I was back in NYC for the past several days for a family issue – an experience which opened my eyes to healthcare delivery from the patient’s point of view. Sadly, my knowledge of medicine only emphasized the myriad errors that slip through the crack, and how methodical yet callous the medical community can be, even when handling our most vulnerable population. With the big snow storm, my trip back home was equally harsh. At 5 in the morning, I had to stumble past three city blocks from the hospital before finding a cab. I arrived at Port Authority, only to find that all buses were canceled. Desperately, I trudged across town to Penn Station, battling through the crowds to secure a seat on a train that ended up being 6-fold more expensive and 2 hours delayed. Once aboard the train car, I gazed out at the blanket of snow, pondered what it means to be a doctor, then fell fast asleep. After an exhausting 9.5 hour journey, I was just glad that the ordeal was over.

Fortune smiled upon me this holiday season and kept my pager quiet throughout the weekend. This year, we spent our Thanksgiving with Melody’s boss’ family, where we dined on traditional turkey (dark meat, of course), stuffing, yams, and mashed potatoes. And despite doing a somersault with a 4-foot dive onto the hardwood floor, Melody’s pumpkin cake still made a respectable showing at the dinner table. My parents also came up to Boston to celebrate my dad’s birthday. Beside the usual seafood feast with steamed black bass and peapod stems, we also revisited H-mart, our newly-discovered Korean mega-grocery store in Burlington which offers enough sampler tables to rival its own pan-Asian food court. Back home, we embarked on the new fantasy epic Dragon Age: Origins. Like our previous role-playing adventures, our character will be another elf rogue-ranger-assassin, who will again battle the imminent onslaught of devilish creatures in yet another apocaylptic event, while also engaging in a myriad of unnecessary yet entertaining side quests, many of which will inevitably involve obtaining some key to open some chest. Yes, it is predictable – but that doesn’t mean it still can’t be loads of fun. For something more original, I strongly recommend the new film Up in the Air, which we saw at a free screening tonight. The creators of Juno once again delivers a sarcastic, thought-provoking perspective from an unlikely hero.