Jenny and Jeff got me a cool birthday present a few weeks ago. I thought it was just gimmicky at first, but dang these headphones are cool! They are wireless ipod headphones. They have ipod controls on the side. The receiver is this box that goes on the ipod. Then you can walk around and access your ipod remotely! Its the best for working out (no wires when you run or lift weights, keep ipod in pocket). We also have a gym in our condo, and I can just set the ipod down and just use the headphones anywhere in the room. I recommend it!

Look how much fun I'm having with these!

I'm famous

I got published! I did research between my 1st and 2nd years of medical school, and finally it has come to fruition!

Its a boring article, but I conducted the research and helped write it.

Here's a description:
http://puck.ingentaconnect.com/vl=4684740/cl=11/nw=1/rpsv/cgi-bin/linker?ini=rsm&reqidx=/cw/rsm/09564624/v17n2/s7/p99

Welcome to my overly-exciting life. If you really want to read it, I can e-mail you a copy.

from e-mail

I just learned I can submit blog entries through e-mail!  Cool!

Mortages and other adult stuff

I'm 26 years old, and I am about to become a husband. I am about to become a doctor. I am about to buy a house. I now have a pooch that makes me uncomfortable when I drive, and I have to unbutton my pants sometimes. I AM GETTING OLD!!! Jeff, how does it feel? (He's my big brother in law)

Well, now that I have learned that I am doing my internal medicine residency at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for at least the next 3 years, Nicole and I are looking into buying a house.

(Oh, Auntie Cecilia! So I am in Atlanta, Georgia, about 450 miles north of Tampa. But I will be moving to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, which is another 380 miles north of Atlanta. It will be exciting, but also farther away from home =( But thanks for the e-mail =)!)

I guess one of the perks to becoming a doctor is the fact that banks are willing to give a rising doctor a house. No matter how much in debt you are, they are willing to lend you money to buy a house. It is cool, but then again I feel kinda bad. Usually, banks require a big down payment to approve you for a house (around 20%), as well as many other little hoops to jump through. But for rising docs, they don't require any down payment, and are willing to loan you something like $200,000! All you need to do is show you have a residency contract, and decent credit scores! Apparently, out of all the professionals, like lawyers, businessmen, etc, doctors have the lowest foreclosure rate and therefore are the most desirable loan customers. But for the working poor, they have to work for ever to even hope to have a house. Its a shame...but while its there, I guess I should take advantage of it...

Anyways, Nicole and I went househunting in NC this past weekend. We found our location - we want to be in southwest Durham, a city between Chapel Hill and Raleigh. Yes, Duke is in Durham too, and I've already started to hate Duke, ever since they "sort of" offered me an interview, but I can't afford to live in Chapel Hill.

We found a couple of houses we liked. Our favorite house by far, however, sat on a sloped lot in the lowest part of the neighborhood. If a flood ever happened, it would be our problem. Here's a picture of it:

(House in Woodcroft. Our favorite house but situated on the bottom of a street, and on a slope)

Two other houses we like a lot, but didn't love like the one above. Here they are:

(House on Audubon Park. Newer, bigger and more expensive, and overlooks other properties)

(House in Hope Valley Farms. Cute house, a little older, not as bright on inside)

Any votes on the houses?

The question is, should we wait for other houses to pop up, even though these might be taken? Or should we place an offer on a house we like but don't love? Guess it all depends on how fast these houses will go (I'd say within a month), and how likely a better one will come along (I just can't tell). These are certainly nice houses though, and we'd be happy with them.

Anyways, here's what else is going on in our lives (I end up making these little bullet points cuz I'm getting lazy and don't want to type complete sentences...)

- Nicole and I are taking dance lessons for our first dance!! We're doing the foxtrot...has everyone heard of this?
- I'm pole vaulting for the first time in about 2 years this week....doing a couple of practice sessions, and then will compete this Saturday!
- Nicole is going to Dallas this weekend for her bridal shower...
- If we decide we don't want to put an offer on any of these houses, we'll go back to NC in about 2 weeks to look again

I think thats it for now. Talk to you soon!

Alan

Ben Yin loves me

also, part of my inspiration and motivation for my blog comes from other people, who remind me to write in my blog because they haven't seen an entry in a few days and are wondering when I will write.

For example, Ben told me just tonight..."Hey why haven't you wrote in your blog lately? I read your blog every day and wait for your next one! I've been dying to see where you matched!"

Or when Jeff said..."You suck Alan, you never write in your blog."

Its moments like these that keep me writing!

=)

I officially love UNC

Well, last Thursday I found out where we will be spending the next 3 years...

UNC!!! I have officially become a TarHeel, my first real affiliation to any college sports team that has ever been on tv. I matched at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. What Michael Jordan did for basketball, I will now do for internal medicine. I will become master of rectal exams and breath sounds. Or something like that... But I am excited to finally become a fan of a real college sports team. The Emory Eagles are great and all, especially in track and field, but now I can follow college basketball (and even football, cuz UNC is getting better) without shame. Although the Tarheels just lost yesterday in the 2nd round of NCAA's. At least the women are still in...


Anyways, Nicole and I are really excited to continue the next chapter of our lives at Chapel Hill. New hospital, new training, new home, newly married, new environment...its all so different than what I have known for the past 8 years in Atlanta.

In fact, it was kind of bittersweet when Nicole and I opened the letter. Of course we were happy we got our first choice in Chapel Hill. But, then again, we are about to leave all of our close friends that we have made in Atlanta. Some of our best friends have been here for the past 8 years, and for a while it felt like it was just gonna continue indefinitely, but now there is a finite time that I'll be here, and then BWAM, we move... We will really miss our friends, and I'll actually miss Emory too, where I've had a great experience. I guess we're not going that far, Chapel Hill is still in the South, just 5 hours or so drive from Atlanta. If anyone ever wants to visit us, our door is always open! Come stay, and then go skiing in the Appalachians! We'll have an extra bedroom or 2!

In other news, Nicole and I just got back from Alex and Sarah's wedding in Boston this past weekend. It was a great wedding, and congratulations to the both of them! Sarah is Nicole's best friend and Alex is one of my good friends, and they both live in North Carolina. Nicole and Sarah have been planning their weddings side by side for over a year, and now Sarah's big day has happened...so Nicole, we are next!!!

Some other tid bits

- I found out who posted "Benita is hot." Thanks BEN!!
- Had my first conversation with a Spanish patient today since visiting Spain. Went well! Talked about her eyeballs and blurry vision...
- This is my last week of medical school and my last responsibility before graduation! However, my residents said I don't even have to go in the rest of the week, so technically, I'm done! Woohoo! 4 years of medical school...ahh it hasn't hit me yet that I'm really graduating and becoming a freaking doctor. Would you trust me with your life?
- We have 40 people who have RSVP'd to our wedding so far.
- Nicole is hot! (Love you baby)
- We are about to begin our dance lessons, so Nicole and I don't look like fools for our first dance!
- Who reads this anyway? I only know through the comments. In fact, write a comment now if you are reading this!

Talk to you soon,
Chunky

I'm baaaaaaack

Well, guess I had a pretty busy last week in Sevilla, cuz I didn't have time to write, and now, I'm back! Back in the homeland, home of the red, white, and blue. I was telling my friends over there about how everyone in school does the pledge of allegiance every day before class. They don't do anything of the sort in Germany or England or Spain...and thought it sounded kind of like some excessive patriotism...

Anyways, its great to be back, finally getting to see Nicole again after 3 weeks. I missed her like crazy! All the comforts of home are nice as well. I will miss the tapas, the simple life, the small and winding streets, and my new friends at the school. But I am excited for whats ahead - the wedding! graduation! becoming a doctor (umm...am I mature enough?) honeymoon! moving!

Speaking of which...today is a very big day. Today we find out of we matched to a residency, or not.

Monday (today): "See if you match" Day
Thursday: The one and only "Match Day".

I found out today that I matched!!! Very cool, so now I know I have a residency spot somewhere.

On Thursday, at noon, every medical student in the nation finds out where they match. It's a huge deal. At Emory, all our letters are put on a table in envelopes, and at 12 we rush in together and grab our letter and open it! I think some people are more stressed about it than others. If I were going into a very competitive field, like dermatology or radiology, today would be a much bigger deal because I'd just be happy getting into a program somewhere. Medicine is not as hard to match, so I'm not as worried, but we'll see what happens!

It's crazy that all these cool events are coming up.

This weekend: Sarah and Alex are getting married
April 16: Bachelor/Bachelorette parties, and Nicole's birthday!
May 6: Nicole and I are getting married
May 15: I'm graduating
May 16-23: Honeymoon in St. Lucia!
May 25: Amy graduates from high school
May 28: Mark and Jen are getting married
June: Probably moving to our new city...though Nicole has to stay in Atlanta until December to finish PA school
July 1: Start my residency!

Well, I'm hoping for the best come Match Day! For me, and for everyone else!

Alan

Everyone likes pictures...

Lobby of my apartment building

My bedroom. The house has no heat, and made of all ceramic tile and concrete, and its usually in the high 30´s to 40´s every night. Thus, its quite cold! We have those space heaters that are usually fire hazards...

Hotel Alfonso XIII, apparently the hotel to stay at in Sevilla. Owned by Westin.

A demonstration, which occurred 2 blocks from my apartment. Check out the old lady with some fire! Demonstration was becasue the government of Sevilla passed a law that controlled how much you can make when you sell your apartment to keep prices from going too high.

This bridge is quite unique...we climbed the base of it.

Our class and teacher. To the right, a picture of our living room.

A picture of the river and the ¨tower of gold¨which was part of the fortified city walls.

It was my birthday and I forgot to write about it!

Eh...but it wasn´t that exciting. So I just turned 26, and celebrated the day I first saw daylight. Does this count as ¨late 20´s¨? Anyways, I had a good time, though it was just chill. Went out to eat at a Cuban restaurant, though it seemed the only Cuban decorations were the Cuban hats hanging on the walls...they played Wham and Michael Jackson... then for some ice cream, and then to a bar for a little while. Not too rowdy, but very nice.

To mom and dad: Although I am having a good time here, I PROMISE I actually am working hard and studying hard! The pictures make it seem all I´m doing is going out, but really I study every day during my lunch break for an hour, and then I do my homework and assignments at night! I really am working! I had a test today, and was promoted to the next level (intermediate). Also gave a 15 minute presentation today, and answered questions afterward, all in Spanish! Love you and miss you!

Anyways, I´m already almost done with Sevilla. I only have 1 week left! I´m kinda looking forward to coming home, because there sure is no place like home, but I will miss the relaxed way of life here. I was trying to explain the idea of a ¨lush¨to people here. The type of person who drinks fine wines at night, and good coffee by day, and enjoys the finer things...you know, a lush. Turns out, they´re all lushes here. Its the way of life, and I guess I´ll miss that. Though they can all be that way, cuz it doesn´t cost as much to be a lush here.

I was also telling people here about my getting married. To them, it seems that I´m getting married a bit early. Its common for European people to finish high school, then work and travel and work and travel while they´re young, and then go to university only when they´re serious about pursuing their career. And after that, then they think about marriage. Thus, they probably get married more in their late 20´s to early 30´s. A lot of you are already married or engaged, like me!

Married:
Jennifer and Jon
Shveta and Dinesh
Ben and Jen
Danielle and Mike (fresh from honeymoon...how was it??)
Kristen and Colon
Jenny and Jeff
My mom and dad (love you guys!)

Engaged:
Alex and Sarah (only a couple more weeks!)
Dorothy and Mariano
Nicole and I (Nicole is hot!)

Single:
Andy (high school friend)
Aarish (high school friend)
Bryan (high school friend...a theme is developing, but theres nothing wrong with being single!)
Amy (hands off!!)

Anyways, here´s an assignment:
Married couples, post a piece of advice you´d like to give for those who are getting married soon!

Can´t wait to see what you say!

Will post more pictures soon of some other stuff,

Hasta la pasta,
Alan

Who said Benita is hot?!!

My guesses - Bryan, Andy, or Ben

She looks like a man in real life, and wears size 10 shoes!!!! Those are bigger than Chad´s feet!!!