Inspiration

Congratulations to the Los Angeles Lakers!!

My championship game will be played on June 30. It will last 9 hours, through almost 360 questions. And about 3 weeks after that, God willing, I too will raise my trophy (the coveted MD Diploma). And the award for MVP through all this? My amazing mother who has cheered me on, financed my education, and never given up on me.

Tonight we celebrate the Lakers! Their win energizes us all...especially those of us going for our own championships.

Quickies: Test Date, Party and Travel Ideas

Test Update: I have scheduled THE test for June 30 here in Fresno. I'm excited because this is my time. I will be passing and I can't wait to feel the success and achievement, finally. And with passing, will come official graduation and my joining the ranks of medical doctors throughout the world.

Party Central: Many have asked about my graduation. The official graduation day for my school passed last week - CONGRATULATIONS TO NK who did participate in the day in St. Martin. I, however, never had plans to attend. Even if just my mom and I were to go, the airfare, hotel, food, and incidentals would approach $2,000. Therefore, instead I have wanted to throw a big party here in Fresno. I should find out I passed on or around July 21 so I'm thinking a big hoopla in August is in order. Let's get everyone together for some food, dancing and fellowship.

Travel Ideas: I am going to have a ton of free time after I pass my test and before residency starts. And trying to find a job right now is proving to be impossible! Research places want someone with experience. Teachers are losing jobs left and right. Airlines aren't hiring. I may be able to get a job at Starbucks, but many places like that keep saying I am "overqualified" - who knew there was such a thing. Therefore, I want to travel and explore new places. If you have any great suggestions for American or international destinations, hit the comments and share!

Back to studying for now!

Home Sweet Home

Medical school is over. Four years of lots of studying and long nights; well, the lots of studying and sleepless nights aren't over, but paying tuition is over. I arrive home Wednesday night. That's right, this Wednesday night (May 12), I return to Fresno. I have checked the weather and it looks like it is in the 70s. For some reason, the weather here in NYC decided to go south the last few days of my stay and we have been in the 50s. That's not totally bad, though, since this is a walking city and I sweat like stink when the weather gets hot.

For now, I return to the land of getting in your car to go 100 feet, 108 degree weather, but most importantly, loving family and friends who I have missed over the last 4 months. What the future holds after June, however, is an open question and I'm excited about the possibilities.

Fair warning: I will be somewhat of a recluse for the next 6 weeks as I spend every moment studying in preparation for the test. Let me ask for forgiveness now if I don't really hang out or do a good job of keeping in touch for a few weeks.

Happy Mother's Day

After Christmas, my favorite holiday is the one where I get to celebrate the wonderful women in my life who have helped shape who I am today.

We Will NOT Be Deterred

There are those among us in this world who hate us. It is a powerful word that every religion (almost) vehemently argues against, but yet, here we are with news of another possible terrorist attack. And it is in one of my favorite spots, Times Square.

I just received a text from NK asking if I was OK. I hadn't thought about it until he texted and then I realized that I am really, ridiculously, outrageously ANGRY. How dare someone be so awfully selfish as to think it OK to attempt to kill what could have been 100s or 1000s of people. Whether this is a homegrown terrorist or one from another country, if you are so pissed off at America and what we stand for, then please do us all a favor - either take a gun to your own head, or if you are too cowardly (which I suspect you are) to finish your own damn self off, then do us all a favor and move to a faraway place and be a hermit. But LEAVE US ALONE.

I love hanging out in Times Square. I'm there often and by the Grace of God this bomb did not detonate. But the mental stress is still there for the very reason that this could happen and it is totally fathomable that I could be there. But let's be clear: you cowardly terrorists will NOT deter us. We will hunt you all down and protect the freedoms that we have successfully fought to protect for over 2 centuries. And while we hunt you down, we will continue to live our God blessed lives to the fullest possible, appreciating all the gifts that God has bestowed upon us, not least of which is the freedom to go to Times Square.

Quickies: Where, What, When, Who

1. Where Have You Been?
I apologize for the lengthy wait between posts. Lately, I have just felt more enjoyment from spending all day at the hospital learning and then going to Manhattan and exploring, versus sitting inside and reading or typing up a blog. When you have no idea what the next steps in your life will be, it somehow puts all the wonderful "here and now" moments into clearer focus and you try to embrace and enjoy every moment. In other words, when you have finally stopped thinking 5-10 years into the future, what's happening now - right now - finally can fill your brain. And quite frankly, it is amazing how much of our lives we miss when we are constantly filling up our heads with what we will do next. I imagine this is what happens to a person when they receive devastating news about their health. Granted, in my case the issue is nowhere near as serious or grave, but the benefits are tangible nonetheless.

2. Where Are You Going?
OK, I suppose answering this question is fair, at least for the very short-term. I return to Fresno on May 12, arriving at 945pm on American Airlines (of course!) I become somewhat of a recluse for 6-8 weeks, retaking my USMLE Step 2 exam sometime in late June. I emerge victorious, and finally claim the title of Doctor (MD) and go celebrate somewhere. Vegas? DisneyWorld? Rome? That can be decided later by the folks who will inevitably (hopefully?) join me in my celebration. You know who you are. And then, I either, 1) find a job doing research for a year and try to Match into a residency position again, or 2) find a job doing research for half a year and enter a residency position mid-year if anything opens up, or 3) I sleep in every day for a year, get a part time job with American Airlines and travel the world in my free time. Point is, I don't know what comes after passing the exam, so please don't ask. The Armenian phrase for I don't know is "chem keeder" - embrace the phrase "I don't know" because sometimes it is truly the best answer.

3. What Have You Been Doing?
NYC is an amazing place to explore. Here are some more great places I have seen (as much as I can remember, since it HAS been awhile since my last post!)

• Broadway: Been to Jersey Boys (which I felt basically took a $20 CD of music by the Four Seasons and recast it into a $60 minimum ticket "show" - in other words, didn't like it). Also been to La Cage aux Foilles (like the movie The Birdcage, this show is hilarious. It involves the audience - if you get a orchestra seat - and keeps you laughing the whole way. A must see!)
• Eats: NYC is up there with the gastronomic greats of the world. And I'm quite convinced it has no parallel when it comes to the diversity of eats available. We have had brunch at a restaurant run by Tom Collichio (the dude from Top Chef), Balthazar's for Brunch is also an amazing place that must be savored (and you should TRY to RSVP for weekend's otherwise you have at least a one hour wait). Some of my other favorites include Karam (a place NK's brother, AK, also loves) - the Lebanese owners of this place make Kebab and hummus and tabouleh as close to the way my family makes it as I have found. The irony is that I love treating myself to Tabouleh ($5) every now and again - but I joke that when I get home, the QUEEN of Tabouleh (my mom) will make it everyday and I will again grow tired of it :)
• Parks: What NYC lacks throughout the city (trees, greenery, open space), it makes up for in some pretty amazing parks. The most well-known and possibly largest of these is Central Park. Every time I go there I discover something new! But when the weather is nice, there is a big green lawn that many New Yorkers love to go lay out on, play some soccer or frisbee or football, and rid themselves of the NYC "tan" (that amazing whiteness that Hanes does well in t-shirts, but should not be the color of human skin!) Indeed, there was a day a couple weeks ago when the temperature hit 87 degrees. Yes, I had the unfortunate case of gastroenteritis that day and couldn't go to work. The only problem was, I didn't plan on my newly acquired tan giving me away the next day.
• Subways: A whole year's salary (when I finally earn one again) says that I will get into your car in California and within the first 5-10 minutes, make one of the new automated subway announcements that you hear on the trains here. "This is a Northeast Fresno bound 1 Express train. The next stop is, my house. Stand clear of the closing doors, please. Ding-dong." Embrace it, it is one of the quirks you all love about me. (And note, this is not a real bet - no I will not give anyone a whole year's salary. Ever.)
  
• School: Even though this blog post makes it seem like I am gallivanting around the city all the time, the truth is that the majority of my time is spent in the hospital. Actually, this should be past tense. I just finished my Neurology rotation in Staten Island - it was up there as one of the rotations I enjoyed quite a bit because the Attendings were totally focused on education and helping us learn the nuances of Neurology. Now I have two weeks of Dermatology at Brooklyn Hospital. I finish on May 7 with rotations. In other words, the only hurdle left between me and my MD is passing Step 2. And that will happen very soon.

I'm sure there are things I have forgotten, but this post should keep you all happy for a little bit. And by you all, I imagine the 4 of you who check everyday, multiple times a day - thank you :)

See you all on May 12.