wheezing the juice of life

2011-12-25T18:59:00.000-06:00

Laziest. Day. Ever. Such a rare treat :D

Finally! I can officially call myself a Trekkie, or as my high school philosophy teacher prefers, "trekker."

Dad's Corner
-Mmm Yoplait, this French yogurt is good!
-Pippa? How do you know who Pippa Middleton is?
Hey I do live on this planet you know! And I read your Entertainment Weeklies..

So excited to get to see Rachael after her serving a mission in Peru for the last 2 years!

2011-12-07T16:58:00.000-06:00

“He’s not perfect. You aren’t either, and the two of you will never be perfect. But if he can make you laugh at least once, causes you to think twice, and if he admits to being human and making mistakes, hold onto him and give him the most you can. He isn’t going to quote poetry, he’s not thinking about you every moment, but he will give you a part of him that he knows you could break. Don’t hurt him, don’t change him, and don’t expect for more than he can give. Don’t analyze. Smile when he makes you happy, yell when he makes you mad, and miss him when he’s not there. Love hard when there is love to be had. Because perfect guys don’t exist, but there’s always one guy that is perfect for you.” - Bob Marley

<3

2011-11-22T23:09:00.002-06:00

Sorry blog, I've been busy getting the life sucked out of me..

I don't know how I feel about grown men eating lollilops.

Holy balls it's cold!

Overheard in Pharmacy School
Tara: What are you gonna study?
-I'm gonna do Gentry all night.
Tara: Oh ok.
-Wait that sounded wrong
Tara: ..Is it sad that I didn't catch that?
K: I believe that look is 70s gigolo-chiq
K: I am going to double space the shit outta this paper! I'm gonna outerspace it!
S: Oh no not her she looks like a vulture.

Oh grilled cheese, you never let me down.

Bro: I don't side with fake monsters, but if it was team dracula or team wolfman, I'd be team wolfman

Piiiieeee :)

2011-10-18T16:56:00.006-05:00

Overheard in Rx School

Gurj: I wrote allergies are usually treated with antihistamines. My grader wrote "reference for this?" MY BRAIN MOTHER FUCKER?! FREAKIN QUATERNARY REFERENCE BITCH. BLARGH!

Tara: I'd rather look like a man than be fat.

*freaking out before cough/cold recommendation test*
Brandon: Let's role play.
Gina: Again? I'm tired.
John: that's not what you said last night!
Gina: Ask someone else!
Brandon: Sreeja what did you pick out for yours?
Me: Wal-Phed
Brandon: OMG WHAT THE FUCK IS WAL-PHED?!
Me: Relax it's just the Walgreens pseudophed!
Brandon: Oh. That's dumb.

All the guys dreaded the possibility of getting Monistat to demonstrate..
Do I actually have to squat?
...Yes :p

Note to Self: The smell of vomit can linger for more than a week i.e. the area in front of the elevators on the third floor of the library.

You know you're in pharmacy school when you walk to the bathroom in the morning, look in the mirror, and think "WHY DO I HAVE ANGIOEDEMA?!"

I get to reunite with my treadmill in t minus 2 hours! After two weeks of midterms, practicals, and assignments. Looking forward to not feeling crappy..at least for the next 3 weeks :/

2011-10-07T17:14:00.009-05:00

Overheard in Pharmacy School
-Shevani: 'Patient had a right leg amputation' Hmmm did he get bitten by a shark?
-Prof: Anyone know what "lean body mass" is?
Brandon *points*: Joe Winfrey. No homo.
-Prof: You'll hear more about this from Dr. Gill next week.
Tara: Nooo I hate him! All his stories end with people dying! I can't go.

You know you're a nerd when you sleep holding your notecards not just in bed, but on public transportation.

FINALLY I saw Pulp Fiction and watched a football game! <3

I miss...
my summer paychecks
cooking and baking
Michael Scott - that show is crashing and burning, kinda hate how I HAVE to watch it every week

I've got a date with a cup of Mexican hot chocolate tonight :D

2011-09-16T23:31:00.004-05:00

Old professors make me smile.
- I'm not paying attention to the jumbotron behind me so let me know if I'm writing off the page or you can't read something.
- You're quizzes are graded, I just need to push the magic button so you can see it.
- Are you all...down with this?

Tara: I can't be Cat Woman anymore. One of them had a removable whip and I'm not wearing leather pants. No Gurajit, they are NOT worth the chafing!

Dad's Corner
Mom: What am I getting your father for our anniversary? Divorce papers!
Dad: Heehee

That moment when you realize you don't feel the need to punch someone in the face anymore.

So this is it. This is what it feels like.

Exactly one week ago, I walked into a screen door. The week before that, I turned to my friends and asked if I could get the margarita I had just ordered (and soon realized I couldn't finish) to go. Dumb. And Dumber.

Hold up. Did my classmate's husband just call me "the wild one?" Weirdo.

I am officially a certified immunizer! But I wish I wasn't =\

2011-09-05T19:21:00.007-05:00

Tara: When my sister felt like she needed a baby, she got a cat. I need a guy, so I'm getting a dog. I will love it and it will never leave me!

Brandon: I'm gonna hit that test so hard it's not gonna know what hit it.

That moment when you realize you learned information that you can never un-know.

I have to give and receive 2 intramuscular and 1 subcutaneous injections on Wednesday. All those times when I thought I couldn't be more nervous about something have suddenly become laughable.

My little brother is now 1 year away from being an "adult!" Aaaah!

Just like old times ;) though we didn't expect to get front row seats to wave rainbows!

2011-08-28T23:20:00.004-05:00

Overheard in Pharmacy School ;)

Gina: You know that weird Russian girl in our class that never talks? Well the other day, her friend Kelly was asking her if she would want to be her roommate and she's like "I don't think so, I like to walk around naked." Yes. That was her first complete sentence.

Gurajit: I think time is slowing down due to so many people being bored at one time.

Dr. Gentry: If you will be observing a religious holiday, let me know within the next 10 days. Do not adopt a religion, and you can only have 1 religion.

Dr. Ajayi *after making several morbid analogies such as punching someone in the face, stabbing someone in the heart, and being shocked as to how noone knew the mechanism of cyanide poisoning*: I am not a murderer.

I love my friends..

2011-08-22T23:50:00.009-05:00

And so the second year of pharm school begins. It's been almost a month since my last post! Just goes to show the insanity that transpired this past month. But despite the issues I had with moving in and more "shit happens" moments than I'd care to have, this has still been an AWESOME summer <3

I've finally acquired a taste for beer, though its still selective!

Apparently I lose all hand-eye coordination when I'm drunk. Not fun.

Saying "it's a surprise" instantly makes anything exciting.

Discovered that Grand Marnier makes fruit salad taste heavenly.

Best Movies of the Summer: X-Men, Horrible Bosses, and Bridesmaids

Marissa: You know what I had for breakfast this morning? Peanut butter.

~Overheard~
50-something man to friends: Tequila... I don't drink tequila! Last time I drank tequila, I ended up in a gun fight. And I didn't have a gun.

2011-07-21T00:16:00.008-05:00

I found boysenberry preserves at Trader Joe's today. That was a moment complete with a harmonic note of angels from the heavens.

Apparently you can't say "excuse me" to a toddler. I ended up apologizing to the mother for SOFTLY walking into the kid when he didn't move out of the way properly.

Cristina made me a birthday dinner complete with cupcakes..and role-playing ;)

~Overheard~

Drunk guy: I feel like a million miles of dead roses

Man selling whistles: Get your whistles here for one dollar! Safety on a string, baby, one dollar! (attractive girl walks by, he whistles) You need one, girl... It's summertime, people gettin' frisky up in this mother

Dad's Corner
-Every morning I wake up to the sound of your mother's phone dying.
-Why are you taking those magnets? Just put up a picture of me on your fridge.
- *moving furniture, to Mom* Woman! Saying "lift it" every 3 seconds is NOT helping! (he got all decked out in gym shoes and heavy duty winter gloves for this)

Currently in the process of leaving the nest!

2011-07-19T18:06:00.004-05:00

Yey! I'm 22! :D

'Dona' Nik: I am so ready for this weekend. I've got my cough drops and my gladiator sandals.

Spent way too long staring at a blender to assess whether I really needed it, estimating how and to what extent I use the blender at home. I realized I only used it to make the occasional smoothie and ultimately decided that I get more enjoyment out of chewing my fruit.

I have a newfound addiction for plantain chips, specifically the "Bananitas" brand.

~The Davenports~
I'd like something dark, oaky, and expensive.
Sounds like my first wife.

Don't slap me!
I'm checking to see if you have a fever!

~Horrible Bosses~
Can you explain why you were doing 65 in a 25?
I was drag racing.
In a Prius?"
I don't win a lot.

MF Jones: I think I can help you boys.
Kurt: Are you a businessman?
MF Jones: Mother Fucker Jones.
Dale: Your first name is Mother Fucker?
MF Jones: My real name is Dean.
Nick: Dean Jones. That's the same name of the actor in 'Herbie and the Love Bug.'
MF Jones: I know who he is bitch. I can't walk around this fuckin neighborhood with that Disney-ass name!

I didn't know you could have DNA in your butt!

I"m off to Galvin's Pub to catch up with my learning community buddies ;)

2011-07-11T16:10:00.003-05:00

Elizabeth: "Public Enemies" was shot in my apartment building, even though the scenes ended up getting cut. But hey, Christian Bale's butt was in my building!

I got caught in the torrential downpour-hurricane while walking to the train this morning. Rain and wind attacked me from every direction and I ended up hangin out with other refugees in a Jewel. After about 5 minutes and nearly getting pummeled by a drenched, wheezing, overweight man trying to get his medication from the Osco pharmacy, I sprinted down the block back to Tara's. Apparently she had tried to call me and thought I was dead, especially after her balcony screen door sprung open and seeing lawn chairs floating in the pool. Craziness.

My Fellow Intern
- I realized that I overlooked a lot of kitchen supplies, stuff I took for granted before. I'm talking about relatively basic things. My roommates were like "we need a pizza cutter!" I can use a fucking knife for that shit.
- I seriously need to do some grocery shopping. I legit have nothing in my fridge. I don't even have food that I DON'T want to eat.

Dad's Corner
My dearest daughter, please eat this fish. It'll be ok.

At the last internship workshop, I park, get out of my car, and see my classmate Jay walking several yards ahead of me so when he looks back I wave and say hi. He just smiles and keeps walking towards the door, which is unlike him, but I shrug it off. Of course, by the time he's at the door, I catch up to him. As he walks in, he keeps the door open for me so I say "Thanks Jay." Jay just walks on. WTF is wrong with him? Once he enters the room, and turns so I see his profile up close, I realize..THAT. IS. NOT. JAY. Then, as if things couldn't get anymore awkward, he ends up in my breakout discussion group. FML. Thankfully, I had my coworker and a few other classmates in my group so he could see I hadn't completely lost my marbles.

No more whiskey for me. Never. Ever.

"The Davenports"
If I wasn't a gentleman, I would slap you right now.
Well you're not a gentleman, so slap away!

2011-07-07T20:09:00.005-05:00

I signed for my apartment today!
There are 2 White Castles in a 1 mile radius..uh oh

My phone has a life of its own. 2 status updates and 3 calls in 1 week. This ends now.

Dad's Corner
Unprecedented.

2011-07-04T00:30:00.004-05:00

Looking forward to a smashtastic 4th of July! :D

I am among 4 CVS interns who have become used to working a 9-6 shift after a crazy night and <4 hours of sleep. And of all the days for someone to ask me if I drink a Red Bull before I come to work, it happened on one of these days. Of course, that wasn't the first time someone's asked me that. I don't need that stuff bitches!

Tara picking up 3 Irish guys in Wrigleyville because she was diggin one of them = one of the most random nights of my life. I would wake up every hour in the other room hearing crazy music and/or snippets of conversation riddled with Gaelic. One of them kept shouting "Babesh alak!" at me and shooting a thumbs up whenever I went to get a drink of water.
Irish Guy: You two have no idea what I'm saying right now do you?
Shevani: I hate you.

How is it that there always seems to be a Taco Bell nearby when you're drunk and hungry?

Dad's Corner - swearing off Asian food in light of the news that snake byproducts are used as an ingredient in sauces
"They showed this one restaurant that serves *places palms together and wiggles fingers* OCTOPUS BURGER!!!"

2011-06-23T19:23:00.009-05:00

Summer is in full swing!

Our hunt for sangria on Madison St (Irish sports bar central) concluded when I walked into Shanahan's to be greeted by a foxy Latina who said she could make it for us! Bought a pitcher for $15 and it was delicious. When I asked for the recipe she replied "if I told you..I'd have to kill you."

We had to get Nik fries. STAT. But alas all the fast food joints were only operating their drive-thrus, after coercing Garrett away from standing in the line of cars at Wendy's like a tard, we drove to Taco Bell down the street. Thank God I was able to muster up the willpower to make our fat-ass-pothead order sound somewhat coherant, though I got to second base with Nik and accidentally honked the horn with my elbow in the process..

"You can't order that here, that's what homeless people buy at 7/11!"

Not only did Green Lantern have plot holes, a generic/predictable story, sexist undertones, and a villain I'm sure is named after a diarrhea drug (ParaLax), his cute best friend had such minimal screen time! ;)

Dad's Corner - with Mom!

Me: What are you guys going to do about the bird house that fell over on our lawn?
Dad: Yeaa I just poured bleach on it.
*later*
Mom: Your father got rid of it.
Me: Come again? He actually LIFTED it, CARRIED it over to the garbage can, and placed it on the ground for the garbage truck to take away?
Mom:...I KNOW RIGHT! I couldn't believe it either.

Mom: *walking across the kitchen with a bag in her hand*: Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! The mousetrap in the store room in the basement caught a mouse!
*I. freak. out.*
Bro: MOTHER I AM EATING HERE!!!
Thank God she spent the next hour cleaning the whole basement. I love that woman.

Me: We'll probably go to the pride parade on Sunday.
Mom: ..but why?

Hair Stylist: Where do you get Vitamin E from? Jell-O?

You know what I've never understood, why anchormen reporting live on-site in flooded areas have to be knee/waist/chest deep in the water. And those poor guys who are sent to report from the eye of a storm! News networks are sadistic bastards.

Ugh this 9-5 internship workshop tomorrow is going to be hell, BUT at least I have a fun weekend to look forward to! :D

2011-06-18T20:19:00.006-05:00

The past few days in Lake Geneva were EXACTLY what I needed. A fun, yet relaxing break in the country.

Top 10 Moments

1. Visiting a horse barn and getting a crash course in horseback riding
2. Chillin at Liquid Blues (where all the "old people" hang out) and Oddfellas, where Tara befriended an intriguing young manager of a pizza joint who was "checking his email" on his Mac at the booth. Who brings their laptop to a bar?
3. Going kayaking! Apparently I was creepin and lingered a little too long by the uber fancy lake houses. I fell butt first into the water getting out of it. In slow motion (thanks to the handle of the pier's staircase) shrieking trying to pull myself up until I finally just gave up and let it happen. Needless to say, a neighbor working on her boat was beside herself.
*later*
- So did you guys go in the water?
- ..Yes.
4. Discovering the ingenious pasta sauce invention that is salsa and ranch dressing
5. Toasted coconut icecream.
6. Mrs. Gilman gave me a tour of her garden, the recipe for the amazing key lime pie she made, and revealed herself to be a World of Warcraft phenom with several level 85s.
7. Tara: Awkdog! Awkdog!
I tried to warn you guys he was coming! Great, now the waiter knows we're talking about him.
Tara: Look at the turtle I drew on the receipt!
Looks like a fat baby.
8. How do you spell feisty? F-i-s-t-y?
F-e-i-s-t-y
I just sent "feighsty." Oh well.
9. Being in a Mexican Food Coma. TWICE.
10. Screen Porch Worker: I have to tell you that you look EXACTLY like my cousin Farah. You have the same features and she always gets mistaken for being Indian. I'm an artist so I have a keen eye for faces. Sometimes, I'll be driving down a road and be able to distinguish someone yards away.
*later*
Tara: Damn Sreeja did he tell you his whole life story? Just how long was this conversation?? Oh by the way that's creepy.

And now, I begin assembling a list of "Southern Gentleman" movies I promised her I'd send :p

2011-06-09T23:23:00.003-05:00

CVS Intern Program Kickoff/Analogy Extravaganza

"Anyone here shop at outlet malls? Ok 75% of you are lying. Well, I do. While my wife looks at the $75 Polo shirts in the front, I always head straight to clearance. Once, I got a fine looking shirt for $9.99. So I inspected it to find out what was deviant about it to diminish the price that much..and I found a tiny hole you could only fit a pencil tip through in the collar...Don't be that hole."
"Starbucks takes coffee, adds a "cino" to the end of it, creates a nice lounge area with wifi, Southwest Airlines attendants parade around in shorts and are the bubbliest people you'll every meet. We are the chain with the independent touch. Let's be the Starbucks, the Google, the Southwest, the Apple, of pharmacy."
:|

Dad's Corner
Your mother will be there as long as the Asianet doesn't get her...Don't worry, I'll pick you up.

2011-05-31T11:53:00.007-05:00

*Cardio Kickboxing Session #4*
Instructor (Latoya): Girl I know you know this routine, I see you! Come up to the front with me!
AND I DID! :D

This is addictive. The session was an hour and a half instead of an hour though. I love her, but by the last set I was screaming expletives in my head.

Dad's Corner
*flipping through dictionary*
Me: What word are you looking up?
Dad: Today I saw a bumper sticker that said "I Love Zombies," I've never seen that word before.
Bro: :o

Nik, only you would get us lost despite the fact that I have GPS. For some reason, I went along with a recollection of a shortcut from yelp which consisted of a redline stop that didn't exist, which led to us getting off at the stop 5 miles/12 min away from Fion (not Zion), and impatiently waiting for a bus for 2 minutes before I hailed a cab to get us there on time. SMH.

The wine class was..highly entertaining. We have a basic idea of pairings now! My favorite was the Savignon Blanc from New Zealand, guess I'm a white wine person. Plus, now we can scoff at the people who smell corks :p
"What? There's only 4?"
"Ok giggly, here you go."

"Hunger Games" has arrived, I'm so psyched to finally be able to read for fun!

2011-05-24T23:30:00.005-05:00

Women's Workout World, 3 miles away from my house, just so happened to have an extended Mother's Day special membership option for 3-months. It was the best deal around so I took the bait since I was missing my CSU gym. The place is decent and has a variety of classes. The one thing I hate is that its not cool enough, they need more fans. Anyways, I took the step class this morning, which was surprisingly moderate. I'm sure I made a fool of myself, and not just in the beginning when I accidentally stood next to the steppers of about 3 women before being pointed towards the area where I could get my own and place it wherever I please. ALL unattended steppers are taken - noted. Then, there was a few intricate sequences randomly thrown in. Hell, I nearly tripped over my own feet and broke my neck during some type of hippity hoppity twirly shit. When I wasn't nailin it, I just did my own thing ;) Yup, definitely owned crazy fool. Game plan going forward: observe a class while running so I have a sense of what entails before I jump into a sea of swarming fish.

Apparently Schiet is pronounced "skeet." Ugh "she-yet" sounded so much better in my head than it did out loud! When in doubt, ask them how you pronounce their name! He's probably gotten it his whole life though, poor guy.

This week is so blaaaaah because everyone's out of town, all my shows are either over or on a hiatus, still waiting for "The Hunger Games" to arrive at my library, and I have closing shifts till Friday :/

2011-05-15T20:18:00.003-05:00

I AM OFFICIALLY AN (R2)P2! 1 year down, 3 more to go..

~Overheard~
Girl #1, about beta fish in tank: That fish is pretty badass.
Girl #2: Let's name it "Bamf." King Bamf.
Girl #1: How about "King Bitchmaster"?
Girl #3: How about you let me name my own fish?
Girl #1: How about I feed it cheeseburgers when you're not around?
Girl #3: Wait...What the fuck?

2011-05-10T14:27:00.005-05:00

I am now the proud owner of a crack-I mean-blackberry :)

The time has come for me to part with my phone. Goodbye old friend, you did alright these past 8 years.
*cue Sarah McLachlan's 'I Will Remember You'*

Dad's Corner
Those smart phones have minds of their own and take pictures of girls by themselves. Does it have internet? Ooh no..

*recalling our oldest memories during Mother's Day brunch*
Mom: Do you remember crying at the airport? When we were bringing you to America?
Me: No, I was 2. Why do you always ask me that? Was it THAT bad?
Mom: Oh it was bad.
*later*
Mom: Stop exercising. I miss your chubby cheeks.

Sat next to "Snape" in a muscle T-shirt and a guy who smelled like a day-old glazed doughnut. Gotta love the subway.

Nik, you're phat.

In exactly 1 week, I will be a P2. If there isn't a post by then..just, please tell my family that I love them.

2011-05-04T15:09:00.007-05:00

"A good dosage form is like a good relationship, it's stable. Its T90 (shelf life) should exceed 2 to 3 years."
Aaw Dr. Do! You big softie you..

DD: Can anyone tell me what would be considered a "cool" place?
Vincent: Your house.
DD: ..anywhere between 8-15 degrees Celsius.

This past Sunday, I got sexiled for a few hours. You know, I always heard about it happening to other people, but never thought it would happen to ME :p
She barricaded the door with the foot of her bed. Damn.

Sharon: NO, my mother raised me to be a lady!

I think the cafeteria currently has an excess of potatoes. In the past 3 days, I've eaten more potatoes prepared in the most various ways, especially because my options were a little more limited than usual. Scalloped, skillet (both chopped AND shredded with seasoning), baked, mashed, wedges, in a quiche, and once as fries. ENOUGH WITH THE POTATOES!

12 more days till freedom.

2011-04-30T23:23:00.010-05:00

Before I succumb to my exhaustion...an account of the last ~36 hours ripped from my fried brain

Friday, April 29

10am: I am now CPR certified and have a newfound appreciation for those who apply it..and yes, I did sing "Stayin Alive" in my head.
Instructor: Who is Ms. Nair? Are you, by any chance, related to a trauma surgeon at Loyola?
Me: No
Instructor: Do you get that a lot?
Me: ...no
Ruby: You should have said he was your baby daddy.

Cristina to her mannequin: Stay with me! We're gonna make it!

12pm: Team DOH VIP appreciation. Florence, Brit, Leon, and I gave Kathy a Starbucks gift card for her ingenious accessing of the answers to the case studies we had to do throughout the semester. Score.
Kathy: GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!

2-3pm: ditched class for Starbucks
"This was NOT double blended. I knew that guy was an amateur. A true barista does not need to repeat your order back to you and gets it right."

3-5pm: Stats workshop = pointless and boring as hell, figured we just needed to read his packet especially since he doesn't believe in taking attendance..should have called it :/
Can we get extra credit? Points for this workshop?
Dr. Kumar: Why are you guys always begging me for points? I spent the past half-hour moving around these tables and chairs, where are MY points?!

That's what she said count: 3
Sharon: I didn't get any meat in me today
Sharon: There's enough room in there
Cristina *rolling away in chair*: This is slippery

10pm-3am: Not. Studying.
- 2 sour apple vodkas, 1 tequila sprite, 2 coconut rum-milks (Gr's ingenious concoction), 3 rounds of flippy cup (girls beat guys 2-1 holla!), and 1 round of beer pong. Had some good times. Got back around 4. *set alarm for 6am*

Saturday, April 30th

7:22am - Cristina calls. Hey, are you coming to the walk?
...SHIT!
7:31 - out the door
7:37 - on a bus
7:45 - on a train
8:20 - in a cab
8:30 - arrive at montrose harbor walk site, found out we were supposed to volunteer (thank God), got t-shirt + free stuff, breakfast consisted of 2 chalky protein bars (oatmeal raisin and dark chocolate)
8:45-10:05 - Bedazzled the place with balloons
11:45 - enter CVS
6:17 - leave CVS
7:45 - back in my room
7:50-10:50 - got my life together

Sunday, May 1st: Sleep in, then STUDY.

2011-04-27T11:58:00.009-05:00

Monday, 9:19 am
"No more alcohol plz..."
Later her boyfriend had to take her to the ER for a crazy nose bleed and bumps on her tongue. Aaand this party animal was literally in my pants. No really, I lent her a pair of pants a week ago because she didn't know it was a dress-up day. Despite my friends' pleas for me to dispose of them (preferably in a biohazard bin), I am going to trust that my washer and dryer will take care of it..along with my disinfectant spray.

Speaking of status updates, I love when some people post as if "what's on your mind?" was a text from a loved one -> "Morning..Made it out early to stop by my fav bfor wrk (Dunkin Donuts)..Hope the day goes by fast,so I cn get bk home... :) ttyl, hav a productive day!" Aaw, I feel so honored to be a part of her collective "significant other" :p

My Roommate is Weird as ****
Spent an hour detailing her relationship history to her bf, which is fine, except this comes after several "No, i love YOU more" exchanges (and everything that goes along with those) over the past 4 months they've known each other. *scratches head* And 3 "buddies" in 2 months? Daamn girl, you really are something! Usually I've got my ipod on, and I've started going to the lounge again. Though there's pretty much no way to avoid catching snippets now and then, not to mention that incessant smacking sound she makes with her tongue. *sigh* 19 more days!

The fact that I've never been to "Medieval Times" is just wrong. I'm adding that to the list. Nik, I'm lookin at you, your stonemason, and our fellow peasant companions! I, for one, am ready to get my rambunctious wench on :D

Cristina: You know how I have a crush on my boxing instructor? Well, the other day, Pete took his staff there for a team-building exercise and he was there. So now he has a picture of him..

The foot screening was the worst Patient Assessment lab, hands down. One guy had feet like something from a 3rd world country. To the point where he had to brief us on his fungal infection. And what does this man have against socks? Poor Cris had to get all up in there, and did so without a flicker of reluctance. The warranted freakout session that ensued after class is another story. A pharmacist once told me that one of the hardest parts of the profession is "keeping a straight face." So true.

The fragments of my next project are currently in various shoe boxes..and I just realized that I never posted what I made last summer! Yet another thing to look forward to :)

2011-04-22T15:58:00.002-05:00

"9,986,000 minutes
We actually sat down and did the math
9,986,000 minutes
That’s how many minutes that you worked here
In costumes, impressions
In meetings and cups of coffee
In birthdays, more meetings
And email forwards that you made us read
9,986,000 minutes
That’s like watching Die Hard 80,000 times
You hit me with your car
You helped me get off drugs
I watch you in your sleep
I forgive you for kissing me
Remember to caaaaaall"
-loved this episode

I DON'T WANT STEVE CARELL TO LEAVE :'(

2011-04-10T16:57:00.006-05:00

At the end of the day...

Prof Do: You want your tablet to do what?
Taste good
Look nice
Prof Do:..WORK!

Prof Kumar: I'm going to lead the sheep to the show.
-WTF did he just say?
Sheep to the shore.
- Why would you lead sheep to a shore?
SHIP to the SHORE.
-Geez is that an actual saying?

What are you going to swab?
Dr. Fazal's beard.

*whilst janitor vacuums room*
Dr. Fazal, I can't hear a word you're saying.
Dr. F: Well, then just look.

"Friday" is officially the worst song I have ever heard. GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!!

2011-04-06T18:53:00.009-05:00

I've had to TEMPORARILY resort to drinking coffee again :( It's that time of the semester...BUT I only need 4oz to make it from 8 or 9 to 12 and then another 4oz to get me through the evening! That's not so bad right? May 16 can't get here any faster!

So there's this one guy in our class who is notorious for ALWAYS falling asleep. Poor guy. Surprisingly, he's only been woken up by a prof once. Until today, I had never heard him (or anyone in the history of my education) full-on SNORE, so loud it reverberated through the lecture hall.

One thing I've learned from pharmacy school (along with a bajillion other things) is that there IS such a thing as a stupid question.

"He looks like a gentle lover."

Wine ~ Water

Man in AA: I like gay women.

Every week, Cristina and I visit an AA/Drug Rehab center for the "public health" part of our pharmacy practice experience. The guys there are..well think One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. One particular guy has been the cause of much stress and paranoia for Cristina. Despite being the germaphobe that I am, I want to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Me: HE DOES NOT HAVE LEPROSY!
Cris: He has all the symptoms! Droopy eyes, saggy mouth, bulbous fingers..Dr. Fazal even said "it's possible."
Me: They look like they were intentionally severed, possibly surgical..not dirty and degenerate like the ones we saw in class
Cris: Then how do you explain everything else? Think of all the diseases they could be harboring with their compromised immune systems from all those years of drug abuse.
Me: Agreed, but I highly doubt leprosy is one of them, and even if it was, would the staff allow us to be so close to potentially infectious people and shake their hands?
Cris: Oh come on, they are clueless and don't give a shit. *points to notes* "The leprosy bacteria multiply slowly, incubating for 20 years before you see symptoms"
Me:..Is there a cure?? WTF WE ARE NOT INFECTED WITH LEPROSY!

2011-03-21T18:24:00.006-05:00

The last time I was here was exactly 2 months ago, but the hiatus feels longer than that for some reason. For the first time in well, 2 months, I feel like I can take a breather, before the craziness starts up again in a few weeks. I can't believe I'm almost done with my first year of pharm school! And I haven't forgotten about you blog, I've been jotting things haphazardly in my notebook o' scribbles..

Jan 24 - 6 weeks to get in shape for Miami! (yea this wasn't a complete success)
Jan 31 - How is EVERYONE around me having sex now?? Roommate, BFF1, BFF2..I am the recluse in Action City!
Feb 1 - SNOWPOCALYPSE NOW!
Feb 2 - I am now an expert on the bacteria species Coxiella burnetii. Yes, my bacterium is a high-class prostitute.

My Roommate is WEIRD as **** Update
1. *discussing history on the phone with boyfriend* How many have I been with? 7. Best? #2. Longest? #7, 8 hours. You?...20?!?!
2. She bought the same foundation as me

Am I the only one who thinks certain cheeses taste like vomit?

K: So after Joe's I had to walk down 79th St. I had to put on my thug face.

Apparently me running in heels is akin to a velociraptor.

Excerpts from my Trip to India
- I was a few inches away from giving an old lady a concussion while getting my carry-on luggage out of the compartment. I swear I could feel a collective sigh of relief.
- The most action I got in the air: when the guy sitting next to me patted me on the shoulder to wake me up so he could go to the bathroom.
- Watching my bro's attempts to get comfortable and sleep (made difficult by his long ass legs) and the frustration that ensued
- A wild grapefruit is an exquisite thing to behold and taste
- Hearing my bro shout in the middle of the night and smack a "dark figure"...which turned out to be my mom trying to turn the fan off. He was subsequently dubbed the "demon fighter" by my uncle
- *in uncle's car* what happened to your music?
Oh I only listen to poetry now
- epiphany: i ain't gonna know more than 1/2 the people that will be at my wedding..
- society is straight-up Jane Austen in so many ways..I feel like, whenever I visit Kerala, I travel through space AND time

I am currently missing faces.

2011-01-21T06:39:00.002-06:00

Back to school :/

The roommate answered a call at 2 am and talked for half an hour. I had made it all the way to 8 pm before crashing, and once that woke me up, I couldn't go back to sleep. So I added some more pics, finished filling in my calendar, did my homework, and am now watching "127 hours" till breakfast.

Overheard
Teenager #1: Aw, that guy was so cute! He'd better be there when I go return my skates.
Teenager #2: You should find out his number or something.
Teenager #1: Nah, that's too awkward.
Teenager #2: Just ask his name from one of the other workers, and say you wanna report him to the manager... But then really just stalk him on Facebook!

Sreeja: My cousin is 15 and he's trying to get a six pack.
Kunal: That shouldn't be hard, he lives in India. In Gujarat, everybody has a six pack cuz 1, they're vegetarian, and 2, they get diarrhea.

India journal excerpts are pending.

2011-01-01T11:42:00.005-06:00

The new year and decade is upon us! It's arrival was marked with a shrill warble. Thinking about it, I realized this will be quite an awesome decade for I will graduate from pharmacy school, move out, get married, and have my first child. Just thinking about today being the first day of the decade of these milestones blows my mind. Freakin crazy man. 21-31..this is the first decade of my adulthood and I am going to savor every moment!

Overheard in New York
Guy to girl in subway: I was your boyfriend in third grade, don't you remember? You left me for Tyrone because he had the 64-pack of crayons.

You know who I've always felt sorry for? The guys in the mall with their shopping girlfriends either involuntarily, or voluntarily with an alterior motive. The poor bastards. I could never imagine doing that, just the thought of shopping with a man for anything other than household items makes me uncomfortable. When i move to an area where a man is holding his girl's selections, I immediately move to another spot. The emasculation is just too much.

Looks like I'm back in the nutella game aka "what ELSE can I spread this bitch on?" I even pondered bringing it to India so it could make sweet passionate love with the biscuits and rotis, but I'm afraid the ants would find a way to infiltrate it and I love it too much to endanger it that way.

I'm off to the land of infinite coconut trees to awe at how big the little ones have grown, EAT, frequent temples to revitalize my spiritual flame, drink chai to my heart's content, and partake in wedding festivities!

2010-12-28T02:50:00.008-06:00

It was a night of...

crazy eyes smoldering with intensity

seductive beckoning

and acrobatic antics

Let it be noted that the first pictures uploaded with this camera captured the moments of unbridled merrymaking!

2010-12-25T22:28:00.005-06:00

It's so obvious to me now! The man of my dreams is in the same league as Brendan Fraser and Jason Segel. A tall, broad-shouldered, dorky, considerate, *snuggly* goofball!

2010-12-24T19:23:00.003-06:00

My neighbors had a baby girl today!

Me: I can't believe they named her Bella.
Bro: WAIT DID YOU SEE HER?!
Me: ..No
Bro: I need to see her!
Me: Ok weirdo. Well, they're not gonna come outside with the baby.
Bro: I know, but they will eventually. Then, I'll go out there and see her.
Me: So let me get this straight. You'll look out for the next time they come out of the house, whereupon which you will coincidentally go outside, greet them, and see her.
Bro: Well not like that, but yea.

How do you get exquisitely warm and fuzzy feet? By putting on fuzzy socks and then putting on hospital socks over them :)

How I Met Your Mother marathon with the bro till India!

2010-12-23T23:12:00.007-06:00

"the blog you were looking for was not found"
WAEFWONVEKRJGKJDNV;AERGNOER@#$#%)$#)%*@)#$
seriously? SERIOUSLY?!

Overheard in New York
Middle aged woman to male on train, in one breath: Scientists say that in 2012 the sun will line up with the milky way and change the axle on the earth and you know it is hard to be a black lesbian cause most of these women just get tired of men and have sex with a woman but that doesn't mean they are bisexual just because they have sex with men and women and they ain't really lesbians they just think they are cause they have sex with women...

I gots the Canon Powershot! Although it has shutter lag, the picture quality is worth it! Plus it was a great deal.

So many a thought popped into my ADD brain as I walked into my house after coming home from work...

It's official. My mom has no sense of design whatsoever.
Why are there shower curtains in the living room?
What PBS kids show did my mom get inspiration from? Fuckin Dragon Tales??
Who's birthday is it?
PLEASE, WHAT IS THE OCCASION?!
Is this for the Christmas party? These don't work as Christmas decorations.
Did mom get interior design advice from a flamboyant gay guy at Kmart?
My mother has gone mad!

Mom: Well I like it
Shiit.

2010-12-21T00:25:00.005-06:00

Though I'm not crazy about the casting, it still looks good. I can't wait!

2010-12-19T20:57:00.005-06:00

It feels good to be 21 :D

"That Golden Drunk maan!"
"Hey ladies, can I join you? I'll show you things you've never seen!"
"I'll just put mine on top of yours."
"Your body is so hard...like the marble on your shoulder"

"Breakups of 2010" - the one yahoo thing I wish I hadn't clicked on because it was was such a downer. Ryan Reynolds and ScarJo, Kate Winslet and Sam Mendes, Sandra Bullock of course, and the most shocking, Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend (9 years!) *sigh* I want to just avert my eyes and focus on those old couples that have gone through it all, have reached a place of comfortable familiarity, whose hands still sit comfortably in each other after decades. A friend of mine once told me that her mom makes her dad kiss her every day before he leaves for work. Cosmo ain't got nothin on simple, sweet gestures like this.

A coworker of mine has already bought a pillow pet, a princess babydoll, and some other girly crap her 1.5 year old daughter's brain can't differentiate from a glittery magnet. Yet she can't think of what else to get her for Christmas. Some people are out of their damn- I mean, love their kids soo much.

Asheda: How is your block? Is it exciting?
Me: I dunno, I never relied on my block to provide me with excitement..I guess there was some domestic violence happening a few years ago in the apartment next door.
Asheda: Haha no me neither but..I just wish it was exciting! You know? Awhile back, some cops broke in and entered the house down the street..but that was it. Beloit is so boring!

You know what I've been noticing a lot these days? People living beyond their means.

In less than 2 weeks I will be in India. AAAAHHH!!!

If you had a chance to eat the world's most perfect pie, you wouldn't gobble it up, you would savor it.

2010-12-17T01:14:00.002-06:00

Winter Break, is that really you?
Shooo iiis!

Just saw that my physio prof gave me the 1 point that brought my 79.4 to a 79.6 to get a B! I am one lucky bastard. So many of us missed the upper grade by a hair in some classes and this was a pleasant surprise. I am a Fazalogist.

2010-12-08T18:47:00.005-06:00

I had a nightmare last night about being an 1 hour late for my final because my roommate sleepwalked over to my bed, crawled in, and tried to strangle me with her limbs.

Remember how I ordered Chinese the other night? Well, she just decided to order pizza. AAAAHH! Is this for real?

*edit*

ANYWAYS I forgot to add that tomorrow is her 20th birthday and to celebrate, I'm taking her to "Jimmy Jam's Sweet Potato Pies" on Friday. Turns out its just a bus ride 5 miles down the street. They've got different kinds of pie, though sweet potato is their specialty. Since it's got good reviews and we both love pie - we've got nothin to lose!

2010-12-06T20:20:00.004-06:00

My Roommate is WEIRD.

WARNING: The following is cruel and heartless and rude and offensive. Yet it was created out of personal necessity. I need to have a record of this.

Preliminary Data: 19 years old, sophomore, pre-nursing, home 30-40 min away by bus

1) Doesn’t like vegetables.
2) Did not know what a squash was.
3) “What does a pharmacy technician do” I explain
4) *1-2 months later* “what does a pharmacy technician do?” I explain again.
5) Did not know what green tea was.
Would you like to try it?
…I did.
…Oh. And?
I didn’t like it. It needs sugar.
Yea it took me awhile to make the transition from sugar to lemon...
W.T.F?! You came over to my side, went under my desk, took a tea bag out of the carton, and tried it while I was gone for the weekend? I’ll always regret asking her about that.
6) Has never heard of the quote “the pen is mightier than the sword”
7) Gets as much sleep as a baby, naps in the afternoon. Stays in bed most of the day with her laptop and the TV on.
8) Once, she had a quickie with her bf while I was eating dinner. The desks make a wall between our sides and thankfully I could turn up my music.
9) Has no friends and never goes out, it’s kinda sad. I thought I was anti-social/socially awkward, but I’m a stage 1 or 2 compared to her.
10) Even MY friends find her strange. She answered the door to him once and just stared blankly. Apparently she also didn’t respond when he asked her where I was….
11) Has never revealed details about anything, explicitly telling me she doesn't want to. Any talk is general/basic. I’m not trying to be nosy, but part of bonding, being friends with someone is TALKING about stuff. Especially if I’m the ONLY person here for her to talk to and we'll be living together for 9 months. Hell, on occasion I vent about things to her even though her responses are very generic.
12)I introduced her to the gym, though she lived here her freshman year. Surprisingly, she regularly goes around 7. I wish I could keep up going with her but my stomach needs more time to digest dinner so I can’t workout till 8:30.
13) Has never turned on the room light, just her desk lamp. What does she have against light? It’s always me, but I always turn it off for her by 11 p.m.
14) Offered me un-refrigerated sugar-free pumpkin pie, which stunk up the room upon microwaving and made me gag. Turns out that day was its expiration date. To her credit she wiped down the microwave with some bleach thing…
15) “liked” some statement about ugly people talking to her…when she smiles with her mouth closed because her teeth grew in apart and crooked and weren’t fixed
16) Sounds like an old black man
17) Laugh: “heehee!”
18) Copies me. Maybe she sees me as an older sister? Ex: I buy a certain type of hamper, weeks later she buys the same kind. I put shoes under my bed, she moves shoes from closet floor to under bed. I wash my face, she washes her face. I guess you could add the exercising thing.
19) Listened to “Roman’s Revenge” on a loop for days, still does. I can hear it blasting from her headphones..Before that it was Fergie's "Glamorous"
20) Eats dinner after I eat dinner. Once I ordered Chinese (there was nothing palatable in the cafeteria) offering if she wanted some, she politely refused..and made RAMEN NOODLES as soon as I started eating mine!

BUT:
It could have been worse.
We’ve never had an argument.
Neither of us have ever complained.
We’re both usually quiet and keep to ourselves.
She’s always there to listen.
She lets me use her blow dryer, her printer in emergencies, and her laundry detergent twice the weekends I didn’t go home.
She is now single and will be busy next semester attending CSU and taking night classes at Truman. Let’s see how next semester goes! Yes, I unknowingly signed a 2-semester contract. From now on, I will read things before I sign them.

2010-12-01T15:30:00.007-06:00

Yes Please!
*edit* THE TEMPEST! It was a pleasant surprise to see that it comes out next friday! It's my favorite Shakespeare play and the movie looks K.I.C.K.A.S.S.
- King Caspian. I don't care if he's just walking through doors
- Knitting projects, my goal is to make a hat.
- Read and watch Kazuo Ishiguro's "Never Let Me Go"
- Spring Break in New York!

This unlimited free hot chocolate thing is a disaster waiting to happen. Although I am being good about sticking to 1 small cup a day. Funny, I just got a Bally's 7 day trial pass to get a mega workout in before India.

So the boys wing smells like feet while the girls wing smells like perfume - Amber Romance. If noone else will, I'm going to make the boys wing smell like a brothel ;)

Completely forgetting to include an ingredient (mineral oil) in a compound (for the final lab practical) isn't THAT bad..right? Shit it's just 3 grams of oil, finished product is less greasy anyways..

The sagas of young love. Btw are hickeys still cool after high school?

You sir, are rather unpleasant. It's amazing how you have a pseudorelationship with the goddess of pleasantry.

2010-11-03T22:38:00.006-05:00

Random Quotes

Girl on phone: I was like maan I see you EVERYWHERE, who ARE you? And then he was like "I'm the president of the university." I was like wow...

Dr. N: For me to fully explain reproduction I'm going to need 9 months.

Dr. M: Like when you have all this money and don't know what to do with it.
Shar: Sugar daddy for you...

Her sphincter is definitely tightened. We have a pop quiz.

That bitch needs to get LAID..ok so who's going to take one for the team?

Mmm break me off a piece of that!

*in lab*
Gr: Wait, you're both in the same room? THAT'S DISGUSTING! I'm thinking *starts drawing* there's a kitchen, a living room
Me: No, more like bed, desk, desk, bed, door.
Gr: and there was PENETRATION?!
Me: shh!
Gr: That's insane! It's like Sreeja..and SEX!
Me: SHUT. UP.
Gr: Nobody's listening.
N: Um I'm pretty sure half the lab is listening.

2010-10-31T14:25:00.005-05:00

Dad's Corner
*in car*
Dad: That baby has no hat on! Look how red she is! She is going to turn into a statue. Back before we had a car -
Me: When did you not have a car?
Dad: In the early days we rode the bus, while we were in drivers' ed. You and your mother arrived in July and in December we had to go to the Social Security office with you and you were like "MY HAND! MY HAND!" because it was too damn cold.

*suppository lecture*
Prof's Overhead Sheet: Drug absorption may be ERROTIC *cross out* ERRATIC

1 more month.

I can't drink milk anymore. I just diagnosed myself with lactose intolerance :/

2010-10-12T20:49:00.003-05:00

Let it be noted that the week of Oct 11 is the first "CRAZY" week of pharm school.

2010-09-23T22:26:00.008-05:00

So..I spent the past 3 hours in the floor lounge (which I usually have all to myself) while my roommate "smoothed away" her boyfriend's legs. And guess what? When I had sworn off tv for tonight, the Big Bang Theory premiere greeted me as I walked in. It demanded to be watched, and it made my day!

I think the dorm food has started to make me nauseous. Granola and veggie burgers can only go so far. My body misses the steady stream of real food. Never again will I ask for toast from the grill, they were freaking drenched with butter. Why must everything have butter/oil/salt on it? :(

*at picnic table*
Me: Oh my gosh! My salad has honey-mustard dressing!
K: You invited the bee to the party.

I have a friend with child-bearing hips that come handy when your crammed with your mates like sardines in a cab. Haha, if you look up "sweetheart" in the dictionary, you'll see her picture. The other friend, is a fellow FOTC fan who happens to run marathons :)

I am going to an Indian wedding in January biotch.

Holy crap my mind is going a mile a minute.

*back to studying*

2010-09-14T21:09:00.008-05:00

Week 5: Still going strong, BUT I am officially saying goodbye to the times when I could say I was "done" with homework. There is ALWAYS something to do or read :/

Dr. F *to sleeping girl's boyfriend*: Hey, wake her up..are you ok? You know attendance is not mandatory, I don't mind if you take a break, drink a cup of coffee or whatever..but you have to be pretty courageous to sleep in the front row!

Let's play, what's your addiction!
Shopping.
TV.
Weed.
...tea.

I'm going to make a saluuuushan tomorrow.

2010-09-10T22:14:00.001-05:00

I got white coated today! It's great to finally be legit :D

2010-09-05T19:19:00.005-05:00

*Overheard in New York*
Dude to waiter: Yeah, I'll have the scrambled eggs. Scramble 'em soft so they're a little runny, with extra crispy bacon--almost burnt--wheat bread just a little toasted. Yeah, very light. And a cut of Gruyere cheese and grapes on the side. Yo, you still got those crumpets? Those flaky crumpets? Cool, I'll have 'em with peppermint tea with a wedge of lemon and cane sugar. Alright? Thanks.
Girlfriend, eying him warily: Babe, your brunch game is tight. Like, suspiciously tight...

What's wrong with describing something/someone as being "around the ways?"

C: I don't remember that. Did that happen at that point of the night when everything was funny?
K: I am wearing my white coat EVERYWHERE!
P: I DESERVE to get a class of cold water.
S: I'm saving my 'sasha fierce' dress for later.

*sidewalk billboard*
STILL A VIRGIN?
Call (#)

Currently eating some sort of lima bean-corn-okra-tomato stew..I don't like it yet I continue to eat it.
BUT
Perk #2: Veggie burgers hot off the grill.

I still need to find my signature cocktail drink!

2010-08-30T17:13:00.005-05:00

The dorm cafeteria always has granola and it's HOMEMADE, with raisins, cinnamon, brown sugar, and sliced almonds, all toasted in some divine hydrocarbon-rich liquid. The latest great perk.

2010-08-27T20:02:00.007-05:00

The first week of pharmacy school is now complete. There were a few rough edges, but overall it was decent. Summer is quickly winding down and Labor Day marks the official end of the honeymoon!

In pharmacy school there's a lot to keep track of: Moodle, Doodle, and Livetext. I miss Blackboard :(

Being a vegetarian isn't a choice for me, it's a psychological imperative, and BBQs will always pop up to remind me that. I got a platter of sliced apples, bananas, and grapes specially prepared for me by a guy. It was pretty sweet, but never before did I ever want to be able to chow down a burger!

B: *to neighbor walking in* You are the show of the star!

N: I would say I'm anti..
S: Sharing?

2010-08-23T19:56:00.009-05:00

Day 1 completed. So far, so good. The schedule, impending work load, professors, and guidelines/philosophies are remniscient of Trinity's IB Program. I've transposed all my syllabi info to my wall calendar and sorted the handouts into labeled binders. Bring. it. on.

*after seeing me make tea for the third time since yesterday*
Nisha: You really like tea don't you?
I proceed to fill her in on my tea drinking routine.
Update: we get along quite nicely, she's a great listener and we both have low tolerance for the immaturity and ignorant attitudes of some people around here.

2010-08-22T16:37:00.007-05:00

Goodbye Summer!

I am officially moved in! After my dad and I made "veggie masala jumbalaya," the bro commuted with me to the dorm helping me carry the last items I had to bring (school stuff, food, and laptop). We took the bus back to the red line so I could scan him through, with a hug and wishes of good luck for the upcoming school year, we parted ways. I MADE SURE to exclaim "see you Friday!" and established the understanding that I'd be home most Fridays and Saturdays. Yet walking back to the bus stop, I felt funny. And sitting here, at my wonderful fully-equipped desk as my roommate sweeps the bathroom after watching a Law and Order SVU marathon in bed (with me listening), I still feel a little funny. I don't think it's "emotional," but knowing that I'm transitioning, realizing that my life is undergoing a change that's going to make an imprint. A transition that will also affect my family, as the first stage of my "leaving the nest." I'm going to miss their company, conversing and sharing laughs with bro watching random stuff, chillin with my dad (he was particularly sensitive this past week), talking to my mom, and just the sound of my parents voices, you know? One day, all that will be left are memories, photos, and video, so you have to cherish the few moments you have. Ok NOBODY IS DYING. But, as someone who tries not to take anything for granted, I'm sure this experience will only strengthen that.

First dinner in 1 hour...

Overheard in New York

"Why You Need a Degree To Be a Doctor/Pharmacist"
Girl #1: Yeah, he had a heart attack.
Girl #2: Oh, wow, but can't you take something during a heart attack to stop it from happening?
Girl #2: No, you can't.
Girl #1: What about Bayer aspirin? I see those commercials all the time, and they say it stops heart attacks.

"I Had a Long Conversation with One While I Was Shrooming the Other Day"
Girl #1: So, like Buddhist worship cows. They feel like they are sacred and don't eat them, or milk them, or nothing...
Girl #2: Aw, shit! For real?
Girl #1: Yeah, most of them are vegetarians. They don't eat anything that's alive, or has a soul, or something... Cause you can be reincarnated into something you can eat.
Girl #2: So what do vegetarians eat?
Girl #1, staring blankly: What?
Girl #2: What do vegetarians eat?
Girl #1: They're vegetarians! (giggles) Fuck! Vegetables! (rolls eyes, then laughs)
Girl #2, looking oddly: But trees are alive.

2010-08-19T22:06:00.004-05:00

My roommate:
- only plays the sport badminton
- drinks soymilk
- the only meat she really eats is chicken
- doesn't smoke or drink
- isn't a party animal
- values the friendship of a few friends
- is a clean/neat freak
- is open-minded
Match made in heaven? I think YES.

2010-08-18T16:51:00.008-05:00

"There should be a law telling my gf to stop saying my couch is ugly! Even tho it got flowers on it, my couch is ballin so you best DEAL.”
- A tweet by hamburgerhelpster or something featured on Jimmy Fallon.

After 3 mind-numbing days of orientation…I’m happy to say that I already LOVE my class. I feel like a nomad who has stumbled upon a village she can call home for the next 4 years. Though its a tough village to live in (a magnet for earthquakes, hurricanes, drought, and other catastrophes) the spirited villagers persevere and help one another prepare for the exodus that will take each of us to our promised lands.

*the following took place in an environment that will remain anonymous*
I sat next to someone who rubbed her lips for at least 20 minutes straight. At first, my peripheral vision made me think wow, she applies her chapstick very thoroughly oh wait no it’s just her finger. Maybe it’s a compulsion? Then, she just stops. What the hell is going on? The whole thing was just bizarre..and kinda gross.

Street Water Vendor: Hey gorgeous, want some ice cold water?
Me: Yea! Is it a dollar?
SWV: Sho is!
Me: Great, just what I needed!
SWV: Can I walk with you?
Me: Oh sorry, I have to be somewhere.
SWV: I can be there too. We can be somewhere together!

Move in is tomorrow! I'm glad that I won't be the only Pharm student there. So far, I've met 1 girl and 2 guys - all good people :)

2010-08-05T19:25:00.007-05:00

Another month, another blog layout. It's aggravating when your old layout disappears off the face of cyperspace. How does that happen? The links embedded in the html that code for parts of the layout cease to link to the image probably. For the third time, I was left scrambling to give my thoughts a new home. But once again, I can adjust to this change, and I'm sure I'll have to do it again soon. I still can't believe how I manage to customize the layouts through trial and error when I know nothing about html.

Today was my last day at UIC. As I walked the path to the train station for the last time, I have to say I got a little choked up. Stevensen Hall - the ultimate English class with the ultimate English professor, UH - breaks spent chilling, working on Redeye crossword puzzles, and talking about random things and people in hushed voices, the "have a good day wishes" with the accompanying wink, and the chillucino addiction. The indecipherable old bum that sells newspapers. I don't think I day went by when I didn't see him. In the pouring rain or the sweltering heat, he'd be there, with his yellow headphones calling out. He's become part of the UIC campus, that guy. Like Orion. I think I would have freaked out if he ever wasn't there. I think everyone would. Would this be the last time I see him? The last time I heard him say "Hgeajhi!"? Goodbye UIC. You were alright.

Browsed around in Bucktown today, sold a couple of shirts at Buffalo, bought a falafel sandwhich with half the money, and ate it at Wicker Park while watching some shirtless guys play soccer. Correction, try to play soccer. Not too shabby of an afternoon.

Off to the Bahamas in a few days. This should be interesting now that I'm 21...ah who am I kidding.

2010-07-29T21:56:00.003-05:00

SUBWAY NOW HAS $5 FOOTLONG FALAFEL SANDWICHES!!! I almost cried tears of joy. They are so DELICIOUS.

Finally I buy a subscription to a magazine! Of course, it's Entertainment Weekly ;) I wish I had known how cheap these were before.

TA: *after a series of failed polls* Raise your hand if you hate it when I ask you guys to raise your hand.

Me: Hmm..I don't have any rings.
Kendra: Neither do I.
Me:...wait, were you guys talking about engagement rings?
Kendra: Yea
Me: WHO THE HECK IS ENGAGED?!
Kendra *points to R.P. and M.G.*
Me: What? I had no idea!
*later*
Me: If you don't mind me asking, did you meet him or was it arranged?
R: I knew him for years, he's in my family.
Me: Oh. You mean..your extended family?
R: Yea, yea.
shiit.
I'm sorry, but that's orthodox OLD SCHOOL and it gives me the heebie jeebies.

UIC classes are coming to an end. No more stinkin labs! I have to admit I had a dramatic case of senioritis though. I freaked myself out.

Tom Hardy is a sexy chameleon, not to mention the best Heathcliff EVER.

Preparing to move out is exhilirating! And just a tad bit stressful. But it's giving me a taste of what I'm in for when I move out for good. I just can't get over how many options there are for EVERYTHING! I mean, I think I spent 10 minutes in the bath section of Target staring at all the different bath totes/shower caddies before running away and finding a few good ones in my own house!

It's official. My brother listens to the weirdest music. Currently he's got "Beautiful Life" by Ace of Base on a loop..I can hear it blasting from his headphones.

Let the sun wake you up in the morning as often as you can.

2010-07-20T11:37:00.001-05:00

I love epiphanies. I just finished reading the entire Bhagavad Gita, over several subway rides, and it was an amazing experience...

I was having a hard time with the anti-climactic message of Lord Krishna urging Arjun to fight in a war and strike down his enemies, and I wasn't satisfied with Gandhi's interpretation that it's a metaphor for people's internal struggles. So I reasoned that not only was such a message a reflection of the martial time in which it was written (like the Old Testament), but God creates and destroys. Arjun is just how He is choosing to execute the end of the lives of the people whose time was "up." Just as I had formulated this, I read: "Already I have struck them down; you are just my instrument, Arjuna." YES!

I've always believed in the central dogma that the One Supreme Being, who is, has, and always will be manifests through an infinite amount of ways and the countless human avatars include Rama, Krishna, and yes, Jesus. This is why I have beef with the common assumption of Hinduism as a polytheistic religion. While reading the Gita, I developed an analogy: The Eternal Self is the light that shines through a prism (the universe), and the rainbow that emerges through the prism's angles - with it's infinite shades and combinations of colors - are wavelengths of the source Light. They represent the Manifest, the range of human perception. We access the source through numerous colors and angles of the prism, but in the end we ultimately reach the Light all of the colors diverge from. I'm sure someone else has developed this kind of analogy in more detail, but having thought of this metaphor inspired by the Gita's words was awesome.

I remember making this sarcastic comment in my head to something I read, and in that instant, a guy laughed out loud for reasons I don't know. If I hadn't heard laughter before or after that, I wouldn't have found it weird.

As I was finishing the Gita, I just happened to sit in a seat on the train where my back was directly against the sun. You know that single seat against the window in the corner behind a pair of seats? So there was this warm, radiant light against me and all around me. It was miraculous.

2010-07-18T12:26:00.000-05:00

I just found out my academic record can sustain 3 D's and still pull of a 3.0 GPA at all levels, which exceeds the 2.0 average requirement that apparently applies to the average of courses and not each one - as I had previously assumed. Not that I'm getting D's, but my stress levels will be in a favorable range for another month. S.C.O.R.E.

*Robotic female narration towards the end of DNA replication animation*
"Intricate as this mechanism appears, numerous components have been deliberately left out to avoid complete confusion."

My 21st birthday consisted of barhopping and imbibing mai thai, havana night, and margarita cocktails. Plus, the mind-blowing movie "Inception." I know I talked way too much and my ADD was on overdrive. It was a great night, and it was awesome to finally be able to sit down at a bar and buy a drink. I love you Alicia!

2010-07-13T23:22:00.006-05:00

Overheard at Gas Pump
*guy on phone* Dude, what are you doing right now? You wanna get a drink? I just had dinner with that chick I met the other night. It was not good. Not good at all. Yea, she was soo much more fun when she was drunk.

Note to Self: Make a jumbo collage for dorm room. Remember how much you love collages?

I CAN'T WAIT for this weekend. I will actually be "going out," in the proper use of the expression. The phrase "getting sloppy *****" was thrown around. I feel like one of those girls in a Jane Austen novel on the verge of her "coming out" ball. Just wish all the girls were here to celebrate, but I know we'll make up for it soon :)

2010-07-11T23:42:00.003-05:00

Thank you Brian :)

...That's it? That wasn't bad at all.
Lady: Uh oh..
I think I'm high on endorphins right now.
Brian: That's the best part. Somebody's going to be an addict.
Lady: I think they'll be seeing more of you!

God help me.

2010-06-30T22:57:00.006-05:00

Dad's Corner
Because you bought me Preparation H today, I shall buy you first-class strawberries tomorrow!

So I just discovered that my old BIOS 101 TA is now a female bodybuilder...but for some reason, this broke my heart. Maybe this is her dream, I don't know her story, but 2 years ago, she was a glowing, thickalicious (think Scarlet Johansson), young eco-ev grad student. Now, she's an emaciated, tanned, testosteroned woman. When she subbed for 1 of my classes, I was convinced she had become anorexic, survived some terminal illness, or become stressed-out and malnourished on one of her abroad internships. So out of concern and curiousity, I googled her to see what she had been up to and ended up on some California flexonline contest page. Being the smart biologist that she is, I know that she knows what she's putting her body through, so I wonder what her motivation is...Anyways, I just hope she'll be ok.

My older cousin Deepa is getting married in October. In the meantime, the two are getting to know each other chatting on the phone *rolls eyes*. The first marriage of our generation, and all I'll see is a dvd of it. The rents and bro are going though. Gosh, I really hope I get to PARTICIPATE in wedding festivities before I'm freaking in one..

Note to Self: never let dad cook your pasta, it will end up looking like it was regurgitated.

2010-06-25T22:27:00.011-05:00

*Genetics lecture*
Nyb: Who's a vegetarian?
*TA Michelle raises her hand*
Nyb: Why are you a vegetarian?
TA Michelle: Because I'm a grad student.
Nyb: Ha..actually, I think being vegetarian is more expensive than being a regular person.
TA Michelle:...HEY!

TA Michelle collecting our homework: *sigh* ok guys the spirals kill my soul a little bit, but that's ok...what? who used super long paper? what is this? a scroll? thanks for not writing in pink..or crayon..

Nik: He has nice teeth.
And you know what they say about guys with nice teeth!

Decisions Decisions...with custom modifications...it took me months to get to this point.

This is not on MY skin..yet.

Dad's favorite

Mom's favorite

My favorite

2010-06-21T23:18:00.002-05:00

Good hygiene - attractive. Metrosexuality - NOT attractive. I wonder how much time and money this one guy invests in hair, stubble, and outfit to look like one of those Bollywood stars. No wait, more like a member of a boy band. Quite frankly, it freaks me out.

"G as in...ghost?"

So I saw a lady flossing on the CTA the other day - one of the most revolting things I've ever seen. I also noticed she was with a man, upon whom her arm rested, and what a cute ogre couple they were. There really is someone out there for everyone.

Microbiology lab is a boring nightmare and my lab partner Olga has the thickest face/hand "cream" ever. Unfortunately for me, she squirted an inch of it onto my hand and I spent the next few minutes frantically trying to get the white ointment off my hands while she kept telling me it would go away eventually.

I just learned that prescription pain-killers are routinely prescribed after childbirth. It's so bad that you need opiates? As I contemplated this out loud..
Carmen: You know what a coconut looks like?

2010-06-10T16:26:00.004-05:00

Olives are an acquired taste, aren't they? Last week I thought I had finally acquired it, but now I lost it again.

My last semester at UIC begins next week. I hope it flies by.

Dad's Corner
Mary auntie's crazy again. Don't tell your mother I told you.

For the first time in my entire life, I heard the "n" word yelled at my car from a middle-aged white lady at the stop sign by the Circle bridge. In context: "dumb n******!" Kenya, who was in the passenger seat, laughed and said "I guess she thought you were black too haha." Maybe because she's originally from Mississippi. I was appalled and angry and apparently kept saying "what did she just say?" I trust that karma took care of her. I can't wait to get out of this town.

Patel doctors freeze the CVS computers.

So I met an anal vegetarian pharmacist. While ordering Dominoe's, the request that stood out to me the most was to "not cut the pie." Later I learned that one day he found a sliver of pepperoni on the edge of his slice. The revelation that they don't clean the cutters between pizza-cuts traumatized him for life. Now, I have him to thank for the thought of meat particles clinging to the edge of my pizza slices. But whatever right? They're probably everywhere, like germs.

$182 and one week later my computer power cord has been restored by a hippie couple. Geek squad let me down with their lack of skill in the hardware department. What else did this include? A lot of "bonding" time with the bro watching the HORRID-PIECE-OF-SHIT that is the Planet of the Apes remake, rewatching LOTR-ROTK, the incredibly frustrating Nightmare on Elm Street, and The Wolfman.

2010-05-30T23:57:00.004-05:00

If cops were werewolves, it must be a freaking full moon now. And as I am trying to earn and save, or what Santiago describes as "recuperating," getting pulled over and handed a ticket is not an option so I must be extra diligent. One of them almost followed me home for nothing! And I think I came very close to having a panic attack. My dad, who never wore a seatbelt in his life, is now reluctantly doing so and forcing us (as he should) to do the same.

The dorm tour went alright, just the generic college dorm. Honors and grads on the first floor only THANK GOD and I hope that makes a difference ;) There weren't any red flags, which was good. It was hilarious how the lady described the courtyard/patio as where the "boys and the girls meet" since it's between the wings ha. Wonder what that really means. The free printing is the biggest perk, compensates for the "microfridges are no longer supplied." I picked one out anyways, and kinda holding out for a sale. So, I'm planning but will kick into full gear in 2 months - feeling scared and excited at the same time. There's a lot to think about and prep for! Thankfully, I've gotten all the forms and immunizations out of the way. Meningitis is one less thing I have to worry about.

But before all that...I get to take advantage of my mom's newfound cruise addiction and go to the BAHAMAS! Funny, I get back the day before orientation..

Rye bread is NASTY. I don't know what hogwash my mom read that is making her eat that. This from the woman who tells my aunt that some fung-shuy guy advises to throw wood splinters and a few other things into a river to to help sell their condo. Anyways, how can anyone stand that minty musty taste? Dad was wondering what I was going on about this morning until he got a whiff of it himself. Then, he proceeded to tell me that "heating it would make it taste better" - it DID NOT. So I happily settled for the crust-end slice of my regular wheat bread.

On days off, not wanting to sweat like a pig and "recuperating" only mean one thing - Buffy marathon. Brings back so many memories. I wanted to BE Willow and realized that I still have a big crush on Xander. How old was I in 1997? 9. Wow, this explains a lot.

2010-05-24T22:29:00.003-05:00

You know when it's hot outside when your chapstick melts into a syrup and the apple you brought for lunch cooks.

Last night was an emotional night. It was the end of an era. The finale of an iconic, character-driven, psychological thriller/mythological adventure that captivated me for 6 years - years of my life that I don't want back! I understand why many are not satisfied because it was open to interpretation, but if it wasn't then it wouldn't be LOST! I'm content. After falling in love with these characters, knowing them inside and out, their flaws and redeeming qualities, relationships with each other, watching them overcome trials and tribulations and discover their purpose, seeing them finally find peace was wonderful. Thankfully, it was all real for them, and, although I've told myself it's a fictional show countless times, their journey was real for me too. If I keep typing I'm going to cry again, and that has to stop. And it's also been brought to my attention that montages set to music DO NOT fare well with me. So, I'll be waiting for the next great show, but I wonder if anything will ever come close to topping my all-time favorite.

2010-05-03T02:10:00.002-05:00

My research is officially complete! HUZZAH!

After watching two versions of Mansfield Park twice over the past two years (that's a lot of 2s), I have decided to finally read it.

I have 4 weeks of just SUMMER for the first time since like 2002. Although I'll be working part-time, I won't have a summer reading assignment, be in India, or take a class. Although this is exciting, I am scared that I won't know what to do with myself with all that free time, especially without a U-pass till around June 7th...

One of the things on my bucket list is to close my eyes, spin a globe, and pack my bags. Just head off to wherever my finger lands. Like James McCavoy's character in "The Last King of Scotland," except without all the violence and drama. This would go as "spontaneous" on my regular list and I would go anywhere with the exception of 3rd world/wartorn areas, bodies of water, and Miami. I can be reckless too you know ;)

2010-05-03T02:08:00.004-05:00

Have you ever met someone who just decided they don't want to get along with you? It's as if they assess you and just figure, "we have nothing in common so I won't even bother making conversation." My deliberation about this confronts me with my naivete about people. I'm open and nice to everyone because it's usually not that hard to find mutual interests and admirable qualities in people. However, sometimes it takes effort. It is more challenging when the other person doesn't even bother. You know how I know this? She magically makes conversation with a black pharmacist she works with for the first time, about things that anyone can talk about. I get that you feel more comfortable with other black women, but to this extent in your mid-twenties, really? Being hyper-critical to find faults with what I do and lingering on them with nasty exasperation makes me wonder if she's insecure. I'm trying to understand her feelings: she had a rough upbringing, is trying to go to college, and here she's surrounded by people younger than her who had more opportunities and are now in pharm school. I don't blame her for resenting me. I'm just going to abort mission and just be courteous no matter what, maybe someday she'll come around, maybe she won't. Imaginary Therapist: Sreeja this is you trying to make everything perfect and dandy, but sometimes things involving people don't work out. Get over it and move on.

2010-05-02T13:02:00.005-05:00

I just realized I look like the shnazziest bum right now. I am wearing a burnt blue t-shirt with hot pink and black checkered pants and knee-high emerald green socks. Carrie Bradshaw better watch her back ;) Ha no, I look like something that got spit out of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.

For the second time in my life, I died in a dream. It's the wildest experience and I pay EXTRA attention to the death process, you know the feeling, tunnel and light, etc. You would think you'd wake up right? But if you concentrate enough, you can push it to a glimpse of a pseudo-afterlife. In the first one about 5 years ago, I dreamed I was a victim in a mall massacre, very morbid I know, but I just had a dull pain, blacked out, and woke up. This time, I was part of a geological expedition to one of the world's hot spots. The major volcano was going to erupt in several weeks, so the area had major activity. Already this is more exciting. So we do some sample collecting and trekking in a place that looked like a sunny Mordor. One guy sunk in mud - this was the first "omen." Since it was a dream, people were shocked but that was the end of it. Next, the bearded, Hispanic professor was conducting a meeting in the research facility's room at the site. I was in the back corner (typical) by the windows. We hear a loud rumble and roar. Even before the ground shook, we knew what was coming and everyone had the same thought - it's happening early. There's a deafening sound of the tsunami of lava and a bright orange/red light floods the room. I feel a blast of heat as everything is collapsing around me amidst clouds of black ash. Before I feel like I'm burning, I get sucked into a vortex of black and a numbness comes over me. There are a few seconds of nothing where I think now what? I open my eyes to find myself on the second floor of a retail store. Definitely not my idea of heaven so I must be somewhere else. As soon as I think this, different visions just morph in and out. In one, I remember I was in a field and saw a friend from high school in a black dress holding hands with a little boy. I'm confused, but wave back at her anyway. I wonder why the only familiar face I remember seeing is the girl whose father was killed at a train station. So I think this was my brain's way of moving on from one sequence to another, but regardless I really hope the afterlife (if there is one before reincarnation) is more peaceful and elating than whatever it was I experienced!

I hate comments on my looks. It makes me feel awkward. This female customer looks at me and says "you're really pretty." She had a lesbionic vibe about her and I didn't want to seem fake by returning a complement so I just thank her, but instead of being flattered, I was MORTIFIED. There were three female co-workers behind me. I know I know, who cares what they think? Yet a voice in my head asked Wanna get away?

Dad's Corner
Sreeja, there is so much fleece in this house! Did you know that? I asked your mother where I could find another towel and she said the suitcase in the basement. As soon as I open that thing, 3 fleece blankets pop out. There was no towel. Just a pile of fleece. And we have enough clothes in this house for a village! Sho!

2010-04-28T21:16:00.005-05:00

Bro: Do you know who Justin Bieber is?
Me: Yea, why?
Bro: Can you believe he's this little kid?
Me: No, I can't. Do you listen to him?
Bro: No...but I like one of his songs.
Me: How does it go?
Bro: Baby baby baby oh like baby baby baby no, like baby-
Me: Ok you can stop.

Dad's Corner
OH! Look at those flowers! They have faces. See, they have yellow petals with three brown dots that look like eyes and a mouth. How frightening.

Customer: OOOH you look just like this black girl I know!

Geez will I ever NOT be addicted to granola?

10 MORE DAYS TILL SAN FRAN+PORTLAND!

2010-04-21T23:14:00.011-05:00

*Excerpt from Orgo Lab Practical Instructions*
"Using excess reagents may increase the intensity, but will result in shorter chemiluminescent times. Your chemiluminescence must persist for 15 seconds."
It's like the Potions class at Hogwarts!

I've decided I do want to go to the hide-out after all..if it involves a buff, stoic sheep farmer!

I have started unfriending those aquiantances that spam me with various requests. For the third time, I do not want to join your fucking group! Leave me alone person I had two conversations with!

While discussing with a coworker about cold tolerance, I admitted that I sleep under 2 fleece blankets, a comforter, and a quilt, while she sleeps under 2 blankets and a quilt - next to her husband. Whenever he isn't home, he puts 2 extra blankets on the bed. So...the thermal energy of a man is approximately equivalent to that provided by 2 blankets? Hmm.

I just started wearing a wrist support band on my left hand. I was unconsciously overworking it and was in denial until I seriously couldn't open jars and prescription vials or turn door knobs/handles. It's not carpal tunnel...yet. Because I've still got feeling! Whatever kind of sprain it is needs to heal and I need to nurture my median nerve. I can't wait till finals because then I will finally be able to get some HOLISTIC rest.

My backpack from Kathmandu, Nepal arrived! It looks different (better) than the one in the picture because there's variance with handmade stuff, but oh my is it exquisite. Dad kept sniffing it because he liked the smell.

2010-04-15T18:47:00.004-05:00

Last field day at Cranberry Slough
- saw a wild turtle, but couldn't pick it up because apparently it's jaws are strong enough to damage your hand
- found an owl/hawk feather and took it home, I have to ask some bird specialist at UIC which it is exactly
- ran away when Dr. N pointed towards a small snake
- ran away after seeing a huge garter snake slither off the path
Overall, it was an exciting day. I was also happy that, for once, I wasn't sniffling while collecting data.

Today, I saw the COOLEST BACKPACK I'VE EVER SEEN.
And I made it mine.

I hate Loss Prevention. Anytime you leave with a bag, they have to check it - like at the airport to make sure you're not stealing something. I don't have anything in there besides my wallet, phone, and keys. Plus, you have to stand there and wait for a manager person to come check it, so now I just use my pockets. But last time, I was walking out with the other half of my Jimmy John's sandwhich..and the bastard actually stopped me and made me open it up. Damn it! My plan to stuff things in the Jimmy John's wrapping paper my bro smuggles home from work has been foiled. :p just kidding, my bro can't work yet

CRUNCH. TIME.

2010-04-09T17:46:00.003-05:00

I WON THE HADLEY AWARD! My only competitors were a pair of students, who I'm sure did respectable research as well. Dr. N is the best. I couldn't have achieved any of this or have come so far with research without him. His wife's support has been great too. It's funny how he always says "cheers!" I think it's rubbing off on me..

Of course, the $500 is going to go towards my last semester of UIC tuition. I feel like I've accomplished something in my time at UIC. I was sure these 3 years would just be BLAH..so I'm thrilled to now have a crowning achievement for my undergraduate career! CELEBRATION TIME!

God I freakin love those trees.

2010-04-08T14:47:00.008-05:00

There comes a time in everyone's life when you witness a miracle, like a birth. In my case, it was the birth of a white ash tree. It was presumed dead in 2000, but there it was, radiant under the cloudy, dismal sky saying "look at me!" and standing tall with its branches. It was fine! It's diameter was 10.4 cm - meaning it crossed into the class of a "tree" from sapling (we also had 1 birth into the canopy class, 25 cm). I jumped up and down like a fool shouting "a birth!" Happy Birth Year Fraxinus! I could totally see myself coming back to the plot someday to see how much Frax, and some other trees, have grown :)

Speaking of miracles, for the first time in my life, I got pulled over for speeding and I think I may have found the secret to the warning! It was on that curvy sidewalk-less road between the Fitness Factory Outlet/Adam's landscaping places where we daringly rode our bikes down in middle school. The cop car came out of nowhere.
*I roll down the window (remembering not to open the damn door) and a skinny black cop with a groomed goatee walks up, surprisingly calm and smiling*
Goin pretty fast there
I know, I'm sorry.
Do you know how fast were you going?
...Like 45
Yea..I meant before you hit the brakes after you saw me?
GRRR *sheepish* More than that..it was cuz I have to be somewhere.
Where are you going?
Palos, to the forest preserve there.
Why?
For research.
What kind of research?
Tree dynamics.
..what?
Woodland dynamics.
What are you majoring in?
Biology.
Have you ever been pulled over before?
*clumsily handing him my license* not having my lights on doesn't count No...
Got your insurance?
Oh, yea. *Pulling out the little see-through envelope with the insurance card at the top* It's this right?
Yup that's it.
*looks at cards and hands them back to me* Ok will you slow down now?
Yes. Thank you!

Now I actually have to start paying attention to the spedometer, but 35mph is SLOW.

2010-04-03T00:00:00.018-05:00

WTF moment of the day
I place the Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette (it is to DIE for) in my basket.
I want a healthier skillet oil for my omeletes and paninis.
Oh! 'Trader Joe's Canola Oil Spray.'
I scan the nutrition label - all '0's. Is this possible?!
I look at the serving size
"1/3 of a second"

The clock just struck midnight. Hmm. When did I start looking at times like "10:19pm" and think the night is young! My sleep schedule for the past several weeks has been 2am-9am, give or take an hour, but I feel dandy and I think it works just fine!

I forgot to mention this in my post-cruise post, but Miami is one place I will NEVER visit again. I was only there from 1am - 10am and it was the most infuriating and repulsive experience I have ever had travelling. Sure, it's aesthetically gorgeous and the weather is nice, but it is a place where customer service and professionalism is hard to find.

1) After arriving at our hotel, we were hungry and decided to order from one of those flyers from pizza places that deliver to hotel rooms. Because of their large pizza, coke, and garlic rolls special, we chose "Johnny's." The girl on the phone quoted us a price of $23. DAMN. But we shrugged this off. The guy arrives and my mom deals with it. We ravenously dug in, but while half-way through my first slice, I asked her where the rolls were...they weren't there. Ok, that's fine. I'll call the lady back and they'll give us our rolls, hell we did not just pay $23 dollars for a liter of coke and a "large" pizza (it was just now dawning on us that it looked more like a "medium," and not because we were hungry - the flyer didn't mention sizes, of course). So, very calmly and considerately, I convey to her what happened and she replies "Oh he must have forgotten it, I'll call him and send him back there to give you the rolls." 15 minutes later, I call her back to check. I get voicemail. OH NO SHE DID-INT. This continues for the next HOUR or so, before my mom, who was annoyingly passive and indifferent to this indecency, commanded me to let it go. By this time, I had so much wrath bottled up in me, she was probably scared of the events that would ensue if I ever got through. I only conceded because it was my mom's money. If it was my $23 I would have called the police on their ass. I already saw 3 police cars pulling over shady people on the drive to the hotel. I know getting ripped-off and tourism go hand-in-hand but I never expected it in this context and to this extent. I wasn't mad with hunger or anything, the pizza had sufficed, I just wanted to get what we paid for. We never did get those damn rolls. We could save them for breakfast...

2) "FREE BREAKFAST!" That's what they advertised, luring my mom into booking that crappy hotel where the manager took 3 times as long as a 1st grader to convey a message. What was the breakfast? Toast with high fructose corn syrup jelly packets and a glass of OJ/coffee/tea. Fuckers.
Miami Vice indeed.

2010-03-26T18:59:00.006-05:00

The cruise was fabulous. Perfect weather, breathtaking views, fun entertainment, interesting tours, and sickeningly unlimited gourmet food. That was the most surprising - apart from the 2 buffets at breakfast and lunch and the 3-course formal dinner, there was 24-hour access to pizza, ice cream, and tea. I have never felt so gluttonous and lazy than I have in the past 4 days. When we weren't seeing a show, on a tour, on the deck, or eating, we'd just lie in our room watching random stuff on tv. It was so relaxing that, even though I tried, I couldn't substantially read or write anything. At night, I would just sit by the window staring at the moonlight glistening on the ocean. As for motion sickness, we only felt woozy a couple times, nothing serious. But now I'm experiencing phantom feelings of being on a moving ship, like the ground is still rocking a little even though I'm on solid ground...weird.

It's crazy how sticky you get from ocean breezes. One thing I won't miss is the "naturally volumizing" effect it had on my hair.

The whole "admiring the artistry of Mexican artisans" was ridiculously idealistic. If I ever visit Latin America again, I won't be able to shop because of how awkward and painful it is to even browse! You have to bargain, which I discovered a newfound hatred for. Some guys, even 1 lady, got pretty aggressive - I literally resorted to saying "I have to ask my mom!" and dashing. One man touched my arm, kept saying he loved me, and asked me if I had a boyfriend. But, I splurged on a kickass handwoven messenger bag for $20 (after I refused to $25), some woven bracelets (which I just said I'd pay him $2 each for because they all bring up their kids), and at a store with set prices, a jade Mayan calender and a Tulum souvenir with the symbolic Mayan Tree of Life sacrifice painting featured in "The Fountain."

Middle-aged white guy in a Hawaiian shirt: Man, that is the coolest outfit I have ever seen, can I take a picture?
A black guy with dreadlocks in a white long sleeve shirt and white pants accesorized with a fancy watch, long chain, and shades: Sure.
Hawaiian shirt guy: *takes picture* Wow, just like a Calvin Kline ad! Thanks man!
As the chillest man I have ever seen is two empty tables down from me, I calmly finished my cantaloupe, smiling towards the ocean.

*elevator opens to reveal 4 drunk guys, since I already started moving towards it, I take a deep breath and go in*
Guy looks at me: AAAY!
Me: Haha..What?
Guy, moving hand holding beer towards me: Aaaay!
*not knowing what else to do, I give him a fist bump*
--> that was the extent of my social engagement with strangers.

My tan line is hilarious. It looks like I could have been wearing one of those vintage bathing suits!

I had my first real drink on this cruise. An authentic pina colada - and boy was it GOOD. The mobile barista didn't card me. I tried my best to act 4 months older haha ;) She was actually ready to take an order for a real strawberry dachary for my cousin until I specified that it be virgin. Craziness! She was European though.

I had a great time and I would definitely do it again. I think the photos I took on this trip are the most picturesque to date.

2010-03-21T23:49:00.000-05:00

Dad's Corner
Negative thoughts are like ants, and you must be an anteater.

"We are virgins in this game."

I'm off to the Caribbean! Looking forward to meditating on the beach, sunsets at sea, virgin pina coladas, visually feasting on the work of Mexican artisans, touring Mayan ruins, and hopefully meeting some cool people around my age. The weather better be as perfect as a tropical paradise screensaver! Nowhere near the purgatory weather of Chicago. Anyways, I will return with souvenirs, pictures, journal blurbs, and ridiculously tanned legs.

Johnny Clegg - Dela
One day I looked up and there you were,
like a simple question looking for an answer.
Now I am the whale listening to some inner call,
swimming blindly to throw myself upon your shore.

What if I don't find you when I have landed?
Will you leave me here to die on your shore stranded?

I think I know why the dog howls at the moon.
I think I know why the dog howls at the moon.

I sing dela, dela ngyanya dela when I'm with you,
dela, sondela mama sondela, I burn for you.

I've been waiting for you all my life hoping for a miracle,
I've been waiting day and night, day and night.
I've been waiting for you all my life waiting for redemption,
I've been wating day and night, I burn for you.

A blind bird sings inside the cage that is my heart,
the image of your face comes to me when I am alone in the dark.
If I could give a shape to this ache that I have for you,
If I could find the voice that says the words to capture you.

2010-03-16T18:18:00.001-05:00

Today is a momentous day. For the first time, I put gas in the car all by myself!

2010-03-12T00:22:00.006-06:00

Today is the one year anniversary of my vegetarianism!

I would have forgotten about this had it not been for a segment about Food Inc. on Oprah yesterday. For the first time, I felt nauseous during a discussion about meat products. The guy talked about how he only eats free-range pork and grass fed cows and they juxtaposed shots of packaged meat with running farm animals! *gag*

Day 1 of field research complete. It went well, although at times I felt like a "Special" Independent Research student. Measuring diameters at breast height means lots of tree hugging! The weather was nice, the area was gorgeous, and there were cranes! It's funny how their long legs dangle while they fly.

2010-03-07T16:05:00.003-06:00

"The Sri Yantra, or Yantra of Creation, originated in our pre-history. It has been known in the Hindu and Buddhist traditions and since the earliest Vedic times as the most powerful and mystically beautiful of all yantras (power diagrams). It represents the timeless creative principle of the universe, the continuous unfoldment of all realms of creation from the central source, and with that mindfulness, it is used as an object of meditation. The central point, called bindu, represents transcendental unity and the source of creation. Man's spiritual journey from the stage of material existence to ultimate enlightenment is mapped on the Sri Yantra. The spiritual journey is taken as a pilgrimage in which every step is an ascent to the center, a movement beyond one's limited existence, and every level is nearer to the goal. Each of the circuits of the Sri Yantra, from the outer plane to the bindu corresponds with one of the stages of the spiritual journey. Its intertwining triangles represent the union of the opposites of male and female energies and spirit and matter."

The full breakdown of its intricacies: http://angelartweb.net/geometrie_sacree_sri_yantra_uk.htm

I would love to, no, HAVE to have this. Forever.

2010-03-05T19:44:00.004-06:00

Hey, how was your first day of driving?
Bro: It was ok.
Did you do anything wrong?
Bro: I missed some stop signs because I didn't see them
You missed some stop signs?
Bro: Yea let's focus on the negative why don't we!

Men need to lay off the cologne. Whatever happened to Irish Spring bar soap? Or Zest? This dude has on some exotic cologne from Dubai or something that is nauseating. I am going to choke-cough from now on whenever he walks by. Thankfully, he is one person over because if he was my lab partner, I would have flat out said I'm allergic...and I can't be his lab partner.

I also see too many white women over-tweezing their eyebrows. You really can't be satisfied until you have fashioned them into choppy rainbows with arrows pointing towards your nose? Someone needs an intervention. Pronto.

I've decided that one day, when I can afford to, I am going to research my ancestry. And this got me thinking..my parents are pioneers. In building a life here, and allowing my brother and I to do the same, they have iniatiated a lineage in America. Who knows if my great grandchildren will even be brown? It's weird to think that future generations will trace their Indian roots back to our little family. What I already know about the past few generations have been pretty interesting, but I think it'll be more fascinating to go farther back, like to the Chera Kingdom era. Nairs have a rich history, and a Wikipedia page, but I'd be interested to see how my ancestors were rooted in Indian history. For ex, my great-grandmother's family were active in the Raj movement, selling their gold to support the cause.

You know you work in an all-girl environment when you hear:
How was last night?
Rough?
Why?
Rough sex

In recent news rogue waves of unusual heights flooded cabins on a Mediterranean cruise ship off the coast of Spain, rupturing windows and killing 2 people, injuring 14. Greeat. I already have a phobia of broken glass. Well, I didn't plan on spending all my time in the cabin anyways..That reminds me, I'm sifting through 'good book' lists, but I'm not finding many summary things intriguing!

2010-02-26T20:25:00.012-06:00

I have befriended ExerciseTV.tv and you better believe I'm gettin my cardio groove on!

Dream #4
I'm volunteering at a home for the handicapped located on the other side of the circle bridge. The house is on the street one block down and one block to the left from the dog park. For some reason, all these kids have the latest videogames, videogame players, and various other modules, routers, and gadgets. I'm thinking, how come all these kids are so damn spoiled? Hell, if I cared about this stuff, I'd definitely want to get in on this! Anyways, it was fall and I would always walk over their at dusk. Once there, I would be invited in, sit down on one of the many floral print comfy chairs and try to hold a conversation with a couple of them while they played their videogames. One night, all the volunteers were going to attend this benefit. We were all supposed to meet there and leave together at 7. For some reason, I arrive 5 minutes late in harem pants and a half-sleeve hoodie. Everyone became silent. One girl, wearing a nice dress, was so embarrased that she wrapped an emerald scarf around me. Great, now I look alright!

5 hours working the 'front' register at CVS was TORTURE. I don't know how people do it for a living. They have a superpower. It's boredom punctuated by moments of clutter, confusion, wrestling with stuck-together plastic bags, and getting hit on by black guys. THANK GOD it was only 5 hours up there. At least the one in pharmacy is tolerable. The last time I experienced tedium like that was when I was working Games at Kiddieland. Just thinking about that makes my mind play that neverending music, dadada daa daa dadada daa daa NO.

Everyone I've worked with in the main store has been nice and helpful so far. Of course they are, my secret to getting along with anyone is to make them think you are really interested in them and making them feel important. I still have to take some classes and web modules before I can start in pharmacy. Before I did register on my own, I had to shadow a few people. I spent the whole time shadowing H from OPRF thinking about what actor he looked and sounded like. It's somewhere in the Channing Tatum/Chris Evans category (*EDIT* got it, it's John Krasinski), but he's sweet, kind of shy, and claims that noone in the store likes him, which I disagreed with. Anyways, the assistant manager (the one who does all the busy work and has to deal with me) is a riot. He's this cool, laid-back, smokin, beer-bellied, goateed, skinhead type with a four-leaf clover tattoo on his forearm. AWESOME.

No. I can't believe this. IT CAN'T BE! Kiddieland's Anthony, WM's Ahmad, ..could *A* be the new incarnation? HOLY SHIT I JUST REALIZED ALL THEIR NAMES START WITH 'A'! He's a young supervisor (picture an arrogant, scrawny, bearded Jeremy Davies in dark-rimmed glasses) who kind of hazed me when I was shadowing H. This reminds me, not only do they have cameras up there (duh), the supervisors can and apparently DO watch you - which freaks me out and scares me into being extra careful. The boredom finally became so unbearable that I grabbed one of those trashy magazines. H doesn't say anything so I start flipping the pages realizing I don't care about anything that I'm seeing. "A" walks in a couple minutes later saying "I guess H didn't tell you about policy #4." Considering you're not giving me any work to do after finishing my reading 2 hours early, you can stick policy 4 up your ass. Yet there might be hope for me because, since he deals with the main store, our interaction will hopefully be limited.

Dad's Corner
-Why does your hair look like it's been chewed up by a rat?
-*blasting "How Low" by Ludacris* Ha! By the time you make sense of what he's saying, the verse is over! Yeaah superstar!

2010-02-22T19:15:00.006-06:00

The TA shoves back intestines, fat, and bile coated gallbladder to expose abdominal vasculature. What would happen if someone threw up into a cadaver? They would have to clean it up. That seems like it would be hard. The poor body donor. You can't just stop using it because it would smell and/or be disgusting. That would be an insult to the altruistic individual. Could you use suction? No, you might suck up something important..

I spent hours on Excel making a map of the living trees in the plot. Once the snow melts, we'll go to the site, retrace the old boundaries, and discover them in the phytoflesh! I'm excited to actually do some field work. I've got mad presentation skills man. Nyberg gave me props for the map, and my new boss appreciated the organized availability sheet I fashioned for her, complete with merged-celled tables ;)

2010-02-20T17:57:00.014-06:00

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
*Charlie on a blind date*
Dennis: Do you remember your back story?
Charlie: *shakes head*
Dennis: You're a philanthropist ok? That's who you are. You used to own a small business, but you gave all that up to help others.
Charlie: Ok ok, now who am I helping?
Dennis: It doesn't matter! Old people, children, autistic, dyslexic folks.
Charlie: Ok I'm a full on-filion...I'm not gonna get it. How do you say it? What is it?
Dennis and Mac: PHILANTHROPIST.
Charlie: *blows*
Dennis and Mac: Oh my God what is that? Cheese? How much cheese have you eaten today?
Charlie:...how much cheese is too much cheese?
Mac: Any amount of cheese before a date is too much cheese!
Charlie: I had a block of cheese. I was very nervous and I started eating cheese man!
Dennis: Ok just don't breathe in her direction.
Charlie: How do I look? Do I look handsome?
*later*
Girl: So what do you do?
Charlie: I'm a..a..fil..ful...fullonrapist. Um. Africans, dyslexics, children, that sort of thing.

Damn poignant greeting cards and their perfectly articulated sentiments! I was frantically wiping my eyes in the Jewel aisle because I didn't want to look like some emotionally vulnerable girl with issues. I just wanted a birthday card for my mom, but I had to read ALL of them because I had to find the perfect one...why does it say "Hi, I'm Tequila" at the top of the receipt? Was that what the cashier's mother was on when she conceived her?

Dad's Corner
- Your exercising on the treadmill in those saggy sweatpants terrifies me! Your foot could get caught in it and you could hurt yourself!
- Don't inhale too much sea air on that cruise!
- *opens door to room* One time, you're uncle and I met a lady with a hole in her hard palate and she talked like this HAH WA MA-
Bro: Go away nobody cares.

I saw some guy accidentally get his butt grazed by an older, lady stranger. The events were as follows:
Both persons walk down the ramp
Lady walks right behind at a faster pace
Guy slows down a little while Lady starts to go around and pass Guy
Lady makes contact for a brief moment, then keeps speedwalking on
Guy turns back with a "WTF just happened" expression on his face
I muffle a laugh
Guy glances at me
I look straight ahead and keep walking

Organic Chemistry Lab is claiming hours of my life! Pages and pages of talking about methods and data and volatile liquids for 1 lousy credit hour! On the bright side, it's the last class I need to care about passing to keep my pharm school seat. I just wish it was easier to half-ass.

I could look at 90s Brendan Fraser ALL DAY. I'm feeling a marathon coming up really soon...

I was on the expressway for a few minutes! This was a couple of weeks ago when I had to go get a drug screening in Elmhurst for the job. Lake turns into a crazy expressway for a little bit. It was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. Thankfully, I just followed the big green signs. The area was just a business/factory district. The drug screening center was a bitch to find so I went into the most approachable building to ask for directions, something "Suites." Of course there's a hotel here. And down the ways from Jaguar. The bored, lonely hotel lobby receptionist looks up the directions for me because he said it was "tricky" and prints it out. I'm thinking, "he's using company paper to help someone who isn't a guest, scandalous!" But it was really nice of him, and although he probably sees other people getting action, the place seemed to be generally void of any. It ended up being on a side street across the street behind some building. Anyways, he reminded me of Leonard. I wanted to give him a hug, but I sincerely thanked him instead.

2010-02-18T00:40:00.008-06:00

I've decided to start keeping a dream journal. I think it's the most fascinating biological process. According to Freud, a dream is the fulfillment of an inner wish that one may not even be aware of, and that even the most random dreams are ultimately sensical. I don't have the time or patience to analyze my dreams, but it would be nice to have a collection of the movies of my subconscious. My first entry happened to be one of my favorite themes - scifi.

So I'm at this formal occasion at a museum or art gallery opening. It's a very classy atmosphere, with suits and bold-colored, geometric dresses bathed in chandelier light. All of a sudden, there's a rush of water coming in from everywhere and bright lights shining through the windows from outside. Aliens have inundated the city. As the water rises, everyone becomes more frantic. I feel my survival instincts kick in, but before I can run up towards this one spot, Adrien Brody grabs me and shoves me onto the elevated platform jutting out of a window, pressing me against the pane to shield me from the flood. Those who have been struggling have stiffened up and are now standing waist-deep in the water. They do not blink. I infer that the water has been infused with some kind of chemical/neurotoxin that turns people into robots. They start filing out of the hall oblivious of us. Somehow the window platform connects to higher ground and we make a run for it. A terrified lady runs past us in the other direction...and then I wake up.
DAMMIT!

I totally agree with Freud's theory, I DO wish to be rescued from aliens by Adrien Brody.

2010-02-17T00:10:00.000-06:00

Everyone has that song that takes them away, makes them steal minutes now and then to press pause on consciousness. To escape from reality and seek refuge in imagination. This has been mine for the past couple months. It's an ode to the moon, one of the celestial bodies that has graced humans for the past 200,000 years of our meager existence. It conjures up various emotions, nostalgia of past experiences, and excitement for future adventures. I imagine...
camping in the mountains with friends
sitting on the balcony outside my room in India
drifting in a canoe in a placid lake
sitting on a New York terrace
lying under the Arizona sky
outside a log cabin in the Alaskan wilderness
sleeping on the Great Wall of China
walking on a beach in Crete
on the deck of a ship, taking in the vastness of the sea and starry night
listening to a stranger's life story in a sleepy roadside diner in New Mexico
being on the Golden Gate Bridge...

Yup, it's all on the bucket list :)

2010-02-14T02:12:00.002-06:00

Oh amoré, love, romance...Let cupid's arrows rain. Salutations Eros - let's bathe in Casanova's sperm (he was impotent - the pedants cry). How many cards? Ooh, let me count...a big fat zero. Still, you don't get bitter, do you? You've got to laugh at life. Look at all the cruelty, injustice, propaganda and terror and laugh.
HA HA HA HA HA HA. <3 <3 <3 <3
I will find her...

- Russell Brand

A woman wrote to tell me she wanted more than anything to find true love. I told her to burn a yellow candle (for love) for five minutes and repeat the phrase 'The man I seek seeks me.' I advised her to see herself in a contented love relationship. She wrote me months later to say she'd found her soul mate and they were getting married.

- American psychic Kenny Kingston

2010-02-12T10:46:00.004-06:00

Laughter is the best medicine!

2010-02-10T13:32:00.012-06:00

"WTF IT'S AN ADULT ONEZIE!!!"
"Once you get in, you'll never want to get out."
"Does it come in white? Because I not only want to feel the marshmallow soft fleece I want to look like a marshmallow as well."
"I could see myself ninjaing around town in this get up getting into who knows what kind of mischief."
"I weep for the future."
Nik: Looks like someone's preparing to get boned by the energizer bunny.

I hope you enjoyed watching softcore teletubby porn.

2010-02-09T12:07:00.006-06:00

I have to admit I'm not big on politics and don't regularly follow the people who run this joint because, thankfully for me, my opinions are congruent with the Democratic majority in this state. I know, my conforming to the 'diffusion of responsibility' is detestable. That being said, I only get my news from my Yahoo homepage, The View's 'Hot Topics,' and the first 15 minutes of Good Morning America and guess who showed up on all three? Sarah Palin and her keynote speech at the "Tea Party" Convention. UGH. She is so annoying! "Run, Sarah, Run!"??? Nobody knew she existed until McCain picked her as a gimmick and she couldn't even get along with his staff. How is she going to run this country? Sure, she appeals to Republicans because she's a strongly opinionated conservative, but others see how embarrassing she can be. She called Obama out on his use of teleprompters, while reading notes off of her own hand, claimed his healthcare reform plans and other programs are socialist, wanted someone fired for saying "retard" while condoning another's "satirical" use of the word, and don't even get me started on her narrow-minded views about vegetarians. Google it if you're interested because I don't want those asinine comments on my blog. Just when I thought she couldn't get any worse, she said Obama should declare war on Iran to show how 'tough' he is. I just want to avoid the news now because the thought of her being this influential sickens me. I've heard a couple TV audiences laugh at the mention of her desire to run for president - that's reassuring right? Well, if this bespectacled Ursula runs, I might just have to get up off of my lazy ass and vote.

2010-02-07T14:13:00.017-06:00

I got the job at CVS! 10 reasons why this is exciting:

1. The manager, Carmen, is intelligent, approachable, and understanding. She kept saying she loves pharmacy students even though she has to pay them more :) and serves as a preceptor (rotation supervisor) for UIC and Midwestern students. Plus she's Puerto Rican so I can practice and improve my Spanish!

2. Carmen's going to treat me as a student, train me beyond tech stuff and give me literature so that I can "emerge as a confident counselor." How cool is that? I can even answer people's basic drug questions - something I was forbidden to do at WM. We talked about pharm school for awhile and she laughed when I referred to myself as a "newbie."

3. It's very patient oriented.

4. It's in Oak Park - more amiable clientele.

5. There are only 2-3 people in there at at time and they're mostly mature women - drama free!

6. It's small, carpeted, and there are seats for people against the wall. When I followed her back to the consultation window to pick up my drug screening form, a ghetto dude sitting there whistled at me. That's a first. I hoped that the tech working there didn't notice and awkwardly put the coat that I was holding back on.

7. Carmen ranted about how much she hates WM - how busy the store is, the lines and waits, how they treat their workers, the "mostly uneducated clientele with no class." She never got through to anyone to ask about me. When she tried to apologize, I told her she didn't need to and that I definitely have battle scars from working there. If I could handle that environment, I could handle anything - this was paradise. After her explanation of CVS benefits, I realized I barely had any at WM, was payed chump change, and consistently worked over my availability requests.

8. She's only scheduling me for the days I put down - no extra shifts unless I want them!

9. I start out with 2 weeks vacation time and get a check for time I don't use.

10. I'll have seniority and start out with 3 weeks paid vacation if I decide stay with them after graduation!

I sent in my matriculation forms to CSU yesterday. One of the pages was about the white coat ceremony with a size slip at the bottom. I circled 'small' and thought, is all this really happening? I know that moment 6 months from now will be surreal. I'm so grateful for these wonderful fortunes. We all have rough times, but if you keep your head up, be the best person you can be, and believe in the opening of new doors and appearance of new trails, life won't let you down. It really has become a year of new beginnings. I hope this new phase will complement my journey and mold me into the professional I want to be, someone approachable who people can trust with helping maintain and improve their health.

2010-02-05T18:36:00.007-06:00

I'll try anything once.
That will be another motto of mine. Plus, it will help me with my tocophobia. I know this whole thing is ridiculous because I don't plan to have a kid till I'm 27 or so, but Anat&Physio reminded me of this issue I have. What I'm going to do now is entertain my thoughts about this future experience and stash it away for future reference. I'm trying to slowly condition my perception away from the totally warped, 'hormonal vessel of growing life that will feed off of you, physically respond to stimuli, regularly inflict nausea and pain, and then be expelled, leaving you to nurse your lacerations and empyting uterus for days afterwards while adjusting to the newly acquired bodily function of lactation - when the feeding phases from parasite to leech' view. Do I have a long, arduous trail ahead of me? Hell yes, but although I won't be trekking up that mountain for several more years, I read that fearing the process and letting it control you makes it worse, but if there's one thing I do well, it's planning and being prepared. I can see myself reading the best-rated books and registering for Lamaze and/or Hypnobirthing classes - just for the relaxation part, the idea of me having a natural childbirth is laughable. If, after all this, the first one still turns out to be a a traumatic nightmare -HELLO SURROGATE! And at least I'll be able to say I tried it :) Apparently India is a leading country when it comes to gestational surrogacy..hmm.
*returns book back to shelf in mind library*

My brother left for a two-day ski trip this morning. He walked into the kitchen wearing a fanny pack and asked me, "Is this gay?"
"Yes. Are you and your partner planning to take your kid to Disney World? For the love of God put everything you need in a backpack."
Dad proceeds to lament my brother's lack of preparation skills and expresses that he never has to worry about me in that respect. Aww thanks dad :) Why is there a fanny pack in the house? And how did it end up around my brother's waist?

The next time you find yourself in a lecture hall, glance around at the laptops. 95% of them are people doing various things on facebook. As if people didn't already know your business, everybody sitting behind you now has tickets to a live show. That's when the reality of "facebook addiction" really hit me.

Iceland has been replaced with a weeklong excursion in San Francisco and Portland! It'll be our first city hopping experience ;)

Russell Brand - I have to read his other books now.
-Matt told me about there being a bird trapped in a vent in his bedroom wall when he was a child, and none of his family believing him. He was afraid to go to bed because of the noise it was making: "Mummy, there's a monster in the bedroom," "There's not a monster - go to bed." And he had to listen to this crow dying in his air vent.
-You know when people are so utterly dull that you feel yourself severing the cord that connects you to their reality and floating away from their tedium like helium?
-Got in adventures on my way home: was threatened with anal rape with a broomstick by an enraged jeweler. Feel a bit nauseous...

Freud had style! Check out his COUCH. I want one like this, where you can just lay there and "let your mind run free..."

I hope you're feeling ok boo! When you can, after lots of sedated bliss and rest, spare me the gory details about blood clotting and skip to the pre and post anesthesia and what vicodin or tylenol 3 feels like.

2010-01-31T11:25:00.004-06:00

My spirits are high now, thanks to a wonderful night of celebration - tasteful drinks, several decadent fudge brownies, accidentally predicting the plot twists of Chaos Theory, Nik's guilt-free cyber debauchery, taking warped blackmail pics on Mac Photobooth in fugly sweaters, analyzing relationship dilemmas that haven't happened yet, finalizing Iceland plans, philosophical musings, and a radiant breakfast at "IHOG" the next morning.

Do you know CPR?
No, I don't get CPR certification till next year. If I had to do it now, I'd probably bruise your thylamus gland.

I tried to write a sex scene once. 'And then they were..lost in a sea of blankets.'

I hope we weren't too loud last night.

My future husband better have a big..family.

2010-01-29T11:15:00.003-06:00

I'm officially going to CSU! I spent the past 3 years putting my blood, sweat, and tears into this endeavor and I am so glad all this pharmacy school drama is over :)

2010-01-28T14:54:00.016-06:00

Sat in fetal position in the tub, covering my eyes with my hands, so the only stimuli I could process was the sound, pressure, and heat of the water hitting my back. This made me feel a little better. Stressful situations give me debilitating migraines, but I can feel my good friend acetaminophen elevating my pain threshold now. Old Ace never lets me down :)

Today was interview day at CSU...and I fell in love with it. I even made some friends! One of them is in my Anat&Phys class, but he's in the Blended section. Essentially, CSU has the same principles and practices as Midwestern for 1/3 of the price. They also assign students to little "communities" for the whole 4 years. The faculty and students that were there interacted like good friends, and the class size is around 90 (Midwestern's is 200)so we'd be like a big family. My mom and I agreed that I'll have to dorm there the first 3 years until I can afford an apartment on my own. It'll be a new experience and I'll be close to Bucktown and Hyde Park. And apparently students' rooms are cluttered with various pill bottles, but it's from stuff you make at school. Yea..for the most part at least.

I had to walk half a mile from the Red Line to the school in the bitter freezing cold. With every breath, I could feel my trachea scream are you kidding me?! I can't work like this!. It was so cold that half way there, I couldn't comprehend how cold I was. All I knew was that I had to keep walking...until I couldn't even feel my nose running, then I broken into a jog - in my Stalin coat with the balls hanging from either side of my ear-covering black hat bouncing around on my chest. I promptly tucked those ridiculous things under my arm. I had to circle around the campus to get to the building and, on the verge of death, staggered into the bathroom to defrost. Thankfully, I was still 10 minutes early and afterwards, I got a ride to the station from Dan (the guy at UIC). But seriously..Never. Again.

I think my interview with CSU went well. I felt like I impressed them and finished early because they had "got everything they needed." They'll let us know of their decision TOMORROW. THAT'S impressive. I hope I'll have good news to share tomorrow :)
On a sidenote, UIC has become the bitter taste that lingers in your mouth after eating a stale nonfat blueberry muffin. I can't wait to escape from that apathetic, depressing atmosphere.

CSU Assistant Dean: I enjoy watching students on exam day. It's fascinating to me. They've got pajama bottoms on and bad hair..but when it's over, they're back to their normal selves!

2010-01-26T20:37:00.001-06:00

Nyberg's field trip to Starved Rock was on a foggy day, which gave the area an eerie beauty, especially after hearing about the legend behind the name.

Every trail was iced over. If it wasn't for Jeff's walking sticks, "somebody would have fallen on their fanny!" Thank you Jeff!

There were several bridges and stairs..quaint, but too tame for my taste. Perfect for families with little kids though.

Aww..how romantic.

Wildcat Canyon

How often do you get the chance to stand in front of a frozen waterfall?

Cedar and I decided to chill on some ice ;)

Contemplating various ways the mouse we found on the ice died. It was concluded that the mouse slipped and fell to its death. But hey, circle of life right?

Even preserved, this coyote is a diva.

We saw one flying over the river!

2010-01-25T22:06:00.005-06:00

I got into my fall-back pharmacy school! *sigh of relief* The notification circumstances were kind of funny because they accidentally rejected me at first on the grounds that I didn't turn all the materials in, but I was thankfully spared the "inconvenience" because I opened the most recent email first. It's nice to know that I'll definitely be on my way to being a pharmacist this year :)

Trying to get all of my psych experiment credits done over the first few weeks of classes (one less thing to worry about) has kind of backfired, and by that I mean it has made me out to be a 'psych whore.' Yes, I'm almost done with them, but how would I know that 4 experiments run by different people in the same lab would mean having to see Hans Matheson's nerdy twin every time?? He practically lives there! No wonder he smells. Upon opening the door for me for the 3rd time, he said "welcome back!" After today, I think I've done all the researchers in the lab - 2 guys and 2 ladies. I did 2 other guys that had their own labs - high rollers, none of this commune crap. Their studies are related, so I'm sure they've "compared data" about me. Thankfully, I only have to go there one last time on Friday for a follow-up. Then, I will take my whorish self and move on from the brothel that is the BSB psychology research rotunda with what's left of my dignity.

Speaking of psychology, my TA is unsatisfactory.
"Anyone do anything interesting this weekend? Anything juicy? Scandalous?"
"Would it offend anyone if I gave you guys candy for answering questions?"
I don't like being surrounded by freshmen. They couldn't get enough Jolly Ranchers. I can't remember the last time I was exposed to candy as an incentive, and when I was, I was too petrified by the anxiety of being the only one who couldn't catch the damn candy. It slips through my fingers.

I stared at the model in disbelief. All these years of cramming my head with science concepts, took IB Anat&Physio in high school, dissected a frog twice, got a 98% in PCAT bio - AND I NEVER KNEW THAT THE KIDNEYS WERE CONNECTED TO THE PANCREAS!

Russell Brand
"Toddlers can't move properly in winter coats, they're like little trussed-up Hannibal Lecters scanning the world with their eyes."
"Life is not a theme park and if it is the theme is death."
Fare Evasion Tips:
-Just get on the train without a ticket.
-Avoid the inspector by remaining mobile.
-When eventually you are apprehended by an inspector or the police, confidently give the name and address of someone you know but don't like. IMPORTANT: don't make one up and don't give away that it is an enemy's address by saying, "That bastard Stephen Reynolds, #2 Wallace Rd" - you'll arouse suspicion.
-Pretend to be Spanish - "No tengo un ticket, lo siento."
-Pretned to be mentally ill - "The ticket office was shut and when I tried to use the machine my willy done a burp."
-Pretend to be dead - just lie there.

The final season of LOST starts one week from tomorrow. My beloved physicist is dead at one place in time, so I'm hoping he'll still be in the show somehow.

My friend is going to run off with a lumberjack. How delightfully whimsical, frolicking in the forest and lying under the stars. But if I lose my outdoor adventure buddy to this suspender shmuck, somebody will be very upset! This got me thinking, I am perfectly content waiting for the right time to find my Waldo. Actually, I'm having a good feeling about 2014 ;)

Pics from Starved Rock will be posted tomorrow.

2010-01-21T17:29:00.009-06:00

I'm participating in psychology experiments for the next few weeks to get the "experience" credits for the class and it's been interesting. When you sign up for a date and time, the only thing you see is the last name of the experiment conductor so you don't know what you're in for. Of course, I try to cheat and google the name with 'uic' and 'psych' to see what exactly their research is about - unfortunately, this was only slightly helpful for #1.

#1: Read 5 science passages and come back next week to take a test on them. After googling the guy, it seemed that he was focusing on how people retain the knowledge they get from reading scientific articles, so I was expecting scholarly articles from premier science publications. Imagine my surprise when I saw that the "passages" seemed like something out of a high school biology book or the first paragraphs of a wikipedia entry on cellular respiration, viruses, mechanical immunity, vision, and the fight-or-flight reaction. Well, I know one experimental flaw he can write about in his paper..

#2: Brainstorming individually vs. with a group. The topic was to improve aspects of UIC. One of the last things I wrote was: astronomy club during the summer. 'Criticism is out' in brainstorming, you know. :o I'm going to see if the planetarium has that for adults!

#3: Ah now it's getting interesting. Yet this was surprisingly self-loathing inducing.
The experiment runner was a freakishly scrawny guy who looked like a grad student, but had rogue streaks of grey in his chestnut hair and a patchy chin beard of sorts. He look like he was separated at birth from Hans Matheson and adopted by American parents. Unfortunately, he appeared to be of the 'unhygienic' nerd subclass, but I could give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he just forgot to wear deoderant that day. When he appeared with his clipboard in Phase 3, he assured me he wasn't going to do anything 'nefarious.' Phew what a relief, you're just going to write down what I answer correctly and make me feel slow-witted when you don't.

I was very amiable and tried not to look stupid, which was hard because the experiment forced you to remember and create things every 3 seconds. Phase 1 was a presentation of words and the categories they pertain to i.e. 'DRINK - vodka'. In Phase 2, I was subjected to 'DRINK: c___' and would have to write down whatever I could think of, in that case, 'coffee.' The categories were trees, occupations, weapons, fish, fruit, drinks, metals, and insects. And with only 3 seconds to think of something and getting stuff like 'TREE: do___' ..you feel like a retard, but I had several words on my paper so I thought I did pretty good until Phase 3. This was when the guy comes in and I have to do Phase 2 ALOUD and could only use the words I saw in Phase 1. At this point I thought, I wish I had concentrated more on those words! But then I realized that I couldn't just recall them, I had to recall the right word every 3 seconds. Again, I calmly stated words I remembered and went silent for ones I didn't. What the hell was FRUIT: l____?? Crap, a new one. Oh man, what is he gonna think when he reads 'mochaccino' for DRINKS:mo___?! There was a period of about 12 seconds where I was totally silent and every time I heard his wrist slide down a notch on his paper with each word I missed, I cursed my neurons. Afterwards, the guy said it was designed to be frustrating. Haha.
As I put my pen back into my backpack..
Do you have to leave?
Oh no, I can stay.
Ok did you want me to tell you about what the experiment means and the research?
Sure!
Well, you can relax because it wasn't a memory test! We don't measure your success in any of the tasks! great!...yea still feel retarded.
*summary* the effect of previous knowledge on learning new information, one's ability to disregard old memories and focus on newer ones i.e. parking your car somewhere different one day and knowing to go to the other place.

I hated that I did so well in the drinks category. Ale. Gin. Scotch. At least I wasn't like "rum! yey!" I was too late with 'beer.' Is that a smile? Whatever it is, it's burning my periphery. Is he smiling because he thinks I'm a drunk or because he's being encouraging?

Sheldon: Bazinga! I don't care.
---> my new favorite phrase :)

2010-01-15T23:49:00.008-06:00

I made it through the first week of my second-to-last semester. I have a good feeling about this. I've got a buddy for Orgo lab and plan to simulate the study habits+results of last semester's anatomy and physiology class. I look forward to posting about the various psychological experiments I agreed to participate in. Plus, I'll be doing tree research under the wings of Dr. Dennis Nyberg, who is an eccentric, yet laid-back professor. And when all this ends...

WWOOFING IN ICELAND! *crossin my fingers hopin and prayin and wishin and dreamin!*
The idea was always appealing to me, but I never thought I could do it so soon! YES YOU CAN SREEJA! New York and Greece, on the other hand, will still have to wait. Of course, this would have to be a graduation + congrats on getting into pharm school present to myself - SO I MUST GET IN FIRST! I have faith in myself, my family has faith in me, I've got a 2nd interview with CSU on the 28th, and I won't resort to voodoo magic. God's got my back and I trust that whatever happens will happen and it will be for a reason and if God wants me to WWOOF in Iceland, that would be awesome.

Absurd: when one of your high school invisiline braces falls out of a spanish-english dictionary during a game of scrabble. Sorry Nik, I'll make sure I secure my dentures away at our nursing home.

I didn't know the Big Bang Theory was about nerds! I'm in love! I don't care for the blonde girl though.

'I will follow him
Follow him wherever he may go...'
Conan's last show is next Friday. That man put me to sleep laughing every night for the past 5 years. While I can't boycott NBC like the thousands of other fans, I am going to limit my shows to SNL and The Office. Leno has never made me laugh with his dry delivery, he does not interact with/respond to his audience, his band leader is lame, and now he's showing poor character by agreeing to go back to a show that he left and screwing over Conan's crew. So the old people get what they want, but Generation X is pissed off. I hope FOX books Conan before the withdrawal depresses me too much.

Me to bro: You know, you have to shave your mustache before we leave for India. Airport security is going to be stricter and more racist than ever and I am not going to be seen with you if you look like a terrorist.
*simultaneously*
Mom: That's right Sreeja! Talk some sense into him!
Dad: Bah! Don't say such horrible things!
Then I told my bro about the underwear bomber and he could not stop laughing...until I told him about the full body scans they started doing. NO MUSTACHE BOY! YA HEAR?

2010-01-01T16:36:00.011-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope this will be a year of new beginnings!

Rang in the New Year with my cousins and bro. We played catchprase, scrabble, charades, and Texas Holdem - the 9-year-old won twice!
First movie: Edward Scissorhands
First meal: homemade pizza and oatmeal raisin cookies

Guess somebody couldn't hold their liquor..

This was an attempt at a picture of all of us around the pizza. Dad grumbled from the bedroom and called us crazy. He took a long nap in the afternoon cuz he couldn't sleep, convinced we'd start the new year with a house fire.

The 2010 veggie delight pizza in all its glory. My favorite part about this was when I was making my way to the room holding the pan with a towel. Once I enter the room, I ask Karthi to put another small towel somewhere so I could set the pan down. In all the excitement, she throws it at me, now on the threshold of burning my hands from the increasingly hot towel. Note to self: buy oven mits. YOU IDIOT! SPREAD IT ON THE COUNTERTOP! THE TOP OF THIS! ANYWHERE! Thankfully, she scrambled to the floor to get the towel, we had a good laugh, and it was all good.

Wasn't the moon amazing? You can hypnotize yourself staring at it for minutes.

Tomorrow we're going to the Hindu Temple in Aurora. I'm looking forward to it because it'll be my first American Temple experience. Will there be any cute guys there? God: Girl, please.

2009-12-30T19:04:00.005-06:00

Where has this Tracy Chapman been all my life?! I woke up to her song on the radio yesterday and just fell hard. Her music is TIMELESS.