Afternoon Coffee

Late night study sessions in medical school turned me into a bit of a coffee aficionado.  My fondness for the beverage continued after graduation as I transitioned to life on the workplace.  Since my schedule as a hospital doctor alternates between night and day shifts, an energy boost from a cup of coffee is always appreciated.  While I'm not one to turn down a cup of hot coffee, years of burnt mouths from hastily consumed hot brews have left me favoring the cold brew variety.  For this reason, I was super excited to try out some new cold brews by Lucky Jack

The first brew I sampled was the Old School.  This unsweetened coffee has a pleasant balanced taste.  Neither too strong nor too watered down, this is a cold brew that I can see becoming a staple of my morning routine.  As someone who typically takes his coffee black without cream or sugar, this was the perfect cold brew for me and probably my favorite of the bunch.

The next brew to grace my palate was the Sweet Thing.  I usually steer clear of sweetened beverages because I prefer to avoid the high fructose corn syrup that's used so commonly in them.  However, Lucky Brew's Sweet Thing is sweetened by organic cane sugar and provides a more natural sweetened kick.  10 years ago, when I was new to the taste of coffee, this one would've been my pick.  But nowadays, since I've grown to savor a more bitter, unadulterated taste, I prefer the unsweetened variety.  

Why does nature turn the world into art every sunset?  This is my favorite time of day.  The hilly neighborhood in Silverlake, Los Angeles gave me the perfect vantage point to enjoy the views illuminated by the setting sun.  

Basic Life Support

All healthcare providers, from newly minted 3rd year medical students to the most seasoned interventional cardiologists, must obtain basic life support recertification every two years.  In a nutshell, this entails taking a CPR class and getting a refresher on such concepts as chest compressions, bag mask ventilation, and use of a defibrillator.  While these concepts may be pretty simple (hence the name basic life support), they can be life-saving in the event of cardiopulmonary arrest.  Throughout my years practicing medicine, I've participated in many code blues where mastery of these concepts proved instrumental in saving patients' lives.  I took my recertification course today and am pleased to announce that I'm certified to use these skills for another two years.

Although the basic life support class is required for all clinicians, it is open to the general public.  I encourage everyone, even people who are not in the healthcare profession, to take the course.  You never know when you might find yourself in a situation where these skills could empower you to save someone's life.  

The basic life support class is hands-on.  All the students practice giving CPR (chest compressions) to mannequins.  Ideally, compressions should be 100 to 120 beats per minute and must be forceful enough to depress the chest wall two inches in order to optimize circulation during a cardiac arrest.  As you can imagine, this can be quite a workout for the practitioner administering the compressions.  For this reason, I knew I needed a comfy pair of scrubs to wear to avoid feeling too restricted during the exercises.  These scrubs by koihappiness were perfect for the job.

Wearing:  koihappiness Scrubs

The Applicant

Wearing:  TopMan Suit
THE JOB INTERVIEW
I have been interviewing for jobs my entire adult life (actually even earlier since I got my first job as a tutor at age 17).  I used to think that all this experience made me a great interviewee.  
I was wrong.
I am now in a position where I interview doctors fresh out of medical school for residency positions. Occasionally, there are times during these interviews when I cringe.  Not because the applicants are bad, but because I can see them making mistakes that I used to make all the time as an applicant.  Being on the other side of the desk and serving as the interviewer has opened my eyes to subtleties of the process that I never understood before.  
Here are some tips for how to leave a great impression at your next job interview. 
1.  Dress to unimpress.  Wait, what...?  What I mean is, you don't want your clothing to be the most memorable thing about you.  In general, conservative is better.  For men, there is no need for the floofy plaid pocket square bursting out of the coat.  Also, ditching the tie and socks may be a cool move at a dinner party, but it doesn't go over as well at the interview so remember to keep your ankles and neck fully adorned. 
For women, it's the same idea.  You want to err on the side of being more conservative with your clothing.  Neutral colors and business suits are best. Also, be careful with brands.  As much as I love designers, a little goes a long way.  A bag with a massive Louis Vuitton logo, Chanel earrings, Louboutin shoes...   after a while, these can just be distracting.  In summary, let your character and life/work experiences take center stage during the interview, not your clothing.  
2.  Be on time.  "Oh but because of LA traffic, it took me 2 hours to get here..."   I can't tell you how many times I've heard traffic as an excuse for showing up late.  The job interview is the one time it really pays to be early so I recommend allowing an additional 30 minutes beyond what Google Maps says your estimated travel time will be.
3.  Avoid negativity at all costs.  I used to fall into this trap by saying things like, "I know the job involves lots of paperwork and sometimes may not be super exciting, but overall I love the company's mission..."   Okay, see that first part about paperwork?  No one wants to hear that at an interview!  I used to say it because I thought it made me sound realistic.  It doesn't.  It just made me sound negative, or like someone who is not excited about the position.  I see applicants make this mistake all the time. 
4.  Let your enthusiasm show.  Don't be afraid to convey how much you really want the position. This is done by mentioning specifics about the position that really attract you to it.  For example, "I'm excited to apply for a position at this institution because of it's focus on the underserved community in Los Angeles"  sounds a lot better than,  "I just want to work in LA and your location is convenient for me."  There have been many times when an applicant gets hired over someone else (even someone with more impressive credentials) because he/she showed more enthusiasm and interest in the position.          5.  Be careful with humor.  Okay, interviews can be awkward and it can be very tempting to break that awkwardness with humor.  I'm not even close to the funniest guy out there, but I get this urge to turn into a B-list Jerry Seinfeld impersonator every time I interview.  In my experience, humor is usually only met in one of two ways: It can be cheesy leading to a forced chuckle or worse, it can be outright offensive.  In conclusion, I suggest limiting or omitting humor from the job interview altogether. 
6.  The Question.  You know the one, "What would you say is your worst attribute?"  To answer this, give an attribute that is really in some way a positive.  For example,  "I find that I can be a little too detail-oriented."  As an applicant I thought that it was too cliche to answer in this way so I would actually give a legitimate negative attribute.  I'm not joking.  I would say... "well, I'm kind of shy and I don't like being in front of people."   No No No!   Always answer this question honestly, but with an attribute that can also be viewed as positive, even if you feel like a walking cliche doing so.  
7.  The Thank You Card. As an applicant, I never wrote a thank you card because I thought it would be viewed as redundant and unnecessary.   However, now as an interviewer, getting a thank you card in the mail makes me think again about that applicant.  Also, it demonstrates true interest in the position.  For these reasons, I think taking the time to write an old-fashioned thank you card can definitely be worthwhile.  Although, this certainly won't make or break you during the application process.            8.  Be yourself.  You may not be the smartest applicant in the world, or the most experienced, or the most confident, but you are the best at one thing.  You are the best in the world at being YOU.  No one else on this planet has the same unique set of personal experiences and qualifications that you have.  During the interview, draw special attention to the attributes or experiences that really set you apart from the other applicants.  You will do fine!  
Best of luck,
Mike 

Central Park(s) of Los Angeles

Every large metropolitan area needs a park, a little oasis of nature to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.  New York City has Central Park, Tokyo has Yoyogi Park (among others), and Berlin has it's own Tiergarten.  But what does Los Angeles have?  In LA, there is not really one centralized park, but rather a series of smaller parks and surrounding hiking areas in the hills to provide the much needed nature escape for it's 4 million residents.  

These pics were taken early in the morning at Echo Park.  The area around the lake offers some of the best views of downtown LA.  It was actually somewhat overcast the morning I visited which is a rare contrast from the blue skies more typically seen around the city.  

If you're looking to find this bench at Echo Park, good luck.  You will search for hours and come up empty handed.  This is because the bench is not actually located at Echo park, but rather at neighboring Vista Hermosa natural park.  The scenic backdrop to this bench makes it an attractive site for engagement and portrait photographers. If you're here at sunset, expect to see a couple with a well choreographed kiss or perfectly timed eye-to-eye stare for the camera.   

Here's some trivia:  Why do all the buildings in downtown LA have flat rooftops?  Why don't you see any decorative pointy rooftops like the Chrysler Building in NYC?  The reason is that all skyscrapers in this city are mandated to have helicopter pads at the top in case evacuation via helicopter is needed.