I bought a new TV for myself today. It's on my desk. I plan to "multi-task" and watch it while chatting with people like Jessica and Emily online...

5:14 am. Time to go to sleep or time to get up? Hmm.

Ugh. Still awake. Hopefully I'm not up too late... I need a normal day tomorrow.

This is pretty cool - I live next to a Buddhist "temple" of sorts called the Nyingma Institute. The interesting thing is that it houses the largest prayer wheel in North America. This is the view of it from my bedroom window. If you check out their website, you can see this prayer wheel on the ground floor from the inside. I feel like I'm spying. Meditate with me now... lotus position... "Ohmmmmmmmm"

I'm on call. This day has zipped by just because I've been so busy... and it's not over yet...

Here's me chillin' on the deck at sunset. I ate chips and drank tea. Life is good.

Yay! It's Friday. But, "on call every 4th night" means I'm back at the hospital bright and early tomorrow morning and there til Sunday... I'm home now. Bored. I wish I had somewhere to go... Oh well. It's me and the TV tonight maybe.

This waking-up thing before 6 am every morning could get a little distressing after awhile... but, the good news is, I'm hanging in there and feeling fairly comfortable in my new role. One of the 2nd year residents told me that some of the nurses that worked the night I was on call had nice things to say. And that, of course, is the key to making life manageable in any hospital...

I survived. And I'm still able to smile. With effort.

Thanks Phil, for forwarding this pic of Mike and Cat holding my sketch of them. What a cute couple.

It's a little after 3 am here. I just wanted to make a note for myself so that I can look back years from now and remember how strange a feeling it is to be "the resident housestaff on call." Suddenly, I'm the one signing orders and making medication requests after the nurses call and notify me about a patient. The first thought that runs through my mind is, "are you sure I should be signing this thing?" On this neonatal intensive care service, I have 7 of my own patients, and I'm covering about 10 more overnight. It's a scary feeling. I don't want to screw up. And I'm sure I don't really know what I'm doing. Thank goodness for the all the wonderful nurses and their years of experience and for the very supportive Attending physicians, Dave and Nick.

Just take a deep breath. Everybody. 15 more hours to go. This happens every 4th night by the way.

First day at work as an intern. First night on call. I'm still alive. But, OMG! Please let me survive til tomorrow.

I hung out with Jocelyn yesterday for a quick dinner. I think it's pretty cool that she's out here doing an internship at the Chinese Historical Society in SF. She's on of (TAF) Andri's friends, and she's also a recent graduate of my college, the University of Illinois, Champaign where she was active in the Asian Pacific American Coalition. Yay! This is where our blog pages meet...

It's a depth perception thing. My head isn't that big.

I'm back at the hospital for the last day of orientation. It seems I left AIM on auto-login over the weekend here in the library... so I've gotten all these messages here that I never responded to. Oops! Sorry people! You probably all thought I was ignoring you.

I think my room is presentable now. Here's a pic of my IKEA room:

Here's a pic of my roomie, Armen, working in the living room:

I think I'm gonna go salsa dancing with some of the new residents. I don't know how to salsa dance. Let's hope I don't hurt myself.

OK. I think I got it now: Here's a recent pic from the deck above my apartment at sunset.

What's wrong with blogger??

Here's a

This is my last free weekend for awhile. I'm off to see the movie Amelie with Kasumi and Bill shortly. Then tomorrow, BBQ #1 is with the TAYL crowd and BBQ #2 is with fellow residents and residency program people. I'm definitely looking forward to it! I need a break from all this "what's your real name" business.

On a side note, I miss all my friends, young and old, east of Cali.

Who am I? Boo hoo. I don't know.

Possible answers: Ho Chie, Jay Ho Chie, HoChie, Hochie, Jay HoChie, Jay Hochie, Jay, Jayhochie, Jayho Chie, J.C. Tsai...

My official name is now Jay Ho Chie Tsai. I think. But, I'm not sure.
So, I'm confused now, and it's causing much grief in my life. This is how it all started.

Last week at the Department of Motor Vehicles:
Lost Illinois Boy: "I just moved to California, and I'd like to get a new driver's license and register my car."
Counter lady #13: "Please show me a valid photo ID"
Lost Illinois Boy: "OK, here's my Illinois drivers license."
Counter lady #13: "I need a photo ID that's not a license."
Lost Illinois Boy: "OK, here's my passport."
Counter lady #13: "Your first name is Jay Ho Chie?"
Lost Illinois Boy: "Well, it's only Ho Chie. I never use Jay, and my passport is the only place where it says Jay. Can you just leave the Jay off my license?"
Counter lady #13: "No. I have to put it exactly as I see it."
Lost Illinois Boy: "But, I've never ever used Jay. All my documents and identity revolve around Ho Chie."
Counter lady #13: "Sorry."
Lost Illinois Boy: "Fine. Fine. Just make sure you put it all as a first name. It's not a middle name."

The next day at the bank:
Lost Illinois Boy: "I just moved to California, and I'd like to open a bank account."
Banking lady: "Photo ID please."
Lost Illinois Boy: "Here you go. I only have the temporary paper license, and here's my passport."
Banking lady: "Your name is Jay Ho Chie Tsai, sir?."
Lost Illinois Boy: "Yes, but not really. I'd like to have my account only under the name Ho Chie, because that's where my paychecks are going, and that's how all my records list me since forever."
Banking lady: "But you might have problems if you come to the counter and show them your license. It's best to just put your complete name."
Lost Illinois Boy: "Um. Oh, OK."

Letter in the mail today:
"The Social Security Administration notified the DMV that the name you provided did not match SSA's records... DMV cannot issue a driver license or identification card until SSA verifies the information is correct..."

Right now:
"Uh Oh."

Eeeeks. Long day today. Lotsa adminstrative stuff. And, I got poked with an IV for practice. Plus I found out my first night on call is my first day on the job... So that means my first day actually lasts 30+ hours. I can feel the pain already... I just have to get used to it every 4th night.

Oh, so cool... I got an email from Jocelyn from U of I who is doing a summer internship out here. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to meet up with her soon...

Lots of really nice people are in my entering class. I'm starting to get excited about getting to know this new "family." I'm off to a pot luck party to meet more of the residents now... And tonight, I get to play with my new laptop... Catch me online.

First day of Orientation tomorrow...

I am back! TAYL camp went great! And JenChen and I had a super duper group of 3rd and 4th graders to work with! Dennis, Jason, Troy, Winnie, Jonathan, and Kimberly were our superheroes of the weekend. Plus, I wanna give a little shout out to some of my group B buddies: Mancy, Alice, Tabitha... I had a great weekend because of all of you! OK, I need a nap now because I'm so pooped out.

Group A: The Amazing Amazon Alligators!

Photo Scavenger Hunt - posing with the pine cone.

Mancy & Alice, my Group B girls!

Tabitha, Mancy, Alice. Ho Chie and Allypoo!

Group A personalities revealed...

Damn. Forget it. See ya on Monday.

Time to go into counselor mode for the bay area's Taiwanese American Youth Leadership summer camp. I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully it feels like a mini-break before starting my residency orientation on Tuesday. So since this camp is a bit more isolated than most (think log cabins, redwood forests, campfires...) my blog page will be a bit quiet until Monday... So in the meantime, browse my

sup sup. mai hOmEgiRLzz chiLLn wid da cam. heres mai favs. hArMz ish sooo foine.

I was at the DMV for 5 hours today just to get a license and register my car. Inefficiency at its finest. I have so many other little things to take care of... it's almost aggravating. TAYL camp starts tomorrow... must... work... faster...

Remember the pic of me and Yuling outside of Sacre-Coeur? Here's the "making of" snapshot, courtesy of Phil.

Ah. My first cloudy/foggy/smoggy day in Cali. I still can't tell the difference. What is it when it just forms in your face? But it's all sunny and clear on the other side of the hills? Whatever. I guess it's a good day to do laundry. And study for this California Drivers License exam. Yep. I forgot all my rules of the road... Age 16. All over again. The stress of it all...

Here's a couple of pics from the Europe trip revisited. Yes, take another look at that 2nd picture...

Finally! I figured out how to get some of my pics online. I've been using my roommate's computer since mine doesn't have internet access yet. Sooner or later, I will get all of them on my dotphoto album... In the meantime, check out the re-edited posts from the past week...

Ikea visit #4. I might as well live there... Well, I'm saving money, yet spending alot... if that makes any sense. Off to dinner with Elaine...

Ikea visit #3 today. That store has been my best friend. Well, I'm off to a TAYL meeting now... summer camp starts in 4 days...

I'm pooped. It's strange to be in this time zone. My midwest and east coast buddies are probably all sleeping by now. Anyways, keep a lookout for pictures to be posted soon... I now have a nice new flat screen monitor for my computer...

I have my desk and beds now. Yes, beds. Besides my main bed, I have a lofted bunk over my desk, so that my visitors may rest in style. So let me know when you're gonna visit. Ranee called today - it was so nice to hear from her and to know she's back in the states. She may be my first visitor in July. Hurray!

Today is my break day. I am off to a Taiwanese American dumpling fest, and then later, I head over to Bill's for a dinner party.

I just had dinner with Jesse and Rochelle. We went to this French crepe place on Fillmore Street. A little bit of Paris revisited. Delicious.

So I'm continuing to settle into my place and spending lots of money buying all the stuff I gave up in Chicago. I need my computer to be hooked up. I need a new cell phone. I want a new laptop. I need more furniture. I'm waiting for my desk. And, I need to win the lottery.

I'm home now. The drive from Denver through Salt Lake City and Reno were fairly nice. Contrary to what Jessica thinks, I did not drive off a cliff. Now I spend the next couple of days just getting settled... Give me a call if you're bored. I have one week of freedom left.

It's been really cool hanging with Jen. I'm thinking I may come back this way in the future to visit other parts of Colorado with her. We're off to have brunch now, and then I head over to meet up with Michelle before continuing on my way to Salt Lake City. It looks like I'm gonna stay in a hostel tonight when I get there... Tomorrow night, I plan to be in Reno. Time to hit the slots??

I arrived in Denver around 6 am this morning. Needless to say, I was really really tired. But, it was very cool to see the sun rise and see all the hills and mountains around me. Kansas, on the other hand, was super boring and incredibly flat. So, as I wait for Jen to finish class, I thought I would have lunch and wander the downtown area. Right now, I'm in the Denver Public Library, and soon, I think I'll go to the Colorado History Museum.

Wow. I didn't realized that there were so many TAF people in this area. I saw Emily again, bright-eyed Angie, JH counselor Annie, ex-JR Steven, board members TZ and Jean, just to name a few... And several Juniors also live here; I talked briefly to Jessie yesterday. Carrie and Steven are nearby, but Nicholas and David have moved to Texas. Oh, and it turns out Annie knows my med school buddies Cathy K. and Amy W because her brother knew them and they all grew up together. Small small world.

OK, I just had some Jimmy John's subs with Jessica, Julie, and Michael. And now I'm about to head towards Denver. The plan is to drive through the night and arrive there by sunrise...

I'm in St Louis, and it seems there are alot more TAF people here than I remembered. Jess's and Tiff's parents have been super gracious hosts and even called up some fellow TAF families to join us for dinner at a Chinese buffet. I got to see Julie and Michael, blogger-buddy Emily, and a special surprise visit by Emmeline. I forgot she was here because the last time I accidentally bumped into her was in San Diego during our mini-TAF gathering at Karen's in October. After dinner, Jessica, Julie, and Michael took me to the only bubble tea place in St Louis. They all agreed it was just so-so, a bit on the weak side. But hey, it's #1 in St Louis.



So tomorrow, I might stop by the church and say hi to the other TAF people in the area. It seems several of them now know that I'm passing through town. After that, I start my 12-14 hour segment towards Denver with some pitstops and naps along the way. It looks like an awfully boring and flat drive...

My drive towards Cali begins now. Next stop: St. Louis - Looking forward to seeing Jessica, Emily, and other TAFers in the area...

I just saw Attack of the Clones again. My favorite moments: Yoda doin' his Jedi thing all over Count Dooku. Freefalls through space traffic. The oh-so-pretty Padme pecking Anakin on the cheek as she jumps down behind him on the lizard beast.

I took a mini break this afternoon and went out to get some more of that Halo Halo dessert. So tasty and refreshing. I find a good thing, and then I have to leave. It was always right there, and I didn't notice. That seems to be the story of my life sometimes.