I spoke at ICC, a local Chinese school, about acupuncture this past weekend to mostly middle- to high-school students. Got some newspaper coverage too! Yay!

Action shot:

My goofy Powerpoint at least made them laugh. :)

We covered some basic Chinese medicine theory, introduced some modalities of Chinese medicine, and went over the fundamentals of health. I was pleasantly surprised that the students were so attentive and inquisitive! I even got to do a cupping demo on a brave student on stage. I had a great time. Many thanks to ICC for the opportunity to speak, and to Ms. He for making it even possible in the first place.

And so went my thus far biggest ever acupuncture speaking engagement. 'Twas a good day. :)

With a few kiddie patients under my belt, it's fun to reward them with stickers. Walmart has a pretty good selection - they've got your regular stickers, then stickers on clear backing, fuzzy stickers, and even 3D stickers. I try to stay away from the super heroes since that implies some violence, and pick stuff like cars, kittens, and Baby Pooh. Not sure if Toy Story stickers imply violence at all. Oh well. The shiny foilness was too cool to resist.

Recent patient hilarity:

[ phone rings, I answer in my usual business-like manner ]
Long-time Patient who Can Predict Weather by Pain in Joints: Caroline! What did I tell you? It rained today! The weather forecast didn't even pick this up!

I couldn't help but laugh. It was true. The weather was great until all of a sudden we had golf-ball-sized hail in some parts of Houston, and it was coming down like a whole stampede of cats and dogs.

ADORABLE Eight-Year-Old Patient at End of First Visit: You're the smartest doctor I've ever met.
Me (stifling urge to laugh): Oh? Why do you say that?
AEYOPEFV: Because you explain stuff better to me.

This is interesting to hear. I don't have many child patients (understandably), but those whose parents do have them try acupuncture have probably tried everything under the sun first, exposing the poor things to more doctors than many adults have seen in their lifetimes.

Fellow acupuncturist brethren - holla back if you knew that Huo Xiang is only supposed to be cooked around 10-20 mins, and thus Huo Xiang Zheng Qi San, if done in decoction form, is only supposed to be decocted for no more than 20 mins.

Be honest now. :)

I just completed a weekend of required acupuncture continuing education. Oof. I never knew that sitting on my behind for 10 hours straight could be so draining, but it is.

There were both Chinese and English tracks, and I took the English track since there were more interesting topics being taught. We are required to take one hour of ethics (where we were privileged to have a professor from Baylor College of Medicine come speak to us), where both students from the Chinese and English tracks were sitting all together.

That was the only class where we were mixed with the Chinese track group, and these are my observations about cell phone etiquette during that one hour.

Good: cell phone is turned off, or is on silent or vibrate mode.
Bad: the cell phone is left on.
Bad: multiple cell phones go off during the class because owners didn't take a hint when people were annoyed by previous offenders.
Bad: a cell phone is left on, and the owner leaves to use the restroom, and then someone calls the phone. Repeatedly.
Worst: a cell phone is left on, rings, and owner answers. LOUDLY.

I would love to be all proud of my people and stuff but ... I'm afraid in the arena of cell phone etiquette, we generally suck. At the temple a couple weeks back, it was packed for Chinese New Year. There were TWO pleas made by the emcee for people to please turn off their cell phones. Yet multiple phones still went off, some even playing polyphonic renditions of rap songs - all in the middle of the temple service. Niiiice. Why do people think they are immune to this? Do they think, "Oh, I'll leave it on, since no one is going to call me"? To the people who need to answer the phone during situations where answering would be disruptive (and there are many), please, it really is very simple: turn your phone to silent or vibrate, take note when someone is calling you, leave the area, then either answer if you are in time or call the person back. What is so hard about this?

Another etiquette faux-pas encountered at the continuing education: I was reminded how much I despise talking to someone (up until now, always a male) who CANNOT MAKE EYE CONTACT (as in, YO, UP HERE, ON MY FACE, YOU FOOL) when talking to me. No, I don't find it flattering that you have your eyes "on the prize" ... especially when there's not much of a prize there to begin with. And if I'm already freaked out by your overtly oozing sleaziness (like I have felt before), I'm not going to be much inclined to give you a hug. Read the body language please and see why I am standing more than an arm's length away with back tensed and all hair on end. Do NOT approach me and make physical contact.

Not sure if other girls feel the same way, since I'm pretty old-school, but this is how I operate.

Hokey dokes. End of rant. Class dismissed.

[humming] "When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true ... "

This rings true in so many ways. When you visualize, you are subconsciously setting goals, prepping the environment in which to make things happen. Of course you don't just sit around on your tush and wait for things to magically materialize in front of your eyes, but it helps guide you in making decisions, in how you use your time, in making it happen step by step.

I'm always telling my patients about visualization. Be it women trying to get pregnant, be it people with back pain, be it people with emotional issues, we cannot underestimate the power of visualization. Just as we can think ourselves sick, we can think ourselves healthy.

This applies to every situation in life, really. Just as we can think ourselves angry and sad, we can think ourselves happy as well. We can think ourselves stagnant or progressive. We can think our relationships difficult or harmonious. It comes down to that choice. Do you WANT to be there? Remove the doubt, empower yourself, and visualize it.

Why the sudden inspiration for this post? Something just kind of exploded onto the scene that we'd been visualizing for a while now, and I am excited to see the changes in the coming months. Each time something like this happens, it reaffirms for me the power of visualization.

I generally don't accept gifts from patients. But I'll make an exception here. Besides, he IS only three years old. :)

There is the rare occasion in which someone (always male) walks into our clinic and promptly walks back out before I can talk to him. I've learned that these are people who are seeking the services of our neighbors next door at the "spa" and have accidentally stepped into the wrong place.

Today I had one come in, realize he was in the wrong place, but try to cover it up (of course I didn't realize it until afterwards):

Me: Hi, can I help you?
Spa customer: Uhhh ... is this a clinic?
Me: Yes, it is.
SC: Ummm ... what kind of clinic is this?
Me: It's an acupuncture clinic.
SC: Errr ... what's ... acupuncture?
Me: Oh, it's a natural method of healing where we use very fine needles on the body.
SC: Is ... it ... therapy?
Me (slightly confused, but whatever): Physical therapy? Yes it is.
SC: Let me get a business card.

Patient leaves, and makes a beeline for next door. (I can always tell when they have customers because you have to ring the doorbell before they let you in, and the doorbell chime is really loud and sounds like the clock has happened upon the hour, identical to the clock tower's song at UT Austin.)

It seems weird to me that a dude who has the guts to go to a "spa" in broad daylight can at the same time be ashamed and embarrassed to have inadvertently stumbled into the wrong establishment. But what do I know.

So I landed in Taiwan on Friday, participated in the obligatory drinking for Alan's bday, and then Saturday toured around some and ate whatever vegetarian street food I could lay my hands on. Come Sunday, starting bright and early (5 am-ish) I came down with sumpin' truly terrible - basically, it was a 19+ hour ordeal all day fighting unwanted and violent fluid loss. I shall leave out the gory details. I have trained my non-TCM friends in some modalities (no, not the actual act of needling - I have yet to trust any non-TCM friends with needling me), and they have been so so kind in playing nurse to my weak Americanized @$$. (Oh yes, the s*** and @$$ jokes will be going for awhile.) That's me at the right, laying face down, getting some treatment.

Today I thought I was feeling better and was going to do some sightseeing - Tina hooked me up with all these great Taipei travel tips before coming here - but I was sidetracked by light-headedness and general malaise. I *finally* went out tonight for a bit, fulfilled my wish to ride the MRT system by myself, but after running one errand, I promptly went home and, sick of my pitiful condition, asked my friends to take me to the hospital. I have been prescribed, if you can believe it, Super Supau (a type of sports drink), and no food for the next 2 days, along with some meds. Lovely.

Looks like my mission to gain lots of weight and eat stinky tofu at every turn has experienced a major setback.

Some pics are uploading here. Don't know why the comments aren't showing up. Grr. Will fix that later. I'm gonna let 'em upload, finish up tonight's dose of Super Supau, and hit the sack.

Weirdo window washer man showed up again today. And he actually spoke somewhat clearly today.

Weirdo Window Washer Man: Do you need your windows cleaned for five bucks?
Me: No thank you.
WWWM: Are you SURE you don't need your windows cleaned for four bucks?
Me [ noting immediate discrepancy in price ]: Yes.
WWWM: You remember me right? Do you have my business card? Here, here's my business card.
Me: Yes! No. Thanks.
[ WWWM exits, and 2 seconds later I hear VIP Spa's doorbell ring as he solicits their business. Somehow I doubt that a "spa" with all of their windows blacked out would need them cleaned. ]

His business card:

My colleague and I had been collaborating for some time now on a difficult infertility treatment - he handled the husband's case, while I handled the wife's case. Both acupuncture and herbs were involved. Well ...

Today we received in the mail an ultrasound picture of our newly pregnant couple.

It was truly a high-five moment (we couldn't hold back). I think we both wanted to jump around and hug and cry from the sheer joy, but there were patients around, so we didn't.

I can't stop staring at the ultrasound and thinking, "We did that. WE did that. WE DID THAT!!"

Can't wipe the smile off my face.

Has anyone seen ear stapling in the news lately? I'm wondering why so many people have asked me if I do ear stapling recently.

Well, here's my take on it, if you haven't already guessed from my subject title - it's stupid. No, I don't do it.

1) Claims that it will stimulate the point forever are false. First of all, nothing is forever (duh). Secondly, the body adapts to what it perceives to be permanent damage and shifts energy meridians to go around the puncture site. The body is not a static, unchanging object; it's a dynamic entity that is always adapting / reacting to external / internal stimuli.

2) The risk of ear infection by stapling the ear is higher than non-invasive techniques such as the ear seeds we use. Blood flow to the ear is not as great, and thus fewer white blood cells (the little guys in the blood that combat infection) so any infections in the ear just don't get enough help fast enough.

3) Anyone performing this procedure is most likely NOT a licensed acupuncturist, so you are definitely getting this done at your own risk.

Same thing goes for piercings: any claims that they will stimulate any acupoint forever are false.

Here's an article for your further perusal, which is pretty consistent with how I field questions on the matter.

I love doing auriculotherapy / ear reflexology though. It's the coolest thing! What I tell everyone:

What: Massage your ears daily. And thoroughly, inside and out. Ideally, do it until your ears are hot and throbbing, then you can stop. You'll notice that some parts are more sensitive than others. Those are the parts of your body that could use some work, or have sustained injury from the past.

Why: By doing so, you increase energy flow and circulation to your entire body (as the ear has the entire body mapped out on it), including your internal organs. It's a natural boost to your immune system, and it's easy to do.

It's the same theory as foot / hand reflexology, just easier to reach and massage yourself. (Please don't anyone tell me they are taking their shoes off at work and rubbing away at their feet!)

Hmm. I could probably use this in a FAQ for my acuforlife.com website.

The week in summary: Friday, my cell phone was stolen. Saturday, got a new SIM card activated and was back in business with my backup phone. Went to Crome to go clubbing (welcome back, Chris! I had fun but discovered later that other friends had been unfairly snubbed at the door, BOOOOO) and then to Mai's for late-night grub. Recovered from Saturday on Sunday. Monday: did my friends 'n family treatment sessions, and was granted a gourmet meal for me and a friend by Chef Hugh. Tuesday: met a friend's new dog.

And I got real up close and personal with greatness on Wednesday: I got invited to a Project Runway Finale viewing party downtown and just so happened to be standing in front of Chloe and her boyfriend, so I got a chance to chat with her a bit. (OK, keep in mind that I don't watch TV, so I only got barely acquainted with the the show earlier that day via website.) Obligatory "I saw / chatted with / shared breathing space with Chloe" pic here! Thanks Will for the hookup!

Perspective, perspective, it's really all about perspective.

There are so many things I should be thankful for, rather than whining about my sorry self.

I have patients who believe in my abilities to treat them.

It was just my cell phone that was stolen, not my laptop nor cameras nor wallet, plus no one was physically or emotionally traumatized by the incident.

I have friends and fam who I love and who love me and stuff. (Somehow the grammar doesn't sound quite right here ... oh well)

These listed in no particular order.

The week in pictures.

Just found a copy of the Texas Medical Board Bulletin (Fall 2005). I usually hate watching news cuz of sensationalism, and now here I was flipping thru with horror at the contents of the bulletin. 14 of 23 pages were filled with the particulars of disciplinary actions taken against which medical professionals and also those who'd had formal complaints filed against them.

The nature of wrongdoings spanned from those rather innocent, like, "The Board and Dr. So-and-So entered into an Agreed Order whereby Dr. So-and-So voluntarily surrendered his license due to his age", then the not so innocent, like, "Failure to [perform x procedure], resulting in the patient's death" or "Self-prescribing; Intemperate use of drugs or alcohol" or "Falsifying medical records", and then the downright sickening and disgusting: "Inappropriate behavior with female patients / nurses" and the worst: "Videotaping minor females in the nude and using the bathroom; possessing pornographic material with images of young girls; pleading guilty to a state jail felony obscenity charge".

If this freaks you out, you can verify your Texas physician, physician assistant, or friendly neighborhood acupuncturist on their website here.

A few days ago, Violeta came over to shoot some footage for a short film on acupuncture she was doing as an extra credit assignment for a class. Viet and Eddy came along as needle fodder and as ghetto lighting assistants. I was offered a raincheck on more of Viet's specialty martinis as remuneration. Hey, will do acupuncture for free drinks! (Drinking and acupuncture not done simultaneously, of course!) [ taking close-up pics with special lighting ] [ goofing around ]

Oh yes, and I just got a new haircut. Most people think it's absolutely fab, but I think it's just so-so. Hmm. I'll get used to it in time, I'm sure.

Shaun of ChinatownConnection.com came in today and I got my first ever media interview about acupuncture. Well, hmm, make that my first ever media interview, period.

Ick. I need to seriously cut my hair. Or at least brush it in the mornings ...

I absolutely hate calling up insurance companies. Each time I call up with like 2 simple questions, I get inundated with acronyms and contradictions. HMOs, PPOs, blah-blah-blahs, why I wouldn't get paid for this, why I might get paid for that. Their friendly demeanor almost makes it all the more aggravating because I can't yell at them - they're being nice to me. The urge to scream is there though.

Man, I just got a marketing phone call advertising web-building services. First off, there was loud music blasting in the background - annoying. Secondly, the marketer didn't have any smooth comebacks for my responses. Didn't help that this came hot on the heels after talking with the insurance company ...

Me: Is this a marketing call? Because you're calling me on my cell phone, and I don't want to waste my minutes.
Marketer With Loud Music Blasting in Background: What's that, ma'am? Do you have a website?
Me: Sorry, I am not interested.
MWLMBiB: Do you have a website ma'am? Just think, your very own website. It could be good for your business!
Me: Sorry, I am not interested.
MWLMBiB: But ... um ... hello ma'am? Just think ...
Me: Sorry, I am not interested. [click]

On a lighter note: Don't forget to leave me comments on my previous potty-related post! Love the comments so far! Keep 'em coming!

Last night was the first time I hosted my colleagues. Another first was having kids over, three of them, aged 9 through 11 (cuties, all). Since I was entertaining my colleagues, I wasn't able to keep an eye on their kids at all times. I learned some valuable lessons:

1) Don't ever let kids into the elevator without prior instruction. (Yes, there is an elevator in this house.)
2) The password protection on my computer turned out to be a really good idea.
3) Don't ever leave hot peppers laying around.

At least I had Robots on DVD so they sat somewhat still for like an hour and a half.

I'm sure it didn't help that one of the little boys seems to have a crush on me. According to past experience (as a much older girl with little boys crushing on me), little boys like to show they like you by doing annoying things to get attention. (Perhaps akin to Flying Pear's sock-sniffing kid?)

I was afraid my BBQ'd veggie-kabobs wouldn't be enough, but we ended up having WAY more than enough. On the menu: layered chip dip (courtesy of Boy), stir-fried wide slippery noodles (cooked by colleague's hubby!), tofu in spicy sauce, and carrot cake for dessert. Almost everything was vegetarian (just a portion of slippery noodles was not), and every last bite was delicious. Mm mm good.

Aside from 5 hours of house cleaning and food prep, mingling with my colleagues in a casual environment was pretty enjoyable [group shot]. Of course, it helps that no one got hurt / got permanently stuck in the elevator / had spontaneous burning diarrhea / installed random stuff on my computer ...

I will be better prepared next time kids come over to the house.

Oh, and valuable lesson #4, unrelated to kids:
4) I don't need no can opener to open cans! (Well, I had one, but don't know how to use it.)

(See my 9/29/05 post)

I bought the package of 5 massages, and I only have one more left! Call / e-mail me if you want it! You'd be doing my friend Thi a favor while indulging in 1.5 hours of relaxation for $36!

If there's enough demand, it'd be no problem for me to get another package to satisfy all of our massage-at-a-killer-deal needs. (No, I am not making any money off of this.) So just lemme know, people! Oh, and psst - massage definitely goes good with acupuncture too.

Update: massage package all gone. Thanks, guys!

My girl Thi (pronounced "tee"), a physical therapist, has long been generously giving great massages to her friends (me included), but just recently decided to add registered massage therapist (RMT) to her credentials. She needs 50 hours of internship, so hey people, get a feel-good massage AND help my friend out! The skinny:

1 hr massage is $30 (usually $50-60)
1.5 hour is $45 (usually $60-75)

Special package is buy 4 get 1 free [can share with others!]

Says Thi: "i recommend the 1.5hour if you really want total body work, or if your neck or back needs extra time, or if you really like foot rubs "

The school is near Harwin/59. Starting Oct. 1, her schedule:

Wednesdays 10am-5pm
Saturdays 10am-6pm
Sundays 1pm-6pm

Personal testimonial - Thi is excellent. She combines her theoretical and practical expertise in everything she does, with massage being no exception. Friends, let me know if you want in on a package of 1.5 hour massages. If you wanna go solo, shoot me off an e-mail and I'll give you Thi's phone number.

Foot rubs sound GOOOOOOOD. I miss them frequent visits to the foot reflexologists in China, yo ...

[yawn] Just woke up, thanks to a wake up call from Lily Sr... if it hadn't been for her, wouldn't know there was a grad rehearsal at 9am.. hahahah ... anyways... not like we don't know how to walk across the stage after our name is called ... oh yeah, today's our grad ceremony ... told parents not to come just cuz our school is cheap and so didn't want them to pay for tickets flying over and all that. But, if you feel like showing up, it starts at 10am, at the Korean church across from the school. Come on over! Bring a bunch of homeless ppl or something and cause a ruckus. That way I at least won't be falling asleep, hehe.

In practice mgmt class this wk, teacher said that in practice, when picking up the phone, we should actually smile and consciously think "I love you" while talking to the person on the other end. Sounds silly, but I think it's true that the person on the other end can actually feel that. I wonder if it works with "I hate you" as well. I think this holds true with instant messaging too. Random thought of the day.

I'm madly sending out resumes, since I am pretty much stuck indoors for fear of aggravating my condition, and am (as usual) in no mood to study. Today I chanced upon this job post:
Teach in Liaoning
Teachers wanted with or without qualifications
Right on ... I don't care how desperate I am ... I ain't going there ... see map (upper right hand corner, by North Korea) ... BRRR ...
EnVaDoR suggested this alternate post headline:
Teach in Liaoning
Wanted: Bums off the Street

At any rate, I'm happy cuz so far I have amassed 3 offers that I'm kinda brewing upon while seeing if I can get anything better. =)

OK! Qing Zao Jiu Fei Tang it is for now! (since I actually have it on hand in capsule form and it approximately fits my condition)

Yesterday I started hocking up a lovely juicy thick yellow bloody phlegm. Took some herbal decoction courtesy of Henry's pharmacy (he's gonna have a webpg soon! yay!), but today I've still got headache and an intermittent cough. Ugh. Luckily I've got access to the landlords' loquat trees, and so:
The 1st pic is steamed loquat with apricot seeds (the southern kind) with some rock sugar (tastes good!). The 2nd pic is of the loquat leaves soaked in boiling water (doesn't taste so good). According to the book, the leaf is good for my type of cough, and needs to be "scrubbed clean of any 'hair' to prevent irritation to the throat". According to my landlords, the steamed loquat is good for cough. I'm taking both.

It's good that I'm sick. It's making me crack open the books and read about this stuff I'm experimenting with. And for all you do-it-yourselfers out there: don't try this @ home without some guidance from your friendly neighborhood herbalist. (disclaimer: i am not responsible for anyone making themselves sicker by trying what i am trying here.)

I made some soap for my mommy =) I was a cheater tho; I didn't make it from scratch (I will attempt that one day when I have more time) but simply melted it, added fragrance and color and whatever else to the mix, and poured it into a mold. The problem now is getting it OUT of my makeshift Gladware molds ...

Drugstore.com says that the top 5 medications ordered off their website are 1) Vioxx, 2) Prozac, 3) Fosamax, 4) Glucophage, and 5) Viagra. Which means that ppl have 1) osteoarthritis, 2) depression and/or obsessive compulsive disorder, 3) osteoporosis, 4) diabetes mellitus type 2, yet 5) still want lots of sex no matter what age. Me disillusioned with ppl who disregard their health until it's way too late? Why would you think that?

A gem from my friend Wanda: "Each day passes regardless of if you are happy or sad." So simple, yet ... so profound ...

Here's another oh-so-immature rumination by me: is it a crime to pop a patient's big bad backne? (pimples on your back.) I had to quash the urge =) Hey, it was so juicy ... the white head thing was showing thru the skin ... it would've exploded like a volcano! =)
Pics from Sacramento are up - and Lily, I know you have some frightening ones of me. Please please send =)

Updates to the hiking / BBQ pics. I was in a more creative writing mood, plus Lily got me some more pics. =)

Wow, a whole wk without updates ... sorry 'bout that, to my few but loyal visitors. =) Well, Monday nite I spontaneously agreed to go to Sacramento via bus to support some sort of bill to increase the # of academic hrs in the acu program to 3000 hrs. There's ppl out there arguing that this will raise the competency of acupuncturists. I don't agree, but I was bribed into going with clinic hrs ... anyhoo, here are my conclusions from the trip (which are pretty unrelated to the whole reason we went):

Sadly, when a group of older-generation Chinese get together in a big gathering, they forget they are in America. Their actions perpetuate the stereotype and ridicule of all Asians. This makes it more & more difficult for Asians to emerge in America, for us to be taken seriously ... I don't feel that it necessarily has to do w/ English language ability, but w/ attitude and respect for American culture. Not that I agree w/ all aspects of American culture, but that's how it is in ANY country - we need to respect that particular country's ways and policies.

It was very sad that the most embarrassing ppl were the Asian MALES. Asian males already have enough stereotype against them as it is - their actions on Tuesday, in the eyes of all onlooking Americans, can only feed those negative stereotypes.
Specific examples of embarrassing behavioUr:

not turning off cell phones: more than 5x

clapping (the committee chair had already stated "no clapping" at the onset of the hearings): 3x

physically obstructing the opposition from speaking: 1x
But anyways, despite all this, Lily and I somehow dragged Hiroko into going, and we had our own fun - pics will be up soon. =)

Here are pics from hiking up at Santa Anita Park and Henry's BBQ! Yo Lily, get me the pics you captured on your camera =) (the girlz both got digital cams as well - copycats! hehe ... but Lily scored the best deal, and Hiroko has the cutest one)