The Duke AVS course is a biannual forum where surgeons could discuss the latest and most advanced techniques and instrumentation in vitreoretinal surgery. But to a fellow, the most important part is in fact the AVS fellows’ skit. Even more important than our clinical skills or research accomplishments, the quality of the skit has been considered the most important factor on how Duke fellows are judged. Over the past weeks, my colleagues and I spent nearly every waking moment putting together the video, surviving on online take-out from Papa John’s and Chipotle while enduring the prolonged winter cold. Even my free weekend trial of Elder Scrolls Online had to be cut short by all the video-editing. Together, we experienced and endured each other’s idiosyncrasies, scrutinzing and nitpicking through every detail of the skit – the script, the lighting, the camera angles, the music, the choreography, the lyrics, the white balances, video filters, the infinite white background, and even the font choice for subtitles. The fact that the four of us, with our particular, detail-oriented, and obsessive-compulsive personalities, could accomplish this without killing each other was beyond me. But the result was a highly-polished production that has surpassed all my previous skits, and the great reception we received last night was immensely satisfying. Years from now, we will have forgotten all the lectures or even the fancy speaker dinner at the Angus Barn, but we will never forget the experience of creating the AVS Skit of 2014. The show can now be seen on YouTube.

My newly published paper has been garnering interest of late, having swept much of the awards circuit this year. The most recent and by far most generous was the Evangelos S. Gragoudas award, which gained me entry to the exclusive Macula Society meeting this year. Despite the cash award, I was unwilling to shell out for the pricey Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo where the conference was held, and opted instead for a Travelodge in Florida City some 30 miles south of Miami. My trip began inauspiciously, however. With my laptop in the shop and my tablet charger left in our Charleston hotel, I had to borrow my co-fellow’s laptop. And just when I thought things couldn’t be worse, I overslept again, and had to speed to RDU to barely make my flight, only to realize that I had forgotten my cell phone also. After an annoying hour-long wait at Hertz and almost having to take a 12-person van due to the shortage of rental cars, my luck turned around and I was given a snazzy ride for the road. My GPS rental also turned out to have cell phone service and unlimited WiFi hotspot functionality, which made me feel better by the time I settled into my hotel Wednesday night. The meeting itself ran daily from 7am to 1pm, which gave me a chance to explore around. I spent Thursday afternoon in Miami beach, where I enjoyed a refreshing ceviche on the grass while watching the police handcuff a guy on the nearby sidewalk. From the Art Deco Welcome Center, I purchased a self-guided walking tour, which led me through the neighborhood to appreciate the unique architectural elements – curved corners, vertical lines, eyebrows over windows, and “rule of threes” – that characterized the Art Deco movement. Dinner at famous Joe’s Stone Crab included five large stone crab claws with nothing else needed. Lunch on Friday was fish and chips at the Fish House in Key Largo, where the fish of the day turned out to be dolphin. I spent the afternoon catching up on papers and reviews before the evening gala on the beach, where I sat next to Dr. Gragoudas himself and received much unsolicited life/career advice. The meeting also gave me a chance to discuss research with our NEI collaborators and chat about scheduling with future UCD colleagues. After my award talk on Saturday, which has been well-rehearsed by now, I drove to Little Havana to immerse in the Cuban atmosphere, passing cigar shops and intense games of dominoes at Maximo Gomez Park, before getting lunch at Versailles with arroz con pollo, followed by an order of chicharonnes from El Palacio de los Jugos for the flight back. Feeling refreshed after coming home, I wonder if my lack of cell phone access these few days did more good than harm?

Our plan to have my wife visit for the long weekend and spend Valentine’s Day in Charleston was nearly foiled by another polar vortex which dumped only 4 inches of snow, but was enough to cripple Durham. After multiple flight cancellations and some franctic rescheduling, Melody finally made it here Friday morning. We filled on crisp pork belly noodles & pumpkin curry at Bida Manda, then crashed in bed all afternoon until dinner at Yamazushi, where the 8-course kaiseki meal was both a gastronomic and visual experience with highlights that included mind-blowing uni and perfectly-seared black cod. We spent the evening trying out Last of Us, which featured a zombie-infested post-apocalyptic world and Naughty Dog’s iconic cinematics and excellent voice acting. The late-night gaming made us oversleep on Saturday, necessitating a caffeine-fueled high speed drive down to Charleston to make our reservation at Husk. Here, the tasty pork belly lettuce wrap appetizer was followed by an amazing shrimp and grits preparation that easily beats out the other versions I’ve tried in NC. We walked off the meal past several old churches and an underwhelming Old Slave Mart Museum, before reaching the Waterfront Park where we relaxed on the swinging bench and enjoyed hazelnut gelato. There were some events related to the Southwest Wildlife Expo, but we opted instead for another nap at the hotel before dinner. At FIG, which stands for “Food is Good,” we dined on soft, fluffy ricotta gnocchi and earthy liver pate appetizers, followed by a salty triggerfish entree and an incredible fish stew that had me mixing in my own roux and sipping the broth in utter ecstasy. On Sunday, we drove out to Magnolia to experience one of several renowned plantations in the area. Although the gardens were devoid of blossoming flora, Melody was more interested in the fauna, which included a small friendly hen and licky deer at the petting zoo, and turtle and alligator sightings at the Audubon Swamp. A tour of the house also gave some insight into the Drayton family and plantation life. After sharing some shad roe scramble and a low country omelette at Hominy Grill, we toured the city market on our way to McCrady’s. Having watched the second season of Mind of a Chef, we had high expectations from Sean Brock’s high-end restaurant, which delivered with a solid 4-course tasting menu for each of us. Afterwards, we stopped by the Peninsula Grill to take home a slice of their world famous 12-layer coconut cake to munch on as we watched Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy’s reprise in Before Midnight on our tablet in bed. We drove back on Sunday, making a pit stop at Fallout-esque South of the Border and grabbing some Korean food for lunch before Melody’s flight back. Once again, our weekend trip felt too short. But amidst Charleston’s charm, the comfort of Southern cuisine, nostalgic video gaming, movie watching in bed, and a box of Girl Scout Thin Mints as a gift – Valentine’s Day has never been more romantic.

My article on laser safety has finally been published and to my surprise, has garnered some notice in the media from Reuters and Fox News, although the attention seemed more focused on my advisor than me. I did receive a phone interview from the folks at LaserPointerSafety.com, which is probably all the fame I can handle for now. Meanwhile, filming has begun on our AVS skit this weekend, and I was impressed by our faculty’s dedication and willingness to make fools of themselves. With four type-A OCD retina fellows sharing the role of screenwriter, director, and editor, I’m confident that the final production will be of epic proportions – assuming that we don’t kill each other first. I’m gunning for my “Breaking Bad Surgeons” script to be the showstopper, although it will have to compete with a Mission Impossible heist scene, an “A-Team” parody, and a Chippendales revue. On a related note, now that I’m done with 6 seasons of Breaking Bad, 3 seasons of Spartacus and 5 seasons of Arrested Development, I’ve decided to make my first foray into the Doctor Who universe. There is much discussion among geeks on which season for first-timers to start watching the long-running sci-fi show. The general consensus seems to be Russell Davies’ reboot of the series in 2005 after a 16-year hiatus. And so my journey begins with the Ninth Doctor, as I embark on my adventures with Rose, TARDIS, Cybermen, and Daleks. Delete! Exterminate!

Chinese New Year and my birthday both fell on the same week this year, prompting a visit from my parents for the double celebration. Now midway through my fourth decade, I did not feel the same urge to rejoice, but instead had a low-key, homecooked dinner with my folks at the apartment. This was good as I was off again the following day to sunny Miami to attend the AUPO conference. Having my project selected for the Resident-Fellow Research Forum meant that I had to present my data again, for the third time, although I was pleased to soak up another honorarium. The event was held at the Trump National Doral Resort, which despite millions of dollars in recent renovations, remained unfinished. The ongoing construction made navigating the expansive property difficult. As consolation, we were given a $50 resort credit, which I ended up spending for a monstrous dine-in breakfast. The talk itself went smoothly with little rehearsal, and I celebrated by walking to nearby La Esquina del Lechon, where their pan con lechon paired well with some chicharrones and a guava nectar. I returned to Durham the next morning in time for dim sum and a Chinese NY dinner with my parents at the Hong Kong. Since this year coincides with my zodiac sign (which forbodes bad fortune), I will need to be extra careful and watch my back.

The Retina Fellow’s Forum took place in the Windy City this year in the midst of January. The snow and chill assured that all 85 of us graduating fellows remained a captive audience as we sat through 2 days of back-to-back didactic sessions, industry-sponsored endorsements, free instrument/lens giveaways, career guidance, and an epic bowl-off at 10-Pin Lounge. The mix of sushi and nasty bowling balls was a strange combination, but I came away a lucky winner of Insight’s shameless “Great CA$H Giveaway.” This visit to Chicago also gave me a chance to finally try out Rick Bayliss’ Frontera Grill, although the tacos, taquitos, and enchiladas, while good, did not live up to the hype. With the cash winnings, as well as several other recent, more merit-based awards, I decided to expand my disk space real estate, with a pair of 3TB WD Red’s and a Samsung 840 EVO SSD, as part of my grand scheme for better data storage, sharing, and backup. I also got my hands on a lightly-used Traktor Kontrol S4 MIDI controller, which I bought for a fraction of the MSRP after months of bargain hunting on Ebay. With the help of a nifty online course from Udemy, my new toy has allowed me to take my first plunge into music mixing and the world of DJ’ing. Sadly, my financial luck streak has also been offset by a number of tech misfortunes, with my laptop LCD panel pooping out, the SATA port of my Red drive snapping off, and even my trusty 18-55mm Nikkor lens failing all within a few weeks. To ward off the bad mojo, I took my parents out to a nice dinner at Poole’s Diner to kick start their 2 week visit to spend my birthday and Chinese New Year with me.

Several extra days in Sacramento with my wife was the perfect way to unwind after our traumatically-delayed flight home from Costa Rica. This of course involved eating a lot of comfort food like ramen, bun rieu, and Cantonese seafood. Since Melody had to cover clinic on Friday, I stayed home with the rats while editing photos from the trip. After a forgettable dinner at Mulvaney’s, we brought home treats from Ginger Elizabeth and Ettore’s to snack on while curing the world of Pandemic. Having watched Will Wheaton and friends hilariously tackle this board game, we were enticed by the clever game mechanics and cooperative play, and were not disappointed. We spent Saturday morning taking holiday photos with Gus and Walter, but the mood turned when I received an email that my flight home was canceled. Incredulous, we called United again and was placed on hold for a record 5 hours, which lasted through our dinner with the in-laws at Lollibowl and Lollicup. We finally had to settle for a flight leaving from San Jose, which was 2 hours away by car. Fortunately, we felt a little better after some fresh dim sum and soy sauce noodles from 99 Ranch and pastries from Kee Wah Bakery. Flying on Delta also got me upgraded on both legs of the flight, which provided comfy chairs, delicious raviolis, and Belgian chocolate gelatos on my way home. Anyway, photos for Costa Rica are up on the Travel page. Enjoy!

With several attendings gone and co-fellows helping to cross-cover, I was able to arrange my first week-long vacation in fellowship to spend New Year’s with my wife. The options were slim given the little time we had to plan, the costly airfare flying from different cities, and most hotels being sold-out for the holidays. We ultimately decided to explore ecotourism in Costa Rica at the Los Angeles “cloud forest”, a private nature reserve that was more secluded than the better-known Monteverde cloud forest. Our trip began on Saturday with a morning flight to San Jose, where my wife, despite having overslept her connection, was able to rendevous with me. Our 2-hour bumpy drive to Villa Blanca did not help Melody’s migraine, but we recovered after settling into our casita, a quiet little sanctuary overlooking the misty, picturesque landscape. After dinner and a good night’s sleep, we awoke next morning for a day at La Paz Waterfall Gardens. We were thankful to have opted for a private transfer instead of the cheaper group tour so that we could take our time enjoying the kaleidoscope of animal species – delicate butterflies, hefty toucans, ferocious parrots, buzzing hummingbirds, agile monkeys, colorful dart frogs, slithering snakes, and restless jungle cats – along with our niece’s school project Flat Stephanie. The lunch buffet was simple but satisfying – a welcome break from the repetitive resort menu. Before dinner, we embarked on a guided night hike, where the 10 pairs of eyes in our group located a variety of frogs, toads, spiders, and walking-stick insects, but sadly no sloths or other larger animals. On Monday, we learned to zipline among the San Luis canopies, where our professional guides and well-equipped 12-cable trail kept us feeling safe as we glided and swung through the trees. The final “superman” cable sent us soaring 106m above ground along a 552m cable back to our launch site, where we dined on delicious typical cuisine at La Arboleda. We spent the afternoon exploring the self-guided trail before trying a new board game beside our wood-burning fireplace. Next day, after trying our hands at milking a cow, we returned to San Jose. From our hotel, we set out on foot to explore bustling Central Boulevard, where we got a taste of the culture and energy of the capital city. After very authentic fare at Nuestra Tierra, we scoured the nearby crafts market for souvenirs, then returned to the hotel exhausted from all the walking. We had our New Year’s Eve dinner at the hotel restaurant, considered the best in the city, where the beautiful courtyard view made for a perfect night of celebration. Sadly, we fell asleep soon after ABC’s 30 Greatest Women in Music countdown, and could barely hear the firecrackers sound off at midnight as we drifted into peaceful slumber with Dick Clark’s NY Rockin’ Eve playing in the background. With most businesses closed on New Year’s Day, we found reprieve with HK-style dim sum at Wong’s to celebrate our last day in Costa Rica. We didn’t make it back to Sacramento until almost 4am next morning, thanks to a 4-hour delay at our Houston layover, where United’s food voucher only got us hot chocolate since the airport restaurants were mostly closed. Luckily, our board game kept us occupied and we had all of Thursday to recover. While our trip to Costa Rica would have been more satisfying without the airport drama, or if we had seen more animals, we were nevertheless thankful to have the time together, and to experience a unique New Year experience abroad.

After many months of negotiations and awaiting a “partners of opportunity” waiver to go through, I’ve finally signed my contract to join the staff at UC Davis. The process has been so dragged out that the moment seemed anti-climactic in retrospect, but it does make for a nice holiday present. Meanwhile, with online sales abound, I’ve also treated myself to a few new toys, including Google’s Chromecast and a new Harmony remote to replace my dead one. Despite the bluetooth capability, I still can’t shake the habit of pointing it at the TV. With many of our faculty gone for the holidays, I was also able to spend my extra hours harvesting research data and catching up with my colleagues in training. Last weekend, my co-fellows and I spent a 7-hour pow-wow session banging out ideas for the upcoming AVS skit over take-out Italian. This followed our residents and fellows holiday bash, where the annual white elephant gift exchange left me with more junk (this time with hyphema-inducing capability). Despite the meager turn-out this year, we had our customary night out in Chapel Hill after the shindig. Sadly, my other holiday outings have been lackluster – subpar paella at Taberna Tapas, salty pho at Sushi Love, and wok hay-lacking drunken noodles from Pad Thai – one of few places open in my local ghetto on Christmas Day. I will definitely need to redeem myself over my upcoming vacation week. My stomach demands satisfaction, sir!

My old high school friend flew in from Ohio to visit this weekend, which gave me the chance to introduce her to the breadth of Durham cuisine. On Friday, we drove directly from the airport to the newly-opened branch of The Pit in Durham. Despite running out of almost all the barbeque we wanted, the restaurant gave us a thoroughly satisfying feast. A poorly-timed fire alarm chased us out of the restaurant before we could pay, so the meal ended up on the house. After dinner, I sampled the drinking chocolate at Cocoa Cinnamon before we crashed back home. Next morning, we overslept our lunch reservations, and explored downtown Durham a bit before dining on reliable chicken and waffles at Dame’s. We bought a slice of pie from Beyu Caffe to go, napped for most of the afternoon, then awoke for fair French bistro at Rue Cler for dinner, followed by ice-cream at Francesca’s. Before her flight out, we drove to Chapel Hill for famous shrimp n’ grits at Crook’s Corner for brunch. Although I didn’t feel like a good host, having spent the entire weekend just eating and sleeping, we agreed afterwards that it gave us the relaxation and recuperation we both so needed.