With all the traveling I’ve endured over the past few months, I was relieved to learn that I’ve at least earned silver medallion status on Delta. So with my free upgrades, I was able to fly back to NYC in first-class comfort to spend Thanksgiving with my family and friends. I avoided holiday travel anguish with an early morning flight on Thursday which landed in time for a dim sum brunch with my parents. A visit to my aunt gave me the chance to catch up with her family and alleviate some anxiety about her upcoming cataract surgery. After an afternoon nap, we feasted on a dinner of shark fin soup, conch with scallops, salty-spicy lobster, steamed fish, and pea pod stems to celebrate dad’s 70th birthday. I spent most of Friday catching up on sleep, awaking briefly for some homemade comfort food. This energized me for a full day hanging out with my college friends and their swarm of children buzzing around at the Museum of Natural History, followed by a stroll through East Village with my high school friend. Here, the crowds at Ippudo diverted us to the less busy Ramen Setagaya, where the gyolo ramen’s broad, flat springy noodles helped carry the savory, if a bit garlicky broth. At ChikaLicious, the prix fixe menu of amuse bouche, petite fours, and a main dessert of toasted almond cake complemented the meal nicely, but barely justified the $16 price tag. Fortunately, I filled up that evening on banquet-style Chinese seafood with a bunch of old family friends from some 25 years ago. The meal sent me straight into a food coma on my morning flight back and much of Sunday afternoon. Overall, the trip was relaxing, but unfortunately did not reset my sleep schedule as I had hoped.

This year’s AAO meeting brought me back to New Orleans, but there were plenty of other good reasons to revisit NOLA. My Southwest flight landed last Thursday evening just in time for us to catch the last seating at Mr. B’s for BBQ shrimp. The next day, I took an extended lunch break from Subspecialty Day to compare Emeril’s version of BBQ shrimp, then rubbed elbows with retina big-wigs at the Michels Fellowship reception before receiving my award. In the evening, I hung out with other Dukies and retina fellows at a Genentech dinner reception, then danced the night away at one of Cornea Society’s epic parties. Exhausted, I awoke late Saturday morning to the jazz brunch at Court of Two Sisters, then slept off my food coma through the rest of retina program. Afterwards, I stuffed myself again at the Duke reception and confirmed my ignorance at the Retinal Jeopardy event, before joining some residency friends for some hot jazz-rock at the Maison on Frenchmen. By the time the meeting officially started on Sunday, I already felt that things were winding down. After lunch at the Heed reception, I spent the afternoon scouting vendor booths to peruse surgical instruments and imaging devices for my job next year. I then roamed the French Quarter with a few friends, sampled sweet pralines, shared beignets at Cafe du Monde, and brushed with death over a sample of ghost pepper salsa (Bhot Jolokia: 2007 Guinness World Records’ hottest-known pepper and 400 times hotter than Tabasco sauce). I recovered enough to be coherent at the MEEI reception, then shared gossip with my old classmates over some jambalaya for dinner. On Monday, I was glad to have made it to Cochon Butcher for their muffaletta. But the day quickly turned south when I became engaged in a cat-and-mouse text exchange with a suspicious party who tried to sell us a shady diamond ring just 2 weeks after my wife lost hers. Fortunately, the failed interaction did not affect my presentation at the Duke VR course. I consoled myself afterwards at the CAOS banquet, where the research talks were drowned by the roar of the Asian diners enjoying chef Tommy Wong’s menu of Chinese food with a Cajun twist (seafood gumbo, stir fried alligator on bok choy hearts, honey-glazed pecan shrimp, etc.). It was rough waking up at 5am this morning for our flight home, and even tougher returning to clinic in the afternoon. But alas, I have survived NOLA for a second time, and it was every bit as good as my first trip there.

“This is the moment.” Mike the photographer gestured to me to look at my watch. It was 9:10am, November 12, 2013 … 9-10-11-12-13. Clever. There are moments in life that can forever define your future – the forks in the road, the branch points, the decision trees. My past two weeks have been a long, agonizing process of self-reflection, as I juggled the decision to pursue one of two job offers in Sacramento. To clarify, there were no “wrong” answer, as both positions were incredible – one a well-funded clinician-scientist faculty position in a collegial academic department; the other a premier, lucrative retina-only private practice with smart, friendly, and highly-motivated partners. A year ago, I would’ve been happy to have any job in NoCal to be with my wife. Yet, the two options I now face span two ends of a spectrum that straddles the ideal balance of research and clinical work that I had envisioned. I found solace in long discussions with friends, family, and colleagues from various stages of my career. I know in the end, I will have to just go with my gut and follow my heart, and take life as it comes. I felt the stress somewhat relieved at our fellowship interviews last week over drinks with the applicants and snacks with classmates from residency. In the meantime, I also completed round 4 of my instant noodle competition. As always, scores are for soup base, then noodles.

1. Weichuan Miso Vegetable Flavor (7, 5) – Good fermented soup with lots of goodies, but boring sub-par noodles reminds us of Weichuan’s mediocrity.
2. Vifon Instant Porridge Chicken Flavor (5, 7) – The well-textured porridge smells just like the real thing, but tastes more salty than chicken-y. Also, not technically a noodle.
3. Sapporo Ichiban Miso Ramen (6, 5) – Salty soup and floppy noodles reiterates the disappointment that is Sapporo Ichiban. Two thumbs down for such a promising name.
4. Nongshim AnSungTangMyun (8, 8) – The amazingly hearty, subtly-fermented broth is paired with noodles with just the right texture, inching past their tried and true Neoguri.
5. Good Bean Vermicelli – Artificial Minced Pork Flavour (6, 7) – Little rubbery meat balls slightly elevates the spicy-salty soup, and is paired with above-average bean vermicelli.
6. JML Artificial Spicy Hot Beef Flavour (4, 5) – The bowl was so spicy that I could barely taste the soggy noodles, or my tongue, after the fact. Not for the faint of heart.
7. Vina Acebook Mi Lau Thai Seafood Flavor (5, 4) – The somewhat umami yet ambiguously-flavored soup does little to complement the soft, rubbery noodles.
8. Six Fortune Broad Instant Noodles (7, 8) – A flavorful broth with just the right amount of kick pairs well with a nice, springy broad noodles that stand out from the rest.
9. Mama Hu Tieu Nam Vang (4, 6) – Mama makes pretty solid rice noodles, but all their broth seasoning seem to taste the same.

It was just 2 weeks before Melody’s visit this past weekend that the right side of my jaw began to ache. Mistaking it for a toothache, I went to a local dentist despite not having dental insurance, and found out that I was more likely suffering from TMJ. Apparently, sleeping with my face in the pillow and recent stressors at work may have contributed to the night time teeth grinding that resulted in this condition. Between hot compresses and jaw exercises, I picked up my wife from the airport on Thursday. With leftover Indian food and a fresh pot of homemade bun rieu, we alternated between sleep and wake throughout the night to adjust to the jet lag. On Friday, we had Q Shack for lunch, then after yet another cryptic Assassins Creed game ending, went to the American Tobacco district for dinner at L’uva. While looking for the next game to play, we chanced upon the Stanley Parable – a re-released version of a Half-Life mod that explored the concept of choice and free will from an office cubicle with witty British-accented narration. We finished the game that same night, just in time to drive down to Raleigh Saturday morning for the NC State Fair. After satisfying our Korean crave at Seoul Garden, we entered the fair grounds to continue our feast of soft-serve ice-cream, funnel cakes, and frozen bananas while watching pig shows and pig races. That night, we aptly dined on delicious NC-styled BBQ pork at The Pit to round out the experience. With an accumulation of leftovers in our fridge, we spent Sunday vegging out at home chowing down while watching the most recent Star Trek movie and episodes of Buffy and Arrested Development. Every one deserves to live like piggies once in a while.

After 3 consecutive weekends of traveling cross-country, I’m relieved to be finally back home despite being on call. Last week, I flew to Sacramento for my UC Davis interview, which unfortunately coincided with my wife’s conference in Seattle. We overlapped with just enough time for her to see my job talk and dine with the faculty at Plan B, ironically. After she left, I spent my second interview day touring the labs at Davis and hanging at her home with the rats. On Saturday, I made sure to get my ramen and banh cuon fix before my red-eye flight home. This past weekend, I headed West again for my interview at UC Irvine, which showed me a very different approach to academic medicine. The recruitment dinner at Anqi introduced me to the hip Asian culture of Orange County, while my return flight the next day let me revisit Popeye’s at ATL. All the traveling has given me plenty of mileage from my Surface, and for my Delta account. It’s also given me some down time to explore a few shows like Breaking Bad and Arrested Development, which I was able to try out on my new Roku. Sadly, it’s hard for me to enjoy my brief moments of procrastination without feeling bad or guilty. So I’m sure it won’t be long before I plunge myself back into work next week.

My trip to LA for the Retina Society meeting this year also gave me a chance to immerse briefly in the hyped up culture of old Hollywood and Beverly Hills. My fellowship research award provided the all-expense-paid trip, which included a 3 night stay at the Beverly Hilton, where the retro 1970s facade contrasted with the recently-remodeled, stylish interior. Our Thursday morning arrival gave us time to wander Rodeo Drive and lunch out at Psy-endorsed Bibigo for pajeon and steak bibimbap. We returned to attend afternoon case presentations before the poolside dinner reception. My award lecture on Friday was well-received, and it felt good to be recognized by experts in the field. I celebrated with friends at the swanky dinner reception at the Getty Museum, followed by drinks at Mastro’s, where the chatter of the hip crowd discussing films, records, and modeling made us feel out of place. The black-tie dinner banquet on Saturday was even more impressive, held in the lavish hotel ballroom where the Golden Globes are held. The great food, live music, and dancing, was only a warm up to the afterparty at Westwood’s Whiskey Blue at the W Hotel. By Sunday, the meeting was winding down and a crowd of beautiful people were checking in for the Guess district manager meeting. I spent the afternoon working at the hotel lobby while waiting for my red-eye flight home, but not before seizing the opportunity to sample rib-eye steak frites at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bistro for lunch, and risotto and gnocchi from Wolfgang Puck’s Spago for dinner. It’s reassuring that even as our government is shutting down, that the bold and beautiful of Beverly Hills will continue to thrive.

This year’s NCSEPS and NCRC meetings were both held in Asheville, which gave me an excuse to get out of town for the weekend. I headed out after OR on Friday, arriving just in time for the Retina Club dinner at Curate, where the salt cod puree and fried eggplant were still as good as I remembered. The constant drizzle on Saturday thwarted my hiking plans. So after presenting my poster in the morning, I returned to explore downtown, filling on dahi sev papdi and samosa chaat at Chai Pani, lamb gyro and fish tacos at the White Duck Taco Shop, and a big mug of oaxaca from the French Broad Chocolate Lounge. I took an afternoon nap in the car for a couple of hours amidst the downpour, then awoke to notice a newly-opened pinball museum nearby. Intrigued, I paid the $10 admission and spent another 2 hours reliving childhood memories of my favorite coin arcade pastime (mainly because I lacked the button-mashing skills for Street Fighter). The collection ranged from retro machines dating back to the 1950s to fancier ones from the 1990s like the Addams Family and Simpsons games which I so fondly remember. The weather recovered beautifully on Sunday, which made for a pleasant morning drive to Looking Glass Falls before I returned to the meeting to pick up a first-place award for the poster competition. I planned the drive back home along scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, stopping first at Mt Mitchell, the tallest peak of the Appalachians and highest point east of the Mississippi River. The observation tower at the summit offered awesome panoramas, while the Balsam Nature Trail provided macro shots of moss and ferns. Sadly, I had to abandon the other stops from my itinerary due to bad internet directions leading me astray for 3 hours along tortuous downhill US-50. I consoled myself with a bowl of pho from Vanloi 2 in Greensboro on the way back home. Despite missing out on the other waterfalls, my time with mother nature helped revitalize me for a busy OR at the VA tomorrow.

Thanks again to Slickdeals, I ended a 2-year affair with my Android-enabled Nook Color and welcomed the new Microsoft Surface RT into my life. The $200 refurbished deal which included the touch cover was too good to pass up, especially since I was able to unload the old Nook on Craigslist for a good price also. My first week with the tablet has been a positive experience, with native support for Skydrive and Office 2013, which will also include Outlook with the new 8.1 upgrade due later this year. The app store is somewhat meager, but does include some good ones like Netflix, Zinio, Skype, and recently, Plex. This program provides a beautiful media front end with a 10-foot user interface along with a back end media server on my PC, which will likely replace PlayOn and PS3 Media Server. My only gripe with Windows RT is with the absence of Google integration (for obvious reasons) such as Chrome, Maps, and Drive. Fortunately, my weekend call has been quiet, and gave me a chance to play around with the new toy, and even kick back with my co-fellows for Friday night dinner. I’ll give it a few weeks to see how well it works, then decide to either keep it or flip it for a profit.

After being out of town for 3 weekends in a row, I was relieved to be home for Labor Day – a welcomed break for me to finally get some work done. After cooking up a big pot of Spam soup, I spent most of the weekend indoors. By the end of the 3-day weekend, I had completed a book chapter, a case report manuscript, 3 weeks of laundry, and the critically-acclaimed indie game Gone Home, which I played from start to finish in just two sittings. The interactive story-telling game was reminiscent of classic games from the 90’s like Myst and the 7th Guest, and featured magnificent voice-acting and period details transporting the player back to … incidentally … the 90’s. I also made better use of our swimming pool as well as my living room TV, which had been gathering dust since I bought the thing last fall. I fired up the PS3, logged onto Netflix, and added several new TV shows to watch including Arrested Development and Continuum, a Canadian science fiction series that successfully combines the best elements of sci-fi cult classics – dystopian future, time travel, and beautiful women in skin tight body suits. A weekend that is both productive and relaxing is just so satisfying.

It’s been nearly 25 years since I last visited Toronto, and this year’s ASRS meeting gave me a chance to return to the bustling Canadian metropolis. Getting there was no piece of cake, however, as our frugality required us to fly into Buffalo first, followed by a 2 hour car ride across the border. The Five Guys burger from the airport did not hold me over adequately, leaving me hungry and exhausted by the time I arrived at the hotel at 3 am. On Saturday morning, I walked to North America’s largest Chinatown for toasty pineapple buns and a bowl of pho bo kho before returning to the meeting. The conference itself turned out to be one of those events where one spends more time socializing than actually attending the talks. By the time I made it through the sea of my retina colleagues, the day was nearly adjourned. We walked to the dinner reception at Canada’s well-loved Hockey Hall of Fame, and snacked on small plates while mingling beside the Stanley Cup. The food certainly did not compare to the fancy culinary spread atop the CN Tower sponsored by Genentech on Sunday evening. With 360 degree views of the Toronto skyline as the backdrop, we stuffed ourselves with Caribbean jerk chicken, Indian biryani, Chinese dim sum, and Italian lasagna. The night ended with a Mexican party at a bar called the Bier Markt, which aside from the absurdity of the concept, left us memorable photos that will no doubt make their way online some day. On Monday, we joined Regeneron reps to lunch at Canoe, considered one of Toronto’s finest restaurant with impressive city views. I returned to the meeting to present my poster, then joined other fellows for the Vit Buckle Society dinner at swanky Brassaii sponsored by Synergetics. With my growing list of financial disclosures, I decided on Tuesday to sneak off by myself for lunch at Momofuku Noodle Bar. Here, my bar seat gave me a front row view to the creation of David Chang’s acclaimed pork buns (too fatty) and Momofuku ramen (good but overrated). Despite all the gastronomic adventures, the meeting itself was one of my busiest, with 3 case presentations, 2 interviews, and a research poster. The fear of international roaming costs also kept me tied to the hotel lobby, which added to the exhaustion. I shared the car ride back to Buffalo with my co-fellow and attending, stopping briefly for pictures at Niagara Falls and wings at the Buffalo airport before our flight back. After three consecutive weekends out of town, I was ready to finally unpack my bags.