2008 in Restrospect

A short list of what happened...

January:

6 weeks in New Jersey

2 new roomies, now friends

Hoboken for the first time 

Satay, the incredible Malay restaurant

IKEA in Parasmus

Air mattresses

Loud heater

Pediatrics

Atlanta Bread co.

"Adventure" in NYC and "Triumph"

Missing last train and being stuck at Penn Station

Lost in Transit, over & over & over & over again...

February:

The flu!

Psychiatry

Blizzard

Knee pain

March:

Creedmoor Court

Denver, Colorado

Noodle Bowl

ACOFP Congress of Delegates

Gainesville, Virginia

Scrub class

April:

Surgery, surgery, surgery, surgery, surgery

More surgery

Eid in Houston

Birthday party in Brooklyn

May:

Passing out x 2 in orthopedic surgeries

Sea for the 2nd time

"Triumph" at Alia cafe

Classmate weds upperclassman in Long Island

BBQ in New Jersey with a close family friend and his new bride

Infuriating overnight call schedule

June:

Surviving surgery oral exams

Honoring

Studying through 2nd wedding anniversary

OMT for knees, pelvis, neck and low back

Finishing 3/4 of medical school

House hunting in Huntington

July:

Anesthesia

Studying for the wrong exam

Finally celebrating 2nd wedding anniversary

Honu

August:

Another classmate weds in Long Island

Taking the wrong exam

Block Island

Radiology in Miami

Losing luggage

Singing and drawing with my only niece

Scheduling "outside" rotations

September:

Bad news, now old

Picking a future career path

Applying for residency

Losing luggage again, for a longer time

Showcasing

Studying

Hurricane - _______ ?

Postponing exam

October:

1st interview of the season

1st EMG

1st botox on a child

Stresssssssssss

Cupcakes

More postponing

Showcasing in Houston

November:

More showcasing

More stress

More interviewing

Torticollis

Baylor clinic

Birthday in The Woodlands

NOT postponing

OMT - my lifesaver

Going home to Florida

High school friend weds at local venues

December:

De-stressing

San Antonio, TX and Edison, NJ the next day

1st Eid in Long Island as a couple

Beating the snow storm to Albany

Tea Room

Ithaca is gorges

Falling into the frozen lake

Silver Tips tea room closed in Tarrytown

Emergency Medicine

Going late to an interview

Norfolk Virginia

Airport hassles

Saddest news of the year - paternal grandmother, also my last grandparent alive, passes away.

Seeing family off at the airport

Late night at "Roti Boti" wannabe

More bad news

Wake up call

Support phenomenon

Being home alone

More studying

Stresssssssss??

4 more days left in this unpredictable year...

When encouragement is encountered...

...at the precise moment - it can conquer all fear.

Driving in the Rain

Torrents pouring down

While herds of cars with intermittent flashing yellow lights

Red brake lights

The sound of doom with each drop of rain in sync but asynchronous

Dark clouds with no silver lining

Splashing water from neighboring cars

Windshield wipers not negating the splashes

Ominous pools collecting on either side of the roads

Jam-packed highways

Only one way home

Stuck, tired, hungry, sleepy

Needing to stay alert enough to slam the break

Only every 10 seconds

Seems like forever...

Dream Philosophy

Last night I realized the reason for the existence of the world...

All in a dream.

Why are people addicted to some video games?

Because of the challenge of attaining a higher score/level of achievement.

We are never happy with mediocrity in our lives.

Always dissatisfied with the present state of things.

Forever striving for something better.

If we knew how everything in our world works, including the why's and when's to go with it, imagine how our day to day lives would be.  There would be no motivation to do anything.  

So, the reason for the presence of the world is for us to learn.

To learn about all the possible intricacies in nature.  

It is a seemingly never-ending process of discovery, which will keep human beings ever-hungry for more.  The challenge never ends!  The more we know, the more we want to know.

Some things we may never know - because of the limitations of our life spans as well as the missing body of concrete knowledge accounting for the past - and these will remain at the pinnacle of achievements.  

What if at the pinnacle of knowledge is virtually an unknown - which is also unprovable?  

This challenge of finding the truth may actually be overcome.  The solution that many have found, I realized is in Faith.  Not necessarily religion.  Maybe the world exists as a way to distract us from the real challenge, which lies in realizing the purpose of our existence, rather than that of the circumstances of our existence.  

Gaining an end to this pursuit is essential...

and we can see glimpses of success...

in everyone who has lived and dies.  

But this is another thought for another time...

Time and time again

Tick...tock

Does not matter most how much

But what is done in the while

As for having accountability

I am far from proud

Because life goes on

And waves of waste reflect

Off my being

Nothing can fill the black hole

of wasted moments

Time and time again...

Jaane TU...jaane na

Pappu can't dance saala!

Can't stop singing this song...love it :)

Siblings

The bonds of family have strength

Beyond the reaches of any means to break them.

The embodiment of unconditional love,

battling all conflicts

persisting with honesty

and open affection,

a Forever Alter-ego

Lives

in the form of a Sibling.

May everyone have brothers & sisters!

Excitement

One of my closest friends from high school called, unexpectedly, to chat.  It was the happiest few minutes of my day!  We discussed the progress she made in her wedding plans, and talked about this and that and all that for just a few minutes.  It felt like we were back in high school again...in a good way :)  I wish pleasant surprises upon everyone!

Undecided

Confused and indecisive about which house to pick...

Why does everything have to be so difficult?

Is it because I don't have clear priorities?

Am I too flexible?

Too open to new ideas?

Vision beyond imagination...

Somethings cannot be chalked up to a simple explanation.

It may be a testing time.

Or a distraction.

Find a piece of heaven: Blog!

I really like having a blog, even though no one else visits it.
Actually, i think i like it especially because no one visits it.
No comments, no criticisms (positive or negative).
Just the outflow of pure, random stuff on my mind.
Whenever i feel like writing.
Expressing my thoughts.
When no one else is around to listen,
friends are busy,
family is traveling,
and others are working.
Whenever i remember i've got a blog.
Monologue.
Yet brave enough to be on the internet,
With the satisfaction of letting it out,
And the excitement of going public,
Because of the miniscule possibility of being read.

Sometimes

...there are thoughts that creep into my mind, 

minor and almost irrelevant.

Things of the past.

The what ifs...?

I ignore them, for a while...then after that, 

the thoughts come back.

Still irrelevant, but nagging.

Whatever happened to the people of the past?

Are they still the same? 

Are they in a different city/state/country/married/kids/famous?

Are they happy?

This last thought makes me wonder if I'm truly happy.

I am blessed with a good life, great family and an amazing husband.

But then, I know when the nagging thoughts get louder in my head.

After contemplating for years...

I now realize there is a definite pattern! 

A crazy pattern exists to when my nostalgia for the past is overpowering.

Exactly during the times of strained focus - 

which is the pinnacle of stress - 

on the Kaplan publications,

when I'm engrossed in reviewing the intricacies of the components

of platelets' alpha granules and dense bodies,

or some other such detailed, intellectually challenging task,

my mind fights back with wanting to wander off,

yes, to a less difficult matter...

Yet,

the past is better as just that.

Moving in the same direction as time is in my best interest.

Or, 

maybe, 

this is what I say when it's harder to find people of the past online.

;)