speaking in semaphore

[fallintaipei]

[lusis]

9/15: 蚵仔煎 at 寧夏夜市 (oyster omelettes at Ning Xia night market) 

hey so if anyone still goes here, i did end up making a photo blog for my semester abroad in taiwan! 

[lusis]

I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant: I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow. I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures that are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism. I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug. I will not be ashamed to say "I know not," nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient's recovery. I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God. I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick. I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure. I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm. If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.

Hippocratic Oath – Modern Version

Written in 1964 by Louis Lasagna

[lusis]

Or again, you often doubt if you really exist. You wonder whether you aren't simply a phantom in other people's minds. Say, a figure in a nightmare which the sleeper tries with all his strength to destroy. It's when you feel like this that, out of resentment, you begin to bump people back. And, let me confess, you feel that way most of the time. You ache with the need to convince yourself that you do exist in the real world, that you're a part of all the sound and anguish, and you strike out with your fists, you curse and you swear to make them recognize you. And, alas, it's seldom successful.

Ralph Ellison, The Invisible Man

[coffee-tumbler]

[gayblowjob]

pls

[lusis]

That was his tragedy . . .—that he didn't know what he was, and there was no way possible in life for him to find out. Which to me is the most tragic condition a man could find himself in—not to know what he is and to know that he will never know.

William Faulkner, Faulkner in the University, 72

[9teen77]

[lusis]

til

the biochemistry behind why hookah is just as bad for you as cigarettes are (if not worse), despite not having all the other shit in it. basically, emphysema. you have enzymes called elastase in your lungs that remove dead alveolar tissue/mucus/etc. but smoke oxidizes the methionine in α1-antitrypsin, which prevents the inhibitor from properly holding onto elastase. it starts digesting healthy tissue too and “your lungs chew up your lungs.” something like that. #themoreyouknow

that my supervisor is watchin’ out for me xoxo. she kindly informed me that the dude i’m working with tmrw is “a CAL student and cute..”   

[crushediceandsoda-deactivated20]

Visit Original Link

[lusis]

It was like certain dinners I remember from the war. There was much wine, an ignored tension, and a feeling of things coming that you could not prevent happening. Under the wine I lost the disgusted feeling and was happy. It seemed they were all such nice people.

The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway

[lusis]

"...and the last fantastic book flung out of the tenement window, and the last door closed at 4 A.M. and the last telephone slammed at the wall in reply and the last furnished room emptied down to the last piece of mental furniture, a yellow paper rose twisted on a wire hanger in the closet, and even that imaginary, nothing but a hopeful little bit of hallucination—"

[fun-exit]

[kavvi-deactivated20121220]

[cyberpunknoise]

Tokyo ghosts by kasei.co.uk on Flickr.

[revilokon-deactivated20151006]

Visit Original Link

[billidollarbaby]

"Bev-Brush" 6 oz. Paddle Hairbrush Flask

It is not only a fully functional paddle brush with a mirror on the back, but a great flask for women. Just fill it 6 oz. (185ml) of your favorite drink, toss it in your handbag, and you’re ready to go. The Bev-Brush is one of the best flasks for women on the market today. This “girl flask” is just the right size to fit into your handbag on a night out. $22

[toastystrudels]

what a time to be alive

[moshita-deactivated20180620]

[aspiringdoctors-blog]

anatomical chocolate

Get in my belly.

[aspiringdoctors-blog]

Why are you doing this? Think about it.

[This post is inspired by the events of last night.]

I am a volunteer for the local women’s shelter (aka- the Center). Two nights a week, from 6pm-6am, I am on-call to be a hospital advocate for victims of assault. Usually on Sunday and Tuesday nights.

Last night, which was a Monday night, I get a call at 3am from the Center. I wasn’t supposed to be on-call, but they told me nobody else was scheduled. In cases like this a staff person, who works 8-5 at the Center, is supposed to go in and take care of things. I told them that if nobody could come to call me back.

I hung up and lay there, in my warm bed in the darkness, thinking about what I had heard about this client. Something truly traumatic and tragic happened to her. And I didn’t have anything tomorrow until 3pm. I knew that it was now impossible for me to do nothing; so I got up, called the Center back, and said, “I’ll do it.” And went in and did what I could for her for several hours in the middle of the night.

Why? Because I knew that I was absolutely capable of helping this woman, a victim of brutal sexual assault, who was currently alone in a busy ER. For me, being able to help someone in need and not helping is the one of the cruelest things I could do. It’s tantamount to a slap in the face, as far as I’m concerned. I was compelled by something inside me to go in, even though I technically didn’t have to. 

This event solidified my drive to become a physician; when push came to shove, when action was called for, my personal calling to help those in need won over selfish desires. I’m in this for the right reasons, because I can’t stand idle when I know there is suffering and I can do something about it. 

Think of it this way: it’s one thing to say you want to help people, what really matters is what you do in the event someone genuinely needs help when it is inconvenient for you. Listen: words mean nothing. Are you willing to give up personal time for others? Are you really willing to sacrifice that much of your time and energy? If you aren’t, then I would recommend pursuing a different career. 

And it’s ok if to realize you aren’t cut out for such a commitment. No shame, no judgement. It is better to decide now rather than later when you are in over your head and discover you give no shits about these sick people. The life of a doctor isn’t for everyone.

So that’s my advice. Really look deep into yourself, into the ugly parts, and try to discern if you have what it takes. If not, that’s ok. Get the fuck out while you still can. If you don’t, you are doing a tremendous disservice not only to yourself but to also every unfortunate patient to fall into your care. They don’t deserve that.

[hell-sludge]

hesitation marks