become second class citizens and marginalized to derogatory stereotypes? I am having trouble reconciling this discrimination against students with my perception of Denmark as a country known for its politically correct rationale. Why do the naysayers fail to consider the fact that if a student is paying a full year's tuition up front, then they are more likely than not to be financially stable. Additionally, in order to succeed in school and gain entrance into a graduate program, graduate students are by default, responsible!

Why is it that a smart, capable gal like me, with a more than generous budget can't seem to catch a break when it comes to finding a place in Copenhagen?! To be fair, it seems that I am not the only one in this rapidly sinking boat, because everywhere I look there are post after post from desperate people(mostly students) looking from rentals in CPH. Hell, I even stumbled upon a Facebook post by a Danish TV reporter seeking students for a segment about the daunting challenge of finding a place in CPH. And I would like it to be noted that in less than half a day there were over 80 comments!

Sigh, my journey to Copenhagen has not even begun and I am already feeling defeated. As a lowly graduate student I guess I might just have to settle for a sturdy box under a bridge...

-R-

Final Month in Chicago


p.s.
During my two previous forays into Copenhagen I fell in love with the architecture, the food(oh the hotdogs!) and most of all the people. I met some truly upstanding characters in my brief stay, and it was precisely because of this refreshing open-mindedness that I chose Denmark over Sweden as the place to continue my studies. Therefor, I sincerely hope my negative house hunting experience is just a small blip in an otherwise auspicious beginning and...not a foreboding forecast of things to come.




Friday, July 26, 2013

Good o' US of A


Its no secret that I have been itching to get out of USA for ages, and now my dream is finally coming to fruition. But as the day for my departure draws near, dare I say am becoming... sentimental??

For better or worse, good o' Amurika has been my home for the last 21 years and while I have never felt completely satisfied here, I have received a great education, embarked on crazy adventures, created unforgettable memories and most importantly of all-I've made life-long friends. I must admit, America has been good to me.

July 4th, 2013-Happy 237th Birthday Amurika!

Damn, I think I just might miss this place...

-Ransie

I am listening to:
The Strokes-"This is It"



Thursday, July 25, 2013

Denmark Countdown: One Month


Wow I cant believe it! Only one short month until I'm off to Denmark to embark on my year long study at Copenhagen Business School!

Excited, Nervous...and a bit frazzled, I've been trying to get everything done in time, but I have learned from experience that international travel is never mishap free and an international move is even more stressful. Lucky for me, it seems to be smooth sailing so far. With one more month to go, I am pretty much on point with the tasks I need to accomplish before departure from USA and my previous stay in Stockholm has definitely provided me with valuable insight on what to expect upon my arrival in Copenhagen. However one thing, actually quite a big thing has been starting to give me a headache. I have been apartment searching for over two months now and very aggressively searching for the past month...but still nothing! I've tried a variety of Danish websites and even paid a hefty subscription fee, but the only responses I have received were stock messages informing me that the apartment(which listed a mere 5 seconds ago) has already been reserved! How is that even possible?! Do Danes have magical Danish fingers that can somehow type and click twice as fast as mine?!

While my Swedish apartment search was frustrating and full of twists and turns, with the help of my Swedish friend, I was able to secure a beautiful apartment in Stockholm two full months before my arrival. So, then what am I doing wrong in my Danish apartment search?

Should I be reposting my ad in English? Is it because I have not included a picture of myself? Do the owners not want to rent to expats? All these questions with no answers, I can only speculate...

My budget is reasonable and I'm not a (complete) weirdo, so I really hope someone will give me a chance!

Please, please, please, travel gods answer my prayers for a beautiful apartment in downtown Copenhagen! :D

-Ran


Renior Ma, my little card shark!


I am listening to:


Monday, July 1, 2013

Catfish: Never thought I would see the day...


Personal information is everywhere these days, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, even LinkedIn, etc. In theory, these social media sites were created to link people with their friends, family, coworkers and other people of interest. But what happens when the information on your social media account is abused?  When your public information gets into the wrong hands, and a stranger, or even worse, someone that knows you and wishes to cause you harm, misuses your personal information for their own selfish and deceitful purposes?!

I recently started watching the new MTV show "Catfish". From Wikipedia-
"A "catfish" is a person who creates fake profiles online and pretends to be someone they are not by using someone else's pictures and information." The premise of the show basically goes like this- Person A meets online Person B, they chat, trade pics and fall "in love". Person A wants to meet Person B in real life, Person B refuses, Person A is distraught and contacts the "Catfish" show. Then Schulman from "Catfish" uses his internet prowess and tracks down Person B who finally agrees to meet Person A under the glare of MTV cameras. And guess what folks? I have NEVER watched an episode where the person turns out to be exactly like the online pictures. NEVER.

Now you can call me jaded or cynical, but if you read my blog, you know I am actually a hopeless romantic. True love is beautiful, fragile and difficult to find, so I am all for finding love anyway you can in our confusing modern world. Hell, I even joined the Swedish popular online dating site, HappyPancake.com, when I was in Stockholm this winter! And while I felt bad for the heartbroken people on "Catfish", TV is TV and I never thought something so outlandish could happen to me. But as I seem to be a magnet for crazy events lately...today I officially got my first taste of Catfish! And boy do I not like the taste!

So you ask, did I fall for a handsome stranger online? Maybeeeeeee...Ha, actually one of my keen-eyed friends alerted me to a suspicious looking profile on OkCupid.com which contained several of my public Facebook profile pictures. These pictures were stolen from my Facebook page and helped birth a scam OkCupid account, wtf!

I am angry, confused and disappointed with the moral fiber of people these days! Since when was the internet filled with such crazy people?! Or maybe the internet has always contained malicious creepers, but my naive self just never noticed until today...!  Now being a victim of "catfishing", what can I do? Scrub the internet clean of every photo I ever posted or every word I have written?! Must I delete all my social networking accounts to become immune to "catfishing"?  Really, what can a lowly common netizen like me do to protect myself against these online predators who use false pictures and lies to prey on unsuspecting victims? I looked up if fake accounts were illegal and it turns out fake accounts are only illegal if the pictures were used to commit a crime or as an advertisement without your consent. WOW.. So when we logged on, I guess we unwittingly signed away all our rights just to be part of this "community" known as the internet. This incident today has made me wonder: If it is that easy to make a fake profile, could there be other fake accounts of me out there?!  :(

I need some time to ponder these questions. So while I do not have all the answers right now, in the meantime, I will try my best to remove this fake OkCupid account:
http://www.okcupid.com/profile/julieanneful/photos?cf=profile

Whoever you are-"Julieanneful"- you better watch out, for the Catfish Catcher is closing in...

-Ran

I am listening to:
I Monster - Who Is She?

Thursday, June 13, 2013

A Sunny Weekend in Chi-Town

On the way to Wells Street Art Festival

Art Festival in Old Town

Lincoln Park

A walk by the river in Streeterville

My handsome boy <3

River Walk Chi Town

Monday, June 10, 2013

Monday ART-day


I am really happy that I am set for school for next year and I have been apartment hunting like crazy. Wanderlust is hitting me hard right now but as I have several loose ends I still need to tie up in Chicago, I unfortunately will not be able to travel for the next month or so...but maybe staying put is a blessing in disguise?

Traveling has been one amazing experience after another, but I have found myself unable to make time to enjoy the simple things that I used to when I was younger. Its been so long since I have had a summer where I was not in and out of the country that I have almost forgotten how do just...enjoy my "free" time.

Three things I loved most about my long summers in Dallas:
Working out/Dance classes
Working on my Art
Reading my ridiculously large and random collection of Books

So...

  1. I am ashamed to admit that I slacked off on gym time while I was in Sweden, but I will start hitting the threadmill this week! Bikini season? Hope I can make it...
  2. I just finished the book Oracle Bones: A Journey Through Time in China by Peter Hessler and Im looking for a new summer read, any suggestions?
  3. Last but not least, I browsed through at some old photos of my artwork and mmm... I wasn't half bad. Maybe I'll salvage some of my oil paints and work on another piece...  :)


Hope everyone is having a safe, fun and relaxing summer!-XOXO-Ran

Kurt Cobain- Ebony Pencil
(Sophomore Year-JJ Pearce High School)

Ties in Three- PrismaColor
(Junior Year-JJ Pearce High School)
Chinese Dragon - Silk Painting
(Junior Year-JJ Pearce High School)

Cloth on Wall-Oil Painting
Johns Hopkins University

Final Project at Johns Hopkins University
Picasso Master Copy
Oil Painting

Final Project at Johns Hopkins University
Picasso Master Copy
Oil Painting



Friday, June 7, 2013

Good Doc, Bad Doc: Mystery Illness Solved



**UPDATE**-After returning stateside, my mysterious itching escalated from "annoying" to "hell-on-Earth". I found myself waking up at all hours of the night and scratching my skin raw. By now, I was pretty damn sure that I had been misdiagnosed in Stockholm so I scheduled  an appointment with a general practitioner who then referred me to a dermatologist. I finally had an answer when the dermatologist CORRECTLY diagnosed me with a case of scabies. After religiously covering my entire body with the prescribed Permethrin treatment and quarantining my clothes for a week, I was cured!! Hallelujah!!@!

Now for those inquisitive souls who are wondering how I contracted this disease/infestation...I must admit I don't know. Not to be confused with crabs(which are an STD), scabies are actually microscopic mites that are transmitted via bedding, clothes, and any physical contact- even babies can get scabies. So due to the highly contagious nature of scabies and my constant traveling while in Scandinavia, how and when I actually acquired this infestation remains a mystery to me. 

Nevertheless, I would like to point out that previous to my initial doctor visit in Stockholm, I, being from a science background, had researched online articles and suspected I harbored scabies. But when I informed my Swedish doctor that I thought I had scabies, he nonchalantly wrote it off as just a stress rash. The doctor's explanation was that he could not "see" anything on my body. Come again?! Scabies are MICROSCOPIC!! so of course he wasn't able see those bad boys with his naked eye. The ineptitude of the Swedish Urologist(why was I sent to a Urologist anyways??) caused me an additional 2 months of unnecessary worry and agony-filled scratching.

Now, with doctor parents and the majority of my friends in medical school, trusting the counsel of health care professionals has been deeply ingrained in me. So when I was so thoroughly let down, the irony of the situation was not lost on me. Lesson learned: this scabies fiasco combined with my recent HIV misdiagnosis has taught me that no matter where you are in the world do your RESEARCH! Doctors are human too, and all humans can make mistakes. So if your gut tells you something is not right with the diagnosis, then trust your instinct and get a SECOND(or third) OPINION!!


Lovely Scabies-The Gift that keeps on Giving!

-Ran-A nomad on the mend..



**Disclaimer: All views and opinions expressed in this post are my own and I do not take responsibility with how you chose to understand the information provided.**

I am listening to:
AlunaGeorge - Analyser

White-ney! Day 2

















Thursday, June 6, 2013

White-ney! Day 1


My girl Whitney and I go wayyyyy back, I'm talking freshmen year back. The fact that she has taken the time to visit me TWICE since I have moved to Chi-town shows some major heart, so man I love this girl! Whitney is hilarious, down-to-earth and always knows how to have a good time!

Our action-packed weekend started out with a classy dinner at BOKA where we dined on the best first foie gras I have ever had in my life! This singular experience of having buttery melt-in-my mouth goose liver, has cemented in my mind the reality that I am not and will never be a "petite" asian girl! As the sun set over the beautiful Chicago skyline we cranked up the fun by heading out to the River North area. At Social 25 our ragtag group showcased our "unique" dance moves and managed to drop(partyfoul!) so many drinks on the dance floor that the janitors had their mops ready and waiting. By the end of the night we had worked up a major appetite which at 1 am could only be sated at one place-the infamous late night eatery-Five Faces. One hour and 40 dollars later, with our insides thoroughly coated by greasy gut-busting fast food, we went to bed full, happy and dreaming of more fun to come the next day...

Foie Gras at BOKA-What little girls' dreams are made of...

 Staying classy at Michelin-star restaurant: BOKA

Freshmen besties-all grown up!

 Unleashing the new moves! hahaha

Antisocial at Social 25

 Chili Dog x 2 at Five Faces

Old school us-circa 2005-check out Whitney's stylin' flip-phone! haha


xoxo-Ran

I am listening to:
AlunaGeorge - Attracting Flies (Audio)
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