So it's been a while since I posted and now I'm officially 'used to' med school. If you ask me how things are, I can really answer "oh you know, the usual".
I've already had one major exam and one major quiz along with lots of smaller quizzes. We have at least 2 graded things each week, so things generally stay pretty busy. I mean, they would either way but now they're busy with a sense of urgency.
My favorite subject right now is definitely anatomy. I like the gross anatomy lab aspect of it and even just the subject itself. I love seeing things that are COMPLETELY relevant to body function on a grand scale. It's exciting to see the things I have been studying about for so many years. And I LOVE dissecting. I love using the scalpel and scissors and oh man if you throw a probe or forceps into the mix I am in heaven! Haha no but I really do enjoy it!
I am definitely getting used to the whole studying all the time routine. I definitely take my breaks and slack off when I need to. But overall I haven't really fallen behind at all and I'm able to keep up fairly easily. I can't ever take an entire day off though, or that would REALLY screw me up haha. It seems like it's so impossible to play catch up with the volume of information they are throwing at us. I don't know how I would manage if I didn't go to class everyday and do the designated work that evening. It would definitely be tougher!
I've met some people who seem nice..made a few study groups and study buddies. I am liking the whole group study thing because I find that it really helps me learn the material when I am able to explain it to someone else.
Alright well that's enough of an update! Back to studying for Monday's exam!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Remember me?!
Once again, I contemplated giving this up haha. Things get so hectic and it's hard to squeeze in time for everything I want to do! Sooo after a whole 21 years of anticipation, I'M AT MEDICAL SCHOOL! It's awesome to finally be where I've been wanting to be for so long!
I'm really liking it here. The area is beautiful and the campus is very pretty. There are a lot of trees and a lake and A LOT OF TREES! Near my apartment there's the beach and it's all residential so it's a nice area to live in. I have class generally the entire day from 9-5. We get a lunch break from 12-1 so that's usually nice (obviously to get some studying in haha!) We have a major exam coming up Monday (come to think of it, I'm probably typing this now so I can avoid studying for it..oh well)
(ahh why is there candy corn in that picture?! I don't even like candy corn!)
So news in my life...I WENT TO SEE THE COLBERT REPORT TAPING!!! It was AMAZING! Seriously, one of the best experiences of my life! He was so nice and funny and charming. There is something so amazing about him. I don't know. All I know is I'm obsessed. He shook my hand and gave me a high five. The entire taping I wasn't able to pay attention to the stuff he was saying; I was just distracted by staring at his face. I'd laugh when other people laughed. The interview the day I went was Ang Lee. He seemed like a nice guy! Overall it was a GREAT experience! I hope I get the chance to go again at some point in the future but I'm so grateful that I was able to go once!!
So, being at medical school has triggered a lot of reform ideas in my mind. The system has its flaws and I hope when I am in academic medicine I am able to help fix it, at least a little. I find that some of the professors (and I think this is a universal thing) are still testing us as if we are undergrads. The stupid rote memorization of meaningless facts that we're going to forget an hour after the exam is not the path to becoming a great physician. A good one maybe but not great. I think the very thing that defines brilliance in the field is thinking analytically. The doctors that amaze me are the ones who can connect seemingly unrelated ideas or symptoms and get a cohesive picture out of it. I think those are the skills we should be learning right now, not necessarily every enzyme in some pathway. I guess I've always been a conceptual learner and the memorization bit seems to be getting old after so many years. And what's funny is that most professors will even say that we need to think about the big picture and see things in perspective, and yet they will test us on the details! It doesn't make sense! I think that's an issue that I really want to have changed and when it's in my hands, I will do something about it.
The coolest thing about medical school is anatomy. We have started dissecting and we've already gotten to the point where we take out the lungs and heart. It's pretty cool. And I learned that I am ambidextrous when it comes to using a scalpel! I like to learn anatomy (even outside the gross gross lab) because it just makes sense. You can see the function of the things you are memorizing and it all comes together when you think about the human body's needs. I find it interesting and plus, it's just SO much fun dissecting haha!
Actually I've found that a lot in my reaction to things--I really like when things all fit in together nicely. When we're taught things that make sense in a larger scale it's always satisfying. I don't think I dislike any subject just because the way it's taught, it's all relevant. We're not being lectured on things that won't affect us AT ALL. I mean granted this education isn't gonna get me far as a doctor, but at least the things we are learning about will be encountered by one of the student doctors in my class. So it's all relevant to some extent. Even the most obscure things don't seem like a waste of time, just because at some point in someone's life, that one obscure thing may be everything.
One of my strongest motivations to study right now is the idea of future patients. Everything I am learning is not about the grades or about me. It won't matter what specialty I go into because I will be touching people's lives no matter what. I want to learn as much as possible because someday people are going to be putting their lives in my hands. I need to be prepared to deal with that responsibility and so I am not okay with just passing. I just want to try my hardest to do the best I possibly can and not settle for less because 'it's still passing'. There's a higher responsibility right now and the focus has shifted away from me.
It's weird being away from home with so many people living there. Whenever I call home I usually only talk to my mom or my siblings. It's not often that I talk to any of the other relatives. But last night when I called my aunt really wanted to talk to me. It's so nice to remember that I have such a huge support system at home. It's easy to forget that when I'm caught up in the day to day activities here but I have to make it a point to remember.
My sister leaves for college on Sunday! I can't believe she's already going! It's kinda crazy to think of how old I am--in terms of age, education, place in life. It's nice that I'm able to give her some advice on things I learned along the way. Hopefully she can learn things an easier way because of that. I know we all have our own burdens to carry and obstacles to overcome but it's nice when we're able to help each other out along the way. I know she will be fine and hopefully she knows it too! I remember when I left home for the first time...the anticipation seriously sucked more than anything. Once I was at school and made friends, within a week I was happy where I was. But man, the days leading up to the big move can be so tough! I guess it's all part of the learning process.
Speaking of learning process, it's been great posting again and I think I'm gonna stick to doing it as a release. It's nice to be able to reflect and write out how I feel about things. Especially because the people I've become friends with here still don't know me as well and there's things that I wouldn't tell them yet. So it's nice to have this outlet and I'm regretting not having considered it in the past two weeks! Ah well, time to get back to my studying! Carpe diem =)
I'm really liking it here. The area is beautiful and the campus is very pretty. There are a lot of trees and a lake and A LOT OF TREES! Near my apartment there's the beach and it's all residential so it's a nice area to live in. I have class generally the entire day from 9-5. We get a lunch break from 12-1 so that's usually nice (obviously to get some studying in haha!) We have a major exam coming up Monday (come to think of it, I'm probably typing this now so I can avoid studying for it..oh well)
(ahh why is there candy corn in that picture?! I don't even like candy corn!)
So news in my life...I WENT TO SEE THE COLBERT REPORT TAPING!!! It was AMAZING! Seriously, one of the best experiences of my life! He was so nice and funny and charming. There is something so amazing about him. I don't know. All I know is I'm obsessed. He shook my hand and gave me a high five. The entire taping I wasn't able to pay attention to the stuff he was saying; I was just distracted by staring at his face. I'd laugh when other people laughed. The interview the day I went was Ang Lee. He seemed like a nice guy! Overall it was a GREAT experience! I hope I get the chance to go again at some point in the future but I'm so grateful that I was able to go once!!
So, being at medical school has triggered a lot of reform ideas in my mind. The system has its flaws and I hope when I am in academic medicine I am able to help fix it, at least a little. I find that some of the professors (and I think this is a universal thing) are still testing us as if we are undergrads. The stupid rote memorization of meaningless facts that we're going to forget an hour after the exam is not the path to becoming a great physician. A good one maybe but not great. I think the very thing that defines brilliance in the field is thinking analytically. The doctors that amaze me are the ones who can connect seemingly unrelated ideas or symptoms and get a cohesive picture out of it. I think those are the skills we should be learning right now, not necessarily every enzyme in some pathway. I guess I've always been a conceptual learner and the memorization bit seems to be getting old after so many years. And what's funny is that most professors will even say that we need to think about the big picture and see things in perspective, and yet they will test us on the details! It doesn't make sense! I think that's an issue that I really want to have changed and when it's in my hands, I will do something about it.
The coolest thing about medical school is anatomy. We have started dissecting and we've already gotten to the point where we take out the lungs and heart. It's pretty cool. And I learned that I am ambidextrous when it comes to using a scalpel! I like to learn anatomy (even outside the gross gross lab) because it just makes sense. You can see the function of the things you are memorizing and it all comes together when you think about the human body's needs. I find it interesting and plus, it's just SO much fun dissecting haha!
Actually I've found that a lot in my reaction to things--I really like when things all fit in together nicely. When we're taught things that make sense in a larger scale it's always satisfying. I don't think I dislike any subject just because the way it's taught, it's all relevant. We're not being lectured on things that won't affect us AT ALL. I mean granted this education isn't gonna get me far as a doctor, but at least the things we are learning about will be encountered by one of the student doctors in my class. So it's all relevant to some extent. Even the most obscure things don't seem like a waste of time, just because at some point in someone's life, that one obscure thing may be everything.
One of my strongest motivations to study right now is the idea of future patients. Everything I am learning is not about the grades or about me. It won't matter what specialty I go into because I will be touching people's lives no matter what. I want to learn as much as possible because someday people are going to be putting their lives in my hands. I need to be prepared to deal with that responsibility and so I am not okay with just passing. I just want to try my hardest to do the best I possibly can and not settle for less because 'it's still passing'. There's a higher responsibility right now and the focus has shifted away from me.
It's weird being away from home with so many people living there. Whenever I call home I usually only talk to my mom or my siblings. It's not often that I talk to any of the other relatives. But last night when I called my aunt really wanted to talk to me. It's so nice to remember that I have such a huge support system at home. It's easy to forget that when I'm caught up in the day to day activities here but I have to make it a point to remember.
My sister leaves for college on Sunday! I can't believe she's already going! It's kinda crazy to think of how old I am--in terms of age, education, place in life. It's nice that I'm able to give her some advice on things I learned along the way. Hopefully she can learn things an easier way because of that. I know we all have our own burdens to carry and obstacles to overcome but it's nice when we're able to help each other out along the way. I know she will be fine and hopefully she knows it too! I remember when I left home for the first time...the anticipation seriously sucked more than anything. Once I was at school and made friends, within a week I was happy where I was. But man, the days leading up to the big move can be so tough! I guess it's all part of the learning process.
Speaking of learning process, it's been great posting again and I think I'm gonna stick to doing it as a release. It's nice to be able to reflect and write out how I feel about things. Especially because the people I've become friends with here still don't know me as well and there's things that I wouldn't tell them yet. So it's nice to have this outlet and I'm regretting not having considered it in the past two weeks! Ah well, time to get back to my studying! Carpe diem =)
Monday, August 10, 2009
Hello Again!
It's been a while since I've posted. I was contemplating giving up this blogging idea but I guess I'm not going to, considering I'm writing this right now. I leave for med school in 2 days so now things are getting to be hectic. There's a lot of random stuff left to get and it's hard to get around to it because there's always something to take care of with all the India family.
It's crazy how fast this summer went by. I think I can describe my entire summer in two words: family and (and doesn't count as one of the words...and neither does any of this stuff within parenthesis) religion. Those are the only two areas where I put any effort ALL summer. I'm wondering how things are gonna play out on both fronts when I move to New York.
I can already see that my family is going to miss me. They make any excuse they can to help me with packing and shopping and getting things organized. And the kids will just come to my room for no reason, just to talk. It's really sweet. I don't think I'll miss the hectic-ness but I will definitely miss having the kids to talk to and hang out with.
Also, my ba. I miss living with her and while it's been nice over the summer, things have been different in some ways. Her personality has changed because she has taken on the responsibility of helping raise her grandkids. She is a lot more stressed and tired and also the overall tensions that arise between family members is a huge burden on her. I really hope she finds peace in all of this. It's kind of sad because she had just gotten back to her old self after my grandfather passed away. She was just getting used to living life and enjoying it and now all of this is thrown into the picture. I guess we all have our burdens to bear..
I'm not too nervous about going to medical school mainly because the grad program I was in gave me a good taste of what medical school entails. Academically, I sort of know what to expect so I'm not very anxious about handling the classwork and studying. It's just gonna be weird to start all over in a new place. I guess it's like taking a step back in time and going to undergrad all over again--new city, new apartment, new friends. It's all a bit strange to have to go through it all over again!
So remember how reading was a major goal for the summer?? I should have been a little more specific in my diction. I read a lot, but I don't know if I finished enough books. I started a bunch of novels so my overall pages read isn't too shabby. But I don't know how anything ends! I went to the library today to drop some books off and I was SO tempted to get a new book but it's really not worth it. I'm not gonna get much reading done in the next two days!
I think one of my major regrets this summer is that I wasn't able to spend enough quality time with my siblings. We've all been busy with our own things this summer and the free time we do have, it's generally spent with each other, plus 5 or so other people. I wish the timing of things could've been different so the last summer at home for my sister and me didn't coincide with my relatives coming from India. But I guess it's about making the best of any situation and I think I was able to do that pretty well.
I've been thinking about friends a lot lately...It's weird how easily people can slip out of my life if I don't make the effort. I haven't been too good this summer cuz of all the busyness at home. And I don't think med school is gonna make it any easier so I'm just gonna have to balance it all out. Ah well, we live and we learn!
To leave off, my friend's REALLY cute kittens:
It's crazy how fast this summer went by. I think I can describe my entire summer in two words: family and (and doesn't count as one of the words...and neither does any of this stuff within parenthesis) religion. Those are the only two areas where I put any effort ALL summer. I'm wondering how things are gonna play out on both fronts when I move to New York.
I can already see that my family is going to miss me. They make any excuse they can to help me with packing and shopping and getting things organized. And the kids will just come to my room for no reason, just to talk. It's really sweet. I don't think I'll miss the hectic-ness but I will definitely miss having the kids to talk to and hang out with.
Also, my ba. I miss living with her and while it's been nice over the summer, things have been different in some ways. Her personality has changed because she has taken on the responsibility of helping raise her grandkids. She is a lot more stressed and tired and also the overall tensions that arise between family members is a huge burden on her. I really hope she finds peace in all of this. It's kind of sad because she had just gotten back to her old self after my grandfather passed away. She was just getting used to living life and enjoying it and now all of this is thrown into the picture. I guess we all have our burdens to bear..
I'm not too nervous about going to medical school mainly because the grad program I was in gave me a good taste of what medical school entails. Academically, I sort of know what to expect so I'm not very anxious about handling the classwork and studying. It's just gonna be weird to start all over in a new place. I guess it's like taking a step back in time and going to undergrad all over again--new city, new apartment, new friends. It's all a bit strange to have to go through it all over again!
So remember how reading was a major goal for the summer?? I should have been a little more specific in my diction. I read a lot, but I don't know if I finished enough books. I started a bunch of novels so my overall pages read isn't too shabby. But I don't know how anything ends! I went to the library today to drop some books off and I was SO tempted to get a new book but it's really not worth it. I'm not gonna get much reading done in the next two days!
I think one of my major regrets this summer is that I wasn't able to spend enough quality time with my siblings. We've all been busy with our own things this summer and the free time we do have, it's generally spent with each other, plus 5 or so other people. I wish the timing of things could've been different so the last summer at home for my sister and me didn't coincide with my relatives coming from India. But I guess it's about making the best of any situation and I think I was able to do that pretty well.
I've been thinking about friends a lot lately...It's weird how easily people can slip out of my life if I don't make the effort. I haven't been too good this summer cuz of all the busyness at home. And I don't think med school is gonna make it any easier so I'm just gonna have to balance it all out. Ah well, we live and we learn!
To leave off, my friend's REALLY cute kittens:
Monday, July 20, 2009
I'm Good at Frisbee Starting Yesterday!
I went to the park with the family yesterday. We packed our dinner and drove 15 mins to a waterfront park in a neighboring town. It was a lot of fun! We played spud and we ate and then after dinner we threw around frisbees. AND I WAS GOOD!!! (I have NEVER been good at frisbee tossing and all of a sudden I was!) Ah, good times!
I drove to the library so many times today..it's kinda weird. I had to return some stuff that was due yesterday so I had to get there before they opened. Therefore, trip # 1 at 8 am. THEN I had to go back to take out the exact books I returned because me and my sister hadn't finished reading them. Hence, trip # 2 sometime later. Then I had to go to the park to pick up my brother and since the park is right across the street from the library, I stopped by to return the movie that was watched just before I left. That's a grand total of 3 trips to the library!
Speaking of reading, I am still working on Corelli's Mandolin. I really need to get some more reading in or I'll never finish! It is taking me forever because I keep doing other things around the house. And it doesn't help that my sister spends her days with her door locked so nobody even bothers to ask her for anything anymore. Everyone automatically comes to me with any question, complaint, or observation. Really, it gets quite annoying.
I just watched About a Boy with my siblings. They haven't seen it and I love it so it makes for a perfect night! That movie is really incredible though. I don't think a better part can be conceived for Hugh Grant. He plays the role extremely well and I find that watching it again and still believing the character underscores how naturally he fits the role. Simply amazing (and irresistible)! I think the story is such a beautiful one. No matter how many times it has been recreated, it is touching and heartwarming and really makes me think. I may get annoyed of the family but it's still a blessing to have company. I should really appreciate the positive more than I accentuate the negative.
Alright well that's about it for now! Time for bed =)
I drove to the library so many times today..it's kinda weird. I had to return some stuff that was due yesterday so I had to get there before they opened. Therefore, trip # 1 at 8 am. THEN I had to go back to take out the exact books I returned because me and my sister hadn't finished reading them. Hence, trip # 2 sometime later. Then I had to go to the park to pick up my brother and since the park is right across the street from the library, I stopped by to return the movie that was watched just before I left. That's a grand total of 3 trips to the library!
Speaking of reading, I am still working on Corelli's Mandolin. I really need to get some more reading in or I'll never finish! It is taking me forever because I keep doing other things around the house. And it doesn't help that my sister spends her days with her door locked so nobody even bothers to ask her for anything anymore. Everyone automatically comes to me with any question, complaint, or observation. Really, it gets quite annoying.
I just watched About a Boy with my siblings. They haven't seen it and I love it so it makes for a perfect night! That movie is really incredible though. I don't think a better part can be conceived for Hugh Grant. He plays the role extremely well and I find that watching it again and still believing the character underscores how naturally he fits the role. Simply amazing (and irresistible)! I think the story is such a beautiful one. No matter how many times it has been recreated, it is touching and heartwarming and really makes me think. I may get annoyed of the family but it's still a blessing to have company. I should really appreciate the positive more than I accentuate the negative.
Alright well that's about it for now! Time for bed =)
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Catch-up on a hectic week
Wow! Definitely thought not having a job would amount to a lot more posts! Sorry for the long absence..I have been creating a makeshift job for myself. I am currently a 7th grade, 8th grade, 9th grade, and 10th grade teacher! I am trying to help my cousins adjust to speaking English the American way...I make them watch movies, read aloud, do grammar drills, and write essays. (When I write it out like that it really seems like a lot of work haha..It's for their own good! I'm not being mean or bossy I swear!)
Mornings and evenings have been spent going to prayer and in between the two is when school is in session. The good thing is I'm getting used to having all these people around. I can tolerate the noise a lot better and the tolerance factor is definitely increasing. I played volleyball and cards and board games with the kids in the past week.
I think one good thing that comes out of all this is that my brother and sister are maturing. They weren't immature (at least not more than the average kid anyway) but they definitely had some growing up to do. I'm glad they're learning from having all these kids around. Now that's taking 'taste of your own medicine' to an entirely different (cruel and unusual?) level!
Our lawn mowing people that we hired ditched us. Our lawn is too much for them so they don't wanna do it anymore. So two days ago, I mowed most of the lawn and my uncles helped too. But then when we refilled the oil we put the wrong kind so the lawnmower got mad at us. Now there's a randomly located square patch of grass that hasn't been mowed. Oh well! Maybe I should've tried this with the lawn mowers:
My exercise lately has been a lot of sports. We put up the volleyball net for my sister's backyard graduation party so it's been up since. I play volleyball and badminton and soccer (who knew a volleyball net can be a soccer goal too?!) It's been a lot of fun. That's one of the benefits of having so many kids around...we can actually play team sports!
I've found that getting well adjusted to having so many people around is making life a lot better. I actually look forward to playing with the kids and helping the adults in the kitchen. I make jokes and I talk to them about anything on their minds. It's nice to have the company and I know I will miss it when I am buried in books in a month.
Oh so on the med school front...one of my roommates has decided to withdraw because she got accepted to another school. So now we are on the hunt again for a roommate. I'm not too concerned though cuz financially I wouldn't be responsible for her portion (I hope?)
Well now I'm gonna get some reading done (still workin on corelli's mandolin)..I haven't had enough time for myself lately so I need to take advantage when I get it!
Mornings and evenings have been spent going to prayer and in between the two is when school is in session. The good thing is I'm getting used to having all these people around. I can tolerate the noise a lot better and the tolerance factor is definitely increasing. I played volleyball and cards and board games with the kids in the past week.
I think one good thing that comes out of all this is that my brother and sister are maturing. They weren't immature (at least not more than the average kid anyway) but they definitely had some growing up to do. I'm glad they're learning from having all these kids around. Now that's taking 'taste of your own medicine' to an entirely different (cruel and unusual?) level!
Our lawn mowing people that we hired ditched us. Our lawn is too much for them so they don't wanna do it anymore. So two days ago, I mowed most of the lawn and my uncles helped too. But then when we refilled the oil we put the wrong kind so the lawnmower got mad at us. Now there's a randomly located square patch of grass that hasn't been mowed. Oh well! Maybe I should've tried this with the lawn mowers:
My exercise lately has been a lot of sports. We put up the volleyball net for my sister's backyard graduation party so it's been up since. I play volleyball and badminton and soccer (who knew a volleyball net can be a soccer goal too?!) It's been a lot of fun. That's one of the benefits of having so many kids around...we can actually play team sports!
I've found that getting well adjusted to having so many people around is making life a lot better. I actually look forward to playing with the kids and helping the adults in the kitchen. I make jokes and I talk to them about anything on their minds. It's nice to have the company and I know I will miss it when I am buried in books in a month.
Oh so on the med school front...one of my roommates has decided to withdraw because she got accepted to another school. So now we are on the hunt again for a roommate. I'm not too concerned though cuz financially I wouldn't be responsible for her portion (I hope?)
Well now I'm gonna get some reading done (still workin on corelli's mandolin)..I haven't had enough time for myself lately so I need to take advantage when I get it!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
My Glass is Optimistic
Ah so I have some good news that can also be considered bad news (half full or half empty kind of situation..Okay I have to say the thought that I'm tempted to say: Democrats think the glass is half full and Republicans think the glass is theirs hahah) Okay and now a funny, semi-relevant picture:
Okay so back to my news. I don't have a summer job anymore. The company I was working for realized that they aren't as understaffed as they thought and they don't need my help as much as they thought sooo I "can spend some time with my family before I go off to medical school".
I don't blame them for not keeping me...I mean I did have enough time to read two entire books all during work. I just wish they thought it through before hiring me because it's gonna be hard to find a job for a month now. I could've had a summer long project but one month is tough. I'm gonna start looking today though. I don't really care if it's a job or a voluntary type of thing but I just need to be doing something. I can't sit around the house all day with nothing to do. So here's to my search!
Today my brother started his internship at the state assemblyman's office. It's kinda weird seeing him grow up so fast. I can't believe he's already interning at places! I think having these India kids here really makes me see my siblings in a different light. How mature and grown up they are really strikes me when I have a bunch of preteens to compare them to. I think there is a difference in maturity in kids that grow up here and kids that grow up there. In some ways, my cousins are more mature than my siblings. They always know to help out with everything and they can understand a life of struggle better than we can. But in terms of decorum and emotional maturity, there's a huge discrepancy. Now on the decorum front, I completely understand that they don't subscribe to the same societal rules that we do so it's unreasonable to expect them to get the hang of that right away. But the emotional maturity---that one puzzles me. There are points when the 15 year old is fighting with the 6 year old and I'm standing there wondering which girl is which age. There are certain things you can tell those kids a thousand times and they will still never get the hang of it. They aren't as open-minded as kids here and I think that's gonna make it tough for them to adjust to life here. They have a huge transition to make and the more open they keep their minds, the easier it will be for them. I hope they are able to see that soon and able to make the necessary changes. Ah well, I guess whatever fate has in store for them..
Time for breakfast! More later (since I don't have a job or anything haha)
Okay so back to my news. I don't have a summer job anymore. The company I was working for realized that they aren't as understaffed as they thought and they don't need my help as much as they thought sooo I "can spend some time with my family before I go off to medical school".
I don't blame them for not keeping me...I mean I did have enough time to read two entire books all during work. I just wish they thought it through before hiring me because it's gonna be hard to find a job for a month now. I could've had a summer long project but one month is tough. I'm gonna start looking today though. I don't really care if it's a job or a voluntary type of thing but I just need to be doing something. I can't sit around the house all day with nothing to do. So here's to my search!
Today my brother started his internship at the state assemblyman's office. It's kinda weird seeing him grow up so fast. I can't believe he's already interning at places! I think having these India kids here really makes me see my siblings in a different light. How mature and grown up they are really strikes me when I have a bunch of preteens to compare them to. I think there is a difference in maturity in kids that grow up here and kids that grow up there. In some ways, my cousins are more mature than my siblings. They always know to help out with everything and they can understand a life of struggle better than we can. But in terms of decorum and emotional maturity, there's a huge discrepancy. Now on the decorum front, I completely understand that they don't subscribe to the same societal rules that we do so it's unreasonable to expect them to get the hang of that right away. But the emotional maturity---that one puzzles me. There are points when the 15 year old is fighting with the 6 year old and I'm standing there wondering which girl is which age. There are certain things you can tell those kids a thousand times and they will still never get the hang of it. They aren't as open-minded as kids here and I think that's gonna make it tough for them to adjust to life here. They have a huge transition to make and the more open they keep their minds, the easier it will be for them. I hope they are able to see that soon and able to make the necessary changes. Ah well, I guess whatever fate has in store for them..
Time for breakfast! More later (since I don't have a job or anything haha)
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Refreshed!
Things are getting better at home. I am getting used to having all of these people here and I am able to tolerate them a lot better now. It's still loud and sometimes it can get frustrating. I don't think anything external has changed, but I have made a lot of internal improvements. I don't actively get mad at them anymore and I don't get annoyed by the little things anymore. It's a lot better now that I don't concern myself with every thing that goes on in the house. I only butt into things that affect me and the rest of it...I couldn't care less (hate when that phrase is used wrong haha)
Not much going on in life in terms of interesting stories. I go to prayer in the morning, go to work, come home, go to prayer in the evening, eat dinner, and then come home and hang out for an hour or so before I can't keep my eyes open any longer. It's a pretty straightforward routine with barely any curveballs. I have figured out that I can hang out with my brother and sister at night before I go to bed. That's pretty much the only time I have to spend with them since I'm not home during the day. And the best part about that time is that it's just us, not the other gazillion kids too. I really am glad I have that opportunity.
Also, I started reading Corelli's Mandolin. I REALLY like it so far. I forget how far in I am (it's been a hectic weekend) but the book is so interesting. I don't know how he does it but the author is able to include some of his more philosophical thoughts within the context of a fiction book. It's also very funny. The man is brilliant! More when I read more =)
Oh and I'm listening to Blink. I decided to try out the audiobook medium since I've never really done that and I have a long ride to work. It was kinda hard to keep paying attention at first. A whole track would go by and I'd realize I wasn't REALLY listening so I'd have to replay it. But I got the hang of it. I think it's a better alternative to the radio which, after a few days, REALLY gets redundant. Plus it doesn't help that I'm not a fan of that Pitbull song that every radio station has the urge to play, every 20 MINUTES!! Blink is an interesting book though. It's about the snap judgments we are able to make without our conscious processes even being aware of them. It's interesting because the 'sources' he uses are a marriage counselor who within a minute or so of witnessing interactions between a couple can predict the fate of their relationship, a car dealer who has met immense success in his line of work, paleontologists (that's probably not the right word but whatever) that can tell when an artifact is a fake in just a glance, and the like. It's an interesting concept and the different mediums presented are varied enough to keep it interesting.
Alright I'm really getting tired now. I'll write some more whenever I next get the chance!
Not much going on in life in terms of interesting stories. I go to prayer in the morning, go to work, come home, go to prayer in the evening, eat dinner, and then come home and hang out for an hour or so before I can't keep my eyes open any longer. It's a pretty straightforward routine with barely any curveballs. I have figured out that I can hang out with my brother and sister at night before I go to bed. That's pretty much the only time I have to spend with them since I'm not home during the day. And the best part about that time is that it's just us, not the other gazillion kids too. I really am glad I have that opportunity.
Also, I started reading Corelli's Mandolin. I REALLY like it so far. I forget how far in I am (it's been a hectic weekend) but the book is so interesting. I don't know how he does it but the author is able to include some of his more philosophical thoughts within the context of a fiction book. It's also very funny. The man is brilliant! More when I read more =)
Oh and I'm listening to Blink. I decided to try out the audiobook medium since I've never really done that and I have a long ride to work. It was kinda hard to keep paying attention at first. A whole track would go by and I'd realize I wasn't REALLY listening so I'd have to replay it. But I got the hang of it. I think it's a better alternative to the radio which, after a few days, REALLY gets redundant. Plus it doesn't help that I'm not a fan of that Pitbull song that every radio station has the urge to play, every 20 MINUTES!! Blink is an interesting book though. It's about the snap judgments we are able to make without our conscious processes even being aware of them. It's interesting because the 'sources' he uses are a marriage counselor who within a minute or so of witnessing interactions between a couple can predict the fate of their relationship, a car dealer who has met immense success in his line of work, paleontologists (that's probably not the right word but whatever) that can tell when an artifact is a fake in just a glance, and the like. It's an interesting concept and the different mediums presented are varied enough to keep it interesting.
Alright I'm really getting tired now. I'll write some more whenever I next get the chance!
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