St. Louis had a record month of rainfall this October. Ironic then, that in my Pharmaceutical Personhood class we went over mood disorders today and one of the depression disorders was SAD, seasonal affect disorder. Meaning some people get depressed from lack of sunlight and inclement weather from the change of seasons.
Needless to say, I am convinced that while not at the level of a disorder, I am certainly at a mild level of SADness.
But that sadness was somewhat alleviated when walking back from another dorm at nearly 2 am. This guy and his tall lanky black friend ran up behind me.
Black dude (right behind me): Hey, is this guy black?
White dude: Let's check it.
The lanky, skinny guy comes into my view. He's wearing a pair of women's exercise shorts, a pair of black wings on his back and a head band with somewhat failed attempts at horns along with a wet gray shirt from the incessant rain.
Black dude, jogging in place in front of me and staring at my face: Hey, are you black?
Me: No... (amused)
Him: Oh...well, I'm going to whip you anyway.
He pulls out this whip that I didn't notice he was holding and proceeds to lash me gently across my chest a couple times. I'm so surprised I can't even respond. The white guy laughs and jogs ahead.
Black dude with whip as he turns away and jogs to catch up with his friend: *mumble, mumble* black *mumble* you're a n*gger.
I think he had a tail attached to his really short shorts. Needless to say, it's a wet Thursday night in St. Louis.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
I'm a Lai-er
A freshman today laughed at my last name. That hasn't happened since 5th grade.
I was out flyering for Student Technology Services, reminding people to use the right wireless network, not the one for guests, since once we establish the new cloud printing network, there will only be one secure, wireless network that residents will be able to print off of.
And I run into these two girls, nodded and said hi. One goes, "Hello...are you Jeffrey?"
Me: "Close" =). I am amused, they think I'm a freshman.
Girl 1: "Oh, are you a freshman?"
Me: "Nope, my name is Jeremy and I'm the STC, the student technology coordinator, for this rescollege."
Girl 2: "Oh cool, I live in Umrath" which is one of the dorms in my rescollege domain. "What's your last name?"
Me: "Lai, Jeremy Lai"
Girl 2: *laughs* "Lai? That's funny"
Girl 2 then proceeds to question me what I do in my free time outside of classes and my work in the dorms. Calls herself a dork and says everyone else at WashU seems to be so well-rounded. Girl 1 is clearly a little embarrassed for her friend, asks if I know the STC in her rescollege.
We chit-chat for a little while longer, then as we split, I hear Girl 2 again say, "Haha, Jeremy Lai"
wtf?
I was out flyering for Student Technology Services, reminding people to use the right wireless network, not the one for guests, since once we establish the new cloud printing network, there will only be one secure, wireless network that residents will be able to print off of.
And I run into these two girls, nodded and said hi. One goes, "Hello...are you Jeffrey?"
Me: "Close" =). I am amused, they think I'm a freshman.
Girl 1: "Oh, are you a freshman?"
Me: "Nope, my name is Jeremy and I'm the STC, the student technology coordinator, for this rescollege."
Girl 2: "Oh cool, I live in Umrath" which is one of the dorms in my rescollege domain. "What's your last name?"
Me: "Lai, Jeremy Lai"
Girl 2: *laughs* "Lai? That's funny"
Girl 2 then proceeds to question me what I do in my free time outside of classes and my work in the dorms. Calls herself a dork and says everyone else at WashU seems to be so well-rounded. Girl 1 is clearly a little embarrassed for her friend, asks if I know the STC in her rescollege.
We chit-chat for a little while longer, then as we split, I hear Girl 2 again say, "Haha, Jeremy Lai"
wtf?
Friday, October 2, 2009
A Personal History of Mosquito Bites
I have 4 mosquito bites on my legs right now. And I had a few earlier this semester too, which is strange because I don't recall getting them in my first two years here in St. Louis. Thus, I got thinking on the various mosquitoes I have encountered by location.
Taiwan: Always the first to come to mind. Large elliptical red swellings with a distinct center that if scratched even marginally will pus and form a blister. I remember getting more during my first few visits, 20 in one night even, but as I got older, I was bitten less often with every trip back. The last trip, I think I avoided getting bit at all. And we usually go to Taiwan at similar times during the year.
Big Sur, California: 8th grade trip. Backpacking with some kayaking (got so close to some otters tied up in kelp, story for another time). One classmate had 200+ bites. Not an exaggeration. A friend had a big one on her eyelid; that looked really uncomfortable. I ran up a total of a little under 70 and they were itchy but the swelling wasn't too bad. One campsite, there were a ton of ladybugs and we were like cool, maybe they'll chase away the mosquitoes (they don't, ladybugs eat aphids and scale insects, crop pests that feed on plants). So not surprisingly, got the most bitten that night.
Peru: No real, painful itching. Starts out as a dark red dot and this red circle rash spreads out slowly around the dot. Kind of freaky because in the morning it wouldn't be worth a second look. By evening, I was like, wtf is happening to my skin. But minimal physical discomfort. This was also in the lower altitudes of Machu Picchu and such, where we spent most of our time doing service work was at a higher altitude w/o the bugs.
Greece: Medium number of bites, the scary thing was I had two on the back of my right hand. And it itched and swelled to the point where my normally visible tendons and veins were completely gone. My right hand felt like it was a small poofy pillow. Very interesting phenomenon. So yeah, bad swelling.
Arcadia, CA: Interestingly enough, the longest lasting bite happened after playing the usual weekly, post-church basketball. The initial reaction was normal enough. Red swelling, painful itching, whatever. But when I was taking a shower, I noticed the area had developed into a large hive rash. It went away after a few hours, and the bite had a normal regression pattern of about a week before swelling subsided. But for a while, I would develop hives on that location a few times a month, kind of randomly. The rash would itch, never get bigger than a nickel and quickly fade in a few hours.
The odd thing, I got it again this morning after a few years' hiatus. Went to bed noticing an itch on that spot on my right forearm, but no bump. Woke up 4 hours later for morning prayer meeting, and there it was, that familiar annoying little bump. It was gone by the time I went to class 3 hours later.
Italy: Boring, red swellings with painful itch. Nothing special. Not even in quantity.
Honduras: I was religious with my bug repellant. No bites.
St. Louis: Nothing special either, but they don't swell much. One I have now is on the back of my left ankle. Walking irritates it...so annoying
Joshua Tree, CA: 7th grade outdoor backpacking trip. The normal bite, but my face got owned. Only place where the bugs found my face tasty. Every outdoor trip after middle school, I made sure to ask if there were mosquitoes.
There are other places where I was probably bitten but don't remember. These places I remember seeing the mosquitoes, so I'm fairly certain they were the cause of my bites. Of course, everyone's reaction is different.
The solution to these bites? Tiger balm from the Asian mother (or something else to reduce swelling and calm itching), time, and the tired but true cliche, don't scratch.
Taiwan: Always the first to come to mind. Large elliptical red swellings with a distinct center that if scratched even marginally will pus and form a blister. I remember getting more during my first few visits, 20 in one night even, but as I got older, I was bitten less often with every trip back. The last trip, I think I avoided getting bit at all. And we usually go to Taiwan at similar times during the year.
Big Sur, California: 8th grade trip. Backpacking with some kayaking (got so close to some otters tied up in kelp, story for another time). One classmate had 200+ bites. Not an exaggeration. A friend had a big one on her eyelid; that looked really uncomfortable. I ran up a total of a little under 70 and they were itchy but the swelling wasn't too bad. One campsite, there were a ton of ladybugs and we were like cool, maybe they'll chase away the mosquitoes (they don't, ladybugs eat aphids and scale insects, crop pests that feed on plants). So not surprisingly, got the most bitten that night.
Peru: No real, painful itching. Starts out as a dark red dot and this red circle rash spreads out slowly around the dot. Kind of freaky because in the morning it wouldn't be worth a second look. By evening, I was like, wtf is happening to my skin. But minimal physical discomfort. This was also in the lower altitudes of Machu Picchu and such, where we spent most of our time doing service work was at a higher altitude w/o the bugs.
Greece: Medium number of bites, the scary thing was I had two on the back of my right hand. And it itched and swelled to the point where my normally visible tendons and veins were completely gone. My right hand felt like it was a small poofy pillow. Very interesting phenomenon. So yeah, bad swelling.
Arcadia, CA: Interestingly enough, the longest lasting bite happened after playing the usual weekly, post-church basketball. The initial reaction was normal enough. Red swelling, painful itching, whatever. But when I was taking a shower, I noticed the area had developed into a large hive rash. It went away after a few hours, and the bite had a normal regression pattern of about a week before swelling subsided. But for a while, I would develop hives on that location a few times a month, kind of randomly. The rash would itch, never get bigger than a nickel and quickly fade in a few hours.
The odd thing, I got it again this morning after a few years' hiatus. Went to bed noticing an itch on that spot on my right forearm, but no bump. Woke up 4 hours later for morning prayer meeting, and there it was, that familiar annoying little bump. It was gone by the time I went to class 3 hours later.
Italy: Boring, red swellings with painful itch. Nothing special. Not even in quantity.
Honduras: I was religious with my bug repellant. No bites.
St. Louis: Nothing special either, but they don't swell much. One I have now is on the back of my left ankle. Walking irritates it...so annoying
Joshua Tree, CA: 7th grade outdoor backpacking trip. The normal bite, but my face got owned. Only place where the bugs found my face tasty. Every outdoor trip after middle school, I made sure to ask if there were mosquitoes.
There are other places where I was probably bitten but don't remember. These places I remember seeing the mosquitoes, so I'm fairly certain they were the cause of my bites. Of course, everyone's reaction is different.
The solution to these bites? Tiger balm from the Asian mother (or something else to reduce swelling and calm itching), time, and the tired but true cliche, don't scratch.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Cooking adventures
Cooked through my first multi course meal. Previously, I did some individual things to supplement whatever my apartment mates made. Or I did things like curry and paella which can be had as standalone meals.
Chicken and onions
- chicken meat cut from thighs, marinated in minced garlic, soy sauce, some sugar, and a little corn starch for 'bout an hour and a half
- onions sliced and stir fried in olive oil till just turning brown
- chicken added
- presentation/cutting skills need work. maybe next time I add the onions later to make them crisp instead of soft
Bok choy
- made it crispy. Last time, I made it soft like my mom used to make it but Jerry prefers crisp textures.
- with garlic and a little salt
- I've noticed this summer, I like garlic.
Hondashi cabbage and tofu experiment
- bonito stock, some Kikkoman Tempura Dipping Sauce (essentially a nice blend of soy sauce, sugar, and a smidgen of msg along with some random spice extracts. growing up, instead of soy sauce, I used this stuff)
- cut up napa cabbage
- medium firm tofu. learned about different levels of firmness this summer, and probably could've used the next firm level up for this dish.
- I added water to make the cabbage soften faster. Both Jerry and my mother told me that was unnecessary. Another lesson learned.
Overall though, the tastes were pretty decent across the board. I was pleased. Cooking is pretty exciting.
Chicken and onions
- chicken meat cut from thighs, marinated in minced garlic, soy sauce, some sugar, and a little corn starch for 'bout an hour and a half
- onions sliced and stir fried in olive oil till just turning brown
- chicken added
- presentation/cutting skills need work. maybe next time I add the onions later to make them crisp instead of soft
Bok choy
- made it crispy. Last time, I made it soft like my mom used to make it but Jerry prefers crisp textures.
- with garlic and a little salt
- I've noticed this summer, I like garlic.
Hondashi cabbage and tofu experiment
- bonito stock, some Kikkoman Tempura Dipping Sauce (essentially a nice blend of soy sauce, sugar, and a smidgen of msg along with some random spice extracts. growing up, instead of soy sauce, I used this stuff)
- cut up napa cabbage
- medium firm tofu. learned about different levels of firmness this summer, and probably could've used the next firm level up for this dish.
- I added water to make the cabbage soften faster. Both Jerry and my mother told me that was unnecessary. Another lesson learned.
Overall though, the tastes were pretty decent across the board. I was pleased. Cooking is pretty exciting.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Mac-morons
I really have nothing against Apple hardware. It's solid, good-looking stuff that works. If their products were priced competitively, I would pay for them. But I really can't stand the company's arrogance, particularly the idiotic, baseless accusations in their anti-PC commercials or the ignorant, crazed fans.
And according to recent tech news, OSX is no less secure than current Windows operating systems. So stop with the dumb my-security-is-better-than-yours drivel.
And according to recent tech news, OSX is no less secure than current Windows operating systems. So stop with the dumb my-security-is-better-than-yours drivel.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Post-championship chill
UPDATE: well then....http://jeremysquared.blogspot.com/2009/07/championship-change.html
Chill as in I have a championship t-shirt and a championship towel I will hang in my room. Steve, your shirt is sitting comfortably in a box.
Chill as in I tremble at the thought of losing Odom and Ariza. And obviously, I would like that the Lakers keep both (and Shannon Brown) as you don't fix what isn't broken. But in my opinion, shared by the brilliant basketball blogger Kelly Dwyer, Odom is more important to the team.
Chill as in I have a championship t-shirt and a championship towel I will hang in my room. Steve, your shirt is sitting comfortably in a box.
Chill as in I tremble at the thought of losing Odom and Ariza. And obviously, I would like that the Lakers keep both (and Shannon Brown) as you don't fix what isn't broken. But in my opinion, shared by the brilliant basketball blogger Kelly Dwyer, Odom is more important to the team.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Post-sophomore chill
A well prepared deal
Excitement around the bend
Fold before the flop...
Sometimes, no matter how skilled you can be at poker, things just don't fall your way. A long layoff from the game and being tired doesn't help. Maybe I'm just making excuses for sucking. We learned in psych about how the inherent variable reinforcement system of gambling leads to compulsive behavior and large losses of money. Good thing, I wasn't reinforced much tonight.
Also went to the local botanical gardens here in the StL. It had been a while since visiting something along those lines; living next to the Huntington Garden and museum in San Marino has kind of spoiled me. The exhibits here included a lot more animals than back home though, a very cool tropical sphere greenhouse and the lake was much larger. But Huntington's has ridiculously old and precious manuscripts and books plus the ever-enviable southern California weather. Still, it was sweet just chilling with people in things as beautiful as raked stones, yellow and black pufferfish, and tropical plants where our spices come from. Nature exudes a tranquility that is really something special. And this was just in a crowded botanical garden because of the free admission before noon. Made me yearn for a backpacking or legit camping trip again.
Yao Ming is out for the rest of the playoffs. Lame. Bynum could use the training so he can get in shape for the next two rounds which will certainly be more difficult. Denver has been a huge surprise and of course, Cleveland is going to matchup well. Both series will be fun to watch.
Being done with sophomore year is so nice.
Excitement around the bend
Fold before the flop...
Sometimes, no matter how skilled you can be at poker, things just don't fall your way. A long layoff from the game and being tired doesn't help. Maybe I'm just making excuses for sucking. We learned in psych about how the inherent variable reinforcement system of gambling leads to compulsive behavior and large losses of money. Good thing, I wasn't reinforced much tonight.
Also went to the local botanical gardens here in the StL. It had been a while since visiting something along those lines; living next to the Huntington Garden and museum in San Marino has kind of spoiled me. The exhibits here included a lot more animals than back home though, a very cool tropical sphere greenhouse and the lake was much larger. But Huntington's has ridiculously old and precious manuscripts and books plus the ever-enviable southern California weather. Still, it was sweet just chilling with people in things as beautiful as raked stones, yellow and black pufferfish, and tropical plants where our spices come from. Nature exudes a tranquility that is really something special. And this was just in a crowded botanical garden because of the free admission before noon. Made me yearn for a backpacking or legit camping trip again.
Yao Ming is out for the rest of the playoffs. Lame. Bynum could use the training so he can get in shape for the next two rounds which will certainly be more difficult. Denver has been a huge surprise and of course, Cleveland is going to matchup well. Both series will be fun to watch.
Being done with sophomore year is so nice.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
