Friday, March 31, 2006

The Year in Review

March 22nd marked the first anniversary of my blog…I CREATED my blog on August 2004 but I did not start blogging seriously until March, 2005 (hence I am considering March the one year anniversary). The year has passed by so quickly. I decided to look over all of my posts for the past year, and below I have listed the top 10 posts that I personally think were the best (you can certainly disagree) :

1. Flag Symbolism 3/29/2005
(I think this is the post that means the most to me)
2. We have a president... 4/7/2005
(yeah I was too optimistic a year ago, I am NOT anymore!)
3. Prejudice is in all of us… 4/23/2005
4. Seeking Democracy or… 5/21/2005
5. The Freedom tower age 6/29/2005
(I really love this post)
6. ChaldoAssyrians making us proud 7/28/2005
7. The Four Candles 8/13/2005
8. Saddam: your time has come… 10/19/2005
9. Caricature drama 2/3/2006
10. Memory Lane 2/22/2006

I never realized that my blog was created on the same month as the Iraq war anniversary until now…hmmm, so with the 3rd anniversary of the war just a few days ago I have had very mixed feelings. The country is still in shambles; the violence continues and at times escalates; people’s lives are still far from being normal. To me a positive end does not seem to be coming anytime soon, and that really saddens me.

However, people who are using the 3rd anniversary to keep protesting the troops’ presence in Iraq are really getting on my nerves...for example, one demonstration that is supposed to take place in Atlanta on April 1st have flyers that are using “peace in Iraq” and “bring our troops home now” in the same sentence. Who are they kidding? Do these people honestly believe that pulling out the American troops now would bring peace to Iraq? That is the craziest thing I have heard. The troops leaving Iraq now would mean complete destruction to Iraq and whatever minimal idea of Democracy that is already in the making there. It would mean the Islamic parties (who have already regrettably won the majority of seats in the new parliament) cutting loose and ruling the country under the Islamic Sharia. This is the thought that scares me the most, in my mind the American troops leaving now before stability is ensured and a good secular leader coming to power makes me wonder if Iraq would turn into another Iran. Thankfully, President Bush seems to be sticking by his plan to stay in Iraq as long as needed. Then again, President Bush is going to be in power for only 2 more years, who knows what the next president will do and where Iraq will be at that point.

Anyways, I have to say that I don’t know if my blog will get to celebrate its 2nd anniversary. I am starting medical school in August and as many of you can guess that will basically take over my life. Yeah for those interested, I got accepted and I am just really thrilled but at the same time scared of what is to come. So in about 7 or so years you can look me up when you need a doctor (probably for your children since I am planning on becoming a pediatrician:))-and yes it is 7+ years: 4 years medical school and 3+ years residency depending on what specialty one chooses.

Friday, March 10, 2006

another tag...

I got tagged by Tara this time...I think I'm going to start a "people-against-random-tag-creators" group...anyways, enjoy reading my attempt to answer these questions:


What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Happiness is what we make of our lives…perfect happiness for me is loving and appreciating what and who I have in my life.

What is your greatest fear?
losing the people I love.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?
ummm, so these questions are really hard!

Which living person do you most admire?
my dad.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
always trying to predict what people are thinking about me/my actions/my words etc.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
snobbishness and lying.

What is your greatest extravagance?
excess of anything is bad...I really can’t think of anything right now.

On what occasion do you lie?
I don’t.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?
my height.

Which living person do you most despise?
despise is a really strong word…I don’t think I despise anyone…there are people I dislike though.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
"oh really?” “yeah” “I know”

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
physical: my height
personality wise: care less about what people think about me.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Overcoming many obstacles and getting into medical school.

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
I do not desire to be anything other than human…I think I would want to be me minus the things I don’t like about myself…in other words, the ideal perfect me:)

If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?
how is this different from the previous question???

Who are your favorite writers?
I don’t go looking for books by one particular author, I just read whatever seems interesting to me at the time and usually end up forgetting the author’s name as soon as I finish reading the book.

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
I don’t know, Nemo?

What is your most treasured possession?
a pink rabbit bag that I’ve had for as long as I remember…actually it was my sister’s first then I got it from her when I was like 5 years old. it was the one thing I made sure I brought with me to the U.S. now it sits in a place of honor on top of my bed.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
excessive self-pity that prevents one from getting anywhere in life.

Where would you like to live?
"home is where the heart is”
but I must say I love california or any place that is as gorgous as california!

What is your most marked characteristic?
smiling and appearing happy all of the time…I don’t like to show people that I’m having a bad day (with the exception of close friends and family).

What is the quality you most like in a man?
his personality…and nicely toned biceps never hurt either:)

What is your greatest regret?
I don’t really have anything major…give me a break I’m only 22.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Who: Haven’t found him yet.
What: my family.

How would you like to die?
Fast…painlessly…and without prior knoweledge of it.


Finally, as my attempt to stop this tagging insanity, I will not be tagging anyone.