Up and Feynman

You know when it rains and it's just warm and soothing...it's one of those rains outside. It's calming and gentle and unless you look really hard you can't even tell it's raining...The only bad thing is that my tennis plans for today are interrupted. But it's okay, at least it's for a nice rain and not a mean one!


So I ended up seeing Up with my brother and sister yesterday. It was really good! It was a little more serious than what I would've expected but I think that added to it. There were some sad parts in the movie and I felt...sad. But there were definitely enough funny moments to compensate. The animation was really good and the plot was nice. There were points that I thought would be a little too scary for kids but I was able to make it through those by watching through the slits between my fingers as I covered my eyes hehe! But yeah so DEFINITELY worth seeing!! And it really made me want a balloon hahaha!

After the movie I ended up going to play tennis...it was so odd! When I walked into the theater it was pouring outside. And when I walked out, it was bright and sunny and you couldn't even tell it had rained! So weird. But I definitely took advantage of the dry weather and played tennis. It was a perfect night for it too...the air was cool and there was just the slightest breeze. There were a bunch of people at the courts so we had to wait for about half an hour for a court but it was definitely worth the wait! My game is improving with every time I go..I can't wait to play at my high school level! =)

This morning I woke up and finished the Feynman book I was reading. It was sad to finish it. But I really enjoyed it. He made my list of favorite men. (Top contenders on that list are Stephen Colbert, Thomas Friedman, Jim Henson, Paul Krugman, Bill Clinton, Jack Sparrow, Clive Owen, Bill Cosby and now Richard Feynman). But yeah so that book was entertaining and amusing and I felt so privileged to know the thoughts of someone who really 'lived'. I was just thinking of how maybe I knew more about him than some of the students he had taught and how weird that is. Definitely read it!

I spent some time doing a crossword and watching TV. Now I'm off to play tennis. More later =)

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Summer

It's definitely summer. I spent most of yesterday working outside--mowing the lawn, watering the vegetable garden, planting a bunch of trees. There's nothing more 'summer' than dirt under my fingernails, grass blades in my hair, and some light brown icing on all of my already brown skin. Let's just not think about the mosquito bites!

I have this comfortable ache in all of my appendages and my lower back..and a blister on my hand. I also managed to finish cleaning my room, yayy! Oh and what's sad is that I'm getting so close to the end of the Feynman book. I am really not happy about almost being done with it..it's been an excellent companion for the last few moments of my day, just before I drift off.

The most exciting things that came from me unpacking my stuff is: 1.) Speakers! (my laptop speakers haven't worked since...a while..but now I've set up my speakers!), 2.) My husband pillow thing that makes reading SO much better, 3.) King Julian masks that I promptly turned over to my brother and sister (my delivery was excellent, complete with the fake accent and dancing), 4.) Boo Bear! (self-explanatory), 5.) Turtle! (not so self-explanatory...it's a stuffed animal duck)


So today my plans are to relax! I haven't really gotten much relaxing in since I've been home but that'll change today. I plan on watching reruns of all those corny shows--Full House, Sister Sister, Saved by the Bell, and of course Arthur! And then I'm going to see either Angels and Demons or Up with my brother and sister after they get home from school. I am super excited about this! The movie we watch depends on what time they can get home. And after that, I'll either do some more gardening or I'll go play tennis..we'll see which way the wind blows me.


Oh so let me update you on my outdoor projects since a lot of my time is devoted to them: We have nearly an acre of land and well mowing that is definitely a task. So I've decided to help my dad out with the mowing since I'll be home all summer (and since my brother is especially lazy about that). Also, we are growing eggplant, cucumbers, okra, peas, tomatoes, and peppers in the backyard. So I am in charge of watering the plants twice a day. So my backyard is sort of shaped like half a baseball diamond (a triangle, in simpler terms)...the far end is home plate and it gets wider as it approaches the house (which is the pitcher's mound). Along the stretch from third base to home plate we want to plant a row of trees. Mind you this is not to scale so really we are planting a LOT of trees. Also, it slopes upward a little bit as it approaches the back point so it's a little harder than it sounds. We planted like 8 trees or so yesterday and my parents had already planted 2-3 before I came home. We're making some progress! Another task we have is to lay out weed-blocker (the black sheets) in our front landscaping and then cover that with stones. The stones are kind of pretty so it looks nice. We have a huge pile of stones sitting on the driveway and with every wheelbarrow-full of stones that is transported to the front of the house, I see a little shimmer of hope that we're almost done. We did finish about half of the weedblocking/stone transport so now we should be done within a week or two maximum. Okay I think that's it haha!

Alright time to get a work out in before my day turns into a tv/movie marathon. Yay so excited! =D

Friendship

Friendship is something that always amazes me when I stop to think about it. It's one of the most beautiful things this world has to offer and I am seriously at a loss for words when I try to describe how much beauty it possesses (and yet I will type paragraphs, trying to show you how I perceive it).

Until recently, I always thought a real friendship is the only kind that is worthy. I always knew that there are different levels of friendships but what I didn't realize was that it's okay for there to be those different levels. I struggled with my 'fake' friendships, trying to validate them somehow.

But recently, I discovered that every level of friendship has it's place in my life and without every single one of them, I wouldn't be exactly who I am today. I have learned a great deal about life through my friendships and without these lessons shaping me along the way, I don't even know how far back I would be.

I think leaving Philly today made me realize exactly what I am leaving behind. I realized that I won't be within 5 minutes of my friends anymore, that keeping these friendships strong will require some effort. I know that my friends will never be too far from me, as long as I nurture the friendships. I don't usually have trouble with that sort of thing but it will definitely be a task with medical school next year. I was already having some trouble balancing it this year, I can only imagine how hard it will get in the future.

Friendship is something that just makes sense to me. I am not the type of person to be a 'fake' friend and at every stage of my life, I have added on a few deeply-rooted friendships that will probably sustain me for the entire journey. I am grateful to these friends and I am looking forward to the memories we will share.

Moving Day!

BUSY DAY! I squeezed a year of my life into 2 cars and drove it home..the cars were jam packed! I don't know how we did it...I still can't believe it. And to motivate myself to unpack everything before August, I put it all in my room. I don't know of a plan that has backfired with more drastic consequence--there is barely any space to walk right now! I did clean for at least an hour and half but there is just SO MUCH to sort through. Haha whatever..I did manage to bake some brownies in between so I'm happy (and so is my dad haha) Oh and I discovered that silken tofu is a great egg replacer--at least for brownies =)

So driving home from Philly was a little sad at first. Watching the skyline grow smaller and smaller and eventually disappear from the side view mirror was definitely an emotional experience. All I needed to top it off was a montage of my Philly memories with Good Riddance or Here's to the Nights playing in the background. That really would've triggered the waterworks!

Moving out was alright but after I got home we cut up some nice cold mangoes and mann they were SO sweet and juicy! It was a beautiful thing, really. Oh and I watered our vegetable garden as well as the new trees that my parents recently planted. We bought 5 more today and I think we're getting 3 more tomorrow...and then planting all 8 tomorrow afternoon! It's gonna be nice though cuz the weather has been cooperating lately..I think I'll watch some reruns during the day and maybe finish cleaning up the room before gardening..

I was looking forward to making up Colbert episodes but apparently he took Memorial week off..so much for that! I guess I'll just do a crossword and maybe get to bed early tonight. I am exhausted after all that moving out anyway. Good night!

Welcome, Summer! Won't you stay a while?

Ah I know it's been almost a week since I last posted...I got so busy trying to enjoy my last week in Philly while also not failing my neuro exam. It was a juggling act that went on all week and in some ways, I'm glad it's over..

I came home last night from Philly after my last exam (woohoo is an understatement) and ended up getting stuck in the train for 4 HOURS! Mind you I live an hour and half from Philly! It was such a long and tiring journey but I am SO glad I had a book with me. I really don't know what I would've done if I didn't have a book..


So since I mentioned it..the book I'm reading now was given to me as a parting gift from one of my close friends. It's called "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" and it's really interesting. It's written by this really brilliant physicist who has definitely made his mark in the field of physics. It is anecdotal in style and there are definitely some funny blurbs in it! I have read a third of it already and I wouldn't be surprised if I finished it by the end of the week!


OH I tricked the library! Soo what happened was, I lost my library card freshman year of college and I never bothered getting a new one since I was in Philly the last 4 years. But now I'm home for the summer and I definitely need some books to keep my brain occupied while it's not studying so I need a card. There's this new online thing where you can request a card to be mailed to you. So I did that a few weeks ago. Then I had to go in to get the card activated. I figured this is where I would get caught and be forced to surrender a $3 fine for losing a card...NOPE!! They just activated my card and off I went! I am so excited about this! I saved $3! =D

Other than tricking the library, I spent my day playing tennis in the morning and then cleaning for the afternoon. I vacuumed the whole house and swept the floors and cleaned the counters and the cabinets. One of the things I realized this morning was that I really missed being home. A lot of the things I took for granted before, like sitting outside with my grandmother while eating breakfast, really mean a lot to me. This morning me, my mom, and my ba sat outside and ate our breakfast together. Last night before going to bed, me, my sister, and my mom sat and talked for a while. (I'm tempted to make a Venn diagram of the people involved in sitting around haha) But yeah...those moments where we're just relaxing with each other are so meaningful and I never realized before. I'm just glad I have this for a while.


I don't know if I mentioned it before but my house is going to become a zoo very soon. My mom's family from India is moving here, like permanently..that's a dozen people added on to the 6 that are currently in my house. It is going to be a mad house! I think the biggest lesson I am going to learn this summer is patience. Of the 12 people coming, 6 are kids...all younger than my brother (16). And all of which absolutely ADORE me. It's going to be interesting...I just want to enjoy these moments of peace with my immediate family before we are constantly surrounded by relatives.

Bittersweet Symphony

Today was a nice day. I slept in and when I woke up, I laid in bed reading The Namesake. This reminds me of when I was younger and I'd wake up early on the weekends and lay in bed reading. After I finally got out of bed, I made some blueberry pancakes, yummy yummy! I also cleaned the apartment and did a pilates workout. I got some studying done and I made stuffed shells for dinner. Pretty good day!

Just now I finished reading The Namesake. I really liked this book. The characters are so deep and so real. I was amazed at how beautifully the story was written. The story itself is good but I guess I overlooked that since I already know it and I mainly concentrated on the character development and the writing style. I really recommend this book to everyone, even after seeing the movie. What's interesting is how an immigrant's struggle in moving to America is documented. I think Lahiri dealt with the topic well (not that I know firsthand what it's like) but I mean, it didn't seem too unrealistic from what my parents have told me. Lahiri smoothly changed the focus of narration from Ashima's thoughts and internal conflicts in the initial stages of her marriage to Gogol's point of view. And again later in the book, from Gogol's perspective to Moushumi's. I think it takes real talent to change the narration that drastically and she definitely mastered it.

I can't believe how brave my parents were in coming to this country. They left everything they knew behind them and came to a foreign land that only held the promise of a better future. Whether that promise would be fulfilled was nothing they were confident about. Yet they took a HUGE risk that changed their lives. I can only imagine their feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment when they look at our home and see what they have built, literally from the ground up. I don't think I will ever face such a huge, trying task. I don't know if I am strong enough or courageous enough but I definitely admire my parents for what they did.


Last night before going to bed I watched Anastasia. I like that movie a lot, not as much as the original Disney princess movies, but still, it's a nice movie! I'm thinking of watching a movie tonight but we'll see how that goes!

This is my last week in Philly. The days are slowly creeping by and I am definitely feeling the bitter lows and sweet highs of it all. I have my moments where I get sad and nostalgic, longing to stay put in a place I have grown very comfortable. But there's a part of me that is getting cramped, knowing that I have outgrown the struggles and challenges Philly posed for me. I guess I need to move on to greater challenges, advance to the next level. I need to start packing up my stuff soon but I guess the moment I start doing that, I will definitely feel like I am moving out. I am hoping to delay that moment for as long as I can manage, maybe another day or two? Ahh this is getting too sad..

Much Needed Alone Time

Last night was one of the most relaxing nights I can remember. I was alone in my apartment and so I thought I would get lonely or sad or something but surprisingly, I woke up this morning, unscathed! I was doing work last night and catching up on episodes of the Colbert Report. I am embarrassed by how infrequently I watch the show I love the most and I decided to rectify that. I got through almost 3 weeks of episodes and I will continue working backwards whenever I have time! It was such a nice, relaxing evening and I really felt like myself again.


I know that last statement is a little heavy but really, I have been feeling a little off lately. Nothing significant, just in the slightest way. You know when you are constantly in the company of others and you never have the chance to just appreciate some alone time? I think the past month has been so busy and active with other people that I haven't had enough time to just sit down and be by myself. Part of it may be because I don't like to be alone anymore. It's funny because I would've never said that before but I guess since college started I have always been surrounded by people so now I'm used to that. I used to enjoy my own company and now it's like I run from it at every opportunity. It will be nice to go home for the summer and reset my social clock. Especially considering at med school I will have my own room and the only company I will enjoy (?) is that of my books. I just realized that since my last few posts have been catch ups on the previous week or whatever I haven't really shared any thoughts. I am going to try to make some more alone time for myself to post on here and share some of my thoughts.

I have been reading the Namesake and I'm like three quarters of the way through. I am really liking it. The characters are better developed than in the movie (and even the movie was deep!) and I am really enjoying reading it. Lahiri has a way of making every feeling Gogol has completely accessible and I have felt that I can relate to Gogol countless times. The writing is beautiful but beyond that, it is human. And that is what makes it such a well-written book. It's also interesting to be reading a book that I already know the story of. It's not often that I read a book that I have already seen the movie for and I'm finding that it isn't as bad as I thought it would be. It's like there's a secret thrill in knowing what is going to happen next, before the characters do. I don't know how many more books I will read post-movie, but it's definitely not a bad thing!

Alright well now that I've enjoyed a great morning to myself, I think it's time to start studying. More later =)