21 guns--Greenday

This is an amazing song. I think it is so complex, with multiple levels of meaning and interpretations. I see it as a protest against war, specifically Iraq. I think Green Day is expressing grief over the meaningless loss of lives in this effort. The necessity for this war is questionable and the rationale is porous. This flawed attempt at bringing peace and democracy to a people has had a huge toll and the song deals with the concept of weighing the costs and the benefits. Whether or not the entire effort seems heroic or romantic means nothing to the family of the fallen soldier.

Another interpretation of the song would be seeing it as a breakup. When an important person leaves your life it is a drastic change. Even if it is for the best in the long run, there is an immediate misery attached to a breakup. I think the feelings addressed in this song when applied to the breakup situation are extremely powerful and thought-provoking. The idea of the mind breaking the spirit of the soul is absolutely stunning. The stanza about burning down the house and the home to live on your own is another touching one. I think it's amazing how well the lyrics depict the trouble of starting off with a clean slate. When you have to remove a person from your life there are a lot of strings that must be severed. That person has a connection to so many aspects of your life and every aspect that was touched is changed in some way after the breakup. Things that seem meaningless and so removed from the person actually end up being an unexpected source of memories. And so to purge your life of that person, you end up destroying most of what you have. That is such a haunting concept.

Hope

More than anything, the world needs hope right now. Hope is one of the greatest treasures we have in our possession. We have the power to change an entire situation based on our perspective. The way we see things can shape the outcome of things in our lives. The best things happen to those who have a positive outlook; the ones who rise to the top are those that believe in their abilities and their ambitions. So let go of your doubts, hope for the best, and soar like only you can. How long are you going to keep the world waiting?

Beautiful morning

It didn't look like it would be, but it's a beautiful morning. The sun is shining brightly and the air is crisp. It's the kind of morning you see in the movies, complete with freshly squeezed orange juice and some peaches from the tree out back. Mornings like these make life worth living. There is NOTHING as calming and peaceful as the birth of a new day. As I drove to school this morning I noticed the sunlight coming down in rays between the leaves of the trees. There was a slight breeze that came in through the open windows of my car. It was a beautiful drive in. I need to appreciate things like this more. It is really these moments that define our lives and we are free to close our eyes or open them in all directions at the same time (dcfc).

Mellow Yellow

So I've really gotten used to the whole swing of things. It amazes me how quickly I am able to adjust to a new environment, to a new lifestyle. And not just me--people in general. It doesn't take us very long to get used to doing something different in an entirely different place. Within a few weeks, we can redefine our entire lives and feel as though we had always been living this way. That's the point I'm at now.

Exams come and go (but they seem to come with a lot more intensity than they go with). I'm used to studying all the time and I'm doing well in my classes. My grades are pretty much where I want them to be. I have 3 major exam coming up Monday and I really need to work hard on those to honor this course. I know I can do it if I stick to my study plan for the weekend. We'll see how that goes!

I think friendship is seriously a big thing in med school. Without good, dependable friends to lean on it would be very difficult to get through all of the workload and stress in one piece. I'm glad I get along with my roommates and I have some awesome people to study with for the labs and stuff. It's really a good feeling knowing I'm not alone in this struggle. It's nice that there are people here that are hard-working and dedicated and just in it for the right reasons!

I've found that change comes a lot easier when you don't welcome it with a cold shoulder. Embracing change is really a big lesson that I learned here. Can't say that I won't be apprehensive again, but I definitely realize that I shouldn't be. As you can probably tell from this post, life is good =)

Post-exam relief!

Good morning! It really is...I got to sleep in today. Yesterday was my exam, I think it went well! And then last night I went out with some friends and had a nice time getting to know people. And then I came back to my place where there were a bunch of people over, dancing and playing beer pong. Didn't get to sleep until around 2:30 but that's not a problem when I don't have class until 1 =)

Yesterday we had our white coat ceremony in the afternoon. SO boring! I can't believe I had to sit through that. And what made is worse was the fiasco with trying to find my car in the parking lot afterwards. I walked around the entire campus trying to see where my car was! It was RIDICULOUS. I was so tired by then end of that. My feet still hurt today!

I went shopping yesterday after the exam and finally bought a belt! (yay weight loss haha) It was long overdue and I'm so glad that I don't have to worry about pulling my pants up all the time now. Ah relief comes in so many forms!

So I read an interesting article on NYTimes. It was an insight on T.R. Reid's book about his stiff shoulder injury and seeing how it would be treated in 10 different countries of the world. It seems especially interesting because he is well-versed in health policy, so his comments and opinions would be educated and well-supported. He used to be a foreign correspondent for the Washington Post so he's had plenty of overseas exposure. If I had more time to read leisurely right now I would definitely want to pick that up. It seems like my kind of book! Oh well, that's what Thanksgiving break is for =)

So the kids from India started school last week. They like it so far, but I'm wondering how much they really understand. They say they understand when the teacher talks and everything. Hopefully that's true. Either way, I gave my brother a nice long lecture about being a big brother. Since he was always the youngest he never really had to watch over anyone or teach anyone anything so it's interesting to see that develop in him.


US OPEN! Ah! I actually didn't get to watch the finals because I had the stupid white coat ceremony but I did watch the Federer-Djokovic semi-finals. If the finals was anything like that it'll be an intense match to watch! I was so sad that Federer lost. I really respect Federer's game. I think he has so much talent and from his interviews and on-court behavior, he really seems like a nice guy. I don't sense too much of an ego, and for someone at that level to remain humble and modest, that's really something. And just from the way he plays---you can tell he LOVES the game. I think it's a beautiful thing, watching him play. It sucks that he lost yesterday but I still love him =)

And finally! STEPHEN COLBERT IS BACK =D Alright now it's time to get ready for school (I love that I'm typing this at 11 am hahaha)

In Your Wedding Dress--Matt Nathanson

I just listened to this song last night and it really made me think. I can't believe how beautifully sad it is. The emotions in this song are so incredible. My interpretation is a guy who is about to get married to a girl he doesn't want to commit to. It may not even be the girl he wants to push away, but the commitment itself. "Even at my best, I want to let go."

There is something very universal about this song. Knowing that there is something you should be doing but being so afraid to do it, even though it's what's "right". Our individuality is such a frail thing and to commit to someone in any way requires surrendering that individuality to some extent. You lose yourself in a relationship while you are trying to find the connection with the other person. I think the best relationships are the ones where there is something deep connecting the two that somehow that brings both of the people involved to a deeper understanding of themselves. I think finding a new dimension of yourself is an important aspect of being in a serious relationship.

Matt Nathanson is really an amazing musician. I am so impressed by the complexity of this song and how beautifully it was written and performed. It breaks my heart to hear him sing this...it really is a touching song.

Routine

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!