Author: Benji Ho

Carousel Gelateria: Bringing Back Old Memories, and Adding New Ones

Posted on March 25, 2011July 14, 2011 by Benji Ho

Atmosphere: Clean, fun, elegant, friendly, and all the extra goodies that make this place more than just an ice cream parlor. Service: The service is very friendly, and they let me sample all sorts of flavors before deciding. Food: Some of the best ice cream I've had. Continue reading

Lolos in Grand Case: Barbecue by the Beach

Posted on March 24, 2011July 14, 2011 by Benji Ho

Atmosphere: With picnic tables and grills by the beach, lolos offer a relaxed setting to go with friends and family. Service: The service is hit-or-miss. Sometimes when I have gone, the waiters and cooks were very nice in recommending their specialties, and fast in serving the food. Other times, I've had to wait a long time and felt the waiters have forgotten about us. Food: There was quite a variety of choices, and a $10 meat plate (called “chicken food” or “ribs food”) can get you a good number of them to try. Food was good and simple, and reminds me of good ole backyard picnic food. The Christophine was absolutely delicious and I highly recommend it as a side dish to your main BBQ plate. Continue reading

Birthday Weekend

Posted on March 24, 2011November 29, 2012 by Benji Ho

This past Monday, March 21, I had my 27th birthday! Yes, that’s right, BIG 27!! I could have spent that special day on the island, but it wouldn’t be the same without the person that I love. Because of this, I decided it would be the perfect time to take a trip to see Irene in Miami. I just had… Continue reading

Vote for Rudy and Silvia – a match made in paradise!

Posted on March 15, 2011March 25, 2011 by Benji Ho

Hey everyone! I received this story from a colleague of mine from AUC, Rudy Smith. It was at AUC when Rudy and Silvia met. Rudy was a new first semester student in the anatomy lab while Silvia was a head anatomy TA. Rudy instantly had a crush on her but thought she was out of his league. But luckily Silvia… Continue reading

Holy Grail

Posted on March 15, 2011December 22, 2011 by Benji Ho

As I said before, I’ve really struggled with classes where you have tons of seemingly random facts and names to memorize… namely, med micro and pharmacology. For the last part of last block, I tried out a new way of studying, and it increased my exam grade by 20 points. Since it worked, I figured why not apply my new… Continue reading

All That Matters

Posted on March 15, 2011March 24, 2011 by Benji Ho

I recently received a message from a reader who was contemplating between two choices of med schools and needed some insight about how I feel about coming to AUC. I thought this was a good question, so I’d like to share my answer. Here was his question: If you had the opportunity to start AUC over again, would you? Hi,… Continue reading

View of St. Kitts and Nevis from St. Maarten

Posted on March 12, 2011March 25, 2011 by Benji Ho

On most days, it’s pretty easy to see Saba, Anguilla, and St. Barths from St. Maarten. On clearer days, St. Eustatius appears. And on the clearest days, one can see gigantic St. Kitts looming in the background, 50 miles away. I never thought I could see anything farther than St. Kitts… until today. Today the horizon was so clear that… Continue reading

My Heritage Through Food

Posted on March 11, 2011March 25, 2011 by Benji Ho

After spending the day studying without eating much, I finally decided I couldn’t stand hearing my stomach growl another second longer and told my study group that I needed to go home and eat. Once I got home, all I wanted to do was cook, cook, and cook some more. My brain finally got some rest and it was therapeutic.… Continue reading

Sarafina’s: Going to France for Lunch

Posted on March 8, 2011July 14, 2011 by Benji Ho

Atmosphere: The setting is casual and a great place to go and bond with friends. I especially like dining on their sofa chairs. Service: The people there have always been very nice in my experience. They often start speaking to you in French, but are happy to switch to English when you give them a blank look. Food: Always fresh and always a pleasure to look at. Continue reading

Blue Mall Update

Posted on March 7, 2011December 17, 2013 by Benji Ho

So as I have talked about in an earlier post, a new mall is currently being constructed near AUC. I remember when I first came to AUC, the Blue Mall was just a lifeless, monolithic concrete skeleton. Over the semesters, I enjoyed seeing it grow little by little, becoming more and more complete and beautiful. Living not too far from… Continue reading

Dinner in the Dark

Posted on March 6, 2011March 25, 2011 by Benji Ho

Today, after a day of studying pharmacology and the advanced diving course I’m taking, I came h0me at night to a power outage. Despite everything being dark, and having no electricity to cook with, nothing can stop me ever from having a good dinner. Tonight’s gonna be a candlelight dinner! So here’s what’s on the menu at Benji’s tonight:

Fresh

Heineken Regatta 2011

Posted on March 5, 2011March 9, 2011 by Benji Ho

This weekend, St. Maarten is holding the 31st annual Heineken Regatta, one of the largest boat races in the world. More than 300 sailboats and their participants and supporters from all over the world come to the island to compete in a series of races that last for four days on both the Dutch and French sides. The race is… Continue reading

How Do You Condense 191 Lecture Slides Onto One Sheet of Paper?

Posted on March 3, 2011May 21, 2011 by Benji Ho

For the past few semesters, I’ve really struggled with classes where you have tons of seemingly random facts and names to memorize… namely, med micro and pharmacology. I never figured out how to study for Pharm I last semester and even first block of Pharm II this semester, I did poorly on the exam. But for the second block, I… Continue reading

Lunch

Posted on March 3, 2011March 25, 2011 by Benji Ho

Lunch at Benji’s, March 3, 2011:

Tilapia sauteed with White Onion, Tomato, Black Pepper with Lime

Toast with Goat Cheese and Herbs

Green Avocado

Fried Egg with Taco Sauce

Salad – Cilantro, Tomato, Cucumber, Lime Juice, Black Pepper, Olive Oil

Navel Orange Slices

AUC and USMLE Step 1

Posted on March 2, 2011July 9, 2016 by Benji Ho

The 2010 USMLE Step 1 results statistics for AUC are out! This past year, 94% of AUC students who took the exam for the first time passed. In comparison, the average was 94% for US MD schools and 81% for US DO schools (2009 statistics). The average score for AUC jumped two points from 215 in 2009 to 217 in… Continue reading

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

Posted on March 2, 2011March 24, 2011 by Benji Ho

Normally during REM sleep, the phase in which we dream our most vivid dreams, we display decreased muscle tone. Most of our muscles practically become paralyzed during this phase except for a few, namely the muscles we use to breathe, the middle ear ossicles, and the eyes, which move rapidly, giving REM sleep it’s name — Rapid Eye Movement. However,… Continue reading

Streaming Video

Posted on February 19, 2011March 25, 2011 by Benji Ho