Getting Lost

More like getting through lost! Someone had it on sharescan- the entire 1st season (or at least, I thought it was) which, as it turns out, is missing the last 3 episodes. As it is, I've gone through it waaaaay too fast. SUCH a great show though!

Been stressing about MCATs, which is getting to be pretty routine at this point. Luckily, I have someone to bring me to Cafe Verde (for delicious grass jelly drinks) and cheer me up when things get really grim.

:)

Hm....Friday was interesting. The mouse BP machine went haywire and wasn't working, and complications started becaused the BP computer wasn't hooked up to internet, didn't read USB, and didn't read CDs, but the set-up file was too big to transfer via floppy and we couldn't find a zip disk for PCs (had tons of them for macs lying around). Somehow, Omar, the computer guy, got the darn thing working. Anyways, more or less uneventful.

THEN! Got to have Afghan food (first time ever!) and see "Lorca in a Green Dress" with Morgan. :) AND got Harry Potter 6 as a present!!!!!! :D YAAAAY!
Cruised the ever snazzy Santana Row and watched Star Wars. Kinda. Details details. A very adventerous Friday afternoon/evening after all!

Saturday was soo hot. I still think it's insane (and really stupid) that all the dorms on campus are not airconditioned! Is that crazy or what? Anyways, the heat got me drowsy and I hadn't been sleeping well cause of stress and bad scheduling so I ended up dosing for most of the day. Lab BBQ in the afternoon, which was quite fun and yummy, and then off to Shoreline theater to see Willy Wonka with the Okada staff folk who're around this summer. I really really liked the movie! Definitely a sort of edgy, twisty, widdershins sort of humor that sort of reminds me of the good pearls before swine and bizarro comics. Tim Burton is a strange guy, for sure, though. Still amazed by Johnny Depp's versatile acting ^_^ I have to say though- watch it with some chocolate or candy cause you'll definitely start craving it after seeing so many sugary goodies on the big screen (er...or don't, if you don't want to sugar overdose).

Then a brief stint of MCATing in Meyer (it was STILL hot!).

Today has been mostly unexciting, and will probably stay that way. MCATing in the bookstore, (between going online via wireless and just surfing the web). Journal-ing. Contemplating...er...lofty things. Okei, maybe not that last one.

Happy belated b-day to Natasha!

TGIF

This blog has gotten really spotty, in terms of when I actually post. This summer just seems to be flying by! ACK

We had lab meeting yesterday, so today was a pretty chill day (got most of the week's work done already). Been studying MCATs (finally)- the physics section, which seems to be my weakest point, at present.

Movies I've seen recently but shouldn't have (on account of needed studying):
School of Rock- not bad, was entering lab data while watching it so somewhat legitimate reason for seeing the flick
some eps of Sex and the City- see above
The Notebook- okei, saw about 10 minutes of it and it was sooooo boring, i had to quit. When short on time, I think I'll focus on seeing enjoyable movies :)
Bend it Like Beckham- sort of multitasking while watching this...I think? I can't remember what I was doing. Darn you, sharescan!

Physics physics physics. Good thing is, I can usually call Dad for a good explanation of something that's confusing me. ^_^

I'm going to see Les Mis tonight in SF, with SRC folk! We got a great discount- I'm so excited. I love the soundtrack and I've had it for ages, but never seen it live (er, excepting on tv on PBS, if that counts).

Tomorrow morning- clinic
Late afternoon- a little studying???
Evening- social dance in Manz dining! woot!

Okei, enough slacking...picking up at fluids.

Hmmm....k

I don't really have time to blog, do I?

Blarg...too much wasting of time and too little MCAT studying.

Fun events:

Last Friday- went to Santa Cruz with Morgan, Kevin, Anton (Kevin's roommate), and two other girls from Mirrelees and saw Colin Hay in concert! He's the guy who guest premiered on Scrubs once- the random guitar guy who kept playing the same song. It was awesome- one of the free concerts by the boardwalk, so we sat in the sand with the other random folk there, including some really wacky folk and a ton of little kids. Two of the stage people were women who kept randoming "dancing"- a term I use loosely because really, it sort of seemed like they were just flailing their arms around and sort of stomping. Funniest was when one of them sort of acted out the lyrics. One of them signed the lyrics but the other just ran around. At one point, the woman sort of started acting like a gorilla.

Okei, so not much to report otherwise. MCATs still suck (this includes the second diagnostic test we took on Saturday).

Oh! Bit of interesting new though- necrotizing flaccii---something...flesh eating bacteria- they really do exist!!!! UGH, I really don't recommend looking at the google images online though. Gross.

The things you learn about in lab :)

Marisa and me and some random statue guy...assumed famous and rich and dead to boot.  

Happy (waaaay) early 60th, dad! Er...happy early birthday to mom too, even if it isn't the 60th! It was taro cake- the sweet purple root oft found in Chinese desserts 

Mom, dad, Shao-sunsun (Aunt Betty) and Shao-susu (Uncle) at Grandpa and Grandma's gravesite.  

Touching up the lettering on the gravestone. It's not graffiti, I swear! It is sort of creepy.  

Family and lil' cousin Marisa at Golden Gate. Just a bit chilly.  

Oliver eating some clam chower...but is someone else swooping in for the kill??? 

The Parental Weekend

The parents have come and gone! Almost! My folks arrived around noon on Thursday, with one younger brother in tow (I can't believe they left my other brother at home alone...crossing fingers the house is in one piece...or at most, 2, to be put back together again). Lugging along mysterious Macy's shopping bags, they got to my room, exclaimed how messy it was, and started unloading a bunch of...clothes!!!! and other goodies! It was like Christmas, but better- because my family doesn't actually celebrate Christmas! I was like other people's Christmas...but for me! Hehe

Anyways, I have a bunch more clothes, stocked with tons of fruit and drinks, Chinese and Korean snacks and other random things. Thursday we didn't do much except eat out at California Pizza Kitchen in downtown PA, since I had to skidaddle off to MCAT prep class at 7 pm. I feel sort of bad- I was rather tired that day and our teacher-person (this really nice guy, Albert, who is fairly awesome at taekwando and wushu and a funny/good chem teacher) commented at one point that I looked bored...but really, it's just this sort of blah expression that means I'm saying to myself "shoot, I am so screwed over for this test...I need to study more...darnit, MCATs suck...depresseddepresseddepressed!!!" But I suppose this wasn't clear, and "bored" is what registered. Hmm...I wonder if that psych coding lab Kat, Naima and Priscilla work at would agree.

Anyways, hung out with Morgan, Kevin and Sarah. Had some excellent spaghetti and watched this cool sci-fi show called "Firefly." If anyone has a copy, I would really really like to borrow!!! Apparently Green doesn't have a copy of the season...which is weird since they have other really obscure shows.

Friday was SF with the family +1 cousin we partially adopted for the weekend (my 5 year old cousin Marisa who is really quite cute, if entirely too active for a boring 21 year old like me). We went to Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, and Golden Gate bridge/park. It was a lovely day and very SF-esque with some fog later on. In Chinatown, we even got to see some locals have at each other: no joke- these two Cantonese ladies had each other by the shoulders and this third lady was trying to keep them from fighting. They kept yelling at each other in Cantonese and every now and then would start shaking each other in a sort of whole body tug of war, while the third lady talked into her cell phone- presumably calling in back-up. A small crowd gathered at the other side of the street. It was hilarious :D

What else? We went to a Korean supermarket and then the famous Korea House! Ugh....so good, but sooo much food.

Then my mom gave me a haircut. Not too shabby, but shorter than I'd imagined :) Typical.

Saturday I spent the morning sleeping, then gym, then met up with family to go see my grandparents' gravesite. Fun, if sort of creepy, fact: The tombstone is in Chinese and the names of all our family are inscribed on the back (in Chinese characters) meaning -yes- my name is already on a tombstone. Ek.

Then early birthday celebration for my mom and dad, hosted by Cathy's (the other cousin) family, some MCAT physics cramming, dad teaching me physics, yummy dinner out, sorting through some stuff I had at Shao Su-su's house and back to Stanford.

Sunday was MCATing in the morning, asking dad questions in the afternoon, and a trip to Marina. Marisa aptly called Sunday afternoon at Marina "Happy time!" because of the myriad samples they put out. Some of the steamed buns were shaped like hedgehogs! Adorable and kind of gross too, when you think about it (like chewing the heads off gummie bears).

I'm back at Stanford now. Will probably go for a run and head to the oval later on to catch some of the fireworks. :)