Tag: Advice

The Power of Cow Urine and other Natural Medicines in India

As I continue to work on my PhD I have found myself extremely interested in natural medicines, and so I decided to dig deeper into some used in India. One part of my proposal is to look at the advantages of such natural extracts or products on HIV Dementia. So, in my mini vacation to India I explored and questioned about some of the unique aspects of traditional medicine.   Cow Urine My first encounter with cow urine, was as I walked the streets of Bombay. There on the streets a cow was peeing and a young girl rushed for a pan and started catching the urine. I was astonished that this was occurring, and my friend and I stopped to watch. We begin wondering why this little girl felt the need to catch the urine, as with such hot conditions, the urine would evaporate. We could not deduce a …

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Be Your Own Trendsetter….. Be You!!

As our week starts and we bring February to an end, I challenge you to be your own trendsetter. Let us not care what you feel you should be doing and how you should be doing it. It is just fine the path you have chosen… It is fine the way you dress… It is fine how you express yourself… It is fine if you don’t watch Scandal… It is fine if you still like wearing overalls… It is fine… just the way you are as long as you love who you are.

This week, do what you want to do, just how you want to do it… and let it be known it is okay if you are the odd one out.. After all in order to be number one.. you have to be odd.. right??

(HAHA.. okay maybe my humor sucks.. but you get my point… 1 is an odd number- feel free to laugh now)

I am sharing below a video from Sandrina Hunsel, a national team volleyball player I met from Suriname. She just started translating her motivational speeches into english, and her video focused on being a Trendsetter is my inspiration to get the week going.

In her word:

“You are a gift, start being who you are.. and start giving the world what you really have to give…”

 

You can follow her on:

Facebook: Moonshine c&c

Youtube: Sandrina Hunsel

Email: moonstonecc@outlook.com

 

Now Check out the video… how will you be a trendsetter this week?

Why You Should Not Get a Selfie Stick!

This is a real issue of mine everyone so hear me out… I am so over seeing people with these ridiculous sticks taking pictures of themselves… IS IT REALLY NEEDED??? Now… I am one of the biggest selfie queens out there… in many of my photos posted you will see my hand extended and I am ultimately trying to capture a memorable moment or place with me in it… so why do I think the Selfie Stick is the WORST thing EVER!!!??? ANSWER: IT TAKES AWAY FROM THE MAIN PURPOSE OF TRAVELING We are already in the frame of mind that “I CAN DO IT ALL BY MYSELF”… but we weren’t meant to do anything by ourself… maybe using the bathroom is good solo… but most other things are better with someone else to share it with!! So you go travel to  see the world and be able to experience …

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National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day: I Am My Brother’s and Sister’s Keeper

 We all go day in and day out updating our statuses and pictures on Facebook! Instagram! Twitter!! But it is time to update the one status that truly matter…. Get your HIV Status UpdateAs you know, I have always had a strong interest in HIV research. Currently working in the field, mainly on how HIV affects the brain and aging, I still find it important to stress the everyday issues of HIV. While my blog posts are usually more geared towards traveling, I wanted to shed some light on a very serious matter, especially among Black communities in America. February 7, marks the 15th year of  National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day!! This was first observed in 1999 initiated in response to the growing HIV and AIDS epidemic in African American communities.  The theme for 2015 is: “I Am My Brother’s and Sister’s Keeper. Fight HIV/AIDS!” So why do Blacks/African Americans need a special Awareness …

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Amazing FREE Tours When Traveling: Know What You are Taking a Picture of!

Ever get to a new city/country and start snapping pictures of every cool things you see… buildings, people, food.. BUT YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY ARE!!?? While it may be obvious when taking pictures with the Eiffel Tower or even the Statue of Liberty… what about the other buildings and cool things unknown to you. This is usually where people go after EXPENSIVE tours on buses to get and understanding of where you are and know what the heck you are taking pictures. You may not even fall into this category and just roam around cities snapping pictures because “it seems like it is important.” And that is okay too… but I am here to tell you there is another way (and quite frankly I think it is AMAZING!) The answer to knowing more about where you are is: FREE WALKING TOURS WHAT? Yes.. I said it…FREE!!! If you …

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From Bench to Bedside: What Does Your Research Mean in the REAL WORLD?

One of the greatest task of anyone bench researcher (meaning work done in the laboratory on cells/mice etc) is the clinical relevance to what is actually happening in the real world (aka translational research). You may find yourself overly consumed with getting results day in and day out. You keep reading endless papers about what is going on in your specific field, BUT never lose sight of why you do research in the first place. While it is great to push out tons of articles, go to mind stimulating conferences and reach your research goals… I have found there can be missing aspects of the PhD process. In the summer of 2013, I set out to Kisumu, Kenya (East Africa) to better my understanding of HIV pandemic, as well as to truly venture into the neurological impact of HIV and the drugs. For those who do not know, 69% of …

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Travel like a VIP: Global Entry Rocks

I am here to tell everyone that travels internationally to get Global Entry. After reading this article you should jump on the website, fill out your form and get the next appointment at the nearest airport (hopefully there is one available soon!) Unfortunately as you know there are no photos allowed so I have taken a few from the global entry site. For those who are oblivious to what I am ranting and raving about, Global Entry is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers in the United States. This takes away LONG customs and immigrations lines and check in lines at US airports (Pre-TSA approved). But there are even more perks that I will let you know about. It is just $100 for 5 years!! So you are paying $20 a year for hassle free travel! You can learn about how to …

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One Step Closer: Committee Members Found

I wrote last year (2014), because that was SOOOO long ago, about my quest for committee members. I also shared my issues in not only asking them, but introducing myself to these individuals (because they have no idea who I am). I am pleased to share I did in fact form my committee! #YAY #High5After talking to a few students who already have their committee in place, my mentor,  seeing the head of the PhD department (along with the liaison for all paperwork related)…. I buckled down and explored my best options. I chose people I contacted based on 3 main things: Direct research in HIV and drug related issues (not many focus on this at my school), and the ability for them to keep my research clinically relevant. Second member I chose for pharmacology background as this will be crucial for the entire projects. Third member I chose for general neuroscience …

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It’s Never Too Late to be What You Might Have Been:  Grad School New Year’s Resolutions

While many have their New Years Resolution to get fit, eat healthy, save money… our list is rather important to staying on task and getting to the end goal. Some of these can be a hit and go kind of thing.So let us begin. 1) Apply for FAFSA! While you may only be approved for student loans, it is important to apply for FAFSA every year. 1) it’s free, 2) Some scholarships/grants like to see the FAFSA report especially if they are need based 3) you never know what may happen and at least you have a back up. FAFSA 2015/2016 applications opened January 1. Get yours done… I know I did. For quick information check out this awesome 1 Page Guide at StudentAid of myths and facts about FAFSA for graduate students. Apply forFAFSA here. 2) Apply for Scholarships/Grants! While some of us may be on awesome Phd Graduate assistantships/scholarships/grants… …

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Fall in Love With Your Research

“Love what you do, and you will never work a day in your life!” I have no idea who said this, but it is especially true in research. In a field where experiments go wrong all the time, you may begin wishing more and more there was a Journal of Negative Results. This is where loving what you do is crucial. So I searched on Google “How do you know when you are in love” and tons of articles came up, 10 Definitive Ways To Tell You’re In Love With The Right Someone 7 research-based indicators that you’ve found the real thing. 9 Signs You’re Really in Love Now while these are all articles focused on one person falling in love with another… ‘Til death do us part kind of shindig… it should be no different as you fall in love with your research. So here are 7 ways to …

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