yay Philly

Next Day Air, release on May 8, takes place in Philly!

Screen shot:



Wissahickon Ave is in Manayunk, where Drexel Med is!

Yaaaaaay what a great example for the City of Brotherly Love.

back in DC

Moving is always interesting because I can fully see all of the stuff I've been saving, storing, buying too much of. Canned foods, instant coffee, shoes, cardboard boxes, pens...and lots of dust. I'm mostly moved out of the studio but have to go back on Saturday to get the rest of my things and clean the apartment.

With my life in boxes in DC, I don't know whether to unpack or just keep it in boxes since I'll be moving again in July. I can't take everything to Nevada so I should unpack it...but then my parents already have a ton of things so where am I to put my stuff?

When I entered the house last night, I was reminded that it was no longer "my house" but really "my parents' house". A new rug, new painting, and no more Buddy - these minor changes are foreign to me but have been that way for my parents for weeks now. My dad also told me not to spread out my stuff too much because they were expecting four guests at the end of the month. It's a weird feeling to be a house guest in a home that is yours, but not really.

I've moved quite a few times and lived in many cities - Columbus, Chicago, DC, Philadelphia, and now Henderson. So when people ask me "How do you like living in Philadelphia", I have a lot to compare it to and honestly I did not really appreciate Philly until just this year when I began to really take advantage of the city life and living so close to everything.

I loved that I could cross the street and be at one of many things: Chinese buns and bakery (and bubbletea!), Chinatown market or Reading Terminal market (between those two I had almost everything I could ever eat), Wawa (for milk products), great dining around every corner, Chinatown bus terminal, Greyhound terminal, Subway stop...the list is endless. And Philly is a truly walkable city - in a couple minutes you could walk to Old City, Rittenhouse, South Street, or the Art Museum and Boat row - depending on what direction you headed. City living allowed me to have a smaller carbon footprint and me more conscious about my consumption.

Yes there are downsides. It can be a dangerous city and you're constantly exposed to the "ugly side" of urban living. Philly could do more with it's greenery and water ways - Chicago is awesome because of its beautification projects, beaches, and parks. Philly is older, has older roadways and an older infrastructure...driving in Philadelphia really is not fun as the roads are small, rarely have lane lines, and pedestrians are a bit too obnoxious.

Case in point: After getting very yummy cheese steaks from Jim's on South Street I made my way north on a one-way street to my apartment and almost hit a woman as she stepped off the curb to go around a slow-poke group of people in front of her. She didn't hear my screams or cursing because she had headphones in. I swear I grazed her with my front bumper or mirror but she was not really paying attention and that is essentially how crazy Philadelphia is...

Philly has great food. I'll miss it as well as our Quizzo nights. I'll miss being in a walkable city. But I will really miss my friends and the memories that we made out in the town and at NCB.

packing, cleaning, moving

I only have a studio apartment so there's really not much to pack, especially since I decided to not take any furniture with me to Nevada. I am taking a dresser back to my parents house in DC, but only having to pack clothes, kitchen/bath stuff, and "life accessories" really cut down on my work. Though it's time like these that really make me think of just exactly how much stuff I really have and what things are really worth keeping.

Most of the stuff that went to DC with my brother was clothes: heavy jackets and coats, pants and jeans, sweaters, shirts and tank tops...and a box of purses. Then I in DC I will go through and get rid of some stuff and then decide what to take to Nevada. It's going to be hard, haha!




The space above around my desk was the hardest to clean up and take down. Pictures, postcards, memories from fun moments - I want to be able to remember them for longer but don't know if I'll be able to take all this "stuff" with me. And I'll be creating new ones in Nevada too so don't want to be too cluttered.

(Looking at the picture now, I see that this is pre-acceptance to Touro as I still have my "Positive Affirmation I'm getting into Medical School pleeeeeeeease" paper on there. Also no Chuck Bass picture)



I've posted my furniture on craigslist and have gotten a few responses. I just hope that they will write back to me and follow through - I had a really hard time getting a hold of people when I was giving all my books away. So hopefully people will show up tomorrow to haul away my stuff - someone even responded to see if I was selling my framed pictures of Michael Phelps! haha It really made me feel special because they are unique and MINE!!

I don't think I planned it well though because now I have people coming to pick up the bed and futon tomorrow. Oops. I guess I'll just go back to DC a bit earlier than expected or crash on someone's couch for a night or two...

Happy March!

Only a few days left of classes here at Drexel and I'm really excited to be done. I know I will miss the city a bit (surprisingly, I've grown to almost love it) and definitely will miss my friends. But the recent snowfall here makes me think of the warm Las Vegas air.

I'm trying my best to use up all the food I have in my apartment. The last thing I want to do is haul canned corn and soup across state lines. It's made for some interesting meals but one thing that has bothered me for the last couple days is that all of the bread I've been looking at contains High Fructose Corn Syrup. WTF?! It's marketed as whole grain wheat bread, but secretly it's a ploy to make you think you're eating healthy so you'll buy it but it's really not. I finally got a good loaf at the Metro Bakery in Reading Terminal - even the Dutch bread store had some of the HFCS grossness. It's criminal, I say!!

Also I've recently gotten invited to two weddings, both of close high school friends. I'm so excited for C, B, and their respective fiances and the lives they are building together, but a part of me doesn't really connect with them. It just feels weird to know that this is the norm for my "peer" group now - and I suppose I should be bracing for even more wedding and baby news from other people down the road.

It's 2009, I'm 25 years old, looking at 4 years of schooling plus 4 more for residency. Dating and marriage hasn't really ever been part of the plan. And it's interesting because most of my friends that are doing professional school/doctor/PhD route are not married, not in serious relationships at all. It may be a fact of our goals and ambitions, but I can't help but think sometimes that I am missing out on something that's bigger than you, me, us.



Anyways don't want this to be a downer, just something I've been thinking about recently. But I am very very excited for the next few months - here is the schedule:

March 11: last exam at Drexel!!
March 24 - 27: Las Vegas with mom for apt hunting
March 30: Viewing of Colbert Report in NYC =D
April 2 - 6: Detroit, Michigan!
April 16 - June 29: Saigon, VIETNAM!!!! Classes end on the 16th of June so I'll have some time to travel
June 30ish - July 11ish: road trip with Tracy from DC to Las Vegas! haha it's going to be crazy fun
Aug 3: Orientation for Touro-NV Class of 2013 begins!

12 days left!

Less than 2 weeks at Drexel and there's lots to do. I started making plans to do some of the fun, foodie things in Philly. I've slowly been making arrangements for people to pick up my books, and going through my papers to decide what to take and what to recycle. I need to start packing, get rid of furniture...oh and study for my exams =D

I've tried to pack in the fun with my friends here and probably spending more money than I should. PABC, Shecky's Girls Night Out, quizzo, dinners...it's crazy to think that after this short stint here at Drexel, we're all going to go our separate ways. I know I'll keep in touch with most of them and I'm so freaking excited for our futures!!!


HOORAY! Just DU it gets 3rd place at Bards during ChrisJeu's goodbye evening

Now I'm off to Sang Kee dinner - the best Peking Duck in Philly!!

stuffed with filet mignon

(1) Meat from Chima, all-you-can-eat sides, salads, and Brazilian barbecue meats!

I am sad that the end of restaurant week is over. I have become a fan of fine dining, and Le Bec Fin, Roy's Hawaiian Fusion Restaurant, and Chima have not let me down. Fantastic, delicious, heavenly food. Especially tonight at Chima, meat will never be the same again.

We have spent a lot of money though lately, on these excursions. What's up for the rest of February? Post exam happy hour, PABC Charity event, Valentine's Day Girl's Fun Night, Oscar Party, Shecky's Girls Night Out....ohhhhh it's a short but jam-packed month!


(2) amaaaazing desert: Roy’s Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé. Imagine chocolately heaven melting in your mouth...then add raspberry sauce and ice cream!

the "fat" list...

well i can only claim one city on the healthy fit list (washington dc)... there are more of my cities on the fat list- boooooooo

Top Fattest Cities

1. Miami, FL
2. Oklahoma City, OK
3. San Antonio, TX
4. Las Vegas, NV
5. New York, NY
6. Houston, TX
7. El Paso, TX
8. Jacksonville, FL
9. Charlotte, NC
10. Louisville-Jefferson, KY
11. Memphis, TN
12. Detroit, MI
13. Chicago, IL
14. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
15. San Jose, CA
16. Tulsa, OK
17. Baltimore, MD
18. Columbus, OH
19. Raleigh, NC
20. Philadelphia, PA
21. L.A.-Long Beach, CA
22. Phoenix-Mesa, AZ
23. Indianapolis, IN
24. San Diego, CA
25. Kansas City, MO

to be fair, these cities all have great unhealthy food options. last night, for example, we gorged on diner food in the wee hours of the morning. good luck trying to find a 24hour diner in washington dc!!

this morning

I live at the edge of Chinatown and right next to the Philadelphia Convention Center. So everyday I see a different "snapshot" of American society. One weekend it'll be an auto show, the next a home or flower show. The big shows bring huge crowds, and lots of charter buses.

Sometimes there are smaller shows and it's fun to watch a group of people and then discover who they represent. Faerie Con - people dressed up. American Chemical Society - stereotypically, a lot of Asians. People in business suits - anything from insurance sales to pharmaceuticals.

And today?? Definitely cheerleaders.