2, 4, 6, 8

I'm going to a concert tonight for the first time in many years! Plus, it's not just any concert but a Metallica concert! Woo! I'm extremely excited but I hope that it's not too crazy, just somewhat crazy. Anyway, my last semester is shaping up so far. I'm in classes that I'm really enjoying (except for one in which the professor doesn't actually teach but asks us questions as if we were kindergarteners). Also, my mom bought me a totally awesome gift that I will reveal in pictures later this week. To call it kickass would be an understatement. Anyway, let's hope I survive tonight!

Wow, so I had one post in the month of October and the way things are shaping up, it'll probably be the same in November. I really suck but so does life, so don't blame me! Anyway, I saw Quantum of Solace yesterday and I thought it was really good, although several of my friends disagree. While James Bond did not act particularly like James Bond in this movie, I do think that it shows a side of the character that the audience hasn't really seen in depth, that of the man consumed by revenge. That being said, I do think that the producers are trying to give us a clearer sense of how James Bond became the man he is and so I can't fault them for a movie that shows the character as a work in progress. In addition, it was a kick ass action movie and who doesn't like that!

On the med school side of things, I've finally received two interview offers that I'm very excited about. One is fairly soon, so we'll see how that goes. Luckily, it's for a school that I would like to go to but isn't in my top tier of choices, so I won't be too upset if it doesn't go perfectly. It's just very reassuring to finally get responses after the tedious application process. The whole procedure is just awful with waiting and tension. I hope it pays off!

Barack Obama is president-elect! Holla!

As for school, the end of the semester is approaching very quickly meaning that I have a ton of work due in a very short period of time and it sucks. It will be good to finally be on break but after that, I'll only have one more semester of college left and that is really sad! Based on the testimonies of my friends who are in med school now, I don't think I'll be having that much fun for the next four years of my life. Once again, I hope it pays off! As for next semester, I'm finally taking it somewhat easy, but not too easy. I'm taking an easy biology and psychology course in addition to my thesis, as well as another art history (which has become my favorite subject) and an english course on The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot, in which we read the poem and all the works to which it alludes. I'm very excited and I hope I actually have fun in these classes instead of dying with a huge amount of work. I really want to try to go out of college with a bang!

Hola! Sorry that I haven't posted for a while but since school has really picked up and I've been scrambling to keep my head above water! Thankfully, I have a relatively light weekend and all I can say is it's about time. On the medical school front, I finished a total of seven applications last weekend, leaving only two left for me to complete, although I don't think I'll do them for a while after that productivity last weekend. As for classes, I have a steady workload and schedule set up but it involves a few too many late nights followed by early mornings, so I'm going to have to start taking advantage of the weekends a little bit more. What I'm really frightened of is when the tests and papers start to pick up becuase then I won't even have time for the normal homework. And on top of that, I'm going to have to get started on my thesis research which is going to begin to eat up more and more time during my days of the week. I predict a couple of really busy semesters this year but, as in spinning, you just have to power through and finish strong. After all, I'm going to really miss these ridiculously tough months after I graduate. Speaking of spinning, I've been going about three times a week, of which I'm really proud, and I even got Kelly S to play "Hysteria" by Muse after I requested it. Now she wants me to burn her a CD of music and it feels pretty awesome. Unfortunately, I don't have any blank CD's, so that will have to wait until next week.

In other news, I went to the movies today to see Burn After Reading. It was a really funny film but my experience at the movies was just ridiculous. We went to the Georgetown Loews Theater at 4:20pm expecting to get the not-so-cheap matinee price of $8.50. Once we got there and bought our tickets, though, we were informed that the matinee ends after 4pm. To say the least, I was completely shocked and pissed off that I would have to pay full price ($10.50) to see what would have been a matinee at any other theater. On top of that, while they used to have a student discount every day, the policy changed to only have one "student day" a week. I mean how ridiculous can a movie theater get? I defintely think that this one takes the cake. Anyway, if you want to see a good movie, Burn After Reading is very enjoyable and entertaining in that dark comedy kind of way but just make sure you go to a normal theater where a matinee ends at 6pm.

I unintentionally came up with a clever t-shirt slogan/pun the other day. Geography: It's where it's at. I'm quite satisfied with it and if anyone wants to take the initiative to come up with kitschy shirt designs, I'd be really pleased!

Suffice it to say, I'm not doing that well with this blog posting thing. Happily, I'm back at school and that will definitely put me in the mood to start writing again. As for my trip to Europe, I posted pictures with all the major sites I saw but I feel it may take to long to summarize everything I did. That being said, I'll try to describe the overall trip as best I can. We started off in Italy, where we stayed in Rome and took day trips to Naples/Pompeii and Florence. Rome is the best example of an old city that is extremely alive and youthful. All of the buildings are very old and authentic looking, giving the entire city a very classical look. In addition, ancient ruins, such as the Colosseum and the Pantheon, as well as Egyptian obelisks are scattered throughout the city, allowing a palpable feeling of the history of the city. Florence and Naples have a similar feel, especially Florence which has works of art adorning the streets, as it was the key city in the Italian Renaissance. Visiting Pompeii is literally like stepping into the ancient world as the experience really allows you to see what life was like in an ancient Italian city. Overall, Italy is gorgeous and was very friendly and inviting all around. As I said, the city of Rome is quite vibrant and alive. I was quite surprised to see massive crowds of people at the city's most popular spots such as the Spanish steps and the Trevi fountain late into the night. Vespas whiz in and out of traffic seamlessly with larger cars and buses. The entire city just seems so active and alive. Next, we moved to Paris. Unfortunately, my impression of the city was marred by quite a few factors. First and foremost, we had a terrible experience on Air France, as the airline made it difficult for my grandmother, who was in a wheelchair, to board the plane, in addition to losing some of our luggage and being completely unhelpful about it. Secondly, it was somewhat cloudy and rainy when we arrived, which tends to dampen your view when you've come from beautiful, hot, Italian weather. Thirdly, and I don't want to sound like an anti-Francophile here, but the some of the people came off as very rude towards us as English speakers. Now, I'm not saying that everyone was snobby, but it was definitely a higher ratio of rude people than in Italy, a fact which was probably aided by the fact that none of us knew any French, whereas I know basic Italian. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt but, trust me, half the time we just got the feeling that we were not wanted. As for the city, the buildings and feel are more modern than Italy, but they still have that old world charm about them, especially the gothic cathedrals, such as Notre Dame, and the beautiful palaces, such as the former palace/modern museum, the Louvre. Paris definitely seemed a lot more laid back than Italy and not nearly as vital, but more bohemian in a way. Unfortunately, we were only in Paris for about a day and a half, which is not enough time to see the sights and to learn the city. I would definitely go back there, but not without having a little bit of French under my belt! Finally, London is the most modern of the three cities. While there are still buildings that date way back when, such as the palaces and the Tower of London, many of the buildings are modern with contemporary architecture. London also struck me as very classy with a lot of people wearing suits on the streets and acting very business like and professional. The people in London were quite friendly and it was quite the relief to hear English once again. As for the city, I felt very at home, having lived in Sydney for 4 months. It was a grateful return to that English charm that I had gotten used to in Australia and of the three cities I visited, it was the only one I'd ever consider living in for an extended period of time in the future. So that's my brief summary of my trip. Of course, there are a lot of interesting little anecdotes in there, such as my dad losing his wallet and me finding my sister in Rome and Paris about 3 separate times without the use of a phone and without knowing where they would be. I'll save those for another time. For now, enjoy the pictures!

As for school, I got back to campus late last week and it's been great settling back into collegiate life after the summer at home. It's unfortunate that classes are starting soon and all the fun will soon be replaced by work. Tonight, Crisanta, one of her friends and myself picked up Cardboard Barack Obama from his summer retreat at the Observatory and walked him around campus. One of the first people we met was the vice president of student affairs in an elevator. I think he was quite impressed by the candidate and we decided that it would be best to take him around campus to meet the student body. From the library to the convenience store to the front gates, people flocked to see CBO. It was pretty amazing! People were very big on hugging him and taking pictures. One guy, who was possibly drunk, even offered us a lot of money to buy him. We stayed strong though. I mean, he's just too much fun to sell. We even got a Halloween idea out of it, but I'm not spoiling that one until it actually comes to fruition. Next, I think we should stage a debate/battle with Cardboard John McCain who resides in a window a few blocks off campus. Personally, I like a candidate who will go out among the masses instead of one who just watches from the window! Anyway, I'll leave you with a picture of our escapade from the library. I like to call it "Reflections of Senator Obama and friends".