Year: 2008
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Angelus Oaks Snowshoe
This snowshoe trip was more strenuous than I had expected. Uncle Ben Vassantachart and I went up to Angelus Oaks and parked by the restaurant. We followed the trail up to the helipad and spent some time exploring. After getting to that plateau, we decided to come straight down the mountain, cross country style. Some…
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Vivian Creek to San Gorgonio Peak
Last Sunday, a group of us took an ambitious trip up San Gorgonio. The group I took consisted of Hasan (4th year orthopaedic surgery resident), Ken (senior medical student), DJ and Rob (juniors), Mark and Seth (sophomores), and Brandon (whom I ran into at the Drayson Center several days before). We left Loma Linda at…
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Epiphyllum Bloom
This plant, given to me by Dr. Wright Zheng, blooms just about once a year, and the bloom happens only at night for several hours. There is sort of a craze in Chinese culture, where the blooming symbolizes how transient everything in life can be—曇花一現, as they say. Anyhow, on this night, it decided to…
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China Trip
Last Thursday, I spend most of my afternoon packing for the trip to China. Then, I drive out to LA and take the direct flight from LAX to PEK on a very full plane. The plane lands a little ahead of schedule, and Dr. Zheng and Mgr. Sun meet me at the airport. We get…
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Labor Day
Today, Brad brought Grant and Max over. I had the day off, of course, and we shot some archery rounds.
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Newport Beach Kayak
A group of us went on this kayaking trip, launching from under the bridge in Newport Beach. We all had a good time. The best part was that the two friends from Hangzhou, China, capsized near the end of the trip, spilling everything, including their digital cameras.
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Lake Tahoe
This Musculoskeletal Infection Society met in Squaw Valley for our annual meeting. Sam Chen and Sep Bady came along to present papers. Between meetings, we rented a boat and toured Lake Tahoe. On Sabbath, I took a drive along the lake and stumbled upon the Adventist Campmeeting. I invited myself in, had breakfast, and had…
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Hawai’i
This summer involved a lot of traveling. After coming back from Wyoming, it was two weeks of Hand call, straight. Then, I attended the Western Orthopaedic Association in Hawai’i with Eric, Pete, and Laura. Highlights include driving the Road to Hāna, hiking up the Kīpahulu area, attending the meeting, touring ‘Ulupalakua Ranch, backpacking from Haleakalā…
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Haleakalā
This backpacking trip started by parking our car at the exit point, at the Halemau’u trailhead. It took forever to find someone to take us up the mountain to our starting point, but eventually, a car of girls picked us hitchhikers up. The Sliding Sands trail was long, gentle, and beautiful. We started out along…
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Orthopaedic Residency Graduation 2008
This year’s orthopaedic residency graduation featured Sepehr Bady, Eric Lim, and Jonathan Linthicum. Dr. Ken Mudge received the Teacher of the Year Award.
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Wyoming
A few days after getting back from Québec, I headed out to Wyoming for the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons meeting in Jackson Hole. I arrived on Thursday and drove to Yellowstone. It had been snowing for several days, and I snow-camped Thursday night. The scenery and wildlife were spectacular. At the meetings, I…
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Québec City
The first trip this June was to Québec City for the American Orthopaedic Association. I arrived late Wednesday night and went to meetings Thursday and Friday. In the evenings, I took time to stroll through the old city, which has a very nice feel to it. I joined a local church on Saturday morning and…
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South Fork Trailhead
At church two days ago, we were casually discussing hiking San Gorgonio. That random conversation materialized into an actual trip today. We met up at 5:30 and drove together to the South Fork Trailhead. We decided to try a different route, since many of us had already done the Vivian Creek starting point. Just past…
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School of Medicine Commencement 2008
This weekend began with School of Medicine graduation activities. The weather, although over 100 degrees last week, started cooling down several days ago. The climate was actually very pleasant, which turned out to be a nice surprise. Commencement was festive and inspiring. I enjoyed meeting up with friends, family, and former students.
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Fire Damage
This whole weekend was a blur. On Friday afternoon, after the Resident Research Seminar, after a relaxing swim, and less than a half hour after leaving the Barton Road house, I get a call from my brother. He tells me that our house is on fire. I rush back after dinner, park at Stater Brothers,…
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Mothers’ Day Cooking
The group of young people at church volunteered to cook for Mothers’ Day, so that all the moms would have a break. Apparently, I got put in charge of the cooking. Everything went smoothly, and I think all the moms enjoyed the treat. Afterwards, I achieved a personal milestone—making a latte art heart.
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Spring Reunion
It was fun to have all the relatives over for a springtime reunion. We harvested some artichokes from the yard, steamed and marinated them, and then grilled them. Also, we took an excursion to Prospect Park to harvest some bamboo shoots. We had so much food for dinner, and everyone had a great time.
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Phoenix and the Superstition Mountains
On Thursday, April 3, I fly to Phoenix for a wonderful stay with the Wilsons. It’s my birthday, and Sarah makes a wonderful melt-in-your-mouth dark chocolate soufflé. We leave for the trailhead on Friday morning and start hiking around 10:40. The main part of the trip takes us through the Tonto National Forest, Supersition Wilderness…
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Black Canyon Trip
We left Friday afternoon and arrived at the Lake Mead campground. The next morning, we rented kayaks from Willow Beach and paddled upstream. Near our destination at Arizona Hot Springs, the flow was so fast that we were staying still even when paddling frantically. Anyways, we made it. I had first set up my tent…
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San Francisco for the AAOS
Last week, I drove up to San Francisco to drop off the Living Orthopaedic Tree at the Moscone West Convention Center. I spent the rest of Monday visiting Golden Gate Park and some of the surrounding neighborhoods. The AAOS was a busy place. Tuesday was spent in the Practice Management Course, while the rest of…
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Chinese New Year 2008
Today is Chinese New Year! The 12-year cycle starts today, beginning with the year of the Rat—year number 4706, according to the traditional reckoning. The main celebratory act today was the installation of the two stone lions. The whole process was quite complicated. It was only accomplished through much maneuvering with a fork lift and…