Kauai Vacation Thoughts Part 2

Like A Kid Again.
One of the most fun moments of last week's vacation was when I went down a waterslide for the first time in 20+ years. Also, eww- I can say that it's been 20+ years from something. Anyway, so the Grand Hyatt has these amazing pools- there's an "adult" pool/lazy river which winds around the hillside complete with waterfalls and grottos, a salt water lagoon with sandy beaches, and then their piece de resistance- a surprisingly twisty and fast water slide!! (all pictured below via the internet)

I made the hubs go first, as I am wont to do with most dicey situations, and after seeing him complete the journey safely, I jumped in. Mind you, this required some not insignificant amount of courage as we were the only adults that I had seen going on the slide, and I was also aware that I might create a mini-tsunami at the end of the slide due to my tremendous *ahem* momentum, which would not go unobserved- for some reason, there were a number of people just hanging out at the edge of the pool where the slide ended. Also, though I don't claim to have any expertise in water slides, I knew that it was not uncommon to lose one's bottoms at the end of it all, which would have caused unnecessary trauma all around. But, pushing all these doubts aside, I went down the slide. I can't say it was the most graceful of rides, given that I awkwardly tried to go down in a sitting position, then as the speed built up I panicked somewhat and got some mild friction burns on my elbows, but it ended happily with no water up the nose and bottoms securely attached. Oh and a lovely little jolt of adrenaline, which was enough to count this as an adventure in my risk-averse, safety-loving book.

Slather That Coconut Oil.
I'm not a massage person. I tell myself this is because I don't think I carry a ton of tension in my neck/shoulders, and because I tend to cringe with any greater pressure than a light squeeze, and of course massages are not cheap... however I found myself questioning all of these assumptions after a lovely day at the Anara Spa at our hotel. We sprang for a couples massage (though carefully timing it during the 2 hour window in which we'd get a loyalty discount), and it was worth EVERY PENNY. Also, I've realized that as I'm getting older I'm enjoying the spa environment- peaceful, luxurious, private- all these things which seemed frankly boring or unnecessary when I was younger. I don't think we'll become spa enthusiasts, taking a trip specifically with a spa destination in mind, but at the very least I know I'll be thinking about trying to design my future bathrooms with these experiences in mind. And also looking into good massage places in Orange County.

Sunrise, Sunset.
It's funny, I could watch the sunset if I wanted to on most days of the workweek but it never occurs to me. I go on vacation and suddenly it's a priority to find the best possible sunset vista every single night. We've been fortunate enough to see some spectacular sunsets in our travels, but I think the sheer fact that we have the time to sit and watch the sun dipping down over the horizon just to appreciate the beautiful sky is the real treat. That being said, though we didn't get to see the sunset from the St Regis bar in Hanalei Bay, which is supposed to be "the best", we had some great views of the setting sun from the west side of the island near Waimea, and also at the Beach House restaurant.

Lost Chances Mean Future Opportunities.
We were really hoping to have two different experiences while in Kauai that we ended up not being able to do- one was kayaking the Napali Coast, an all-day affair which apparently ranks as the #2 Adventure in the US by National Geographic, behind kayaking the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. The other was an open-door helicopter ride, also to see the Napali Coast among other things. Kayaking was a no-go because it's the end of the season and no one was going out in the high swells that were present for most of the week. The helicopter ride was canceled because of thunderstorms which rolled in to prove the weather forecasters all wrong, on the morning of our departure- too late to reschedule. As even a waterslide counts as an adventure in my book, these experiences would certainly have caused some palpitations for me but I'm still determined to have them at some point... just means we have an excuse to visit again.

Lilikoi Everything.
Enough said.

Kauai Vacation Thoughts, Part 1

We've been down in SoCal for 10 months now, and ever since starting work in January, the hubs has not had a break... which is quite a stretch for us, since residency made us accustomed to taking two two-week vacations per year. I can't say that it's been as much of a struggle for me, given my lovely customizable schedule- have I mentioned how much I love my jobs? But anyway, we were long overdue for an extended period of free time together, so last week, we decided to have a relaxed getaway to an old standby- Hawaii. I mean, you just can't go wrong with Hawaii. 

Kauai was the only major island, other than Molokai, that we hadn't yet visited so our week-long trip was on the Garden Island. Fun facts about Kauai: it has a history of isolation, and it was the last island to be incorporated into the Kingdom of Hawaii. Also, they are resistant to large-scale development, such that there are no buildings taller than a coconut tree on the island. For this reason, among others, the island feels... more WILD than the other islands. It's lush, green, everything else one would expect from a tropical paradise but with many more swaths of untouched nature than it seems that other islands have, e.g. the beautiful Napali Coast, which is only accessible by hiking or boat. We enjoyed ourselves tremendously, which is pretty much always the case with any vacation, but herewith I shall share some of my favorite memories and meals:

Stalking Gabrielle Reece, unintentionally. 

Ok so that doesn't sound right as a "favorite" memory, let's just call it a memorable moment. So at Lihue airport, whilst waiting for our luggage upon arrival, there was this tall blonde lady waiting alongside us. She was absorbed in her phone, and mainly I noticed her shoes- she was wearing Tieks, which I'm semi-obsessed with but not enough to actually spend the money to see what the fuss is all about. Anyhoo, these shoes intrigued me and I started to spin all sorts of conjectures about who this woman was- clearly a wealthy lady, perhaps here on her honeymoon for a 2nd (or 3rd) marriage? Then, I started to think, she looks familiar from somewhere... she must be a celebrity! After wracking my brain a bit, shortly after we pulled our luggage and went to get our rental car, it hit me- so I confirmed by googling (her family splits their time between Malibu and Kauai, apparently). I was mighty satisfied with myself and happy with the dorky frisson of excitement I get from celebrity sightings, and that may have been the end but then at our very next stop at the island's only Costco (because doesn't everyone start their vacations with a Costco visit?), we saw her again! This time shopping with her family (celebs! they're just like us! cue Us Weekly article!), pushing a loaded cart around and standing in line (like everybody else!) at the tire center. I don't approach "celebrities" for photos or autographs, more quite frankly because I feel too shy than because of my rationalization that they'd like to be left alone, so I did nothing again... just averted my gaze and walked past this famous Amazonian beautiful woman so she could get her errands done and so I could start my vacation.

The Yum Factor.

I spend probably the most amount of time in terms of trip-planning on the food that we should eat at a given destination. I troll on Chowhound, Yelp, solicit suggestions from friends who've already been, etc... So basically none of my favorite food moments were unexpected finds, but delicious nonetheless. Here's my list of BEST BITES from our trip- I should preface this by explaining that I was so excited to eat many of these bites that I didn't take any pictures, but see FB for whatever I did document:

- lilikoi chiffon pie at Hamura Saimin, a lovely light, fluffy tropical meringue concoction. 

- tiger butter ice cream sandwich at Papalani's Gelato, because white chocolate/peanut butter gelato is crazy good

- veggie egg white omelette at the breakfast buffet at Ilima Terrace, the Grand Hyatt hotel restaurant, because fresh made-to-order omelettes are the best, but also awesome when executed to perfection with fluffy eggs surrounding creamy cheese with perfectly cooked veggies inside

- fried chicken and pizza with island twists (teriyaki chili pepper sauce on the chicken, pizza with coconut water crust) at Ching Young Village in Hanalei

- the freshest tasting poke and taro chips enjoyed with a lava flow at sunset on our hotel terrace

- short-rib dumplings/mini-steam buns with smoked pepper creme fraiche that just melted on the tongue at Josselin's

- the inevitable loco moco with a surprisingly delicious gigantic fluffy pancake for local breakfast at Kountry Kitchen in Kapaa; we especially loved the coconut syrup which was less sweet than maple, and not overpoweringly coconut-y

- Dondero's version of minestrone with island sweet potato, ?taro, and other perfectly cooked vegetables in a clear broth

When I Almost Died... Or Felt Like Dying.

There's this hike on the Kalalau Trail which is notoriously strenuous if one goes the entire 11 mile-stretch to see the Napali Coast. Like, you're supposed to camp mid-way or something because it's not meant to be done in a day. It's rocky, muddy, slippery, steep, and you have to cross multiple streams. The initial 2 miles are not supposed to be so strenuous, and in retrospect were certainly challenging but still what I would call a "moderate" hike, but somehow my body decided within the first 10 minutes of the hike that I was NOT having it. We reached our first lookout plateau and I suddenly felt light-headed. I sat down, stuck my head between my knees, and tried to breathe slowly but still felt quite presyncopal. Eventually the feeling passed after 5 minutes or so, and I decided to push on which I must say I'm very proud of myself for doing. I've never had this happen to me before on a hike (or with any physical activity in general) and I wasn't quite sure what was going on, but I was fine for the rest of the time and was rewarded by some amazing views. I also must say that this hike brought out some of my favorite aspects of our relationship, including my husband's unflagging positivity and support, and our slow but steady collaborative approach to difficult obstacles in our path. I recommend it to all couples as a team-building exercise :)

raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens

these are a few of my favorite things... from my recent trip to SF for the APA annual meeting.

- the inordinate amount of glee that I experienced from unlocking/locking my zipcar with a card, then extending my reservation with an app on my phone. ain't technology grand?

- listening to a very famous and respected psychiatrist at a "distinguished psychiatrist" lecture as he recommended lying, if need be, on documentation to get your patients the medications/treatment that they need to get better... because bottom line is, we're in the business of getting people better. he also said that psychiatrists have to get over not being the best and brightest, who mostly went into dermatology and radiology. bold (and hilarious) words.

- b patisserie. samovar tea lounge. king of thai noodle house. miette + blue bottle. tartine + mission chinese + birite. zaré at fly trap. ame. amber india. sushi tomi. basically, everything i ate is my favorite thing. i was an indulgent piggy indeed.

- the tableau of scantily, randomly, irreverently-clad hordes of people run/walking down the street while psychiatrists stood observing and occasionally videotaping from the sidewalk. yay for bay to breakers!

- protesters in russian nesting doll costumes. why? wherefore? it doesn't even matter.

- taking the muni like a "local"

- hearing our APA president introduce Bill Clinton by hoping that he will be the husband of our 45th American president

- i know they say new friends are silver, old friends are gold, but i think my friends are platinum. hands down, spending time with them was the best thing ever. thank goodness i learned something along the way at the conference ;)

the other half of me

... that is to say, it's about time to chronicle my new adventures as a board-certified, totally graduated psychiatrist, otherwise known as how I've been spending the other half of my time apart from being a family doc. Nevermind that the distinctions between the two halves of my training are fuzzy most days...

Anyway, so I've been having a grand ole time working at the UCI campus at their counseling center a few afternoons a week as one of their two staff psychiatrists for the past 2 months or so... love the staff, am really excited about the patient population, just stoked in general. There's a kinetic, infectious energy on a college campus that's just so unique as a work environment, or at least something that I can appreciate so much more now that I feel like a decrepit middle-aged lady. Every time I walk by the student groups pounding their hippity-hop music at their booths or enthusiastically chatting up some innocent underclassperson, I'm hit with a heady mix of nostalgia and relief. I MISS college, and I'm also SO GLAD I'm not a student anymore.

I've also been unexpectedly busy with a new endeavor... one that I totally hadn't expected to undertake, ever. Yes folks, I have started a private practice. You can see the initial, very preliminary, yet-to-be-completely-constructed fruits of my collaboration with a design firm on my website here. (As a selfish aside, I emphasized the preliminary piece because it's still very much under construction, so if you've got suggestions, please share them with me!!) I say that this was unexpected because, well, I just never thought I'd ever go out "on my own". I'm not inclined towards business at all (imagine a British pronunciation, emphasis on 'tall), and in fact have several issues that I intend on working out in my own therapy about this somewhat distasteful process of being paid by the patient for patient care. That being said, I've realized that this is pretty much going to be the only way that I can continue doing psychotherapy as a psychiatrist because none of the other jobs that I've looked into offer realistic chances of maintaining a therapy practice. And I do so enjoy therapy... so very very much. So anyway, here I am after a few well-timed nudges and job transitions and advice from valued friends. As my dear friend E put it, I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner but it totally makes sense now that I've done it. The hubs is quite smug, given that he's been subtly steering me towards this option since graduation- knowing me as well as he does, he realized quite early on that I would be most happy as my own boss. It's definitely been an exhilarating journey, starting up a business, and I suppose time will tell if it's actually financially feasible but for now, I'm having FUN. Which makes me feel like the luckiest shrink/family doc in the world.

The first two weeks of the rest of my life

**Late post** I started working as a family medicine doc for the first time since residency last week, and for the first time ever as a graduated board-certified one. Prior to my first shifts I had a lot of apprehension and anxiety, which I vocalized quite vociferously and indiscriminately, but now that I'm into my second week I thought I'd document some thoughts on this transition into "attending" life.

1. Family medicine, quite simply, is the bomb. I am so happy to be seeing the full spectrum of snotty-nosed kiddos to spry old folks in wheelchairs. I had a long discussion about breast health as related to breast feeding which led to a discussion of introducing solids and parenting at large the other day, and thought - man, I'm so lucky to get to see and treat and learn about pretty much the entire gamut of human health. A scheduler at one of the clinics came by and said, "I heard you'll take anything with a pulse!" To which I replied, "Yup, even the ones with two!" However, that being said...

2. Family medicine is freakin' hard. I've had many encounters over the past few weeks where I've had to discreetly excuse myself from the room to run into my office then frantically look something up or call a specialist to ask a question... Not because my skills are rusty, as I feared before I started, but because it's stuff I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE! It's challenging and frustrating at times and humbling... but I'm always learning something new. I suppose there's an extra tinge of fear or apprehension now that it is my own license on the line, as opposed to an attending's, but to be honest I don't think about it very much... Which perhaps speaks to my level of neurosis and anxiety about patients even before my career was on the line with every independent decision I make :P

3. Per diem is great in terms of finishing notes on time and getting out on time but... I miss continuity. I want to see what happens after I've ordered that scan or referral, and I wanna know that my patients got better. I want that feedback in terms of the technical aspects of my craft, but also as a means of developing that most important piece of being an effective physician- the therapeutic alliance. I'm okay with not having an inbox though. Waaaay okay with that.

sorry Thomas Wolfe, but you can indeed go back home again

The definition of a first world problem: I don't think that my kids will be inspired/humbled by my gritty tales of growing up as a privileged upper middle class brat in Orange County, the way that I am by my father's tales of growing up as a street urchin in Pusan, trolling the crawlspace under buildings for stray pennies.

It seems that my life is full of these first world problems since moving down to SoCal... I gripe about non-open-concept floor plans and perseverate about which of my many part-time jobs I'd like to keep or cut. I enjoy grousing about things as (globally) insignificant as traffic or the Santa Ana winds which mar otherwise perfect sunny 75 degree weather (in January).

All this to say that I am self-aware enough (just barely) to realize that I'm monumentally blessed to have only such matters cluttering up my consciousness.

My new year's resolution? Thankfulness and gratitude on a moment by moment basis.

welcome to SoCal?

The scene: our local Home Depot, in the kitchen section. The hubs and I are excitedly discussing countertop options in an insufferably yuppie/wannabe-hipster fashion, e.g. "They make recycled eco-friendly options?! Awesome!!" or "I really do prefer the look of granite..." A Random Home Depot Dude (henceforth referred to as RHDD), a petite metro-looking young male, approaches.

RHDD: Excuse me, are you interested in remodeling?

Me: Oh, maybe eventually, but we're just looking around.

RHDD: Do you own a home?

Me: [thinking that these are intrusive questions and hoping he will just get to the point] Not yet, but hopefully soon!

RHDD: Do you know who I am?

Me: ... [should I?]

RHDD: I'm the guy from the Home Depot commercials.

Me: ... Well, we just moved down here so if they air locally, we wouldn't have seen them.

RHDD: No, they're national...

Me: ... [awkward pause]

RHDD: Well, it's okay, I'm not that much of a celebrity. Anyway, you just missed out because I'm giving away free designer packages for remodeling.

Me: ... uh, okay. ["that much"?? who are you??!]

RHDD: Alrighty, you folks have a nice evening.

The RHDD strolls away, ready to accost another innocently browsing customer, and I am left to wonder... even Home Depot employees in SoCal are aspiring actors???

ugh.

moving is the WORST. this is a snapshot of the general state of disarray that is reigning over the Park household at the moment. even though we are taking advantage of a professional moving service for the first time ever, courtesy of hubby's new gig, there is still so much to do! organize, sort, throw away, donate... and, this is our most epic move ever, given that neither of us has ever lived in one spot for this long. the sorting process has led to accusations of packrattery (I just made that up) aka hoarding on both parties, yet strangely not accompanied by any actual action (i.e. throwing things away) to refute such claims. thankfully, my long-suffering and ever-loving mother came up this week to help with the process and took matters into her own hands, so I may never know just how much got tossed out... which is probably for the best.

to make matters worse, I was hit with what may have been the most painful 24-hour bug of 2012 yesterday, which incapacitated me during this crucial pre-move week and prevented me from spending this precious remaining time with friends. I had flashbacks to my bout with dysentery in Ecuador... it was that bad. however clearly I'm recovered enough to blog about it cheerfully, and am hoping that I'll be hale enough to weather the rest of this move.

in other, more maudlin news, I was reminded of just how blessed our family has been over this past weekend after spending time with some of our closest friends. I remember distinctly worrying when moving up here that I would never find the kind of friends I've had the privilege to have- particularly after the warm, fuzzy cocoon of Loma Linda. And yet, five years later, I'm leaving Sacramento firm in the knowledge that we've made friends for life up here... people that have enriched our lives in so many ways. ugh. so maybe what I mean to say is, saying goodbye is the WORST.

adventures in oz

so you know that old bromide about moving away to another country if a particular party/candidate wins the election? well, I must admit that I use it all the time, probably too much and disingenuously at that. anyway, the countries that I choose for this fantasy have been New Zealand or Australia... because Canada is too cold. Also, I took a trip (Korean tour) of the lands down under (+Fiji) in med school with my family, and just loved it. so when the hubs and I were debating where to go for our two week vacation (to celebrate end of residency, finishing boards, pre-move to SoCal, etc...), I was more than willing to go see Australia again.

I'm happy to say that I would indeed move to Australia, irregardless of whatever potentially disastrous political turn this country makes, because it is, quite simply, awesome.

But you know what's not awesome? Trying to write a travel journal > 4 weeks after the actual trip. As jazzed as I am/was about our travels, the further out I get, the less inclined/motivated I am to document things to the level of detail I would like to maintain in order to evocatively memorialize all of the fabulous moments we experienced. Yes, I do hope to look back on this blog in 10+ years, using the holographic display embedded into my retinas ("Google Retina"), and somehow be transported back in time and space by nothing more than my highly specific words. So, that isn't going to happen... and by "that", I'm referring to my words, as I'm very confident that Google has such a thing in the works. (note to self, blog in real time! face palm.) Instead, I present- my hodge podge impressions.

Our first few days in Oz, back in mid-September, were spent in Sydney, New South Wales. It is a gorgeous, sprawling city with tendrils splayed out over its many-fingered harbor. Our hotel was off of Campbell Street in the Haymarket/Chinatown neighborhood, so we had a chance to really explore and eat our way through Sydney starting there. Some highlights: sitting in on a parliamentary session at the NSW Parliament and appreciating the refreshing repartee that comes with a Westminster system of government. Walking everywhere - along Darling Harbour, through the Royal Botanic Gardens whilst visiting museums and monuments, up to the Rocks, down through the suburbs of Surry Hills, amidst tranquil waterfalls and pagodas in the Chinese Garden of Friendship. The stunning vistas from Taronga Zoo across the harbor. Haute Australian cuisine with a view of the harbor at Quay Restaurant. Beautiful historic buildings passing as malls, crammed with little boutiques and shops. Gigantic serpentine malls with entire floors of unique culinary options passing for food courts.

I really could wax rhapsodic about the food, or at least attempt to convey the depth of my feeling about our culinary experience with these paltry words. Our very first taste of Australia- fresh, buttery, flaky roti with succulent satay. The ice cream jackpot of goodness beneath a brulée-d shell that is Peter Gilmore's snow egg. Steamy, pillowy fresh chicken bao. A hot dog elevated to something else entirely (something BETTER) with mushy peas and mashed potatoes. Lychee gelato, practically sparkling on my tongue. Scrambled eggs as I have never had them before, transformed into silken richness on a fork at bills restaurant. And those are just the food memories from Sydney.

Cairns was a great base from which to explore the Great Barrier Reef and the surrounding rainforest. There is such a diversity of experience within the vast continent that is Australia, which was exemplified with our range of activities over the two days we spent in Cairns- one day we explored the reefs, snorkeling and hanging out on one of the many islands dotted across the Reef. The other day, we hiked in a rainforest and rode an army duck (amphibious giant jeep) through a river, with nary an ocean wave in sight.

I realized something whilst snorkeling- I am scared of the ocean. Despite being a fair swimmer, I asked for a life jacket and also clung desperately to the life preserver ring that our guide towed behind him. There was something very reassuring about bobbing close enough to the ring to be smacked in the skull occasionally while looking down at the reefs. I hope to someday push back against this fear- I think it's a little too ambitious to say I will overcome it entirely- and try scuba diving. Or even just snorkeling without a jacket! I do also need to learn how to use fins appropriately. Half the time I was froglegging it, and the other half slapping my fins ineffectually atop the water. So maybe I exaggerate when I say I'm a "fair" swimmer - heh. All of that being said, there was no greater distraction for my aquatic incompetence and fear than the teeming abundant life of the reef.

Thoughts about Melbourne and Brisbane to come...

at the close of summer

so what do I have to show for the first two months after a 5 year residency? these months about which I had dreamed and fantasized for such a long time... like, five years. :p Turns out, a mixed bag of business and pleasure.

as I am fond of lists, a few highlights:

"We flit, we float, we fleetly flee, we fly." DC, NYC, Vegas, SoCal, SoCal again, Michigan (Detroit, Mackinaw Island). Lots of daytrips to the Bay Area. Upcoming tour of Australia. Good times all around, and to come.

"Make new friends, but keep the old." It's been so, so very nice to reconnect with med school, college, high school friends this summer. In almost every case, it's just been a matter of picking up where we left off... i.e. before residency happened.

"And I was like, baby, baby, baby, oh." I've really missed spending quality time with babies outside of work. I mean, time spent with babies at work can hardly be described as "quality". Luckily, there's an abundance of perfectly adorable recently-produced babies whose parents aren't opposed to letting me hold them for a bit. And just to clarify, this is not baby fever, as I am happy to give them back.

"Eat your salad, no dessert." Thanks to Jennyfur's recommendation and the MyFitnessPal app, I'm calorie-counting for the first time ever! Though it's a little too late to "get right for the summer", it's not too late for summer 2013! Hope springs eternal.

"Is it worth it, let me work it." As a result of putting in time at a start-up, I've gotten my first post-residency business cards, been in an "industrial shoot" for a promotional video, and learned more about the state-to-state inconsistencies in involuntary hospitalizations/duty-to-warn/APS/CPS/IPV reporting than I ever thought I would.

"But still you're in my way." Why has the ABPN decided to offer the board exam in September? Why can't it just be over and done?! Why is it so difficult to study??!

"Woke up on the right side of the bed." I think I've finally shaken off the sleep debt. Feels good.