Hi Dave!
As I promised, here is a synopsis of my trip to Washington (11/27 -
11/30/1999). Sorry this is so long, but I had too much fun!
I went on American Airlines on Friday night, because I would like to
reserve the entire Saturday for sight seeing. Since my friend, Mono,
didn't have a car, one of his friends drove him to the airport. I am very
grateful for his friend, Ken, because I didn't know him at all.
Furthermore, he had to wake up very early on a Saturday morning to pick
me up. He also insisted on buying me breakfast, because it was my
birthday :)
Ken knew the area fairly well, because he has lived in Washington D.C.
for over 10 years. He suggested that we visit the monuments, because it
would be easier to travel with a car. The first monument that we visited
was the Lincoln Memorial. It was a very imposing sight to see Abraham
Lincoln. Reading his speech moved me greatly, and I was impressed by his
foresight to abolish slavery.
We then moved to the Vietnam Memorial. In the book, I tried to find
someone my age (23 years old) on the roster which contained all the men
and women killed in the war. In the book, I found a person called John
Morris from Long Beach, CA. It is frightening to think that an entire
generation my age was lost in the Vietnam War. At that wall, I said a
small prayer for his family.
The next memorial that we went to was Roosevelt's Memorial. Roosevelt is
the newest memorial in Washington D.C. They are currently planning a
World War II memorial, but they havn't finished designing it. Basically,
the memorial was divided into 4 parts based on FDR's 4 freedom speech and
his 4 terms in office. Because I took a picture next to FDR, I decided to
take a picture next to Eleanor (that should make him jealous ;).
Lastly, I went to the Jefferson Memorial. Supposedly the memorial was
closed for renovations, but I decided to sneak in instead. There were a
few others there, but nowhere near as many as the Lincoln Memorial. Ken
was a great tour guide, because he knew a lot of factoids and trivia
about Washington D.C.
He dropped us off at the George Washington/Georgetown area of Washington
D.C. I wanted to go there to get a glimpse of George Washington
University School of Medicine. I have an interview there, but the
director of admissions is flying all the way to California to interview
me. One of my good friends from Mudd, Kimmie Bui, is also going to the
medical school there. I didn't get to see her that day, because she is
still in So. Cal. For lunch, Mono and I went to a French restaurant. The
food was pretty good, but food prices in D.C. are generally a lit bit
more pricier than L.A. We walked around the George Washington area for
quite some time, and then we took a break at Mono's friend's apartment.
There I listened to some Jazz music and sorta unwound. We then went back
to Mono's apartment on a Metro. I simply love the metro. The metro has
gotta be one of the best public transportation systems in the country.
In the night time, I went to Bethesda, Maryland. Within a day, I have
traveled all acrross the country and ate in Virginia, D.C., and Maryland.
Since it was a weekend, all the restaurants were packed in the area. We
decided to go to a Thai restaurant, but the wait seemed to be too long.
After some discussion, we went to another Thai restaurant. I chose Thai
food, because I havn't eaten Thai in quite some time. The other Thai
restaurant also had a long waiting time. We decided to go to a bookstore
and browse some books. Afterwards, we went back to the Thai place. The
food there was absolutely superb. I had some of the spicy chicken and a
seafood combo platter. If you ever go to Bethesda and are craving for
some Thai food, make sure that you go to Bangkok Garden.
On Sunday morning, we decided to go to President Clinton's church. Since
there was no security detail, I knew that the President was skipping
church that Sunday :) After church, I heard about some of the history of
the church. They have a stained glass window of Abraham Lincoln (in the
fellowship hall, not the church), because he occasionally visited the
church. But more unusual was that they had a stained glass window of
Madamme Chiang Kai Shek. The wife of the former president of Taiwan.
Apparently she was part of an organization called China Aid which was the
largest aid organization at the time. At that time, she seemed like a
logical choice, but now it seems very strange.
After church, I went back home and went to a Greek restaurant. The food
there was very good as well. I've only tried lamb stew, but I don't think
that I have eaten lamb in any other fashion before. After watching the
football game, I immediately went to Union Station to catch a train to
Richmond. The train was delayed, so I had to wait for a long time.
The train ride was pretty uneventful. One reason was that it was pretty
dark, so I didn't see the countryside. I called my host immediately after
I arrived, and he only gave his address. This was one of my mistakes. I
should have asked him very detailed instructions on how to get to his
house. When I called the cab, the guy got lost, so I had to pay quite a
bit. I figured out that he had a cell phone, so I called my host and got
there safely.
I had a very gracious host that talked a lot about medical school in
general. He told me very good tips about surviving my first year in
medical school. But apparently he was very low on groceries, so instead
of dinner I had 2 nutrigrain bars instead. On the other hand, very few
medical students would be willing to talk for 3 hours about stuff.
The next morning, I went to VCU. One of the unique things about VCU is
that it has class at 8 in the morning. As a result, I had to wake up at
6:15 in the morning to get ready for school. On the other hand, this is
the only school that serves complimentary breakfast and all-you-can-eat
lunch :) Before the interview I had a good 2 hour long discussion with
the Dean of Admissions. It seemed that I was far more talkative of the
other candidates. When I went in for the interview, I felt very ready.
This was the best interview I have had. The interviewer, Dr. Clifton
(dean of students), said that he wanted me to come to Richmond. He told
me that he will try to persuade the other 28 people on the admissions
committee. It is a pretty good sign, but in no way does this mean that I
will get accepted at VCU. I've already had 2 acceptances so far, so I'm
taking it easy. On the other hand, I left with a very good impression of
VCU.
I went back to the train station by a cab. The cabbie was very nice and
talkative. I talked to him about his impressions of VCU. He told me that
VCU literally saved his and his wife's life. He told me that he would
always be grateful to the doctors at VCU. When I was at the train
station, I talked to an older African American lady about VCU. She told
me that it had an excellent reputation, and started to try to persuade me
to come to Richmond. She has been in Richmond since World War II and she
absolutely loves it.
I was kinda tired when I went back to Washington D.C.
The next morning, I made an appointment to meet my friend Kimmie. At
first, we were planning on meeting at Ross Hall. But instead we met each
other in the metro station. It was an amazing coincidence, because there
are thousands of people in the station. She told me a little bit more
about George Washington University. I liked the GW campus, but I liked
VCU better.
Please bear with me, I am almost done ... I'll be extremely brief.
I went to the Smithsonian National Gallery of Art. I decided to focus on
the traveling exhibitions instead of the permanent ones. I saw a bunch of
Vermeers, Rembrandts, Holbeins, and Durer's, on loan from another museum.
That was pretty cool. After I toured the Congress, I took a picture in
front of the Whitehouse. I left Washington D.C. with a lot of good
memories.
Have a good weekend,
John
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Old email about the Tori Amos/Alanis Morisette concert
As I promised, here is my short review of the concert. It is so much
harder to write about the concert itself rather than the experience of
going to the concert.
After listening to Little Earthquakes and Under the Pink countless times,
I was expecting a more sedate version of Tori Amos. Instead, I was caught
in a whirlwind of drumbeats, basses, and guitar solos. Yet, above it all
I could viscerally feel the intense percussive quality of her piano. Tori
started with the song, God. In the past, I probably would have said that
I knew the song well. But tonight, she morphed the song into a brand new
experience for me. Yes! This is what a concert should be -- transforming
the songs in the CD anew. The highlight for me was her encore, Precious
Things. As usual, I had no idea from the intros which songs would come up
next. But if there were any of her old songs that would fit her new
style, Precious Things would be it. My lone criticism of the concert is
that she didn't play many of her old songs. But this is understandable,
because she has to promote her new CD.
I'm not that big of an Alanis fan, but surprisingly I knew more of her
songs than Tori's. Since she was not captive to the piano, Alanis was
able to prance around on stage. Ah, I am at a loss for words to describe
the concert. But if there was one song that was worth the price of
admission that would be the song from the City of Angels soundtrack. From
the haunting piano intro to the end, it was an awesome experience.
I will come to Claremont soon. If you aren't busy, I hope to see you and
some other friends. Meanwhile best of luck in everything!
John
______________________________________________
I believe that man will not merely endure; he will prevail ...
he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion
and sacrifice and endurance ---William Faulkner
As I promised, here is my short review of the concert. It is so much
harder to write about the concert itself rather than the experience of
going to the concert.
After listening to Little Earthquakes and Under the Pink countless times,
I was expecting a more sedate version of Tori Amos. Instead, I was caught
in a whirlwind of drumbeats, basses, and guitar solos. Yet, above it all
I could viscerally feel the intense percussive quality of her piano. Tori
started with the song, God. In the past, I probably would have said that
I knew the song well. But tonight, she morphed the song into a brand new
experience for me. Yes! This is what a concert should be -- transforming
the songs in the CD anew. The highlight for me was her encore, Precious
Things. As usual, I had no idea from the intros which songs would come up
next. But if there were any of her old songs that would fit her new
style, Precious Things would be it. My lone criticism of the concert is
that she didn't play many of her old songs. But this is understandable,
because she has to promote her new CD.
I'm not that big of an Alanis fan, but surprisingly I knew more of her
songs than Tori's. Since she was not captive to the piano, Alanis was
able to prance around on stage. Ah, I am at a loss for words to describe
the concert. But if there was one song that was worth the price of
admission that would be the song from the City of Angels soundtrack. From
the haunting piano intro to the end, it was an awesome experience.
I will come to Claremont soon. If you aren't busy, I hope to see you and
some other friends. Meanwhile best of luck in everything!
John
______________________________________________
I believe that man will not merely endure; he will prevail ...
he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion
and sacrifice and endurance ---William Faulkner
My very first concert - Tori Amos/Alanis Morisette
Thanks for the forward about the circle of friends, I totally appreciated
it. It is always really nice to hear from you.
I was partly kidding when I said that I would write for the Collage about
the Tori/Alanis concert. I've always wanted to write for a newspaper, but
I realize that I probably can't meet the high standards of your newspaper
:) I've also attached a copy to Dave, so he can vouch for my accuracy ;)
However, I do have some really good tips about Irvine Meadows (see John's
rules), so you could share my report to your friends who might be going
there for concerts.
Anyway, here is my report of my very first rock concert!
Sunday 3:00 p.m.
(Secretly humming Tori Amos tunes, while the sopranos in the choir were
struggling with Handel's Messiah in the background)
Normally I love choir practice, but today I couldn't wait for the
practice to end. First of all Handel is way too difficult for the youth
choir. But the main reason I can't wait to leave is because I will be
going to my very first rock concert -- Tori Amos and Alanis Morissette at
Irvine Meadows.
Sunday 4:40 p.m.
Dave Beydler finally arrives at my church. He is one of my best friends
in college. For the most part we have similar music tastes, but he
prefers Alanis and I prefer Tori. At this point, we knew that we were
going to be 2 hours early so we microwaved some leftover church food.
Sunday 5:30 p.m.
Stopped by Arby's for food. He ordered a roast beef sandwich, while I
ordered a large cup of water. I know we have food, but leftover church
food isn't exactly the best food in the world. To my amazement, the
cashier gave me a little cup of water. Note to myself: Next time when I
go to Arby's I should order the extra extra large cup of water :)
Sunday 5:40 p.m.
Dave told me that he wasn't sure how to get to Irvine Meadows. I told him
that we're guys, so we should be experts in finding our way. Hmmm ... not
exactly, I actually told him a joke about Moses taking 40 years to go to
Israel, because he didn't know the directions. Dave was totally awesome
though, and we arrived in Irvine meadows without the need to ask people
for help.
Sunday 5:42 p.m.
Finally arrived in Irvine Meadows. I told Dave that I would talk to at
least one stranger in the concert. Lo and behold, immediately after I
came out of the car a woman came up to me and said that she liked my
smile. Then, I was completely flabbergasted we she said that she was
ticketing me for looking happy. (I do joke and laugh a lot, and maybe I
do have a nice smile, but she was completely outrageous!) She then gave a
sticker about smiling in public. I thought I could keep it, but then she
requested a donation.
John's rule #1: Never accept tickets for strangers, unless it says KROQ.
Sunday 5:45 p.m.
We didn't have tickets, because Dave ordered online. We were supposed to
pick up the tickets at the will-call window, but we made a mistake of
waiting in the tickets-only line.
John's rule #2: Ask someone before you wait in line.
We ate our really delicious church food and drank water from our little
Arby's cup. I was actually really envious of the family ahead of us,
because they had cookies, drinks, and a tomato and tuna salad. Behind us
were 2 women who were Tori fans. After my experience with that nut, I
decided not to talk to strangers anymore.
Sunday 6:00 p.m.
Dave spots a Mudder! I can't believe it another person from the 5
Colleges is actually going to the concert. I didn't know her, because she
was only a first or second-year student at Mudd. Dave barely knew her,
because he was about to graduate. To out surprise, she went out and
talked to the two women behind us. After she left, I talked to one of the
women. She told me that she was from Scripps (I think her name is
Lauren), and she also told me that she had terrace seats. Lucky her! I
can't believe she is actually waiting in line, since she had tickets.
Sunday 6:15 p.m.
After drinking all that Arby water, I felt that I had to go to the
bathroom. I asked the attendants if I could go inside to the concert
area, but they wouldn't let me cut the line. Since I couldn't spot a tree
in the parking lot, I decided to quickly run to the Burger King across
the street.
John's rule #3: Don't run on a full stomach.
John's rule #4: Don't leave the line, just before they open the gates.
I was afraid that I would get lost finding the Burger King, so I quickly
darted back to the line. When I arrived, I couldn't find Dave because the
line had moved. I frantically went to the front of the line, and asked if
the line had moved much. Fortunately the line didn't move much.
Sunday 6:35 p.m.
We finally get frisked in front of the gates. Dave then realizes that we
need tickets to get past the gate. He then asks the security guard for
permission to jump over the fence to go to the will-call window.
John's rule # 5: Immediately go to the will-call window to get tickets.
At first the guard said that we would be forced to go to the end of the
line. Meanie! The line was like 2 miles long. We begged him to let us
slide, and he finally relented.
John's rule #6: Be nice to security guards, even if they do make you feel
really uncomfortable when they frisk you.
John's rule #7: Don't bring cameras to concerts, unless you know for sure
you can take pictures.
Sunday 6:40 p.m.
Yessssssss! I can finally go to the bathroom. I noticed that the women's
line was 3 times as long as the guys line. It did seem to me that there
were 3 times as many women for the Tori/Alanis concerts. Hmmmm ...... I
wonder why that is the case.
John's rule #8: Use the bathroom near the lawn section. There is
absolutely no lines for the men and women bathrooms.
Sunday 7:15 p.m.
Some unknown band starts singing.
Sunday 8:00 p.m.
Tori sings.
Sunday 9:30 p.m.
Tori stops singing.
Sunday 9:50 p.m.
Alanis sings.
Sunday 11:05 p.m.
Alanis stops singing.
Sunday 11:10 p.m.
Dave and I get KROQ stickers. They're free!
As you see I'm getting sleepy. I'll write a review of the concert
tomorrow.
Yours truly,
John
______________________________________________
I believe that man will not merely endure; he will prevail ...
he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion
and sacrifice and endurance ---William Faulkner
Thanks for the forward about the circle of friends, I totally appreciated
it. It is always really nice to hear from you.
I was partly kidding when I said that I would write for the Collage about
the Tori/Alanis concert. I've always wanted to write for a newspaper, but
I realize that I probably can't meet the high standards of your newspaper
:) I've also attached a copy to Dave, so he can vouch for my accuracy ;)
However, I do have some really good tips about Irvine Meadows (see John's
rules), so you could share my report to your friends who might be going
there for concerts.
Anyway, here is my report of my very first rock concert!
Sunday 3:00 p.m.
(Secretly humming Tori Amos tunes, while the sopranos in the choir were
struggling with Handel's Messiah in the background)
Normally I love choir practice, but today I couldn't wait for the
practice to end. First of all Handel is way too difficult for the youth
choir. But the main reason I can't wait to leave is because I will be
going to my very first rock concert -- Tori Amos and Alanis Morissette at
Irvine Meadows.
Sunday 4:40 p.m.
Dave Beydler finally arrives at my church. He is one of my best friends
in college. For the most part we have similar music tastes, but he
prefers Alanis and I prefer Tori. At this point, we knew that we were
going to be 2 hours early so we microwaved some leftover church food.
Sunday 5:30 p.m.
Stopped by Arby's for food. He ordered a roast beef sandwich, while I
ordered a large cup of water. I know we have food, but leftover church
food isn't exactly the best food in the world. To my amazement, the
cashier gave me a little cup of water. Note to myself: Next time when I
go to Arby's I should order the extra extra large cup of water :)
Sunday 5:40 p.m.
Dave told me that he wasn't sure how to get to Irvine Meadows. I told him
that we're guys, so we should be experts in finding our way. Hmmm ... not
exactly, I actually told him a joke about Moses taking 40 years to go to
Israel, because he didn't know the directions. Dave was totally awesome
though, and we arrived in Irvine meadows without the need to ask people
for help.
Sunday 5:42 p.m.
Finally arrived in Irvine Meadows. I told Dave that I would talk to at
least one stranger in the concert. Lo and behold, immediately after I
came out of the car a woman came up to me and said that she liked my
smile. Then, I was completely flabbergasted we she said that she was
ticketing me for looking happy. (I do joke and laugh a lot, and maybe I
do have a nice smile, but she was completely outrageous!) She then gave a
sticker about smiling in public. I thought I could keep it, but then she
requested a donation.
John's rule #1: Never accept tickets for strangers, unless it says KROQ.
Sunday 5:45 p.m.
We didn't have tickets, because Dave ordered online. We were supposed to
pick up the tickets at the will-call window, but we made a mistake of
waiting in the tickets-only line.
John's rule #2: Ask someone before you wait in line.
We ate our really delicious church food and drank water from our little
Arby's cup. I was actually really envious of the family ahead of us,
because they had cookies, drinks, and a tomato and tuna salad. Behind us
were 2 women who were Tori fans. After my experience with that nut, I
decided not to talk to strangers anymore.
Sunday 6:00 p.m.
Dave spots a Mudder! I can't believe it another person from the 5
Colleges is actually going to the concert. I didn't know her, because she
was only a first or second-year student at Mudd. Dave barely knew her,
because he was about to graduate. To out surprise, she went out and
talked to the two women behind us. After she left, I talked to one of the
women. She told me that she was from Scripps (I think her name is
Lauren), and she also told me that she had terrace seats. Lucky her! I
can't believe she is actually waiting in line, since she had tickets.
Sunday 6:15 p.m.
After drinking all that Arby water, I felt that I had to go to the
bathroom. I asked the attendants if I could go inside to the concert
area, but they wouldn't let me cut the line. Since I couldn't spot a tree
in the parking lot, I decided to quickly run to the Burger King across
the street.
John's rule #3: Don't run on a full stomach.
John's rule #4: Don't leave the line, just before they open the gates.
I was afraid that I would get lost finding the Burger King, so I quickly
darted back to the line. When I arrived, I couldn't find Dave because the
line had moved. I frantically went to the front of the line, and asked if
the line had moved much. Fortunately the line didn't move much.
Sunday 6:35 p.m.
We finally get frisked in front of the gates. Dave then realizes that we
need tickets to get past the gate. He then asks the security guard for
permission to jump over the fence to go to the will-call window.
John's rule # 5: Immediately go to the will-call window to get tickets.
At first the guard said that we would be forced to go to the end of the
line. Meanie! The line was like 2 miles long. We begged him to let us
slide, and he finally relented.
John's rule #6: Be nice to security guards, even if they do make you feel
really uncomfortable when they frisk you.
John's rule #7: Don't bring cameras to concerts, unless you know for sure
you can take pictures.
Sunday 6:40 p.m.
Yessssssss! I can finally go to the bathroom. I noticed that the women's
line was 3 times as long as the guys line. It did seem to me that there
were 3 times as many women for the Tori/Alanis concerts. Hmmmm ...... I
wonder why that is the case.
John's rule #8: Use the bathroom near the lawn section. There is
absolutely no lines for the men and women bathrooms.
Sunday 7:15 p.m.
Some unknown band starts singing.
Sunday 8:00 p.m.
Tori sings.
Sunday 9:30 p.m.
Tori stops singing.
Sunday 9:50 p.m.
Alanis sings.
Sunday 11:05 p.m.
Alanis stops singing.
Sunday 11:10 p.m.
Dave and I get KROQ stickers. They're free!
As you see I'm getting sleepy. I'll write a review of the concert
tomorrow.
Yours truly,
John
______________________________________________
I believe that man will not merely endure; he will prevail ...
he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion
and sacrifice and endurance ---William Faulkner
Quotes from my college signature.
I believe that man will not merely endure; he will prevail ...
he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion
and sacrifice and endurance ---William Faulkner
"Good-bye', said the fox. 'And now here is
my secret, a very simple secret: It is only
with the heart that one can see rightly;
what is essential is invisible to the eye.'"
Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince, p. 70
I believe that man will not merely endure; he will prevail ...
he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion
and sacrifice and endurance ---William Faulkner
"Good-bye', said the fox. 'And now here is
my secret, a very simple secret: It is only
with the heart that one can see rightly;
what is essential is invisible to the eye.'"
Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince, p. 70
Saturday, April 12, 2008
> Dr. H,
>
> I am currently a freshman at Harvey Mudd. I'm considering a career in
> medicine because I'm very interested in the human body and in
> practical ways of fixing its problems. Professor Haushalter gave me
> your email address, saying you might be able to give important
> insight. At this point, I have not by any means decided that medicine
> is what I want to do with my life; it's just one of many options I'm
> mulling over. I don't have any specific questions yet, but if you
> would oblige me, I'd be very interested in hearing a little about what
> life is like for someone pursuing a career in medicine. If you have
> any tips as to how I might get a better idea whether this path would
> work for me, I would greatly appreciate those as well.
>
> Thanks,
There is so much diversity in medicine itself that you could probably find a niche that you are interested in. I'd like to know a little more about yourself regarding what your motivations are in coming to Mudd and medicine.
A little bit about myself and my journey and the pitfalls along the way.
When I first came to Mudd, I wanted to be a scientist but never really considered medicine as a career. I was torn between biology and chemistry, but what sold me was when I talked to Dr. Purves (former chair of dept) and had a long talk about the lac operon and molecular biology.
I was definitely not prepared for the rigorous curriculum at Mudd. I'm not sure what the curve now is at Mudd, but when I was there in the late 90s it was around a B-. My first year I did slightly above average, except for physics for which I got a C+ (had an awful physics class in high school). Partly due to pride, I decided to take a physics class over the summer to prepare me for E&M. This random act probably helped me get into medical school.
After doing research in plant biology, I felt that this was not what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I enjoyed research immensely, but I wanted to make a difference in people's lives. At the end of my sophomore year, I decided to look into medicine.
One of the best things about Mudd is the intellectual firepower, strong honor code, camraderie, and lifelong friendships. I loved the place, and it was definitely the place for me. However, like I alluded to earlier grades was probably the reason why I didn't get in on my first try. I also lacked some of the volunteer work that most other premeds had done. It also didn't help that there wasn't anyone who knew the byzantine application system.
Once you get into medical school, you'll find it to be a piece of cake compared to Mudd. I found the first 2 years to be very easy. I did study hard, but all you need to do is to memorize everything in the lecture and do old exams.
After going through medicine and residency, I realized that what drives me is a combination of patient care and research. Looking back, Mudd is THE perfect place for someone who wants to be a physician-scientist. I'd like to understand how cells respond to injury (in particular the nephron) from the immune system's point of view. On the side, I'd like to be a transplant nephrologist. It has been a long road (graduated in 1998), but the light is at the end of the tunnel.
The hard part is finding the entrance of the tunnel.
J
>
> I am currently a freshman at Harvey Mudd. I'm considering a career in
> medicine because I'm very interested in the human body and in
> practical ways of fixing its problems. Professor Haushalter gave me
> your email address, saying you might be able to give important
> insight. At this point, I have not by any means decided that medicine
> is what I want to do with my life; it's just one of many options I'm
> mulling over. I don't have any specific questions yet, but if you
> would oblige me, I'd be very interested in hearing a little about what
> life is like for someone pursuing a career in medicine. If you have
> any tips as to how I might get a better idea whether this path would
> work for me, I would greatly appreciate those as well.
>
> Thanks,
There is so much diversity in medicine itself that you could probably find a niche that you are interested in. I'd like to know a little more about yourself regarding what your motivations are in coming to Mudd and medicine.
A little bit about myself and my journey and the pitfalls along the way.
When I first came to Mudd, I wanted to be a scientist but never really considered medicine as a career. I was torn between biology and chemistry, but what sold me was when I talked to Dr. Purves (former chair of dept) and had a long talk about the lac operon and molecular biology.
I was definitely not prepared for the rigorous curriculum at Mudd. I'm not sure what the curve now is at Mudd, but when I was there in the late 90s it was around a B-. My first year I did slightly above average, except for physics for which I got a C+ (had an awful physics class in high school). Partly due to pride, I decided to take a physics class over the summer to prepare me for E&M. This random act probably helped me get into medical school.
After doing research in plant biology, I felt that this was not what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I enjoyed research immensely, but I wanted to make a difference in people's lives. At the end of my sophomore year, I decided to look into medicine.
One of the best things about Mudd is the intellectual firepower, strong honor code, camraderie, and lifelong friendships. I loved the place, and it was definitely the place for me. However, like I alluded to earlier grades was probably the reason why I didn't get in on my first try. I also lacked some of the volunteer work that most other premeds had done. It also didn't help that there wasn't anyone who knew the byzantine application system.
Once you get into medical school, you'll find it to be a piece of cake compared to Mudd. I found the first 2 years to be very easy. I did study hard, but all you need to do is to memorize everything in the lecture and do old exams.
After going through medicine and residency, I realized that what drives me is a combination of patient care and research. Looking back, Mudd is THE perfect place for someone who wants to be a physician-scientist. I'd like to understand how cells respond to injury (in particular the nephron) from the immune system's point of view. On the side, I'd like to be a transplant nephrologist. It has been a long road (graduated in 1998), but the light is at the end of the tunnel.
The hard part is finding the entrance of the tunnel.
J
Saturday, January 05, 2008
92% John McCain
83% Mike Huckabee
82% Mitt Romney
75% Rudy Giuliani
71% Fred Thompson
58% Tom Tancredo
54% Ron Paul
49% Hillary Clinton
46% Chris Dodd
46% Barack Obama
45% Bill Richardson
42% John Edwards
41% Joe Biden
26% Dennis Kucinich
24% Mike Gravel
2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz
83% Mike Huckabee
82% Mitt Romney
75% Rudy Giuliani
71% Fred Thompson
58% Tom Tancredo
54% Ron Paul
49% Hillary Clinton
46% Chris Dodd
46% Barack Obama
45% Bill Richardson
42% John Edwards
41% Joe Biden
26% Dennis Kucinich
24% Mike Gravel
2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz
Monday, July 09, 2007
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Ok ...
Accountability time. I admit I have not blogged, but that is also because I have not been on the internet that much. As for my New Years resolution, I have slept in quite a bit. (Sleeping in means sleeping until 7:25 am to be at work by 8:15 :P
Today is a very special day, since it is the last day for me before R is born. Actually if it is a he then it'll be named after my dad and by best friend.
The big news this past week was that my friend Rob visited me from California. We actually had a jam packed schedule for the week. He is a big train buff since he is working with California's department of transportation. We decided to first go on an authentic trolley ride down McKinney Avenue. It was free, but the main gripe I have with the trolley was that it was incredibly loud. Still you can't beat free :) Next we decided to walk to the place where JFK was shot. I know it's morbid, but still you can't visit Dallas without seeing this cultural landmark. Next we went to American Airlines arena. For a bit of trivia, that area (Victory plaza) has the largest collection of big screen TVs in the country. Last I check there was 10. We went back to my car with the DART train. Next we visited the train museum. It is a quirky littly museum located in FAIR Park. Unlike the other museums in FAIR Park, it does not get along with the commission so it exists as an entity within an entity. Inside the park is the largest locomotive (BIG BOY) that was owned by UP. It also appears that their relationship with Union Pacific has also soured because their dispatchers have been giving them a hard time. Anyway .... the coolest part of the museum was that they were able to fire away some of the trains and I got to see the trains move. Way cool ....
Tomorrow.
Baby time,
J
Accountability time. I admit I have not blogged, but that is also because I have not been on the internet that much. As for my New Years resolution, I have slept in quite a bit. (Sleeping in means sleeping until 7:25 am to be at work by 8:15 :P
Today is a very special day, since it is the last day for me before R is born. Actually if it is a he then it'll be named after my dad and by best friend.
The big news this past week was that my friend Rob visited me from California. We actually had a jam packed schedule for the week. He is a big train buff since he is working with California's department of transportation. We decided to first go on an authentic trolley ride down McKinney Avenue. It was free, but the main gripe I have with the trolley was that it was incredibly loud. Still you can't beat free :) Next we decided to walk to the place where JFK was shot. I know it's morbid, but still you can't visit Dallas without seeing this cultural landmark. Next we went to American Airlines arena. For a bit of trivia, that area (Victory plaza) has the largest collection of big screen TVs in the country. Last I check there was 10. We went back to my car with the DART train. Next we visited the train museum. It is a quirky littly museum located in FAIR Park. Unlike the other museums in FAIR Park, it does not get along with the commission so it exists as an entity within an entity. Inside the park is the largest locomotive (BIG BOY) that was owned by UP. It also appears that their relationship with Union Pacific has also soured because their dispatchers have been giving them a hard time. Anyway .... the coolest part of the museum was that they were able to fire away some of the trains and I got to see the trains move. Way cool ....
Tomorrow.
Baby time,
J
Sunday, February 18, 2007
I've been ok about not using the internet as much.
My talk on rejection went very well this week. I had some really funny slides like the holy grail and the main villain on the show heroes. It was a rather basic talk, but I'm glad I didn't go into too much detail because it would have been a much longer talk.
The big news is waiting for the baby to come. My wife hasn't felt any contractions lately, but she has noticed that the baby has been positioning herself. We pretty much have everything we need, but you never know with your firstborn.
Happy Chinese New Year!
J
My talk on rejection went very well this week. I had some really funny slides like the holy grail and the main villain on the show heroes. It was a rather basic talk, but I'm glad I didn't go into too much detail because it would have been a much longer talk.
The big news is waiting for the baby to come. My wife hasn't felt any contractions lately, but she has noticed that the baby has been positioning herself. We pretty much have everything we need, but you never know with your firstborn.
Happy Chinese New Year!
J
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Ok, for an update. I was on the computer for 1.5 hours today. Not what I wanted. The actual reason was to procrastinate from writing this blog. Hmmm .... not good.
In the meantime, I need to finish my presentation on transplant rejection.
Church today was good. I love pastor Ed, he comes up with the most hilarious illustrations. Today's sermon was on joy, and on the habits and things we do that sap it. For his illustration today, he brought a digital camera to church and took random pictures of people sitting in the front row. He then asked the folks to evaluate his picture taking skills. Then he asked them, who was the first person they looked at. Invariably, everyone looked at their own picture first. One of the things that are second nature to all of us is selfishness.
Which brings me back to the topic of rejection. One of the main theories regarding rejection is that self/nonself hypothesis. The reason why we reject transplanted organs is because it is foreign. Our bodies do not recognize the transplanted organ as "self." You see, if I can prevent "selfishness", I can prevent rejection.
Pretty cool stuff,
J
In the meantime, I need to finish my presentation on transplant rejection.
Church today was good. I love pastor Ed, he comes up with the most hilarious illustrations. Today's sermon was on joy, and on the habits and things we do that sap it. For his illustration today, he brought a digital camera to church and took random pictures of people sitting in the front row. He then asked the folks to evaluate his picture taking skills. Then he asked them, who was the first person they looked at. Invariably, everyone looked at their own picture first. One of the things that are second nature to all of us is selfishness.
Which brings me back to the topic of rejection. One of the main theories regarding rejection is that self/nonself hypothesis. The reason why we reject transplanted organs is because it is foreign. Our bodies do not recognize the transplanted organ as "self." You see, if I can prevent "selfishness", I can prevent rejection.
Pretty cool stuff,
J
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Ok, looking back I've accomplished one goal last year and stopped another. The good news is that I have finished reading the bible last year. The bad news is that I have stopped reading my kidney book.
One of the most frustating things in this past year has been my internet addiction. Good I've got it out my chest. Hmmm .... isn't it weird that I'm typing away on my blog ON THE INTERNET.
As a doctor, it has always been frustating for me to hear my patients who are smokers tell me that they are going to quit. I've had a few successes, but they are far and few in between. To all the readers on this blog, I implore you that I will probably let you down but I am doing my best.
Yes .... but I've finally concluded that I need to be kept accountable in all of this. I've also decided that this would be a way for me to document that I have finally kicked this habit.
By the way, I'm going to start by limitting my home internet use to 1 hour a day. 15 minutes of which would be used in blogging (12:00 minutes left on the clock).
My internet use is a way for me to procrastinate from the more urgent needs in life. I need to reconnect with goals regarding my health and spirituality.
At church this week, my pastor is going through this series called Larger than Life. In fact to be a Christ follower means that I should hold on to the promises that HE will enable us to live life to the fullest. Need to have big dreams, but give all glory back to HIM.
Goal: To be the best husband and father I could be and to be the world's foremost expert in Transplantation.
The sad state is that I have been wasting my life on the internet and have been neglecting my wife and home.
In the next edition of my blog, I will update my progress.
Godspeed.
May February 10th, 2007 be the day that I finally conquer this addiction.
One of the most frustating things in this past year has been my internet addiction. Good I've got it out my chest. Hmmm .... isn't it weird that I'm typing away on my blog ON THE INTERNET.
As a doctor, it has always been frustating for me to hear my patients who are smokers tell me that they are going to quit. I've had a few successes, but they are far and few in between. To all the readers on this blog, I implore you that I will probably let you down but I am doing my best.
Yes .... but I've finally concluded that I need to be kept accountable in all of this. I've also decided that this would be a way for me to document that I have finally kicked this habit.
By the way, I'm going to start by limitting my home internet use to 1 hour a day. 15 minutes of which would be used in blogging (12:00 minutes left on the clock).
My internet use is a way for me to procrastinate from the more urgent needs in life. I need to reconnect with goals regarding my health and spirituality.
At church this week, my pastor is going through this series called Larger than Life. In fact to be a Christ follower means that I should hold on to the promises that HE will enable us to live life to the fullest. Need to have big dreams, but give all glory back to HIM.
Goal: To be the best husband and father I could be and to be the world's foremost expert in Transplantation.
The sad state is that I have been wasting my life on the internet and have been neglecting my wife and home.
In the next edition of my blog, I will update my progress.
Godspeed.
May February 10th, 2007 be the day that I finally conquer this addiction.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Friday, May 19, 2006
Finally got my test scores for Step 3. I didn't do as well as I hoped, but I passed which is all that counts. Now comes the painful process of getting my license in Texas. The first step is to apply for licensure in the state of Texas and then I'll need to take my jurisprudence exam. The dumb part about is is that I have to go to Austin (3 hours away) just to take the test.
Weird dream sequence revisited.
I had a dream that I went to a luscious tropical island with a prominent rock. Then in my brain, I started singing a hymn with the words "Cleft of the rock." I woke up excitedly telling my wife that I composed a hymn in my sleep. She corrected me in saying that a hymn by that name already existed, but I have absolutely no recollection of the hymn. So here are the REAL lyrics.
Weird dream sequence revisited.
I had a dream that I went to a luscious tropical island with a prominent rock. Then in my brain, I started singing a hymn with the words "Cleft of the rock." I woke up excitedly telling my wife that I composed a hymn in my sleep. She corrected me in saying that a hymn by that name already existed, but I have absolutely no recollection of the hymn. So here are the REAL lyrics.
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadows a dry, thirsty land;
He hideth my life with the depths of His love,
And covers me there with His hand,
And covers me there with His hand.
A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
He taketh my burden away;
He holdeth me up, and I shall not be moved,
He giveth me strength as my day.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
I have a new goal in mind. This will actually be my new habit for the upcoming month. This is partly inspired from reading blogs like "Success for Today". My long term goal for the moment is to finish reading The Kidney by Brenner and Rector. However, there is no free time in my schedule. In order to free up time in my schedule I will need to wake up earlier. Here is my plan
First month (I will be on ICU)
Goal for the month: Wake up at 5:30 in the morning except when I'm post call
Ways to accomplish this goal
1. Wake up immediately when the alarm goes off
a. Create a subconscious loop in my head that I will automatically get up. (Creating a habit)
b. Start jogging for 10 minutes immediately after I wake up
2. Get to work by 6:15 in the morning
3. After 30 days, gradually shorten the wake up time by 15 minutes to 5:15, and get to work by 6:00 in the morning
4. After 30 days wake up by 5:00 in the morning. Increase exercise time to 20 minutes
Now I'm in July on a consult month (Renal Transplant)
Read 30 minutes of Brenner and Rector on renal transplant. Get to work by 6:30 am.
Read 30 minutes of Brenner and Rector at night.
I'm on my way to reading 3000 pages (300 hours work of reading) for the year. Thus it all starts with waking up early.
J
P.S. I still need to do MKSAP questions and Medstudy reading as well. AAARgh!!!
First month (I will be on ICU)
Goal for the month: Wake up at 5:30 in the morning except when I'm post call
Ways to accomplish this goal
1. Wake up immediately when the alarm goes off
a. Create a subconscious loop in my head that I will automatically get up. (Creating a habit)
b. Start jogging for 10 minutes immediately after I wake up
2. Get to work by 6:15 in the morning
3. After 30 days, gradually shorten the wake up time by 15 minutes to 5:15, and get to work by 6:00 in the morning
4. After 30 days wake up by 5:00 in the morning. Increase exercise time to 20 minutes
Now I'm in July on a consult month (Renal Transplant)
Read 30 minutes of Brenner and Rector on renal transplant. Get to work by 6:30 am.
Read 30 minutes of Brenner and Rector at night.
I'm on my way to reading 3000 pages (300 hours work of reading) for the year. Thus it all starts with waking up early.
J
P.S. I still need to do MKSAP questions and Medstudy reading as well. AAARgh!!!
Sunday, April 23, 2006
I had an awesome trip back to California. My goals for my short time there was to learn 5 new dishes and get lots of sleep.
I have to thank my friend Dave for teaching me two new dishes. The first dish was a combination of straw noodles and eggs. The second dish was a tofu dish with Yu Chai. At first I said that it was Yu Choi, but my wife got totally confused. I was mispronouncing the name of the vegetable ;)
The rest of the dishes that I learned was wonton soup, fried noodles, and another tofu dish. It is a good thing that I got the recipes in writing, otherwise I would forget how to cook it.
I also spent the majority of my time sleeping and also viewing trips about Europe. I will blog about my tentative trip a short time later.
John
I have to thank my friend Dave for teaching me two new dishes. The first dish was a combination of straw noodles and eggs. The second dish was a tofu dish with Yu Chai. At first I said that it was Yu Choi, but my wife got totally confused. I was mispronouncing the name of the vegetable ;)
The rest of the dishes that I learned was wonton soup, fried noodles, and another tofu dish. It is a good thing that I got the recipes in writing, otherwise I would forget how to cook it.
I also spent the majority of my time sleeping and also viewing trips about Europe. I will blog about my tentative trip a short time later.
John
Friday, April 14, 2006
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Thursday, April 13, 2006
My grand project for my third year will be to finish Brenner and Rector's, _The Kidney_.
This might be the most monumental project that I've ever done. Basically encapsulated within those 3072 pages is the state of human knowledge on the kidney. I figure 1 year is a doable goal if I read at least 10 pages/day.
Things to do to accomplish this goal:
1. Publicize it on my blog. Done!
2. Find the book
Ok, here's the hard part. The book costs $420 and there is no copy in the library. My goal is to find a renal fellow who would let me borrow the book for the year. Another thought is to try to convince the drug reps to buy the book for me.
3. Wake up early in the am to read.
4. Start by doing another doable goal. For example, for this past month I've been very diligent in reading the bible. I have a reminder system by email to remind me to read the bible every day. Prior to finishing this book, I plan on finishing immunobiology within a month. I've already read a third of the book.
5. Since the book is in electronic format, I will try to read random chapters when I'm bored.
J
This might be the most monumental project that I've ever done. Basically encapsulated within those 3072 pages is the state of human knowledge on the kidney. I figure 1 year is a doable goal if I read at least 10 pages/day.
Things to do to accomplish this goal:
1. Publicize it on my blog. Done!
2. Find the book
Ok, here's the hard part. The book costs $420 and there is no copy in the library. My goal is to find a renal fellow who would let me borrow the book for the year. Another thought is to try to convince the drug reps to buy the book for me.
3. Wake up early in the am to read.
4. Start by doing another doable goal. For example, for this past month I've been very diligent in reading the bible. I have a reminder system by email to remind me to read the bible every day. Prior to finishing this book, I plan on finishing immunobiology within a month. I've already read a third of the book.
5. Since the book is in electronic format, I will try to read random chapters when I'm bored.
J
Monday, April 10, 2006
Due to overwhelming popular demand, I'm going to post on a more regular basis :)
After my licensing exam, I will be going back to California for a little R and R. Unfortunately, my wife is busy working at Goldman Sachs doing American taxes on European investments.
To do list for Step 3
1. Finish 5 practice exams (done with 4.5)
2. Review Ob Gyn again.
3. Reread pediatrics
4. Look at urology and orthopedic surgery
5. Do all the computer exams
To do list in California
1. Do nothing!
2. Look at Rick Steeve's videos on France, Italy and Greece
3. Learn how to cook 5 new dishes
J
After my licensing exam, I will be going back to California for a little R and R. Unfortunately, my wife is busy working at Goldman Sachs doing American taxes on European investments.
To do list for Step 3
1. Finish 5 practice exams (done with 4.5)
2. Review Ob Gyn again.
3. Reread pediatrics
4. Look at urology and orthopedic surgery
5. Do all the computer exams
To do list in California
1. Do nothing!
2. Look at Rick Steeve's videos on France, Italy and Greece
3. Learn how to cook 5 new dishes
J
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Time for another random musing.
I've been on the internet for way too long. It's good that I'm no longer using it at home (I'm quitting cold turkey). However here is a list of recent random stuff I was searching:
1. The first description nephrology. (Aretaeus of Cappadocia - he also came up with the term diabetes).
2. Housing styles in the United States from Octagonal, Italianate, etc.
3. NCAA tournament
4. Increasing productivity
5. Origami project
6. Oregon Nike project
7. Infinite pools
8. Travelling to Turkey
9. Meteora and other cool monasteries
10. Corfu and Santorini
11. Scrabble tournament
12. Design of the colliseum
Oh well, just looking at the list I will need to figure out to concentrate on the essentials.
Later,
J
I've been on the internet for way too long. It's good that I'm no longer using it at home (I'm quitting cold turkey). However here is a list of recent random stuff I was searching:
1. The first description nephrology. (Aretaeus of Cappadocia - he also came up with the term diabetes).
2. Housing styles in the United States from Octagonal, Italianate, etc.
3. NCAA tournament
4. Increasing productivity
5. Origami project
6. Oregon Nike project
7. Infinite pools
8. Travelling to Turkey
9. Meteora and other cool monasteries
10. Corfu and Santorini
11. Scrabble tournament
12. Design of the colliseum
Oh well, just looking at the list I will need to figure out to concentrate on the essentials.
Later,
J
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