Holidays in Canada & California

It's been a bit too long since my last update. With an anatomy exam on the horizon, it may be a bit longer until my next post. But for now, here are a few images from Christmas this year in CA/CA.

Parliament in Ottawa
The eternal flame
La Jolla
Newport Beach
Oceanside

Francis Collins and Colbert

Dr. Francis Collins asked me about my poster once... that was an exciting day.

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Football season

Yay for Saturdays! I'm ready to see a Pasadena crowd rendition of "lean on me."
Bill Withers and Pete Carol are awesome!

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Excited about the Magdelen Commemorative Ball...

Perhaps a little too excited?



Twirling!

At Keble College:
Time to go...

Back in Oxford

I arrived in Oxford this morning with several other students for our annual Oxford-Cambridge-NIH colloquium. Would you believe that the weather is perfect here? We are staying at Keble College, and it is nice to be on familiar stomping ground. Here's the view from my room at Keble:


Chelsea! I wish you were here! Time for scones and clotted cream! :)

And were off!

My thesis is submitted!!!
My health is good!
Matthew arrives today!


Maybe summer vacation is arriving sooner than I thought.

Four weddings a dissertation

Love is in the air this summer with four weddings to attend. The first wedding was for Matthew's friends Rob and Annie. It was a beautiful wedding in Ottawa. Here's the Murphy family at the wedding - It makes me happy to be a part of this photo. :)


We have a wedding next week for Matthew's friends Chris and Emily. This means I am giving myself five days to finish and submit my thesis!

SYTYCD

I am excited about another season of "so you think you can dance." I know I can't dance, but here's a clip that makes me wish I could:



Now, back to thesis writing so I can watch tv guilt free.

Inspiration or procrastination...

This one's for Matthew... :)

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Snow in DC

What started out as a beautiful snow fall last night, turned into an early morning white-out storm that canceled most domestic flights out of Washington DC, including my DC to Ottawa flight. Now I am booked on a flight tomorrow evening. But at least I had a chance to enjoy the supersnowman my roommates made in our front yard.

Things you never thought of doing while growing up in SoCal, part 2

Ice skating on the world's largest skating rink! Ottawa's Rideau Canal is 5 miles of zamboni'd fun.

Working on turning, stopping, and falling... Fortunately, I managed to not do all three.

While appearing completely out of my element, here was a happy familiar sight. A Canadian Royal Oak pub. I'm not sure if the pints would taste the same without a game of backgammon and some tasty potato wedges, chorizo and cheese.


Quickly enjoying a Canadian specialty, a beavertail fried pastry with cinnamon and sugar. I put my gloves back on shortly after Matthew snapped this photo. Did I mention that it's cold in Ottawa?

Taylor's turkey trek

While growing up in Orange County, there are some things you never think of doing... for example, snowshoeing with the Murphy's, a.k.a. racing across a field in 3 feet of powder. The turkey's must have been hiding. Maybe next year?

Christmas in Canada

Christmas, a time to reflect, to revel in, and to cherish many of the things that give life meaning... a cup of Christmas tea, a hug by a wood fire stove, the glow of presents under a tree, warm sweet Christmas cake to share, an endless cookie cupboard, turkey dinner, games to play, an empty chalkboard canvas, a steep slope and an old toboggan, snowshoeing adventures, Bella dog bounding over snow banks, a gaze across a frozen lake, fields of white, a sweater to snuggle in, a buddy to snuggle with, fuzzy socks, pajamas, blueberry pancakes, the smell of pine, a welcoming tree with sapphire lights, welcoming family, laughter with new friends, laughter with old friends, love...

"Indian wisdom says our lives are rivers. We are born somewhere small and quiet and we move toward a place we cannot see, but only imagine. Along our journey, people and events flow into us, and we are created of everywhere and everyone we have passed. Each event, each person, changes us in some way. Even in times of drought we are still moving and growing, but it is during seasons of rain that we expand the most - when water flows from all directions, sweeping at terrifying speed, chasing against rocks, spilling over boundaries. These are painful times, but they enable us to carry burdens we could never have thought possible. Floods are painful, but they are necessary. They keep us clear and strong. They move our lives onto new paths."

- Lisa Wingate, Tending Roses

my breath fogged up the glass, so i drew in a face and i laughed

A little Jason Mraz - inspired, in part, by my friend Maisie.


"Lucky" Official Video With Colbie Caillat

I just watched the Leona Lewis redo of the Snow Patrol song Run. At first I though, "eh, not bad." But then I listened to the original again, and the original version is hard to beat. Amazing lyrics. Here are the videos for you to decide.

Here's the live Leona Lewis version:


And if you're still awake, here's the original Snow Patrol version:

Philadelphia for ASHG

Only small portions and slim residents here. Ahh the Philly cheesesteak...

... The Park Hyatt sure has a nice gym.

Fall colors

Given that I lost my old compact camera and my old cell phone finally called it quits, I bought myself a toy, the LG Dare. Here are a few camera phone test photos of the Fall colors from my street in Bethesda.