Now for Me

So I'm starting med school now, and orientation has been pretty hectic. i'm having lots of mixed feelings. the most abundant feeling i've been having is one of loss. 2008 has thus far been a year of loss for me and those close to me, mostly of important things, like people and places, but also some other shallow things, like the comfort zone/cushion of undergrad.whatever it is, the feeling's compounding and feels awful. i think the only way to stop this cycle of loss is to start fresh. i can't be who i was in undergrad (awkward slacker) and still expect to do well in school. i need to work as hard as possible from now on, and be confident, at least in my interactions with people, if not much else. i have to focus. so i'm getting rid of some things in my life, and i think this blog is going to be one of them. it's not like i've been doing anything with it anyway.it's horrible.
i will say that i do have a glimmer of hope- that i may actually possibly have a chance of doing something useful with my life. and that possibility makes up for a lot of what's been keeping me down this year. i want to leave with some last recommendations. Music- Check out Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wits. Really clever and much different from everything else i've been listening to lately.
I'm not sure if they are mentioned elsewhere in the blog but- EDITORS, EDITORS, EDITORS. i didn't give them a fair chance and refused to jump on the bandwagon when they were a buzz band back in 2005.i found the 'munich' video quite strange, in fact. but in 2006 i saw them on jools holland, back when we first got hdtv. i was mesmerized by the band playing 'bullets' and that song still affects me every time i hear it. it's like a release for me. when i was in australia, i won a signed poster and new album, thanks to an explanation of why i love that song so much.
TV- The Mighty Boosh. I was definitely ahead of the curve on this one, at least for an american. bbc america (which i don't receive) only started showing it maybe in 2007, and i never met a soul before then who had even heard of it.brilliant and makes me laugh even when i am not actually watching it, just at random times, remembering something goofy from the show. i made sure to buy the 2 seasons that were out when i was in oz, since they still aren't in region 1 dvd. my laptop dvd player is still set to region 2, 8 months after returning home, just so i can watch boosh.i'm trying to figure out how to get the 3rd season dvd for my birthday.if you don't understand or like the boosh, you probably wouldn't get me either and it would be best to cut off all ties now. just kidding ;). not really though.
ok, bye blogger world, for now.

Internet for Me

I finally got internet at my apartment here in Oz. But it's severely limiting. Like 15 GB a month shared between 5 people. I used to use 3GB a day at school. and unlimited at home. dang it. but anyways, I've decided not to use blogger to post about Australia cuz it lacks a certain privacy and i wouldn't be able to post all the pics and stories i wanted to. I am using another site, so if anyone wants to view it, just ask me for the address. I still log onto this blog once in awhile, as well as myspace. and facebook everyday almost. Recommendations...well, i saw superbad last night. it was pretty funny, but I mostly enjoyed the friendship between the 2 main characters. I wish I could have that.if I was still in the states, I probably would have recommended Hot Rod. just based on the fact that it is all Lonely Islanders. But I haven't seen it cuz it doesn't come out here till October something. and movies are expensive as crap here. i don;t ever pay to see movies in chicago either. only blockbuster ones, like Harry potter or Pirates. everything else is free screening :). ok i g2g get some fruit to eat...

Leaving for Me

So I should be packing as I type this. I've gathered up most of what I'm taking, just haven't organized it in any decent way. I've made another blog just for my trip, because I think my experiences will be completely different from what I normally write about on this blog (complaints, recommendations, etc.). It'll be mostly stories, photos, videos. I wish I could have a better template but I know next to nothing about coding. Hope it all turns out well. The address is: http://www.suchiesaussiespot.com
So my last recommendation for awhile, at least non-Oz related, will be the band GoodBooks. I have no clue how I found out about them. I'm pretty sure I just stumbled onto their myspace. They are on a major label and from the UK (as my recoms usually are). They seem pretty young, and they sound different from what I normally listen to, more experimental/retro? I don't know, but I do know that once I gave them a chance and listened to "Leni" a few times, I couldn't get it out of my head. That was a few months ago. Since then "The Illness" and "Walk with Me" have also become faves. And "Turn It Back" especially. I hope they come to Aus this semester or to Chicago next semester, but I reckon they haven't toured anywhere near me yet, so more waiting. Some of my favorite bands of all time (like Travis, who stopped touring years ago, right before I moved to the city) are playing in Chicago this summer and fall. Crap. I guess I was bound to miss some good concerts while I was gone. Ok, back to GoodBooks. They're excellent. Songs are 3.6-3.85 on the catchie-riffic scale. Hope you enjoy, and I'll write a post from Australia soon. Till then, G'day!

Horoscope for Me

I don't know much about astrology (or astronomy for that matter), and I tend to be as pragmatic as they come, but while flipping through the TV Guide which covers the next 2 weeks, I happened to glance upon my horoscope, Virgo. Now, the majority of horoscopes I have read have all said the same sort of things, about doing well at work, or finding a new flame. They don't sound right to begin with, so of course,these things don't happen, not to me, in the last 20 years anyway. But the one in the TV Guide, well, it kind of does apply. At least I think it will. Here goes [with my commentary in brackets]-
Virgo:
You may not be the most adventurous member of the zodiac [I'm not, but this bit could apply to anybody],
but for the next few weeks you'll be remarkably daring.
[This part MAY actually be true. In 2 ways. First, it's remarkably daring, for boring old cornfield me, to do this whole study abroad thing on my own. Second, what I plan on doing once I get there could also be interpreted as daring, at least for me. Bungee-jumping. Or I never in a million years thought I would snorkel or scuba, cuz, well, fish freak me out. Those mouths and scales, yuck. I've had plenty of opportunities (Bahamas, Hawaii, Fanning Island,Cali) but never even considered doing it because I'm chicken. But it's going to be offered at my upcoming Oz orientation, at the Great Barrier Reef, and I've slowly been working up the courage to take the leap, literally. I've been watching lots of nature and travel shows with diving involved. Sure, the sharks leaping out of water to eat seals aren't helping to calm me, but I'm accepting that this is something that will push my boundaries and change me and I cannot pass it up, so I'm actually planning on doing it. eek!]
According to the planets, your fortune lies in a faraway place.
[Now, this part is a bit freaky. What are the chances they knew I would be daring... in a faraway place? I could just as well be daring in the cornfields. And fortune? As in money? or will I find real happiness, a much better fortune to have, in my opinion. So yeah, this part caught my attention]
If you go there, you may not come back.
[Since they used 'may', I'm not too worried about this part coming true. My ticket is booked. But if it was true, in what capacity would I not come back? Would I just die over there, or would I, like, defy my parents and refuse to ever come back to the States (the defying would probably be scarier than death hehe). I had better have one hell of a time, to not come back home. I'm counting on it ;) ]

Surveying for Me

Yea, wendela's back!! Sort of... ;) . So I will do her Hump Day survey a day early.
1. Where were you an hour ago?
Sleeping on the couch in the family room.
2. Who will be your next kiss?
A stuffed animal? Maybe my family at the airport.
3. What kind of deodorant do you use?
I'm in between a definitive brand.
4. Are you wearing socks right now?
Nope.
5. When was the last time you went out of the state?
Last summer to SF
6. Have you been to the movies in the last 5 days?
Nope, but i just rented the original Hills Have Eyes and Underworld Evolution. Both were just OK.
7. What was the last thing you had to drink?
I think a Mt. Dew last night.
8. What are you wearing right now?
Pajamas Pants and a T-shirt
9. What was your last purchase?
I bought chicken, eggs, and yogurt for my older sister to make tandoori (i don't eat meat though)
10. Last food you ate?
A piece of my little sister's graduation cake.
11. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
While I was driving (scary), to my little sister.
12. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week?
Nope.
13. Do you have a pet?
No, unless you count the rabbits or chipmunks in our yard, whom we sometimes feed.
14. What's the last sporting event you watched?
The beginning of the Men's French Open final. Damn you Nadal...
15.What?
Huh?
16. If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?
I think India, even though it would make me very sad.
17. What is the last thing you purchased online?
Tried to get contacts but they said I needed a new prescription. Like I can addicted to contact lenses. Extremely annoying. But I did successfully help my little sister get an mp3 player (iRiver Clix) for her graduation.
18. One thing you hate about yourself?
Just one? Well, right now I hate that I did not talk to (ie stalk) my professors enough.
19. What's your favorite soup?
I guess some sort of Broccolli/Cheese combo.
20. Who do you love?
Family. God? But I think those are kind of innate.
21. Last play you saw?
I think 'The Cripple of Inishmaan,' at my college, freshman year (hello, extra credit). It was very funny though.
22. What are your plans for the day?
Chores, Errands, Bug Extermination
23. Ever go to camp?
Does strings camp count? It was at a college, not the woods. We stayed in dorms instead of cabins.
24. What do you want to know about the future?
I guess knowing exactly what I should or should not do, in order to succeed, would be quite helpful.
25. Are you wearing any perfume or cologne?
Not at the moment.
26. Where are your best friends located?
Wish I knew...
27. Do you have a tan?
I'm dark-pigmented in general. But the sun does make me darker still, even though I don't want to tan.
28. How soon do you want to have kids?
I'm still trying to decide, minus the 'how soon' part.
29. Last person who made you cry?
Myself.
30. Do you have any tattoos or piercings?
One piercing per ear.
31. How do you like your soda?
Cold? I guess refrigerated, rather than ice.
32. Do you like hot sauce?
Sometimes, but I can't tolerate spiciness that much.
33. Next time you'll take a shower?
After I run on the treadmill today.
34. Do you know anything about Quantum Physics?
A little. I think I knew it well enough to get an A on my physics 2 final, which helped me get a B in the class, rather than the C I deserved.
35. What is your mood?
Apprehensive
36. Are you someone’s best friend?
Highly Doubtful.
37. What did you do/get for Valentine's Day?
Nothing, for both parts.
38.. What are you doing right now?
Worrying.

Good and Bad News for Me

So the good news is that the semester is over, and I think my classes went well. I hope A's. We'll see. And I did get into study abroad, yea! I'll be leaving for orientation in Cairns in the first week of July. I am incredulous. I walk around with a stuffed koala who has velcro arms on my wrist pretty much all the time-that is how much I cannot wait. And the less-than-two months will go by so quickly, just like this semester, heck, this whole school year did. I'm taking a group flight. I hope it will be fun (since I'll be traveling 14+ hours, and that is just from LA, not Chicago), and that I meet nice people. The ticket was ridiculously expensive, but convenient. And I have a stopover planned for Auckland before I come back home in Dec. I think I may have to shorten the length of that stay down to a few days instead of 11, though, especially if I don't find anyone else to travel with me. That will cost more, of course. Crap. I don't know where I am going to live. There's no campus housing available, but Australearn offered pre-arranged housing. It's too far from campus (30 min.) by walking, and it is inland. I figure if I am going to have to walk 30 min, I might as well be closer to the beach. But I think it would be more reasonable to live near campus. The other kids in my orientation are like me, with no housing yet. So I hope to meet at least one other nice person that I could look for a place with. Eek. There are pretty much only 2 or 3 things I am really worried about, concerning Australia. The money I am making my parents spend, the level of difficulty of classes, etc. I sure hope it will all be worth it. Onto the bad news. I took the MCAT, and I know I did horribly. I even think one of my essays wasn't saved by the computer. That can't help my score. It should take only 30 days to get my score, but it still hasn't been put up. That is fine by me. Though I would like to know if I have to take it again, instead of just waiting for my doom. I have to finish the first part of my med school app. before leaving. So the other major bad news is I have no frakin clue who to ask or how to get letters of recommendations. I made a list of possible profs and TAs (who I will probably end up asking) and it all just seems so unreasonable, to ask people I really don't know well. Other than brown-nosing, there's nothing else I could have possibly done to get to know profs better. 90% of my classes have been huge lectures. I don't stick out from the sea of students. I am incredibly blendable. I also think it is stupid to waste the prof's time and be annoying, if I understand the material fine and am getting an A. Some profs make it painfully obvious that we are wasting their time by just breathing. I also don't know how to ask for one. I have no clue when office hours are, so that leaves e-mail, which seems rude and impersonal. like "hey remember me, this font should remind you of my face and that i was in your class" Another problem with meeting them in person is that I am back home now, hours from Chicago, and it is really difficult to just up and go there. I would have to coordinate it all in one trip- asking 3 people for recommendations, that is. Clearly impossible. I'm screwed. Oh and my med program never got back to me. So maybe I need not bother with the MCAT, the apps, the recoms; all of it would be utterly pointless if they haven't fixed their problem with me. I have been waiting since Dec. for all of this to clear up; that is a long time to wait when one is in absolutely no way at fault, as is my case. I really hope that music prof does not have tenure and they fire him as soon as possible. He has almost single-handedly ruined me, with the help of some other lazy school workers, and I did not do a damn thing wrong, besides go to class every day and get an A. Pardon me. I feel so hopeless; I am surprised I did not run away from this accursed school sooner (we're talking strictly undergrad here). This school is so frustrating, for me, for everyone that has ever attended, and not in the academic sense. In the administrative sense. Everyone gets screwed in some way. Did I mention that my little sister so stupidly decided to attend the same school as me? She is a fool if I ever saw one. Can't say I didn't warn her. I did my part by exhuding three years worth of complaints, and she seems to have not taken any heed. Fool, I repeat. But I really know nothing about her major or anyone that has completed that degree, so maybe she'll be ok. I only know sciences (and psych). If she was doing those, she'd be guaranteed to be fudge- muffined. But I guess it's worth a crappy school, to be able to live in Chicago. We'll see.

Brilliant for Me

So I just saw a free screening of the movie 'Once' and it was bloody brilliant. The director describes it as a "modern-day musical" and I agree. I don't normally get into movie musicals. I still haven't seen Moulin Rouge or Chicago (even though I love my town, I don't really think Ashlee Simpson should have anything to do with it). But this movie was completely mesmerizing and I wanted so badly to sing along to the songs, but I probably just hummed along (don't worry, no one was sitting close to me). Even on my way back home, waiting at a few bus stops, I would hum the melodies as loudly as I wanted, until someone else came to the stop. The story, I imagine, would be relatable to most everyone, and it takes place in Dublin. And as is obvious, the music is fantastic and simple and catchie-riffic as anything else I've written about (3.89 on the c-scale). But what took the movie-going experience to the next level was the fact that the director and 2 stars were actually there! They did a Q&A and sang 4 songs. Just Brilliant. I was in the 2nd to front row, cuz I ran late as usual, so I had to see their backs when they performed up on a different level of the theatre. Otherwise I would've taped it on my phone. I did take a pic of the 3 during the QnA. They were all funny and refreshingly non-Hollywood. The male lead is actually in an Irish band called The Frames, whom I have heard of, but never listened to before. I may just start now, if it is anything like the music from the movie. The 2 leads actually made an album together Before they ever shot the movie, so that may be worth picking up as well. For sure, I will buy the soundtrack. And I Highly recommend all to see this film. There's a wee bit of cursing, but otherwise completely decent and just a sweet little indie film. It won the Audience Award at Sundance.There's a chance you too can see them. They are travelling on a promo bus, which I got a pic of, and will be in the Midwest, South and West in upcoming weeks. Click here for a link to get passes. I think the movie comes out in regular theatres on the 25th. So go see it!!! And I will post all about study abroad as soon as my final is done on Thurs. I have to sort it all out in my own brain first. I have a very limited brain capacity, contrary to what scientists say about most other humans.