Lost in Translation

So I discovered, today, that despite my fluency in both Punjabi and English, there are some things that do indeed, get lost in translation.

Scenario: I'm waiting in line at a drive-thru Starbucks (I know, ironic, given the post below) for almost 25 minutes with my parents. Being stuck in anywhere with my parents (i.e. our home) is very frustrating, but the confines of a car, along with the knowledge that we were boxed in this drive-thru line, was just too much for my claustrophobic nature. Anywho, I quickly got frustrated listening to them bicker, and said the following: "GODDD, what is it about being in a car with you two that just makes me want to kill myself?!"

I thought nothing of the event until just now, when my Dad comes to me, honestly worried, about why such a small thing as my parents bickering would make me want to kill myself. He goes on to tell me that he'd been thinking about it all night and all day today, about what could be bothering my young little mind so much that I would contemplate suicide.

HAHA. What I said was obviously an hyperbole (GRE word of the day, check!), but apparently there is no room for exaggeration in Punjabi.

Small city girl, big city dreams

As of two days ago, I have dived headfirst into GRE-land, and I'm noticing how different my study style is here in Suisun City versus in Berkeley.

Pro-suburbia
-I have a car, so weather and distance doesn't hinder me from going out to study
-Drive-thru Starbucks!
-'Cash-only' is an unheard of concept
-Mom makes me breakfast and dinner everday, and chai is available around the clock
-Because there are no universities nearby, libraries are never crowded, parking and/or desk availability is never an issue

Con-suburbia
-Library closes at 5pm (wtf?!)
-Because the libraries cater to elementary schools, are the desks and chairs are super low (nothing more awkward than looking up from my 'private booth' and seeing a 60-year old Asian man staring me in the face)
-Mom doesn't understand the concept of lunch; its breakfast, chai-break, dinner (how Indians are still so obese is beyond my comprehension)
-No T1 connection at library (I'd be suprised if it was even DSL)

On the other hand, I'm actually enjoying studying for the GRE. I know, shoot me, I'm a nerd. But maybe its because without school to worry about, I'm in a very relaxed, nay reposed, state of mind and the daily dose of mental stimulation is actually welcome.

4 months!

I moved out of my NY apartment on August 19th. Today I finally received my security deposit back. Almost 4 months later, and after many hassling emails and canceled checks and stories of stolen checkbooks and lost mail. I'm not sure what my subletter's deal was, but just a warning: If you're going to sublet a place that is far from your normal home, I would suggest leaving with the security deposit and/or money you are owed in hand. And a check isn't good enough, because as I learned, they can write a check and then cancel it.

On the bright side, I totally forgot about this money and feel like I just got gifted $500. Now where to blow it?

Egg-rolls!

Today, I mastered the 1-egg omelet. A great accomplishment, I've been working on it for about 2 weeks. So normally I love making omelets but don't like eating them, but I realized that's because the egg:insides ratio was too high. So I tried making omelets with only 1 egg, it was very difficult, but today I succeeded. Except the finished product looks more like a Japanese Hand-Roll than an omelet, but its made of eggs, hence the name Egg-roll. I'm open to suggestions on names. Anyway, the 1-egg omelet is deliiiicious, so now I can finally make and eat omelets! Q I think I'll have you over to celebrate morning of the 20th.

Peace, love and Breakfast!

Jazz!

I bought my very first jazz CD yesterday! While having dinner at my new favorite Thai restaurant, Anchalee, I went to the bathroom and discovered local band Time Out Quartet playing at the neighboring cafe. After their show, I picked up their promotional CD, short and simple, only 8 songs.

While cranking out my Philosophy 2 paper yesterday, I popped the CD into my computer and was amazed. It was an instant transformation- suddenly my living room was this peaceful, romantic setting with sound so crisp and clear that it felt as if the band was playing from my balcony. It was pure, unadulterated music coming from the speakers- no singers, no one to tell me what the song should make me feel. Just me and the music. And Kant and Mill. It was a good night.

In case anyone's interested, I put the .zip of the album on sendspace, feel free to download and listen!

Two straight days of writing, now I'm out. G'nite!

Googlove!

Yes, yes. I am obsessed with Google. One failure, one serendipity to note.

Failure: A contact appeared in my chat list, whom I have never spoken to in person, but emails me frequently for BioEHS. And while the appearance of chat contacts is common, I cannot block this person for some reason. I have tried multiple times. For four days. And this person will not disappear. I know its not the end of the world, but I am very specific about who is in my chat list. I like to have the automatically adding feature because it lets me know when some of my friends (or GSIs, *cough, cough* Aaron Fields *cough, cough*) are on Gmail even though they might be emailing through their Berkeley account.

Serendipity: My gCalendar (yes, I stole that notation from the owners of iEverything, Apple) for December is all green (School Stuff) and red (UCB Academic Calendar). While that spells hell for me because it means its mostly finals and projects due, it is cute that it just happens to be holiday colors.

The Ever-Evasive Meaning of Life

After years of hearing about his radical theories, I am now finally reading the works of the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. And I must say he was worth the wait. After 12 weeks of scoffing at the 'moral dilemmas' posed by the Ancient Greeks, and overlooking Mill's Utilitarianism as an impractical utopia, I was finally stopped in my (mental) tracks today by something Nietzsche said.

Nietzsche poses a question to his audience using an obscure concept called eternal recurrence (first posed to me, rather unconvincingly, by Schopenhauer): Imagine the life you are living, every moment you are experiencing, is going to repeat itself eternally. This exact life as you are leading it will happen to you again and again. Given this, is there something you would do differently?

The point of his question, in its clever disguise, was to make people analyze their life in this moment, this exact moment. So if you didn't have a past, and there was no tomorrow, would your current action, your current emotion, have any meaning?

As a relatively driven crowd of college students, we are always looking towards tomorrow. I wake up every morning so I can go to school. I go to school so I can get a degree. I get a degree in order to have a (potentially) successful career. This list goes on, one action always motivated by another, future goal. It culminates in having a comfortable, peaceful death. Is that it? Do we really postpone our happiness for the duration of our lifetime? Was Solon correct in saying "count no man happy until he is dead"? That is a rather depressing thought.

So I thought and I thought. I scoured my memories for moments in my life that had meaning just in themselves. Moments that, when stripped of their intentions (past) and consequences (future), I would happily repeat. Here are some of the contenders: eating ice-cream, having sex, going on bike rides, and sleeping.

Upon further analysis, I realized I eat to satisfy my hunger (future), and I will not eat if I am already full (past), so eating doesn't prevail. Bike rides are pleasurable to me, but partly because of that sore and satisfied feeling they give the next day, and partly because they are usually accompanied with an exciting destination, so biking doesn't hold either. The pleasure in sleep is contingent upon exhaustion from the previous day, so nor does that hold.

Now for sex. Well, there are two motivations for sex: orgasm and love; but there are no further motivations for either of those. I orgasm to orgasm. And I love to love. Well there it is, the ultimate meaning of my life is defined by love and orgasm.

Wait, what?! This is absurd. Surely Nietzsche, the man who questioned the existence of good and evil, wasn't such a romantic as to believe in living for love? Am I completely misinterpreting this or did Nietzsche have it all wrong and our lives aren't defined by moments?

I encourage you to think about the moments that define your life.

Questions, comments and criticisms are highly appreciated.

Guess who's back?

I've been meaning to start this blog up again, but I couldn't muster up the energy to do so creatively. So I'm settling for copying Quyen.

What'​s a fact about​ the last perso​n who had their​ arms aroun​d you?
He is on a $1000 spending spree.

What do you curre​ntly hear right​ now?
Wind blowing, leaves rustling on Dwight.

Where​ did you get the shirt​ you are weari​ng?​
Bryan.

When was the last time you were told you were beaut​iful?​
Walking home from Emo Palace last week by strangers.

Are you weari​ng a neckl​ace?​ Who got it for you?
No, I hate necklaces, they give me rashes.

What was the reaso​n you got groun​ded for last?​
Haha, with my parents, its a constant grounding.

Do you wish you never​ dated​ someo​ne you dated​ ?
I don't do regret.

Do you know anyon​e that smoke​s weed?​
More people than I wish.
​
Anyon​e's Birth​day today​?​
Let me check Facebook. Haha. No one significant.

Where​ is the furth​est place​ you've trave​led?​
India

Do you look more like your mom or your dad?
Dad, sadly, got the hairy genes from him for sure.

How long does it take you to showe​r?​
15 minutes on a work/school day. 20-25 when relaxing.

What was last thing​ you drank​ ?
Water.

If you could​ have one thing​ right​ now what would​ it be?
Show me a Genie and I'll tell you.

What was for dinne​r last night​ ?
Blondie's Pizza (for the first time since June 2005!!)

Does anyon​e love you?
Lots of people do.

How has the week been?​
Great! 119 MT wasn't as bad as I expected, got a few nice bike rides and runs in, and finally met the fun people in BioEHS.

What girls​ can you tell every​ thing​ to?
Yaad, Quyen, Nina, Rebe

Have you ever kisse​d anyon​e who' s name start​ed with a M?
Hahah, I don't have the energy to go through the list.

What did you do at 7 am today​ ?
Sleep!

What did you do today​ ?
Let Atul into the apartment at 2:30am. Then later got up, made a delicious breakfast burrito, read the paper, cleaned the apartment, did GRE words.

Have you ever seen your best frien​d cry?
Hmm, yes.

Do you dance​ in the car?
Amongst other things, yes. ;-)

What color​ shirt​ are you weari​ng?​
Lime green, baby!

What were you doing​ 1 hour ago?
Showering.

Do you have reaso​n to smile​ right​ now?
Always, I have amazing people in my life!

Have you ever woke up next to someo​ne and wante​d to puke?​
HAHAHA! No, does peeing count?

Do you have a bestf​riend​?​
I have many loves :-).

Are you looki​ng forwa​rd to anyth​ing?​
Watching another sunset today!

What went wrong​ today​ ?
Nothing so far!

Do you open up to peopl​e easil​y?​
Superficially, yes. But at the most personal level, only to a few people.

Has anyon​e upset​ you in the past week?​
Yes, but nothing traumatic.

Do you think​ you would​ be a good paren​t?​
I'm going to be a GREAT parent!

Is your room clean​ ?
Sure, but I never make my bed.

What are you going​ to do tomor​row?​
Hike up to Mt. Tamalpais and have a pancake breakfast at the top! Then hopefully a Bhangra Collective @ Union Square Park later.

Who was drivi​ng the last car you were in?
Bryan

Who was the last perso​n that texte​d you?
Kate

What are you cravi​ng right​ now?
A secluded, car-free bike ride!

How did you sleep​ last night​ ?
Great, despite the 2:30am disruption. :-)

Do you think​ you will be in a relat​ionsh​ip 3 years​ from now?
Haha, I don't think that far.

A Moment of Silence

Today I am retiring my little black bikini. My first bathing suit, purchased with the help of Kate freshman year, it has provided me with countless hours of coast-to-coast fun. It has, however, seen its final sunset, and I am now ready to let it go with what little dignity it has left. To commemorate it, I thought I'd go through and list some of the amazing places its been with me, in the mean time reminiscing some great college times.

Bought June 2006, that infamous day of Core 4 at Santa Cruz. 4 friends, 5 hours of digging, 6-foot hole, a day we'll never forget.
November 2006: Going to visit Meemz at UCSD with Yaad. Goes down as top-five weekends in college still.
Just an idea of how silly we act around each other:
June 2007: Visiting Atul at USC with Rustin, Shirin, J-dub and Rebe. Another top-five weekend, so great to be driving around in LA with a stolen car- the great company made even the blistering heat and crawling traffic seem fun.

August 2007: The infamous trip to Santa Cruz with Shirin and Bryan, enough said.
September 2007: Pismo Beach, RCSA Inter-UC Super-Retreat. 50 nerds jammed into two connecting condos + booze + beach = insanity. And lets not forget the ATV'ing afterwards.
February 2008: Another trip to San Diego, this time to see Meemz, Yaad and Shalane. Awesome canoeing with UCSD Hawaiin Club!
March 2008: Bone Ski Trip. Skiing at Heavenly with the (UCSF) lab and afterwards relaxing in the jacuzzi out in the snow.
March 2008: Spring break in Clearlake, inner-tubing and practically drowning in 40 degrees water!
Last but not least, an entire semester of swim class that stretched my suit from spin-drying, and all to no avail. When my suit finally reached Jones Beach last weekend, it was so loose I was scared it was going to get smacked off and leave me exposed every time a wave hit me. With these good times behind it, I lay this suit to rest.

:-)

Google Maps Gone Commercial!

When it first released, one of Gmail's ground-breaking features was the text-only advertisements. For such a versatile and free email client, text-only ads are definitely worth it. They don't increase page loading times, they're not flashy or obtrusive like good old days of Hotmail and Go (my first email address was k_quantus@go.com), and the fact that they're customized to each email sometimes turns out to be useful.

However, while searching for the location of the MoMA yesterday, I noticed something interesting as I zoomed in on my location:
The ingenious bastards had snuck ads into Google Maps as well! At first I saw the Museum of Modern Art and Rockefeller Center labelled, and I figured, okay, a nonprofit organization and a NYC icon make sense. But once I saw the Hilton and Tiffany & Co, I knew those had to be paid advertisements.

I'm not sure how I feel about it just yet, but if at a fully-zoomed in map of Manhattan (as dense as the streets get), those little ads aren't doing any harm, I can't see why not. If anything, they are helpful, because knowing the location of your destination in relation to a city landmark (aka Rockefeller Center) can only help in finding it. However, I do hope Google doesn't get greedy and increase the density of their ads, because then it can be problematic.

Wading in the Red River

I had my first Californian visit last week! It was so much fun and really made me feel like I had things to share in this city, so I hope to get more visitors! Bryan got here 4th of July, unfortunately missing his flight and therefore missing the beautiful Macy's fireworks. However, me and the GS kids had the fortune of watching the fireworks at South Seaport from Jake's private 13th-floor balcony with not only a great view of the fireworks, but the Brooklyn Bridge and the waterfall underneath it as well. It was really nice to see the entire GS crowd together, have a few beers and enjoy the view.
Saturday July 5th: Headed to Chinatown and hopped on the infamous Fung Wah bus to Boston. Despite all the crazy things I've heard about it, it was an uneventful ride, arrived in 4 hours exactly.

My first impression of Boston was: how antique. For some reason it totally slipped my mind how important Boston was in the founding of this country. Even more amazing was how well this city has retained that early colonial feel. On top of the east coast tradition of red-brick buildings (aka brownstones) Boston is dotted with historical statues commemorating famous sites and numerous 'first American ___'.

Saw the beautiful Hancock Building, one of the two buildings that comprise the Boston skyline (wow, I can see the NYC pretension creeping up on me).

Had drinks at the Top of the Hub, the 51st floor of the Prudential building. On top of a delicious Purple Rain Martini, I got beautiful views of the entire Boston-Cambridge area, sunset on the Charles River, and Fenway Park.

After this, we ambled down Newbury Street, which is full of cute little shops, including my favorite, Sugar Heaven, with ten different flavors of fudge, mostly alcoholic. Came across this great bookstore/cafe, Trident, where I picked up a few artsy gifts and had delicious Pumpkin Ravioli (my pumpkin fetish continues off-season). Next door was JP Lick's, a famous ice-cream place, which I sadly didn't try because I was too full, but judging from the lines, it must have been delicious.

Sunday:

Walked the Freedom Trail, coming across numerous historical sites on the way.

Visited the New England Aquarium. I'm not a big proponent of trapping animals and displaying them for minimal didactic value, but the jellyfish exhibit was fascinatingly well-lit, and the penguins were very cute.

Walked through North End, the Italian district, and went to another hot-spot, Mike's Pastries, with lines out the door for canolis. Here I had my first real Boston experience: Someone left their dog in the car in the blistering heat with no open windows, and this cop comes around asking "Does anyone have New Yaaak plates with a daaag in the cahhh?" When they couldn't find the owner, all these burly t-shirt clad firemen come and split the door open and save the tiny little, to the applaud of thick-accented, shamrock-tattooed Bostoners. Awesome.

Continuing the walk around the (thankfully) small city, we went to both Cheers bar locations, and walked through Boston Commons, which is their equivalent of Central Park.

Monday:
I got semi-early, went to visit MIT and while trying to get breakfast, I accidentally happened upon Harvard campus and enjoyed my Finagle Bagle with Lox spread on the steps of some Harvard Building. I came across a great comic store in Harvard Square, had some quarter-machine tell me (and the whole store, in its booming voice) my fortune.

As many of you know, MIT was my first-love, the university that I had my heart set on and was twice crushed by. I had to go see the campus, imagine what it would be like walking from class to class there. Unfortunately the campus had no maps, so I couldn't do much but walk around aimlessly and see which building didn't require access to enter. The newer buildings exude innovation and technology, but even the older buildings one can imagine were modern at their time of making. All in all, MIT's architecture stood out like a beacon of contemporary design in a sea of colonial antiquity.

After the hot campus tour, I sat at the MIT sail pavilion, soaked my feet in the Charles River, and enjoyed the great view of Boston from across the water.

That night we scalped tickets to a Red Sox vs. Minnesota Twins game at Fenway Park. Fun game with great plays but no scoring until the 8th inning. I got to see the intensity of Red Sox fans: very few people without jerseys, and strangers high-fiving strangers every time the Sox scored.

We finally made it back to NY Tuesday afternoon, regrouped after 3 nights of sleeping on couches, and watched our first Broadway musical, Rent at Nederlander Theatre in Times Square that night. I must say, I wasn't prepared for how emotionally intense it was, and it left me a bit depressed at the end. However, if you go prepared for an emotional musical, you might appreciate it more. That is not to say the acting and singing weren't great, however.

Afterwards, we cruised through Rockefeller center, only to see this mini (well not so mini) Erector set model of the Rockefeller building right out in front of it. This model wasn't there about a month ago, which just goes to show how the city never stagnates, and its always worth revisiting the tourist hot-spots.

Wednesday July 8th: Visited the Met, and this time I got to see the amazing Egyptian exhibit. What constantly blows my mind is how artistic a culture they were, and I enjoyed seeing their ornate, hand-crafted jewelry and intricately carved tombs.

Afterwards, we had some real New York pizza at Lombardi's, which is apparently 'America's first Pizzeria'. The pizza was simple and delicious, and right across the street was amazing Rice to Riches, a snazzy, modern dessert place devoted entirely to flavors and flavors of rice pudding.

Later that night, after a failed attempt to find Hudson River Flicks, we went to the Fat Cat, an unpretentious gaming-bar-meets-jazz-club where Bryan kicked my ass in chess in 30 seconds flat.

Thursday July 9th:
Went to my first gallery opening in NY! A radio station called WNYC (the local NPR, apparently), had a competition of NY street photography, which is essentially capturing people in their daily (or not so daily) routine. The top 35 photos were displayed, out of approximately 10,000 submitted. I loved how the photos covered every aspect of NY: the subway station, models, Wall Street men, historic streets, the homeless, and even the snowy winters. My favorite photo is below, showing the painful breaking of a ceramic bowl of brightly-colored fruit on the sidewalk.

Afterwards was some bar-hopping in the West Village, ending with Bryan lighting fireworks in the middle of the street at 2am to the cheering of spectators, and visiting the craziest sex-fantasy shop I've seen so far.

Friday: Watched Brazilian Girls in concert at Prospect Park, which was eclectic dance music, fun and free.

Saturday:
Finally got to see Jones Beach, or any beach for that matter, since California. So much fun, the water is tons warmer than Pacific Ocean, and the waves much fiercer. We all definitely got thrown around multiple times, my favorite being knocked into the ground and then back-flipped all by the same wave.

On the way back, we went to Beer Garden at Bohemian Hall in Queens. Essentially an outdoor bar with good, cheap beer and a crazy German grill going, we ended up staying there for several hours with a constant flux of new people leaving or joining the group.

Sunday:
Upload photos, recover, regroup and get ready for work!

An Affair to Remember

Last week, while watching The New York Philharmonic concert in Central Park, under the stars with the Manhattan skyline to my right and fireworks overhead, it hit me what a romantic city this is. Sitting in a crowd of 60,000 on the grass, looking around I realized a fair portion were couples, cuddling on towels. Not that I needed a date to enjoy the amazing symphony while lying down star-gazing, but it suddenly occurred to me how many of the events I've been to would have been perfect dates. Outdoor movies, jazz clubs, touring Times Square, or simply crossing the Brooklyn Bridge.

The New York Philharmonic at Great Stage in Central Park

Fireworks after the concert

This city would be perfect place to fall in love. Or even a summer fling. What girl hasn't dreamed of coming to this city, meeting a classy, 20-something Wall Street yuppie in a suit (sorry GS, interns don't count) and getting swept off her feet? The summer would pass in a whirlwind of classy opera nights, exclusive club openings and breathtaking starlit walks along the Hudson River. Weekends would entail trips to the ever-elusive Hamptons, while weeknights would start with poetry readings and culminate in salsa dancing and night-caps under the stars. The only time I wouldn't be in a dress would be when I was in a bikini, and my feet would become insensitive to pain once slipped into a nice pair of heels. I would never run out of energy, and when I did, Mr. Wall Street would be there to pick up the slack. In circumstances like these, who could avoid falling in love?

Sigh. Well, a girl can dream. I've made my bed and I don't regret lying in it, but for this summer, I'll settle for an affair with the city itself.
---
Other interesting happenings of the last week:
Friday the 27th: Cold War Kids free concert at Prospect Park Bandshell with GS.

Followed by another trip to Wall St., drinking, singing (with Ravi on guitar) and playing 'Truth, Dare or Shot' on Derek's terrace. All in all, great night full of good music, good company, embarrassing revelations and ballsy dares (most between people who had just met that night).

Wall St.

Ravi strumming out my favorites, 'Wonderwall' and 'Under the Bridge'
Dare#2: Stripping/dancing behind a screen, very fun to watch the guys going nuts for this.

Saturday the 28th: Lots of drinks and dancing at Mannahatta, a good cross between a bar and a club. Lesson learned: no dancing barefoot in a bar, broken glass everywhere. Thanks for all the help that night guys, especially Hemant! This is the only decent picture I have, I really wish we had fit everyone else in it, or that I was looking at the camera.

Summer 08 Trifecta!

Goodnight Cali!

La Douleur Exquise

Despite the bustling and craziness of this city, despite the barrage of culture in the form of arts and music, despite the daily novelty of exploring new neighborhoods, new 'hot spots'- a day hasn't gone by when I haven't thought about my California loves. I feel like every new sight- whether it is the mention of 'Jewish frizz' or a Spongebob Squarepants balloon vendor in the park- comes with the memory of someone back home. Every time I do something exciting or fun, I feel a pang in my chest imagining how it would be thousand-fold better with the Californians.

The only thing more beautiful than realizing how much you love the people in your life and how blessed you are to live among so many uniquely phenomenal personalities is the exquisite pain of knowing you can't be with them.

This constant, nagging feeling culminated in a teary, drunken emotional release this weekend. Coming home from yet another crazy night, to phone calls and texts of the Berkeley crowd doing it big in Milpitas, I couldn't help but wonder why I left. What finally set me on emotional overload was receiving the best poem I've ever been written from the best friend I can ever hope for. Packed into 22 verses were the collective inside jokes, joys and sorrows of my past 3 years at Cal. I've never felt more loved and missed, and I finally realized that real friendships transcend time and distance barriers. I needn't worry about drifting apart, for all the history we've made as a group will more than hold up the fort while the physical presence is absent. I can't wait to pick up where we left off in August, guys.

And now I understand Rushdie's motivation in writing:
"Travel is pointless. It removed you from the place in which you had a meaning, and to which you gave meaning in return by dedicating your life to it, and it spirited you away into fairylands where you were, and looked, frankly absurd."

All the emotions handled, this is not to say I haven't kept up the exploration. With a slow week at work waiting for supplies to arrive, I had free evenings to check out some cool events.

Tuesday: Museum of Sex, very interesting and very cheap (~$9), I would suggest it for anyone who is genuinely interested in the history of sex and its progression in American culture. My favorite exhibit was 'Sex in Design/Design in Sex', and runner up was 'Action: Sex and the Moving Film'. I posted pictures here, but be warned, they are explicit! Also in the album, is Stars of Tomorrow, a series of free Jazz concerts at Hudson River Park.

Friday: Lunch with the entire lab at Dinosaur BBQ, a restaurant known for its custom-made sauces. Anyone who loves meat should go here.
Romeo and Juliet at Inwood Hill Park (218th St. and Indian Rd.), part of Uptown Arts Stroll sponsored by Columbia. This park was at the northwestern tip of Manhattan, and the play was very nice because for once, there weren't huge crowds, and the actors were actually professionals. Also, the park itself is very large, reclusive and peaceful, wrapping around multiple lakes.
Watched The Incredible Hulk at Times Square, then The Town Tavern in West Village with Keaton. All in all, great night, trying hard not to pass out on the Subway, and made it home by 5!

Saturday: The longest day of the year, celebrated in full style by the longest night ever.

Checked out The Met (Columbia students get in free!). Couldn't expect to get through it all in one visit, so we focused on the Superheroes Exhibit, and the Modern Art wing. Came across some very cool pieces in both.

Then dinner at Chinatown, walked around Little Italy (they're side by side, which I thought was funny) for a bit, then headed to St. Marks Place, at this Korean restaurant/bar called Gama, where about 10 Goldman people showed up. I'm liking this GS crowd, the more I meet- they're all nerdy engineers who know how to have fun, my favorite kind!
The great thing about having a New Yorker in your group (Derek's roommate Chris), is that they know where to go and they take you to all the great places. We had the most amazing munchies, this fries place at St. Marks with about 15 different dipping sauces (if only I could remember the name!).

Next we headed to this awesome lounge called the Coffee Shop in Union Square. It has a bar downstairs with a great, relaxing atmosphere (which still allows you to dance when the right song comes on). It asks for semi-classy attire, and drinks are reasonably priced (for NY and its location).
Last but not least, we headed down to Wall Street to relax on the Derek/Chris' terrace, which has an amazing view of the entire Financial District. Finally, when the sky started turning blue again, we called it a night and I made the painfully slow trek uptown on the 2, which runs local at late nights, and therefore stops at every stop in the 130 blocks to Harlem.
Peace, love and staying updated!

You know that tingly feeling in your stomach...

Papa Massoudi once described the excitement he got from the release of Brawl, "You know that tingly feeling in your stomach, when you like a girl, and you just found out she likes you back?" I must admit, I judged him a little that day. But I couldn't relate more today, when I found myself beaming and practically skipping for joy at work.

What could possibly be analogous to a game that gives the guys so many voluntary sleepless nights? The beginning of a new project that will probably, also, give me many sleepless nights.

Today, I began writing a proposal for a new project, in an entirely new vein in research. Ah, I love these early stages of research- when you can have high aspirations and and wild fantasies of making ground-breaking discoveries. The butterflies in my stomach from placing a PO with Fisher are comparable to the flushed cheeks and Quyen-beam that comes from an amazing first date. The sense of validation I get from reviewing the literature and setting better, more advanced goals is equivalent to that feeling of just knowing there will be a second date. And getting your Post-Doc's approval, now thats like the first kiss, that seals the deal and lets you know amazing things are about to unfold.

This is all before the crippling realities of the project unfold, before you get sucked into the painful minutiae of the protocols that will keep you at work past sundown (you know, those little details about every guy that you don't find out until you're too invested to dump him over it). How difficult is basic fuchsin staining? Would it be better if I dehydrated my bone in 70% or 80% ethanol? For 3 or 4 hours? Is the 1-micron resolution on the confocal microscope worth the extra time in collecting projections?

Nevertheless, excited I am. After two weeks of doing mind-numbing cortical segmentation and feeling like the ultimate lab rat, I am finally doing some mentally stimulating work. I have always worked with bone on a macroscale, and for the first time now, I will be examining bone at a cellular level. Specifically, I will be quantifying the 3-D microstructure of lacunar canaliculi of osteocytes in cortical bone and seeing how fluid flow through these porosities translates into mechanosensory information. Yeah, its a mouthful. Don't worry, I just learned what lacunae and canaliculi were today, hopefully by August 18th I will know enough about it to submit to ORS 09, in Vegas, baby!

Thanks for bearing with me!

Coming of Age Weekend!

Ah, 21. So much anticipation, so much build-up, and I must say this day (weekend, actually) lived up to its expectation and more. I don't have the energy for a detailed description, but I'll give a brief outline, and let you see the namesake album on Facebook.

Friday night: Went dress shopping with Jiasi back at Pier 17 and her friend Nikitha, ended up walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, which was beautiful. By the time we got back, it was midnight, so we went to La Negrita, I ordered my first drink. My first bar night was incredibly fun.

Thanks so much for all the phone calls, texts and hilarious voicemails everyone. It almost, almost made up for not having you guys around on this day.

Saturday morning was a bit painful, but I eventually overcame the hangover and went to Central Park for Vampire Weekend, where the line was literally a mile long (no, seriously). Unfortunately, a crazy thunderstorm broke out and DRENCHED us, cancelling the concert so we went on home.

As I was getting ready for Saturday night, I was feeling a twinge of sadness that this was my first birthday without a cake (a.k.a. the Terpine Mascarpone Rev promised me over a year ago), and just then I get an awesome surprise delivery of cookies and brownies right to my door, that was great!

Saturday night we did it classy, went to Dizzy's Club Coca Cola at the Lincoln Center for a Caribbean Jazz show by 21st Century Band. It was amazing, I seriously want to learn how to play the saxophone now. Dizzy's offers lots of great student discounts, so if you ever want to go to a jazz club, this is a great place to start.

Afterwards we went up north towards Columbia, hit an Irish pub there, then had munchies at Tom's Restaurant, which is the restaurant taped in Seinfeld! Finally made it to Columbia's campus, with the point being to see it at dark, but by that time, daylight was creeping up on us again. Finally I stumbled home at 5:30am on Sunday, my feet dead from a memorable but painful 10 hours in heels.

That wasn't as brief as I hoped, sorry, but this is also my personal diary, so I'm glad I got it all down.

Also, for all those who sent me (or have promised to send me!) mail, I haven't checked my mail yet, but thanks alot, I NEVER get exciting snail mail!

:-)

Musical Explorations

Someone told me Houstin, Texas was the live music capital of the United States. Whoever decided this must never been to New York City. There is live music-correction, free live music- everywhere, so much so that I rarely use my iPod. From the borderline-homeless playing at Subway stations to the numerous summer concert series' throughout the city, there is music at every corner, catered to every taste. A live jazz band outside the Guggenheim. A man playing the Star-Spangled Banner on a saw (shown to the left) at Taste of Times Square.

I've never been big on music, and the only concert I've really attended (and sitting behind The Greek Theatre does NOT count) was Red Hot Chili Peppers in Oakland, but I'm really starting to appreciate live music. And its so much easier to do when its everywhere and its free.

So Tuesday we saw Gnarls Barkley play at the Apple Store in SoHo. They were promoting the release of their album (on iTunes, like Coldplay's Viva La Vida), The Odd Couple. They played a few lounging, jazzy songs which I liked but can't remember the name of. Then they butchered their one hit 'Crazy' with a slow, torturous remix and it was over.
On a side note, SoHo is a very trendy, fashion-aware neighborhood, and the one thing I noticed, is that wearing black-on-black (yes, yes, like the Storm of Justice) is very 'in'. At least half the women I saw were dressed in all-black on a 95-degrees day. Then Jiasi informed me that someone told her it was almost mandatory to wear black to attend a party in SoHo. Interesting.

Wednesday I went to see live Jazz at Pier 17, right around South Seaport. I must say, I am really liking jazz. It may be simply because it is played at every public gathering in this city, that I am beginning to associate it with a fun, carefree and exploratory mood. Either way, Pier 17 is an amazing place. I got my first glimpse of Brooklyn, Wall Street and Governor's Island-and was introduced to this concept of a New York City Water Taxi.

Most importantly, girls, listen closely. I found this awesome dress-boutique in the mall inside Pier 17, called The Stone Flower. Ever since I got here I have been looking for light, summery dresses that are wearable in this humid weather yet nice enough for a night out. This store has just that. The dresses are all hand-made by the owner, so they are unique (seriously, only 1 of each dress in the store) and cheap ($25-45). They have a great selection of day and evening dresses for every occasion. I spent an hour in this tiny 12'x12' shop and tried on about 10 dresses, finally settling to buy just 3. I plan on going back there again soon.


Finally, today was all about watching Kevin Robinson do the Red Bull Experiment and attempt to break the world record for highest jump on a BMX. Red Bull built a 60-foot launch ramp in Central Park and crowds gathered to watch. Being the Big Apple, there had to be live music at this event. A few no-name bands played, and then, much to my surprise and elation, Talib Kweli came on stage! For those who don't know, he is a political rapper who ranks in the top-five of my favorite lyricists alongside my all-time favorites Mos Def, Common and The Roots. I've spent years listening to rappers sing about their cities, and I totally forgot how many are New York natives. His unannounced appearance only increased my respect for this city in attracting the biggest names of every industry.
After all the music, 'K-Rob' did come out and do the deed. The previous record was 26'6'' above the ramp, and he managed to do 27' tonight. It was pretty amazing to watch how fast he was going at the bottom of the half-pipe. He did, unfortunately, fall during most of his landings, but bounced back every time.

Also, for you skaters out there, a few of Kevin's friends came and did some jumps off the half-pipe as well, and one was a skater, now his looked pretty damn amazing.

Now I have to make slides for tomorrow's lab meeting, so in the words of (some Pig on cartoon?):

That's all folks!