So I am now in San Francisco.

I'm here on an internship, doing more web development! But instead of Python/Django, it's PHP/Zend. You'd think it would be a pretty easy transition from one MVC web framework to another, but that was not the case! For one thing, Django's cute little ORM spoiled me:(

Zend is a very powerful tool with great libraries, but that fact is not easily recognizable to a beginner. For those who want to get the gist of this framework by running through the QuickStart, good luck to you. Really. I've also been spoiled by Django's amazing Tutorial and Documentation. The QuickStart changed drastically over the last two weeks, due to the new Zend release. This should be good news, except, it's still unfinished. Yes, STILL. The last QuickStart guide had typos, left out information, and didn't use hypertext to its full potential:P Meaning, it was confusing, and you needed to delve into the heavy Zend Documentation to get a simple question answered. And yes, the new QuickStart guide is no better. It is shorter (...yay? I guess. A win for the impatient), but does not hold enough information. It just tells you what SOME lines of code do and what the Zend parser looks for, but it doesn't really go much into depth. It barely even scratches the surface. And there are still chunks of text missing (scroll to the bottom). So yeah. Have fun, beginners! :P

My recommendation to a beginner is, yes, run through the QuickStart, but don't expect many answers to it. All I really learned about Zend from the QuickStart was information regarding what Zend needs to know to parse code properly, and the structure of a normal web application. The real magic lies in the Zend library. I started playing with Zend_Db at work, and it's a pretty good tool. Try using the Zend_Db alone without a Mapper for one of your models. It will be a fun learning exercise that will help shape your Zend and database/querying skills. If you're a beginner to web development and are looking for a friendly, quick way to start a website, my recommendation to you is to skip PHP/Zend and check out Django. It's prettier and the docs are nicer. But maybe that's just my superficiality talking.

Now that I have this site up and running, I'm finally able to share this post that I've been sitting on for quite some time.

A friend of mine in med school recommended me a book entitled "An Imperfect Offering: Humanitarianism in the 21st Century" by Dr. James Orbinski. She had told me that this book had significantly changed her life and her outlook, and spoke very highly of it. Admittedly, I was hesitant to pick up the book, thinking that the content could only really relate well with doctors and other health care workers. But, I really appreciate her opinion, so I went out and bought the book anyway, and I'm really glad I did.

"An Imperfect Offering" is a recounting of the work and life experiences of Dr. James Orbinski, the former president of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders). This book surprised and struck me in many ways. For one, this book is aimed at readers of any professional background, so it was an easy read (save for the emotional strife) while remaining quite informative. This was also the first account I've read about genocide through the eyes of a health care worker. All the other accounts I've read has been through the eyes of journalists, politicians or of civilians, but reading about the experiences of doctors who went through hell and back, fighting against all odds to provide health care to those who needed it really demonstrated the depth of our human fabric. This book is a detailed account of the different sides of humanity. And most importantly, my god, does this book make you realize how horrible war can be. Even if you think you're desensitized to depictions and accounts of war, if you've been raised in a developed world, then this is definitely a book that will still shock you. It shows you how atrocious war could be, from those who suffer, to those who orchestrate their suffering. Dr. Orbinski describes in blunt and honest detail the callousness of the political forces that drive the gears of war. This was a phenomenal read, I recommend this book to anyone.

But I somewhat digress. What I really wanted to write about was Dr. Orbinski's lecture that I had attended in September 2008. It was an absolutely inspirational speech. I wanted to highlight the main points he mentioned that I found to be good food for thought:

- Empathy not sympathy. The lecture really demonstrated how we can't separate ourselves from others, and we cannot enhance the quality of life for others by simply giving charity and sympathy. Instead, he spoke of pursuing solidarity, to understand that "they are us". Charity implies a separation, an "I'm sorry you're stuck there, but I don't really want to step out of my comfort zone to help you too much". Dr. Orbinski encouraged us to see that the impoverished are us, we can't separate ourselves or think of ourselves as different. When you accept that we are all humans and all should be treated similarly in similar situations then we can stand in solidarity and not accept the unacceptable. That is solidarity. Not charity, not vacuous band-aid solutions, but fighting for change by understanding the circumstances under which people live.

- Health care is not a commodity. This is one reason why I'm proud to be a Canadian citizen. Our public health care system makes us take health care services for granted. If we're hurt or feeling ill, there is no concern over the cost of care. But consider other nations. Consider having little to no health care coverage while living in a country with privatized health care. One fracture can set you back thousands of dollars. Now consider having no money, being in a war-torn country, with a bleeding gash on your arm. Dr. Orbinski told us a rather shocking story of Sudanese boy he once treated. The boy had come to him seeking treatment for a gash on his arm, inflicted by a food vendor from whom, in his starving desperation, he attempted to steal. As Dr. Orbinski was stitching the wound, he noticed symmetrical punctures all along the gash, punctures that suggested stitches. He asked the boy what those injuries were from. The boy said that he visited another doctor earlier who had stitched the wound, but upon realizing that he had no money with which to pay him, the doctor slit the stitches, undoing the work he did, and sent him out. The silence from the audience this point was sufficient enough to explain how shocking this is. How strong of a dichotomy there is between the developed world and the war-torn. I wish I had further commentary, but I can't find appropriate words to explain how wrong, in terms of human potential, this situation is. We are a remarkable species, but to see humanity stripped and degraded to such a form just renders one speechless.

I'm hoping this might get you thinking, or it might help organize some of your feelings. I'm one of those people who feel the weight of the world. I've always been looking for the right word to define the emotion I feel when I considered prisoners of circumstance like those born into poverty, war-torn areas. It was something more than just empathy. Attending that speech made me realize the word I was looking for this whole time was "solidarity".

Now that I have the front-end part of this site kind of going, I decided to put up this post. Since the new year, I've been thinking about the concerts I've been to in the year past. I was fortunate enough to have attended many concerts on my "Must See Before I Die" List. But one concert out of them all struck me the most...

In February, I saw Maximum the Hormone in Toronto (I traveled 10 hours through a snowstorm to get there, but it was well worth it) and I met them all. In May, I saw Opeth, who were amazing. In November, I saw Dir En Grey, who are unbelievable performers. Lastly, and most important of them all, I saw my hero, Ani DiFranco that same month.

I hadn't expected this concert to be so monumental to me, I wasn't even sure if I was going to go that day. I hadn't really listened to her newest albums, so I was weary of going. The decision to go was spontaneous and on the day of the concert. It was purely based on the fact that I loved her as an artist, and I just had to witness her in action, even if I haven't seriously heard her latest stuff (latest being oh... the last 4-5 albums? Hah). I considered my history with her music, and decided I had to go.

I've been listening to her music for the last 12 years, since I was 9 years old! I've heard her go from an angry young folksinger, to a maturing, experimenting musician, and finally, to a bright, happy artist, full of life. It was remarkable transition to just bear witness in the form of album covers and musical styles. But on that day, when she entered the stage, everything about her changes suddenly became realized, materializing in front of me. I couldn't help but feel my inner self scream "I LOVE YOU, ANI" the minute I saw her, not because I'm the biggest fan in the world, no, not by a long shot, but because of how she helped shape me. How her music, her words, her prose have been so influential, motivating, helpful, inspirational... everything to me. The level of impact she had on me is incomparable to any other artist I've listened to (yes, including Iron Maiden;) ). I could see it in the crowd as well. Seeing Ani, at least for those like me, isn't like going to an awesome metal show, or a chill jazz jam; it's like reaching a strange musical nirvana. You reach a spiritual point, where you see how all this hard work, love and passion can culminate to something so beautiful; the evolution of both the musician and the listener. I was just very thankful to have been there.

Having said that, I wanted to encourage you all to go to concerts and support artists if you can. Ever since my first concert (Iron Maiden in high school), I realized the power of concerts. It wasn't just to show off musical skill; it was to connect with the audience. Whether they're purely communal adrenaline rushes, or this kind of spiritual highs, it doesn't matter, they're all worth the effort. That's what makes music what it is. It isn't simply what you download, or some constructed series of bleeps and bloops made with FLStudio. It's a creative force that's generated by these individuals, meant to be shared and enjoyed by all who listen. It only gets better live. So go out there and enjoy!!!

Be ready for some posts with substance! Finally!

Yes, I know I don't have comments yet. And yes, I know that sucks. My Javascript/JQuery knowledge right now is close to zero. But I'm working on it!