I'm no sports fan, but no more Comiskey Park in Chicago? Some people are gonna get upset. The new name? US Cellular Field. It just doesn't sound right. Darn those power-wielding corporations that inflict its will on the people. Let the protests begin. Time to make some calls on my cell phone...

Hmmm... more random-ness. I found my page listed under "Cool Weblogs of the Moment." I don't know this website or the person who runs it.

Is this my 15 minutes of fame?

If so, let me take a moment to thank my family, friends, and the little people who helped me achieve this heart-warming recognition. It is because of you, my supportive weblog fans, that I'm standing graciously before you today. (tear rolls down cheek) I'll never forget you and the inspiration that you give me. I love you all! (miss america wave, as the orchestra music cuts in and camera fades away)

*cut to commercial*

Available now! The Handy Stitch! The cordless, hand-held sewing machine that’s so compact it fits in the palm of your hand. Great for beginners or experts; for use indoors or out! Act today and you'll also get a 64-piece thread and bobbin collection, a $20 value, absolutely FREE, so you’ll always have the right colored thread for every job! Yours today for $14.99 + shipping/ handling.

*pan left off-screen toward Asian man watching TV commercial*

Hey! Nice! I should buy one of those! Wait a gosh-darn-minute! I did! 4 weeks ago! Where the heck is it?!

I bumped into a college acquaintance at the airport today. How random.

I had a nice lunch with Lynn, who I haven't seen since October of 2001. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was just having bubble tea with her and Celia in San Diego. Anyways, now I'm checking out Marge's new place. Very cozy. So, this is my last blog from NYC. Off to Chicago where it's warmer. Right.

The view from Lynn's office.

Marge's place. Hudson River. And she has a low loft too! Ouch!

My taste buds have been burned away. Just came back from eating some hot Indian food in East Village. Good food and good company: Yuli, Yuling, Zach, Dave, Alex, Marge, Frank.


For any 8 Mile fans out there... here's an Asian dude doing his thing.

I have a taste for New York style pizza today. I also feel like sketching more, after seeing that Leonardo da Vinci exhibit at the Met. Impressive.

"oooo... pizzzzz aaaa"

Did not find earmuffs. But the ears have not fallen off yet. Cross fingers that by some small chance, it will be sunny and 70 degrees tomorrow. Currently chillin' with Alex, Marge at Davef's place. Heart is still warm.

Plan for today: Metropolitan Museum of Art. Find earmuffs. Meet with Davef and Yuling. Whitney Museum of American Art. Take more city pics. Find Vivian. Hang with the gang. Stay in Manhattan for the next couple of nights. Stay warm. Brrr...

Little dancing Asian men and Egyptian temples. Interesting.

Coffee with Dave. Hanging in the stairwell at the Whitney.

Ling. Viv.

Three words: "Colder than Yesterday!" Bonus word: "Damn!"
So, today, I wandered through the Guggenheim this morning before meeting up with my long-time friend Cynthia for lunch. We went to some Asian American themed cafe called Cafe Swish where I got some bubble tea. Not too shabby at all. Plus it was a hip looking joint. Later on, I caught up with Davef and Frank before meeting everyone else in K-town for some Korean BBQ. Annie from old school TAF days joined us, as well as Megan and Kelvin, my fellow TAYLers. And of course my fav blog buddy Margaret, and our new Columbia addition, Alex. I'm lucky to have such awesome friends here. No matter how infrequently I see them, they always feel like good friends. It may be negative wind chill outside, but my heart feels damn warm.

Too cold to take pics! So drink hot taro boba!

Lunch with Cynthia. Reunited with Annie.

Taiwanese American New York buddies.

Bay area friends lost in the cold.

Upper west side crew love the cold. Crazy.

Frank is such a nice host. He made a nice dinner yesterday, and now he's making me breakfast. What a way to start the day. And it's looking like a fine day outside. All I have to do is find the will to withstand the cold. Six months in Cali has made me weak. Anyways, the plan for today... Wander the streets of NYC, take random pictures, meet up with Davef sometime, find Cindy for lunch, wander more, then get the usual crew together for dinner somewhere, meet up with Annie...

New York is chilly! What was I thinking? But I am here. Just in time for the Superbowl.

Good morning! Next blog... from New York!

It was a very Taiwanese American day indeed. Here are some photos of my day at the Northern California Formosan Federation Lunar New Year Party in Hayward. I spent the early morning hours helping to set up and the noon hour eating with Judy, Grace, and some of my camp kids. In the afternoon, I made some new friends during a friendly game of dodge ball - All under the age of 12. That's what I call a good day.

Eileen & Mike prepping. Anny! So cute!

Dragon Dance by 2nd generation.

They're all sweet and nice at first... and then they turn on you.

No sleeping Ivy! The cutest child ever.

My fav kids: Alice, Mancy, Max. Cute smiles: Jen and Anny.

I am home. I need food.

Breakfast with Shanjean at UCLA this morning before heading back to Oakland...

So here's an example of the wonderful web of my world - I know Rick and Karin from college. Of course, they're Taiwanese American too, so they go back to my early TAF days. Jen, who I know from the Bay area Taiwanese American crowd, is dating Ryan who was in Rick's TAF college program many years ago. Ryan also went to med school at Northwestern, so I know Bena has crossed paths with him before at some APAMSA function in years past. Bena is also very good friends with my senior and friend at the hospital, Susan. And Susan is very good friends with my long-time friend Lynna who also happens to be Karin's sister. Phew. So Karin used to be AAA president back at U of I in '91-'92 while I was her Internal VP. I followed in her footsteps and became president the following year. Bena used to be UIC APAMSA president in '98-'99, and I followed her the next year. Her brother Benjamin is apparently the current Internal VP of AAA at U of I. Oh, and Bena's current Attending physician is Felix, who also went to U of I with Karin, Rick, and I. Most of these guys just met each other tonight... And I didn't even mention all the other friends they probably have in common... My world is feeling a wee bit small today.

Rick, Jen, Karin, Bena, and me

Boba at Relaxtation. Surprise visit to Jenny.

OK. Dinner at Furaibo in West LA tonight... See ya!

The picture on top of my mom's TV...

What?! There's bubble tea in Huntington Beach now? oooo...

I had lunch with a famous person today. I just didn't know it. That's my mom on the right. Madame Chang is sitting in front. The Emperor's family in Japan frequent her restaurants, I hear...

An introduction from her cookbook...

About the Author - An authority on Chinese cooking, Madame Constance D. Chang is widely known for her delicious Chinese food, her easy-to-follow recipes, and her willingness and ability to impart her knowledge to others. Mrs. Chang owns and operates or directly supervises six Chinese restaurants in Japan: the three ‘Peacock Hall’s are located in the Tokyo, Haneda and Yokohama Tokyu Hotels; the other three ‘Madame Chang’s Home Kitchen’s are located in the Shibuya, Seijo and Hiroo districts. One of these was the first Chinese buffet restaurant in Japan. She has appeared on television cooking programs for more than thirty years and has written fourteen books on Chinese cooking. She is also widely recognized for Chinese and modern paintings and calligraphy.

I decided to make a pitstop to visit Christina, Annie, and Amanda on my way through LA and ended up joining their family for dinner. How fun! The girls haven't changed a bit since I last saw them at TAF 2001. Christina was in Carrie's and my small group - and she's such a tomboy. I think it's so cool that she knows who she is and doesn't feel pressured to be so "girly." Her latest interests outside of skateboarding include soccer and mountain biking. The mere mention of ballet brings a silly frown to her face... And the fact that she HAD to wear a skirt to school today (since she owns none) was apparently a near-traumatic experience for her. So funny! I wonder when I'll get to see them again in the future.

OK, now I'm off to LA. I think it's at least 5 hours on the road...

I sent 7 patients home today, only to have 7 more new patients fill their spots. Not to mention about 90-100 pages throughout the day. This is what I get for being efficient and speedy. 19 hours down, a cumulative 16 minutes of breaks taken... I am damn tired. This is the slowest 24 hours ever. Can I stop and breath now?

24 more hours before my vacation officially starts. Off to LA tomorrow...

Coming soon... rotating artwork on my bedroom wall...

Look for Charlie (the guy in the white shirt from yesterday's pizza party pics) amongst the 100 or so hip hop dancers performing with LL Cool J during the halftime show of the Raiders game this evening. Apparently, he's first row and center - one of six Asians in the dance group. I hope playing DDR yesterday night didn't screw up his rhythm... Oh, and my socks will be televised nationally, since he had to borrow a pair of my black ones. (Who doesn't own a pair of black socks?) Don't mess up dude! The world is watching!

I received a really nice surprise group phone call from Emily, Alice, Angie H, and Angie L, who apparently are in Tennessee this weekend of all places... I guess there's nothing better to do there. But it was definitely a highlight of my evening! Miss you guys!

I'm hosting a Taste of Berkeley Pizza Party at my place tonight! Specialty pizzas from some of my favorite places, including a few I've been looking forward to trying: Blondie's, the Cheeseboard, Zachary's, Extreme Pizza, and North Beach... Come on by!

I went hiking this morning near the Sibley Volcanic Preserves, and found a fantastic view eastward of Mt. Diablo. I usually only show pics facing west, because I love the bay and city views so much. But the other direction has some pretty spectacular views as well...

Lost on a volcano, surrounded by a sea of fog.

My New York trip is coming up... I keep scheming, but I just don't know how to make a visit towards Albany work. I wanna see my not-so-little Carol though! It's been so many years since we last hung out. I'm gonna have to steal you away, girl... and bring you back to someplace with warmer weather.

AznChicNess16: dag.. 3000 miles, only to be separated by 3 hours
HoChie71: ha
HoChie71: that's so sad...
AznChicNess16: i know..

I went to the dentist today post-call. It took effort to not fall asleep while sitting in the big rotating chair. Anyways, it turns out my new dentist also happens to be an ex-president and board member of the OCA East Bay Chapter. I found one thing I was looking for without even looking. How interesting is that?

30 minutes of sleep over the past 30 hours. I shall now fall asleep while typingg thissi blogggggg jggggggggggggggggggggg

Hello world! See you tomorrow!

Extraversion (E) 29 19 (I) Introversion
Sensing (S) 23 36 (N) iNtuition
Thinking (T) 36 33 (F) Feeling
Judging (J) 51 13 (P) Perceiving
I scored as an ENTJ.
I used to be INFJ.
Who am I?

I believe I'm still INFJ.

What's this world coming to?

Happy Belated Birthdays to Chelsea, Eleanor, Cassie, Regina. Happy Birthday to Lynna today! Happy Birthday to Anna tomorrow! Happy Early Birthdays to Andelle, Kevan, Andri, Jody, Stephy, Howard! I think I'm covered for the month.

After work today, Cherie, Myra, Diep, and I went to try out a Vietnamese noodle place in downtown Oakland by recommendation. It turned out to be a pretty good place, although at first we were a little bit uncertain... This place was relatively pricier and had practically no Asian customers except for the four of us. Sometimes it's so unfair to judge a place by the number of Asian faces you see in the joint, but the fact of the matter is, that's the way to do it. As all Asian people know, the secret to determining authenticity of the cuisine is in how many Asians are inside eating. Even if the place looks like hole in the wall sludge-pit. Actually, sometimes, the grungier and cheaper, the better. Ultimately, this place turned out pretty good... well, except for my fortune cookie. I shall designate this the "Unfortunate Un-Fortune."

hehe... last-minute scheming with my social chairs, Alice and Cecilia... it's time for a pizza party at my place this weekend... come on over!

I can't wait til Monday. The only time you'll ever hear that is when I'm on call Sunday and get to go home Monday afternoon. Someone arrange for the masseuse to meet me at 2 pm. I'm needing a good rub down after all this stress...

Betsy made such a deliciously authentic South Indian dinner for us, her fellow interns, this evening. We were all so thoroughly impressed. And she isn't even Asian Indian, which I think is twice as impressive. Every once in awhile, you meet someone who is just so knowledgeable about a culture outside of their own, it just puts you to shame. Yes, I admit it; I am a naive Asian American. Neither really one nor the other. I should live outside of this country for awhile. Become French or something. C'est tres possible...