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.