1 & 2: Singing & Sandwiches
January 11 - January 25 , 2026
Hello from London!
Pretty easy update on life here recently. I have been just studying. We are currently in our neurology and pathology units. And as you can imagine, neurology is complicated! We’ve gone over brain anatomy and innervation and everything in between. Though it’s a lot and complicated, it is definitely fascinating. Like how cool! Our bodies have all of these unique pathways for all different kinds of functions and our brains are able to constantly process and regulate all of it at once! Thinking about coordination and complex movements at a neurological level gives me so much more appreciate for it. It’s just so neat!
Also, I learned a very interesting fact that a principle of neurosurgery played a key role in the creation of the movie, Blade Runner. I wrote about it here, if you’re interested. I had a lot of fun working on the essay and digging into the science and history a bit.
Also, an important development over winter break: I did indeed get bangs! This was fully of my own volition and they have been so much fun!
Outside of school, there’s not a ton to report. My friend had her birthday over break and we all gathered to go to karaoke last Friday to celebrate. We went to a karaoke bar in Westminster and sang the night away! Within the first 45 minutes of our allotted 2 hours, we had called the attendant over and added an additional hour without question.
A brief glance at some of the songs on the playlist:
F*ck You - Ceelo Green
Telephone -Lady Gaga
9 to 5 -Dolly Parton
The Giver - Chappell Roan
Pink Pony Club - Chappell Roan
Teenage Dirtbag - Weezer
Beauty and a Beat - Justin Bieber
Before He Cheats - Carrie Underwood
and more!
This week, I ordered a Paper Republic journal as a little back to school motivational gift. I’ve been ogling these journals forever but the color I wanted was sold out for months. I had been casually stalking the website when suddenly boom—they restocked! I pulled the trigger and it arrived the other day! These journals are hand-made in Vienna and are made with stunning, real Italian leather. I even got it embossed with my initials. What’s great about it is that you can continuously replace the notebooks inside as you go. It also allows you to put several notebooks inside it at once. I think this technically fits up to 6 size A5 notebooks, depending on their thickness. I’m hoping to be able to carry at least a writing journal and an art journal at the same time. It’s going to be perfect for any trips I take (and I’m currently scheming quite a few!) to keep all my notebooks safe and in one place. It even has a little pocket on the inside, too!
Lastly, my friends and I had a “sandwich adventure” on Friday. A sandwich adventure entails leaving our bubble of central London for a beautiful sandwich on homemade rosemary focaccia bread. We went to a place called Focaccia Mia in Bethnal Green on the East End. Oh my god, it was so. good. All 5 of us got the chicken parm sandwich. The focaccia was so beautifully pillowy but still crunchy on the top. It had sprigs of fresh rosemary that infused the whole sandwich in that bright and herby taste. It also had big flakes of salt and fantastic olive oil on the crust. And if the bread wasn’t enough—the chicken parm itself was delightful. Fried to perfection. The sauce was delicious. And there were leaves of whole basil tucked between the melting mozzarella. And all of it sat under a dusting of salty, melt-in-your-melt parmesan shavings. But that was not all we got there. There were also carbonara aracini that were so creamy and cheesy. It was heavenly. Top it all off with an ice cold Coke and the 30 minutes on a crowded Tube were so worth it. 10/10
Carbonara aracini !!!
The heavenly chicken parm focaccia sandwich
And that’s about it! I’m back to studying over the weekend.
On the horizon, I have another little “Study with Me” essay on alpaca facts and wrapping up edits on book reviews. One of my goals is to keep up with my fun writing this term so feeling like I’m off to a good start!
Until next time!
Love,
Sam
