No Haven in New Haven

This is a post based on events from Wed (7/7) to Thursday (7/ 8) morning, since I had to sleep in my tissue engineering lab Wednesday night. Now, hear me out, because I know everyone who knows me would think nothing has changed with my crazed shenanigans. Basically the lab offered A/C which no other place I could have stayed in could offer me. Also i would have been on the floor in a sleeping bag where ever I went anyways, so why not also have a chill place to stay, rather than waking up in a lake of sweat the next morning. But suffice to say, I thought the night would be abruptly interrupted by security guards. I imagined how a security would react if they saw me, all cocooned in my sleeping bag with an eye mask on. Or if in the morning, I was sitting at the table in only a bathrobe, drinking coffee and reading the paper. In the end it was a quiet night, I woke up early, and then walked along College st.
Somehow the ridiculousness of the night's circumstances were paralleled by seeing a real life turkey, right near the Owl Shop, just gobbling (that can't be the right term) along the street toward an unknown destination (I hope not someone's lunch). I really didn't know how to deal with this sight, except take the photo in this post. Otherwise, things are going well, maybe as well as they've gone in a long time...which is a little scary but refreshing. I've just been getting into a healthy lifestyle, waking up (in large part my sister Becky's project) early, exercising, eating healthy, cooking prolifically but sort of improvising recipes, kind of getting through med school applications, reading a lot of cool stuff (mostly Bourdain's zany food writing). Also made a little weekend trip out to Minneapolis to visit some great friends. Ended up being a special weekend of long bike rides and such a sick time at the Weezer concert. I agree with an article published the next morning, that Weezer still matters. Lastly, i heard from this bartender about this great snack called a 'Scottish Egg,' and hope I can one day try it...ingredients include egg, ground beef (although ground turkey might be a decent replacement ;-) ), oil, and bread crumbs maybe. Peace.

wax ladyland

To no one's surprise, I'm not great at keeping up with my own blog, but lucid living has kept me busy. This is especially true now that I've gotten my act together and started med school apps. Hopefully things will be a bit more at peace in the jungle, and I will be able to post on the blog daily, though probably just a few times a week. Anyhow, New Haven has such a different feel to it these days; not just the absence of undergrads, but it's almost hard to remember that I went to school here only a few weeks ago. The school just is not as welcoming these days, no longer catering to our every need, and door access taken away, perhaps a symbol of our being booted out. I did, however, have dinner on one of the nicest porches in New Haven (overlooking the Green), and began what I think will be a prolific career in candle-wax art. In other news, I just bought a utility belt for Borneo, learned just how easy it is to make delicious hummus, cried during Toy story 3, and have actually begun exercising seriously, of course in preparation for the rugged rainforest trekking I might be doing in Borneo. Lastly, I want to convey just how much I love my vegetable garden at home. Maybe it was part of my parents' Feng Shui craze, but last year was the first year my stepdad planted all these yummy vegetables and herbs in our backyard garden. This year he just went all out, as he typically does, and planted like double the number of different plants. This includes basil (my favorite), eggplant (black and white varieties), cherry tomatoes, cucumbers the size of my arm, horseradish, peas, hot italian peppers, rosemary, thyme, mint (chocolate and some other variety), a fig tree, a cherry tree, zucchini and others. For some days, I derive more than half of my ingredients from this garden, making some epic salads, dips, and garnishes.
Conclusion: I love food and am considering how to incorporate chefdom in my medical practice later on.

we went to school in a castle

Hey Everyone. with this post, I am kicking off my blog, Lucid Living. The background for this name is long and complicated. Basically, the last few months of school and during this summer, I have had a revelation of sorts. It was a change in life philosophy, mentality, in short, a super-awareness of mind, body, my relationship to the world and to others, how to best achieve my aspirations and dreams, and perhaps most importantly, what makes me happy. Like becoming lucid during a dream, my becoming more lucid in daily life has been refreshing, and has also come with a greater appreciation for everyday events previously ignored or considered to mundane to attach any significance to. Now, this blog is not meant to be a full blown journal, in which I vent my every feeling, activity, etc, but more of a blog of briefly described fun stories, activities, contemplations to provide a context for the photos I will post. I hope that the photos tell the story as well or better than my word. Also, the blog is mainly going to be about my time in Malaysian Borneo, starting August 22nd.

So to start, graduation weekend really made me appreciate how amazing and ridiculous it is that I was able to call this castle of a place (Yale) 'home' at one point. Moreover, think of the freedoms we had: we drank booze, smoked cigars, burned sparklers, played really loud music, etc. all under a tent in the Great Courtyard. And we lived in a college whose Master (kind of the head honcho to fun, funds, and activities in every residential college at Yale) would (and has) physically beat(en) a student from a rival college with a whiffle ball bat. When I think of it now, I sometimes have a hard time believing it, but it was amazing in many ways, and I feel so lucky to have experienced everything I have. Even with the lost Macbook, missed roomdraw, and receding hairline. And I doubt I'll ever live in a structure that looks remotely like a castle ever again, but I'm pretty happy I had the experience for a brief duration. I guess I'm ready to pass to torch to other deserving people. Lastly, note my wicked class-day (ceremony in which Bill Clinton spoke and Undergrads wear funny headgear) hairdo in the middle pic.