Winding down medical school...

I have 3 more days of this internal medicine rotation at UCI medical center. So far in medical school, I haven't felt as much as a doctor until this rotation. This is probably the busiest service I have been on, and I have been on many busy months. (most of my rotations are pretty hard core) As a fourth year medical student on the team, I was given responsibility as an intern (first year resident). I was given just as much patients to manage as the other 2 interns on my team. It is the first time I had to be the primary physician for all my patients. Previously, I had always act as a helper for the doctors on the team to get things done and to learn as much as I could about every case. However, this time, I am solely responsible to admit the patient, to order all their tests, talk to specialists about the patient's care, talk to social workers, case managers, families and educating the patients about how to understand their illness and how to care for their needs, and to discharge them from the hospital when I feel they are ready. I felt that the attending physicians and my senior residents trust my assessments and my patient care.

For about every 15 minutes I spend talking and examining patients, I spend another 1.5 to 2 hours every day doing everything else for that particular patient. Imagine if add all those hours up for 5 patients, I end up spending most of my day arranging consultations, following up on tests and imaging studies, and looking things up that I don't know. So, I have many patients, and it keeps me very busy. However, I felt rewarded in many ways to have the responsibilities to take care, arrange resources for someone and to see them go home healthier than the way they came it. (for the most part)

So, after this week, and after my last test in medical school on this Friday, everything is down hill from here. I have a month of easy rotation in Phoenix and then hopefully a month in South America to learn Spanish, if it works out.

As far as residency matches goes, I have submitted my rank list of programs that I desired after careful considerations and prayers. I feel very good about this list. I know that God will direct my path and He will guide me to wherever He wants me to be. I will find out on March 19 where I will go for the next 3 years for residency. I am so excited!

I am right now listening to some music that I bought from some youths in Cambodia. The group is called Olive Productions. It is really good Cambodian Christian music.

Ahkun Preah Ang!

Sex Slaves

Doesn't all this human trafficking and sex slavery and child labor disgust you? It does to me! I want to throw up every time I hear of it! Why do people think it is ok to do that to another human being? Is it monetary gains or sense of power? Or, is it a lack of reverence for God and a lack of respect for life? I think it is both!

So, recently, since I got back from Cambodia, and after my friend Lauren join the Polaris Project in the US, I’ve learned of another organization that is doing similar things. That is the HAGAR International project. This is a home grown project in Cambodia that helps women and children to get out of human trafficking and slavery by offering rehabilitation, shelter, and means of earning cash for living. I really like the idea of helping the helpless and the oppressed.

Cambodia, like many poor Southeast Asian countries and many African countries, the position women have in society is not equal to men. Many men are responsible for the propagation of prostitution and directly responsible for the spread of HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS has touted as the number ONE killer of people in Cambodia. Men have sex with prostitutes and come home and give it to their wife, or pass it all around, despite education. This has got to stop! How? I have no definitive idea, but through organizational efforts like the Polaris Project and Hagar International, hopefully one day, this world may be a safer place. I think these women and children are at the heart of God. Check it out!

Here is a video to how you can help: http://life.gaiam.com/gaiam/p/Fair-Trade-Paves-a-Way-Out-of-Human-Trafficking-in-Cambodia.html;jsessionid=12D00A58F141AB6C9044343458DDE5C3

(*) True Sabbath - Isaiah 58

Why do we act and behave righteously? Do we think we are pleasing God? Do we think we are 'being good?' or, do we do it to feel good about ourselves? Have we ever ask God: why don't You notice our humility and sacrifice as we worship You? Why, God, haven't You seen when we do a good thing for You or when we fasted and prayed in Your Name?

So, on your day of fasting, praying, or doing good deeds, how do you behave? Do you still utter bad language or anger out of the same lips you use to praise our Almighty God? Do you exploit your workers, friends, and family? On your day of fasting/Sabbath are you still finding yourself in frustration and quarreling?

Do you think that God has only chosen 1 day for us to humble ourselves before the Lord? Have you ever thought or expect that whatever we 'offer' to God is acceptable?

Many times we make 'Sabbath' an opportunity to prove to others or ourselves how 'holy and righteous' we are. This is NOT the Sabbath that God has designed. In Isaiah 58:6-9 God directly, without any hidden language, tells us what would happen to us when our hearts truly reflect the heart of God. When our hearts and minds truly align with God's heart and mind, we are blessed with the things that blesses God and our hearts break for those things that breaks His heart. Worship from the heart in purity and in truth is what pleases God. God's heart breaks for oppression, injustice, hunger, homeless, and the poor. When our hearts break for the poor and seeks opportunity to serve them, our hearts are aligned with God's heart.

Of course, when we talk about faith and deeds, one without the other is meaningless and your confession in the Lord is not genuine. We should walk the talk and talk the walk.

If we can address the needs of the oppressed and poor, God's promises are real.

He said:

"The LORD will guide you always;

He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land

and will strengthen your frame.

You will be like a well-watered garden,

like a spring whose water never fail."

If you keep the Sabbath holy and a delight

and honor it by not going your own way,

then you will find your joy in the LORD.

(*) Encouragement from Isaiah 57

As the LORD speaks... True Grace...

v2 Those who walk uprightly enter into peace;
they find rest as they lie in death.

v13 But the man who makes Me his refuge will inherit
the land and possess My holy mountain.

v15 I live in a high and holy place,

but also with who is contrite and lowly in spirit,

to revive the spirit of the lowly

and to revive the heart of the contrite.

v16 I will not accuse forever,

nor will I always be angry,

for then the spirit of man would grow faint before me

the breath of man that I have created.

v17 I was enraged by his sinful greed;

I punish him, and hid my face in anger,

yet he kept on in his willful ways.

v18 I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;

I will guide him and restore comfort to him.

v21 "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."

Cambodia - Post-Trip Update

Jim Rip Sua! (Formal hello in Khmer) This is called the 'Sompiah,' with palms pressed together and say 'jim rip sua' as you greet another. So, hello :)

I want to begin by thanking God for His divine guidance and protection, and to you for your continuous support and prayers. I have now been back from Cambodia for 2 weeks, and I have just begun to unpack my thoughts. I’ve learned so much about the history of the country and its people during my short 17 day stay there.

Dr. Pat (Pediatrician) and his wife Kacie with 3 kids [Trent (6yo), Diana (4yo), Talia (2yo)] and I landed in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia 2 days after we left LAX. I love this family. They are so much fun.

Though my interests are in medicine and public health, I did not have any experience in their applications abroad. Since Dr. Pat has been doing this all over the world for the last 10 years, he decided to take me under his wings to show me how things work. I knew I have a lot to learn, so I have prepared myself to be as flexible as possible and to enjoy anything we get to be a part of. After we arrived at Phnom Penh, we spent about a week visiting churches, clinics, government agencies, and various NGOs to get feedbacks in how we can achieve our objective. Our goal was to set up a reproducible and sustainable ‘Community Health Program.’ This program would involve training Health-Promoters (HP) to become educators of health and hygiene in a pre-selected community. We would develop the HPs to grow in their skills of health and hygiene promotion and also in discipleship of their spiritual maturity. Their role is to make relationships in the community they serve and eventually transforming their health and hygiene standards and to help in the efforts of helping their community to know God better.

After meeting with various local resources, Dr. Pat and I developed a completed proposal for the Community Health Promotion Program. We also participated in a Health and Hygiene Seminar as teachers: Dr. Pat, Denise (dental hygienist), Hung (our wonderful God-sent translator), and I. I start the session by teaching topics of first-aid, followed by Denise’s oral-health lectures, and ended by Dr. Pat’s lessons on how to clean water, how to make oral rehydration solution, and diarrhea prevention/management. There were about 18 students in attendance from towns all over Cambodia. We have numerous question/answering sessions and breakout practical sessions built into the curriculum. At the end of the 3-day seminar, we invited them to stand in front of the class and teach all of us on any one topic of their choice, which many of them did with passion and zest. We felt that the students had a very good understanding of the material and are ready to teach. One of the most exciting and necessary part of the seminar is the topic of spiritual applications along with each health and hygiene topic. As we know, the most important reason that people seek healthcare, also often least addressed, is for emotional/spiritual assurance. So, as teachers, we offered tools by way of applicable Bible verses and simple visuals that the HPs could integrate into their health and hygiene education.

Some fun things we did were traveling to see different temples (Ankor Wat and Ta Prohm in Siem Reap), Toul Sleng Prison and the Killing Fields, Military AID/HIV Hospital, and friends in Battambang. Ankor Wat is the national symbol of Cambodian pride. It was built in the middle ages at the height of the Ankor Empire. It is also the 7th man-made wonders of the world and the largest religious structure on the planet.

Ta Prohm, the temple depicted to the left, is a temple where trees grew out of the structures… also a temple filmed in Tomb-Raiders the movie… it is where God’s creations overcame the man-made building designed for spiritual oppression. It is a simple, yet powerful, display of God’s glory. All creation testifies to the knowledge of our Heavenly King. Simply awesome!!!
Along the way, we tasted many good Cambodia dishes and got to mingle with the locals. I have promised myself to eating at least one Khmer dish every day, and fell in love with the noodle-soup breakfast. And for me, one of the most exciting parts is to learn some language! I was able to greet, order my food, and count my numbers…

Here is a fast list of my first impressions: crazy traffic of cars/motorcycles/people going in all directions; beautiful smiles that stretches from ear to ear; rural feeling everywhere I go, even in many part of the capital; public sanitation is a literal disaster; not much of a public health infrastructure; air pollution is at least 10x worst than L.A.; overwhelming poverty; delicious foods; mosquitoes everywhere; and most of all, the pure hearts of youth who love our Father.

Cambodian Sunset... I love this picture.

Cambodia Highlights ... yay

Welcome to my Cambodia pictures... I'll walk you through my journey.

This is a picture of the Throne Hall (Preah Tineang tevea Vinichhay) in the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. The second picture is a model of Ankor Wat, the symbol of Khmer pride, the great temple built in AD1100's at the height of the Ankor Empire. Behind the model on left is a little house on a stand. It is a 'spirit house' where many Buddhist/animists make offerings to appease the spirits. You can find spirit houses everywhere in Southeast Asia, its presence symbolized the invisible spiritual oppression of Satan.

The typical day in Phnom Penh, the heavy morning air filled with burning trash on the sides of streets, mix with beckoning aroma of the Khmer breakfast, and bustling scenes of business dealings, along with stench of the motor exhaust... ahhh, so full of life! The next picture is a woman sorting through rice to hand pick out impurities. Khmer rice is special, like other Asian rices, it has a special aroma and consistency.

The village, and me on a bamboo bridge! It was bouncy!

Skinny cow, and a poor rendition of the 'spirit house.' Some salted fish, a Khmer stable, they eat this with rice. That is what gets most village people through life.

Beautiful village kids.

Middle class housing... no railings. Kids at a school. Go back to class!

Ankor Wat, this is where my camera died.

Ta Prohm. Go ahead, crush those stone Mr. Tree!

All creation groan waiting for the sons of God to be revealed. I believe it.

Battlefield Acupuncture

I was so excited to see this article appear in the Spring 2009 edition of Acupuncture Today. So, let me tell you the story. When I was taking my medical acupuncture training back in December 2008, I learn about a technique called 'Battlefield Acupuncture.' It is a technique discovered by a US Air Force physician, Col. Dr. Niemtzow, and he has been using this 'secret' in the battlefield of the Iraq war and the war in Afghanistan... and it has worked wonders for wounded soldiers. Basically, it is a technique of 5 acupuncture needles to specific points of the ear that changes any pain level from, ex. 8/10 pain, to 1.5/10 pain. Amazing huh?! Well, it worked! I've seen it done by the instructor of the course I'm currently taking, Joseph Helms MD, the founder of the Helms Medical Institute.

So, according to this article, seeing the effectiveness of Dr. Niemtzow's work, the US Air Force, a government agency, has approved 32 scholarships for Air Force physicians to be trained in Medical Acupuncture! They are collaborating with the Helms Medical Institute for this effort!

Yay, this is going to be very good for the soldiers who are suffering with pain, and acupuncture with Chinese Medicine could also have amazing efficacies in addressing Post-Traumatic Stress. It is so exciting. As I'm studying more of this art of Chinese medicine and acupucture, I can see more uses for its applications grow with each patient I encounter.

(*) "First they killed my father" - A book that deepened my love for the Cambodian people

This is an awesome book! A very heart wrenching book, not for the weak of heart. I read this book in 2 days and many parts made me cry. My heart was moved for the injustice and pain they had to endure. I cannot imagine the hunger, the waiting, and the emotional/physical torture that they had to endure. I felt that this book gave me a very good idea of what it was like to live through the darkest part of human history. In a small part, I understand.

As I read on and reflect, I cannot imagine God's beautiful creatures, such as the Cambodian people, mistreat each other in the name of 'hardwork' and 'ethnic purity.' My thoughts take me to many other similar examples such as: the welded iron letters on Dauchau's gates claiming that 'work is salvation;' the war children in Uganda as documented in the movie "War Dance;" the Japanese occupation of Taiwan that my grandparents survived through; the Manchurian massacre by the Japanese; the ethnic cleansing by the Nazi's around WWII; the ethnic cleansing in Rwanda as depicted in "Hotel Rwanda;" and many many more... Many are not mentioned, war-crimes never brought to justice, war-criminals never tried... A complete disregard for the santity of life is a complete disregard for God.

In fact, as I ponder this point, it makes sense why things like this happen. When we denied the existance of God, things like this happen. I cannot imagine the world without the presence of God and the Holy Spirit. As we think about the topic of how God protects us, here is the evidence.

I have spend the last 3 weeks in Cambodia, mainly in the capital, Phnom Penh. I also spent sometime in Siem Reap visiting the Wats (temples) and 2 days in Battambang visiting some friends. I found that there are many unique features of this land previously unknown to me. I'm impressed with their (1) rich past history of their culture and once the largest empires in southeast Asia, (2) evidences of their turbulent near past with the Pol Pot/Khmer Rouge oppression 30 years ago to this year, and (3) the beauty of their people.

Another interesting fact is that 75% of the present 15 million population are less than 30 years of age, and 50% of them are under age 21. Talk about the age distribution!!! 35 years ago, the Khmer Rouge, the 'Red Communist' soldiers, raised in power with their leader, Pol Pot, in April 1975 and was put out of power by the Vietnamese army in January 1979. The Khmer Rouge killed about 2 million of a total of 7 million people during those 5 years of tyrrany. Their objective was to restore ethnic purity to the 'true' Ankor Empire that was made up of only 'hard working Khmer people.' Which means that they kill anyone with an education or any foreigners (non-Khmer). Inevitabily, their crazy ideas also killed many of their own. The atrocities are detailed in this book.

It is this very reason that every Cambodian-origin person you meet today over the age of 30 will have gone through this tragedy and quite possibly have witness family dying under the iron fists of Pol Pot. It is a population with incredible Post-Traumatic Stress, yet, not many talk about it. Many of these people are forever locked in their emotions and has trouble with forgiveness, trust, and change. In contrasted, the 75% of under-30's Cambodian youth today that has never experienced the war holds a very different sets of values than the former. Eventhough, they have seen the evidence of the war in their parents, the war is not their story. I find the youth in Cambodia to be quite vibrant and open and wanting change. Many of them want justice. It will be exciting to see what happens next. This is a culture in transition as we speak...

We need to act. As communist idea purges religious practices, the freedom and openness to choice is now. As you and I know, our desire for spiritual fulfillment will never be quenched. People are seeking. People are putting faith into things that inspire fear and shame. As their brother and sisters, we need to develope character and integrity in the youth of Cambodia before the 'oppressive - materialism' that has plagued many 'westernized' countries takes over. Another issue is that the current Priminister of Cambodia is an ex-Khmer Rouge, and has prevented many of the war-criminals of Pol Pot's regime from coming before justice. He has been heard to say that if he does not get re-elected as PM this coming election, he will promise a civil war. Please pray for this country. I have come to love this country and its people. I think they are beautiful with a fervent heart for the LORD and the Good News. Pray for courage. Pray for encouragement. Pray for strength to live as Christ lived. Pray for transformation. Pray for revival. Pray for the youth!

In short, I am going to write much more about Cambodia... I have been deeply moved and am wondering what this experience means to me and my future. I want to tell you all about it and post some pictures, so, stay tuned...

(*) Mother India

Here is a song lyric I want to share. It's not a new song, but a song that touched me. Imagine as we sit before our computers in our comfortable home, there is a large population of people in India that are suffering social injustice. They are called the Dalits (='downtrodden'), the "untouchables," or simply 'outside the caste system.' This is where you get the words and meaning of 'out-caste' or 'caste-out.' They are about a population of 250million people, roughly the size of the entire US population. Traditionally, they are treated worst than slaves. A lot of them have very little potential to succeed in the Indian society partly due to the 'Caste System,' partly due to traditions that other Indians hold on to. Jesus Christ, Son of God, in very nature God, declared that all man to be equal. Jesus spoke against the miss treatment of the poor, orphans, and widowed. Jesus also said that He will be their defender! Here are more information if you are interested:

http://www.dalitnetwork.org/
http://www.dalitvoice.org/

Mother India by Caedmon's Call
Father God, You have shed Your tears for Mother India
They have fallen to water ancient seeds
That will grow into hands to touch the untouchable
How blessed are the poor, the sick, the weak

Father, forgive me, for I have not believed
Like Mother India, I have groaned and grieved
Father, forgive me, I forgot Your grace
Your Spirit falls on India and captures me in Your embrace

The serpent spoke and the world believed its venom
Now we're ten to a room or compared with magazines

There's a land where our shackles turn to diamonds
Where we trade in our rags for a royal crown
In that place, our oppressors hold no power
And the doors of the King are thrown wide