A look at 2008

So writing down my thoughts is something I sporadically do. I used to keep a dream journal for about a year, and had a normal journal a while back throughout middle school. And I have a Xanga which has been dead for over two years, so it's about time to start blogging again. Plus, Ashay said he'd read it if I made one, so there.

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In retrospect, 2008 was a big year for me and my family. Most notably, my mother, brother, and me all received our Bachelor's Degrees from our respective universities. Kudos to my mommy for having the guts to go back to school after 20+ years and finishing up. Now she's got a degree in Business. Go Mom. My other half also doing quite well, having graduated as a Computer Engineer, and is now working at BAE Systems in NH, and doing a Master's program with them too. And me? Well, I got my B.A. in Biology - Neurobiology, and a minor in Biomedical Engineering. Go me!

Anywho, over the course of late 07 to early 08, I had applied to medical school for entrance in the Fall of 2008. Out of the 16 schools I applied to, I got one interview, which eventually led up to a waitlist letter, and ultimately, rejection. Ouch. At the time, I was crushed. Though part of me was telling me that something about going to med school, either at the time or the place, wasn't quite right, I was still incredibly disappointed. This also meant that I had about one month to figure out what I was going to do for my gap year, where I was going to live, how I was going to start paying back school loans, whether I was going to reapply, etc. Needless to say, it was an insane month, but I landed a job as a Lab Manager within the Entomology department, and am happily working there as a full-time employee. Sorry Arts, I belong to CALS now >_<

During this past school semester, aside from working, I was able to TA Spider Biology. It was an amazing experience, which has even further motivated me to become a professor. I think it'd be pretty amazing to practice medicine, teach, and do research for the rest of my career. I also managed to join a few sport teams through my department, tutored, and learned a lot about metaphysical studies and health through a small club at school. All in all, I now see my 'forced' gap year as a blessing in disguise. The break from academia was a pleasant surprise after all, though I do have to think every now and then at work :p Though I'm not officially a student, I still find myself learning a lot, both about the world and myself, through friends, family, work, teaching, clubs, etc. Though med school didn't work out this time around, I couldn't be happier :)

Other notable events from 2008 include: trying out for the Syracuse Brigadiers, performing in a small orchestra concert during the summer, completing my undergraduate honors thesis, making a full costume of Frog from Chrono Trigger, taking Desire and participating (and winning!) in a drag contest, my first college homecoming, Insectapalooza 2008, and reapplying to medical schools. I realized that this coming summer would probably be my last opportunity to do something like drum corps, so I thought I'd try out and see what happened. It looks like something I'd be interested in doing, but I think a lot depends on where I get accepted for med school in terms of start date and location. Guess we'll just have to see.

And with that, see ya, 2008! (BTW, I cheated with the post date)