This is a picture of me looking pensive.


This picture is a perfect snapshot of how I feel right now; reflecting on sunsets past, looking ahead to the unexplored future, and pondering a great many questions regarding the present. Number one on that list is why I kept falling asleep watching TV while I was home, but now that I'm back to studying and actually need sleep, I'm still awake and updating my blog.

I also get pensive looking at this picture of me looking pensive; said picture was taken at Torrey Pines beach during winter break M1 year, one of the happiest times of the past two years.

And right as I was about to start reflecting about being halfway through med school and all the choices in life that lead me to be sitting in an apartment on the 9th floor of a building in Peoria, Illinois, "At The Beginning" from the movie Anastasia came on my playlist. This song was sung at my high school graduation, and speaks volumes about the journey that is life. So while I go back to bed and try to sleep, I'll leave you all with this profoundly deep and emotional line, sung by Donna Lewis and Richard Marx.

"In the end I want to be standing at the beginning with you."

Update >>> Ok, I didn't go to sleep. I went on facebook instead, and while perusing the profiles of old friends from days long past, I was reminded of a skit I wrote for our final project way back in AP English during senior year. It was a play that combined elements from most of the things we read that year, namely Hamlet, A Tale of Two Cities, and a Picture of Dorian Grey. It was probably the cheesiest play ever written, and foolishly included jokes that not even my fellow actors got, but it still was tons of fun and was performed with some of my best friends from high school. So on that note, I'll leave you all with this nonsensical line from the play I wrote that I can still remember reciting.

"A spork? Who ever heard of being killed by a spork?" (it didn't make sense 7 years ago either)

It's midnight, I'm studying for exams, and once again I rely on my old friend Mr. Blog for some peace of mind. I have entitled tonight's post "A Reflection on Life in Peoria", alternatively called "I don't want to study pathology of the breast".

A week ago, after classes on a sunny, peaceful day, a couple of us decided to take a stroll through downtown Peoria. We often make fun of this town, but in all honesty that was one of the most relaxing and soulfully enlightening experiences of recent memory. After eating my first burger in a long while, we explored a bit around. Walking down the street, with the sun shining and the trees green and arm in arm with friends (ok not really), it made me feel like I was back in high school, strolling around Balboa Park with the high school buds. Downtown Peoria really isn't bad when the weather is nice, and we spent some time admiring some of the statues, playing tag, and sitting by the fountain with no water. Later we wandered into some super tall building and took the elevator to the top floor, where we got a great view of the town. It was a very relaxing and retrospective moment, right up until Leah mentioned how the building was swaying in the wind and we decided to come back down. When I got back to my apartment, I thought to myself about the different roads life has taken me. 3 years ago I never would have guessed that I would have ended up in the midwest, and I have even less of an idea where I might be 3 years from now. But whereever I may end up, there will always be those simple friday afternoons where you can relax, admire your surroundings (even if the fountain doesn't have water) and enjoy some time spent amongst friends.

That's about the time I made a list of things I wanted to do when I got home and started counting the days till my flight out of here.