There are many things in the world I don’t understand. Theoretical physics, politics, my unbreakable procrastination habit…I can deal with all of them because I know I can accept and overcome them if I really put my heart into it. But when the life of a close friend is unexpectedly taken away, I find myself questioning everything.

As a Buddhist, you are taught that death is a natural part of life, no matter if the death is accidental or occurs after a long, fulfilling life. Death is universal; no where will you find a family who has not experienced the loss of a loved one. Suffering is inevitable; we all experience pain and loss, but understanding it will bring you enlightenment. I suppose these things were easy for me to accept without having truly suffered — words can mean nothing to you until you experience certain things. I’ve had a few friends die tragically extremely young (Calvin, James), but none of them hit home as hard as Peter.

Peter was a lot of things to me. Because I’m a year younger than him, he was naturally my mentor in all aspects of life. One of his greatest traits is the fact that he was always willing to provide advice and answer any questions I had about anything. He was one of the greatest friends you could ask for; he was a model student with a brilliant mind and someone who you could look up to; he was my roommate, given that I’m always over at my boyfriend’s apartment; and he was a rock for me and for others. I am definitely feeling this loss — Peter was a lively guy, and without him the apartment is so eerily quiet. I keep expecting to find him sleeping the day away on his bed or at his desk watching random things. I keep expecting to find that he’ll come through that door with his distinctive laugh. He had an amazingly bright future ahead of him; he had been accepted into several medical schools and would have matriculated into UTMB’s M.D./Ph.D. program.

I am still coming to terms with what happened, and the only solace I can find is thinking that he’s in a better place now. One of my friends said it best: “Life can be a funny thing — our impact on others while alive sometimes cannot be made evident until our deaths.” Peter was a strong Christian, and I think he would have found something ironically beautiful about passing away during Easter weekend. The wake and funeral service are being held this weekend, and I hope to give him a proper farewell then.

Rest in peace, Peter Cho.

I took my MCAT on March 27th and walked out of the testing center feeling like I was hit by a truck. I was actually feeling pretty confident after finishing the Physical Sciences section, but then the test decided to throw me a curveball during the Verbal Reasoning section with really weird passages. I never know how well I do on the VR section until after I see my score, so my confidence was steadily decreasing after that point. Then the Writing Sample portion of the test came up — apparently everyone and their mother (including me) used Facebook as an example for one of the prompts. I had calmed down some after that section and felt like I could conquer the last section — Biological Sciences. HOLY COW, it was seriously the hardest BS section I’ve ever taken in my life! Now I’m sitting here anxiously until scores are released, praying to the MCAT gods every single day for a decent score. I just hope I hit my practice test score average :( Until then, I have to start asking for letters of recommendation and start drafting a personal statement to begin the application process………I’m kind of nervous.

After that whole fiasco was over, I decided to indulge myself in things that I had put aside for studying for that dreadful test. I’m a somewhat transient Asian drama watcher, but I recently got into one of the cutest dramas I’ve ever seen in my life! At first, Pasta sounds like a Korean version of the Taiwanese drama Sweet Relationship starring Vic Zhou and Patty Hou (of which I was seriously bored of within 5 episodes but forced myself to finish, hoping Vic Zhou would save the series — he didn’t), but I was surprised at how quickly I began to love the series. Seriously — doesn’t this promo still scream “cute”?

For those wondering, it’s about a young woman with dreams of becoming a Pasta chef and the premier Italian chef she meets along the way. It might sound kind of lame, but the chemistry between Lee Sun Gyun and Gong Hyo Jin is so incredibly amazing that I hope they collaborate sometime again in the future! I also really liked the fact that there wasn’t really the “normal” secondary character love plot that usually occurs in all dramas — you know, where they actively try to “steal” away the male/female main lead from the other female/male lead during their blooming relationship. It was a really fun, lighthearted, feel-good watch that I would recommend to anybody who enjoys romantic comedies or is looking for their first Korean drama to watch! (If not, you should just YouTube clips of Lee Sun Gyun to listen to his voice because oh my god I’m so envious of his wife, who probably gets to hear it on a daily basis.)

Next up: Coffee Prince. I’m kind of late to the party, but I didn’t really have a desire to watch it since I didn’t find Gong Yoo attractive and I’m not really partial to Yoon Eun Hye. Lee Sun Gyun makes it all better, though!

Other news — I think I’m Asian failing most of my classes so far this semester. I find this………sad. And very disappointing. Get it together, self!

Different sites ¹ that I happen to chance across utilize footnotes in their form of written media. Inspired by such use, I’ve decided to activate a WordPress plugin that would allow me to also use such footnotes — but my question is, are they really necessary?

I can’t deny and wholeheartedly admit that footnotes make for a unique and fun experience ², but I’m finding myself questioning their practicality. While the plugin ³ does provide anchoring links between the footnote and the original text, I have to wonder if it’s distracting, inconvenient, or just plain useless to have footnotes. The superscript designation of the footnote can be distracting for visitors, interrupting the fluid flow of reading, and what can be said with footnotes probably can be said with simple parentheses. I guess what I’m trying to get at is — what do you think about the use of footnotes in websites, blogs, and/or books?

And to make this blog entry less boring, I’ll be doing a meme snagged from Chrizta!

10 Random Facts About Me –

1. I am an all out intense brain geek. Neurotransmitters, different regions of the brain and their physiological importance, and effects of drugs on receptors are fascinating to me. I have yet to find another person in any of my classes who shares the same sentiments ⁴, which is sad to me because having someone to nerd out with would be fun….
2. I love making lists. To do lists are the funnest to make because of the feeling of accomplishment I get when completing something and then crossing it off the list.
3. My greatest talents are the ability to sleep on end ⁵ and to spend money without abandon. I’m an incredible shopaholic, but I’ve actually been toning it down a little this semester since I don’t currently have a job. Somehow, I’m still burning a hole in my bank account.
4. I’m not really a party animal. Instead of loud music and watching sweaty people grind on each other, I prefer more quiet and intimate hangouts with close friends.
5. The only time I would prefer loud music and being pressed up against sweaty people is if I was in the pit for a Muse ⁶ concert. One of my biggest dreams is to see them at a concert in Wembley!
6. My biggest fear is being alone and/or abandoned. This definitely plays out on what I’m like when I’m in a relationship, but thankfully my boyfriend doesn’t mind. (Or so he tells me.) My second biggest fears are spiders and insects, and my third biggest fear is heights.
7. My all time favorite movie is The Lion King. This fact hasn’t changed in all 21 years of my life, and I don’t think it ever will — I make it a point to rewatch the movie at least once a year, and I never get sick of it. I can also sing along to every song in the movie, and I’m not embarrassed about it!
8. The most embarrassing thing about me: I’m extremely clumsy. I can trip up the stairs, down the stairs, on the ground, in midair, and just about everywhere.  I drop things, and I bump into people all the time.
9. My favorite number is 3; my favorite book is The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho; my favorite food is any form of potatoes; and my favorite dessert is tiramisu.
10. I try to make a wish every night at 11:11. (I’m obviously a kid at heart!)

Okay, back to studying. Only the most important test of my college career ⁷ is this Saturday! (Fact #11: my biggest vice is procrastination.)