2012.Resolutions.Reflections

Hey everyone, I apologize for my tardiness in posting up 2012 reflections and New Year's Resolutions, but 2011 has definitely not been a regular year, by any means.  Celebrating and welcoming the New Year an hour before even the crystal ball dropping in Times Square (the US Virgin Islands are an hour ahead, go figure), was not the only new experience...but rather than hearing fireworks, the loud crackles and pops were later explained to my dad and me--they were celebratory gunshots.  Talk about the non-conventional.

At any rate, back to tradition and convention with some thoughts on waving the 2011 year goodbye, and things to work on in 2012:

1. Not only read, but live the Living Word.  One of my key resolutions from 2011 was to practice real tithing, where I would give 10% of my spending per week and give it to the church I attended.  To this end, I was successful in reaching my goal of going one year of truly giving 10%.  It was definitely with sacrifice, and compromises were made when it came to personal spending.  This has helped me become more disciplined in spending on myself, on not being focused on material, earthly possessions, and that the true treasures are that of spirit, not of this world.  My goal for this year, is to really reflect those lessons learned from the Word into everyday living.  One section that I have particularly taken a liking to, as something for me to work on, is seen in James 3:1-12.  Taming of the tongue.  Those who know me know exactly what needs to happen here.

2. Buckle down.  Something that I never really truly thought I would need to remind myself with, and that was to take care of business academically.  I suppose in previous years and in lower levels of education, I was always fine with where I was relative to other people, in both comprehension, and grades.  In medical school, the competition may not be as outwardly apparent, and the pass/fail system really takes away the stress that would normally be a motivator for me to continuously strive for a higher percentage.  However, I am blessed with a good group of guys that not only help me study, but challenge me to understand better, and constantly push my limits on what I need to know and what I should know.  My resolution is to be more self-motivated to go beyond what is minimally necessary, (even if P=MD), and really enjoy the learning for what it is worth.

3. Be patient and live life.  I've always been impulsive.  It's come with its pros and cons; I've always been on the forefront of many aspects of my life because of gut instinct, natural intuition, and quick action.  However, this has also gotten me into trouble before, and I've realized that at this stage in my life, it is less appropriate to really rush through everything; rather, my resolution for this year is to really slow down and really let God take the reins.  God knows a lot more than I do, and clearly has a pretty good idea of where I am to end up, how I'm going to get there, and when I'm going to get there.  No need to rush a perfect game plan, hm?

That's all I have for this year, plenty of tough stuff to work on, but cheers to an exciting New Year in 2012!

Pre-Break Reflection (PBR)

Hey all, it has certainly been a while since I've written here, and I have taken the time to really use my lunch break and by definition study break to give a life update or quasi-reflection post.

Besides the shared acronym between my post and Pabst Blue Ribbon, I have managed to separate myself from many other graduate students (medical and otherwise), in the fact that I do not rely on alcohol for a good time.  A seemingly simple and sensible sentiment, but an important one to make nonetheless.  Have I gone dry?  By no means.  But there is a difference between alcohol consumption and alcohol reliance.  That being said, let's reflect:

This first semester of medical school has really put me through many trials.  Maybe not in the way that I originally envisioned.  I came into medical school expecting that it would be very similar to my college experience, with the lone exception of needing to work myself much harder to keep up with the increased information and decreased time to learn it.  However, I have soon found that I not only spend less time on studying, I am enjoying the more fundamental things in life that would contribute to happiness.  I have learned many new things, not only medicine related, but rather more about myself.

One would always want to believe that you know yourself better than anyone else.  Aside from God (which is an unfair example, because he is all-knowing and all-seeing), though the statement may be true to a certain extent, it doesn't necessarily mean you know yourself well.  There are certain aspects of my person that I will refuse to compromise, certain activities that I must have as part of my daily, weekly, monthly, yearly routine.  I will always be a sports fan.  I will always be athletically active.  I will always strive to be more Christ-centered, and I will always strive to take medicine to the next level.

I have also learned things that I can let go, or I thought were important, but in the grand scheme of things slowly phased out of my concerns and priorities.  I originally believed that I was a very undiverse individual, and that I had to have friends only in the Asian crowd.  Not only has medical school tested those boundaries, they have challenged me to really reach out and force me to not be in my comfort zone.  And to be perfectly, almost brutally honest, I am glad I was tested in that way.  I can safely say that my best friends here are definitely not Asian, nor do I see that changing any time in the future.

Finally, I realized to appreciate the things that really mean something to me.  The support I get from family, friends, loved ones, and all of those meaningful relationships that I spent so long over the course of my stay in St. Louis to build.  I got to spend time talking to good friends on the phone, and it hit me that it really doesn't matter where your friends go and end up, true friends will always remain so, and those relationships are something to always hold onto dearly.  The ability of being able to pick up the phone, call up a guy that I hadn't talked to or been in close proximity to for an extended period of time, and talk for hours about all the things that have happened in each other's lives is simply put, amazing.  The conversation seemed so natural it was like it had never stopped in the first place.  I find myself "catching up" with people much more so during this educational transition than I did when I went from high school to college.  It made me think of the relationships that I built while in high school, and the yearning for a reunion and "catching up" with those people too.  Only time (and a good, long break) will remediate this.

With all that said and done, I want to wish everyone a great holiday break:  Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Cheers!

The Move In

Hello everyone.  This is my first blog post from the new desk that I built myself (or rather, assembled).  The internet is a little spotty here and there, but at least the living arrangement seems to have worked out.

I have a nice little studio apartment on the first floor, and to be honest, the space is more than enough for me.  Even at WashU, I had one of the smaller rooms in the suite, and even when I had a huge double sharing with Alan, I didn't even know what to do with all the space.

Furnishings were nothing fancy but comprehensive.  I got a desk, a bookshelf, a dresser, a dinner table with 4 chairs, a coffee table, a love seat couch, and of course the bed.  This is the same bed that I used way back in middle school, so I guess it's pretty nostalgic now that I'm back on this very bed...8 years later.

The place, after unpacking about 60% of my stuff, is definitely "very me."  Everything other than the wooden dinner table/chairs and the love seat (that I swiped from my parents) are black, white or green (no more mystery to my favorite colors).  If you had seen my room back at WashU, you would instantly recognize 90% of the decorations and stuff, as I just like how my room was decorated from before, and no reason to fix what isn't broken.

One difference, is I have my own TV now.  Nothing compared to the 37 inch VYNEX monster that everyone was familiar with from my suite, but it will serve my purposes (which is sports, sports, some HIMYM, and more sports) very well.  As per usual, my desk is littered with technology, so I might just resort to moving my book studies to the dinner table.

If there was any real complaints about the place right now, it would be that my phone doesn't get reliable service in the back crannies of my room, but that's understandable since the 1st floor of this apartment is practically half underground.  Of course, my reception is best closest to the window and door.

Other than that, just wanted to throw an update out there on where I'm now living and some initial thoughts that popped into my head in the middle of my unpacking frenzy.  I'd just like to say, it's nothing compared to the awesome setup I had back with my boys in Mudd, then SoFoHo (x2).  But then again, it's not just the place you live in, it's more important about the PEOPLE you live with.

Cheers.

David Choi - By My Side

Sorry for the delay in posting recordings, I got sidetracked by errands and logistics of my move-in, which is soon!

At any rate, I recently listened to David Choi's new music video and song, as mentioned in the title.  A catchy little love song, you probably know David from being affiliated with Wong Fu Productions, so here's a shout out to them.

I've taken the liberty of covering David's song, but credit goes to him for actually writing and producing the song himself!

Without further ado: David Choi - By My Side

(Oh, and a note for those with headphones: the volume for this song is a little louder than the previously recorded ones, messing around with microphone placement.)

Keyboarding.

I remember I did this last year, and it was pretty popular, so I'll bring it back.

Summer for me is slowly but surely passing by, and I want to do something fun and meaningful.  Thus, I will combine the two keyboards that I use in my pasttimes: the computer and the piano.

I want to invite you guys to name songs that you want to hear me play, and given a little luck, a bit of effort, and a lot listening to songs on repeat, I'll hopefully be able to play them, and record them while I still have my good recording mic and piano at home.

Here's what I worked on already:
Katy Perry - Firework (7/13/11)
Nightwish - Amaranth (7/14/11)
Gary Jules - Mad World (7/15/11)
Yiruma - River Flows in You (7/15/11)

Cheers everyone!

Life is like a box of chocolates...

but I find that it's more like a giant puzzle.

I see all of us like a puzzle piece, wanting to fit in where we can, trying to reach an understanding of a bigger picture, a goal that almighty Creator has already planned out for each and every one of us in perfect harmony.  It's hard to see clearly, as we're merely one piece in a million, but through the journey we each take, we try to find that one other piece in a million, that just strikes out to you.

You realize that one piece is the one you want to be with, the one that you are meant to be together with, through thick and thin.  No matter how good, how bad it gets, you know you can count on the other piece to lift you up when you're down, celebrate with you when you're on high.

Every place that you're lacking, the other piece brings out of you, that piece seems to benefit from everything you have to offer.  A teamwork that is infallible, a friendship unparalleled.  Someone who motivates you when you feel down, knowing that you would easily do the same to cheer and comfort them.

I know where my other piece is, and I will continue to cherish her, as she may very well be aware.  Have you found yours?

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling...

No, I'm not here to talk about medical schools and their rolling admissions process.  Rather, I'm going to be talking about my experiences and what I've learned from it.

Since getting accepted to Michigan, I wanted to figure out my living situation in Ann Arbor, but a point stood in the way.  Of course, Pham was the number one pick in the roommate draft (sorry, sports references are how I roll), and needless to say, it would have been legendary.  I had things mostly figured out, but nothing could be finalized; you can't go ahead and get a 2 bedroom apartment when you don't have both people finalized.

So here we go, impulsively speaking, Pham decided to choose Michigan out of the schools that he got accepted to, and of course, that's excellent news in and of itself, besides the fact that I now seemingly had my roommate for at least the upcoming M1 year...but...before we speak too fast, there's still a waitlist.

So perhaps I was forcibly ignoring the possibility that Pham will want to go to any other school than Michigan (in hindsight, it was kind of foolish of me).  So when Pham notified me that he was taking his talents to Manhattan to join Cornell Medical, I couldn't help but feel a little like the Cavaliers (NOTE: I am not by anyway equating Pham with LeBron...that is too unspeakable).

However, unlike Daniel Gilbert, and post slanderous nonsense on the internet and throughout the national media, God calls us to understand and forgive.  I learned that things always happen according to God's plan, and that meant placing me into an environment where I don't have the comfort of falling back to old friends, and pushing forth not only as a missionary, but also to expand my network and establish new contacts.

Score:    Steve -- 0 : Elusive Roommate -- 1

Fast forward a couple weeks.  Now I'm in the hunt for a new roommate, and by new, I mean brand new.  All of the people I've known from high school who are part of my Medical School class are girls, and so therefore, not on my list.  I originally planned to live in the fraternity Phi Rho, but apparently, missed the housing lottery because I was on the Wisconsin Dells trip.  How...inconvenient.

Needless to say, I went apartment hunting elsewhere in the area, and with a stroke of luck, managed to find a guy who (no homo) I really hit it off with.  We organized a couple trips to go and settle a living situation in a nice apartment.  However, right before we finished paying the deposit to hold the apartment, Phi Rho notified my roommate that he got off the housing waitlist, and he was seriously considering going for that.  He gave me a call and told me the, I guess, "great news."  In my mind, I only saw the flashing lights of the scoreboard:

Score:  Steve -- 0 : Elusive Roommate -- 2

But honestly, I was happy for the guy.  Seriously, it's like impossible to get to live in the medical fraternity, and so getting off the waitlist is  like winning the lottery, literally and figuratively.  In my heart, I felt a little helpless in the whole process; but I just realized that this was no curse.  I shouldn't be upset with what has happened; rather, I had to recall what I had learned the first time around.  I'll just have to keep rolling with the punches.  God will help settle everything in this turbulent time.

In summary, God challenges us to forgive, for no matter how grievous the act was against us, it pales in comparison to what our sins have done against the Lord Himself.  As Colossians 3:13 says, "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you."