New Museum, New York

Looking for something to do in the city this weekend since it'll probably be the only "free" weekend we'll have before the work starts picking up again, we decided to go visit the New Museum. It's the only museum in Manhattan dedicated to contemporary art.

The museum consists of five stories, each filled with art pieces of very minimalistic and clean presentation. I really liked the architecture and design of the museum itself, especially since I really enjoy working on design work of my own and keep up with a lot of web design trends. I have to admit though, for a lot of the pieces presented there, I questioned the qualifications for what determined what got to be presented there and what didn't. Sometimes it seemed like it probably took more thought to come up with the blurb about the work than to complete the work itself, but I guess in this type of context, the blurb, or motivation and philosophy behind a work is the main part of the work itself.

Does an extravagant or profound philosophy behind a specific piece actually add value to the piece itself? Does it aid the piece in serving a greater or more effective purpose? Is it possible to have a piece that, without an articulated philosophy or motivation, cease to have a purpose?

Midblock, Di Fara's, 1040

So I finally took my musculoskeletal midblock exam on Friday! It was actually a little kind of a mess since some required pictures on some of the questions weren't showing up (our tests are computerized mutiple choice questions, kind of like doing the MCAT). Twenty questions into the test I was told that I needed to restart. Anyways, after the initial problems, everything else went smooth after that!

I went out with some good friends to try out Di Fara's pizza too on Friday night as a treat for studying hard and finishing our midblock exam! It was a small cozy restaurant with walls plastered with "Best Pizza in New York, 200-" awards. There were actually a lot of customers there ready to wait ~30-40 minutes for a $4 slice! We personally waited for about 40 min. It was good pizza! Very thin and crunchy crust but not burnt (minus one edge)flavorful with plenty of cheese, topped with lots of fresh basil and extra-virgin olive oil. I actually prefer it over Grimaldi's, but they are very close!

Why I chose to attend medical school

Okay, I'm going to feel a little like I'm writing a pseudo-personal statement, but anyways.

Ever since I was really young, I always enjoyed science and math.  Okay, that sounds like a very typical thing to say.  It's either, "I really enjoyed science and math" or, "I hated them both!"  I really enjoyed science and math, and it was also definitely the areas which I excelled in more.  I liked learning "rules" and observations about why certain things happened the way they did in the world, and I liked being able to use this knowledge to come to more generalized conclusions about phenomena I experienced throughout my daily life!

Ever since I was born until high school, my dad actually pushed me a lot to go into medicine, but me, honestly having no idea what I wanted to do, always said no (more for the sake of saying no).  With working in the medical field came financial stability and an added bonus would be social respect.  What parent doesn't want such things for their son, right?

A remnant chosen by grace

I've been going to Remnant Westside Church for the past two Sundays.  Originally, had been going to Redeemer for awhile, but I felt like it was important to visit other churches before making a decision as to which one I would commit to.  The senior pastor at Redeemer is Tim Keller and the teaching seems to be pretty solid.  The congregation is diverse both racially and in terms of age.  I've also heard that the small groups are the major strong point of the church!  I would really like to visit one, however, it's been difficult because almost all of them meet in the middle of the week, which is difficult since Manhattan is about an 1.25hr metro ride from my school.

Remnant Westside has a very predominantly Asian congregation, led by pastor Bruce.  Almost everyone there is either in college or graduate school (where I fit right in! =D)  I'm really enjoying being able to sing the songs that I have grown up with at my church back home (but of course, it is not about my satisfaction but about my ability to use these songs to praise God!)  These smallgroups generally meet on Friday, making it much more realistic for my busy schedule, so I must be diligent in making a visit!  I can also see how great it would be to continue fellowshipping within a congregation of brothers and sisters all within my age group.

As of now, I am still much undecided.  But, I can't be a 'college kid' forever!