Street Art....San Francisco

I was walking through San Francisco the other day and it was hard not to get distracted by all the street artwork. On the side of buildings, street posts, construction sites--they're like little gifts to those who take the time out and really take notice of their surroundings. This is why I love San Francisco. Such a quirky, artsy city. Some of this energy needs to seriously channel its way down to San Jose. 

Also...sorry for the lack of posts as of late. Writer's block is a real problem for me nowadays. I haven't even been writing in my journal as much as I used to. Of course, the solution to writer's block is to just write so I'll be doing my best and getting out some words for you guys. I know you guys are just SO interested in what's going through my mind right now! I have a backlog of entries I need to post, so they'll be up in the next few days.

City Scenes...Chess Time--Santana Row

(Thanks to Long for taking the picture.) 

City Scenes...Urban Sunset--Tully Rd.

Well, it's not the same as watching the sun set while relaxing on a beach or sitting atop mountain top, but in an urban sprawl setting you kind of have to take what you can get from the vantage point of a car.

"City Scenes," an introduction

I'm starting a new photo project entitled, "City Scenes," to capture images of San Jose as experienced by me. Since moving back here, this idea of how we, as individuals, experience our environment--through sights, sounds, memories--has floated through my mind quite a bit, especially while driving around this city. I'll see a certain image, such as a woman wearing a Vietnamese conical hat crossing the street, for example, and think, "That is just so San Jose."

So this project is kind of my ode to the San Jose that resonates with me and to capture images that defines the San Jose I know and am growing to (re)appreciate. Some of these images may come with commentary about some sort of nostalgia it might evoke or it could just be a standalone image that captures San Jose life, from the mundane to the...mundane. (I say that only half-jokingly.)

My first picture..."Neon Glory--West San Carlos St."

I love all the flashy, old-fashioned signs on West San Carlos. Some of them, I assume from the font styling, date back to at least the early 1960s. When driving down this street, I can't help but imagine how this section of the city must have been back in the day. They're city relics, I say! I'm going to go back again one day and do a whole series on these signs.

My new travel companion

Yesterday, my dad surprised me with a Kindle (an ebook reader) for my birthday. "Here," he said, interrupting my Netflix watching session, and presented me with a box. "For your birthday." "Whaaaattt???" I gasped, totally caught off guard not because my birthday is still weeks away, but considering everything my dad has gotten me in this past year to celebrate my college graduation (a new digital camera to replace the one he got me for my 18th birthday that was stolen on my 21st birthday; and a three month trip to Vietnam), I really did not expect nor even want him to get me anything. (His reasoning, I kid you not: Since you're at home all day without a job, might as well do something.)

When I started opening the box and saw the keyboard, I thought he got me one of those huge novelty calculators--as a joke, because I'm bad at math. Then I opened the whole thing and saw the "amazonkindle" logo and I was totally surprised. "WHHHAAAT?" I continued gasping. "A Kindle??!!!" This gift really came out of the blue because I had never, ever considered getting an ereader. When they first came out a few years ago, I really didn't get them. I thought, "Why would anyone choose to read a book on a screen versus a hard copy? How can you even compare the feel of a digital gadget to holding a book?"

There is a feel to holding a book that makes the reading experience so much more enjoyable. The distinct smell of book paper, made even more distinct if the edition was old; the feel of the textured paper as you skim through a page to find that quote you loved but had forgotten to drot down; and the satisfaction of a page turn, the corner tenderly between your fingers while you quickly finish the last words on the page, in anticipation for the next scene of events.

Then, I traveled. I will admit, the need/enjoyment of a hard copy book in hand is lessened when you have to lug it around in your backpack, straining your back because you can't just bring one book while traveling, you have to bring at least three for variety. Along with the back strain, it takes up valuable souvenir space. When I went to Vietnam, I was only able to bring with me four books due to luggage space limitations--all of which I finished in 2 weeks. Two of them I enjoyed and the other two I hated, but had to read out of boredom. When I left, I had to leave them all behind (it was painful letting go of the two I enjoyed...painful!)

So when my dad gave me the Kindle, I immediately thought of how wonderful it will now be to travel with the world's library at my disposal, to entertain myself even in the most excruciating of wait-times that is intrinsic to travel--all in a compact, lightweight device.

I've spent all of today playing around with it, figuring out all the buttons and downloading as much free books of interest as I can...and I got to say, despite my bias for hard copy books, this thing is freaking amazing. It is super lightweight (lighter than a paperback), which is perfect for travel.

For comparison, I set it alongside my travel books.

I love travel guides, but hate transporting them around (especially Euro travel guides; they're heavy). With the Kindle, I have all sorts of travel guides at my disposal that I can whip out while lost, roaming the confusing labyrinth of streets and not look like a tourist.

One single battery charge lasts up to one month, so I don't have to worry about charging it on short trips. And most importantly, the screen really reads like a book. The screen utilizes high-contrast e-ink, which does a good job of replicating the look of book pages, so when I'm reading, it doesn't tire my eyes in the way an LCD screen would (ahem, Ipad).

At this angle, it looks like any paper copy.

In all, I'm loving my Kindle so far. This thing is made for travel/commuting, or basically any context where lugging a bag of books around is not feasible. This is surely going to become a much cherished travel companion.

A much needed pick-me-up

You know those days when you're just not feeling...right. You don't necessarily feel "down", but you obviously don't feel "up" either. You can't exactly pinpoint what those feelings are or even where they originate from, but you just kind of feel unsettled and insecure. Well, I've been feeling this way, on and off, this whole week and...it sucks.

I've been trying to do little things to cheer myself up, like listen to a particular song or do some online shopping (I love Ebay), but they've all fell short of ridding this nagging downer I've been feeling. So, I turned to something that never fails to brighten my spirits nor that of anyone else I know---ice cream! And not just any ice cream, but "Thrifty" hand-scooped ice cream at Rite Aid.

If you never had Thrifty hand-scooped ice cream at Rite Aid, you've been missing out. Rite Aid's Thrifty brand of ice cream is dated way back when Rite Aid was known as "Thrifty Drug" and when it was still customary for pharmaceutical shops to also sell hand-scooped ice cream on its premises. "Thrifty Drug" was later bought out and renamed Rite Aid, but considering the generations of young'uns that grew up to love Thrifty Ice Cream, Rite Aid was smart enough to preserve the in-store ice cream shop (at least on the West Coast).

And so, this is where I headed to get that pick-me-up I so desperately needed. Of course, I had to pick up some buddies on the way and go through the requisite..."Wait, I'm lost...this is the wrong location...turn around, it's located at the OTHER Rite Aid." Apparently, not all Rite Aids serve hand-scooped ice cream. The closest Rite Aid (on the Eastside) that does have an in-store ice cream stand is located on McKee and White.

When we finally arrived and was immediately greeted by the "Thrifty Ice Cream" sign, I felt a little jump of excitement in my stomach, similar to those twinges of excitement I remember from childhood when my dad brought home M&M candies just because.

And really, who wouldn't crack a smile on their face when faced with the close possibility of eating delicious and very affordable ice cream. Because, it ain't called Thrifty ice cream for nothing! $1.29 for one sizable scoop of ice cream. Can you really beat that price? And (to me) it rivals the top ice cream chains in terms of taste and richness.

It also doesn't hurt when you know an employee at Rite Aid who can hook you up with extra servings! (That's why I love the Eastside, where I can always bump into old high school folks who are always more than happy to help me out) Thanks, friend!

On this particular day, I got the Black Cherry flavor. My buddy Amy got pistachio. It really was all I needed to take me away from the general 'blahness' I was feeling. Consuming this delicious cone of ice cream in the most unexceptionable surroundings... in the early evening, sitting outside in the Rite Aid parking lot, the sounds of shopping carts scraping concrete, over a chit-chat session with friends about random events, just enjoying the moment...yeah, that's exactly what I needed.

Fire near 101, McKee Rd

We saw the fire from a distance while driving around McKee and got a closer look on 101 North. Apparently, it was a grass fire that spread to a Kelloggs factory and brought down a Vietnamese radio station. Communist retaliation? J/K :)

Thanks to Amy for capturing the picture.

The right place

I really cannot wrap my mind around the intensity of medical school and the students that attend them. I just...how? I keep wondering how they are able to do it and I have concluded that it really does takes a special type of student to not only get into medical school, but to stay and withstand all the rigor required of study. On my trip out to West Virginia to visit my brother, I got to catch a glimpse of the intense discipline and dedication med students channel into their studies and I really was left awestruck at how they can manage in such a stressful environment.

When Terry called me a few days before our visit, he told us that because we were coming, he had 20 less hours of study time. Umm..thanks, Terry. We're happy to come visit you too...But, that's the thing. As a med student, every hour is precious. Every minute wasted on not studying is observed as a weakness in character. Students were even studying at their own White Coat Ceremony. At the ceremony, where family and friends were gathered from all over to celebrate their achievements, students had their heads buried in flash cards and books. I was just...speechless when I saw that.

Knowing how much effort and seriousness medical students attach to their studies has made me even more proud that I have one of those students as a brother. To tell others, "My brother is in medical school," fills me up (and the rest of my family) with SO MUCH pride that it is sort of hard to say it without getting emotional. Because, my brother is going to be a freaking doctor. He is going to school so that some day, he can save others' lives. That is just so mind-bogglingly amazing to me that someone I share the same blood and the same upbringing with is going to do something so honorable with their life.

And while I was feeling a bit doubtful about his choices to attend school all the way in West Virginia, which in my inexperienced opinion was the middle of nowhere, seeing him so in his element and content with his decision to attend this particular school put all my doubts about this place to rest. I can't imagine what it feels like to know that you have arrived exactly where you want to be in life, but Terry is in that "zone" now and I can't be happier for him. Most of us work our whole lives to reach that point in our lives and some of us never even get there. He is doing what he wants with his life (really well, I may add) and in the environment that is the perfect fit for him.

Terry gave us a tour of his school, the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, and while it may not be located in the fanciest of places and from the exterior, is kind of plain-looking, it is top-notch. WVSOM is one of the top medical schools in the country, receiving what I was told, 14,000 applications for only 200 spots.

The facilities are amazing. Everything was new and up-to-date. Terry took us to these labs where there were robotic simulation patients that act as real patients, down to their breathing and pulse. They can even act out symptoms, throw up, bleed, yell in pain, etc. I was blown away by the sophistication of the technology.

A male patient
A female birthing patient, complete with her babies!
This, in particular, was amazing/hilarious:

I also really like the type of curriculum offered at these type of osteopathic schools. They practice medicine with a more holistic approach that focuses on the individualistic needs of the patients, which is really in line with the social work philosophy. That was neat, seeing the connection between the two professions. My thumb of approval immediately came up when I learned that was an emphasis at osteopathic schools.

Having him show us around his school and seeing how expertly he handled any questions we had just raised the bar of admiration I already had for him. I'm so glad that Terry is at the right place for himself, mentally and location-wise. I am not at that place myself, but I'm not really that broken over it because...my brother is going to be a doctor, one great one at that.

Things to do in Lewisburg

I was a bit wrong about Lewisburg, assuming that there was nothing to do and see. There are actually quite a few things to do. So while Terry was in class, we did our best to find these sightseeing sites to occupy our time. (Med students are intense. It didn't matter if their family were visiting. School and studying ALWAYS comes first)

Lost Worlds Caverns
Like most visitors to Lewisburg, our first visit was to the Lost World Caverns. It's basically a series of underground caverns that feature natural formations of stalagmites and other rock formation things of which I don't know the name. I visited a number of similar caverns this summer in Vietnam, but what I particularly like about this one is that its still left in its natural state (aside from the pathways/light posts constructed for safety). A lot of the ones in Vietnam were eroded by foot traffic, litter, and graffiti. You don't find that problem here, thankfully.

Supposedly, someone stood atop this formation for a total of 15 days, breaking some Guinness World Record. His parents must have been proud.
The basic tour is a half-mile long self-guided tour. For the more adventurous type, there's also a four-hour long (!!) spelunking adventure that takes you off the beaten paths. These folks here were beginning their hike into the dark crevices of the caverns.
After the caverns, we rode around the area to look at the scenery, which is just incredibly gorgeous. I can see the appeal of living in these type of places because the landscape alone can even make the most city-centered people rethink of relocating. Actually acting on those impulses, however, is another story. But, one can imagine what life would be in these neck of the woods, with vast amounts of untouched land to cast eyes across every day...
to take morning runs through all this greenery...
and pet horsies on the side of the road!
Greenbrier Resort
After our little side-trip, we went to the Greenbrier Resort on Terry's recommendation. The Greenbrier is a hotel-resort, dating as far back as the 18th century and remains today a gathering place for the most elite of Southern high society. It is also a place for the influential. Southern Presidents used to take residence here, contemporary Presidents still make visits, and occasionally, Republican conferences are held here (apparently, there's a bunker underground built specifically to house Congressional members in case of attacks). Most recently (in August), the Greenbrier hosted the PGA tour.

The history surrounding the Greenbrier made this visit so interesting. Both the Confederate and Union army once took refuge here, transforming it into a military headquarters and hospital to care for wounded soldiers. We took a tour through the President's Cottage, where Presidents such as Marten Van Buren, Fillmore, and Buchanan once took residence. I especially loved looking at the old pictures of people through the ages enjoying the Greenbrier grounds in their period clothes. The pictures really highlighted the high-class and exclusive nature of this resort that is still intact today.

And the hotel really blew me away. I have never been in a hotel so spectacular. There's a posh casino, a little mall with stores that would probably take me a lifetime to build up a fortune to shop in, and lots and lots of sitting rooms decorated to capture the ambiance of the decadent 1920s. I loved, loved, loved the decor.

Scenes from Greenbrier:

Smooth Amber Spirits
After the Greenbrier, we still had a lot more time to kill. So, my brother John saw a sign pointing toward a liquor distillery and we made a pit stop there. The woman manning the front desk gave us a tour of the small, 3-person run distillery. The place just opened in April and for such a small operation, it was very impressive with its state-of-the-art equipment.

This place specifically makes gin and vodka. I got a whiff and taste of the vodka. It smelled super strong, but it went down really smooth.

And with a teensy bit of alcohol in our system, our sightseeing tour of Lewisburg was over. We were able to hit all the major places around Lewisburg in about a day. There's also a lot of outdoorsy things to do around Lewisburg, such as bicyling around the Greenbrier River Trail--that's supposed to be a popular attraction--and also snow-shooeing (??) during the winter. If I had brought my running shoes, I would have taken a run through town or if we had more time, go hiking.

In all, my trip to Lewisburg was nice, despite realizing that I can never settle in such a place. I wouldn't mind making another trip out here to visit my brother of course, but also get another chance to take in the gorgeous scenery and absorb the calmness of this small town. Washington, DC is also only four hours away from Lewisburg, so if there's nothing else to do, road trip.

First impressions of Lewisburg, West Virginia

Lewisburg, WV was never on my list of must-visit destinations. Actually, I never gave much thought to West Virginia at all, so when my brother got into medical school here I thought, "Huh...West Virginia. That's the state that Conan O'Brien makes fun of all the time during his commemorative stamp segments as the state where people marry their own cousins." Because, honestly, I don't know anything about West Virginia aside from hearing the jokes about it being the "backcountry" and other insensitive/false tidbits about the state. So really, I came here without much expectations about this place aside from knowing for sure that it would be completely different from my way of life back in the Bay Area. And I was right. It is really different from the Bay Area. Really different.

Lewisburg, where the WV School of Osteopathic Medicine is located, is in this very small town with only 3,000 inhabitants. The demographics is almost entirely White. Terry and Tammy did a bit of research and according to the last Census, there were only like 12 Asian people that inhabited this entire town. That alone has been a sort of culture shock to me, coming from the Bay Area where people of all colors are everywhere. And I don't know if its just me or because this context makes me more conscious, but I notice people staring at us a lot while we walk around. If you look even a bit different here, you really stand out. It makes sense, but I still feel kinda...awkward walking around.

Despite this awkwardness I may feel from stares, the people that we've encountered here have all been super nice and polite. Like, really polite. I don't know if it is a Southern thing or a Lewisburg thing, but everyone has been so sweet and helpful. People actually smile and say hello to each other while walking down the street, in the elevator...everywhere! It's so odd...

The scenery around here is also really beautiful. There is lots of open space, with trees, and cute wooden fences that stretch across sweeping grass lawns.
I can only imagine how amazing the scenery would look once fall hits, when all the leaves change color...
The homes here aren't built side by side like our packed suburbs in the Bay Area, but they are spread pretty far apart from each other, separated by a few acres of land. Most of the homes here are also dated from the 19th-early 20th century (some even older) and they are all so charming with their huge porch fronts and impeccably well-kept lawns.
Downtown Lewisburg is very small, encompassing only a few blocks. We walked all of downtown in a matter of 20 minutes. To my surprise, their downtown is kind of artsy, with a few art galleries, theaters, cutesy boutiques, and organic eateries (and even a yoga center!). It also has this lazy, slow pace to it that is very nice and calming. When we were walking around, there was even this man sitting out in the street playing some jazz on his clarinet, which actually reminded me a bit of the street performers in Berkeley. I don't know if this artsy feel is due to the proximity of the med school or that's just what the towns people are into, but Lewisburg really broke itself from my stereotypes of small towns as bland and generic (sorry, I have NO experience with small towns). That was a surprise.

One thing that really stood out to me is that for such a small town, there are quite a few cemeteries. We passed quite a few of them and walked through one where a lot of the gravestones dated all the way back to pre-Civil War times. Not far from here, there is also a Civil War cemetery (occupied by Confederate soldiers, I'm assuming).

I've been here a little over a day and I'm not quite sure how I feel about this place. I mean, the landscape is gorgeous, it's clean, and charming in its own small-town way, but I don't think I would be able to live here. It's a bit too quiet (that can feel unsettling at times) and there aren't that much things around to see and do. The one movie theaters I saw only played one movie, "Eat, Pray, Love" and that was at 7pm. There's a Walmart and a few strip malls with big chain restaurants. And...that's kind of it. It's a perfect place for people into this quiet, rural type of lifestyle, like my brother, who fell in love with this place right away. But, for me? Not really. It's somewhere nice to get away for a bit of calmness, but to actually live in these type of towns, no thank you. I like diversity, a bit of noise, and the faster pace of living in a city. I guess I'm just a city dweller for life.