4.30.2003

I spent the day in Sacramento with fellow medical people learning about legislative stuff and participating in the process. It just amazes me how much politics is all about talking and schmoozing and power... none of which I enjoy very much. I will stick to the grassroots movements, thank you.

Creatures of the hospital courtyard at 6 am. Capitol building in Sacramento.

Kids lose beans and popcorn kernels in their ears more often than you'd think...

4.28.2003

I need to break the silence for the time being and just say that the movie Bend It Like Beckham was one of the best I've seen in a long time.



“Bend It Like Beckham is the most exhilarating movie so far this year.” EW Grade: A
-- Owen Gleiberman, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“What film did I just plain enjoy the most at Sundance? Well, that would be BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM.”
-- Roger Ebert, Ebert & Roeper

"Just awesome! It brought tears to my eyes! I'd go see it again!"
-- Ho Chie Tsai, SICK DAY DISTRACTIONS

I've been sent home from work due to illness. So I shall take a day off from blogging too.

But before I forget, happy birthday yesterday to Shirley, today to Marianne, and tomorrow to Emily.

4.27.2003

I like these ABC Sunday Night Movies... the storybook character, Eloise, comes to life on TV. So adorable and entertaining. Just what I need on my sick day.

After work this morning, I went on a solo jog through the Berkeley Hills up to Mt. Vollmer. Things I saw today: horseback riders, kids riding a mini steam train, beautiful trails, excellent views of the Bay and Mt Diablo, a golf course tucked in the hills, and an interesting gate next to the trail... I wish my pictures could reveal the true grandeur of it all. That's what you get for 216x216 pixel resolution I guess.

Interesting gate, apparently in the middle of nowhere.
Welcome to the edge of the world!

4.26.2003

Ugh. Feeling terrible still. It is now full-blown illness and I have a fever. Of course, I'm still at work, trying to plug through my day and night, hoping not to cough up a lung. Bleh. I must not have deflected all the coughs and spit-ups that all these sick kids are throwing my way... Anyways, I'm hoping for a quick recovery... Must be Super Man...

4.25.2003

I love Alice's new haircut! It's so cute!

Oy. I'm feeling crummy today. No smile. Tiny headache brewing. Occasional cough. I think the hectic month has finally caught up with me. And I'm on call again tomorrow. I could use some sympathy.

4.24.2003

Oh my. That's so sad. A goldfish that can't swim. I'm watching a news clip about a chubby little goldfish that can't flip its fins. So the pet owner made a little sling so that the little guy could be perched in the middle of the aquarium. But sometimes he falls out and sinks to the bottom. I guess life is like that...

On a brighter note, happy birthday Ivy! You're one of the bestest peoples I knows.

It has been a crazy-busy day today. Time to relax and catch my breath now... I think I might go and see a Taiwanese film this evening. It's time to get tuned into the roots of my existence. Good Men, Good Women (Hao Nan Hao Nu; 108 min., 1995), award-winning film, third in the City of Sadness trilogy, directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien.

4.23.2003

I'm going to spend my afternoon dreaming.

4.22.2003

I miss my good ol' days as a little kid with an imagination as big as a blimp. I'd often look up into the blue sky, watch the clouds drift by, and imagine myself sitting on this huge globe spinning in space. I thought that maybe if I threw my tennis ball high enough, I could launch it into outer space. So I tried and tried. But it never worked, so I would go inside the house and play Legos instead. If only life could be so simple again...

4.21.2003

It was a good simple day today, following an excellent evening party at Kasumi and Bill's yesterday. I had a nice day with nice patients, and I completed my work early. This must be the calm before the storm... We will see tomorrow. And now I'm off to dinner with the ward team at a nice restaurant in Rockridge. Yummy. This means my month is coming to a close soon...

Silver team dinner with our Attending at Oliveto.

The three males of the intern class proudly flaunt the Y Chromosome.

4.20.2003

If you sit on the magic bench, you will shrink...

Or is that just an ancient brick-like cell phone? Hm.

Me, last Fall, during Rick's visit. I have since regained my original height.

4.19.2003

And the special guest is Karen!! Yay!

I joined Karen, Jason and their dad in Chinatown to eat dim sum. Then we wandered around to look for a bubble tea place because in Columbus, Ohio, I guess there's only one bubble tea place. How sad. Afterwards, I stole Karen away and took her around Berkeley for a little bit. We also stopped by my buddy Ivy's wushu tournament, took in the view from Indian Rock, and then shared some Cheeseboard pizza (my favorite!) before heading back to the NATWA Conference hotel.

It turned out that Welly was going to be performing (a nice surprise), so I stuck around to see him again. While we were waiting around, all these TAF moms who had travelled in from the Midwest recognized me and came up to say hello. It's a very nice feeling to be remembered, and inevitably, they all had stories about my first interaction with their kids at TAF... how they had so much fun, how their lives were changed by TAF, or how they remembered this little detail or that, etc... Lots of all-around hugs by Taiwanese moms - very cool.

It was a very nice relaxing day hanging with one of my original Juniors, now all grown up. Miss you already Karen!


SF Chinatown and the Bay Bridge. "You can do it Jason!"

Drink bubble tea and be merry! Tough dragon tattoos! Wushu wa-ha!

Admiring the Golden Gate and Bay. Chillin' on top of Indian Rock.

4.18.2003

TAF visitor in town! I am looking forward to tomorrow...

4.17.2003

I am so happy for Nina, who found just found out that she got accepted into UCSF Med! That is such an accomplishment, and I am so proud of her! I wanted to do a little something for her, so I got her a bottle of Moet & Chandon champagne and a bouquet of flowers. Too bad I can't celebrate with her and the rest of the crowd tonight since I'm on call tomorrow. My bed is calling me...


I must keep dreaming about Hawaii and hulas.

It's a beautiful sunny day today. And I'm just realizing that I am the most pale that I have ever been in my life. Being in residency means I practically live in the hospital; I spend more hours here than at home, and I rarely have the chance to be out in daylight. Now I have no pigment, darnit! What I really need is a vacation in Hawaii, sleeping underneath the afternoon sunshine on an empty beach. Ahh... I can hear the waves crashing and the coconuts falling... Is that a hula girl there in the distance? Dream on...

4.16.2003

I seem to have very little to say this week, which is quite reflective of my overall energy level and intense work schedule. Thanks for checking in on my blog though. I shall return to my baseline by this weekend I hope.

4.15.2003

My computers are misbehaving. I'm going to make them sit in the corner for a 5 minute time-out.

4.13.2003

I saw the Asian American film Better Luck Tomorrow again. It was about a year ago that I saw one of the first screenings back in Chicago and mentioned it in my blog... I'm happy to see that it's made it this far.

Happy Birthday Kari!




4.12.2003

I am a nerd. On my day off, I thought it would be interesting to attend Berkeley's Cal Day. I'm sure it was organized mostly for new college freshmen and their families, but I figured I would take advantage of some freebie lectures by professors on campus. So today, I wandered from lecture hall to lecture hall and learned about: aquatic environmental changes in the Bay, structural engineering of bridges and skyscrapers, the solution to Fermat's last theorem, race and the census, discovery of new planets and the possibility of extra-terrestrial life. Very interesting presentations. And, once again, let me say that I am a nerd. Thank you very much. And have a nice evening. *pushes glasses higher up on nose*

4.11.2003

It's Carol's birthday today! *BIG HUG* for my dear friend. MISS YOU lots, girl!

4.10.2003

Today has been a bummer. Enough said.

4.09.2003

Snow bunnies.

I bought a new wallet today. It cost me $10. Good deal I think. But now I have no money to put in my new wallet.

4.08.2003

Dinner time. Good day to sit outside.

And eat pizza at Jupiter's with Betsy.

Happy Birthday Jessica! I guess now that you're 17, I really shouldn't call you "chipmunk cheeks" anymore. But, you know I will.

4.07.2003

It definitely feels like Spring.


Post-call... I'm freeeee....

4.06.2003

I want to play outside.

4.05.2003

I saw a poster for an Asian Pacific Islander Issues Conference at Berkeley, so I decided to attend today. The keynote speech was given by Eric Mar, VP of the San Francisco Board of Education. He also teaches Asian American Studies at SF State University, and is friends with Russell, husband of one of my fellow interns, who also teaches there. Small world. I also participated in a couple of sessions that addressed API delinquency issues and met some of the people who put together the research publications that I used for my presentation a few months ago. What a fine coincidence I think. I might be able to help them with some further research through the Children's Hospital I hope.

Later that evening, I stopped by again and caught some of the closing performances. One of the performers was particularly impressive - Golda "The Supanova" Sargento, who had an amazing voice and supporting band. Apparently, her significant other is Dennis Kim from I Was Born With Two Tongues. I used to watch alot of the Tongue's performances back in Chicago (Marlon and Anida! Old skool U of I activists!). Anyways, I was pretty impressed with the conference overall. It's good to see and feel the Movement again. I miss the good old days of upsetting the Order and mobilizing Action. I don't do anything anymore I realize. Instead, I'm becoming of historical interest. I must be getting old and tired. Damn.

APA activism is alive and well in Berkeley. Feels good.

But I'm tired.


During a break in the conference, I hung out with TAYL crowd for a planning meeting. I'm not even going to be able to make it to Camp this year, but still, I love hanging out with them. They are like my family here. So adorable they all are.

4.04.2003

I'm so glad it's Friday. My week has felt four days too long. I haven't slept enough, and I'm working some insane hours. It's one of those evenings where I'm glad to be home alone with nothing to do. I'm content sitting in front of the TV, watching, but not fully comprehending anything. I'm even too tired to make myself a real dinner. This piece of bread here will do.

4.03.2003

The "getting out early" thing didn't happen. I've been a zombie all day. But, I did get to join Anny, Eric, Stephen, and Ivy for dinner at a nice Italian restaurant tonight!

4.02.2003

And now I'm on call, and looking forward to getting out early tomorrow.

4.01.2003

What a hectic day at work. I didn't even stop to have lunch. At least I feel like I have the efficiency and endurance of seven mules. That sounds ugly, but I think that's a relatively good thing. Gotta leave room for growth, and perhaps I will perform like seven sleek show-horses by the end of the month... The plan is to take things in stride. No matter how rough it gets.

Time for some sushi with the roomie and his friends...

I'm tired. Really tired. It's the start of another busy four weeks in the hospital...