Month: January 2017

Review · Uncategorized

Review: Badger Balm stress soother

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Badger Balm stress soother (To calm and soothe the mind)

First and foremost, I am a sucker for packaging. Anything that is cute and simple has my name written all over it and I’m running to the cashier to demand them to take my money! “Take my money, cashier!” (Maybe not that aggressive, but you get what I mean…)

So, I stumbled upon the Badger Balm stress soother at Cracker Barrel (I sure do like them butter biscuits!) as I was wandering around the store waiting for my table to be called. I am after all studying for the MCAT which is synonymous with stress, I obviously needed this balm. (needs and wants, is there a difference?)

I have been applying the balm to my temples, forehead, philtrum,neck  and wrists for about a month or two now. I don’t know what the maximum application is, but I apply excessively. The scent; tangerine and rosemary. I like to describe the scent as ‘organic’ — sometimes I don’t even know what I am actually describing when I say organic! If you don’t like tangerines (or rosemary!), this isn’t for you!

Whether or not the product actually calms my mind is still in question. My stress remains a 10/10 before and after the application of the product. Other people have been swearing by the brand, so maybe I bought a defective one? Maybe not. Or maybe I’m applying it on wrong? Until I run out, I’ll keep using the product in hope that it’ll ease my mind (and because I love the scent). However, I don’t think I will be buying a second Badger Balm stress soother (Sorry Badger Balm, if you’re reading this!). Maybe I’ll try out another product from the brand!

Let me know if you have any questions!

xoxo,

Nhung

All my opinions are my own. 

 

 

 

 

Medical School

#MCATmotivationMonday

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What motivates you?

I think I am going to do a blog post every Monday until my MCAT about motivation. It’ll be a friendly reminder to myself of why I am doing the things I’m doing. Maybe my motivation will encourage others? I hope so!

What motivates me?

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My family. I wish there were words to explain how much my family motivates me to study hard and do well on the MCAT, but there isn’t. I am so thankful to have such an amazing support system who motivates me daily! They are my best friends. My family not only encourages me to go down the path of being unselfish and helping others but also motivates me to become a better person.

Sending everyone good vibes this Monday morning!!

xoxo,

Nhung

image via Google

Medical School

Gap year.

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What are you doing for your gap year? (just in case you don’t know…gap year is when a student takes a break in between undergraduate and professional school.)

People usually take a gap year (or years) to take a break from school, travel the world, study for the MCAT, apply to professional school, work to make some moolah…etc.

I have had a couple of different medical positions that I’d thought I share:

Scribe

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I started scribing during my fourth year of college and a bit after. A scribe basically ‘shadows’ a physician during a patient’s visit (emergency room or clinic visit) and documents the patient’s history of present illness, review of system, procedure notes, patient exam and progress notes into the electronic medical record. This position gives you an actual representation of what the physician’s day of work looks like. As a scribe, you have no patient contact! There are scribe volunteer positions as well as paid positions.

(picture: patient leaves a note before being seen by a physician!)

 

Rescue squad

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During my second year of college, I was adamant about getting my emergency medical technician-basic (EMT-B) certification which qualified me to get onto a rescue squad. As an EMT-B, you can either lead calls for basic calls (talking to the patient/figuring out the plan of action best for the patient) or assist paramedics during advanced calls by taking vitals and documenting. I was on the rescue squad for a couple of years, committing to volunteering weekly, until school and having a full-time job didn’t allow me to have extra time to volunteer. I hope to return to a rescue squad one day! I loved every minute with my EMS family. You learn a lot from each call and from your EMS family (esp those with years of experience!).

Cartiographic tech

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I am currently a cartiographic tech and love it (can you tell I love all the positions I have had?! hehe). As a cartiographic tech, I set up patients for their stress test (putting on leads, connecting patients to the monitor, read baseline EKGs, take blood pressures..etc.) I love how each patient comes in with a different story on why they’re at the heart station for a stress test. I have met so many kind patients (there are difficult ones too 🙂 ) and so glad to be a part of their journey to better health. I wish them all the best!

I know my list only contains medical related positions, but one thing I wish I’ve learned earlier was to have a non-medical position. We have the rest of our lives taking care of patients, so why not do something out of the medical field before starting school?

Random note: I have always wanted to live abroad for a bit and hope that when I get an *acceptance* to medical school, I would spend a month (or two!) living abroad (I’m thinking Spain, Ecuador, Italy, Vietnam or Thailand?) and learn a new language! Life goals.

If you have any questions, just ask me!

xoxo,

Nhung

image via Google. 

Bargains · Uncategorized

Money saving tips.

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In no particular order:

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1. Cut the cable!

Seriously. Get a divorce with cable. Tell them it’s them and not you. That you have better ways to spend your time (i.e. read a book, spend time outside, learn a new recipe, learn a new language, study for MCAT, start a blog…etc). And if you do the math, it calculates to $80/month (Verizon Bundle)  x 12 months = $960+. That’s a ticket to travel and then some!

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2. Eat out less.

Guilty. I used to eat out a lot and probably should eat out much less. BUT I like how convenient it is, how there’s not much thinking involved ever since I started working full time. After working for a couple of months and eating mostly hospital food, I was tired of how much unhealthy, expensive food I was putting in my mouth. (Why does hospitals have fast food chains?!) I became aware of what I was consuming and decided to bring my own lunches (hello meal prepping!).  Your bank account thanks you and you see your waist line getting smaller! Winning. (this section includes daily Starbucks!!)

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3. Trendy clothes.

I wear scrubs M-F from 0800-1630. So there’s no reason for me to have closets full of clothes that’ll probably sit there for years. I used to buy clothes that were trending that said season and usually wear it 1.5 times before putting it in the corner — (the .5 is usually when I try it on and decides not to wear it.) I have learned to invest in staple items that I gravitate to more frequently and know it’ll last me for a long time. I can do a blog post on that if you’d like…

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4. Don’t buy clutter!

This is a blanket statement. Just think about the purchases from Target dollar section, post holiday sale items (wrapping paper, holiday decor..etc), crafty items you bought where you haven’t used, candles you know you’re not going to burn and the list goes on.  My [new] motto is that ‘If I don’t use it within a week, I better return it!’ or else it sits collecting dust along with other things. This all adds up.

These are just a few things I have been and still am working on. I’d love to hear any tips you all may have!

xoxo,

Nhung

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Medical School

MCAT, take two.

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April 28th, 2017. 8 am. MCAT, take two! Who is with me?

Let’s do this.

This will be my second time taking the test and hopefully the last!! How are you studying for the MCAT? Self-study? Group study? Classes? etc. And what keeps you motivated after studying content/doing practice problems for hours on end?

Whether you take your test on the same day as I do or even in 2018! I hope we all can encourage each other to study and do well on the MCAT!

A message from Ryan Gosling….

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xoxo,

Nhung

image via Google.

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Bargains · Fashion

Valentino Rockstuds for [a little] less!

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Who doesn’t like to save some money on a pair of shoes? nice shoes. I’m talking about a pair of those Valentino Rockstuds you may have (or may not have) been eyeing for awhile but have not taken the plunge. 

I recently made a dent in my bank account and splurged on a pair of Noir Valentino Rockstuds (!). Luckily, I was able to save (approximately) $300*+ via harrods.com (*savings is the difference of what the MSRP cost of shoes in the USA). Harrods is a luxury department store located in London. Since our generation basically lives on the internet, we can shop at Harrods without the airfare to London. Similar to Nordstrom and Barney’s, you’re able to shop for similar brands for a little less. And if you sign up for the Harrods Reward program, you’ll get the occasional 10% coupon which applies to a number of brands (Valentino is excluded, bummer!).

Harrods:

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Nordstrom:

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Selfridges.com is another luxury department store that offers luxury goods are a lower price as well but I prefer Harrods. Harrods’ website is easier to navigate and savings at times are more than Selfridges.

So shop around and snag an item or two (or three!).

xoxo,

Nhung

*images via Nordstrom and Harrods. Prices as of 11/2016.

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