It's Like You Know...

Moving on...

2008-04-01T10:41:00.000-07:00

After lots of deliberating (i.e. 40 minutes of distractions from studying), I have decided to move my blog from the solid blogger, to the more fashionable (but not functional) tumblr website. Blogger has been good to me for so long, but I think now it's time to move on (particularly because I hate the "Read more if you care" feature that I added, and I'm too lazy to try to figure out HTML to get rid of it). To use this feature one last time, I've included the new link after the jump. Bye blogger!

http://itslikeyouknowwhatever.tumblr.com/

Bleeding Blue

2008-03-30T06:24:00.000-07:00

Coolest picture I've seen this morning. I wish I was there for that.

By the way... Go Bruins!

A Muxtape for You...

2008-03-29T15:25:00.000-07:00

I read about this on Stereogum and thought it was pretty cool... so now I'm going to share with you my very first e-mixtape. Link after the jump (I have to milk these "jumps" for all they're worth).

http://surf.muxtape.com/

It Doesn't Get Any Whiter Than This

2008-03-20T19:25:00.000-07:00

I've never seen so much snow! Try to enjoy my weekend up in Vermont.... Pics after the jump.

Sorry You Had To See That...

2008-03-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, I was studying for my physiology test on the subway, and then I realized something-- I should probably not be studying on the subway...

Why? [Please refrain from eating for the next few paragraphs] Because I was studying the GI tract and congenital disorders, which meant that I was looking at all sorts of disgusting pictures of hernias and intestines outside of a newborn's body and other really really gross things.

I turned to this particularly graphic page and started reading with the book just sprawled open on my lap. And then I saw someone look at the page out of the corner of my eye and realized what caught her attention. I spent the last 20 minutes of my ride home with certain pages folded over and tried desperately to avoid even the cartoon images. I felt dirty... like I was looking at porn on the bus and trying really hard to hide it. It was awkward.

At that point, I decided that the bus/subway is no place to study for med school. Thankfully I wasn't studying the pelvis and all the venereal diseases you could get. That's for next week.

Add this to the list...

2008-03-08T16:34:00.001-08:00

For the past few weeks, it seems like everyone I know has mentioned "Stuff White People Like" (I think my favorite one is "Recycling," but only because the guy in the picture looks like Jason).

I think I have another one to add to the list: massive, coordinated "group" events... I don't have a catchy name for it, but work with me here...

I came up with this after reading an LAist post on "mobile clubbing" coming to LA in a few weeks. The idea seemed cool in theory, and then I saw the video-- several hundred people dancing without music. They look ridiculous (and lets be honest, they're probably not dancing on beat).

Then I read about World Pillow Fight Day, and thought about that comedic group that sends hundreds of people somewhere to "freeze" for like 5-10 minutes. There's also Critical Mass... and the list just goes on and on and on...

Where do I petition to get this added to the list?

Next Stop... Hollywood?

2008-03-07T11:51:00.000-08:00

...probably not. But after the jump, enjoy the film I made for my class show.

If you don't think it's funny, I'm just going to assume it's because you don't get the jokes.

Make the Investment?

2008-02-21T20:19:00.000-08:00

So my friend Christina back home in LA had a Polaroid camera. It was fun taking pictures with it, and it made me want one. And then I found out that they're phasing them out, to replace them with lame digital cameras (because of the environment or something... lame-o)...

Christina is clearly cooler than me, so she could definitely pull off the polaroid camera, but I kinda want one too. What if I bought it for like $40 and then tried to save up to buy lots of film for the rest of the year before they discontinue it December? Is it worth the hassle? It would make a cool coffee table book, no?

Yummer$

2008-02-17T08:07:00.000-08:00

{READ THIS ONE FIRST! Prep yourself for two long post, because I'm caffeinated and making up for all the lost blogging time.}

I'll trust the critics when they say that New York does food better than Los Angeles. But with that distinct honor comes high expectations-- high Los Angeles-based expectations. I've had some great, solid meals (and this city really knows how to do deserts). But I've been here for six months, and I have yet to truly experience that "oh-my-God-someone-shoot-me-now-because-this-is-the-greatest-meal-ever-and-I-don't-think-any -other-meal-deserves-to-sit-in-my-stomach-again."

But yesterday, I came pretty damn close. Twice.

I was down in the Lower East Side looking for brunch (after our first choice proved to be too crowded), and as we were walking down Rivington, we stumbled upon Spitzer's Corner. It's part of the whole LES transformation into expensive-"hipster"-land: sleek spacious interior (wood everywhere), simple menu, but surprisingly decent prices (although it looked like beers and whatnot were not as cheap).

My go-to choice for brunch tends to be french toast-- it's probably my favorite breakfast item. Here, they had the standard brioche french toast, but with a "compote" (I found out that meant fruit), and a maple syrup whipped cream butter concoction. When it came out, it looked good; the toast was a lovely shade of brown, the fruit plentiful, and a good amount of powdered sugar.

Then I took a bite (with syrup and the "butter"). The fruit probably hit me first-- cranberries, apricots, and wait, an apple? Yes, an apple. There was a hint of cinnamon, and all sorts of other wonderful flavors bursting in my mouth. The "butter" melted sweetly in my mouth, and the actual toast was great. Then I found the poached pear hidden underneath some fruit. Yum.

About 15 minutes later, I was done. $12 well spent.

Yummer$$

2008-02-17T07:12:00.000-08:00

Part of not being wowed at every meal here has to do with money. New York is a great city for food... if you have money. Hands down, you could probably get better meals in the $18-25 price range here than anywhere else. But as the price drops, the quality does too, at least in Manhattan. I have yet to find a Gloria's or Alejo's or whatever-- the cheap, delicious hole-in-the-wall. Last night (thanks to my mom's "Valentine's Day treat"), I threw money aside for a bit.

I hit up Billyburg again (3 times in a week-- a tad excessive, even for me), this time for Diner, a restaurant I heard about from a friend and was dying to go to. It's an old diner converted into a new diner but with totally un-diner-y food. It's in the shady part of Williamsburg (as is everything else that's good in this neighborhod), but looks cool on the outside. The inside looked pretty cool also-- it really had that old-school diner look. This city has atmosphere down, and the same could be said for this place, but I wasn't sure about the food.

We were seated relatively quickly, and our waitress came around and sat at our table. She greeted us, then explained that the menu consisted of a rotating list of "specials." She pulled out a pen and started writing on the paper tablecloth. She listed each appetizer (which didn't sound too fancy), then got into the entrees: a vegetable risotto, pollack, some other fish, duck, chicken, and a T-bone steak. She started writing down prices at the duck ($30), meaning everything else was probably under $25. It was an interesting way to introduce a menu, and my friends and I really liked it.

I ordered the pollack (which I found out was in the cod family of white fish) wrapped in bacon, over a bed of lentils. As we know from Top Chef, anything wrapped in bacon is a winner; this dish was no exception. The first bite was a bit too salty, but it was tasty. Then the next bite hit, and it got better. The cod was perfectly cooked, not too dry, not too moist. The bacon was nice and crisp (and not as salty as the first bite, go figure), and perfectly balanced the fish. By the fifth bite, it was as close to ridiculously awesome as it could get. I can't think of a better fish dish I've had.

We decided to order dessert because it sounded so good-- a chocolate mousse over some sort of meringue cookie concoction. The waitress brought it out and it looked good, but nothing spectacular; things changed after the first bite. The mousse was rich and smooth; the meringue was sweet and crispy on the outside, but it melted in your mouth. We fought over who got to take the last bite. For a med student, this was all a bit pricey ($34 with tax, tip, etc.), but I didn't regret anything.

This was probably the first meal that I felt the need to blog about. I think that says it all.

It's a Joke.

2008-02-16T12:39:00.000-08:00

{It's been like 10 years since I've posted here, so I may be a bit rusty, although that doesn't really explain the quality of my older posts.}

Apparently I sneaked into medical school, because judging by some of the people here, not having a sense of humor is a prerequisite for acceptance. I'm not talking about Aegean cute-oblivious to my sarcasm (or sarcasm in general), but being completely devoid of any means of sensing sarcasm or humor in anything...

I don't think I have enough fingers or toes to count the number of times where I had to say "I'm just kidding," or, "It was a joke," after saying something completely absurd. Even worse, there have been times when people responded to these comments angrily-- the defensive walls go up, eyes squint just a bit, they get terse (but only briefly, no shouting)-- before I have to calm them down.

This isn't just face-to-face interactions; there are also the unbelievable awkwardness felt when something like this happens via mass email to the class (this happened early on, but again recently within a group listserv): serious responses to an email about how some guy was offended that we only screened a film about women having ovarian cancer, and not men (see, this is funny because men don't have ovaries); an obvious joke turning into an impassioned debate about Israel (I avoided this one like the plague), etc. etc. I feel like it's even worse via email because you watch the awkwardness build to some crescendo and all you can do is sit back and enjoy it for what it's worth.

Why can't people just take a chill pill? [And yes, I'm totally bringing "chill pill" back.]

More Barack and Roll

2008-01-29T20:30:00.000-08:00

I've been on the Obama bandwagon since the beginning. He's the first legitimately exciting candidate in a while (please don't remind me about John Kerry). And after the way Billary has conducted themselves recently (I really think Bill is ruining his reputation right now), there's no lookin' back for me.

I could go into all the reasons as to why I like him, but I know you've heard it all before. So instead, I offer this clip. It starts off slow, but it builds and culminates with an amazing last few minutes that make me concerned about what would happen if he didn't win. And with McCain taking the lead in the GOP race, I'd like to think Obama is our best chance. Let's hope enough people agree with me.

You Put Your Right Foot In...

2008-01-24T04:15:00.001-08:00

My plan to study anatomy was not working. I had pushed it off until after my embryology exam, and now I have a lot to learn, and not nearly as much time as I would like. At about 11pm last night, I was starting to get worried... stressed even. And then I read this email. I think we laughed for a good 20 minutes. Read it after the jump.

"This Saturday from 12pm (noon)-1pm, we're going to have a student-run practice anatomy practical exam.

The goal of the hour is to have an efficient review of the more difficult anatomy parts and related clinical applications. This will allow us to study using the different cadavers. Here's how it's going to work:

Each student needs to come prepared with at least three two-part questions. Each question should follow the structure of the actual exam - pick a particular part for your classmates to identify and then a clinical follow-up question (or question related to that part, if no blue box question is available). Pick the parts that are particularly difficult for you, so that you'll master those items and give the rest of us the same opportunity.

There are four people per anatomy group. There are also four rows of cadavers in the lab. Walking into the lab and starting on the left, we'll name the rows A, B, C, & D. Within each group, assign yourselves as person A, B, C or D. (You can use the order given on the group list.) During the hour, there will be four rounds (A, B, C & D) - each fifteen minutes long. For each round, the person with the same letter as the round will be the examiner/teacher at his/her own cadaver. The other three group members will divide among the other three rows, starting at the same "cranial" position as his/her cadaver. The students asking the questions will have three minutes to locate their structures on the cadavers. Then, after those three minutes, the round begins. Each group of test takers will have two minutes at each cadaver. The goal of the examiner is to ask as many questions as possible to the three students at his/her cadaver within those two minutes. After the t wo minutes have elapsed, the three students will then move cranially (away from the entrance) to the next station - obviously, the group in the front would move to the inferior part of the row (closest to the entrance). After each person has stopped at every cadaver on his/her row, the round is over. The next round (i.e. B) will begin the same way as before, with the B's locating thier structures on their own cadavers and the other three group members dividing among the other three rows, starting at the same "cranial" position as his/her own cadaver.

By the end of the hour, each student will have answered around 150 questions using 18 different cadavers. 45 minutes will be answering questions, 15 minutes will be asking questions/teaching.

This will be a fun class activity and a great opportunity to review. Immediately after this practice exam is the review session with the faculty and T.A.'s (1pm-3pm), so we'll be perfectly prepared to ask any questions that may arise from this activity. The more of us that participate, the greater amount & variety of questions; so hope to see everyone there!"

Our Very Own Godzilla (not the Matthew Broderick one)

2008-01-19T20:03:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what I was expecting from Cloverfield. I knew it was a monster flick; I knew it was by J.J. Abrams; I knew it was 84 minutes. But beyond that short, cryptic trailer, I didn't know much about it. No one else did either.

The reviews on Friday were all over the place-- it got above average reviews overall, but Manohla Dargis gave it a scathing review in the New York Times (but this being Manohla Dargis and another one of her craptacular reviews, her opinion doesn't count).

After seeing the movie, I totally disagreed with her. Yes, the cast was annoying (as is the case with most scary movies nowadays), and yes it through reality out the window (I know it was a monster flick, but Jack Bauer is the only person that could walk from Spring St. to 59th, then up and down 120+ flights of stairs, and still have the energy to do everything they did in the film), but it was enjoyable. I spent the first 20 minutes feeling nauseous, but that feeling eventually went away. It's all shot first person with a handheld camera, but managed to have a few cool shots throughout the film. Oh and the special effects were pretty cool.

It was a good popcorn flick; nothing more, nothing less. Most likely better than 27 Dresses (or the new Kate Hudson movie that is How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days-meets-Pirates of the Caribbean).

Thoughts on Urban Planning and Whatnot

2008-01-03T10:29:00.000-08:00

A few months back, I started reading this architecture-cum -whatever the guy finds interesting blog, BLDBLOG, after reading about it in the LA Times. The posts, written by Geoff Manaugh, lean heavily towards architecture, but there are other random interesting topics or stories he discusses as well.

In my complete boredom yesterday (nothing on TV, nothing on my regular blog roll, etc.), I was going through his archives, and I came across this post, where he talks about what makes a "great street." The post and the discussion that results in the comments section is a pretty interesting read (if you're into this kind of stuff). It got me thinking about my favorite streets and why I liked them, my thoughts about LA vs. NY (especially since I'll only be here for 3 more days), and all sorts of other stuff (I start rambling after the jump)...

Manaugh makes an interesting point about being nostalgic about college (he gives a nice shout out to UCLA!) and how it's somewhat connected to a "pedestrian nostalgia":

After all, you get at least a tiny bit of exercise everyday; you wake up, drinking coffee outside on the way to class or to work; you don't worry about parking, or about auto theft; you see familiar people hanging out, and you can even stop off and talk to them, standing under oak trees.
You can jump around and be a total moron in your own body, outside with the friends who actually know you.
But if you do that now, commuting to work in an automobile, you get pulled over by state troopers, tasered in the face – and then you show up on Boing Boing.
It's a different world.
It's not a world built for you anymore. It's a world built for cars.

He goes on to talk about what he envisions his utopian city would look like: "You'd live and work and commute on foot, walking on great streets under awesomely huge and beautiful trees – and there'd be benches to sit on, and people you know outside reading books, and you could actually understand what it means for "a day" to pass by."

It got me thinking about streets that I enjoy visiting in LA. There's W. 3rd Street in LA (not the promenade... sorry Kathy!), Pier Ave. in Hermosa, Larchmont Village, Culver City (along the galleries, and along the little restaurant row), Melrose, and even Westwood. None of these areas are devoid of cars, but they do happen to lack something important in this city: parking lots.

You see this kind of design in the best parts of the city (and in the best cities in the world, as Manaugh mentions). Each of these areas rely on street parking (or in the case of Culver City and Westwood, parking structures on side streets), leaving you with an uninterrupted string of interesting shops and tasty restaurants. But drive a little further out into the "suburbs" (if you don't consider LA one giant suburb) and you lose this density... this sustained urbanity. It's the kind of urban planning I see on a daily basis while at home-- a sea of parking lots with stores, malls, and restaurants completely detached from the street. {Places like the Beverly Center or Hollywood and Highland don't solve the problem because they're essentially closed off from the sidewalk.} This kind of separation just sucks the life out of the area.

I guess this is what I like about New York so far-- there hasn't been an area I've visited with this kind of "detachment" (obviously). Even the least interesting neighborhoods feel vibrant to some degree, because everything is right on the sidewalk.

Whether New York is a place I would live in forever is a completely different story. No other city does ethnic food, weather, or freeway driving like LA. As for these favorite streets/areas? Most of them are devoid of chain stores and restaurants-- they feel natural and unique (the word spontaneous comes to mind also, even though the location of these stores are in a sense calculated themselves). But some of these places are starting to change themselves: there's a Panda Express coming to Larchmont and La Luna closed (sorry Anusha); although Silver Lake isn't nearly as walkable/pedestrian friendly, it's still a cool place, but lofts are rising, and you wonder how long before it loses it's distinct charm (the same could be said for New York ...check out the locations for some of these buildings).

It'll be interesting to see how places change-- how I change-- over the next 3+ years. Until then, I'll try to enjoy as much of everything as I possibly can.

Intelligentsia Coffee

2008-01-02T21:45:00.000-08:00

I finally got to visit Intelligentsia Coffee about fourth months after I wanted to. Best coffee I've ever had? Probably not. But it was pretty darn good...

It was pretty clear from the start that Intelligentsia sees coffee as both an art and a science. The entire coffee-making process is visible for everyone. And with a bar surrounding this part of the shop, they strongly encourage you to sit and watch these people at work. From the grinding to the brewing to the impressive way in which milk is added (to create the lovely design you see in the picture), the baristas were quite impressive. I've read that they're also very knowledgeable about coffee-- they're supposedly called coffee sommeliers-- but I didn't bother verifying this fact.

As for the coffee? It wasn't too sweet, but luckily, it wasn't bitter either.

With its inviting patio, great service, and good coffee, I could definitely see myself visiting Intelligentsia more often. ...if I still lived in Los Angeles (wah wah waahhhh).

What I Listened to in (the last 5 months of) 2007

2007-12-29T10:03:00.000-08:00

I was excited to tell you guys what I listened to most on iTunes this past year (based on the "Play Count" stats), but then I realized that I've only had this computer for about 5 months, which kind of ruined my plans. It's also a little biased because I usually listen to my favorite songs/albums when I'm walking. But I'll still go through a few of them because I do what I want...

There was a lot of studying going on these past few months (well not really, but I did do some studying), so there's lots of Iron and Wine-- 10 in the top twenty-- because his stuff is really soothing, and it stimulates my mind (it makes me a much better writer... which means I should probably start listening to him more when I write in this blog).

I see some Rilo Kiley, which I rediscovered when their new album came out in the fall. We've got Arcade Fire comin' in strong thanks to its much needed "pump-me-up-before-a-quiz" effect. I've even got the Pyscho theme, a relic of my days prepping to be the DJ for the class Halloween party. Feist comes in pretty strong, as does Bat for Lashes (which is like Feist if she were Sri Lankan). M.I.A. makes a decent showing too (but I listened to her more when I was walking around the city).

As for the top 3? Andrew Bird's "Armchairs" comes in at #3 (Ravi should like this song, because there's a part about awkward pauses). It's 7 minutes of mostly a piano and a violin, and it's just pretty, until he bursts through with awesomeness at about the 4 minute mark.

Next is "Falling Slowly" from Once, which I've talked about ad nauseum, so I won't even bother mentioning again here.

And number 1? Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger." It's partially due to the fact that I tried to mix it (yes, with iTunes) with Kanye West's "Stronger" for the Halloween party, but it's fitting that it is number one, because it hints at my newfound love for all things electronica. First LCD Soundsytem, then Kanye, Hot Chip, Justice, and Radiohead (I thought they were too weird for me when I first heard them years ago, back when I liked Linkin Park... I figured if I started liking electronica now, they probably would sound a little different to me).

What does next year bring? More electronica, but still some good ol' fashioned indie stuff (I cant wait for Franz Ferdinand or My Morning Jacket's new stuff). The jeans can't get skinnier, so I don't really know where things can go from here.

Cruel and Unusual Punishment

2007-12-29T09:51:00.000-08:00

What did Eugene Levy do in a previous life to deserve this?

Technical Difficulties...

2007-12-27T20:05:00.003-08:00

For some reason, every post says "Read More If You Care" even when there isn't anything to read more about. I don't know how to fix that.

I'm sorry.

... I bet it did it now... See?

Ahhhh! Make it stop interweb gods!

My Own Personal Interchange?

2007-12-27T19:27:00.000-08:00

I was driving on the 110 today, and I noticed that the 110-10 interchange was named after someone (I can't remember who), which got me thinking... Would you ever want an interchange named after you?

Sure you could adopt a highway, but that involves you paying for it and having to deal with its upkeep. Having an interchange named after you is more of an honor-- you did something great in the past, and now here's your reward!

...Except, I don't think this would be a great honor. It's one thing to have a highway named after you (the 10 is called the "Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway"... or something like that), but it's another to have a measly interchange named after you ("We won't name this entire building after you, because you aren't that amazing (or rich), but you can have the fifth floor!"). It's not like there are any songs named after interchanges.

I'll pass if given the opportunity... unless it's the 405-105 interchange. That thing is huge [thatswhatshesaid] and you get an amazing view of whole city.

Virgin America: The Hipster Does Air Travel

2007-12-23T10:28:00.000-08:00

"Man, they sure did hit their target demographic."

I overheard a passenger say this on my Virgin America flight from JFK to LAX. He was right...

Before boarding my flight, I noticed what that guy noticed: a line of surprisingly attractive hipsters (no one above forty), with a plethora of leggings, skinny jeans, and of course, an iPhone. The scene was a bit absurd-- to my left, a hipster family! There's a girl straight out of an H&M ad to my right!-- and yet it sorta fit in with the new Virgin brand.

By the time I boarded my plane, I couldn't help but laugh: the mood light rumor was true! But it didn't stop there-- the safety manual had cool looking twenty-somethings, they played Justice in the bathroom, and I had a choice of tracks from LCD Soundsystem, Arcade Fire, and even !!! to listen to at my seat. The safety video is creative and--GASP!-- sarcastic (I found the video for you, Ravi!). Oh and did I mention the flight attendant had a mohawk?

As for the actual flying experience? The seats are very comfortable (although leg room wasn't a priority). Service is good. I bought the beef tenderloin sandwich-- which included buffalo mozzarella, roasted peppers, and basil pesto on ciabbata bread-- for $9 (it was very good plane food-- well seasoned, juicy, perfectly cooked meat, deliciously sweet peppers, and just the right amount of pesto). There was a decent selection of recent films, but you have to pay $8 for them. I spent my time playing video games and watching 30 Rock ("Me want food!") and The Office.

Would I pay to fly Virgin America again? Probably. There isn't a better deal out there for non-stop LAX-JFK flights. Plus I'll do anything to try to look cool.

It Was Fun....?

2007-12-21T13:43:00.001-08:00

I took my first "final" yesterday/today, and I have to admit, it was kind of fun...

I heard about this "triple jump" exam, and thought of it as a joke of sorts. The premise seemed like one: Day 1 involved a two-hour written exam about a new case. After the written exam, you got a copy of your response, plus three additional questions for the take-home portion-- you can correct your mistakes from earlier in the day, and you're responsible for the new set of questions... which you could answer with a group. On Day 2, you have a 15-30 minute oral exam where you explain your mistakes, answer the questions you researched last night, and then get questioned about anything else potentially related to the case.

You can't really study for it (there's too much information). Besides, no one fails it or the class (it's only worth 10% of your grade). It's probably the least stressful final I'll ever take... and I enjoyed it. I liked the case presented-- it was difficult, but manageable. It seemed to test my ability to apply important concepts to new situations. There wasn't that, "Damn I missed that question because it was a stupid detail"-type thing. That afternoon/evening, I got to go back and research the disease with a group of friends. We went over everything, explained as much as we could, and by the end of it, we were ready. We even had constructive debates on topics related to the exam. I went in today for the oral exam, and I was grilled, but I made it out fine. Strangest of all, after taking this final, I actually felt like I learned something. I've never left an exam with a similar feeling.

It was weird; it was difficult; it was intellectually stimulating; it was fun. And now I'm ready for a break.

My Addiction

2007-12-16T13:16:00.000-08:00

Yup. It's finally come to this. I might as well practice before I head off to the Cirque Lodge.

Hi, my name is Surafel and I'm an addict. I have it at least once a day... maybe twice. Sometimes I feel like I can't go on without it. I grind my teeth when I go for long periods without it. I didn't want to do it, but everyone else was doing it, so I gave into the peer pressure-- I wanted to be cool.

I've got a huge stash in my room, and I go through it relatively quickly. I'm on it during class, late at night, whenever I want to go out... it's become a crutch of sorts. I'm not sure what it's doing to my body (we haven't learned about it yet), but I'm assuming it's not good.

I want to stop, but I can't. I'm addicted to Coke.

It's in the Genes

2007-12-15T14:20:00.000-08:00

You remember that movie Gattaca? It's the one with Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman and the whole society where you get to pick what your kid is like (like "I want my kid to be awesome and to be able to play sports while cooking gourmet four-course meals and writing award-winning plays").

Unless we progress to that as a society, there may not be a kid running around with my first name as his/her last name any time in the future.

After about 3-4 months of learning about all the genetic diseases my children could possibly get, I've decided that it just isn't worth having kids. I was warned about becoming a hypochondriac after getting into med school, but no one prepared me for this.

Who knows what my kid could get?! What if they're...*shudder*... not cute? Or what if they grow up to be a Republican?!

These are not chances I am willing to take.

Brad Pitt is a Good Guy

2007-12-11T20:41:00.000-08:00

It's kind of annoying when someone like Brad Pitt goes around and does things to remind you that he's a good guy (in addition to the whole Angelina Jolie/Jennifer Aniston thing).

His latest pet project (move over "One" campaign... AIDS was soooo 2006) focuses on rebuilding New Orleans' Ninth Ward. He started a foundation to build at least 150 homes for displaced residents.

Check out some of the designs for the houses here. Some of them are really cool-- the Adjaye, Trahan, Pugh + Scarpa, and Eskew+Dumez+Ripple are sleek and modern, and the GRAFT design is a cool kind of old-school-- and a few are disasters. Why would anyone want an uber bright yellow house? Why would you want your house tilted upwards? It's a complete waste of space!

...This is just one of the many distractions I find for myself so that I don't have to learn about why I'm not empathetic and why I'll suck as a doctor if I don't have empathy.

Snip Snip

2007-12-11T19:58:00.000-08:00

I'll get straight to the point, because I know that's all you want: I got a faux-hawk. It's kinda ridiculous looking, but I'll probably keep it for at least a week. Pics after the jump.

Update: These pictures are crap and don't do the faux-hawk justice. I'm sorry me and my hair are not photogenic.

What's that face I'm making? I have no idea. I suck at taking pictures. Don't judge me.

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas...

2007-12-02T11:22:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in a while because "school" got in the way, but I think this is the perfect thing to post after a 2+ week absence: It's snowing!!!

It's the first time I've ever seen snow fall before, and it's great. I lucked out, because today's forecast was "wintry mix," which sounds lovely, but, as Erica said, is like "being pooped on by a giant slushie." Thankfully it got colder and it snowed!

If it stays cold enough tomorrow, I'll try to race to the park to get some good winter pictures to put up on my wall.

Check out a few pictures after the jump.

This is what I woke up to this morning.

Snow, snow everywhere!

What's that white stuff? Cotton? No! It's snow!

Street Wars!

2007-11-16T20:19:00.000-08:00

Recent events have warranted a follow-up to my post on the awesomeness of street meat.

About a week and a half ago, we got out of class, and as we waited for the light at York Ave., we were all dumbfounded at what we saw: a brand new street meat cart! Some guy was trying to steal our regular street meat cart guy's lucrative corner. The nerve!

But get this: a few days ago, the two owners of the cart got into a shouting match and had to be physically separated. Sadly, there wasn't a duel for sole rights to 69th and York; the two carts simply moved slightly further away from each other in the last few days.

It doesn't really matter though... Despite the enticing smell, we were not duped into trying the new cart. No one was. It seems like most people have remained loyal to our ol' street meat guy; no one goes to the new cart, even when the line for the old cart is seven people deep.

Why go to Burger King if In N Out is next door?

Run Pete Run!

2007-11-14T21:15:00.000-08:00

The NY Marathon was held a few weeks back (an Ethiopian runner came in second... damn those Brits!). One of my friends happened to be running it.

Enjoy a few pictures (i.e. blog filler) after the jump.

Only on a day like today would you see one of the busiest streets in New York completely empty.

These were the elite women. Side note: At one point in the race my friend yelled, "Only ten miles to go!" I think she was trying to be motivational; we thought it was kinda cruel.

That is a tuxedo shirt.

That is Abraham Lincoln. I think. I'm actually convinced that isn't a costume.

Thousands upon thousands of people ran. To cross 1st Ave., you had to walk about 12 blocks to the Queensboro Bridge, and then walk around and behind the course. It kinda sucked.

That's Pete! His final time: 3:31. Not too shabby.

My Room!

2007-11-14T20:42:00.000-08:00

So finally, for your viewing pleasure (if anyone still reads this thing), my room! What was I going for? Well I liked the comforter, so I was then restricted to whatever matched with green or brown, which explains the couch and the pillows. The pictures on the wall (some after the jump) were all taken by me and my plain ol' digital camera. I eventually want to rotate the pictures (maybe with a seasonal theme?). The framed poster is a Decemberists poster (eventually, there will be some sort of dark orange or "rustic red" matting [sp?]). I will put up pictures on my desk of actual people (I didn't want to have to decide who would get a frame and who wouldn't).

This is pretty much the most I'm willing to do with the room. When I move into an apartment next year, walls will be painted, a few more pictures will be put up, and there will be better TV furniture, a coffee table, maybe an ottoman, and thankfully no fridge or bookcase full of food and pots and pans to clutter things up.

Pictures after the jump. (Sorry if some are crappy)

Comfortable Ikea couch!

When we first arranged those photos (it took about an hour just to figure it out) we didn't notice anything wrong with them. The next day my roommate said the white space kinda looked like a swastika. At that point, I freaked out, and could only see the swastika. And then we did some research, and it's actually the Nativa American sign for peace (a swastika is angled and turns differently). Crisis averted. Jason not offended.

TV! The source of all things good in the world.

The wall pictures-- this is my roommate's wheat grass after he watered them. I macro'd it up Kara!

Even more macro fun!

On the castle grounds in my mom's hometown in Ethiopia.

This was part of my nearly 8 mile hike!

At this point, I'm trying too hard to be artsy.

See what I did there? It's called awesomeness.

Dollar Scoop!

2007-11-07T12:04:00.000-08:00

It started off as something small, but it has quietly grown into one of the highlights of the week. I'm talking about Dollar Scoops at Dunkin' Robbins (it's a Dunkin Donuts and Baskin Robbins combo).

Every Tuesday at 8pm, we head over for ice creamy goodness. It started off with only three or four of us, but now we roll into Dunkin' Robbins 10 deep at least. I usually go for something chocolate-y (my current fave is Chocolate Oreo Cookie), but with a rotating selection of flavors, no one is ever disappointed.

The downside? Tax. It's actually $1.08 scoops (which doesn't really roll off the tongue well). This can get annoying when you dont have change and then have to walk around with 92 cents in your pocket.

Just don't bother with Buy-One-Get-One-Free Sundaes on Wednesday. The workers at the DR are completely inept. Apparently you have to tell them you want exotic things like hot fudge or whipped cream on your sundae. It was quite the debacle.

Me Want It!

2007-11-02T08:23:00.000-07:00

It's not fair. Two months ago, the concept seemed stupid. Me? A Mac user? Impossible!

And then I came to med school and fell in love. I walk through the Apple store and have the sudden urge to buy everything in sight. People make fun of me for not having a Mac (what's the best computer to run Windows Vista? A Mac. Har. Har.). I look for ways to make my PC more Mac-like. I've even contemplated buying personal property insurance, then "accidentally" breaking my computer, so that I could get a Mac (apparently this is called insurance "fraud"... as long as I can take my Mac to jail, I'll be ok with it).

I want all the nifty widgets and iLife and sleekness and hipness and Leopard and the slow-motion minimizing and maximizing and dragging of things (like what Steve Jobs uses for his presentations).

But don't worry, I won't be committing insurance fraud (apparently people were concerned I would be this desperate for a Mac). I'll probably just get used to my lame and totally not hip two-month old Dell.

But I will get the iPod Touch.

Zoma

2007-10-28T20:31:00.000-07:00

This restaurant is me. I've always wanted to open an Ethiopian restaurant, and if I ever did, it would look a little like this.

It had my favorite Ethiopian snack as an appetizer. The restaurant used Ethiopian garments as part of its wall decor. The food was served on square plates. This was my restaurant. And thankfully the food was great.

All that was missing was the traditional Ethiopian coffee (they only served regular coffee).

This will probably be a regular spot for me. I'm excited.

Olaf

2007-10-27T17:14:00.000-07:00

He's a mix between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sean Connery. He responds to yes or no questions with a 15 minute response. He uses more commas in a sentence than could ever be humanly possible. He says "Er..." I haven't met a professor like him.

It's because of him that I haven't posted in a while, but now, I'm back. Sorta.

Really?!

2007-10-20T17:52:00.000-07:00

Really, America? Women's Murder Club over Friday Night Lights?

This is just absurd.

A Few More Interesting Articles

2007-10-18T18:07:00.000-07:00

I still have plenty of time to read the newspaper and blogs (including the LA Times and LAist), and I come across interesting articles that I wish I could discuss with people all the time. Here are a few for you to enjoy (hopefully the links work):

There are times when I wonder why I like Barack Obama... then I read this, and it all makes sense.

Paul Krugman made some of the most insightful arguments against President Bush (and conservatives in general) that I've read in a while.

Problems with Medicare? Go figure.

Now that this is settled, we can move onto more important issues. Thanks LA City Council!

Greenmarket!

2007-10-15T15:56:00.000-07:00

After struggling to find decent produce in the grocery stores near by, and realizing why the produce carts on the street are so cheap, I finally realized the amazingness that is the farmer's market at Union Square. It's one thing to find a good farmer's market in Los Angeles; it's another to find something so natural and fresh in such a gritty, urban environment like New York.

After the jump, I have a few pictures of yummy fruits, vegetables, and breads, for you to enjoy.

The broccoli was green, and I've never seen such colorful bell peppers... too bad you can't see them.

There was so much bread to choose from! It all looked so good!

Best part of this sign? The garlic is "arguably" the best... the guy's being reasonable about this.

Look at all the New Yorkers enjoying fresh produce! And honey! And flowers! And wine! And wheatgrass!

Those Crazy Frenchies

2007-10-15T15:49:00.000-07:00

There's an interesting little piece in Sunday's LA Times, about the non-political drama surrounding French President Nicholas Sarkozy and his wife Cecilia.

Some of the highlights?:

They were both married to other people before they got together, back in the late '80s.
Cecilia Sarkozy once disappeared with another man for 8 months in 2005; Nicholas Sarkozy decided to take his own mistress during that time.
Cecilia made a major statement by not wearing a French fashion label to her husband's inauguration.

It's interesting that in spite of all of this personal drama, it doesn't necessarily weaken his political support or endanger his political career. On the other hand, there was a whole brouhaha over Mayor Villaraigosa's affair (along with the affair involving San Francisco's mayor, Gavin Newsom).

Someone has their priorities in order.

Ok, Now I Like You

2007-10-14T19:27:00.000-07:00

I've expressed my doubts about Ann Powers, the music critic at the Los Angeles Times. Too many of her pieces revolved around female singers (in a touchy feely way), too many of her reviews around unimportant releases, and I couldn't stand her silence on some of the best albums of the year (so far).

...And then I read her second (yes, second) review of Radiohead's new album, "In Rainbows," and she won me over. I'm not even done with the review yet, and I'm now labeling myself a convert.

After finishing the review, I stand by my decision. I'm a fan.

Welcome to Family Medicine

2007-10-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

I was standing in the back room waiting to speak with my preceptor (i.e. the doctor I'm supposed to shadow). She was talking to another doctor in her office, and I was waiting around with all the nurses as they ate their lunch. And then I hear this:

Nurse #1: "Where did you get your lunch from?"
Nurse #2: "My husband brought it for me."
Nurse #1: "Awwww. That's so sweet! Well you better repay him!"
Nurse #2: "Honey, please. My lovin' is worth a little more than this!"

Then everyone laughs, as I stand there awkwardly, wishing I wasn't there. And then Nurse #2 says, "Oh! Let me show you the new panties I got! They're sexy... I know he'll love them." With my exit blocked, and no real way to slip out discreetly, I'm in it for the long haul.

The nurse goes into her bag and pulls out the panties. She's a little on the hefty side, and so you can imagine what they look like. She then proceeds to flaunt it to everyone in the room, before coming across my face, and saying, "Oh! There's a male doctor here! I didn't even notice!"

I laugh awkwardly. I've pretty much hit Ravi territory here.

One of the other nurses then asks me, "Well do you have a girlfriend?" No. "Sister?" No. "Mother?" Yes. "Well then you've seen this before! It's ok!"

A third nurse jumps in and says, "Welcome to family medicine!"

After that, the nurses fought over whether or not I should have a girlfriend while I was young and still in school (one nurse mentioned her single daughter). I stood there as the debate raged on, thinking "Is this really happening right now? They don't even know my name!"

And then I found an excuse to leave. I'll never be able to look at those nurses the same way again.

Awesomely Awesome

2007-10-07T13:35:00.000-07:00

It was the hipster pilgrimage.

25,000 hipsters descended upon Randall's Island for an amazing night of music. The weather was beautiful, the music was transcendent, and the people were... interesting.

I've seen both Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem live before (in much smaller settings), but I worried that I wouldn't enjoy the experience as much this time around. I was wrong. It was hard not to dance to LCD Soundsystem-- try standing still while they play "Yeah" for nine minutes (this was hands down the highlight of the set). As for Arcade Fire? I'm not sure if I could put into words their greatness. Their show at the Greek was spectacular-- it was like a religious experience. In a festival format, things are a little different; you end up feeding off of the energy of the crowd and not the band. So instead, what you get is a 25,000-strong sing-a-long. Oh and did I mention the impromptu concert they gave in the middle of the crowd at the end of the concert? It was mind-bottling. {I should also probably mention the shirtless Canadian who thought it was appropriate to shout out "Montreal!" every 5 seconds and decided to sing "Oh Canada" during one Arcade Fire song, but I won't.}

...But before we could even get there, we had things to deal with. What started off as an simple trip to Randall's Island to see LCD Soundsystem and Arcade Fire (and maybe Blonde Redhead and Les Savy Fav), turned into a treacherous journey that could only best be described with pictures and "witty" captions.

Yes I Still Watch TV

2007-10-07T08:50:00.000-07:00

Two things scared me before coming to med school:
1. Will I be able to watch my favorite TV shows? and,
2. Will other people want to watch TV with me?

The answers to both those questions were yes, and for sure yes (seeing as how I have DVR). The one problem is that with all that goes on around here, it's hard to watch my favorite shows when they actually air. But after a crazy marathon session yesterday, and a week without a quiz, I'm all caught up (on new and old shows), and I have thoughts on everything!

Let's start off with the bad:
Heroes: This is sad, I know. I had this discussion with a friend of mine about how this show failed to capitalize on a great concept. While Lost has learned how to drag out its concept for decades, Heroes used everything up in the first season. After watching this season's premiere, I already have no urge to watch it in the future. There was no overarching plot that drew me in; it seemed like an hour of filler. I'll give the show one more episode (I still have the second one on my DVR), but I may just give it up.... until Kristen Bell joins the show.

Cavemen/Carpoolers: Don't ask why I ended up watching either show. I was shocked-- shocked I tell you!-- that a show based on a commercial was going to fail. But was I shocked that a show starring Jerry O'Connell was destined for failure? No. Was I shocked that a show based on one of the most mundane things in our lives (carpool) would suck too? Nope. I called that one. It was pretty bad. ABC could've just given me the money they spent on the two shows; I would've bought something useful like textbooks, or a diamond-encrusted toaster oven.

And now the good:
Chuck: I was nervous about this show initially. I didn't think it was going to be worth my time, but I DVR'd the first episode just in case. And then I got around to watching it, and I really like it. There's some action/suspense, and it's pretty funny. Best of all, it's set in LA, and the main character lives in Echo Park (in an amazing home), and is roommates with his sister and her boyfriend (who went to UCLA-- he had a shirt-- and was a doctor). This ultimately means that I can come back to LA and live in cool neighborhoods and still be a doctor.

Aliens in America: I thought I'd never watch the CW (pronounced "kwa") again. But after reading a favorable review about it, I decided to check it out... and now I'm a fan. I thought it was weird seeing Luke (from Gilmore Girls) in a new show, but some great one-liners kept me in, and I couldn't get enough of the show's heart.

Pushing Daisies: This is by far my favorite new show of the year. It's just so imaginative and funny and delightful. It's like Amelie in many ways, but I think it's better. The writing is sharp, the locations (mostly artificial) are creative/beautiful, and there isn't a weak-link in the cast. There's a little twist that I won't ruin for you but it takes the show to another level... in the first 5 minutes. Throw in a great love story, and you have the best new show of the year.

As for the oldies but goodies? The Office has gotten off to a great start this year (Kelly was amazingly hilarious in this week's episode), and hasn't been brought down too much by it's switch to an hour-long episode. HIMYM started off strong (with ho tags!), but the second episode was a little weak. And as for Friday Night Lights? It's still one of the best shows on TV. I was not disappointed for the first 45 minutes of the show (why Connie Britton hasn't been showered with awards is a mystery to me). The last 15 minutes scared me, because I'm worried about where this show may be headed (as was said on Popwatch just hours after the show aired). But I'm stickin' to it.

The next round of new shows is in January, with Lost and 24. Until then, happy watching!

The Almighty Street Meat

2007-10-04T20:45:00.000-07:00

This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is Street Meat. It's probably some of the greatest food you'll have in New York. And it can be found right on my corner.

For the most part, quality varies from cart to cart. But if you're at 69th and York, then you have nothing to worry about (unless you're Ravi... I doubt he'd be able to handle the unsanitary conditions).

I usually order the chicken and lamb combo, with chopped up pita and rice, and a side "salad." When you first take a look at the chicken and lamb, you wonder if the meat will be dry. It's not. You wonder if it'll be bland. It isn't. And then, you'll take a bite, wondering if it'll be good. It is.

Some people like the Mediterranean sauce (and/or the hot sauce) on top. I don't need either... it's flavorful enough to be eaten alone. It's also totally unhealthy, which means it's definitely tasty, and it's enough food to last a day.

You must all visit me one day (on a weekday) so that we can all indulge in traditional New York cuisine.

Lesson of the Day

2007-10-04T07:08:00.000-07:00

{Some of you who read this blog already know about this, but I figured that as part of my responsibilities to make this world a better place, I should pass this on to as many people as possible.}

In my first month here, I have learned that the running theme in my med school class is, "How best can I cover my arse?" This is nearly always accomplished using a simple formula-- [No offense/Not to sound too judgmental/It's not like...etc.] + "but" + [a phrase that completely negates everything said before "but"]-- thinking this equals "protection of one's own arse." But the math just doesn't work (it's a complicated algorithm that will take me hours to explain, and let's be honest, it'll just go over your head). You may also see this often employed using a shortcut, "I'm just sayin.'" The same rules apply.

What is acceptable: [With all due respect] + [your opinion].

That's all for today. Class dismissed.

Grandma's Got a Wii

2007-09-30T14:40:00.000-07:00

How can you not smile when you see something like this?

For Your Reading Pleasure

2007-09-23T13:41:00.000-07:00

Two interesting articles for you to enjoy, one from the LA Times, the other from the NY Times:

This article is about the amazing masterpieces in storage in the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art.

This article is about the wonderful situation George Bush has gotten us into.

Enjoy!

Heaven on Earth

2007-09-23T13:13:00.000-07:00

Before I moved here, I knew I liked Trader Joe's. I just don't think I fully appreciated it's awesomeness. After being here for nearly a month, I've come to truly appreciate the amazingness of the store.

I didn't know I was being ripped off by Gristedes (it's like Vons, but more expensive because it's NY) until I walked into the one Trader Joe's. EVOO was $3 cheaper; so was sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and most produce. Once I began to truly appreciate the greatness that is Trader Joe's, I had some of the best experiences I've ever had in New York.

The best part (besides the great food and the deals) is that each trip ends up being a wonderful experience. The staff has been great so far-- young college grads eager to start a conversation with you. We've a nice little chat with the girl giving out free coffee (she warned me about the sushi). I even find myself joking around with my cashier. (anyone who laughs at my jokes is a great person).

The best experience so far was probably my second visit, when we met Kate, the great cashier who set a standard by which all future cashiers will be measured up against. We went as a group of four, and wanted our stuff delivered to the same address for a flat fee (Trader Joe's delivers!!!), so everything had to be on one receipt. After spending 15 minutes ringing us up (we spent over $300 together), we were like best friends. She was telling us about college, we were joking around with her, and when everything was all said and done, we decided she was the coolest cashier ever.

I've also noticed that New Yorkers are much friendlier inside Trader Joe's. It's great. All that's missing is the sun-dried tomato pesto. Then my life would be complete.

Heavy on the Accent

2007-09-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is about this school, but apparently one of the requirements for being a lecturer is an accent. Everyone has an accent, which means that lecture is much harder to understand but infinitely more entertaining.

By far, our two favorite professors (besides Anant Menon, who has the best name... just say it out loud really fast) have similar accents. One is a combination of Sean Connery and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Millions of "The Rapist" and "The Penis Mightier" jokes were bandied about during Olaf's two lectures.

And then there was female Arnold Schwarzenegger, who had discussed termination a lot. It was hard keeping a straight face during her lecture. She also happened to lecture on International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and she spent lots of time discussing ARRRRRR-NA. It was great.

I also have a professor with a British accent, which just makes me happy.

Privileges Revoked.

2007-09-18T18:33:00.000-07:00

Here and now, I have taken it upon myself to designate myself the Enforcer of Mass Email. Why is such a position necessary? Because people don't understand how to correctly send mass emails.

Today, I found an email in my inbox from someone asking us to vote for her 15 year old cousin in some video/snowboarding/who cares contest. WT-freakin-F. The kid's still in high school, and is bound to face failure at some point in life. Let that moment be now. I'm not voting for him because you're wasting my time and inbox space. In fact, I'm going to vote for the competition.

Oh... and what's this? Someone is sending an email about their cousin who makes baby carriers for a living? For the 3 people in our class that have kids? Dead. To. Me.

Selling Earth, Wind, and Fire tickets? Don't even get me started.

Excuse me while I send an email asking if anyone has a highlighter I could borrow.

15 Minutes or Less

2007-09-15T13:53:00.000-07:00

Our stove has a 15 minute timer. That means that every fifteen minutes you have to restart the timer/stove. It's all about safety. Damn safety.

Apparently, a few years ago, someone got drunk and decided to boil a pot of oil (to deep fry something....?). You'd think that as med students, people would know better, but they don't. So what happens? Oh yea, he passes out and the stove catches fire. Thanks to him, we're stuck with the timer.

Basically, I shouldn't plan on making a dinner that takes an hour to bake, because I might forget to reset the timer. Meals need to be ready in 30 minutes or less (you'll probably remember to reset the timer the first time, but not the second, third or fourth... that's just the way it is). Oh and don't even bother trying to make a cake. It's not worth it. Your only options are pasta, eggs, or Nestle's Tollhouse cookies.

Luckily, the timer on our floor is broken, which means that we are free to burn the place down. We considered letting the housing staff know about it, but we wanted to make scones, so we decided against it.

The Partisan Divide

2007-09-14T15:04:00.000-07:00

Ronald Brownstein is one of my favorite columnists. Most of you probably don't read him because he writes for the LA Times, but you're missing out. His arguments are firmly based in logic and he's always quick to point out the nuances of a situation (he's not nearly as partisan as some of the entertaining NY Times columnists).

This week, he wrote a column about how hypocritical it is for Americans to demand reconciliation between Iraqi factions when Democrats and Republicans can't even do it here. He makes several great points:

More than ever, the parties this week structured the debate as if it were an electoral campaign. Each asked Americans to ponder only the pieces of the picture most congenial to its arguments.

...Each side's accusations against the other have reached a fevered, destructive pitch...This is no way to fight a war, or even to end one.

...Maybe it's too much to ask a general formulating military strategy in a combat zone to also resolve a political impasse at home. But it's not unreasonable to demand that his commander in chief and congressional leaders meet the standards for compromise and reconciliation that they are demanding from a government operating under much greater duress in Iraq.

I won't ruin it all for you (even though I already sorta did), but check it out... it's a good read.

Grandpa Quincy

2007-09-13T16:39:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how it started, but me and my friends have decided to refer to all of our professors by their first name. And when we don't like the name their parent's gave them (like "Daniel"), then we give them something more appropriate (like "Quincy").

Speaking of which... Every time I think about Quincy, I'm engaged in an internal struggle. He's this 80-year-old Belgian, and probably one of the nicest professors I've had. Some of us are already looking into how he can adopt us as his grandchildren.

The only problem is that he's one of the oldest men in the history of the world. I'm pretty sure he can recall a life pre-written history. He speaks so slowly, and talks so softly, and mumbles so much, just trying to sit through a lecture is painful. It's like sitting through Britney's VMA performance in slow motion and super hi-def, making its crappiness especially excruciating.

He also happens to be the leader of my small group, which means that I try to avoid asking questions at all cost. At one point, he was trying to answer someone's question, and he was writing an equation on the board and trying to do some math that I didn't really care to learn about. Five minutes later, he was still working on it. At this point, I thought to myself, "Hmmmm. If I go to the bathroom, by the time I come back, we'll be on the next question." But what happens when I come back? He's still on the same problem. I want to think that he just waited for me to come back so that I wouldn't miss anything, but I know that's not the case.

But he's so nice! He's like the crazy old guy in the office who you don't have the heart to fire, so you just let him go on and hope that he decides to return tomorrow. Luckily, he won't be teaching again for a few months, so I can finally start paying attention in class (which, I guess, is what I'm supposed to be doing).

Avoid At All Cost

2007-09-13T16:26:00.000-07:00

It's sorta funny (in the "it's-not-funny-at-all" way), but I read Ravi's post about the crazies in San Francisco, just after I had already decided to write about the crazies I'm meeting here. I don't know why I mentioned Ravi's post, but I found it entertaining, and I thought he should know.

Anyways, with a class size of 103 people, it's kinda hard to avoid the gunners, the awkward people, and the plain annoying people. At UCLA, it was easy to avoid them, but here, Dwight's shunning wouldn't be enough.

It's bad enough that I'm going to a school with 102 other pre-meds, but when we're stuck in situations where we have to interact, I'm constantly looking for the largest, sharpest thing around me so I can quickly gouge my eyes out.

Studying in the library at 10:30 for the very first quiz on a Saturday? Avoid. Constantly referring to everyone as some of the brightest in the country? Avoid. Doing extra research for a question that clearly doesn't require one? Avoid. Studying the night after your first quiz? Definitely avoiding.

I'm worried that I'll get to the point where I'm just avoiding everyone. But on the bright side, at that point, I wouldn't feel awkward, uncomfortable, annoyed, or stressed.

Wow.

2007-09-10T04:25:00.001-07:00

I don't even know how to describe how horrible it was. It was seriously one of the biggest disasters in the history of pop culture. At times, we didn't know whether or not to laugh, cringe, or vomit.

She stumbled, she looked dazed, she "lip synced" (if you could even call it that). It was horrible on so many levels. Oh and she did it wearing a sequin bikini... let's just say that her attire wasn't flattering. To say she even showed up would be giving her too much credit-- she definitely wasn't all there.

I didn't expect it to be so bad, but it was. It's almost kind of sad when you realize you're watching someone's career come to a horribly awful end like that.

Thanks Britney for taking the fun out of something that was either going to be spectacularly funny-- one of my friends suggested that she might just shave her head again on stage-- or just pretty good.

Sold!

2007-09-04T12:07:00.000-07:00

Over the past week, my inbox has been inundated with millions and millions of emails about books being sold by second years to us lowly first years. A few try to act nice and say "Welcome!" in the subject title of the email, but we all know what they want. And I want what they have. Except there's a problem: They're sending emails to pre-meds.

What exactly is the problem here? Well if you're not constantly refreshing your email, then you miss out on a book. Respond to an email after 3 minutes? You're SOL. Fifteen minutes? Why bother trying?

This is obviously frustrating for someone like me, who (surprisingly) isn't connected to my computer 24/7. A friend of mine gets alerts sent to his phone when he gets emails, so he's responded to a few in a matter of seconds. We were in a taxi once when he got an alert, and that was the only way I could get a book. I'll probably have to buy one or two new books. Why do pre-meds have to be so pre-meddy? It's lame...

...But not as lame as the second year who has taken it upon herself to start a bidding war for one of her books. Instead of picking the first person who responded (how likely is it that she got 8 responses in a matter of seconds?) or maybe drawing names from a hat, she just sent an email saying, "It's yours if you offer $80, or the best offer." The whole thing is pretty absurd. I told a friend that I should just offer the girl $40; my friend wants to send a mass email boycotting this greedy second year.

I'm contemplating sending a mass email to start a bidding war for books I plan on buying in the future. Which books? It doesn't matter. It's all part of the fun.

Let's hope I can distance myself from some of these crazies.

I Just Like This Photo...

2007-09-03T15:11:00.000-07:00

... and wanted to share it with you.

Update: The photo is from LAist.

This City Will Be the Death of Me

2007-09-02T13:46:00.000-07:00

The concept seemed perfectly logical in my head: go to a city you'll enjoy. I want to be happy, so I should be in a city that makes me happy.

This is probably the worst logic imaginable.

After a 10 minute walk through my neighborhood, I took mental notes of all the restaurants that I wanted to try. After walking through SoHo for about 40 minutes, I took mental notes of all the stores I wanted to visit and all the clothes I wanted to buy. I spent Thursday night watching The Princess Bride in Brooklyn Bridge Park, with a beautiful view of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline. We then walked across the Brooklyn Bridge for an even better view (this is probably one of my favorite NY experiences so far. It was ). I'm going to MOMA this week to enjoy the sculpture exhibit before it closes. I may also check out The French Connection, which is being shown somewhere in the city this week.

At some point I'm supposed to give all of this up for the sake of my "budget" and "school." I probably have the worst self-restraint ever (notice the copious amounts of crappy TV I enjoy), so to put me in a city like this is like constantly dangling an eight ball of blow in front of Lindsay Lohan. This just won't work.

I should've gone to Indianapolis or something.

I Hiked 8 Miles. I'm Serious.

2007-09-02T11:07:00.000-07:00

Yea... me. Hiking. For eight miles. That's 4 hours. Outdoors. In real life nature. With hills and stuff. It was pretty insane.

I had a great time, there were lots of "That's what she said" jokes (I started it, naturally), some bonding, and lots and lots of foliage. I've got plenty of stories, but they're best told in person with all of my crazy hand motions. So when I get back we'll discuss. For now, just enjoy the mental image of a chipmunk grazing my neck as I tried to go to sleep one night. Except instead of a chipmunk, it was a giant toad. A giant toad grazed my neck. My neck. A toad. Seriously.

For now, just enjoy the pictures.

Good Bye LA... Hello NY

2007-08-21T09:41:00.001-07:00

This is pretty much it. I don't really have much else to post about before I leave. I did 18 of the 30 things that were on my list, which would probably be good enough for this president, but certainly isn't for me. There's more that I want to do, and I'll try to do some of it when I get back... group dinner at Koi, anyone?

This was the point where I wanted to have some sort of deep, intellectual musing on what it feels like to move to a different coast, a different city, and a different school, but let's be honest, I'd probably fail at that. Then I remembered the only thing that I liked about Elizabethtown: the part of the film where Kirsten Dunst creates an elaborate, to-the-minute playlist for Orlando Bloom's road trip home. I don't have the time to do anything remotely as extensive as that, and apparently you guys don't like me enough to make such a list for me, so instead I decided to compile a list of a few songs for you to enjoy.

Los Angeles:
The Decemberists - Los Angeles, I'm Yours (Probably the best Los Angeles related song because it has the greatest line to describe LA: "An ocean's gargled vomit on the shore..." Enjoy all the lyrics here.)
Rilo Kiley - I Love LA
2 Pac - California Love
Elliott Smith - L.A. (He used to live in one of my favorite areas, Silver Lake)
Art Brut - Moving to L.A. (A perfect description of what it'd be like to live here)
N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton (Enough said)
Randy Newman - I Love L.A. (Did you know that at one point he points out a bum on the street?)
2 Pac - To Live and Die in L.A.
The Beach Boys - California Girls (It just sounds like California)
Notorious B.I.G. - I'm Going Back to Cali (Obviously because I will be coming back)

These are the only two songs about New York I cared to look for (even though there are hundreds). I think they pretty much encapsulate the city in their own way:
Frank Sinatra - New York, New York
LCD Soundsystem - New York I Love You, But You're Bringing Me Down

30. You

2007-08-21T08:28:00.000-07:00

Remember when Time had that lame cover last year of the Person of the Year, with that lame mirror that showed your face all distorted in a You Tube video box? Imagine your computer screen was kind of like that right now, but without the distortion, and without the lameness (because nothing associated with me is lame). That's basically what I'm trying to go for here (when I look into the "mirror," I see Taye Diggs. True story.).

A while back, I realized that there were dozens of other things I wanted to do in LA before I left, but then the list would've been "37 things..."-- you know how I hate odd-numbered things (damn OCD). So I cut the list short, but couldn't pick the last item on the list. Then one night, like something eerily similar to the Virgin Mary's Annunciation, the idea came to me-- the last item should be my friends (I realized that technically it would be like I'm saying "you are one of the things I want to do," but I know you're all very mature and wouldn't dare think of something so... uncouth).

Basically, what I'm saying is that you all help make Los Angeles what it is for me. So... thanks. {That's about as sentimental as I'll get... Ask Aegean.}

I have a few pictures in this Picasa album, but realizing that I never take pictures of people, I don't have many. Of the ten of you that read this blog (I've hit double digits!), I probably only have pictures of like 5 of you. That just means that the other 5 people are so ridiculously beautiful that my camera broke when I tried to take a picture of you.

Enjoy the pictures.

The Hills are Alive with the Sounds of the Vapid

2007-08-21T08:08:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is about this show. Most episodes consist of one or two events (which take about a minute of screen time each), and about 20+ minutes of wondering what those events mean, how they feel about those events, and what they should do because of those events. The show doesn't waste its time with "substantive plot lines." In spite of all this, it's just so good. Some thoughts from last night's episode:

The one thing that I truly enjoy about the show is that it makes Los Angeles look beautiful. Imagine the entire show being macro'd... that's what it looks like. It even makes the smog look pretty.
After Spencer bought three arcade games for his apartment, and got into a "fight" with Heidi because of it, my dad turned to me and said (loosely translated), "What a douche bag."
There was one point where I thought the cast was sitting in front of Amy Winehouse at a restaurant. Who else would even want to have hair like hers?
Brody Jenner wore a shirt that said "B-Squad"... He's the self-centered kind of douche bag (Word of the Day!) that has 3 birthday parties in three different cities.
Audrina and her boyfriend were in a sorta-fight about whether or not they should stay together. Her boyfriend says, "I see past everything, to the real you," and "In time the truth will show itself," which means bupkis, and yet she fell for it all.
Best part of the episode? Before and after every commercial break, we got to enjoy the awesomeness that is Rodrigo y Gabriela (who were the featured musicians of the night). That means we got to see the ridiculous guitar abilities they possess-- never have hands moved so fast.

Sunset Junction

2007-08-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

Anusha put it best when he said (loosely), "I like coming to these kinds of things because it's a welcome change from everything that's so mundane." That's Sunset Junction in a nutshell. How often do you get to drink a margarita while walking down Sunset, during the day, next to a police officer who is sending a text message (I actually saw this), while a 40+ year old man walks towards you wearing leather chaps (with boxers underneath, thankfully), a woman pushes a stroller, and Blonde Redhead is playing in the background?

It was surreal walking down Sunset Blvd-- the street seemed so... small. But there were some cool booths to check out, lots of free samples (mmm Diet Pepsi Max-- twice the caffeine!), probably decent shopping for the girls, and best of all-- and the only reason people should have street festivals-- the chance to drink outside... on the street.

My favorite characters in the crowd? One guy was literally on speed-- he was constantly jumping, doing some odd dance that involved pointing towards the sky, and at one point, started playing "Slide" (the playground game that girls play) in sync with Ben Harper. Another guy felt the concert was a religious experience-- lots of jumping up and down, hands in the air, spinning, and at one point jazz hands.

Good times overall. A few more crowd pics after the jump.

Blonde Redhead and the moon.

Anusha is saying what everyone is thinking: Surafel is #1.

Chenbot Version 8.0

2007-08-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Chenbot (or "Julie Chen" as her creators like to call her), the host of CBS' Big Brother. She is quite possibly the worst host on TV today. Her circuits are so powerful that if she engaged in some domed craptacular host competition with Ryan Seacrest, she'd wipe the floor with him and his sculpted eye brows.

It's kind of hard describing how bad she is-- actually it's pretty simple. Her intonations are like clockwork; at times I'm amazed at how life-like she is, yet how she remains so robotic. Without subtitles, I'd just naturally assume that she was saying the same things over and over again.

But what elevates her to so-bad-it's-almost-good status is her movement. Each head turn timed with phrases like "But first..." seem so calculated and stiff. She's incapable of fluid motions.

She also happens to ask stupid questions, state the obvious, flub all of her lines, and make it a point to ruin at least one game a season. Any time she appears on the screen, it's my cue to change the channel.

She's been the host for eight years. And she has never improved. Ever. Why has she lasted so long? I'm not completely sure.

On a completely unrelated note, the Chenbot is married to Les Moonves, the head of CBS.

2. Enjoy Los Feliz/Silver Lake/Echo Park

2007-08-16T08:19:00.000-07:00

It's fitting that this "task" was near the top of my list. As an indie hipster poser, I had to go to the indie hipster Mecca (it also happens to be Lauren Graham's favorite area), not just to enjoy a supposedly cool area of LA, but also so I could (try and fail to) wax poetically about it to get you LA people to enjoy the area as well.

There was a point a while back where I realized I couldn't spend a day in the area to actually enjoy it. It's not like the Larchmont district (which is like a block and a half long) or the art galleries in Culver City. So what did I do? I enlisted my friends (with or without their knowledge) to join me on the quest: I made sure to suggest at least one Silver Lake/Los Feliz restaurant destination. I also drove out to spend the day at a coffee shop (most expensive coffee ever thanks to a parking ticket), and I even saw an M.I.A. concert there.

It's probably no surprise to you that I really like these neighborhoods. During the day, there are plenty of great (and inexpensive) places to sit outside, like the Backdoor Bakery on Silver Lake Blvd. (good cookies). I got good, non-Starbucks coffee and free wireless in Echo Park at the Downbeat Cafe. Thanks to Cindy Koh, I got to experience the jazz stylings of Marty and Elayne at the Dresden Room (which has a really cool looking dining area, and a bar that would fit perfectly in some ski lodge in the mountains). I enjoyed late-night, post-Arcade Fire awesomeness food, thanks to Kathy, at the House of Pies. And last night, after 4 or 5 tries, I finally able to indulge in some good Mexican food (and mojitos!) at Malo, which is right next to the Elliott Smith wall (which is a good way to make you feel emo).

All this, and I've just scratched the surface at what the neighborhoods have to offer. Apparently there are all sorts of great authentic Mexican restaurants in the area, great, chill bars, and then there's Spaceland, a famous concert venue. I'll check out the Sunset Junction Street Festival on Saturday, and stop by Intelligentsia for some apparently amazing coffee before I leave.

The area is undergoing all types of gentrification, so who knows how long the area has before it loses its charm. So visit it before there's a Starbucks, El Torito, and Gap on every corner.

You Mean Beer Right?

2007-08-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

Like the changing of the seasons, every few months or so, someone comes out and says it's time to consider reinstating the draft. Granted, this probably won't happen any time soon, but people on the radio were stupidly supporting it, and so I had to say something about it.

The rationale behind reinstating the draft is pretty weak. For conservatives, it's a way to deal with an army that is stretched too thin, and may not be able to handle an even longer commitment in Iraq. An army of cyborg assassins wouldn't be enough to quell violence in Iraq if there aren't any political advances made.

For some liberals, it's a way to stick it to the Republican elite or to make sure that next time, war is the very last option used. Let's not kid ourselves into thinking that any of Mitt Romney's kids would be drafted. As for the concept of making sure the war option "hurts" with a draft, I don't see why regular people have to suffer because of inept politicians or a subservient media (as was the case with the current war).

Besides, I'm freaking out about camping for 3 days, and you expect me to train in the military? That's funny.

20. Shop on Robertson

2007-08-12T21:08:00.001-07:00

By definition, Robertson is everything that is and is not Los Angeles. It's practically the epicenter of Hollywood. A day doesn't go by without someone being seen eating at the Ivy or shopping at Kitson. Lindsay Lohan even got into an accident on this illustrious strip of concrete. But paparazzi don't roam all the streets of Los Angeles. Not every street is packed with stores that sell $179 jeans. You can get good fish and chips for less than $30. But it was still something that needed to be seen (at least for the purpose of this blog).

I don't really know what I was expecting out of the experience. I was lazy the entire morning, but I begrudgingly decided to go. I don't normally like shopping alone without a purpose (browsing bores and depresses me), yet I found myself shopping alone without a purpose. I know I said I wanted to buy something, but I didn't. I talk the talk, but I don't walk the walk (it involves exerting energy... Lame.).

Without anyone to call at noon on a Friday (people "work"), I was left to browse through Kitson Men alone. The horror! As soon as I walked in and started perusing the jeans collection, one of the workers practically hounded me with questions: "Hi, How are you? Can I help you? Are you looking for anything in particular? If you need anything, just let me know, okay?" Back off man! Then he started telling me about the "best jeans ever" and he pulled out a few pairs and found my size (he thought I was a 30 at first, I was flattered, but I didn't blush...you know, 'cuz I'm black and all). I asked about the Seven jeans and he found a pair that I knew would fit perfectly, but I just couldn't do it. I didn't want to try them on. I knew that if I liked them, I'd have to buy them. I mean the guy spent all this time and energy showing me all these jeans... I just wouldn't be able to say no. But I did.

I guess this experience is eerily similar to this post-- supbar. I walked out of the store, rounded the block, and headed towards my car. No celebrities, no high fashion denim of any kind, no hole in my wallet. Apparently that's a good thing?

25. Authentic Asian Food

2007-08-11T18:31:00.000-07:00

It was an overwhelming and intense dining experience, yet ultimately, it was satisfying. I traveled out all the way to Rowland Heights for authentic dim sum (New Capital Restaurant). How do I know it was authentic? Well the restaurant got a-- Disclaimer: Ravi, you may want to stop reading now, I don't want you to look down on me any more than you already do-- "C" and it was still packed... like 100+ people packed. It was insane.

More on my experience and some pictures, after the jump.

From the beginning, I must admit, I was a little freaked out. The maitre d' was constantly shouting out numbers in Cantonese, Taishanese, and what most would call English, over the loud speaker (Sally and Leanne were surprised I could even understand the English). Once we got inside, there were tables upon tables filled with people talking loudly. Waitresses walked up and down the aisles pushing carts, shouting out what each one had. At one point, I think I saw the manager yell at one of the waiters. Everyone seemed serious about the food...

...which was good. I can sorta describe what I ate: fried tofu with fish paste and vegetables (tofu was a little bland, but the fish paste wasn't too bad), shrimp wrapped in some sort of rice noodle (it had a strange, smooth and mushy texture, but it was probably my favorite dish), shrimp dumplings (yum), and some sort of turnip (?) pancake mixed with sausage (I was disappointed with this dish; even Sally said it wasn't up to snuff). I also had a taro cake-thingy (pretty good) and a sesame seed roll filled with some red bean thing (I wasn't that big of a fan of the red bean filling) for dessert. The one thing that probably got to me was the texture of the food, not necessarily the taste. But by the end, I was full, and that's always a good sign.

As one of 3 non-Asian people there (the other two were white, so I was still a minority within the minority), I was too scared to interact with anyone. I didn't order anything, only spoke twice to a waiter (to say thank you), and once pointed at a dish; I left everything to Sally. I didn't want to run into the awkward situation Leanne had: one waitress said something to her, then laughed, then Leanne laughed awkwardly, even though she didn't know what was going on. I just didn't want to get into a situation where I was forced to laugh with the waitress when she said, "Oh you dumb, crazy American," because I pointed to a dish then pointed to my mouth indicating it was something worth consuming.

After finding out there was a Kiwiberri in the same plaza, we decided to head there for (more) dessert. Kiwiberri tastes almost exactly like Pinkberry, but it's a little more tart (it's possible), and a buck cheaper. Being the pigs we are, we went to an Asian bakery for more food. I got a "Honey Butterfly," which is essentially a wonton dipped in honey. It was sweet, crunchy, and delicious. I also got a raisin roll that I have yet to try.

Leanne also baked peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, which were delicious. Yea, we just ate for hours and hours. I probably went up a waist size or three. But it was good times. Good, yummy, unhealthy, potentially disease infecting times.

My brain said no, but my stomach... also said no. And yet I ate here anyways. According to Aegean, there are good, "B" Asian restaurants... too bad she told this me after I ate here.

The fish looks really depressed. I'm sure it was delicious.

My favorite dish. Just look at the pool of soy sauce. I think I reached my recommended daily sodium intake in one bite. You might reach it just by looking at this picture.

Look at Leanne's chopstick skills!

A Real Good Season?

2007-08-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

It only took 300 seasons, but MTV has finally cast someone who appears remotely intelligent.

Her names Parisa: she's Persian, she's pretty, and she's smart (graduated from NYU with a "perfect GPA"... whatever that means). She's also the most ethnic person this season (the other 3 girls are very Hollywood pretty and kind of fake and white, and the 3 guys are all white). She's reasonable about things, and just seems waaaaay too mature for The Real World (she doesn't curse when she gets into arguments!). Something has to be wrong with her, I just don't know what it is yet.

She makes this season worth watching. I can't wait until she tells the dumb, pretty people how annoying and not smart they are.

P.S. There's also a guy named Cohutta. I kid you not.

Some Privacy Please

2007-08-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Celebrities,

Unless your name is Kristen Bell, Lauren Graham, Jon Stewart, or Stephen Colbert, I ask that you please refrain from stalking me. It just makes me feel uncomfortable, like I'm a slab of well-chiseled, dark meat.

NPH, you get a pass too (I still can't get over that "hot-sause-ome" comment).

Sincerely,

Surafel

Sucks to be You

2007-08-07T20:43:00.000-07:00

The head of McCain's campaign in Florida was arrested for soliciting sex. His excuse? He was scared of the big, black men (On The Daily Show, John Olliver said he should've come up with something better, like, "I have bulimia, and I got tired of sticking my finger down my throat," or "I had a headache and thought there was an Advil on the man's penis," and many more excuses that would've been more entertaining and even remotely more believable).

Add this to the fact that the chairman of Giuliani's campaign in South Carolina was indicted on federal cocaine charges; c razy man Ted Stevens is under investigation for corruption; a nd according to recent polls, they're losing the presidential race.

Seriously, how much does it suck to be a Republican right now? All that's missing is an endorsement from Osama bin Laden himself. And maybe a picture of Mitt Romney kicking a cat.

Once More

2007-08-06T14:54:00.000-07:00

With veins nearly bursting out of his neck, his feet stomping, and his hands furiously playing guitar, Glen Hansard got to my favorite part of "When Your Mind's Made Up" (where he gets progressively louder until you don't think he can go any further... and then he does) and blew me away. In the first 5 minutes of the show. From that moment on, I knew I was in for a good time.

I've mentioned before my love for Once (the awesome movie that you really have to see if you haven't seen it yet), and now I must heap bundles of praise on the live version: the Swell Season concert (made up of the guy, Glen Hansard, and the girl, Marketa Irglova, from the movie). The show at the El Rey (with a forgettable opening act that was like Iron-and-Wine-Lite) was nearly two hours of bliss. The arrangements of each song didn't change drastically, but there's nothing wrong with something that's familiar. The music was immediate, personal, sweet, awesome, depressing, and hilarious.

They played every song from the film, some new Swell Season material, and even threw in a few covers. They also played "Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy," and "Banana Man," a song Glen wrote for his niece who complained that his music was too depressing. At one point, he got so into a song that he accidentally unplugged the guitar from the speaker, and ended up finishing the song sans amplification-- it was amazing.

On stage, Glen and Marketa had great chemistry, probably because they're also a couple (he's 37, she's 19, they met when she was 13, but didn't start dating until recently... shady). But you couldn't help but get all mushy inside every time Glen looked back at her and smiled.

Damien Rice made a surprise appearance and sang a depressing song beautifully (naturally). And nothing would be complete without a few celebrity sightings: Mathew Perry, Alanis Morrisette, and Claire Danes (the last two weren't confirmed until I saw it on Defamer).

Glen spent most of the night thanking us, but we should've been thanking them for a great movie and a great night of music.

American Apparel

2007-08-06T11:46:00.001-07:00

Aegean and Jason are the new models for American Apparel.

19. Dodger Game

2007-08-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

Going to a Dodgers game is one of my favorite things to do in LA. Sure part of it has to do with the fact that I'm a big Dodgers fan, but you don't need to know the difference between a ball and a strike to have fun (just ask Aegean).

We opted for the greatest game to go to during the regular season: the Dodgers-Giants game. The rivalry is still intense: I've seen Giants fans getting showered with peanut shells, attractive girls getting heckled for wearing a Giants shirt, and of course, plenty of fights. Our section had few Giants fans, so we missed out on some of the fun (although I did get to yell at a Giants fan as she was escorted out of our section).When you add Barry Bonds to this rivalry, it kicks things up a notch. Having him chase Hank Aaron's home run record kicked things up about a 1000 notches.

In the days leading up to the series, people were actually afraid that a riot might break out if he broke the record at Dodger Stadium. There were bomb-sniffing dogs, increased security, and a crack down on anti-Bonds paraphernalia. But that didn't hold anyone back-- the Dodgers fans were still brutal. There was the prerequisite booing every time he came up to bat, but there were also chants of "Barry Sucks" and "Steroids" from the entire stadium... when the Dodgers were batting. In spite of this intense hatred, every time he took a swing, the entire stadium exploded with a burst of flashes as everyone tried to capture that one historic swing. I'm pretty sure I had a seizure at one point.

I think everyone had a good time (minus Kathy and Mickey's horrible parking experience): Aegean learned about baseball (sort of-- at one point she asked if the Dodgers got permission from Barry Bonds to intentionally walk him), we all ate Dodger Dogs, indulged on cotton candy, shared peanuts with the man in front of us (Dodger games are very food-centric), and I temporarily lost my voice.

I used to go a few times every year with my dad when I was younger (we'd listen to Vin Scully on the radio), and now I go with friends. And when I come back from New York, I'll probably go again-- it's a must.

I've got a picture album all set up for you to enjoy.

Gonzo

2007-07-26T12:01:00.001-07:00

If my 10 year old cousin can see through your lies, it's probably time for you to go.

The New Me?

2007-07-26T09:24:00.000-07:00

Part of the whole excitement behind moving to New York, getting my own place, etc. etc. (besides being truly independent) is the concept that it's also a fresh start of sorts. New city, new weather (apparently sometimes it's so cold when it rains that the water freezes), new school, new furniture, new recipes new people. I can step off that spiffy Jet Blue plane (!!!) and make a Steve-Urkel-to-Stephan-Urkel transformation (minus the part about wearing contacts because I get freaked out at the concept of touching my eyeball with my fingers). It's like starting college over again after leaving high school. But this time, I can learn from my previous mistakes (hence the cool flat panel TV and my "sophisticated" duvet to distract from my uncoolness).

I'll probably still end up being the same Surafel I am now, but for the sake of making a good first impression, I may not mention my love for urban planning blogs, my rabid obsession with TV (I won't list my favorite shows by day), or my excitement over High School Musical 2.

Coffee and Gene(s)

2007-07-24T18:12:00.000-07:00

After a few hours of cleaning my entire house (literally) on a caffeine high, I learned two things:

1. I don't know what my mom puts in the coffee, but it gets me really hyper. I wish I had this much energy on a normal day. I think I'm addicted to it. I'll probably start having at least a cup of it a day. This will probably lead me into the downward spiral of addiction. It's only a matter of time before I'm ridiculously messed up on a few cups of coffee, and I find myself chasing Aegean down the street in my Avalon with an eight ball of ground coffee beans in my front pocket.
2. I might be adopted. I have no idea how I share so many of my parents' characteristics, and yet neither of them is at all remotely neat.

{P.S. You don't understand how long it took me to come up with a title that would hopefully impress Ravi, the king of titles... and I still think I failed}

18. Hollywood Forever Cemetery Screening

2007-07-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

You read/hear "Hollywood Forever Cemetery," but sometimes you forget that you're actually going to a real cemetery... with graves and rotting corpses and stuff. It was kind of creepy when we first walked in, because it finally hit us that we were actually in a cemetery. Walking through the cemetery afterwards was slightly creepier. Luckily the blinding lights of the city of Hollywood kept it rather bright outside, so no one was that scared.

Up until I got onto the cemetery grounds and found a comfy spot on the grass, I was really wound up. I was yelling at stupid drivers on the street, I had a horrible parking lot experience in Trader Joe's (and got no sympathy from Stephanie, Aegean, or Anusha), and was rejected by the parking lot guy at the cemetery. After the whole ridiculously fun shindig was over, I felt much better. Good people, good food, ahem, good wine, and good movies can do that for you.

The whole thing is pretty self-explanatory (grass, picnic, food, movie projected onto wall). The DJ was interesting-- he opted to play music befitting a Hitchcock film (including a song that Hitchcock himself said was the "preferred song to die to") instead of anything anyone would even remotely consider dancing to. I guess it makes sense: we were in a cemetery.

The movie screening that night was Suspiria, by Dario Argento. Going into it, I knew that the filmmaker wasn't known for coherent plots or decent scripts; it's all about the visuals, which were stunning. The sets were elaborate and colorful, and the camerawork was pretty spiffy. As for the musical score, it was flat out creepy (you knew someone was going to die when you heard the music). The plot was laughable: dogs eating people's throats, strange fainting spells, and people falling into rooms filled with barbed wire (I kid you not). Let's not even talk about the script. It was still a really enjoyable film.

Overall, I had a good time celebrating Stephanie's birthday in the most morbid way possible.

Update: I forgot to mention that I totally pimped Aegean out: We were laying out our tarp (yes, tarp), but these guys were too close to us, preventing full tarp extension. And so I asked Aegean to work her magic-- bend down (look at her dress), ask them to move in a lovely voice, and our picnic extravaganza would be saved. She did it (one of the guys asked, while checkin her out from top to bottom, if she "had anything to barter with"), and we thanked her for it. Do I feel a little dirty asking Aegean to turn tricks for me? Maybe a little. But we needed the room! Sacrifices must be made for the greater good-- Ghandi once gave up food, Aegean gave up a smidgeon of her purity, but ultimately, everyone was happy. The end.

Follow me after the jump for pictures... if you dare! Muahahahahahaha.

We're classy mofos: no picnic is complete without the wine.

Anusha's "Monster Sandwich" from Doughboys live up to its name.

Aegean is happy? Scared? Drunk?

The Birthday Girl herself.

29. Walt Disney Concert Hall

2007-07-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

The undulating steel surfaces of the Walt Disney Concert Hall probably make it one of the most iconic structures in Los Angeles. It's pretty amazing what Frank Gehry did with the steel-- everything is so fluid. The shimmer of the steel (thanks to the disgustingly hot sun) can be blinding, but stand in the shade, and you can tell it's a pretty cool building.

I got to go inside the lobby (but not the auditorium, because tours ended early for the day-- there was a wedding scheduled for the afternoon), and was a little unimpressed by the branch-like wood beams (the wood looked kind of cheap). But everything was so curvy, it was cool. Probably the best part was the ridiculous air-conditioning system. It was freezing inside-- I loved it (I know they sanded down some of the outside because the glare made parts of the sidewalk and nearby condos unbearably hot, they just didn't do enough).

I got a chance to walk around the public park upstairs, which was pretty (it even had lambs' ears!). We also got to watch them set up for a wedding-- imagine a crayon box throwing up on dozens of tables and chairs, and that's pretty much what we saw. It was an eye sore.

A few shiny pictures after the jump.

This is how Gehry gets it to look all curvy and stuff.

Fingerprints! Ahhhh!

Blistering sun. So shiny... so hot.

I got all nostalgic for the tasty fountain water in Europe, so I had to take a sip here.

Of course I would try to macro things up.

1. Take the Subway

2007-07-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, get this. LA has a subway-- underground. Crazy, I know. And guess what? It's actually really good. It's fast, clean, and some of the stations even have cool art installations. The city spent millions of dollars to build what could arguably be one of the best subway systems anywhere. Too bad it doesn't go anywhere.

I took the subway for all of ten minutes (one stop to and from Civic Center), but that was all it took for me to be impressed by it. The stations are really clean (probably because no one uses it), spacious (not at all stuffy like New York), and craziest of all, are based on the honors system. You're obviously supposed to buy a ticket, but the MTA doesn't bother to put up any gates, because it trusts you.

And to think, if those damn NIMBYs in their McMansions in Beverly Hills didn't oppose a subway because it ~~would bring crime and poor people~~ was a potential safety hazard, we would've been able to take the subway from Westwood to the beach in 10 or 15 minutes (or to LACMA, Hollywood, or downtown).

A few pictures after the jump.

I could barely handle the crowds. It was suffocating.

These are some of the art installations on permanent display in the Civic Center Station.

I also got to take a peek inside Union Station. It's purdy.

4. MOCA

2007-07-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

To say it was a disappointment is probably the understatement of the decade... ok, maybe just the weekend. The point of the matter is that I wasn't impressed.

Upon arriving at MOCA, I found out that the museum was only one floor, and instead of having a typical permanent collection and a set of exhibitions, the museum simply shows temporary exhibitions (some of which may have pieces from the "permanent collection"). Don't expect walking in and seeing a Warhol or Pollack or Flavin piece any time soon.

The first exhibition I visited was the "Poetics of the Handmade." This was by far my favorite of the three. One piece revolved around this crazy structure composed of toothpicks and other assorted items. Another was made out of Q-tips. The size of the structures was probably the most impressive part.

The other two exhibitions made little sense to me. I can barely remember the one centered on Alexandra Grant, and "The Art of Richard Tuttle" was just confusing. I'd like to think that I sort of understand contemporary (or modern, or post-modern) art... I can at least appreciate something that looks like the artist put a lot of effort into, or took cool materials and molded it into something extraordinary. But cutting a piece of cloth into a diamond and stapling it to the wall? No. Some splashes of paint on college-ruled line paper? No.

The LA Times critic explained that Tuttle was addressing the concept of what art is nowadays (something that is seemingly labeled as art simply because it is in a museum). I get what he's saying; I just didn't enjoy the "art."

So Funny!

2007-07-22T10:25:00.000-07:00

Ahahahaha! This is so funny! He's a dad... and he's trying to start a day camp! Is that not crazy?! And he's gonna partake in some crazy hijinks! Are they ready for nature? No! That's so funny! Look that kid is car sick! Ahahahaha! Vomit is so funny! Wait, this is a sequel to Daddy Day Care? Love it! Cuba is the perfect replacement to that other black dad! And I can't get enough of his overweight-and-vaguely-reminiscent-of-the-fat-guy-from-Daddy-Day-Care sidekick! So good!

We can revoke Cuba Gooding Jr.'s Oscar now, right?

Malo y Bueno.

2007-07-21T10:32:00.001-07:00

Good things and bad things to report from my excursion to Silver Lake:

Here's the bad thing: Laura, Christina, and I tried going to Malo, a supposedly amazing Mexican restaurant in Silver Lake (and one of Lauren Graham's favorites). We got stuck in traffic and missed our reservation, and since we couldn't wait for the next available table, we bounced.

Here are the good things: We found an amazing spot on the street (after watching the valet at the restaurant smash a car into a motorcycle creating a huge dent, I decided that I didn't need to do valet). We also found the Elliott Smith wall.

Pictures of our little Silver Lake excursion after the jump.

Laura and Christina are just happy to be in Silver Lake (and on my blog).

Prerequisite sad face with anything involving my beloved Elliott Smith.

14. Japanese Garden in Bel Air

2007-07-21T09:08:00.000-07:00

How exclusive is the UCLA Hannah Carter Japanese Garden? On the website, there is no address. I received the address only after I was given directions to the garden. Now, don't get me wrong, everyone can visit the garden, but I just like to think of it as some exclusive secret society that Kara and I were lucky enough to get into. {Besides, it is kind of a secret... how many of you even knew it existed before reading the title of this post?}

After walking past ~~the velvet rope~~ the entrance, you enter a lush and beautiful environment. Prior to entering the garden, I was not having the best morning ever, but it was hard to even think about that after just a few minutes of walking around the place. That one-acre piece of land was overflowing with trees; it was amazing. The little streams, the bridges, the carved stones (some over 1,000 years old), the Japanese-style homes were all (and here's where I wish I had a better vocabulary) pretty cool.

I also had a good time hanging out with Kara... we macro'd things out pretty much (you'll get the point when you see some of the pictures). At the end, we got to sign the guestbook and leave a little note like all the visitors before us. It was a nice little touch. It was a nice little garden.

More pictures at my Picasa album.

It Was... Ok.

2007-07-18T20:16:00.000-07:00

So eating a meal alone in a crowded/trendy restaurant wasn't so bad. I ate in peace (no mp3 player or anything), I read The Onion (major headline of the day: John Edwards vows to end all bad things by 2011, even frowning). I also saw Tim Meadows (I kept thinking his name was D.L. Hughley... all black people look alike), which was kinda sorta cool only because I immediately started imagining him as the "Ladies' Man" from SNL.

I'm sure it would've been a little more relaxing had I not had to deal with a flat tire, but it was fine.

I've actually eaten alone in a crowded restaurant before (at BreadBar when I used to work at MGM), but I was usually on the phone, so that didn't really count.

Now I'm becoming a mature adult (who likes High School Musical).

Table For One

2007-07-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

It's hard to explain, but over the years, I've dreaded eating meals alone. I dealt with it at UCLA (even though I tried to avoid it as much as possible), but the breakfast or lunch at the dining halls was different from dinners, and eating on campus is different from eating at a restaurant (especially a crowded one). I know people do it all the time-- more power to them-- but I'm not a fan...

...Until tomorrow.

Tomorrow I will eat at a restaurant alone. I have some errands to run in the morning, and I'm having dinner with a friend at 5... I'll pretty much be alone for most of the day. So I will eat alone, and it will be fine... I hope.

{Oh and I won't be documenting it with pictures; that would just draw unwanted attention to me. Just picture Denzel Washington in that picture (taken from Flickr), and you pretty much get a sense of what it'll be like tomorrow.}

One of My Favorite Characters Ever.

2007-07-17T19:30:00.000-07:00

It's practically impossible for me to look at this face and not smile. Bill Haverchuck is one of my favorite TV characters ever. He's funny, sweet, sincere, honest, and weird. I loved every moment he was on the screen. I already said Bill was my favorite. I just wanted to say it again.

Keep Driving

2007-07-17T08:17:00.000-07:00

If I'm on my cell phone, and I happen to be driving AT THE SPEED LIMIT, please don't honk, yell, flail your arms, change lanes, flail your arms and look at me as you pass me, then cut in front of me.

Thank you.

Bill's My Favorite

2007-07-15T09:28:00.001-07:00

I just started watching Freaks and Geeks on dvd, and this is by far my favorite scene so far.

I Wish I Had HDTV

2007-07-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

I first heard about Planet Earth when Al (my former co-worker) said that it almost brought him to tears. Then I heard about it on Kevin and Bean, and they explained how captivating it was (bringing some of them to tears as well). And after seeing a commercial for it on Selina's HDTV, I knew I had to move it up on my Netflix Queue. I've gotten through two discs, and this is probably one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. Oh, I should probably explain that this is a documentary about animals.

Planet Earth is an 11-episode, $25 million documentary (made by BBC) about the different habitats, landscapes, and animals that make up our planet. I've already been to both poles, the Sahara, the Andes, the Ethiopian highlands, and an amazing cave in New Mexico (where you get to see the extraordinary Chandelier Ballroom, in a cave closed off by the government for protection).

In spite of the breathtaking shots of locations I couldn't even begin to describe, the animals are the stars of this show. To watch a bird clean it's "presentation area" (scraping branches and everything) to attract a mate, or a snow leopard hunt (which is rarely seen by any humans), or camels eat snow in the Gobi desert (it gets so hot that when "spring" rolls around, the snow simply evaporates), or a pair of ibex battle for a harem is pretty spectacular. Learning how they get all these amazing shots (imagine spending 36 days in the Gobi desert so you can get a few minutes of footage of wild camels) puts the whole scope of the documentary in perspective.

Rent it. Watch it. Love it.

Make It Work? Meh.

2007-07-13T20:04:00.000-07:00

For some reason, Blogger decided to Britney Spears* me, and insists that every post can be expandable (i.e. has a "Read More If You Care" link to expand the post), even if they aren't. It's also decided that it won't expand the posts that really are expandable.

I could find a fix for this, but seeing as how I'm not making six-figures off of ads for this blog, I probably won't. I may just change the entire template... I'm not sure yet. For my six readers, I apologize and ask that you be patient with me.

*Britney Spears - v. to go crazy on. "Aegean Britney Spears'd me when I suggested she had a strange obsession with maternity clothes."

Update: Problem solved. (And the villagers rejoice!)

Can I Just Prescribe Ritalin for Myself Yet?

2007-07-13T12:44:00.000-07:00

I don't know what's wrong with me, but I can't concentrate long enough to read a friggin' book. I can watch documentaries all day long, but apparently, I can't read good. Maybe it's the weather...maybe I'm just a bad summer reader.

You Learn Something New Every Day

2007-07-10T21:09:00.000-07:00

While watching CNN, I noticed "UCLA" scroll across the bottom on their little news ticker thing. Taking advantage of DVR, I went back in time and read the news tidbit: "Muscular young men are likely to have more sex partners than their less-chiselled peers, researchers at UCLA say."

Ladies and gentlemen, you dropped something... your jaws! Our lovely alma mater stepped up to prove that the predominant thought that scrawny men got all the ladies was wrong. Wrong, I tell you! If someone cured cancer tomorrow, this sex story would still totally kick that other story's ass in the octagonal news death match ring.

This is What I'm Into

2007-07-09T14:42:00.001-07:00

This is "Flight of the Conchords," the fourth most popular indie folk band in New Zealand. They also have a show on HBO. The show is worth watching just for these songs.

13. Hollywood Bowl

2007-07-08T15:48:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is about the Hollywood Bowl that makes it more special than the Greek Theater. Actually I do know-- it's the backdrop. Watching the sun set over the Hollywood Hills, with the Hollywood sign peeking around a corner, sitting waaaaaay high up in the bleachers still affords you an amazing view, and a chance to enjoy the music and the surroundings.

The Hollywood Bowl is a wonderful venue. The acoustics are amazing, and being able to picnic there is a unique and enjoyable experience. It doesn't get any better than having an amazing picnic basket (thanks Aegean!), great food courtesy of Joan's on Third, a nice bottle of wine, and great company (yeah Christina, Christina, and Fatemeh!).

As for the music? Band of Horses were ok, but I barely paid attention to them. But watching Andrew Bird play the violin, whistle, and sing? That was a mind blowing experience. He was by far the best soundtrack for a setting sun. And The Decemberists were insane. Their music worked so well with the LA Philharmonic; they seemed to fill the bowl with it. Even though they didn't play my favorite songs, it was hard to leave disappointed.

Oh and did I mention that I had half a bottle of wine? For me, that's like getting plastered.

A picture or two after the jump.

This is Aegean's amazing picnic basket (with wine glasses and utensils!). We had two sandwiches, an apple pie, a piece of chocolate cake, and some cheesecake all thrown in there (along with a bottle of chilled white wine).

I swear that little white speck is Colin Meloy.
To say we were far is the understatement of the year.

I'm Like Annie Leibovitz or Somethin...

2007-07-06T19:08:00.000-07:00

Yes I read urban planning blogs. They're interesting to me. Don't judge me. When I open up my cool restaurants, bars, clubs, condos and hotels, you'll come begging for discounts or freebies. Then I'll say, "Psssh. Remember when you made fun of me for reading Curbed? Yeah I internalized all that pain and embarrassment and produced this. Oh and you're not gonna enjoy it." And then, I'll crush you with my giant muscles. And by giant muscles I mean my brain. And by crush you, I mean intellectually of course. I will intellectually blow your mind. It'll be insane. But I digress...

Anyways, the moral of this story is that I have a picture pseudo-published online (i.e. on a blog). Enjoy.

Who Needs the Kwik-E-Mart? I Dooooooooooo

2007-07-04T09:51:00.000-07:00

I finally had my first taste of a delicious Squishee. I bought Buzz Cola. I could've bought Krusty-O's. Ladies and gentlemen, the Kwik-E-Mart has opened in Los Angeles! Woo hoo!

There are only 12 in the country, and we are lucky to have two of them (one in Culver City, the other in Burbank). I trekked out late last night with Kathy, Mickey, and Aegean, and we indulged in all things Simpsons related.

With all the Simpsons fans around, and the spectacle that surrounded the whole thing, it was pretty spectacular. Just check out my photo album.

Easier Said Than Done

2007-07-03T18:23:00.000-07:00

I rarely talk about politics on here, simply because I'm at the point where I get more worked up about Paris Hilton getting released early than I do over the fact that Dick Cheney says he's not part of the executive branch (nor does he think he's part of the legislative branch, as Jon Stewart astutely pointed out). But after watching Keith Olbermann eviscerate both the President and Vice President in his "Special Comment" segment, I got all riled up and what not. While he asked for them to resign, others have demanded that the two be impeached.

For being an idiot, President Bush sure knows how to make things difficult, making any potential impeachment process complicated, confusing, and slower than anyone could possibly imagine. This blog post pretty much lays out what I've been thinking in a much more intellectual and coherent sort of way.

Two Sides to the 'Pedia Coin

2007-07-03T07:32:00.000-07:00

I've read two articles recently about Wikipedia, and apparently it's "conservative" counterpart, Conservapedia.

In one, we have a reference guide that actually tries to be unbiased. In the other (guess which one), we have a reference guide that trips over itself trying to be biased. A few points to note in the Conservapedia article:

In his mind, the popular online encyclopedia — written and edited by self-appointed experts worldwide — was riddled with liberal bias. Dating events without referring to the New Testament was just one example. How about Wikipedia's entry on golfer Zach Johnson, winner of the 2007 Masters? Not a single word about how Johnson gave credit for his win to Jesus Christ.

and later...

But consider the entry on Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (b. 1947). She "may suffer from a psychological condition that would raise questions about her fitness for office" — namely, "clinical narcissism," Conservapedia asserts. Evidence of her instability includes her "ever-changing opinion of the Iraq war."

Schlafly calls the armchair psychology "borderline in acceptability" for his site, but he defends the Clinton article on balance as "an objective, bias-free piece from a conservative perspective."

Isn't that bolded statement an oxymoron?

This is stupid on a million levels.

Harry and the Potters

2007-07-02T19:04:00.001-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, this is video of the amazing Harry and the Potters. I tend to throw the word "awesome" around a lot, but in this case, they're the real deal.

We caught their show in SF (don't ask why) which was essentially an hour of sweet, wizard bliss. They refer to themselves as Harry Potter, and say things like, "Remember when I found that troll in the bathroom?" All their songs are about the books (including my favorite, "Save Ginny Weasley"), and none are much longer than 2 minutes (which is perfect, because the schtick doesn't get too old). With most songs lasting about a minute, they were able to get through like 700 songs. Being passionate about the material helped make them really entertaining.

They usually play at libraries and to an audience of 10 year olds, but on that night, they played before a slightly older crowd (I definitely saw some 8 year-olds, but most were around 13 or 14, and with their parents) who couldn't get enough of them.

Check out my one non-blurry picture after the jump.

They even had a Hogwarts banner!

Just For You Ravi

2007-06-28T16:19:00.000-07:00

This is ridiculous. I might as well try to put my name on the list (I might be able to afford the place in ~10 years)... I just love exclusive things.