"...speaking words of wisdom, let it be"

today was amazing. i can never be too down if the sun is shining. what was even better was that after eight hours of restful sleep (though i woke up in the middle of an opened netter's atlas, yellow flashcards and haphazard notes surrounding me as my light shone from last night), i resumed studying and i got a shady call from dave asking me what i was doing and if i had a few hours to spare...

you guessed it as i did... HE WAS DRIVING UP with my mom, aunt, and grandma :)))

i was very efficient in studying (kinda), but had a few cleaning, fb, snacking and shower breaks. they arrived around 5:30 and we hung out after unloading the car that was previously filled with FOOD. i haven't been spending money on food due to my lack of car and excessive studying, and they are quite concerned. i should say it more often - maybe i'll get more visits!! so we went to yama on south main street, which is a sushi and korean place with aunt ann's friend chen and his wife. i ordered the salmon teriyaki and nibbled on the assortment of korean appetizers. i really dug the sweet potato tempura. yum. it's always nice to be reminded that people are proud of you.. it encourages you to keep going when it gets tough. they drove me back and then i am back to the daily grind. dave i will need those pictures you took - this blog looks so empty without some photos.

speaking of which, this one is from cynthia's wedding - i love these girls.

a herniated disc: rupture in anulus fibrosus allowing for movement of nucleus pulposus out of place. holla.

today.

i turn one year wiser (i have officially eliminated the word "older" from my vocabulary). the sun was shining. happily, i woke up to texts, calls, and fb wall posts/messages wishing me a happy birthday. after eating a veggie burger with rice and broccoli and a quaker oat's smore bar for dessert, i am studying for the tests on monday. all the while, i am sipping a glass of cheap merlot and chatting with friends. what a good balance.

there are so many things to be thankful for.

"home - can i come home? home is whenever i'm with you."

yesterday was perfect.

although sean did NOT come to visit me, i was able to pack my things and head to the bus terminal. as i walked up, the bus was leaving!! fortunately, the bus driver stopped when i looked sad and opened the door for me to hop on. the timing was so beautiful... but it seemed early because the bus should have departed at 2:55 pm, and it was only 2:46 pm. i'm just saying...

i went to centre street and then went to bank of america to open an account, only to realize that it closes at 3 pm on saturdays. i wanted to close my chase account... but they close at 2 pm on saturdays. sigh. then i went to the apple store in soho to get my headphones checked out. they were booked so i got an appt at the genius bar up at 57th street and fifth ave. apparently my sweat had short circuited the speaker and volume adjustment. the nice man gave me a new pair. i went back downtown to have dinner with some of my soulmates at may's. jessie joined me, then nikhil, savita, saad, evan, steph, emily, hearst, amy, eric, christine, mike, jason, and last but not least - meera came! we had a lot of sushi, sapporo and sake. YUM. then savita and jessie surprised nikhil, meera and me with fried green tea ice cream. so delicious, i ate it all up. jordan and haylie joined us at the very end, but as we headed out they stayed to eat. the tr people peaced out due to next day obligations, and nikhil, jessie, jason and i went up to meera's apt. steph bought me a bottle of absolut brooklyn which is probably my new favorite... SO GOOD WITH GINGER ALE. and i had my bottle of firefly vodka. hearst and saad bought a couple bottles of whiskey. it was wonderful to hang out with my best friends. at sutton's place on 2nd ave and 54th, we met up with partha, saager, natalie, dinesh, veena, bijal, sandeep, and so many other faces :) meera, evan and i split a cab to 34th and 6th where evan hopped in the path and meera and i went back to her place. we ate and passed out.

this morning, i woke up at 5:45 am, 15 minutes after my alarm had been ringing and hustled to port authority. i arrived at 6:05 am for my 6 am bus.. but luckily, where i was late five minutes, my bus driver was late 30. it worked in my favor. i got back to white river junction at 2 pm and chris picked me up. we went to panera's for lunch and then to the library for awhile until we got really hungry. he drove ryan and me back to our respective homes... home is a funny thing. it can be a feeling with people or a place. i'm starting to find hanover to be my home. in new york, i started to realize that maybe the overflowing garbage cans in the street, the overflowing subway cars, and overflowing activity might not be for me... who would have thought that could happen?

"here comes the bride... all dressed in white."

wow. congratulations cynthia and richie on your seventh year anniversary and your wedding ceremony! it was a lovely affair. after the rehearsal dinner last night, we slept over and calmed pre-wedding jitters with a sleepover! (sadly, seanie had a star-crossed evening). alan set up the fire out back and we all sat around drinking sangria and talking about the past and what is to come. it's hard to believe that it has been seven years. seeing the slideshow today really showed how much they grew up together... they're high schools sweethearts!

this morning, we woke up at 7 am and chilled around until 9 am. futty drove us to the ramada inn to get ready and into our mermaid blue dresses. cynthia looked gorgeous. i'll post pictures that i had from my phone's camera. we went to saint joseph's on terrace ave in a party bus and then went to huddy park to take photos. the photographer was such a pompous jerk, but the guy had skill. then we went back to the versailles ballroom at the ramada for the reception. aaliyah and andre were the best dance partners ever. :)

the photobooth was my favorite and i can't believe how much our baby cynthia has grown. LOVE YOU BOTH CYNTHIA AND RICHIE. best wishes for your lives in maryland. <3

"you remind me of a girl that i once knew.."

so today was good. i woke up after eight hours of sleep and walked to class. i sat through a physiology lecture (dr. katz is so intense...) and then biochem and then a lunch break. amit and i walked to the student lounge where i could make my ramen. he sat and watched espn while i chatted with chris and jocelyn. elliot fed us bread and lindt chocolates. such a sweetie. and then off to on doctoring in the kellogg auditorium where we have every other lecture. that room will probably come to haunt me by the end of the year. then i sat in dana, the equivalent of bobst at nyu, or for those who have no idea what i mean - our library. after gchatting and fb-ing every 15 minutes as i looked over my notes from lectures past, i got a headache around 5:30 and ventured off undecided about going to the gym. on my way through north park, i passed alex, sweaty and carrying his squash racket, who inspired me to go. nick walked by from a walk and after talking for a bit, i headed out to the dartmouth gym, hot pink keds and all. it was worth it. walking home, i caught up with christine. then natalie b. called. and then i videochatted with natalie h. and then mengwei called. i feel i have been "distracted" from studying, but it is also time very well spent. there is seriously not enough time in a day to get everything done!

tomorrow i'm going back to nyc and nj for the weekend. it's unreal that cynthia's rehearsal dinner is in the evening and then her ceremony will be on friday. i am so excited for her - one of my best friends of 14 years. i'm so proud of the woman you have come and so happy for you and richie. i love you both, and wish you nothing but everlasting happiness and comfort.

saturday is my early birthday party. i'm thinking it should be low key, dinner at may's? and then a few drinks before meeting up with partha's party maybe. after all i have a 6:30 am bus to catch back to hanover...

"here we go again, i feel the chemicals kicking in"

today was the first day of class.

unreal. we had physiology lecture and CTO lecture after that. then chris and i went back to his place to eat lunch. we got our lab manuals from chilcott and then to price chopper to grocery shop. i don't know how i spent $56 bucks on food, but hopefully it will last me a long time. i also bought a 1.5 L bottle of merlot for $6. pretty worth it. it's a twist off, ergo, pretty classy. then i went to the gym after chris and kenomo helped me carry my groceries in. talk about gentlemen! i walked to the gym whilst talking to meera. at the facility, i ran a while and lifted two 5-pound weights with exercises that ryan taught me. i showered and walked over to edmund, chris and kenomo's place before going to the year 1 and 2 mixer. we talked about victoria secret models. it was pretty entertaining. then i met my big, mariam. she is SO nice. we got along and chatted. then paul and his big clint talked to us for awhile. i had so many veggies and crackers. (i'm cutting out cheese to see if i've been lactose intolerant, dairy hasn't been sitting well...)

then i chatted with brooks, amit, julia, ryan and carrie. we went to the canoe club and hung out til i walked home whilst talking on the phone with savita. i was so angry today, but both meera and savita talked me out of it.

SUMMER 2011. joint global health opportunity with savita!

"blame it on the boogie"

this weekend was pretty epic. the dms class of 2014 took an hour yellow school bus ride to moosilauke mountain and HIKED on saturday morning. a round trip of 7 miles up to the highest point of 4500 ft and 3.5 hours... we bled, sweat and maybe a few cried. the top of the summit was beautiful, i'm glad i went. i couldn't look up the whole way because the steep inclines were hardcore mental barriers. however, i found that taking each step one at a time and following the person in front of me, it was quite manageable. maybe it is medical school in that way. we can't look at all the things we have to complete in the grand scheme of things, but if we take each day at a time, each chapter at a time, we can make it through. we hung around and snacked on goldfish, oreos, doritos, animal crackers and trail mix. it was perfect. some people chose to go into the freezing cold creek to swim, but i refrained. the hot shower i took was much needed and i settled into the room with ilya and derek. julia couldn't find a bed, so she called the other half of the full size bed. at 5:30 we had ice breakers with the 2nd years and played 2 truths a lie, orient yourselves based on location without talking and all my friends and neighbors (which is like trainwreck at nyu).

dinner was delicious. we had tomato basil soup (i had a leaf and kissed the chef), cranberry feta salad, and while others had marbella chicken, i had vegetarian curry before eating orange cake with a dollop of cool whip. and then we had a dance party, which was pretty wacky. i appreciated the spongebob fruit snacks and peanut m&ms. then we played apples 2 apples before julia and i retired for the evening. waking up the next morning was not fun. sunday i napped, ate, read, and went to sunset buffet in lebanon with edmund, chris, ryan, kenomo, yike and a bunch of second years. i chilled out with the boys and then ryan drove me home so that i could finish reading and slept.

now i'm sitting in kellogg auditorium at the beginning of cto class. YIKES. back to the books.

"the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again..."

so today we had lots of talks and i got really uncomfortable because to tell it as it is... the seats in kellogg are super cramped. there was a spider in the bathroom that i observed as i occupied the room. it wasn't that pleasant. then we all hopped into menaka's car with nadia, kai and ariel to the ropes course. we broke up into our small group consisting of jon, jessie, erin, ken, paul, kirsten, justin, anddddd one other person. we hiked up with bill. first we did the ropes in a triangle and we all had to touch each tree. then we did the spider web thing. then we did the swinging ropes and dumping eight cups of water into a bucket. i accidentally stepped on the ground and was "blind" so i had to close my eyes and swing. but kirsten couldn't catch me by herself so i swung and hit a 5-gallon bucket of water onto the ground as i spiraled out of control... mmyeah. better not do that everyday. we took group pictures and then started walking down the hill. alex, david and i had a mini nyu reunion and then we all split up. jessie joined our car for dinner at the pizza place. yum. and then i went home to shower. ryan, edmund, jocelyn, jane, chris, and a few other people were at the pizza place so i headed back out. then we went to north park and hung out for awhile. i kinda wish i got to live there, because where i live is so dark it's spooky.

tomorrow is our last orientation day before we go hiking and camping in the woods! i'm kind of excited, i might need a bottle of whiskey to keep me warm at night.

"we gon light it up like it's dynamite"

yesterday i finally met my roommate sergey after he came home from a 3 hour bike ride. he was going into the shower to get ready for a concert but the main points i got were that he is a cog neurosci phd candidate who has been here for awhile and digs biking.

today was so much fun. i woke up from joe, ilya, and derick's futon with julia next to me. i probably ate too many kettle cooked jalapeno chips last night. julia drove me home and i brushed my teeth and washed my face before walking back to the med school. we had talks about our lung cancer case, community service, disability insurance and a multicultural talk with lunch from boloco's. i had the summer no meat burrito. yum, i think it had mango. menaka, kai and i sat next to each other and watched the movie about various cultures. someone spoke up about patients having "irrational" beliefs and it insulted me a little bit. i might not agree with the grandma from laos that surgery will scar the body so that in our next life, it will be mutilated, but if that is my patient's world view, who am i to tell her otherwise? COMPROMISE.

then i went home at like 3something whilst talking to meera on the phone as i walked. at 4:30 i took a nap until 6. i woke up and realized i should be at the dinner at dr. pepin's house at 6.. so i got ready and walked over. i sat with julia, ken, david, jessica and mike n. as i ate the veggie burger. potatoes. salad, vegetables and double chocolate chunk cookie. i sat with julia and ryan f. later. then i went with erin, ryan g. and jocelyn to white river junction, vermont and hung out with some third years at someone's house, one of the roommate's being nick. we chatted and then eventually ended up at north park where someone was having a party. i met johan, alex, nick, dan, ashley and a bunch of other people. it was so fun. we played a dice game involving 7, 11, and doubles. i dug it. chris drove jocelyn and me home after great conversations all night. i completely adore the people i'm meeting at dartmouth.

"and this week i'm not and it's weighing on me. like an albatross" -mc

as i talked to meera about the relative busy-ness in our lives, we mentioned how doing nothing can be worse than being too busy. there is so much time to think and wonder how our lives were or will be. she typed in the quote from the title of this post.

al·ba·tross ( l b -trôs , -tr s ). n. pl. albatross or al·ba·tross·es: (figurative) something that hinders or handicaps; i.e. "she was an albatross around his neck"

when she said albatross, i didn't know what it meant. so i looked it up as my brother used to always tell me to do when i asked him when something was. it's hard to imagine that among my 87 brilliant peers, i don't know the definition of albatross when so many of them are published and accomplished. i can't help feel nervous and a bit insecure. where some people are eloquent or well-educated, i feel like an ugly duckling. i guess mentality is important and tom had told me that although everything people have done is wonderful and augmentative to our medical careers, it's not everything. it doesn't matter now. and after andy told us about our amazing classmates, he also said that even if we are feeling the way i, helen, feel right now, we belong here. and i appreciate that.

"rain, rain, go away. come again another day."

today i woke up at 6:45 am to get ready for my first day of medical school.

i walked the mile to school and enjoyed a continental breakfast with my classmates. i got some red mardi gras beads to sort into the smith society. kind of like the gryffindor, hufflepuff, ravenclaw and slytherin of hogwarts if you will - at least that is what i tell myself. i had some of the carrot muffin and a quarter of a bagel, washed down with two cups of coffee. i had a caffeine buzz going on. we learned about the admissions office, the academic support, clinical cases, and many other things. lunch was catered from panera's. i had a delicious mediterranean veggie sandwich with a huge choco chip cookie. the afternoon went by in a blur. joe and i walked with ilya to the card center to get our ids. the humidity created a bit of frizz, but it will suffice for the next four years. then we checked out the athletic facility and walked around town before heading over to the picnic at the dartmouth outing house for a bbq. i had some potato salad, pasta salad and vegetable kebabs. it was pretty good. the cranberry chocolate cookie, i must say, was bomb. so good. and the brownies were super rich and moist. yum. i need to work out.

the lake was lovely and we had a debate about whether a dark mass in the middle of the body of water was a snapping turtle or a log. its movements were completely still - i would hope it was a log. the downpour here has got me bummed. i wonder if i can last a year without a car. i'll see how long i can push the inevitable... but i am looking for road bikes in the mean time.

the crashing thunder is CRAZY.

"can't read my, can't read my, no he can't read my poker face"

last night was really fun. i had gotten an email from one of the first years living around the area. he sent a mass message to our class suggesting a meet up at salt hill pub. i walked over, and i must say that i have seriously taken walking on well lit streets for granted in new york. as well as the bustlin' nature of the city. it was completely quiet, completely dark. i will admit that the stars have never shone as brightly or beautifully as last night though. i could point out the big dipper a mile away. another thing i have taken for granted is the access to drinking water. hanover was established a long time ago, before lead was removed from the paint and piping. it's not super safe to just drink it out of the faucet as it is in the newer buildings of new york. sigh, thank goodness vi carried on that 24-pack of dasani in the car last minute. i also walked by a "surf taco, point pleasant beach, nj" bumper sticker which made my night. i arrived a few minutes late but earlier than most. i initially met mike, his friends from the area, jeff and julia. more people trickled in and i met illya, joe, derick, ken, lauren, edmund, and carrie. towards the end of the evening, i met a few other people but julia and i left since we were tired. it was nice to be driven, i may end up getting a car, but i don't like to depend on driving. living in new york for five years, i should be able to walk a mile to class. it takes 15-20 minutes and ensures that i walk at least two miles everyday. we'll see how my mentality changes as it gets colder...

today i met up with tom, my tour guide from my dms interview last december. we met up at the bookstore and walked to umbleby's for lunch. i had the artichoke pie with a cup of delicious coffee. we talked about the overwhelming nature of medical school and the adjustment required to succeed. tom also mentioned that people, out of their insecurity, will put on a front but so long as we all be nice - we will all get along. in the end, he emphasized that no matter what, it will all be ok. i am glad to hear that as long as i study and stay focused, i can still succeed despite having my peers graduating from yale or mit, traveling abroad in developing nations to improve the lives of so many, or majoring in biochemistry and other relevant topics when i... simply did not.  gulp, i'm nervous - orientation begins TOMORROW.

"just gonna stand there and watch me burn, but that's alright because I like the way it hurts"

i'm currently in my room in new hampshire. how bittersweet.

last evening, seanie came to hang out after he got off work. i had run 2/3 of my usual route, but went back to shower before meeting up. i talked him into walking the last 1/3 with me as we caught up about a lot. i can't believe melissa died. of a drug overdose? i haven't seen or talked to her in at least five years, but it's ridiculous how i knew her at one time. and another melissa is engaged! and word on the street is that houman is engaged to his long time gf! so many celebrations, including cynthia's wedding in two weeks!  dave and vi came back too so we all reminisced for awhile. then seanie left and i went to bed at like 12:30 a to wake up at 4 a.

around 6, we had our breakfast in the form of peaches, shrimp and chinese broccoli in the packed car. dave and vi also had some steak my mom seared. we drove to boston at like 10 and went to flour bakery for the sticky bun, egg & brie brioche pizza, and french toast. by 10:30, we drove to cambridge and went to alive and kicking lobsters for the famous lobster salad sandwich on toasted sesame bread and potato chips. he usually opens at 11, but he made the three sandwiches for us early. each $13.95. i took a few bites, but i couldn't finish since i was still full from flour cafe. i took over the wheel and drove up 93N and 89N into hanover. at 2, we arrived at my house to unpack and i finished up my delicious sandwich and sticky bun. sigh, dave and vi just left, and i can hear the crows cawing. the solitude has settled in. i'll explore tomorrow, but i think i just need a shower and a good night's sleep.

"to achieve victory we must mass our forces at the hub of all power & movement. the enemy's 'center of gravity'" - von clausewitz

i just watched law abiding citizen and it blew me away. it was unpredictable and exciting. it definitely reminded me to prioritize and take responsibility for my actions. money can only buy you a peace of mind, but what is a peace of mind without the relationships that require time and attention (ie jamie foxx's character)? if we only spend all of our time studying and working, how do we enjoy life for what it is? stephen covey's book that i've been reading mentioned that a runner can brag about running 3-4 hours a day can add 5 years to his life, but he's also spending that time running.

as so many of us are taking the next steps into our future, we must learn from the mistakes of others... we simply do not live long enough to make them all ourselves. actions have consequences. i guess all i can say is to just live your life in a way that you can feel proud and justified.

"and i didn't feel a thing, so baby don't feel my pain."

today i woke up groggy since i didn't go to sleep until 4 am (watching the first season of true blood). i had some california rolls at 11 am and a mango at noon while i waited for jena to visit. i also had some pasta and chinese broccoli/tomato soup that my mom made. jena had some of the pasta, and we caught up on our summers over coronas. around 3, she had to go babysit and i continued to watch true blood. and pack. i'm pretty much done; i hope it all fits in the pathfinder. at 5:45 pm, aunt sam came to feed me curry but we ended up going to bj's instead where i bought a semester-worth of shampoo, conditioner, face wash, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, coffee, cereal and trail mix. then at 7, amy came to pick me up and we went to ruby tuesday's off 70 in brick. christine, mike, and rich met up with us and we were shortly joined with eric, dennis and inhyoung. i had the endless salad and somehow drank 2.5 glasses of water. yum... i loaded up with spinach, beets, chick peas, green peppers, craisins, broccoli, tomatoes, and these delicious olive oil soaked croutons. i also went for seconds, dabbling with grapes, a creamy fruit salad thing, and more beets. there's always room for dessert! yum.

it was so awkward as i was basically the 9th wheel since everyone present was a part of a couple except rich who didn't bring his gf. our table of eight was enjoying so much of each other's company. i'm glad we had such a great night together!

i'm still convinced our waiter graduated from north.

"we gon party like it's your birthday."

happy birthday grams.

so these past couple of days have been so jam packed intense, it's been thrilling and lovely at the same time. i came back to my old apt at 7 pm after a $35 cab ride from laguardia. omar, my former doorman helped me carry in my luggage and i packed the rest of my stuff that i had left neehan and emily to use while i was away. it wasn't much, a few kitchen things and my mattress. thank you for buying the frame neehan, you are a life saver. i left some things the girls would need more than me and peaced out with my parents. we ate and chatted a long while about california and the future and the interactions among people. it was really awesome, i have missed them a lot. then around 9ish, i went to asian pub in the village to hang out with emily and neehan. anjali and meera joined us a little later while we were sipping our lychee-tinis and snacking on chips and salsa. after one round, we headed home. i slept on emily's bed and snoozed until 11 am! i signed the document stating i would not be renewing the lease at post towers and got my bike lock from storage. anyone willing to venture to the bike room on the 19th floor is welcomed to take it. it's unlocked with a loosely secured basket. then i met up with kenny at merchant's for lunch. i had the salmon with bok choy and mashed potatoes. after eating our meal and drinking about two cups of coffee each, we walked up the west side highway until we basically reached anjali's in her apt. it took us one and a half hours, but it was totally worth the sweat bath, we had a lot to catch up on. then anj and i chatted while friends played in the background. i am going to miss spending time with such chill people. around 5:30, i walked down to fiddlesticks on greenwich and perry. i stopped by pinkberry for a mango cone. what was the best part? it was between 5-7 so it was the 1/2 off happy hour. holla!

i met up with steph at 6 in the pub and meera joined us a bit later. we had two drinks each before savita joined us and had her drink. then we walked to benny's burrito at greenwich and jane. steph and i shared the veggie rice bowl, and meera and sav shared a chicken dish. anj joined us after her dinner and got a mango flavored margarita. meera, savita and i got the black violet: a frozen margarita mixed with sangria. it was bomb. yum. then we walked back to anj and meera's apt and chatted in meera's bed before gary came home and joined us. i slept very well. and woke up with savita next to me reading the girl with the dragon tattoo. it confused me because i had gone to sleep next to meera with savita sharing anj's bed. i was like... meera? hahah, she was actually at work. savita and i got hungry so we went to skylight diner. we both got the #1. two eggs (we got easy over) and home fries with toast, oj and coffee. YUM. anj joined us later. we walked back across the street back to the apt and hung out as sav showered and anj learned the glory of gmail. they went to best buy to check out laptops for sav and i met up with emily at baoguettes on saint marks at 1 pm. i got the veguette and em got the catfish. they were so delicious and just the right portions. emily also brought some gluten free snickerdoodle cookies that made the perfect dessert! i walked up to 3rd ave and 26th street to meet florine at pinkberry at 2 pm. we chatted about love, life, and laughs. florine is the person i know that i will always be friends with despite not talking every single day. my first friend at nyu <3 then at 2:45ish, i met up with al at the b&n north of union square. we chatted and caught up on post asa gossip. interesting interesting developments. it's funny how the people who want your trust the most might be the ones who don't quite deserve it. and the ones you didn't think you could tell things could keep your secrets the best. we called jess and then just chilled until i had to leave at 4. i met up with savita and anj in arjun's sublet on 15th street. it was AMAZING, like a hotel room with a gorgeous balcony overlooking 14th street and a bathroom tiled with marble. we headed up to the roof which was panoramic of the empire state building and the surrounding buildings. i got on the 5:30 bus and got home at 7. i cooked shrimp with chinese broccoli for dinner and sipped on a half glass of cab. while watching shark week, i also had some strawberry haagen dazs for dessert. can we please talk about the perfection of these past few days? i'm content (especially since i'll be back in nyc aug 21st for my birthday!! save the date people!!).

"they may say that i'm a dreamer, but i'm not."

this weekend has been so intense. in terms of the he said-she said whispers, i am really glad i grew up where i grew up. my nuclear family was not perfect; it's far from perfect still. yet however misunderstood and angry i felt, i always felt loved. some people can't say they felt that. i know that if i grew up in california with the family i have here, it would have been different. despite my insecurities and issues with certain things like trust, i feel my problems would have been magnified by a trillion. especially since the first thing i'm always greeted with is "you lost/gained weight." (it was lost weight this time around...)

anyway, so friday: cindy, wendy and i went to the movies to watch charlie st. cloud. there was a random woman with big hair and a white tank top who came all the way up to where we sat to "borrow" our ticket stubs since her "two year old daughter lost their tickets" and the other two needed to come in. i hesitantly gave it to her. and yes, she never came back. anyway, the plot took an interesting and unpredictable twist. the movie was alright, but zac efron made it worth watching the entire way through. then we went to dinner for schmucks which was hilarious. paul rudd was great and steve carrell was priceless. especially when he quoted things wrong, like the john lennon song lyric from above. saturday we went to irvine spectrum as our usual tradition. today i went to los angeles with uncle roger, aunt sandy, aunt jennie and grandma. we went to new capital seafood restaurant, a dim sum place, in san gabriel and ate soooo much, the receipt said 21 dishes including ha cheung, ha gao, dan tat, gei bao, and a lot more, but i refrained from eating the chicken feet and meaty dishes. ray picked me up at broadway and college before going to his apartment at eagle rock. we walked around and he bought me some blue dot frozen yogurt where we met mike lee who showed us some of his interesting photography. he graduated from the art center in pasadena, which ray highly praised. we then hopped on the 84 metro bus to the verdrugo bar in glassell park. i had the pear ale and ray had a chocolatey expresso tasting beer. then we went back to la to meet my family but not before going to a taco place where he got a vegetable taco and a potato taco. the potato one was like mashed potatoes stuffed in hard taco shell fried to perfection. the bite i had was so good! he dropped me off at broadway and ord, the rendezvous point. my family took me to the tin tin restaurant in rosemead where we had spinach in garlic sauce, fried fish, steamed fish, clams, seaweed, and soup.

so now i'm packing and i am SO HAPPY. tomorrow i'll be back in my old apartment to move all my stuff back by 7 pm. and then i'll be chillin' with meera, emily, anj and whoever else. tuesday, i'll be in new york and bothering whoever is around - hopefully seeing ken, savita, kenny, plus the usual people before sleeping over at meera's with savita. and then wednesday i'll be in tr with amy, thursday with jena, and friday with whoever is around (like sean or andre??) and then saturday dave is helping me move in nh!! i can't lie, the thought of living with three boys in a house is making me nervous.