2010 - The Year of 101 New Adventures

The new year is upon us, and 2009 and all its ups and downs are now officially in the past. Looking forward, it's always good to have a plan, and my friend Julie helped me do just that: Below is a list of 101 things I will accomplish in 2010.

1. Create a list of 100 Things that make me happy/I’m thankful for (0/100)
2. Create a list of 100 Things about me (0/100)
3. Start training martial arts.
4. Get re-certified as an EMT.
5. Go on ambulance calls as an EMT.
6. Visit a museum.
7. See an actual live play in a theater.
8. Work out every day consecutively for 30 days.
9. Learn to play either guitar or piano.
10. Attend a surprise party (or throw one).
11. Make at least 1 movie with After Effects, the special effects program.
12. Go on a camping trip to the remote wilderness with friends for more than 3 days.
13. Go to Vegas, Hangover style!
14. Attain that elusive sixpack.
15. Attend summer school in a place other than Sioux Falls.
16. Write a book (must be more than 50 pages).
17. Transfer colleges; go to a big state university for educational diversity.
18. Have a TV-show marathon with at least 2 friends (any good show).
19. Visit Norway and family there.
20. Get a visit from someone from Norway (family or friend).
21. Go on a real Spring Break to Mexico with friends.
22. Embark on at least 3 road trips per semester (must be more than 80 miles or 1.5 hour long).
23. Walk through the streets of Sioux Falls in the spring and take pictures of anything never seen before.
24. Visit my newborn ‘nephew’ in Arizona.
25. Try out a new hair style or color that I’ve never tried, for more than a week.
26. Have a night of outrageous pickup-lines with a buddy in bars, just for fun.
27. Celebrate May 17th in style (or at least traditionally).
28. Have sushi at least twice.
29. Sing karaoke in a bar/at a party, and for at least one full song.
30. Lose the caffeine habit, for good.
31. Experiment in the kitchen, discover a new dish to make others.
32. Keep in touch with Julie and Thomas over Skype – set up weekly/bi-weekly time.
33. Get 8 hours of real sleep per night for a full month.
34. Drink a gallon of water per day for a month.
35. Visit the dentist.
36. On the preceding note: floss every day.
37. No eating after 9 pm.
38. Take a multivitamin once a day the whole year.
39. Get a WoW-character to level 40. At least.
40. Get four As in the same semester.
41. Go on 10 random dates. Without care.
42. Print Norway photos for Mike, and give them while he’s still here.
43. Finish Adobe After Effects training (DVD).
44. Attend a theme party.
45. Read 4 books for fun (1/4)
46. Go to 2 live concerts.
47. Rosetta Stone: learn Spanish to level 3.
48. Rosetta Stone: re-learn French to level 3 (minimum).
49. Rosetta Stone: Learn some Japanese (min. level 2).
50. Get all episodes of Heroes on DVD.
51. Order the cologne I used to wear from Europe.
52. Get 10 random girls’ number.
53. Try to have three real days as a Yes Man.
54. Send two handwritten letters, to anyone back home.
55. Fix up my car: floor mats, wash and scrub rugs, vacuum and wash the car. Buy a spare.
56. Develop a system of healthy foods and snacks to eat, and only stray once a week.
57. Visit a city I’ve never been to, by myself or with friends. Stay for at least a day.
58. Manage to save money: $300 per semester.
59. Watch movies I missed: The Star Wars saga, and at least 5 more (0/6).
60. Get a medically relevant job (i.e. ambulance, hospital, nursing home).
61. Back up all music and pictures on DVD storage in addition to the external hard drive.
62. Donate blood (in Norway or the US).
63. Clear out my wardrobe and give leftovers to charity.
64. Volunteer at a hospital, with hands-on patient care.
65. Delete all non-friend friends from Facebook.
66. Skydive.
67. Surprise someone in my life with a random act of kindness.
68. Learn to dance (ballroom, Latino, and club style).
69. Ask for help, and stand by it.
70. Admit being wrong, without reserve.
71. Sleep under the stars.
72. Keep working on the family tree, genealogy, with grandma.
73. Learn how to make 3 great drinks by heart.
74. Learn how to master either Rock Band or Guitar Hero.
75. Go rock climbing outdoors.
76. Learn 2 cool magic tricks.
77. Become really good at Blackjack or poker.
78. Study and take the MCAT.
79. Make a loan through kiva.com.
80. Watch 10 oldies-but-goodies:

A. Citizen Kane
B. Casablanca
C. The Godfather
D. Gone with the Wind
E. Lawrence of Arabia
F. The Wizard of Oz
G. The Graduate
H. On the Waterfront
I. Schindler's List
J. Singin' in the Rain

81. Spend a day only reading magazines. Because I can.
82. Take up yoga, as well as meditation.
83. Buy stocks. Maybe just a few, but try it.
84. Phone prank someone. I’ll never be too old.
85. Work on sensitivity training.
86. Try to regain self-control when inebriated, eliminating douchiness.
87. Buy a new phone, preferably the Google Nexus One.
88. Successfully manage an extracurricular organization on campus.
89. Stay up to date on my top 3 favorite TV shows every week.
90. See if a philosophy or psychology major or minor would fit me.
91. Make sure my carnivorous plant "Nibbler" doesn't die.
92. Keep in touch with TK.
93. Retake any previously failed classes, this time with an A.
94. Become able to do 10 pull-ups.
95. Do P90X to improve all other personal bests (pushups, running time, pulse).
96. Cultivate the ability to forgive and forget.
97. Tan twice a month.
98. Read at least 5 classics, including the Art of War.
99. Attain people mastery through Neil Strauss' literature.
100. Play more board games with friends.
101. Always put the needs of friends and family first.

That's the list. Now comes the hard part of living by it.

Labels: College Stuff, Lists, Movies, Special Events, Television

posted by CK @ 06:37

A Veegie Tale

In the last month, a lot of people at Augustana who have recently returned from a study abroad experience have expressed in a number of ways their affinity and appreciation for the American culture and its comforts. I happen to be of the same mindset, but on the other side, I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some of the things that I happen to miss about Norway and, in particular, Oslo. Then maybe I will get the peace of mind from my homesickness long enough to do my homework for the day.

The Ocean

South Dakota is notoriously landlocked, which for a guy who's lived his entire life only a few minutes from the ocean tends to lend itself to claustrophobia. The ocean also represents so many other qualities I couldn't live without for longer amounts of time, like the philosophical substance of it, the smell of salt water, seagulls, islands with picnic and swimming opportunities, beaches, watersports, the feeling of waves, and the sound of the water.

The big city

To most other nationality, Oslo has a small town feel even though it's got 700,000 people living there. I miss the subway, ironically, and I miss not being dependant on a car to get from A to B (or C for that matter). The freedom of complete movement comes with a city totally interconnected through a public transportation grid, or a more condensed area.

The movie theatres

I know, I know. US movie theatres have seats that recline and free seating order, more buttery popcorn and more fountain drinks to choose from. But take Oslo's Colosseum Kino, the world's largest THX movie theatre, which seats 1,158 people (a staggering 2,100 before the fire of 1963), for example. Now, that's a movie theatre! Fully electronic ticketing systems (purchase online, print the tickets at home or at the theatre), overly stocked candy stores and kiosks (with Norwegian chokolate, hey), and the subway taking you to the front door whenever needed, that has any of SD's movie theatre experiences beat. Gotta love the reclinable seats here, though.

Norwegian culture and language

Sure, Norwegian has fewer words and phrases for expressing exactly what you mean, but at least it sounds cool and demands more tongue artistry of the speaker. Norwegians, while maybe shy and even arrogant and rude to begin with, open up like a Pandora's box of joy when they feel comfortable enough. Norwegians in general play few mind games, calling it as they see it is a fundamental Norwegian trait. No BS, as you would say. That's refreshing. Drinking culture is a chapter by itself, with their vorspiels, nachspiels, and general drunken craziness way into the wee hours of the morning. Vikings party hard by nature.

Exotic Foods

And with this, I'm not just meaning that I miss kjøttkaker (meat cakes), mackerel in tomato sauce, liver patè spread on bread, Pizza Grandiosa, or even my beloved chili nuts. I mean all the truly exotic foods you can find in Oslo. On top of my long list is the indian food (best: The Zaika Restaurant), closely followed by thai (best: Jaja's Restaurant), and of course, Turkish kebabs in pita bread (best: Vinny's Kebabs and Bislett Kebab House). My mouth is literally watering right now, that's how much I miss all that stuff. It's a given though, that no country does Tex-Mex food (of course) as well as the US.

Tiny Grocery Stores

Yes. I love Wal*Mart. And I always will. But, this must be said, Wal*Marts have no personality. Now, in Norway grocery stores are still only about food, and thus significantly smaller in size. They have a much smaller selection for each food type, but this is something Norwegians are fine with - the choice happens to be between cheap and regular priced items of the same (approximate) quality, and hence less time is spent choosing between millions of brands for each bread you're buying. The country has only a few chains of grocery stores (Rema 1000, Rimi, COOP, Bunnpris, and a few more), but given the country's size, this suffices plenty. With small stores, and this is what I kind of miss, you can go right in and come right out in a matter of minutes, still having bought what you wanted, and without walking forever from the soaps to the vegetables. Grocery shopping isn't really a pastime in Norway, that's all.

No worries, I'll probably think of more later. And I'll give you the equally long list of things I think are better in the US of A, as well.

That helped a little.

Labels: Everyday, Lists, Pictures, Rants

posted by CK @ 00:58

House MD, and the Joy of Random Lists

I'm sitting here fantastically numb. I just got done watching episode 1.18 of House MD, entitled "Babies and Bathwater". And it was sooo good!

It features some pretty gripping and heartwrenching choices having to be made by a young, married couple over their unborn child, and of course a intriguing twist that has to be handled by Dr. House and his team of specialists. If you've never had the chance to watch this amazing show before, this is your chance. Every episode is conclusive, so you might as well start out by watching one that you know is especially good. And it's good; I'm not gonna lie, I might even have become a little teary-eyed by the end of this one. Maybe it's just me, but some situations just get to me every time, and this episode featured one such plight, artfully depicted by accomplished guest actors in addition to the show's regular, genius cast. After, or before, watching this one, you should watch episode 1.21 ("Acceptance") too, as this one really shows you the funny side of the show.

As you might have heard (through the grapevine, grape juice, or otherwise), I have a minor sleep rhythm issue going on nowadays. The extreme traits of my B-personality (going to bed late/waking up late) have skewed the sleep schedule to its default position time after time, which in societies like ours is considered a problem as everything is tailored to the schedules of those who go to bed early and wake up just as early. The other day I managed to literally fall asleep during a conversation while catching up with a long lost friend of mine, Sabrin, after having stayed up for 34 hours in order for me to restore a healthier sleep pattern. And today I managed to fall asleep on the couch in the break room at work while on my five minute break, and ended up sleeping for close to 15 minutes in there, until being woken up by a co-worker.. Wow, I'm a mess. Now one of my Easter Resolutions (there is such a thing, see a later post) is to restore a 11-8 sleeping habit, and thus managing the rest of my life a little better. Sleeping at weird times gives rise to a whole host of problems, most based on the fact that the rest of my friend circle and most of society is waking up by the time I go to bed. And last time I checked, everyone still needs to interact with other people to make things happen, in one's life or just to be productive. There is, however, fortunately no effect derived from this on my body mass or weight, as it has more or less been proven that eating at night doesn't cause weight gain. One thing it does do, though, is to make me so distracted and unfocused I don't perform as well as I should at school or work, and that in and of itself is a problem to be reckoned with. It's a work in progress, but I 'm pretty confident I'll win the fight against that 'craving for moonlight', and that all I need to accomplish just that is to realize how serious the consequences of the opposite actually are.

I am, as you might have derived from this, up late yet again, and thus have some ponderings (from the previously mentioned Awareness phase, remember?) to share with you. I have grown pretty fond of the lists, and especially the ones bulleted with the circles (never mind), so I will organize my very disorganized thoughts in just that way. Some of the points will surely be revisited later, in their own posts.

• I love the show House, MD. I really do. Did I maybe share that already?



• I miss certain people from Augie a whole lot, and find myself smiling at some random memory almost daily. Kei Takizawa's antics and attempts to teach me Japanese, for example, and the precious coffee shop nights with the gang (Kristin, Ashley, Denise, Amber, Jennapher, Jenni, Lauren, Maren). And I miss Philosophy 110 with O'Hara, hahaha… I do!



• I also miss the small things, like singing the Daphnia song with Kayla, or going to the Commons to eat in the early afternoon when it's almost empty.



• Of course, I miss Alicia most of all.



• I love my new apartment (pics to come), and, of course, my new room. And I love the new fabric softener I have, which makes my clothes all smell so incredibly fresh and …clean. I get carried away with the little things.



• I hate doing the dishes (and by hate I mean the kind of hate I have for celery… just imagine). And I shouldn't be trusted around plants, because apparently my presence somehow kills them. Or is it my absence..?
• I am somewhat worried about my future as a medical professional. The thing is, there's no way the brain can keep all the world's medically relevant facts, there must be some memory limit to things like that. Most medicine is very complex, and it's all connected to each other in specific ways, where it's all more a web of causes and effects than a clear and exclusive chain. One symptom, 100 possibilities, even more tests, and the one could be causing the other or vice versa. It's beautifully complex, that's all.



• After getting my own place, the concept of shelf life has taken on a whole new meaning. Refrigerated items don't have a very long shelf life here, for some reason. In the US, refrigerated things have usually also undergone the infusion of a vaster array of chemicals than any 40 year old drug addict goes through in a lifetime, and thus keeps fresh for mysterious amounts of time. I don't want my milk to outlive me. It's just not biologically comfortable. But then again, the Norwegian stuff can't even handle a few days in the fridge before starting to go bad, and that can't be right either… There must be a middle ground?



• Whistling is really fun, and I enjoy it a lot. But, when other people do it, it's so incredibly irritating. Somehow I feel that whistling invades my personal sphere or something, and it just hits me as real arrogant behavior when out in public.. Loud, high-pitched sounds like that are a way for some to show dominance over other people, and thus annoys the heck out of me if I don't know the person.. Weird, huh?



• Lastly, I'm dreaming of taking a good, ol' road trip on the long and scenic US highways and byways some day. In an open convertible, roof down, sun shining.. Ah, how great wouldn't that be?

Okay, so I took the whole list thing a little too seriously, and ended up with a semi-list/semi random paragraphs thing. But, cut me some slack here. It's 4am, and I probably won't piece together more lists after this one. Next time, maybe I'll use a table?

.

Labels: Episode Accounts, Lists, Personal Issues, Ponderings, Television

posted by CK @ 04:03

I Think, Therefore I Am (Rambling)

See? I keep my promises! I told you I would post something every single day for a month, and this is the second one…! I never lie (which is, by default, a lie, but nonetheless). Here goes.. hm, a slice of bread? Never mind.

I actually went to school today. Believe it or not. Me, the guy who's been having issues (multiple, I tell you) for a month now, preventing me from attending the crucial med lectures I always forget I love. First, there was the issue of being thrown out of my house, a topic which I'll surely revisit one of these days, and then, of course, there was the magic of Alicia's visit and the subsequent delightfully distracted mind. But the point is, as I'm getting to, that I indeed did go to school today, and I actually did so after staying up all -ALL- night and day before this. And I discovered that, after the sleep deprivation had made itself known and the drunk phase (yes, there is such a thing) had worn off, I actually felt more imaginative and lucid than before. During this.. let's call it Awareness phase, I did in fact make a few fascinating observations (and a few that questions my theory of a heightened awareness), that I will outline for you here.

1. The smell of freshly grilled chicken is amazing, and I could probably donate an appendage (take a finger, please, or better yet, the appendix) to have some if I was isolated from this delicious bird for any amount of time.



2. Walking around fast, in scrubs, just looking serious and like you're rushing to get somewhere important, is the coolest thing ever. (btw, I used to do that when getting lunch in the hospital cafeteria in Sioux Falls. People stopped and just gazed admiringly as I rushed past, hahaha..)



3. A new nickname could very easily be born whenever I become a doctor. Seeing as my blood is almost pure diet Pepsi, or Pepsi Max as Norwegians call it, some coworker should mention "Mr. Pepsi Max is coming" or something, one day. And that's when I will reply "Hey! That'll be Dr. Max to you!" and thus a new nickname will be born. Dr. Max, how cool is that?



4. When I don't sleep, my mind makes up connections in my head that sounds good at the time, but that any sane person would immediately dismiss as jibberish.

That was basically what I had before I ran out of steam, and got home to take a nose dive into the pillow, which will be my home until House MD (which ROOOCKS) comes on at six.

BTW: During our medical ethics lecture today, the professor had an example of tough choices made by people concerning loved ones. A girl, 8 years old, had developed kidney failure, and her parents were asked if they wanted to test if they could be possible donors. The dad agreed to be tested, and then came back to the hospital afterwards to learn the result of his tissue matching. The doctor told him he was a very good match, and that he would be a perfect candidate for donating his kidney to the sick daughter. The man, however, had declined right then and there, and refused to do it. The doctors, puzzled, asked why he then had gotten tested, and why he now didn't want to donate to save his daughter's life. The man went on explaining that he just didn't "feel comfortable" having one of his organs taken away, and that the decision had been made even before the biopsy. He just wanted the result of the match to have been negative, so he could feel better about declining any donating, a 50% chance of feeling better about the decision he was going to make anyways. Now, if you ask me, there should be a law ordering family members to undergo unharmful and unproblematic surgery if their family member is in need of a donatable organ, but no, this guy actually got away with not saving the life of his daughter when he could/should have.. That's just not ethical. If you could, you should, because family comes with a lifetime of responsibility.

.

Labels: College Stuff, Everyday, Lists, Medical, Ponderings, Television

posted by CK @ 22:00

Things That Scare Me

- People who laugh or smile when they are clearly angry or annoyed.
- People who smoke more than one cigarette at the time.
- Women with facial hair.
- Things that drip. Period.
- Music with accordions in it.
- Chicken whose white meat's pink.
- Public restrooms.
- Asian drivers, including my Japanese friend Kei.
- Calling to order food.
- People who sing when no one else is.
- Crumbs in my bed.
- Spray cheese.
- People talking about themselves in third person.
- People talking about themselves.
- Professors sneaking quizzes on me.
- Sharing food or beverages.
- Cellulite, anywhere.
- People talking about extreme party habits, as if alcohol addiction's cool.
- Celery and olives.
- Swedish/Danish music.
- The future.

Oh, but I love lists. There's a surprise.

Labels: Lists

posted by CK @ 20:34