Sunday, December 21, 2003

it's been awhile

i apologize for the long wait, and i can't say that it's worth it, for a post. my reasons are varied and totally up to par. first, i came down with the flu, or so i think. i thought it was everything from the common cold (i don't get sick often and had no idea what it felt like) to pneumonia to mono. i quickly ruled out the third choice as i haven't been kissing anyone lately so there was no chance that i was lucky enough to get the kissing disease. but, hey, because i was sick, i was unable to study for finals and ironically, my hypochondriac self and looking up all the signs and symptoms of mono helped me on my hematology exam (because i subsequently missed the lecture on mono because i was at home dying slowly in my bed).

oh, and my second excuse is that i had finals. yeah, even in medical school we have that dreaded week of back to back exams. and seriously, i didn't study more than 6 hours for each of my exams, as i was either too dizzy to even stand or just bored out of my mind. let's hope that i pass. that's all that i can hope for.

but i do have a story. i don't know how to feel about it or what i should have done during the "ordeal," but it was fascinating enough that i feel other people would be interested in hearing it. so, i was on the train on friday afternoon, coming home from a shopping celebration with friends after we finished our last exam. i see this good looking construction worker get on the train, but i'm more fascinated in making up this life for him than in his looks (i have had this weird fascination with people's lives, as in what they do and what they're thinking, lately). it just so happens that he gets off at the same stop as me. as i was passing him on the escalator, i hear "wah ai nee" and realize it's him. for those who aren't chinese, which does include myself, that means hello. a white construction worker saying hello to me in chinese. i had no idea how i should respond. should i have said i wasn't chinese? should i have said that i speak english perfectly well? should i have said that saying hello to me in chinese, even if i was chinese or spoke it, wasn't the greatest way to get a date? oh, but here's the cincher. he's not the first guy to do this to me on the train. a middle-aged white guy said it to me as i was exiting the train one day. again, i said nothing. but does the T (what the subway system in boston is called) have posters around saying, "say(insert hello in preferred language) to (insert said language's ethnic community) girls and you're guaranteed a date. it's hot."

but that's my story. i have plenty more later. for another day. good night and let me just say it's wonderful to be back in san francisco.

Friday, December 12, 2003

it's cold

or it may be the flu. or it may be pneumonia. or it may be bronchitis. yes, i'm sick. and right before finals, so i'm literally screwed. i slept through two reviews today and have no idea how i'm going to study when it hurts for me to read anything or even think.

you would think that someone who is in medical school would know what they have, when it comes to something so trivial as this. however, i do not know anything. i don't even know cpr. i've never taken a first aid class. yet, how am i to tell if i have the flu, cold, pneumonia, bronchitis, or numerous other things that can make me cough through the night, my body ache, and my head throb. argh.

Wednesday, December 10, 2003

everything's brown!

so, after the snow settles, people start stepping in it, and it gets brown and mucky. quite disappointing if you ask me, but i'm sure you're not asking me.

finals are coming up and i'm freaking out. i need to pass all my classes (duh!), but i want to honor one of them. we'll see if i can do it. we'll see how much sleep i'm willing to sacrifice to do it. i haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately, and i think that it shows. what i want for christmas: sleep.

for my public health program, we had a holiday gathering today and collected toys from people. it was nice, as we got lots of toys and people mingled. being public health is fun because you're with a lot of like-minded people who want to make a good difference in this world. you'd be surprised at how many people in med school don't... well, to be more correct, who aren't interested in the larger aspects of healthcare and disparities and such. and you'd also be surprised at how many republicans there are in this place! i mean, if you're a republican at 21, i don't want to even see what will happen in another 21 years.

well, enough about that. off to watch tv and try and accomplish some work (though you'd think that's impossible, i beg to differ).

Sunday, December 7, 2003

everything's white!

ok, so there's snow everywhere here, as i'm sure you have all heard. but i think it's wonderful! i'm such a californian in snow. i love it. i suggested "trouncing" around in it to some friends and the other californian in the group just shot me a look saying more than just "you're crazier than a can ful of lima beans in the middle of antarctica."

but really, it's beautiful. i walked home the first night that is snowed around midnight and it was beautiful. the snow was pure white and no one had gone and gotten it all a muddy brown, which it is now. i wish i had my camera with me because it was pure magic. seriously. now i don't know if i'll be saying this a few years down the line, but it was wonderful for the weekend.

it's stopped snowing, so no worries about wind or snow, but it's still freezing cold. but i think i'm adjusting well. i still don't feel like i need to stay inside at all. in fact, i haven't. i went out to lunch today, am at the library, blah blah.

but that's enough. i've gone on too long about it. though i love the snow, i don't think that i'll be too sad when i'm in california for the break. though, i'd like to say that it would be wonderful to have a white christmas.

Wednesday, December 3, 2003

ah, nice butt!

i went to the nutcracker today and i have to say, some of those dancers had the most awesome bodies i have seen in quite awhile. granted, the only bodies i see are medical students in winter coats (and even then, i can't say that they're hot). but gosh, there was a dancer who had a butt that looked like it was made out of rocks. it was cut so much i thought that i could make a plaster cast of it and keep it for anatomy to learn all the butt muscles.

sorry, had to rant about nice bodies. talking about bodies, i feel like mine is falling apart. 5 hours of sleep too many nights in a row is bad. well, until i realize that this is my life for the next 40 years.

oh, and kerry, my friend from california here at tufts, made an astute observation as we were walking to get dinner. "god, even mud can freeze. it's damn cold in boston."

Tuesday, December 2, 2003

is this white stuff legal?

so, i walk out my door this morning and i see white powder on the ground. i, the californian, get so confused and nearly ask the girl i hosted last night (she's interviewing at tufts for med school) what it was. then, i realize, "my god! it's snow! how unusual." today was the first time that it snowed and actually stayed on the ground. actually, it stayed on the ground all day and was still there as i walked home today.

about the cold that comes with the snow. i thought that my pants were going to shatter and the hairs on my legs (sorry, haven't shaved in awhile) were as prickly as a porcupine's needles. oh, and my ears were definitely going to snap off. and i only walk three blocks in the cold. it's crazy.

this is what they call a happy birthday?! if so, then i don't want any part of it. argh. ok, gotta do some work before headed out tonight into the cold to sing some karaoke with some drunken friends and strangers.