In 12 hours, I will leave the hospital and head off towards St Louis. I was there about one year ago. Who would've thought I'd be back so soon?

I met up with Nancy after work and we walked around Union Square for a little while. We also picked up some freebie Mountain Dews and got asked to pose for a picture by the Dew rep. This is us re-living the moment...

Later, we met up with Andy and Dawn at Eos, an Asian fusion restaurant and wine bar. Good stuff. Thanks for dinner, Nancy! I'll miss you when you're gone.

One year ago today, I was roaming freely around Paris enjoying my life. Today I started working in the intensive care unit worrying about others' lives. Needless to say, these experiences are on the opposite ends of the stress spectrum.

Ivy is heading off to Europe to study soon. I would like to be transported in her luggage if there is space.

Cindy's blogs crack me up! I knew there was a reason I considered her my "only friend" back in the early 90's. I'm happy to say that even today, she remains one of my most cherished friends. I now have a grand total of three.

A few conclusions from this past weekend:
1. When I take a vacation, the sun does not follow. Therefore, I shall remain pasty yellowish white.
2. My mom is awesome; She cooks for me and she hems my pants.
3. The Handy Stitch I bought months ago has not yet paid off.
4. Internet shopping is my bad for my credit card; My new digital cam is on its way, and now, so is a new desktop computer.
5. Corollary to #4: I am poor again.
6. My ex-college roommate and old school TAFer, Jeff, is one smart dude. Click Yahoo News.
7. I am looking forward to my trip to St. Louis next weekend. There's got to be some friggin' sunshine there...

The sun breaks out as I leave Huntington Beach.
Happy Memorial Day everyone.

Why is it cloudy and cold here?

The drive to LA begins.

I'm chauffeuring Myra to LA...

OK... I'm trying to psych myself up for another 10 hours working in the Urgent Care Center... It feels like it's going to be a long day ahead. But, I'm looking forward to the long weekend. I'll probably drive down to LA tomorrow morning... I need some beach time.

I've been hanging out with Nancy today, and we're off to dinner soon. The theme for tonight is Taiwanese / Armenian / American. I wanted to celebrate Nancy coming into town, who I apparently have known for about 15 years now, and the (almost) 1 year mark living with my roommate, Armen, and also my friendship with some great interns in my class who share some tie with Taiwan or Armenia. It's like a meeting of the mafias... Tonight, we feast on Middle Eastern cuisine...

Gotta have bubble tea! Andy's electric fly swatter. Sparks fly!

On the Armenian team: Cindy, Amin, Armen.
On the Taiwanese team: June, HoCh, Nancy.

Enjoying dinner and American Idol with Cassie, Tom, Julia, Rochelle, and Jesse! Some of my favorite things: Friends, Cheeseboard pizza, and Hakusan sake!


Ruben Studdard's 50.28% vs Clay Aiken's 49.72%. Wow.

It's a beautiful day today, but I have to work all evening. But, tomorrow is my American Idol dinner night... Stay tuned...

My dad got his medallion today at the conference. Needless to say, he is very proud and happy. I am too. And then we all went out to dinner in Japantown for Shabu Shabu, aka hot pot, on Phillip's suggestion. And then Jesse was also able to join us for dinner after returning from Chicago today. Cafe Mum was an all-you-can-eat/drink place, which really meant eat lots of ribeye slices and drink lots of beer. I am a little full... and a little red (only after a little beer).

Me, my aunt, dad, Phillip, and Gary. Shiny medallion.

Jesse, me, and Gary.

I joined Tom & Cassie and their friends Julia & Warren for some great sushi at Ebisu near UCSF. Afterwards, we got some real taro bubble tea on Clement Street. Good stuff. It definitely made my day... During the afternoon, I hung out with Karisa and Brian for a little bit. Karisa is set to deliver their baby in a little over a month. How exciting! Then, I met up with Gary, Cammy, and Bob at Doris & Andy's place for dinner. It has been a day of eating and eating. Needless to say, I am full. Time to go to bed...

Yummy caterpillar roll. And the bubble tea shaker doll.

Me, Tom, Cassie, Julia, and Warren.

I'm gonna try to find Tom & Cassie today...

During a lull yesterday afternoon, I went to check out the Taiwanese American community cultural festival in Palo Alto. There was definitely an impressive turnout. I haven't seen that many Taiwanese people in a long time.

Fellow TAYL Xanga'er, Tiffany, at the Taiwanese Cultural Festival.

An entire park of Taiwanese Americans...

Taiwanese folk tale puppet show: The Tiger Lady!

Behind the scenes action.

Little Ivy and Mr. Huang next to the recruitment board.

Flaunting the profits from selling Taiwanese drinks. Only costs 1 Poink.

Old TAYL folks.

It's a big weekend for my dad. It's his birthday tomorrow, plus he's getting an award from the American Psychiatric Association during his conference. But most importantly, he gets to see all of us...

Birthday dinner at Koi Palace.

So, Ana reminds me that we haven't seen each other since TAF 98 or something like that. 5 years. I'm in disbelief because I feel like it was only a year or two ago when we last talked. It's amazing how good friends always stay a part of your life, no matter how much time has passed. When you see them again, it's as if you're continuing on with the last conversation you left off with. Wow. I've known Ana since 1987. The world seemed much simpler then.

Crepes for breakfast this morning with Ana... then off to meet Cammy, Bob, & Gary...

Photographing the photographer.

My dad and me. Ana is here!

She brought me Canadian Ice Wine... whatever that is...

Ana is heading this way right now. My dad is coming over too. Tom & Cassie are coming in town tomorrow. TAYL people are going to the Taiwanese festival tomorrow afternoon, and hopefully I can too. Dinner plans with my brother, the cousins and relatives are set for tomorrow evening. Nancy finally contacted me to confirm that she is also here. There is no shortage of events or people this weekend, as everyone seems to be converging in on San Francisco... The earth, moon, and sun must have been in alignment yesterday.

So many people in town, so much stuff to do, yet I have to work til midnight tonight... But the good thing is, I have the entire weekend off... I am ready to play.

Ana will be in arriving from Canada later today. And I suspect Nancy is currently in town from the sound of her Xanga. My brother and dad are visiting in a couple of days too... Much to coordinate...

Ramen for dinner. Laundry to tend to. I've had better days.

Before there was Blue Man Group... there were the Silver Guys. You can find at least one in every major city, standing on a crate in the shopping district, working hard to bring joy to the world. A donation would be appreciated though... Entertainment like this requires delicate skill, patience, and years of training. Remember kids, don't try this at home. And stay in school...

The President of Taiwan, Chen Shui-bian, speaks his mind about SARS and the World Health Organization. Right on dude. Right on.

Celebrating Candice's upcoming birthday.

Lots of stuff going on today: Baby shower for Justin & Heather at June's place, check out touristy spots with visiting TAFers Cecilia & Eric this afternoon, and possibly stop by Candice's birthday party tonight at some club downtown... Today is a good day to hang out with people I think.

Great friends and colleagues. Super yummy food.

Fire Engine, Scarecrow, Garden. And Bubbles that would not Pop.


Sea Lions make tasty burgers... but we'll settle for Clam Chowder instead.

Alcatraz in the background. Turtle and frog in fountain.

Eric, me, Cecilia, Joann, and Charles at Ghirardelli Square.

What a busy yet rewarding day... I'm scheduled to see new patients in the clinic and the urgent care center more often this month, and I've been fortunate enough to have so many of them request to see me again. It's so heart-warming to hear the words "I want you to be his doctor" or "I want my other kids to see you too." I feel like I must be doing something right. Perhaps my jokes are getting better? Or just maybe... the child is truly grateful that I found their belly-button or made sure there were no monsters hiding in their ears...

Hmmm... Let the rumor begin here that I might be at TAF the entire week this year...

Some kids are just so adorable. I kept thinking that just about every little kid I saw at work today was absolutely the cutest. I am reminded how much I love talking to 5 - 10 year old kids. I couldn't stop smiling, and I just wanted to hug everybody!

Oh, and I extracted a little bead from a little kid's nose too... some kids just make you wonder...

I took advantage of a nice mid-afternoon break by investing in a taro bubble tea. Except, now I can't find it...

I just bought a new camera online. The Canon s400 digital Elph for $400 is a mighty fine price I think. I am a sucker for good deals, even though I don't need the item. Now, what to do with my current s300... maybe I can sell it...

I have been prompted for some advice from a friend who shall remain anonymous. Therefore, I need to dust off my handy dandy manual, which has proven to be a useful guide for navigating through daily life. For the benefit of all, I shall now reprint a passage from Ho Chie's Book of Advice, 3rd edition:

Advice #184: To mend a broken heart, just lick it and stick it back together. The more slobber the better. If this fails, invest in some superglue. The end result need not look like a heart.

Ahhh... the clouds are breaking now... Just in time for me to go sit in a cafe, munch on my choco-wafer rolls, enjoy some coffee, and get some work done. Enough playing for now. Dim sum was yummy. X2 was fun. The company was excellent. But it's time to get serious - for at least 30 minutes. That's the longest attention span I have these days. How I ever got this far in life, I don't know...

Time for some dim sum...

Yep... still feelin' sexy...

After coughing for a week now, I believe my voice has achieved raspy and sexy superstar status. You can now enjoy some of this at 1-900-HOT-HOCH.

I should probably acknowledge how lucky I am to be working with lots of cute women. Plus they tend to be a little more sensitive than most people. But that does make it a little harder when I want to tell some kid to "just toughen up and walk it off..."

Chillin' in the residents' lounge. My apartment & Berkeley from the hospital.