Ridiculous fashion scenario: The Zombie Apocalypse

Aaron and I often have strange topics of conversation. One topic that we often talk about is what would we do... if the world faced a ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE. Don't laugh people, it could happen someday.  Any type of apocalypse, really... it could be a zombie outbreak, some sort of deadly viral pandemic, a massive world-wide blackout, major natural disaster, alien invasion, you name it. Society would become total chaos. What would you do then?? Some of our favorite shows and movies involve zombies, end of the world scenarios and we find it interesting to talk about what we would do if we were in that situation. Where would you go? How much food do you have to feed your family? How far would you go to make sure you and your loved ones are safe? One book that I really want to read (once I get all my research out of the way) is World War Z. The movie is coming out this summer, but I hear it's an excellent book to read first. We live in such a seemingly safe world of laws and order (well, not really...) but what if all that wasn't available anymore and we were called to survive on our own??

Anyways... to all my fashion blog friends, this is a little bit unconventional, but we thought it would be fun to start a fashion series involving ridiculous scenarios. Today's scenario is what would you wear if the world faced a zombie apocalypse.

I'd also like to mention that the original outfit had also involved some fire-arms, which probably would be the most useful during an actual zombie outbreak, but seeing as how we were wandering around a public park, I decided not to wear it. (Much to Aaron's disappointment)

I would have to say that layering would be the most important. You'll be traveling around through 4 seasons of weather, ranging from smoldering heat to freezing storms, but I would make the pieces light so the weight and bulkiness does not hinder me from running from the undead. Tank-top- Express. Sweater: Thrifted. Thermal zip cardigan: Columbia. Jacket: Thrifted

A light, cashmere scarf to keep your neck warm, and short enough so it doesn't get in the way or cause me to trip when I need to run. This one I borrowed indefinitely from my brother in-law. Thanks, Milo... I bet you didn't even realize I stole this from you :)

Proper footwear is of utmost importance. Something durable, waterproof, warm, appropriate for deep snow and also again, something you can also RUN FAST in. Sorrel's are awesome boots for such purpose.

Bottoms: Thermal, stretch tights. You could also do comfortable jeans, but something that allows flexibility so that when you DO need to make a quick bolt, it won't get caught or rip easily. Thermal tights are surprisingly warm even as a single layer during winter days.

Backpack: Eddie Bauer makes nice, durable backpacks with tons of side pockets and secret compartments

Sunglasses: Can't shoot zombies accurately in the head if you have the sun blinding your eyes

Emergency necklace: Okay this necklace is pretty useless because it's just a statement piece, BUT there's no reason why you can't look fabulous during the end of the world.

I would probably replace those jewelry pieces with: 1. An emergency bullet 2. A small knife  3. A flashlight (solar charged), 4. A small compass

There you go. My apocalypse outfit. Now go kill them zombies

Participating in my first blog link up this week! What a great idea.

Linking up with Because Shanna Said so, Fashion and Beauty finds, and Rolled up Pretty

M.I.A

Sorry I've been MIA for the past few months! It has been insanely busy, mostly due to poor planning on my part. As some of you may know, I'm currently training in acupuncture. I hope to incorporate this into my practice someday (that is, if I can get through memorizing 360 points, meridians, channels and all its functions!) The program involves traveling to Arizona every couple of months for intense clinical needling training for a week at a time. After the baby goes to sleep at night, I usually have more course work to do at home. At the same time, I'm in my research year of fellowship so my days are occupied with chart reviews, data analysis, banging my head against the wall trying to figure out statistics.... yeah.... and a LOT of writing. A LOT. Can't complain though, it's still better than residency :)

Things have finally slowed down a bit, so I dragged poor hubby outside today to enjoy the tundra. I admit, I also haven't been wanting to do anything because it's just been so insanely cold outside. A couple weeks ago, I tried to do a fashion post. I got in my outfit, went outside for 10 seconds... felt the wind, and ... screw it!..  came right back in.

Flower Necklace: Valentines gift from Aaron :) Such a thoughtful guy he is.

Shirt: Pitaya

Sweater: Hilfiger 

Pants: Banana Republic

Coat: Via Spiga

Necklace: J.Crew (Valentine's gift from Aaron)

Bag: Prada

Boots: Tahari

I have a small obsession with Prada. Prada handbags, specifically. There, I admit it. I'll give you one guess who introduced me to it, and now he has turned me into a Prada monster. But who doesn't like beautiful, exquisite, divine italian leather? I don't even have to carry it, just looking at it makes me happy :)

DAILY DOSE OF GRACE

How was everyone's New Year's and Valentines day? We spent part of New Year's in Chicago, visiting family and friends. Grandparents then traveled up to Minnesota to spend Chinese New Year's with us in February. 

It has been almost 4 months since Grace's last surgery. She has been doing unbelievably well! She is standing with assistance, and scooting herself all over the house in her little walker. She is still pretty weak on the left side, and you can tell her left leg muscles are definitely smaller, but she sure is strong on the right side!! Her first words are "baba" and "hi". Now she's really starting to showcase her personality- much more vibrant and sassy than I ever was when I was a baby (according to my parents). It's so incredible to see her grow and finally have a few months of peace and quiet. I finally feel like I'm able to experience being a mom, and not a crazed, sleep deprived lunatic spending every moment in the hospital freaking about her health.

Seeing your loved ones suffer is truly one of the worst feelings in the world, especially your children. There are so many children with medical problems that affect their lives in so many ways. We experienced this with Grace, but I can't imagine what parents with children who have active chronic issues go through, or when they lose their children to their diseases. Every time we pray for Grace, we keep in mind all the families out there who need prayers more than we do. You are in our thoughts!

Have a wonderful weekend

Aaron's Winter Movie Reviews!

Hey everyone, its been a while but Aaron's movie reviews are back! Ive got three of the biggest movies that are out right now so if you havent seen then yet, possible SPOILERS!

Lets start with every fantasy geek's pick of the season. I for one had some pretty big expectations for this one, I mean the LOTR trilogy was so epic. So when the reviews came out for the movie,  I was a little taken back. People were saying that the movie was boring, it looked funny, and was just meh.

I'm happy to say that I think the critics were completely wrong. The movie wasn't boring at all. I want to compare it to a fun night at a friend's house, an analogy if you will. The first hour is like a nice dinner where you are treated to stories of the past and tantalizing hints of what is to come. You are enjoying yourself but you really want the dinner to end and the partying to begin. The second and third hour, yes this movie is almost three hours long, is like playing Mario Party and Risk all at the same time with maximum players. This s**t just got real! If goblin slaying, Orc killing, eagle riding insanity isn't enough to wake you up, what more do you want? Can we also mention how amazing the actor for Gollum is?

This is the first movie since Avatar that I watched in 3D and I wasn't able to watch the 48 fps version, but I'm happy to say that the 3D experience was a good one for me. It didn't seem like a gimmick and I feel it helped immerse me more in the world of Middle Earth.

The only quip I have with this movie are the annoying scenes with Frodo and the weird reference to the invention of golf.

All in all a definite recommend, 4 tasty little Hobbitses out of 5 (****)

Now onto something a little more controversial. Lets get something straight right off the bat, this piece of movie cinema is the family night flick you have been waiting for! Django Unchained is an ode to unfailing love, and how one man will stop at nothing for love. He has to win her back from the clutches of a richer man trying to buy her love, if only she would just notice him!!!!

Whoa there! I was thinking of some sissy chick flick for a second. Sorry everyone let me get back on track. Django isn't really a classic Tarantino film but I think that's what makes it the best one I've seen in a while. The first hour has some of the best and funniest dialogue I've heard in a while, and for you action lovers out there, there is no shortage of blood and carnage. Every cliche you can think of for racism, from the Colonel Sanders plantation owner to Samuel L Jackson, just drips blaxploitation. For all you DiCaprio lovers out there, this isn't Titanic. Leo is so good at being bad that Tarantino actually said that he hated his character.

There are some tough scenes to watch like a slave getting mauled by a dog or two guys fighting to the death, but the dialogue, pacing, incredible acting by the leads, and the amazing soundtrack made this movie a real treat. In the end the good guys win and the bad guys dead. I loved this movie, end of the story.

5 perfect bullets out of 5 (*****)

Finally we get to Zero Dark Thirty, the story we all wanted to know more about. Let me first say that the preview is a little misleading. This is NOT an action movie, it is a purposeful and methodical dissection of what it took to stop terrorism and ultimately kill Bin Laden. The first two hours are definitely on the slower side, but in a way I'm glad the director didn't try to "Hollywood" this movie and turn it into an action flick. Don't get me wrong you will get to see in Seals kick some Al Qaeda butt, but the movie is more about the struggles the analyst Maya went through to see Bin Laden dead.

Some people are going to offended by watching this movie because there is a lot of torture in it. This movie is not for the faint of heart, but it manages to tow the line in not condoning torture but also acknowledging the fact that it does exist. 

The final 30 mins of the movie are some of the most heart pumping minutes I've seen so far. You really feel like you are right there watching the operation with a front row seat. All I can say is thank you to all the military and intelligence people that work tirelessly for the safety of this country.

3 double taps out of 5 (***)

Finally I wanted to end by say that Ill be doing much more reviews on the regular from now on. Thank you to everyone for praying and helping us in the every way during Grace's stays in the hospital. Here is a pic of her this past Christmas opening her first presents! Daddy loves you Grace!

When it rains, it pours...

I'm so sorry for my lack of posts this past month! I hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving filled with delicious food, friends and family!

I haven't had a chance to update many of you (especially on the details), but our family had unfortunately spent the last month in the hospital again - first for little Grace, then for poor Aaron. After each hospital stay, we always think that this will be the end of it all- that we won't ever have to go back again, Grace will be happy and healthy, and we can all get on with our lives. We've learned never to assume anymore, especially after this hospitalization. But there is much to be grateful for, and much to hope for.

The late afternoon of October 22nd, I was in the middle of dictations after clinic. I got an urgent call from Aaron saying that Grace had started vomiting in the late afternoon and is now having a fever. She seemed perfectly fine and happy just hours ago. Now suddenly, it became very difficult to keep her awake. When she did wake up, she would vomit. A few days prior to that, one of her sutures behind her ear from her previous shunt surgery had started draining some fluid. Even though it was re-sutured and glued tightly back together in the emergency room, I feared that it probably had gotten infected. She was having symptoms of increased intracranial pressure and signs of infection from her brain. I dropped everything that I was doing and rushed back home with tears blinding the road in front of me, praying that we would be able to get her to the hospital in time.

Sepsis set in real fast. We got her as quickly as possible to the emergency room. By then she was extremely lethargic. She had vomited so much that her skin wrinkled with dehydration. Despite multiple pokes, her veins were so collapsed from sepsis and dehydration that the emergency room staff were not able to get access. Central line attempts also failed. Her oxygen and blood pressure were starting to drop. I knew that if we didn't get access to her vessels soon, she may go into septic shock and we could potentially lose her... again. The last resort option was obtaining access through her bone marrow, which involved drilling a hole into her leg. When I saw the drill, I almost fainted. Aaron, who is usually pretty brave about these things, couldn't watch either. We had to step out of the room and prayed hard she wouldn't suffer too much. We were so grateful for the emergency room physicians, who were so level headed and acted quickly. All this, which seemed like hours to us, happened over the course of 15 minutes. She was able to get IV fluids and antibiotics were started almost immediately. If she had gotten to the ER any later, I'm not sure if she would've made it. I struggled hard not to be a doctor at this time and just be a mom to Grace. I had to let go, and trust that the ER physicians will handle the situation.

The bacteria that was isolated from her brain fluid was ESBL Klebsiella pneumoniae- fancy way of saying that this organism was resistant to most standard antibacterials that are normally effective against it. It had gotten into her brain, infected her shunt, and probably caused some meningitis. She was taken to the operating room early the next morning to remove the shunt, because no matter how much antibiotics she got, if an infected indwelling object is not removed, the infection will never clear. That was her 5th brain surgery. Seeing her after the surgery was heartbreaking. She was not a 6 month old little baby anymore. She was now an 11 month old almost toddler who could experience fear, remember pain, and understand that she is in a foreign place with people who are seemingly trying to hurt her. It was so difficult to calm her sometimes because I couldn't make her understand. I wish I could've spoken her language and bring her peace and comfort, but she was just so afraid. Everything scared her. She didn't trust anyone. She stopped eating and refused to drink her milk because she had vomited so much that everything made her gag.

Fortunately, over the next few days, antibiotics were adjusted to treat her infection, and her fevers resolved within a week. Her shunt had been taken out, but a temporary drain was put into her brain to help removed the access fluid into a bag. All this had to be kept in place for at least 14 days for the infection to completely clear. At that time, we were going to then decide to see if she needed another operation to replace her shunt. 

We spent the next 3 weeks in the ICU. Our days were filled with frustrating attempts to get her to eat and making sure she was getting enough nutrition. She wasn't. She was irritable, uncomfortable and extremely scared. Our sleepless nights were fragmented with trying to help her get to sleep. She would wake up every few hours because of the discomfort from her meningitis, or loud noises, or vital checks, etc. No matter what we tried, she just couldn't get comfortable, and she wouldn't eat. We saw her day by day start to waste away and get skinnier, and eventually lost 20% of her body weight. I was filled with helplessness again, a feeling that is just so awful- to see your only daughter who had already gone through so much, to have to go through more suffering and basically withering away in front of our eyes. 

The only thing we could do was pray. "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." Psalm 55:22 
All our friends and family from across the nation, our prayer warriors, supporters, church families and body of Christ- everyone who have been part of Grace's journey from the very beginning, again came together to pray. Baby Grace was in the prayer of faithful friends who have never met her, small groups /fellowships who have only heard of her, children of friends who never forgot to remind their parents to pray during dinner time and bedtime. She is truly the luckiest baby in the world to be loved and cared for by so many. 
We prayed hard that God would bring her comfort and healing, that she would get enough nutrition, and that He will continue to protect her and save her. We prayed hard for a MIRACLE- that her little brain will re-learn how to absorb fluid, so that she will not need another shunt. He is the only one that knows her more intimately than any physician and surgeon. He knows her by every cell in her body and is the only one who could heal her from that aspect. 

She gradually improved over the next few weeks. Her drain was clamped for a few days to see how she would do without it. She seemed to do fine, so it was pulled out. Unfortunately, after this happened, she started to deteriorate neurologically. It was determined at that time, that her brain was still not capable of re-absorbing CSF and she still needed a shunt. We were initially scared and disappointed, but we understood that at this point, another surgery needed to be done or else she wouldn't survive.

Shunts don't last forever. They break. They get infected. They often malfunction. As long as she has it, I felt like we will always worry something might happen. She was declared to be "shunt dependent", and underwent her 6th surgery on November 7th.

Although I felt like this hospitalization was the most difficult for all of us, everything that happened before this had prepared us mentally and spiritually for this time. There were definitely many times where I felt so helpless and terrified out of my skin. I would quietly escape to the bathroom, fall to my knees, sobbing in fear and crying out to God for help. Despite all this, our faith has never been shaken. I know without a doubt, that Grace and our family are going through this for a very specific purpose. We've had a lot visitors come by to see Grace. Among them were friends from Chicago (Dave and Sarah Ly), and several close friends from Rochester Chinese Church. One day, a pastor's wife who is closely involved with RCC came with our friend Shi-Gao. She visited with us for a bit, and the words that she spoke truly touched my heart. She looked at Grace, and said with such conviction: "God has something extremely special planned for this little girl in the future. We don't know what, but she's going to be incredible. Just wait and see." My  heart was suddenly filled with warmth and joy. I suddenly felt just so much excitement. Aaron and I looked at each other and we were just overcome with a sense of happiness, that we were chosen to be the parents to this wonderful, beautiful little girl, who is going to be incredible someday in ways that we cannot see. She has already been such a blessing and such a great testimony.

Grace was able to come home 2 weeks ago. She's doing great! She's eating again, gaining her weight back and is back to her normal self. Each day she does something new that surprises us. She's even starting to say some words. We are weaning her anti-epileptics and she is almost done with her Keppra. Her sutures are healing well, and she is as happy as can be. She's turning 1 years old on Monday. We were able to celebrate a little bit early with her yesterday :)

 Grace with Grandma

We prayed for a miracle. She has been a miracle from the very beginning. Given all that she has gone through, 6 brain surgeries, septic shock, seizures... I look at her now, and she is just doing so well. She has not had ANY seizures. Although the shunt did have to go back in, miracles happen in His time and in His way. We just don't know how and when, but trust that He hears our prayers and will never forsake us. The shunt has also been a reminder to us that just like how Grace depends on it, it is like a reflection of our faith in Christ. We depend on it for our survival. There will be times where our faith can break, malfunction and get infected, but it can be restored and cleansed. Just like how the shunt has given Grace a chance at life, our spiritual shunt has given us a chance at eternal life. 

We will never know what will happen in the future for us, but we are ready and prepared to take any steps together with Grace to support her. It brings a smile to my face that many of you reading this today will also continue to walk with us throughout her journey. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

When it rains, it often pours, but the sun will always continue to shine. Our lives are always sunny with a side of something wonderful.