The Memories

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Just a year ago exactly, my family and I were preparing to embark on our second annual trip to the East Coast to visit MIT and Harvard. I did not know much about either school other than that "Harvard" should be said "Hahvahd" and that MIT was not pronounced "mit" as in the first syllable of "mitten." Four days later, I arrived at Boston for my first time and was immediately in awe of this great city. I loved how beautiful the skyline looked in the night and how pretty the river glistened in the sunset. I loved how you could practically find lobster at every restaurant in downtown Boston and that falafel was a common delicacy in Cambridge. Most of all, though, I loved how in all the hustle and bustle, this was a college town, filled with thousands of genius students all vying to achieve and go forth into the world on their next big adventure. Somehow an environment like that just attracts me (sort of like bugs to light). Not normally one to quickly fall in love with something, I knew Cambridge was the place for me no matter what.

I was only eleven when I first heard of MIT. I was spread out on the living room carpet with Legos as far as I could see. This only meant one thing: I was building my next big project. At that age, I had this addiction to Mindstorms. I just couldn't stop designing robots and programming them. It seemed so cool that I could make some object follow my every command. Well, this time I decided to build a large model of the titanic, complete with programmed motors and nine decks. In the end it didn't float, but at one point, while I was deeply immersed in the project, my mom stopped me for a few seconds and asked,

"Honey where do you want to go to college?"
"Umm, I don't know. I'm working right now."
"Have you ever thought about it though? What do you like to do?"
"Come on just let me build this...well, I like working with my hands, making things."
"What's your favorite subject in school?"
"You know, math!"
"Have you ever thought about MIT?"
"What's that?"
"It's a place for people who like math and of course building things"
"Sounds nice"

Then and there, MIT was implanted in my head somewhere, only to be rediscovered years later when it was seriously time to be contemplating my future. Honestly, I never thought about MIT until June last year. In fact, it had only occurred to me to consider it when my teacher suggested it to me. I guess somehow he thought my affection towards math mixed with my nerdy sense of humor would make me a great fit for it. Well, MIT became a reality for me when I remembered the childhood conversation with my mother about my college plans and how MIT struck a chord with me, and so it only felt appropriate that I apply to the first college I had ever learned about.

And so soon enough I was in Boston still unsure about which school I was destined for. I would leave it to my visit impressions to guide me. Up first was Harvard, you know the land of argyle shirts and amazingly intelligent people. This visit pretty much ended for me though when I posed the following question to my tour guide:

"So what do you know about engineering here? What are some of the strengths of Harvard engineering?"
Pausing for a few moments, he replied,"Umm...yea why would you come here? MIT is just down the street?"
"Hehe..."

Just go to MIT was his advice. Thanks to this random person, who I don't remember one bit, my life had drastically been altered. Here, this very moment, was the turning point when MIT began to infect my mind, in a good way of course. The next day I visited MIT and endured another long tour in the scolding heat (you'd think being Arab and all that I'd have a tolerance for heat, but no). The tour went on for an hour or so and unfortunately I left unimpressed. I secretly desired a school with the traditional architecture and spread out campus of Harvard, but with the pro-science attitude of MIT. I would have to look elsewhere was my conclusion. This turn of events left me in quite a dilemma because I wanted so desperately to live in Cambridge and attend this top tier institution. Sadly, I departed Cambridge with neither Harvard nor MIT as my top choice any more, casting me into a wretched, despondent state in which I pondered what my future would hold. I already had my college application list all set in stone; the question was where I would go. Well, luckily school started and I pushed this matter to the back of my mind, reassuring myself that I would know the right decision eventually. Boy did I hope that would be true. Regardless, I became too bogged down in work to worry about life a year from now. Instead, I resolved to put all the same care and love into all my applications and wish for the best and that was that.

Well, September and October blew by and following my counselor's advice, "No trick-or-treat until applications are complete," I had submitted all my forms on October 30th. I was done...well, only with the paperwork. The biggest decision of all was still waiting.

Weeks went by and still nothing happened. My future and I were still at a stalemate. I often found myself deep within the recesses of my mind conversing with the little people up there who keep everything well oiled,

"Where am I going to go?"
"Well, there's Princeton"
"Yeah...but they're in the middle of nowhere...plus they have grade deflation."
"What about UPenn? You liked their campus."
"You're right. I loved their campus and it's right smack dab in downtown Philly, but of course, Wharton seems to overshadow everything else on campus. Hmm what else?"
"There's Johns Hopkins!"
"That place seems perfect. They have the number one biomedical engineering program and have a great medical school, but those are the only two things I like about that school."

and on and on it went for days, weeks, and even months...until one day in November when everything changed.

Something magical happened. Up until then, I had been ignoring the MIT blog posts, using the site for just the most basic information. I never thought much of the blog, not ever realizing why it was on an admissions website of all places. One lazy afternoon, however, like any impatient teenager, I started to wonder when MIT's early action decisions would be released. I scoured the MIT blogs for previous posts relating to this and at that moment when I finally read my first MIT blog post fate intervened. I felt like Pandora (a manly version of her) opening a non-evil Pandora's box and releasing a trove of information into the world. It felt exhilarating. My mind went crazy as I read through post after post about hacks and snowball fights and dorms and so much more. In just hours I had fallen in love with MIT. Here was my act of fate, this random event in time that handed my decision to me and told me that this was the right school for me. About time!

This decisiveness that empowered me proved to be a double edged sword. While I couldn't help but smile knowing that I finally had a plan, something to work toward and believe in with all my might, I quickly discovered the "dark side" and it definitely was not something eye-poppingly (Webster-please add "eye-poppingly" to your dictionary) cool like in Star Wars. Think of the MIT blogs as drugs and the average reader as the poor victim. We readers gradually start warming up to the blogs until one day when BAM we become addicted, can't stop clicking refresh, and have brains that run on and on at the speed at light thinking about MIT. I mean the MIT blogs are so mind-altering that people actually fight to post "FIRST" in the comments. Did I mention how sharp that sword was when decisions finally rolled around December 15th?

On December 1st, time literally slowed. Classes seemed longer, sleep couldn't end quicker, and regular, everyday life pretty much seemed pointless with the advent of decisions any day. What any day?!?!? There's not a specific date?!?!? Well, in a move that makes the decisions ever more suspenseful, the admissions committee doesn't release the "decisions date" until a few days before the "actual decisions date." This element of surprise was the root of a two week span of inattentiveness in my classes, perhaps due to my checking of the MIT blogs every fifteen minutes on my phone. Those last days leading up to the dreaded 15th, although tough, left me with lasting memories. I remember listening to soothing songs like "Relax" by Mika and "Who Will Save Your Soul" by Jewel. I remember jumping up and down in my seat during physics when I learned there was only five days left until decisions. I remember half-watching I Am Legend with my friends, one of which had just been accepted into Yale and was having the time of his life. Most of all, of all the painfully long days, of all the never ending lectures, of all the sleepless nights, of all my dreams that I hoped would come true, I remember the kind words of my friends who pushed me through the darkness of these winter days and pacified even the worst of the butterflies that plagued me. What would I ever do without you guys?

Well, the 15th did finally did sneak up. I was terribly inefficient that morning, suffering from bouts of serious butterfly attacks (like Mongolia killer butterfly attacks) and various thoughts along the lines of "OMG OMG OMG OMG WHAT IF I DONT GET IN DO I EVEN HAVE A CHANCE AFTER BEING DEFERRED COULD REJECTION HAPPEN I WORKED SO HARD I NEED THIS BUT WHAT IF THE WORST HAPPENS" and on and on until about 11:30 am at which time I started clicking refresh over and over because of course it's common knowledge that the decisions site goes online approximately 15 minutes early. And like clockwork, at 11:46 I was inputting my login information and ignoring the "There is no interim page. You will see your decision right away" text. In matters of seconds, my adrenaline spiked and then came crashing down when I saw a short paragraph and the one word that stood out: "defer".

The following two weeks constituted the most depressing and longest winter break I've ever endured. Against the advice of others, there was nothing to do but to contemplate the steps leading up to this moment. I already had sent in my previous applications. I had no travel plans. I even had no homework. I knew better though. You should never question yourself, your dreams, your actions or anything you've done. Being deferred was no statement about my abilities or personality, no matter how much it felt like it was. At that time, there was just not enough information to conclude whether I was the perfect match for MIT. So what did I do? I heeded the wise words of Thomas Edison: "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." I sure as heck was not going to sit down during winter break wondering what I did wrong or which path I should have followed. NO! I quickly became focused on what I was going to do about this. For two weeks, I worked on updates for MIT. I wrote a long essay about my passion for research and how I grew from it. I talked about new accomplishments, but most of all, I opened up and flat out expressed my undying love for MIT and my visions of walking down the infinite with just minutes to spare for class or studying with friends into the wee hours of the night. It had taken me 17 years, but I finally opened up to someone, telling them my deepest, darkest secrets, and only hoping that they would understand and be appreciative.

Although the next three months ran on the same long timescale as the two weeks leading up to early decisions, my actions were completely opposite. I enjoyed life more. I went to movies more. I played tennis more (for fun of course, season was long done). I soaked in every moment, realizing how short my time left in high school was. I was going to be somewhere next year. That much was for sure. My dream was MIT, my goal was college. After all, this whole application process was just another instance of my all time favorite quote: "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars."

I felt the long days pass, but I was having a blast. When the 15th rolled around, I was in school on a Friday night at the annual SciFi Fest. I stuffed myself with pizza, ridiculed terrible movies with friends, and totally forgot about the immediate future. It was all about the present, living life one step at a time. This time around there were no killer butterflies, no shaky hands, no runaway thoughts. There was just me with a more mature outlook for my future. I never gave up on my dreams. I knew dreams never had to end because of one setback, one moment in time. During the milliseconds between when I clicked "submit" and when I waited for the page to load, the only thought running through my head was about how much I loved my parents and friends for giving me the best senior year possible and all the support I needed in the worst of times. Well, the few hundred milliseconds ended and there I was reading "pleasure...accept..." and immediately jumping up and down, hugging my parents, and yelling thanks to everyone out there for being so kind during a taxing 8 months. I called, I texted, and I instant messaged. Veni, vidi, vici!

My dream had been achieved. I was going to Cambridge for sure. The days following were ethereal blessings. I floated through the hallways and was tackled with hugs between every class. Teachers patted me on the back and strangers congratulated me. Needless to say, a smiled a whole lot (maybe even too much, Botox anyone?). My away message for an entire week and to the annoyance of many read "I LOVE MIT!!!" In this week, my school learned more about MIT because of me than they ever did about our own high school. In this week, I became facebook friends with Ben. I exchanged emails with Snively and told Paul I'd see him at CPW. Best of all, I thanked everyone, from my fellow classmates in the MIT '12 chatroom to teachers and friends at school for all their help and wise words.

If I could condense my entire senior year into one tiny morsel of advice, it'd be to live a little. Study, learn, work hard, but in the end, live your last months at home worry-free. Go to that new cafe you've always wanted to try, let the radio blast on your way to school at 7:30 am, talk to people who you never thought you could have been friends with, but in between all of this, make memories. In just a year, you won't care which colleges denied you. Rather, you'll regret the moments you missed out on, the potential for having the time of your life. Moments are all we really have. You miss them and there goes your life right before your eyes, but you hold onto them, make them yours, and then you have truly lived.

Ever since March 15th 11:45 am, life's been a party. The instant the application process is over and you decide on your four-year home, life becomes this giant never-ending party lasting until your first class in the Fall. I can't even explain how amazing April was with the absence of worrying, May with the best week of my life happening (ISEF) and June with graduation and the ending of a major chapter in my life. I'll need an another monstrous entry just to explain how unforgettable my senior year was. Perhaps the best part was learning about "blogging" and the ability of blogs to bring droves of people together into one tight-knit community. I never thought I could learn so much from transcribing my life experiences. If only I could express in words how much of a lifeline this blog proved to be during my "deferred months." It served as an emotional outlet, fueled by the readers. So while I've thanked my family, my friends, and basically everyone I know for being there for me, I now would like to thank you readers for being the wind underneath my wings, the ones who truly listened and still listen to what I have to say.

Aww Microsoft...how cute

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For lack of better things to do at 11:31 pm, let's point and laugh at Microsoft for being quite sad. Here is a new website of Microsoft's called "Mactopia."



Yes, Microsoft is full on embracing Macs with a whole website idolizing them. While I fully understand that the Microsoft peeps must support their products, they most definitely could have done this under the main Microsoft Office page. Instead and frankly quite humorously, Microsoft dedicated a website to the computer of their main competitor. Maybe it'll work out in their favor. Until I see proof though, let's just point and laugh :-)

Half-Blood Prince!

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The new Harry Potter movie trailer is out! I'm excited to see it, especially since I may end up seeing it in Cambridge.

Welcome to Nerdidom

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Welcome...please check any normality at the door.

We have a winner for geekiest household item ever. This trumps anything my wildest imagination could conjure and makes my "geeky sense" (sort of like the spidey sense) tingle. I want these (see below) so much!



No, those are not super enlarged eyes pulled out of someone's eye sockets like in Kill Bill, one of the sweetest movies to be produced in my time. These are eyeball lamps. Imagine these babies in action lighting up your room. You'd be the talk of the geek community. You'd be hailed as the uber master of all that is nerdy. Yes, you'd become geek overlord.

So why am I making such a big deal about something that seems so mundane. Why, because so far I've neglected to tell you one important (and perhaps creepy) part to all this. These lamps are tailored to resemble your own eyes based upon pictures of them! Like I said, you would be an overnight sensation in the geek world with these bad boys. Unfortunately, these would probably cost a fortune the tuition of MIT, so you won't be seeing my shiny eyeballs lighting my dorm room anytime soon. Regardless, you could at least whet your nerd appetite by going to the designer's website and drooling over pictures.

UPDATE:



Per Enas' request, I'm posting the nighttime picture because it pretty much confirms just how rocking this lights are. I'm not going to pretend though. Having these next to me while I sleep, staring at me, taunting me, would cause many twisted nightmares. Think Willy Wonka, but the complete opposite.

Me ->> Major FAIL

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I'm sure I've told you all many times, but for the sake of this story, I'll repeat myself once more and say that for the past few weeks I've been helping out at a research laboratory at this hospital nearby. I'm basically the go-to guy whenever someone needs help. Two weeks ago I assisted the team in removing hearts from pigs so that the effects of the implanted stents and associated medicine could be observed. Let me tell you, wrestling with pigs is anti-fun (have you ever heard these buggers squeal?...yea it kills the ears). In fact, I think we need a new word for this sort of agony. If the action of throwing someone out of a window (defenestrate) merits its own word, I think wrestling with a pig should too. Perhaps something like colluctsus. It's a latin amalgamation...look it up! I've strayed too far off topic. So yes, I help with various tasks around the lab and today it fell on me to dispose of old research case files.

The Paper Massacre

The papers stood no chance. They didn't see it coming. One moment they were resting in their safe haven aka the cardboard box, the next they were being collected for execution. Group by group they were lifted and fed into the "monster" rumored to be called the shredder...For an hour or so, this went on, this fantasy delusion occurring in my mind to make the time pass faster and more excitingly. Well, it seemed exciting at the time at least. For this hour of shredding, everything went smoothly. One by one, every piece of paper was shredded to pieces and laid to rest in this large plastic container. This seemed too easy though. No no no. it couldn't last like this the entire time, right? Something always has to go wrong when I'm involved and so it happened...I encounted the paper "muscle." The best of the papers, the ones that lift weights and are ripped. I, not paying attention to this threat, kept feeding in the normal number of papers. This was to be my undoing.

Return of the Papers

The papers fought hard. The shredder stood no chance and it jammed because of the increased thickness of these papers. Luckily, the shredder had a counter-attack known as the "reverse." With the flick of a button, these papers were flung out only to be fed in again in smaller numbers and oh did they shred. Threat averted.

Sneak Attack

The paper shredding continued as planned. There was no hope to prevent this inhumane treatment. Packet by packet, the papers were thwarted and relegated to the trash bags. A few lone souls, however, planned one last attack that fooled everyone. They seemed to shred just fine until they were barely visible at which point they jammed the machine and left it inoperable. The reverse counterattack failed. Any external measures to pull out the papers failed. It seemed that the shredder may have been defeated. A half hour, some broken scissors, and soar hands later still found the shredder in a sticky predicament, locked in a feud with the paper currently in the feed.


So Simple


Eventually my backup arrived. She nonchalantly walked in, turned the shredder off, turned it back on, and let the machine go. It immediately tore through the remaining bits, leaving no survivors. While this was quite frustrating as I had been working on loosening the paper in the feed for 30 minutes, I concluded that I had loosened the paper enough to finally allow the shredder to work. This conclusion brightens up the innermost cavities of my conscious (and unconscious) and allows me to ignore the half-hour waste of my life. On the other hand, this situation is just like when you can't open a bottle after so many attempts, but then the person after you does it with no effort. See it really was all me!

Unexpected Ending

With the shredder up and running, the papers once again met their doom in the depths of this machine. Soon, though, a surprising twist of fate intervened, saving the papers for the time being and disappointing me thoroughly. The jamming had caused the shredder to overheat and rendered it useless. After two hours of standing and only two trash bags full of paper, I felt as if I had lost big time. No no...I just utterly and truly FAILED. So there you have it, a typical day in my shoes.

Insane Indian Food, Candy Mountain, and Depression

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With all the buzz of the new facebook, I decided I'd throw in my two cents. After some exploring, I've concluded that the new design is quite friendly to those who hate the flashy applications that force you to scroll for a minute before you can reach someone's wall (psh, no exaggeration, I'm sure someone out there has enough apps for a minute of scrolling). It's nice to click "wall" and see this roll of posts and events that actually form a story. They've improved the wall by adding status updates, replies, friend additions, and various other news items in between people's comments. Of course, there's an option to return to the real wall we all know and love for those purists out there.

Now, it took me some time to decide whether I like the tabs, but since they hide the annoying apps, I've embraced the arriving of the tabs. I've actually been using tabs for quite some time now on the facebook web application for the iPhone, but that's besides the point. Another reason tabs rock is that it allows for a person's biographical and contact information to be concentrated on one page rather than mixed into one giant jumble with everything else.

One of my favorite enhancements is the new presentation of pictures. A person's tagged photos and albums are all located in on easy-to-reach - you guessed it - tab! There's not much I dislike about the renovation and since I'm one who loves change, I give facebook a hearty two thumbs up for this one. But wait, there's still one last thing left to ponder. Why has Facebook taken such a strong hold on our lives to merit lengthy discussions and controversy? I'll leave that to the philosophers.

Indian people, why is your food so darn spicy!? Don't get me wrong, I am a die hard fan of your food. I'll eat it any day, any time, any where etc etc. I love trying new Indian food and have gone to all the restaurants in my area, but it is this very propensity to your food that has landed me in this uncomfortable situation. Today I tried a newly opened place called the "Curry Corner." They have a large selection of delicacies that are cheaply priced, something any student like myself would squeal at (oh you know you would, at least a little whiimper on the inside perhaps). I went crazy and got pakoras, aloo tikka, somasas, and masala dosa (actually that's normal for me, not crazy >.<) and quickly downed the food while watching Psych and drinking lots of water. After I finished and my water ran out, some strange feeling engulfed my mouth. This feeling rapidly degenerated into pain. All I could feel in the cavity of my mouth was this stinging pain and so I darted toward the freezer downstairs and scarfed down an ice cream bar (you know the one with two soft chocolate biscuits with vanilla ice cream in the middle). Immediately the pain subsided and a long, exasperated "Ahhhh" emanated from me. A few minutes later, after the effects of the ice cream faded, some pain returned, but it was on an order of magnitude much less than before. I resumed my reading and then left for tennis two hours later. While playing with my friend, I could still feel the effects of the food in my system and even some acid reflex. And now, hours and hours later, I can still feel the food playing havoc on my digestive system. It's truly been a uniquely fun day I guess. I will have to gather up some courage and watch the video Snively showed me (embedded below) many times before I'll feel man enough to return to the "Curry Corner" and eat some more of their food. I'll have to man up quickly though, because they have an all-you-can-eat buffet for only $6.99. I bet now you squealed, didn't you? Be honest.

How to Deal with an Annoying Baby Chick


It is now time to once again to face my daily dilemma of how long I should read before falling asleep. See the problem lies in that I can read for a long time, finish the book, be happy, start a new book, and on and on, and at the same time be extremely tired tomorrow as I must wake up at 6:45 am. On the other hand, I could not read so much, not finish the book, feel lousy about not finishing the book that's almost done and have to repeat the process tomorrow, but be well rested and energetic to assist teaching my early morning chemistry class. In the end, it's a lose-lose situation that I can never win so I guess it's a lot like losing "the game." But I guess that's just life so essentially life is just full of loss. Man, how did I just end up depressing myself and the tone of this entire post as well. I guess that takes serious skill, but what do you expect, it's me and I'm just awesome. 'Night.

More baby madness!

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I swear I'm not a creeper. These are just toooo funny. If you can find more, pleaase share! By the way, before this post there were 123 posts on my blog. How exciting!

Aren't kids cute?

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I just can't stop laughing at this. Maybe it's the accent.

Simmons FTW!

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I found out I'll be temped in Simmons at MIT for orientation! For those who aren't familiar with MIT's housing, freshmen basically are given temporary dorms during orientation. Right before the semester starts, we have the option to select a new dorm based on what we have experienced during orientation and if we're feeling particularly dangerous, we can even choose a new roommate. MIT definitely does housing in a manner that does not disappoint and provides flexibility.

I'll be in room 744 on the south wall, which gives me a beautiful view of downtown Boston. Unfortunately, I probably won't see the river, but at least I will see this:



I was perusing floor maps of Simmons and noticed that I am temped in a single. There's nothing wrong with this as I'd rather meet someone during orientation than randomly be paired with someone based upon some whimsical answers we put down for the housing questions. In the end, if I end up alone and desolate, at least I'll be able to revel in the extra privacy.

By the way, the photo at the top is my random picture for today. I snapped it last year when I was visiting the great New York City. Some parking garage owner seems to have an MIT-like sense of humor. I bet he cruelly enjoyed watching us nerds stop and laugh as opposed to most people who had no clue about it. You should consult wikipedia about 1337 if you are not sure what it means.

Well, now that housing lottery results are out, I feel one major step closer to MIT. All that's left is the loooong drive out there, which I'll be sure to blog about. Shannon and I already discussed this. She'll be blogging her journey as well, but don't worry because both of ours will be completely different. Luckily, she is taking the route through Canada as it is the shorter one while I will be taking the other route that goes through Ohio and Pennsylvania. So yes, be sure to read both of ours.

Until next time, good night!

YOU FAIL

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Well not really, especially since you are reading this blog which makes you undoubtedly awesome. I am so addicted to these "FAIL" pictures. I can't stop looking for them, I can't sleep...I can't eat...well I guess I can eat, but when I eat I get sorta of sleepy...eh but anyway, these pictures rock. You'll probably end up laughing hysterically to most of them and hurt yourself (I almost did...whoops :) ), but take the chance and go to these two websites ASAP and have a good time!

So do you ever FAIL? Just yesterday I dropped a toilet paper roll and it unraveled a few meters. Yeah I fail a lot. It's ok though.

Happy Fantasy World

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Above is a strip from my favorite web comic site: the Perry Bible Fellowship! Don't be fooled by the name. None of these are holy like. This comic rocks this world so much that it has been turned into one of the greatest books of all time. That's right! Nothing can beat a book that has a candyland theme. It even has one of those handy built in bookmarks. Go check the rest out NOW. Some of their outstanding strips include "Suicide Train," "An End to Gopher Trouble," and "The Tree of Irony." Let me know what your favorite comic site is in the comments!

For you mac lovers out there, a new site launched that allows you to make your own software bundles for discounted prices. I'm not talking about the 5% discount that saves you like 3 dollars on an item that's overpriced in the first place and is taking you for everything you've got. No. This has actual prices with discounts based on the number of applications you buy. If you buy five, you'll get 40% off! I was playing around and discovered that I could buy five applications for less than the cost of parallels, the only application I care for at this time. Sweet deal right?

Because of Enas '12 I can now have MIT's school calender on my phone! She created an iCal version of MIT's calender and posted it, allowing me to download it and transfer it over to my phone. Now I know precisely when every holiday is!




The only downside is that now I have no excuse for missing anything. Oh wait, I'm covered. "My phone ran out of battery." There we go I'm good for the time being. I do know though when that excuse won't fly like today with my physical exam appointment. This has been scheduled for months and I'm pretty sure my parents wouldn't be pleased if I missed it. Yeah, that's right. I slyly snuck in the fact that I'm almost done with some of the last major forms MIT needs! Once I get this medical report out, I believe I will be done for the time being. Woohoo.

Happy Tree Friends!

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The lesson folks: "Love is blind."

Gosh I love these cartoons. Enjoy!

New is Good

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For a while, I've been feeling that the generic blogger template I've been using for my site seemed a little boyish and just not me. As the days went on, my cozy friend I called my blog became more and more unfamiliar. Every time I saw the pale green and beige background or the stars at the top of the page or whenever I posted a new entry, I wondered when change would come, when this blog would finally feel familiar again. Yeah...It really wasn't that dramatic. It's been six months and a chapter of my life has been completed so I felt change was necessary. I'm going to try this out for a while and see if it works. What do you think? Should I keep it? If not, maybe I will find something more appealing. 

By the way, the picture above is a picture I took at the top of Mount Washington in Pittsburgh. I forced my dad to drive all the way to the top in rain just so I could see the amazing view (and take pictures, of course, for my blog). Aren't I such an awesome son? I know right. I think I read somewhere that the view from the top of Mount Washington is the second best view in America. That's right they even rate views nowadays, not just institutions (*cough MIT is 7 *cough). Now, if rating of the views is anything similar to the prestigious US News' college ratings, then I would completely ignore them, but I did go through the trouble of looking up the top 10 views in America and this is what I found. So apparently the view of Pittsburgh is number 2, three spots ahead of the Golden Gate bridge view, which I think could be a strong contender for the number 1 spot, but like I said, these ratings are just as "good" as US News' ratings. 

Enjoy the new look!

Dedication

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Thanks to geardiary.com for the picture.

It seems that those darn New Yorkers have already started lining up in front of Apple's famous cube store on Fifth Ave. These people are seriously loyal to Apple. Don't they have jobs? And does anyone know where I can find myself some dedication like that?

Check out more pics and a video interview at engadget.com!

The Real Kind of Superhero

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Yes what a tear jerker. If you didn't feel sad and inspired at the same time then I don't know what's wrong with you. I really liked the music. It perfectly set the mood and would be something fun to play on the piano (just not in front of people with perfect pitch as Rachel '12 has previously pointed out...I would hurt their ears and they'd never let me play again :( ). Now I posted this video because of its depiction of Earth, but what's truly hilarious is the video's intended purpose. If you're naturally keen to details, you may have noticed that this video is a "gift" from the people behind "The Secret." Yes, the secret. The secret that isn't really a secret. The secret that involves some red stamp as its logo. The secret that is ironic because like I said it's not a secret. Yes the secret that defies physics and science in general. And yes, if you were wondering, I have read the book "The Secret." Basically, the secret behind "The Secret" is the notion that the universe will magically wrap up whatever you want in a nice box with red glitter wrapping paper and a bow tie to top it off as long as you think deeply about what you desperately desire. Most importantly, "The Secret" states that you must send forth positive energy waves to the universe for this to work. After that, all you must do is keep thinking about what you want in life and expect it to arrive at your door steps within the next 3-5 business days (give or take a few loads of BS). The people behind "The Secret" are masters of advertising stories about the success of this. Someone thought about 1000 bucks constantly and was desperate enough to even put up a fake 1000 dollar check on his wall and long behold 1000 dollars arrived in the mail. Yes, stories like this they claim prove that "The Secret" exists and is out there for everyone to use. Funny how I can diverge so much because of a simple video...oh well.

So tonight I went and saw "Hancock" and I'm here to say it ABSOLUTELY ROCKED. Yeah, it was good. Although the special effects for the flying are not the best, it is a great interpretation of what a real life superhero would be like even though this interpretation drastically goes south toward the end of the movie when there's this completely somewhat unexpected twist that insinuates that there's some greater being out there. Other than that, the movie was still a blast to watch.

I'll try to upload some interesting pictures of Chitown (chicago for you who don't know) tomorrow. Most likely I'll be lazy and won't upload any, but that's a chance I'm willing to take. So Happy Fourth of July and have a safe weekend!

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Hello World! (ahh I love the reference to programming). My name is Omar. I'm a senior in high school and will be a freshman at MIT starting next Fall. My interests are science and math and I hope to eventually become a doctor. This is a blog about my journey. Please enjoy it along with me.


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