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🩺NYC Emergency Physician
🌏190 countries in 10yrs while from student➡️doctor
🎒bringing ppl along for ethical adventure travel
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Why do we live in a world that still teaches us to

Why do we live in a world that still teaches us to hate and fear the witches more than the people who burned them alive?Swipe ➡️ in gallery for the full transcript (and notes); please forgive any typos or errors.1. Cover photo @cathleenishangry2. Video clip by @meljeng @alfred.yo @musicwithmissalice — holler to our @ecaasu days and whose speech earlier you must see)3. Nine years ago here — my heart rages not knowing whether things improved or changed since4.-7. Transcript of speech with notes8. Photo @yochrisjames9. My view of the rally backstage10. Photo @cathleenishangryThank you @welcome.to.chinatown @sendchinatownlove @eastsidestoriesnyc @mrbenwei @jackliang @iamjohnxu @michelle.lee.md @whitecoats.against.asianhate the MC @oliverpras @fungbros for organizing the afternoon rally (and inviting me into this space) as well as @thatcoffeyboy @powermalu and @runningtoprotest for organizing the morning protest and giving us that momentum. Now it’s about keeping up that momentum, stop our circular firing squads (ie not take the bait and fight over breadcrumbs, which calculated plans have maintained the power for fallible institutions that had stolen the bread all along and want to keep us fighting over breadcrumbs), hold this newly reinforced intersectional line and push forward against racist violence just as how we held a newly reinforced line against COVID and pushed forward. If we‘ve been doing it for one pandemic, we’ll recharge and do it for another. Let’s disassemble and rebuild a new world where we can all collectively live our lives in peace and not have to come back and do this again in 9 years.Opening caption quote inspired by Brett Bramble via Stephanie Grant RN while at the same time I was watching the final episodes of Wandavision.

Rally Against Hate - March 21, 2021: Don’t Take

Rally Against Hate - March 21, 2021: Don’t Take The Bait. Posting our speeches last Sunday in full.Exactly 231 years ago today on March 26, 1790, the U.S. enacted its first immigration law.Today in observance of this year’s increased visibility of an interminable pattern of violence against our (and we don’t just mean AAPI) communities, March 26th will mark a Virtual Day of Action against hate.This will lead up to tomorrow on March 27th, which will mark a national day of action in at least 60 cities across the country.I usually prefer transcripts in lieu of viewing or posting the videos of any of my speeches. But this week I debated whether any nagging silence among multiple pandemics that would lend complicity to what makes me rage. This video was filmed and edited (while letting me post with their blessings) by @eastsidestoriesnyc — as we declare our truths loudly into the universe: Why do we allow for a world that still teaches us to hate and fear the witches than the people who burned them alive? Don’t take the bait. Keep your focus on the Death Star, and less so the TIE fighters.Thank you to co-speakers Natty and @michelle.lee.md, rally organizers @welcome.to.chinatown @sendchinatownlove @whitecoats.against.asianhate @mrbenwei @jackliang @iamjohnxu @oliverpras @eastsidestoriesnyc for inviting me into this space. And thank you to all our forefathers for fighting and dying for rights so we can still do this today. Forgive us as we atone for our sins and learn to not take the bait as we become better together. #wearegolden #blackandgold #atoneforoursins #intersectionality #dothework #accomplicesnotallies #infiltratewithlove #decolonizeyourmind #unfucktheworld #rallyagainsthate #protectourelders #speakyourtruth #speakitintoexistence #nojusticenopeace #rageagainstthemachine #stopasianhate #stopaapihate #rage #protest #rally #saytheirnames #decolonizemedicine #decolonizethisplace #decolonize #antiracism #antimisogyny #antitransphobia #antiracismeducation #love #donttakethebait

It’s now been more than 14 days since the 14 of

It’s now been more than 14 days since the 14 of us have returned from our 3 week trip across 25 states across the country (twice) and our group is now well out of the window where 99.8% of those infected with COVID-19 would have already developed symptoms, let alone infect anyone else. And. We. All. Remain. Negative. For. COVID-19.No symptoms, all negative tests, nobody else around us sick, and everyone is safely back home with too many happy tears shed, memories to sort out, our lives altered for the better, and the realization we both had our cake and ate it too — we pulled off epic coast-to-coast, ocean-to-ocean travel AND returned safely, where the biggest thing on my plate since has been writing this emotional throwback blogpost that tries to sum it all up: https://monsoondiaries.com/2020/09/09/usa/And beyond my blog, this monsoon has also ended up on national news with countless eyeballs like yours having paid attention — and we’ve been informed we are possibly one of — if not the very first — official adventure travel group consisting of complete strangers-turned-friends to consummate an ethical, safe, and minimal-footprint trip (that still happened to be epic in every sense of the word) during the era of COVID-19.But that was never our goal. Our goal was to prove to you and ourselves that it’s not about WHAT you do but HOW you do it: Safe travel for the sake of recharging your mental health and without affecting others is indeed possible during a pandemic if you plan and execute it responsibly. We. Are. All. Living. Proof.So see y’all back on the road. And here’s to many more monsoons to come.📸: @rauburnin

Immunized. Protected. Vaccinated. ➡️ for the v

Immunized. Protected. Vaccinated. ➡️ for the video of my COVID-19 vaccination 3 hrs ago 💪 and how I had no idea I would get one until 3 minutes before it happened.So far it’s been 7 hours and I just shared mochi donuts with my staff, swabbed 40+ people for COVID-19, ordered a sandwich and kbbq for delivery, and put back in place a patient’s dislocated shoulder within 5 minutes while digesting said donuts and craving my kbbq dinner. If there’s an immediate side effect of the vaccine, it’s extreme efficiency, eating well and feeling bulletproof. Now almost at 50 vaccines in my blood and I’m digging this feeling of invincibility. 🤷‍♂️ #justsayinWill continue to post about side effects/symptoms in the following days. And so a new dawn emerges.

The flu shot can be the gift that keeps on giving.

The flu shot can be the gift that keeps on giving.Not only did @selaschneidinger give me mine this year, she also just signed up to join our monsoon with @theyachtweek to Martinique & St. Lucia on Jan 3-10, 2022 AND will be volunteering with my medical team at the @nycmarathon finish line on Nov 7, 2021. ‘Twas was meant to be. And while she took the spot to give my flu shot, spots for both our trip and volunteering with us are still available!…and with that said get your flu shot.Before #covid, patients with flu-like symptoms would overwhelm ERs every year, all exposing one another (and us) in crowded indoor spaces. However, last year NYC’s behavior of ubiquitous face coverings and flu shots ironically averted a flu season, so we can repeat that success again.While a flu shot won’t always or entirely prevent you from getting infected with the flu (even though it did last year for many of us!), it’ll still at least dramatically always decrease the disease severity if you get it, decrease your chances of being hospitalized/dying from it, and decrease your chances of accidentally infecting or killing others (like grandma). That means with the shot, you’ll be LESS LIKELY to feel so gross that you’d leave home, overwhelm my ERs, exchange a greater viral dose of COVID/flu/countless other hospital diseases, and then infecting your loved ones back home. You don’t want to be that person that says: “I could’ve done more.”Allergic? Egg-free or preservative-free formulations exist, & you can arrange to be monitored/treated for potential reactions (FYI you have greater chances of winning lotteries, being hit by a car, or dying from the flu than dying from the flu shot itself). So if worried, talk to your personal doctor (folks on social media DO NOT COUNT😉) about your risk tolerance because there are always other options if you simply ask for them.As for myself, I’ve timed my flu shot every late Sept/early Oct since 2006 either from local pharmacies or at work (and sometimes 2x in a year because I was too lazy to find the proof of paperwork 😐), and in that time life’s only gotten better and story-filled...must be something good going for me here? #justsayin

“Just like an mRNA vaccine.” 4 months ago whi

“Just like an mRNA vaccine.”4 months ago while biking beside an abandoned church on @governorsisland, we were struck by a glorious exterior designed by @shantell_martin. A few weeks later while shopping around for a lounge chair, @endlesslylush suggested upholstering one with a specific design. I recalled the church, and like a nerd replied: “just like an mRNA vaccine.” Within days, this beautiful piece arrived at our door.The technology for mRNA vaccines has been around for over 3-4 decades, so when a call to action was made last year to design one specifically for COVID-19, it was like asking whether humanity had the capability to upholster a chair with a unique design, and then find thousands of clinical trial volunteers to test it out by sitting on these new chairs over 8 months: Some butts got sore, some felt like they’re sitting on a cloud. In other words it was easy and safe: the tech to make and test out funky chairs (& vaccines) has been around since the dawn of the last century. And while making antibodies to fight COVID-19 certainly has not been around that long, to upholster chairs in a specific antibody design of your choosing lies in the same brilliance of how mRNA vaccines work. Even a new mutated variant can be matched with a quick upholstering of a protective antibody design within weeks without touching your DNA. That's how I trust science in the same way how I trust good taste....That’s it. Or, you can see this post for what it is: a thinly veiled excuse to show off my first ever piece of designer furniture, out of which my new eye for such things could also be attributed as another superhuman side effect of the 2nd dose of COVID-19 mRNA @pfizer vaccine I got 2 weeks ago. So next time someone says: “I know this ‘x’ person who got the vaccine and…” you can reply with: “well in the same vein I also know this ‘y’ person who got the vaccine and then did 35 one armed push ups on his vaccinated arm for the first time, got sexy swag from @newyorkornowhere & @newyorkcity and then was inspired for designer furniture by @shantell_martin 2 weeks later + a knack for analogies. Superhuman serum?!” #justsayin

My 2nd & final dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

My 2nd & final dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is now in the books. But our war is not over yet.The British variant of COVID-19 “B117” is bad enough, but the South African variant “501Y.V2” has a mutated EK484K gene that reduces the ability of existing antibodies to recognize it and therefore could make some vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapy less (but still better than nothing) effective. This also definitely creates a possibility for reinfection. Until more data proves the currently existing vaccines are good enough, now is not the time to celebrate.I know this is exhausting. It all seems like 2 steps forward, 3 steps back. But we stay in the fight and push forward. Because even in the abandon of a chaotic and unfair world, our continued struggle to champion life even in the face of futility can create meaning within meaninglessness. As much as I wanted to post my vaccine shot ASAP yesterday, I still had to work through a shift while also trying not to be distracted when our democracy was being kicked in the face. It felt meaningless to post anything, let alone work shifts at all under these conditions. But may we still persist for hope within hopelessness.So here’s some hope: it’s now been 24 hours since my 2nd dose of the 💉 and the side effect of my one-armed push ups game (let alone on that very arm that got the vaccine) is still going strong 💪. I’ve signed up for more ER shifts into the Spring, still wear face coverings, and will still delay travel plans. This is not the time to let up and run across no man’s land before a ceasefire has been signed.I will also remind myself that this has never been a zero sum game, never black or white. Rather it has become an emotionally laborious and perpetual dance of progress and setbacks. With political turmoil and daily death tolls in our country, slow rollouts, encouraging data on the vaccines’ efficacy, second waves, and new mutations, it seems impossible to discern between whether we really are retreating or progressing. But I choose to still find meaning in the void. I choose what to worship. And I choose to see 2 steps back, 3 steps forward and onwards.

March 30, 2020 - CNN: Go There. Exactly 1 year ago

March 30, 2020 - CNN: Go There. Exactly 1 year ago today — on Doctor’s Day no less — @yochrisjames interviewed me for this special by @cnn that led the many of you here. I’m posting this today on the anniversary of its premiere so that I don’t forget how far we’ve come together since then and grateful for what (some of) us have survived since.And yet I recall had said then to @yochrisjames during our interview that what I feared most was that once after these first waves subside, there’ll be another kind of wave when a suffering society blames and scapegoats a group of people as it always has done throughout history. That wave is now here — scapegoating for the pandemic has rebounded not even a year later. Just as how the fearful resented and attacked frontline healthcare workers (scared themselves having lacked PPE to take care of the same people who resented them) last year blaming us for the lockdowns and the pandemic, our vulnerable and innocent are once again being thrown under the bus. When people take the bait, a status quo keeps their power.I already see it coming: backlash, more scapegoats, innocent lives lost, more pandemics. My ERs are violent again. Will we just keep doing this to one another until not much of a good world is left to fight for? Or will we stop the bleed, atone for our past, and advocate for our vulnerable and each other? We need good people as much as we need strength in numbers.This has been and will be a rollercoaster ride to the very end. As you see in the video, even while in the face of oblivion and uncertain death with our backs to the wall (literally, that’s how full our ERs were) — we could not give up. And we can’t give up now lest we end up back to a world that spurred the making of this video in the first place, before I get interviewed for another kind of pandemic.We look back to look forward. And I’m looking back today so I can look to not repeat history, create new histories, build better worlds, and return to making travel content again when it’s ethical. This has been and will be hard work but we have been the ones we’ve been waiting for all along. And I’m getting impatient.

What’s going on inside our NYC ERs now? 1) Ther

What’s going on inside our NYC ERs now?1) There are probably more patients in my ERs getting routine COVID-19 tests right now than there are mobula rays in this 📸 taken last month on our trip by @piersgreatperhaps. (Eek)2) so imagine our March volumes but we now know how to better screen, isolate, treat, and preempt for mortality risks associated with COVID-19. No more *premature* intubations, and yes to decadron 💪 for sick patients. Unless we go back into surge capacity (which might still happen), death rates will remain lower in NYC for now because *surprise* some humans do adapt and learn quickly. (Whew)3) Although increased testing + better screening is crucial for public health & control of the virus (unlike back in March when it was a shitshow, we didn’t have PPE, testing was inadequate, and everyone was exposed to a virus we knew nothing about), there’s now the risk of mixing those patients in with the other emergencies that originally refrained from coming in back in March-April: chest pain, belly pain, rashes, migraines, dizziness, “I’m drunk,” overdoses, “I want a sandwich,” etc. They’re all here now with us too, and some make it even more “fun” 😒 by mixing secretly with having COVID. (Eek)4) All those wonderful volunteers that came from out of state to help 8 months ago are no longer around to help as they have their own local COVID outbreaks to take care of. We’re on our own now. (Eek).Therefore we can only hope NYC maintains this culture of collective team-playing microhabits: face coverings, flu prevention, and simply looking out for one another when we live in small spaces — that’s our best defense we have now before our ERs get overwhelmed again, leading to another death spiral and/or lockdown this winter. Our fate are in your hands!P.S. again this is for NYC only, who learned the hard way in March and adapted since. Outside NYC had all the time to prepare, and yet we see *3000 people die* per day for multiple days this week. That’s a 9/11 everyday. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. We can only do so much where we are.P.P.S. Yes used this photo for calming 🧠. And mixing it up a bit to reach different crowds.

Interview w/ Katie Couric - April 3, 2020. Thank y

Interview w/ Katie Couric - April 3, 2020. Thank you to @katiecouric and @katiecouricmedia for this interview exactly one year ago today spotlighting what we were going through. It’s not over yet. There remains much to heal from. I still think of those patients; we’ll have these nightmares for the rest of our lives.And to think we may still able to brace for many more pandemics to overcome.#neverforget #lookbacktolookforward

👋Ciao from Sardegna, Italia 🇮🇹🛥This is

👋Ciao from Sardegna, Italia 🇮🇹🛥This is life #fullyvaccinated — We know we have an absolutely amazing group of FULLY VACCINATED (and all testing negative for COVID x 3 on both rapid and PCR before being allowed to join) people together for all outdoor @theyachtweek when we can create our own impromptu DISCO NIGHT in the safety of our own space & comfort without any qualms or hesitation. It’s only Day 2, but we’ve already built an incredible bond and memories to cherish. Stay tuned for live updates as we sail & pioneer the first EVER Emerald Coast route on www.monsoondiaries.com/blog & our stories!! 🌊 🙌 #Monsooning #theyachtweek #TYW

We are taking a step closer to reclaiming our narr

We are taking a step closer to reclaiming our narratives again. April 6th, 2021 was a big day for many here in NY, with vaccines finally made available for our general population 16 years and older. That meant the last remaining portions of our adult social circles finally got to experience the overwhelming relief that I had felt nearly 5 months ago to this day on December 16, 2020. Today is yours.And as I stood on the other side of the looking glass at the @javitscenter yesterday for a tour — an anonymous observer overwhelmed by the emotion there — I watched as how countless strangers quietly united themselves for a collective emotion of catharsis, as if for even a moment they were finally in control of their own destinies again. And in that eternity moment I knew what I was witnessing: an entire generation finally reclaiming the rights to narratives brutally interrupted, and a possible respite to the interminable 13 month promise of “what could’ve been” that had been robbed from them since the pandemic first started. There will undoubtedly always be another hurdle to overcome, but on a long enough timeline we will celebrate more than what we will have mourned. There will undoubtedly always be another narrative to reclaim. Today’s is yours. Congratulations.

“Why Kate Why!” Sharing far and wide for the s

“Why Kate Why!” Sharing far and wide for the sake of my fellow humans. Don’t focus so much on the hard numbers as so much as consider this a very real possibility when you make social or travel plans this holiday season. In other words, use this more as a tool/guide so you can be more responsible and careful this winter. At the end of the day, can’t stop anyone from doing whatever they feel is right and works within risk tolerance; as long as we make sure we’re all as fully informed as possible beforehand!For the record and based on current knowledge, the median time range from exposure to symptoms & getting it to show up on a test is still 2-5 days but *can be* as many as 10-14.If you can help it: just try not being that person this holiday season. Or ever.1st graphic reposted from @stacydelin_md , sourced with data from @cdcgov , and with forward thanks to @mrtimmyjaysmith Swiping ➡️ for the 2nd & 3rd graphics resource link - https://covid19risk.biosci.gatech.edu sourced from @georgiatech with forward thanks to my travel buddy and OG monsooner videographer @melissatravelsplaces

Archways: by design they beckon you to the next st

Archways: by design they beckon you to the next step, even if you don’t know what the next step is. They’re clues, omens, and signposts in a foreign language: even if you have no idea what you’re doing, where you are, or what the next step is, as long as you show up you can still take a chance on the next omen. And the next. On and on until things begin to come together. Or until the clues are spent. Just show up and follow through because the only person you’d be flaking on is yourself and your own future; your potential.This is how I felt about our 3 days in #palermo without a clue or plan. Instead of rushing to “all the sights,” we just meandered onwards to the nearest archway, letting happenstances and omens arrive to us this time. It was then that the next part of our monsoon naturally unfolded. This 🐶 Brian seemed to know this before I even did.We had thought the end of the trip would be last week at the end of #yachtweek, before realizing there's never a true "end of a monsoon” — I was still accompanied by friends and loved ones. As long as they stay, the monsoon stays.So the archways continued — after 3 days convalescing in Palermo with @iluv2readalot and @eviejoymusic, I gallivanted alone from Rome to Brussels before a last minute decision to Paris where I'd stow away on a bullet train I wasn't supposed to be on just so I can make it in time to surprise @priscilleea, @gyoonit_, and even @eviejoymusic again (who I had no idea would be in Paris too at the same time). A journey is best measured in people, not miles.Full story within the blogpost links below.When the universe sends a clue, omen, sign, arched path, I listen. Follow through. Sometimes the best coming-of-age movies have even better sequels.Palermo: https://monsoondiaries.com/2021/09/15/sicily/Paris: https://monsoondiaries.com/2021/09/15/sicily/#paris

We're now on 'pause.' On the last legs of a trip w

We're now on 'pause.' On the last legs of a trip where we may create unplanned branching alternate realities. And one of them being that I don't usually miss or change flights...…but when I do, it would probably be because of an epiphany connecting kindred souls physically separated across hundreds of miles at the same time, or right after a kind of trip ending worthy of a 90s teen prom movie, or right before visiting what has been regarded as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world in one of the least visited islands in Europe ... or all of the above. The monsooners with me right now generously have determined that manifesting these branching realities to be “monsooning." As warm those words are for me to hear, I rather suppose that what we're doing is really just daring ourselves to live the lives we’ve always wanted.Full blogpost on #lampedusa and to see my hair flip attempt: link in bio or https://monsoondiaries.com/2021/09/13/lampedusa/#vaccinatedtraveler #ethicaltravel #italy #beautifuldestinations #sicily #islands #islandhopping #italia #safetravel #monsoondiaries #vaccinelife #bbctravel #guardiantravelsnaps #natgeo #natgeotravelpic #lonelyplanet #livetravelchannel #theglobewanderer #travelblogger #travelblogginglife #beach #beachbum #doctorlife #beaches #gratitude #vaccinated

This week (April 24-30) happens to be World Immuni

This week (April 24-30) happens to be World Immunization Week, and it comes at a critical juncture not only during a pandemic but also in our own lifetimes. How this world collectively acts at this moment will determine the course of our entire lifetimes and the arc of human history. We can make a difference now. We can make history now. We can make a better world for our children now.Despite being exhausted, battered and bruised for nearly a year, frontline healthcare workers in the first photo signed up for these vaccines 6 months ago relying on even less data than you have today, instead pinning our hopes on an unshakeable trust in science. We heeded a calling knowing that the benefits of a vaccine still far outweighed the risks of catching COVID-19 and bringing it home to our families and most vulnerable, let alone letting it obliterate our entire healthcare system and life as we knew it.I know every single healthcare worker in this first photo and I know not a single one of us have regretted our decision. And with nearly half a year since, we implore that those of you still on the fence empathize and reckon in your soul what we were going through at the time, because we now can’t do this together without you.Vaccines ultimately will help us end the pandemic so we can finally be one step closer to each other again. #VaccinesWork to bring us closer. SHARE this important message this World Immunization Week and play a part to make a difference. Because one day when we look back on all of this, will each and every single one of us be able to declare without hesitation that we did our best? That we each played our best parts to remake a better world for our children?

To my badass NYE medical team: It’s become near

To my badass NYE medical team:It’s become nearly cliché these days to pen one more diatribe against 2020, especially on the Eve of a New Year. But allow me to express bittersweetness when tearing myself over how this will be the only time we’ll ever work something like this again, let alone if these state of affairs weren’t as dreadful the many of us would never have even met in the first place. The sweet is never as sweet without the sour.I’d still much prefer that we didn’t have to suffer during these uncertain times, whether it’s secondary to a pandemic or toxic individualism. However if we must play the hand we're dealt, then alas let me at least affirm the profound privilege I’ve derived from this year to have gotten to know and worked with all of you.Many of us met less than a month ago, whether by referrals or a message on social media. And yet without so much as a first name and first impression, we rallied as strangers at the last minute to become haphazardly assembled ragtag crack squad without any blueprints from years past. We flew by the seat of our pants when somehow asked to be *the* medical screening for both the NYC Thanksgiving Day Parade and the NYE Ball Drop in Times Square while the world watched amidst a worldwide public health crisis. You took on new roles and skills without a moment’s notice. Y’all were flexible, adaptable, and did this all with a smile, whether it was 4:30am in the morning or if the donuts slowed us down. And all this within 4 weeks: We pulled it off, twice.Therefore, thank you all for being my resolve to stay in this fight, and thank you for helping demonstrate to this damaged world there remains good people out there who are willing to shoulder a horrible year through to the end. Although I again wish that we all could have worked together under better circumstances (annual NYC Marathon anyone?), I nonetheless will be eternally grateful how our trajectories collided. If our last week together is how 2020 wants to bid us farewell with, then I’m already blessed for that much. Better us than never.Looking forward to better times. Stay in touch. We’ll work together again someday.

TLDR PSA (look how serious I am); Get the flu shot

TLDR PSA (look how serious I am); Get the flu shot. While it may not entirely prevent you from catching flu, it’ll still dramatically decrease your chances of accidentally infecting or killing others (like grandma), or dying from flu yourself.Before COVID-19, patients with flu symptoms would overwhelm ERs every year, all infecting one another (and us) in tight indoor spaces. While NYC’s current behavior of ubiquitous face coverings could ironically obviate a bad flu season🤞(calling it!), why take the chance in a year like 2020? We may still expect no different or worse as we now know you can be co-infected with BOTH COVID-19 and FLU at the same time (similar symptoms!). “FLUVID” is real; fail to prepare, prepare to fail.Bottom line: While the flu shot isn’t as good at preventing flu, it is remarkably effective at decreasing the SEVERITY of symptoms and preventing DEATH if or when you get flu. This means while you can still get flu despite a shot, you’ll LESS likely feel so gross that you’d leave home, overwhelm ERs, exchange a greater viral load of COVID-19/flu/countless other hospital diseases, and then infecting your loved ones back home.Worried about a shot ruining your life? Allergic? Egg-free or preservative-free formulations exist or you can arrange to be monitored and treated for potential reactions that are still mild at worst (FYI you have greater chances of winning lotteries, being hit by a car, or dying from the flu than dying from the flu shot itself). So if worried, talk to your PERSONAL doctor (docs on social media DO NOT COUNT, nice try 😉) about your risk tolerance because there are ALWAYS other options if you simply ask for them.As for myself: I’ve timed getting a flu shot every late Sept/early Oct since 2006 either from local pharmacies or at work (and sometimes 2x in a year just because I was too lazy to find the proof of paperwork 😐), and in that time I’ve traveled 190+ countries, graduated college, med school and Emergency Medicine residency, and can do 30+ one-arm pushups on each side. Maybe those flu shots did or didn’t do all that for me but regardless ...must be something good going for me here? #justsayin

It feels surreal and unbelievable to have been inv

It feels surreal and unbelievable to have been invited to speak as the closing keynote for the virtual Asian Graduation Ceremony this morning at my alma mater, @columbia. Need to practice refraining from both choking up and grinning from ear to ear while speaking — You may not have been able to tell, but the feels were tremendous as I had to look away a few times to re-compose myself.My keynote’s themes were to make habits of “committing to the present,” staying authentic, and not worry about things that haven’t happened yet. Always meaning what I say and true to form, my off-the-cuff (and slightly ramble-y 😅) style of speaking would exemplify just that — Beginning with my personal journey, I connected to my experiences at @columbia as a student leader in controversial times, before reflecting on my unplanned life since...where from my college days I reconciled how “self-love” means not only investing in yourself, but also in your communities and other groups that lack another’s privilege/access so that we may all uplift one another when these daily micro-investments add up in the future.For when you stop worrying about a future that hasn’t happened yet and instead “run towards the fire” - aka making the best of the present circumstances, self, and networks that’ll love you back - you plant seeds where y’all will become one another’s future accomplices/co-conspirators regardless of where the universe eventually will lead you, whether it’ll be within institutions or outside of them. You may feel lost now, but you’ll soon be found.Finally instead of planning “one day I’ll give back,” start now and “give as you go:” beginning today, make a habit of uplifting and supporting the folks around AND at the level right below you so that you’ll never be out of touch (especially when it’s your turn to give the keynote at your alma mater).And with that, for those of you who got lost during my speech or already forgot what I said this morning (called it, didn’t I?🙈) but hopefully still feel my feels: CONGRATULATIONS to the class of 2021 and I look forward to working with all of you in building a new world beyond the gates of Columbia. Stay classy, light blue.

This morning’s storm while digging out of anothe

This morning’s storm while digging out of another storm. We’ve been getting used to it.While the post-holiday travel infection wave already has been bad enough, we haven’t even recovered fully yet to even worry about what could happen after today.When can I go back to posting photos like these simply because they’re pretty? 😅#socializeresponsibly #superbowl2021 #superbowlsunday

Blue has been a mood this week. And yet for so man

Blue has been a mood this week. And yet for so many today, blue is a warmest color.Far from the reaches of COVID-19 in an isolated fishing village for the past week, we still could feel the impact of countless seemingly little decisions abroad reach even the most remote corners of the planet.But that’s what it is right? It’s always the little things. There’s nothing bigger.And whatever today means to you, every moment that seems to move history will always be more of a beginning than the end. We still have roll up those sleeves, put on the boots and pick up the pieces. There’s still plenty of messes to get out of. There’s still plenty more work to do. And there’s still plenty of us to fix them.Because as I had said 4 years ago: where they build walls, we will be the ones to tear them down.

Extra”Azores”-dinary! Cue double rainbow monol

Extra”Azores”-dinary! Cue double rainbow monologue.If our past 72 hours in The Azores isn’t close enough to paradise 🌈 (slide ➡️ for more!) on Earth, I don’t know what is. This is #nofilterneeded Full blogpost on The Azores in link in bio or go here: https://monsoondiaries.com/2021/07/12/azores/Like what you’re seeing? See it for yourself; join us for our upcoming trips in August & September! (Links in bio or: monsoondiaries.com/headliner-trips)#thevaccinatedtraveler #vaccinatedtravel #monsoondiaries #portugal #azores #pontadelgada #europe #vaccinated #doyoutravel #bbctravel #guardiantravelsnaps #lastminutetravel #natgeotravelpic #livetravelchannel #theglobewanderer #pandemictravel #wonderful_places #covidtravel #travelawesome #wanderlust #wanderfolk #mybudgettravel #passionpassport #travelblogger #travelphotography #rainbow #saomiguel #backpacking

We don’t choose favorites, but among #ibiza, #fo

We don’t choose favorites, but among #ibiza, #formantera, #mallorca, and #menorca of the #balearicislands, our group unanimously would vote for Menorca in a hypothetical poll… was it the underdog vibes and weekly live music here in Maó every Tuesday night?Or was it a sign how fun the last night was for another successful monsoon in the books? See for yourself in the gallery and imagine if you had been here with us.We don’t choose favorites. But we know at least which one to return to first whenever we’re back in the area…because at least we’ve been.Full blogpost link in bio or: https://monsoondiaries.com/2021/08/11/menorca-report/#vaccinatedtraveler #ethicaltravel #livemusic #beautifuldestinations #morningcoffee #travelinstyle #monsoondiaries #tripideas #bbctravel #guardiantravelsnaps #natgeo #natgeotravelpic #lonelyplanet #livetravelchannel #theglobewanderer #travelblogger #travelblogginglife #wonderful_places #whereshouldigonext #wanderfolk #places_wow #passionpassport #travelphotography #spain #espana

Reposting this brilliant algorithm decision tree b

Reposting this brilliant algorithm decision tree by @johnshopkinssph on the current thinking regarding whether to get a booster at this point of the pandemic. It can get a little confusing but so is a pandemic and we do our best.Thanks to @lauraweis for the forward!#booster #boosters #vaccine #pfizer #comirnaty #covid19 #covid #coronavirus #shouldigetabooster #decisiontree #algorithms #publichealth #medicine #3rdbooster #thirdbooster #moderna #pandemic #immunocompromised #fullyvaccinated #hope #variants #delta #doctorlife #jandj #johnsonandjohnson #fda #cdc #pfizer #thenextmove #comirnaty

Everyday feels like we’re marching towards anoth

Everyday feels like we’re marching towards another potential apocalypse and yet everyday feels as if the generosity of our universe’s tug-of-war allows us a reprieve before an inevitable. Checking in: Art has conceived the disaster/zombie/end-of-days narrative to reflect social turbulence and anxiety inherent in human civilizations, but let me be Cpt. Obvious and observe how we are actively living through an unfolding disaster narrative right now: After the initial threat of a zombie “virus” and even with zombies (COVID) everywhere still, we’re living in a society that compels our fellow humans to jockey back onto the main stage as the main antagonists. Reality becomes art which is always becoming reality. We are our own self-fulfilling prophecy.If 2020 was like season 1 of @amcthewalkingdead then we’re now heading into season 2-11 where the survivors are fighting one another over scraps instead of the true enemy. While we consume these stories as privileged entertainment, and partially to prevent ourselves making the same mistakes as a society, it feels as if we are now still falling for it. And unlike in art, real lives are being ruined.I wrote last April that even if there would be no next wave, life is life, and there will always be ‘a next wave.’ There always will be new disasters, returning pandemics of cruelty, racism, gender violence, willful ignorance, keeping others (even betraying those who had uplifted us) down to “get ahead.” If we keep at this rate especially during a pandemic, little will be left. And it dismays me that I didn’t have to wait too long to apply last year’s statements to different circumstances today.But since we’ve learned from countless tragedies before, I also had stated my understanding that those who hold the line and still “fight in the face of futility” will discover a meaning within meaningless. If that also can be part of our disaster narrative, then perhaps even disaster movies can be rewritten. Maybe we can still save ourselves and make new narratives, new art, and new realities.Let’s atone for our sins and rewrite the script.🖼 by @shainamocciomac on a 📸 by @kareemblack

Another monsoon in the books; a week of “first e

Another monsoon in the books; a week of “first ever’s”: Our past week in 4 cities — Riyadh, Jeddah, Ta’if, & Mecca/Makkah 🕋 — in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 makes us not only one of the first foreigners in this country's entire history (KSA opened up its doors to tourism officially on Sept 27, 2019 right before the pandemic), but also the very first to arrive on their instant approval tourist e-visas AND be invited by local Saudis to visit places that were considered unthinkable to set foot in by outsiders one year prior. Swipe ➡️ in gallery.But most poignantly and with thanks to the efforts of our partners at @youngpioneer — we are profoundly grateful to be here to support and promote the efforts of Salwa: not only is she one of the very first Saudi women to own and drive her own car (she drove us herself around Riyadh and we are her first guests she has ever driven on her own!) in a country where women were allowed to drive only 3 years ago, but also one of the first Saudi women to own her own business and run her own company. As far as we saw it, no men were involved other than the guides who work under and for her. She expressed to us how she cherishes being her own boss, that people outside of KSA would support her efforts, and how she looks forward to promoting mental health resources & increasing the visibility of more women-led businesses to the region.While decades of controversy and a complicated history still need to be reckoned for (as with many other countries including our very own, for that matter) — such that cannot be fit in a single caption — it is impossible to ignore how times are inevitably and evidently changing here, and we are grateful to Salwa and her company @hayatour (and @youngpioneer for arranging this experience & tour with her) for being not only at the forefront of this women-led charge but being the change itself. Baby steps are happening.Link in bio for trip review in full (including our unexpected and now forever humbling visit to Mecca yesterday; a place our local Saudi male driver from the area randomly insisted on driving us through despite our repeated concerns) or go to: monsoondiaries.com/blog

Just a New Yawka in Mallorca in the Palma of my ha

Just a New Yawka in Mallorca in the Palma of my hand: New blogpost on Palma de Mallorca link in bio or https://monsoondiaries.com/2021/08/09/mallorca/…just cheesin’ it being #fullyvacinnated as a #vaccinatedtraveler 🤙...#ethicaltravel #espana #beautifuldestinations #balearic #balearicislands #mallorca #palma #spain #monsoondiaries #islands #bbctravel #guardiantravelsnaps #natgeo #natgeotravelpic #lonelyplanet #livetravelchannel #theglobewanderer #travelblogger #travelblogginglife #wonderful_places #whereshouldigonext #thenexttrip #wanderfolk #places_wow #passionpassport #islandtravel #travelphotography #españa

Live on yahoo! Finance - March 30, 2021: 3 reasons

Live on yahoo! Finance - March 30, 2021: 3 reasons why cases are rising. Spoke live on @yahoofinance 2 days ago on the inflection point we’re in now; feeling like putting out fires everywhere — COVID-19, intersectional organizing, working 16 hour shifts, and taking care of myself. No rest for the weary. Here are the main updates:Outbreaks in the NE and Upper Midwest are growing in 37 states with rates increasing and staying high. The number of hospitalizations over the past two weeks continue to be flat instead of falling. That means they’re still filling up and we’re not slowing the pour.While deaths are still falling, that is a lagging indicator behind hospitalizations by a few weeks (remember you don’t immediately die from COVID-19 the moment you have symptoms or get hospitalized; that can take a few weeks).Why is this happening?1. Mandates can only do so much if the effort is half-hearted, not all businesses or states are enforcing them, individuals refuse to follow them, and especially if governors are relaxing restrictions even in states where cases are rising2. Variants: The B117 variant is continuing to become the dominant variant here and in 130 other countries. The B1351 (South African) increased from 5 to 80 countries and the P1 (Brazilian) variant is in 45 countries. While our vaccines work well against the more contagious B117, that may not the case with the every other variant.3. All the spring breakers are returning home and bringing COVID-19 with them to us. Most of my positive cases since last Thursday were spring break travel-related or someone exposed to another who traveled for spring break.Keep in mind only a mere 16% of our population are *fully* vaccinated, most of them older. That’s not enough.Lastly, the UN COVAX program that was supposed to ensure distribution of vaccines to all countries is not working. Many developing countries do not have access and may not have it for months to years. Nobody is safe until all of us are safe.Therefore like last year, this April will be another inflection point: Will we have a spike in new cases and end up like last year? or will we escape that fate with our vaccine programs? We’ll see over the next month. If you must do anything social, stay outdoors.

It’s not a choice. It’s a calling. This imag

It’s not a choice. It’s a calling. This image summarizes my social media newsfeed for 3 months now, and every time I see an opportunity to add to it I can’t help but finally appreciate this little thing called hope, and entrusting destinies greater than myself.Those who know me would recall my untraditional path in becoming a doctor (long story), and yet as wayward as my journey has been I have come to share this commitment that many of us became healthcare workers not because of any conscious decision as much as it was kismet: We had to.It’s best described by my concept of love: forces out there will compel us to override all that may seem logical — especially what is comfortable — as we commit to a purpose that far outweigh our physical existences.I wish this pandemic didn’t have to be so dire that we’d want/need/debate over another vaccine in the first place. But 3 months after being one of the very first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, a lingering emotion hits pretty close to those same sentiments I had endured when I doubted whether I could be doctor — but even when given the choice to opt out of the shot, we didn’t see this as a “choice” for a vaccine as much as it was a manifestation of a shared destiny: We had to.I feel I speak on behalf of countless others when I know we could never bear to look back one day and feel like we gave up “our shot,” literally and figuratively, betraying any fiber of our soul and committing disservice to ourselves, families, patients, or you. Even if there are people out there who still/will doubt, hate, blame, ignore, castigate, litigate, or betray us, we’re not going anywhere. We have endured. We will learn from all our mistakes as lessons, continuing to commit to the moment and what will be required of us.Like love, there will be inexplicable forces will compel us to override all that may seem logical — especially what may seem safe and comfortable — to dedicate ourselves to an idea that far outweighs our brief time together on this planet.Whether you call that idea a calling, purpose, destiny or love: if we haven’t yet given up our shot for you, perhaps neither should you.🎶 by HookSounds.com

This gallery and my new blogpost (https://monsoond

This gallery and my new blogpost (https://monsoondiaries.com/2021/05/01/st-croix) features my entire thought process + planning yesterday on what went into my first research monsoon after being fully vaccinated 4 months ago.Ideally:1) Get vaccinated and wait at least 2-3 weeks for the antibodies to fully kick in, because people keep forgetting that.2) Don’t wait too long to live before you burn out. There’s a balance to everything, especially with extremes. I don’t want to burn out; we all need one another for the rebuild.3) Redeem your miles / free tickets, especially if they have expiration dates and if you haven’t used them all year (remember miles DO NOT accrue interest and only get devalued over time the longer you wait)4) Depart from a safe place with low rates that you’ve lived in for at least 2-3 weeks (and never developed symptoms)5) Test negative for your own mental well-being, for others, and to clear any entry requirements for the destination.6) Choose an equally safe destination with equally or lower rates of infection/hospitalizations/deaths to create a “bubble” and where most activities are outdoors, and it’s easy to stay outdoors (USVI is a great example)7) Choose flights where you know the airports and even the flight itself will be as empty as possible (eg. early morning departures)8) Have multiple forms of face coverings ready to use in case things go south; be adaptable to all situations because that’s travel.You might luck out (or plan well enough ‘cuz luck is really preparation + opportunity) and hit all 8, but even if you don’t, the goal is to minimize any unnecessary risk, maximize your chances of preventing exposure, and remember is not what you do but how you do it. Good luck and recharge however you can responsibly!#safetravel #ethicaltravel #covid #covid19 #pandemictravel #howtotravelsafely #pandemic #mentalhealth #jetblue #healthcareheroes #jetbluehealthcareheroes #monsoondiaries #doyoutravel #travelblogging #monsooning #postvaccinetravel #lonelyplanet #livetravelchannel #theglobewanderer #love #backpacking #reopening #trip #travelawesome #wanderfolk #places_wow #passionpassport #travelblogger #travelplans #travels

Celebrating exactly 8 months of the #fullyvaccinat

Celebrating exactly 8 months of the #fullyvaccinated travel life today on a last minute trip to #formantera and #ibiza; @cdcgov and @reuters have also likewise just reported that a majority of our country, aka 194 million people (or 58% of Americans), are now also #fullyvaccinated as of today. Hope springs eternal; it’s an awesome club to be in when you too can be doing this with me soon in the #balearicislandsFurthermore, I’m also celebrating exactly one year since I began my research on how we could return to travel safely, ethically, and responsibly. Exactly a year ago today, 7 of us monsooners had set out on a domestic road trip across America in an RV from coast to coast and back over 3 weeks. It had been such a different and fraught time then without hope or a vaccine on our side. But as we know whether it’s been a year, or whether it’s been 8 months: hope springs eternal.Full blogpost on Ibiza & Formantera: link in bio or https://monsoondiaries.com/2021/08/07/ibiza-formantera/Essentially imagine cobblestone streets, seaside vibes, ancient architecture, bustling nightlife with a Mediterranean history all merged into one place. And everyone’s fully vaccinated.#vaccinatedtraveler #ethicaltravel #spain #beautifuldestinations #espana #islands #islandhopping #hope #safetravel #monsoondiaries #vaccinelife #bbctravel #guardiantravelsnaps #natgeo #natgeotravelpic #lonelyplanet #livetravelchannel #theglobewanderer #travelblogger #travelblogginglife #beach #beachbum #doctorlife #beaches #gratitude #vaccinated

It’s back to work. Everyone I know in my life an

It’s back to work. Everyone I know in my life and have surrounded myself with are fully vaccinated so 99.99% of us at this point of the pandemic will likely never get past stage 1. Because after nearly a year of surveillance across countless patients across the country, the vaccine has been proven to lower your chances of death 10x and chances of hospitalization 12x compared to being unvaccinated… even when including the #delta variant. While 10-12x ≠ ♾ it’s helluva better than 1x.So this slide deck does not apply to us, let alone the 40 of us who had been sailing on open waters for a whole week more than a fortnight ago in the Tyrrhenian Sea with @theyachtweek and surrounded by other fully vaccinated staff and monsooners. It’s also been now more than 9 days since the end of that trip and we’re all back home and back to work, all returning negative both for symptoms and COVID-19 (they wouldn’t have let us return on our return flights without proof of negative tests anyway). Our success rate of a covid-proofed monsoon, yacht week, and travel still remains at 100%. #justsayinHowever, my grandfather who was unvaccinated in an time when he had covid last year during the first wave — a time before any variant such as #delta — endured stages 2-7 without even having time for a FaceTime call with us. And everyday of my life at work last year was watching countless patients go through stages 2-7. Now it’s essentially only unvaccinated patients who go through stages 2-7. We’re now in a pandemic of the unvaccinated.It’s not the fact you die, but that you suffer painfully. Now that I’m back to work, I’m preparing myself again for witnessing the painful suffering. But here’s to hoping you will be instead sailing the open waters of Sardinia and the Tyrrhenian Sea like we have done — living more in that week than people have entire years — and not be lying in a hospital bed going through stages 2-7 thinking “what could’ve been.”Repost thanks to @latimes

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