Monday, May 25, 2009

the progression of my illness, as told by my medicine cabinet.

since the first bloom of the season and the first cut of newly sprouted grass, these allergens have been attacking my immune system like silent ninjas on the prowl for pokemon (or whatever else they prowl around for..) fortunately, it's never been as bad as what i've observed in some unlucky people. instead of prescriptions, i just make sure i have a roll of toilet paper at bedside to catch my morning flow of snot. lovely picture isn't it? :D

just about three days ago however, something flared up and i went home from work with a sudden onset of fever and other sorts of weird symptoms. since then, i've tried several different remedies but to no avail, my nose has still made itself unavailable to me and i sometimes feel like someone's giving me a really bad head massage. instinct tells me it will eventually go away but i'm starting to consider whether or not i should get myself checked out.

following is a short photojournalism piece i've put together detailing the journey of sickness:

at first, before any sort of real symptoms occured, i had just been taking my normal vitamins (like any good nutrition graduate would...) i've got my one a days for women, a multivitamin, the occasional vitamin e, and of course, vitamin c - as shown in the suspicious looking ziploc bag. every time i go home to visit, my mom always gives me another ziploc bag of vitamins. i do believe this is her way of saying .i love you. too bad vitamin c can only help you so much....

that's when my medicine cabinet really started to grow. over the last few days, i've been taking these items in a variety of combinations. i started out with allergy meds exclusively but after the fever scare, i purchased tylenol cold. seeing that nothing was improving, i found a benedryl that included allergy aNd cold medicine. amazing, right?! no. try taking that at the beginning of an 8-hour shift. oh man. i'm surprised i didn't get any screaming nurse/patient calls for missing meals >_< the worst part of all is sleeping. lying in a supine position completely renders my nose useless, making for very uncomfortable and sleepless nights...

i haven't yet, but i'm considering if it'd swim well with the benedry that's currently coursing through my veins. soo tempting... i'm also wondering what's more potent: one sleep-inducing gel cap, or a swig of keystone light. hrmm. just kidding. this was also a parting gift from my mom. except the six-pack was intended for cooking chicken. i can't stand the taste of beer.

i remember the last time i took these pills, i went straight to sleep. unlike dr. house, it doesn't make me irritable, cynical, genius, and hot - that already comes naturally. kidding.

meh i hate being sick. i hardly ever get sick, but when i do it's like pirates taking over the ship. wait.. too soon? hehee anyways, i hope you'll join me in cheering for my immunoglobins for a successful win. here's probably a good place for me to insert an analogy to the recent rockets defeat but then i'd just be kidding myself in thinking i know anything about basketball >_<

does anyone know of a good general practice doctor in sacramento? ..and while i'm at it, i'm also looking for a dentist, an eye doctor, and a good chinese take-out restaurant. thanks!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

an evening bike ride in east sac.

this evening, i braved my seasonal allergies and nasal congestion and ventured for a bike ride down M street. after finding out about the death of 2 rats in the bike room of my house, i hadn't gone near my bike in months. luckily the rats were disposed of and i had someone else sanitize my bike before hopping on = ]

biking down M street is one of my favorite routes. M street happens to bisect the fabulous forties right through the middle, allowing me to create elaborate stories of the type of people who live in the houses and the kind of magical creatures they keep in their basements as i bike through. mm.. just kidding about the magical creatures. i thought it might add more to the storybook feel of my vignette...

starting at 36th street, i turn the corner onto the street that i frequently walk through on my way to work (that is, weather permitting. or rather, when i feel ambitious enough to save the earth 0.3 miles at a time) past 40th street is when things start to get exciting. on one corner on the right lies my absolute favorite house. watching disney movies and reading fairytales growing up, i've never envisioned myself living as a princess in a castle. i mean.. for one, my bunny would get lost in a second! as expansive and elaborate as it may seem, i think there's just something flat and rigid about them. don't get me wrong though.. if you were to give me a castle at your expense, i'd take it! hahaa i think i like the faraway cottages tucked within birch trees and rose gardens the best. that's exactly what this house on the corner reminds me of. even before i reach the front of the house, i can hear a bubbling water fountain behind the rustic wooden fence that guards the maze of vines. in the front, there's a turret type structure with a rusty weathervane on top and a rounded doorway leading into the foyer. sO cute! to make things even more whimsical, the house is a subtle shade of rose with dark wooden trims and shutters. i love it!

as i bike further, i see neighbors crossing the street to greet each other on perfectly manicured lawns. this is what i love in a neighborhood.. friendly people, kids kicking their balls out of bounds into the street, little puppies running too close to the spokes of my tires.. i especially love smiling and saying hi to the little grandmas and grandpas standing in their garden watering the same plant for what seems like hours.

two blocks down, there's another house on the corner where i swear, quasimodo must be hiding out in the attic. its tall slabs of grayness and melting window panes remind me of old byzantine cathedrals. hrmm.. come to think of it, did they even have cathedrals during the byzantine empire? i may very well be screwing up historical fact.. ehh that's what it looks like to me = ]

another block, another amazing house. this one in particular looks like it's thomas kinkade reincarnate. completely nestled in delicate trees and flower sprays, it's tOtally cute. amazingly, its next door neighbor seems too have been plucked from a hilltop in tuscany. not that i've ever been there before, but it totally seems like a house you'd see in a barilla pasta sauce commercial. in fact, i think andrea bocelli is singing in the backyard. wait, no. someone's just trying to pass me on their roller blades.

impressively, i finally made my way home without a single mosquito bite.. but a mind swirling with thoughts of the lives that go on behind those stained glass windows and wrought-iron fences. are the kiddies building a 3d puzzle in the living room? the parents sharing a glass of wine and the day's activities together? i'm definitely a little too idyllic for my own good, dreaming about the making of a princess in the upstairs room.. oh well >_<

i wonder, does having fairytale dreams just set someone up for disappointment? there's a fine line between optimism and idealistic expectations. obviously reality strikes and cinderella finds herself back in her disheveled rags, but the moral of the story is that patience and goodwill beats the striking clock and prince charming returns afterall! ; ]

..i believe this is what they call a hopeless romantic -___-"