BODIES . . . The Exhibit

Hello,

This morning I decided I would have the breakfast buffet instead of a bagel. I had bacon, sausage, hash browns, cheese blitz, watermelon, pear, peaches, and a strawberry danish. Yea I know I'm a pig.

After breakfast we headed over to Circus Circus the Adventure dome! My mom and brother rode two roller coasters there. I would never go on either of course lol I recorded them at the end of the second roller coaster and right when I was gonna press the button to stop recording my camera went black. Yeaaaa I should have packed those spare batteries. Luckily the gift shop inside the Adventure dome has a four pack of AA batteries!

So currently I am a Human Biology major at UCSD. I love anatomy and physiology ever since I took the class my junior year of high school. This is why we went to our next stop. The Luxor! You know, the big pyramid hotel with the sphinx? Home of the Bodies exhibit! For those of you that don't know what that is. "The Exhibition provides an intimate and informative view into the human body. Using an innovative preservation process, the Exhibition allows you to see and celebrate your body's inner beauty in ways you never dreamed possible. Over 200 actual human bodies and specimens, meticulously dissected and respectfully displayed, offer an unprecedented and wholly unique look into your amazing body." Of course we were not allowed to take photos or film any part of the exhibit. We started off in the skeletal system room and onto the muscular, nervous, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, reproductive, urinary, fetal development, and finished off in the treated body room. Sorry guys, but I did jot down some interesting facts!

1. The Palmar Arch: due to it's sensitivity and dexterity, the hands require a large blood supply. Even a small cut on a finger can be very messy.

2. Weak abdominal muscles lead to injuries throughout the skeletal system. So do your sit-ups!

3. Humans have the most evolved facial muscles of all mammals.

4. Girls brains account for 2.5% of their body weight. Boys brains account for 2% of their body weight.

5. Pulse is an artery wall stretching with each heart beat.

6. The brain requires 20% of the body's total blood supply.

7. Every drop of blood in the body passes through the heart once per minute.

8. To lose one pound you must burn 3,500 calories more than your body needs.

9. Steps to digest:
ingest
chew 10-30 times
swallow 4-8 seconds
churn 2-4 hours
absorb 3-5 hours
compact 10 hours - days
eliminate!

10. During the day the intervertabral discs compress and flatten but spring back during sleep. This is why you are shortest at the end of the day and tallest when you rise in the morning!

11. Fetal cells may remain within the mother decades after birth.

12. This was one of my favorite. These words were next to a glass box with a slit at the top large enough to insert cigarette boxes. "On average a box of cigarettes takes 3 hours and 40 minutes off of your life. We'd like you to be around longer. Leave your cigarettes here and stop smoking now."

Interesting facts? I hope there were some out of the 12 that are new to you! At the end there was a list of steps as to how they preserved the bodies for the exhibit. Of course I wrote them all down for you!

Process of Polymer Preservation
1. Human specimen is temporarily preserved to stop decay.
2. Specimen is dissected to feature specific systems & structures.
3. Dissection is immersed in acetone to evacuate all body water.
4. Dehydrated, the specimen is placed in a silicon polymer bath & sealed in a
vacuum chamber.
5. Under vacuum, acetone leaves the body in a gas form, replaced by silicone
polymer.
6. Silicone polymer hardens in curing.
7. The permanently preserved specimen with its structures intact, is ready for
             examination and study.

Overall I would say the exhibit was an eyeopening experience. I would tell you guys what my favorite specimen was, but I can't. I was fascinated by each and every one of them. I did really enjoy looking at the fetal development stages, the skull separated into its various bones, the various veins and arteries of the organs, and the treated bodies room (this showed metal implants that replaced corrupted joints and bones). With exhibits like this I am usually content with seeing it once in my life, but this one is different. I would go through the exhibit again! Now I just need to find some closer to home and someone to go with! I wish we could have touched it all, but I'd imagine that would be a nightmare with all the immature individuals and children out there. If you guys get the opportunity to go to a Bodies exhibit and have the stomach for it go! You'll love it!

It was still early in the afternoon when we finished (took about an hour and a half to get through the exhibit) so we walked on over to Mandalay Bay. Why? I saw in my LUSH catalog there was a LUSH in Mandalay Bay! Look how big this one looks compared to the one in La Jolla by school!

Some pretty bath bombs. This is the bubble bar I purchased. I'll show you how it works in the next blog post. I also purchased a massage bar! LUSH employees are always so friendly. This time Dezi helped me. Since I was asking about the massage bars she showed me various ones by massaging my hands and arms! Felt very nice. She wants to be a massage therapist one day so she shared some tips with me on how to give a good massage. I told her how I love getting massaged at the base of my skull and she got up and did it! Dezi wrote down the different products we looked at that I didn't purchase that way I will know for future visits!

We got back to the hotel and my brother and I just chilled in the room while our parents went to gamble. Read my book while sitting in the sun in our air conditioned room. Very relaxing till I tried to move realizing my tailbone was sore from how awkwardly I had been sitting on it.

Dinner was Bachi Burger again, but this time we went to a different location. I wasn't terribly hungry so I got an almond milk tea boba drink and edamame beans.

ALG

Bubble Bar Bath

Aloha!

Here's the bubble bar that I picked out. Figured I should choose the one with the least amount of color just in case it stains the tub. I ended up cutting it in half because I wanted to save half for later.

This is how it worked. You hold it in your hand under running water and slowly crumble it. Then voila, bubbles! Not a ton of bubbles, but it still counts as a
bubble bath!



There's my feets!

Been a long time since I've taken a bubble bath. I told Schatzi I felt like such a kid as I sat in my bath entertaining myself by trying to fill a cup with bubbles >.<

ALG

Penn & Teller

Hey guys!

Did you guys get the hint from the other day's post? Penn & Teller! I used to watch their show Fool Us all the time on YouTube!





This is a photo of this really cool looking light structure.


We got to go up on the stage to check out a box and sign an envelope. Both of which would be used during the show.

Here's the box. At this moment I wasn't sure what part of the show it would be used for, but later Penn popped out of it making his entrance to the show.

See this guy in the hat? I could have sworn that it was Penn, but I wasn't 100% sure so I just zoomed and snapped a quick one. I was in line to check out the items on stage, but if I wasn't I'd have gone over there to try and get a better photo.


While in line I accidentally stepped on the red squares and a guy came and told me to get back on the black. Heres Penn and Teller's tape markers.

July 22, 2014. The yellow rectangle is the envelope my dad and I signed.

Here's the view from stage! See that guy off to the right center in the white? Go two rows back. That's how close we were to stage. Pretty sweet seats!

No photos or video taping during the show. I loved the show! I have no clue as to which trick was my favorite. There was one where Penn sat playing guitar and telling the story of Penn in Physics class. While Penn did that, Teller of course acted it all out. Educational in a way, but got my attention the whole time! I also liked a trick where Teller turned water into coins and then coins into fish.

After the show, Penn and Teller were outside taking selfies and autographing whatever people gave to them. My dad and I joined the crowd of people around Teller while my mom and brother waited off to the side. You guys know Teller doesn't talk during the act right? Of course I was curious to find out what he sounded like! When it was my turn I had my camera record while he took it from me and took a selfie with me. I didn't have a pen or paper with me so I franticly thought of what I could have him sign. That's when I asked if he could autograph the side of my camera and he said yes! I really liked Teller. He was extremely friendly and kind.

Moving on to Penn. We stood in that crowd of people. What I noticed about Penn was that every time he addressed a person he would say "Hi/Hey Boss." For those of you that don't know, I am 5 foot. Penn is 6 foot 7 inches tall. I pressed record as he called me forward. I wasn't sure how a selfie would work with someone 18 inches taller than I was. So instead my dad took the photo for me. Penn wasn't anywhere near as personable as Teller, but I managed to get him to autograph my camera as well. Oh and as I was waiting my turn I overheard that, hat was him playing bass prior to the show!

It was late and we were all exhausted. Back to the hotel we went. Did a quick arms, thighs, back, chest, and abs workout. Took a shower and now I am sitting here wearing my apricot foot mask while typing away! If you guys visit Vegas I'd recommend seeing their show. Not gonna be in Vegas? Watch em on YouTube!

ALG

Bachi Burger I

Hi again,

My family and I love to watch food channels on TV. Apparently my brother had seen Bachi Burger on some show. Guess what we had for dinner? Yep, Bachi Burger! You guys are so smart lol
 

This was our appetizer. Oxtail chili cheese fries. Of course I got the fries that had nothing or a little bit of sauce/beans. The taste was delicious!

I am not a fan of burgers (although I ate a whole cheeseburger and fries the other day) so I got the sausages and sweet potato fries. I like sauces to dip my foods in, but I did NOT like these two sauces. The yellow one was a very strong honey mustard. I am assuming there was horse radish in it because that little amount that touched the top of my mouth really woke me up! The sauce for the fries was a garlic citrus sauce. I like to eat oranges, but citrus sauce just ain't for me. I wanted sauce so I asked our waiter if they had jam, sweet sauce, or maybe even simple ketchup. He said they had a pineapple ketchup. I thought it'd be fun to try so I agreed. It was very interesting. So yummy! The sweet and

salty was perfect. I cut my sausages and fries to bite size pieces to make it easier to eat. I would get some pineapple ketchup on my fork, stab two rectangles of sweet potato fry, and finally a piece of sausage. I thought they all went rather well together. I couldn't finish it all, so I took 2 sausages and a handful of fries back to the hotel.

My family each ordered some sort of burger. I am a slow eater, but I was maybe 2 sausages in when I looked around and saw they they had all stopped eating. I'd say we were all satisfied with what Bachi Burger had to offer.

ALG

CBS

Hola!

This morning we went downstairs for breakfast. While my family ate buffet I had my usual, bagel and cream cheese. Sounds like a normal breakfast right? I like strawberry cream cheese. Every time we eat at this buffet place I mix strawberry jam and regular cream cheese to make my own strawberry cream cheese!





Next we headed over to the MGM Grand to participate in the CBS TV City Research Center survey.

When we got there, we were asked to wait in line. The wait was only five minutes and into the room we went. We watched the McArthurs and then took a survey. Not my type of show, but I got to see some promos that caught my attention! I've never heard of the show Scorpion, but now I want to watch it lol After finishing our surveys we each received coupons for various food stops in the hotel.







Random pretty wall in a restaurant and the ka dragon.

Next was New York New York! It'd probably be a better photo without the wires, but oh wells.

Inside we were greeted by a jelly bean Statue of Liberty. fascinating how people are so amazed at a Statue of Liberty that has jelly beans glued to it . . .

Do you guys like roller coasters? I can't ride em because I just can't handle em. My brother and mom love em and wanted to ride the one at New York New York. It's $14 per ride, but my mom had some sort of deal and both of them rode for free!

Hershey's world! We have been to the Coke and M & M world, but never Hershey's.




You can customize your own wrapper for a Hershey's bar.

There was another Statue of Liberty, but this time it was made of chocolate!





Here's the Empire State Building made of chocolate as well!








We all got back into the car and rushed over to Caesar's Palace to watch the fall of Atlantis. Not entirely sure who this guy and lady are, but here they are! lol





On the way out of Caesar's Palace I thought I'd take a picture of these unique mannequins for y'all. Here's a huge H&M for you H&M lovers out there.



You guys remember Bob? Well this reminded me of her so I had to take a photo. This is for you Bob! For certain reasons >.<

Back to the California Hotel. Before going up to our rooms we agreed we might as well go to the other beef jerky store. Here's some crossing instructions. Just in case you guys didn't know already.



Jackpot! I've been wanting these babies for years! Not exactly the same as the ones that come in the sembei mix baggies, but still really good. I got 4 bags . . . and a bag of dried corn! I wana say this was my first purchase in Vegas this trip.

ALG

I Stained The Tub

Hi again,

I don't take baths very often. Maybe twice a year? Maybe. Well during my time at UCSD I bought a champagne LUSH bath bomb off a peer for $3. Not bad considering in store they range from like $6-11. So I thought what better time to use it than at a hotel lol


Here's our bathroom set up.
My bed/half of the room.

I'll be honest, at first it looked murky. Then it dissolved more and I mixed the water around.


Here's my new book I got for like 75 cents! A face mask I got from Little Saigon, lip mask from I don't remember, and the strawberry circle moisturizing masks from my sister!






I took a shower first to get off all the day's worth of dirt. Filled the tub, dropped the bath bomb in, put on the lemon face mask and sunk on in. After 10 or so minutes I took the mask off and traded it for my lip mask. I grabbed my book and read while my lips were getting moisturized. After that I used two strawberry circles to put on my cheek bones for extra moisturizing! For the last few minutes I laid back and relaxed. I drained most of the tub and used my Baiden Mitten to exfoliate my body. Look at that grossness! You know what the scary thing is? That's not even all the dead skin I got off! I haven't used this since school so it's been a while. My skin felt so smooth after!

The mirrors were super fogged as usual. I always seem to fog up mirrors.




Yeaaaa soooooo I discovered that the bath bomb left a bit of color behind in the tub. Don't worry, I plan on cleaning it! It was so worth it though. My skin feels fresh and soft. Now I only have my foot mask, face mask, and strawberry circles left to use. I'd say that's enough though. Now go pamper yourself. I'm sure you deserve it! Don't fight me on that!

ALG