Random Thoughts

Is that really true?

2007-01-16T18:22:00.001-05:00

That the first baby usually comes later than the due date? Two of my fellow classmates and friends got pregnant approximately the same time. The one that was due earlier had her baby girl a week before her due date and now the other friend who was suppose to give birth last week is still sitting at home. Luckily the baby is healthy and is just taking his time. Strange thing is that most of the people that I know who have children, grant it not many, all seemed to have their first child before their due date by a few days up to a week. Just interesting that maybe I can file this one under the “myth” category.

What would be considered a nightmare for a two year old?

2007-01-16T18:13:00.000-05:00

A while ago my mom told me about a dream my nephew had (which amazingly, he still remembers) that can probably be considered a nightmare in a child’s eyes. It goes something like this: Vincent woke up screaming “don’t take it away, don’t take it away!” Upon further investigation, he confessed that he had a dream where someone is taking his candy away from him and that’s why he was screaming. I can just remember the days when candy and chips are so much more important than anything else. So I guess that dream can actually be considered a nightmare for him?!

I hate DC driving

2006-11-10T15:08:00.000-05:00

I have been doing therapy with children and their families for the past few weeks in their homes. As usual, I set out to my client’s home first thing in the morning. The appointment went fine. After the appointment I went into the office to borrow a therapeutic game in preparation for this morning’s appointment with another child. Right as I hopped out of the office, I made my way to the Georgetown area to visit another client. Only I arrived to find that she has been discharged from the hospital and went home! I am so glad that she is feeling better that she is able to go home. Upon receiving that news, I phoned the family and made another appointment so that I can work with them again soon. Feeling ok about my client going home, I started to make my way towards my last appointment. “I am going to make it so much in advance, what am I going to do?” I thought while driving towards 395. Wouldn’t you know it, there’s an accident on 395 where I sat in traffic for an hour and a half! I got increasingly irritated as I sat in traffic and not being able to do much about it. I finally made it to my client’s TWO whole hours later from when I set out for this travel and actually was late for the appointment. So I worked with the family for about another two and a half hours and decided that I should go home. Yes, you’ve guess it. It was bumper to bumper traffic again coming home and it took me an hour and a half to get home for a trip that should have been 40 minutes. Seems to me that the traffic around DC area is just getting worse by the minute and nothing is going to make it better. Oh, and what’s with all the stupid SUVs on the road that blocks my field of vision? So annoying…

The Paris Syndrome

2006-10-22T17:07:00.000-04:00

According to the news followed by information found online, there’s such a thing as Paris Syndrome. Mostly experienced by Japanese tourists and Japanese-French, who were so disillusioned by the commercial images of Paris that they were shocked to find out that the city can be dirty and people care be rude. Have to give it to the French and the Japanese!

Say what?!

2006-10-05T17:46:00.000-04:00

Ok, this is really getting out of hand. I just received an e-mail from my school stating that the deadline for meeting internship requirements (translation: passing my comprehensive exam) is extended till October 13 instead of the original October 6. This potentially means that I have to agonize for another week! I am just baffled and speechless….

Holding pattern

2006-09-28T11:16:00.000-04:00

I have been feeling that my life is on hold for a few weeks now as I wait for the results of my comprehensive exam. Also I have the headache of internship applications which of course is due before I find out the results of my comprehensive exams. At the same time, I also need to figure out where exactly it is I want to apply to for internship. Fun, fun, fun!

I have started working which is going well. Although that also means that I am putting some mileages on my car, but nothing is worse than driving to Southern Maryland 3 times a week. If I am able to survive that, I can survive half an hour drive.

The most wonderful dream

2006-09-08T11:32:00.000-04:00

As I anxiously await my comprehensive exam results, I had a dream about a week ago regarding it. In my dream, I remember opening an e-mail from school sent by the training department coordinator. Since I have been getting a lot of information from school lately regarding internship applications I did not think too much of the e-mail until I opened it. The first line of the e-mail reads “Congratulations doctoral candidates:” Then the e-mail goes on to state that I have passed my comprehensive exam. It would be so sweet if that the case! As I sit and wait more, I can’t help but wonder if dreams do come true? I sure hope so.

Interview

2006-08-31T17:42:00.000-04:00

After a month of job-searching and numerous applications, I received a call yesterday for an interview on the 12th! What I realized that is at this point in my career, I am way over qualified for a lot of things and just not quiet qualified enough to do what I really want to do. I am very excited about this interview and I hope to get the job. Wish me luck!

It’s so over

2006-08-07T14:33:00.000-04:00

Woo-hoo! It’s over :) My comprehensive exam is finally over after grueling couple of months of non-stop studying. On to waiting for results in October, internship applications, and thesis writing. How every exciting to be not studying right now!

T-minus 143 hours and counting

2006-07-24T10:26:00.000-04:00

As the title suggested, my comprehensive exam kicks into gear in 6 days. At this point, I just want the exam to be done, and I am sure I will pass… a bit of optimism but not too much ;) or as least I would like to think.

Went out with the family on Saturday and it is nice when my brother asked “so, where can we go to celebrate when you pass this thing?!” Yes, I shall try my best to tame the beast that I call school.

I wonder...

2006-06-20T22:31:00.000-04:00

... how much longer can I use the "I am too busy to update my blog" excuse?

Time for an update

2006-05-29T17:09:00.000-04:00

Quick update:

My chair for my thesis has signed off on my proposal! Yay!! Now I just have to anxiously await my second reader to approve it as well.
My nephew is growing and striving nicely. The personality on that little guy always brings a smile to my face. He will actually listen to me when I ask him to do something!
Two of my friends are getting married this September, one week apart. Congratulations to Deb and Nicky :)

That’s about it folks. Outside of thinking and obsessing about wanting to finish school already my life is pretty boring, what can I say?!

Excitement of it all

2006-05-01T23:04:00.000-04:00

It is official folks. I just got an e-mail from my chair for my thesis that my proposal has been approved! Yuppie for me! On to my second reader and ready for comments.

Quote of the day:

Both in your career and in life, if you are looking at the light at the end of the tunnel, you are going the wrong way…

Finally!

2006-04-28T13:06:00.000-04:00

My spring semester is finally over! Usually that means relaxation for approximately two to three weeks, but of course not such luck this year. I still have to try very hard to catch up on my hours at my externship site. Happy to report that I am catching up on the face to face hours, however, that also means that I have a stack of paperwork waiting for me. I am looking forward to finishing that phase at the end of June. I like working there, but the drive is killing me! I am also waiting for feedback on my thesis proposal. Hopefully I will receive feedback within the next few weeks as my proposal needs to be approved by both my chair and my second reader by June 1. I have been feeling cranky and tired, it’s lovely really. All I can say is that I look forward to the day that this phase of my education is over.

Oh and forgot to mention, my summer session starts in a week. Good times…

Daddy, more ice please

2006-04-28T12:51:00.000-04:00

My little cutie pie of a nephew has been growing up nicely. He has been learning how to talk and has many vocabularies. One of the things that he absolutely loves is ice. All of us in the family have never seen any babies that love ice as much. The other night when we were having dinner he was munching on ice cubes yet again. As soon as the cup of ice ran out he wanted more. His mom then told him that he needed to say “daddy, more ice please.” He repeated after his mom and said the cutest ‘please’. Just imagine a child and his cubby cheeks smiling at the same time in a tiny voice that said please. Very cute! He will also repeat “a-ma (grandmother in Taiwanese) more cookies please.” This leads all of us to think that he understands a lot more than he is able to say. Of course, as a psychologist, I can say in a definite tone that he does understand a lot more than he is able to say.

I hate group projects…

2006-04-09T17:46:00.000-04:00

… especially the online variety…

That’s all

Happiness is…

2006-04-02T11:02:00.000-04:00

… My little nephew looking at me smiling and calls me auntie
… Warm tea on a cold day
… Telling someone I care for them and receive the same
… Finishing assignments
… A good conversation
… Time to rest
… So much more…

It is all so very simple yet very powerful.

I wonder what’s that about?

2006-03-19T15:02:00.000-05:00

So early this morning, in my half-awaken state, I had a strange dream. I only remember a very small bit of the dream, but it was strange. In my dream I was trying to put on my contacts and the contacts were as big as a quarter. Not only are the contacts big, they also look strange. Imagine a dried up leaf with withered edges and holes in the middle. Well, that’s the way the contacts look. Somehow I managed to get one into my eye and I hold the other one on my finger feeling somewhat hesitant to try to put the other onto my eye.

I don’t usually remember my dreams. I seem to remember more when I am in the state of in-between sleep and not. More often than not, when I do remember a dream, it’s just strange.

They are back…

2006-03-19T12:22:00.000-05:00

That’s right; my “neighbors” the birds are back, yet again. Looks to me that speaking with my neighbor, the human variety did not do any good. I hate to be a pest, but seems like I might need to complain to my home owner’s association.

Well, that’s not a good sign…

2006-03-05T13:31:00.000-05:00

Over the last two weeks I have been rather busy with midterms, papers, and thinking about my comps and my clinical research project. Needless to say, I felt that I don’t have much time to do anything else fun. Well, of course I did find time to do some fun things with Rick, but nevertheless, I just didn’t feel rested. This weekend is about the first time in a long time that I am not being pulled four or five different directions. How do I feel? I am feeling a bit aimless and not knowing what I should be doing right now. It’s not a good feeling, although I am sure that I am getting a bit more rest than I have been for a while. I am also sure that the rest is needed. Nevertheless, I have this nagging feeling in the back to my mind that there must be something more important for me to be doing right now. I hope grad school is not going to permanently screw up my sense of relaxation.

Good news is, I installed my brother’s old DVD player that he had on his old computer, and it’s alive!! I am excited :)

I am a little freaked out…

2006-02-18T13:47:00.000-05:00

First of all, some of you already know that I’ve turned 29 on the 10^th of this month. It was a lot of fun to hang out with my friends. Also, I refused to think that I am old, even if I am only a 358 days away from 30. I will have a doctorate by the time I turn 31, so partially age does not scare me. If anything, it is something for me to get excited about.

I have been to many meetings this pass week at school in preparation for my comprehensive exam at the end of summer. Yes, we are bunch of nerds that are already thinking about an upcoming exam in February when the exam is at the end of July. I am mainly freaked out about the amount of information that I will need to remember for this exam from now till the end of July. They don’t call it comprehensive for nothing. We will be shown a 45-50 minute vignette and do two case formulations and a treatment plan. Sounds easy you say? Well, I suppose if you can remember to mention very little detail, then ok, this is easy for you. On top of it, it’s an eight hour exam. So, I have sat through a few of those eight hour exams before (between my MA and what I have to do for my program, I should really be used to the fact that I have to sit through these exams), but they are nevertheless not pleasant. Try concentrating on something for eight hours, and you will see what it’s like. I know I will do fine on this exam, but there is still that reluctance for me to jump in joy about doing these things.

So much food…

2006-02-03T16:42:00.000-05:00

Two of my aunts are in town this week, and as a family tradition, all of the cousins get together when there are family visiting from out of town. We went to Yuraku at Germantown last night (a Japanese restaurant run by Koreans that has the best and most creative sushi that I have come across at this part of town). The restaurant is not as packed as usual and we were seated quickly. So my uncle from Florida proceeded to order and the waitress recommended a “boat” of sushi for us. True to their words, a boat of sushi is really a boat-load of sushi. I approximate 60 to 70 pieces of sushi on that boat. It was all so good, except for the fact that we barely finished. Luckily fish is not supposed to make your fat. It was also very nice to see my family :)

Child magnet

2006-01-27T17:59:00.000-05:00

So, I went to the mechanics today to get my car serviced. Of course, without fail, a simple one hour oil change turned into a 3.5 hours ordeal where they recommended that my spark plug and wires to be replaced. So while sitting there watching whatever it is playing on TV, I was completely bored out of my mind. I know… it’s my fault that I didn’t grab a book with me as I was heading there. I don’t remember when was the last time that I sat through so many soap operas in one sitting. About 30 minutes into what I thought was only going to be an hour appointment, came this little girl. Cute as a button dressed in a pink sweater and blue pants. She kept looking at me and periodically would smile at me. Naturally, I smiled at her and I knew she wanted to play. She walked back and fourth a couple of times and the last time her mother followed with another baby in her arms. With one glance, you can tell they are sisters; they have the same face and the same smile. So I learned that the younger one is 11 months old and the older one is 4 years old. Hour two, the 4 year old little girl started to play peek-a-boo with me between the tires that are in display. The same time, her sister crawled on the floor to me and wanted me to hold her up. That continued for a bit longer when the sisters decided that they were tired and needed a nap. The girls certainly made the wait more bearable. Still, I rather have not sat through the 3.5 hours!

It’s going to be a long semester, I can feel it

2006-01-12T09:29:00.000-05:00

My semester officially started this past Monday. When I registered for classes, I didn’t think that my schedule was bad. Of course I came to find out how wrong I could be. So here goes my weekly schedule:

Monday, I have to go to my externship site early (since it takes me about an hour to get to my site and I need to get there by 9:00 that translate into leaving at the crack of dawn). I do get to leave early at 3:00 in order to rush to my seminar at school.

Tuesday, another day that I need to leave to get there early, so I get to leave early again. I get to leave at 4:30 to rush to school for a three hour class.

Wednesday, a day scheduled with clients back to back. It’s not really a problem since I do enjoy working with people, except that also means that I need to complete my progress notes that evening. So the time that I leave my site is variable.

The rest of the week is devoted to my online course and other odds and ends that I never have time for during the rest of the week.

I think once I have gotten use to the schedule, it should not be too bad. Meanwhile, just wish me luck :)

Winter? Nah…

2006-01-12T09:16:00.000-05:00

We have been having a string of very mild days. I absolutely love it! Well, I do actually like the changing weather, but this is not bad either. Especially Tuesday was just absolutely beautiful. The temperature got up to the 60s and it was sunny and bright. Perfect! I do miss the snow now and then, but I can also deal with the mild temperature and sunny days.

Peek-a-boo

2006-01-03T12:40:00.000-05:00

So my nephew learned a new trick a few weeks ago -- opening doors. Of course, being only 15 months old, it really doesn’t matter what door, as long as it is a door. He’s also getting taller, so that he can actually reach the door knob now. It is very cute to see him reaching for the door knob. Of course, that also means that you better lock your door when you are in the bathroom!

Happy Holidays

2005-12-23T11:50:00.000-05:00

Happy holiday to you and yours, best of everything for the upcoming year!

Test of patience

2005-12-02T20:08:00.000-05:00

Well, I have finally gotten my externship off the ground and sailing. The site is a good fit for me and I like the group of externs that I work with at the site. However, the site is far. It’s located in Charles County, which is in southern Maryland and it’s about an hour drive for me to get there without traffic. Luckily I leave early enough in the morning and I also would be going against traffic so that I don’t really hit much traffic in the morning. Well of course unless it’s the time of year when people are trying to get out of dodge, then that’s a completely different story. Knock on wood that I haven’t experience too much traffic traveling to my site in the mornings. Coming home, now, that’s a completely different story. I was driving home on Tuesday night and it took me a whole 2 hours! Ok, so the weather wasn’t the greatest and that it was drizzling. I figured that when it’s raining people don’t really know how to drive on wet pavement, but come on, this is ridicules. Looks like that I really need to play with the timing of my travels so that I am not sitting in traffic and wasting my time.

In a completely different note, I saw my first client on Wednesday and I am completely excited :)

Gone but not forgotten

2005-11-24T00:39:00.000-05:00

Last Friday my good friend Ginger called late at night to inform me of the sad news of her brother’s passing. At first I couldn’t believe my ears, after all Wyatt is only 24 and it is difficult to accept the fact that someone so young and full of promises is gone, just like that. I thought about writing about him, but I hesitated. After all, I have only met him on several occasions and I really can’t claim to say that I know him well. However, within the short few hours that I have spent getting to know him, I was impressed by his honesty and insight into his own world. I was further impressed by the selfless act of dropping everything that he holds dear to go overseas to help the less fortunate. I don’t think I would have the courage to make that kind of commitment, no matter how much I wanted to help. I was impressed by his good nature and how easy it was to be around him. It is as if no matter whom you are as long as you are in his company you are a friend. Unfortunately life was cut short for Wyatt, but fortunately he went doing something that he loves.

Today being Thanksgiving, I just wanted to say that I am thankful for the memories of those that touched my life and marched on. I am also thankful for those that remain in my life to continue to offer love and support and teach me valuable lessons in living the life that I want. I know that this Thanksgiving has forever changed the lives of the Ammon family, and I would just like to offer my deepest sympathy. As Ginger said, we should celebrate life. Life is short, but always worth living.

If you would like to find out more about Wyatt, he has a memorial site: wyattammon.org and his blog: zambum.blogspot.com

How wonderful it is to watch a child grow

2005-11-16T22:32:00.000-05:00

I spent some time this after and evening with my mom and my nephew. When I first got there, he couldn’t wait for me to be close to him. He kept gesturing me to come over, he even fuss a bit when I walked away for a minute to put my jacket away. My mom then gave him so juice in his bottle and he then said juice. It’s so adorable!

My mom then asked him if he wants to go back to Taiwan with her. In response, he nodded and said yes in Taiwanese. I then asked if he wanted to go visit grandpa. He also nodded and said yes. Later in the evening, I asked if he wants to visit grandpa and grandma in Taiwan (without using the words for yes or no). He nodded and said yes again in Taiwanese. Clearly, he seems to understand what the words mean.

I just cannot stop bragging about my nephew as I am so proud of him!

First words… and last words

2005-11-14T15:37:00.000-05:00

First the good news. Yes it has happened folks! My nephew has spoken his first words that are clearly associated with an object. About two weeks ago he said “baby” while looking at some pictures. Yesterday, my brother took him to a park and while sitting in the playground watching several adults playing soccer, he said “ball” while looking at the ball. Although I have known all along that he knows more than any of us give him credit for, it’s nevertheless very nice to see him grow and understanding the world around him.

Then the bad news. Jason and I are taking a break, and this, I will just leave it at that.

Quick update

2005-11-02T11:06:00.000-05:00

I have completely neglected my blog for the last month, for good reasons, I would like to think. School has consumed a lot of my time and the lack of it that is free has been devoted to my family and my cute little nephew, who has turned a year old about a month ago. We ended up taking him trick or treating last Sunday at a local mall, he dressed in a Tigger outfit and was just so cute. It was crowded but he was a good sport. He probably fined it strange that people were dropping things into his bucket not knowing what’s being dropped in there. It didn’t take long before he figured out that whatever is in the bucket is actually something he can eat, and then of course without doubt, he wanted a taste.

In other news, I am still having some problems with my externship site that I wish to resolve SOON! Also I am going to have to register soon and need to figure out what I am going to take next semester… very exciting!

Bunny bunny everywhere

2005-10-01T00:45:00.000-04:00

I know that I haven’t been posting too much lately. As school started, I am lucky to catch a break from either studying or doing something school related. In any rate, here’s some update in what I have been up to lately.

I went to a rabbit adoption day with Jason last Sunday. I have never seen so many bunnies under one roof all at once. I guess the fact that the house is somewhat small has something to do with it; nevertheless, I was rather amazed that they were able to cramp several playpens, many humans, and even more rabbits under the same roof. Jason proceeded to tell me that he has seen even more rabbits at once. Really, I can’t even fathom that idea.

Good news is that we found a bunny that we both liked. Impulsively I said that if he weren’t going to adopt that bunny, then I would take him home. He does not have a name yet as his adaptive mother calls him “Mr. Bunny”. Naturally, we try to come up with a name for the bunny. Since the bunny reminds me to Peter Cottontail when he stands up, I naturally think that we should name him Peter. We will see if that goes well ;) Jason should have his bunnies back home relatively soon, I am excited to see the new bunny again. Very cute!

Look at what I can do!

2005-09-21T11:11:00.000-04:00

I haven’t talked about my cutest nephew in a while, so here’s an update. Two weekends ago when I went to visit him, he had just learned how to clap his hands the day before. Although not making any sounds, I was glad to see that he makes the association that when you put your two hands together it is suppose to make a sound. I went to see him again last night and he had learned how to blink his eyes last weekend. My brother and I would ask him “where are your eyes? And how do you blink your eyes?” He would very carefully blink his eyes. Interesting thing is though, he tries to look the same time as he blinks, and so you will see his cute little face trying to keep his eyes open at the same time as he tries to close his eyelids. He has also become a much better walker, however, he’s not walking on his own for a long distance yet. His parents would prop him up against the sofa and sit a few feet away so that he can reach an adult at the end. Last night, he saw a toy on the floor, without any hesitation, he walked over to the toy and picked it up. He also is fascinated with deflating a beach ball for some reasons. I also was very glad that few weeks ago when I went to visit him, as he deflated the beach ball I told him to come to me and give me the ball. For the first time, he crawled over and handed me the ball and let go of the ball. I am very proud of the progress he’s making!

Classes

2005-09-14T10:25:00.000-04:00

This marks the second week of classes of my fall semester of my third year of my doctoral program. One of the classes that I am taking is physiological psychology, which of course talks about the biological aspects of psychology. The course is making me somewhat anxious, as I still don’t have my text due to a lousy vender on Amazon.com that did not keep their promise. I hope that I get my book soon, so that I can start studying for that course. Surely, that will make me feel better.

Aw… how nice…

2005-09-05T23:55:00.000-04:00

I spent a nice day with Jason and his family today having a little barbeque and some laughs. As I was driving home form Owings Mills (for those who doesn’t know where it is, it’s close to Baltimore) I saw a shooting star that was rather bright falling from mid-sky. My initial thought was “aw… how nice…” Then I remembered last Christmas Eve, I went to my sister-in-law’s sister’s house for a Christmas party with my family, and while driving back to my brother’s house I also saw a shooting star falling from the sky. Since I was the only person out of the three of us that saw the shooting star, I felt special :) I don’t know why shooting stars make people feel special. I would venture to guess that it’s because we don’t see shooting stars everyday. Nevertheless, I feel special.

Recipe for success

2005-08-30T18:47:00.000-04:00

I have always known that communication in any relationship is important. Being in a profession where I stress the importance of communication, I have to say that I do sometimes forget to communicate effectively. Partly the ineffective communication is due to fear of hurting others, however, over the years of dating I have figured that saying what’s on my mind is much more important than wanting to protect someone’s feelings. I have found that oftentimes the other party is also thinking the approximate same thing anyway. Over the weekend, Jason helped me in realizing another important fact, which is that those that really care for you; will listen to all that you have to say. There are times when I think what I have to say will hurt or damage a relationship. In reality, however, regardless of how much you think the information might hurt their feelings, they are more interested in listening and helping you through tough times. After all, those people that really care (either be family or in a romantic relationship) for you will want nothing but to see you happy.

Another great date movie

2005-08-30T18:21:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend, Jason and I went to see The 40-year-old Virgin. Again, like most romantic comedies, the plot itself is not so unpredictable, however, surprisingly this movie actually shows some depth. The movie deals with some issues that arise in romantic relationships. “It’s not only a funny movie, but a sexy one as well” it was the comment I heard last night from a radio station, and I agree with the statement. So, if you are looking into a good date movie, give this movie a try.

Puzzles

2005-08-26T18:11:00.000-04:00

Sarah introduced me to a game this morning. Which turns out to be the same game that our family friend, Chuck, got my brother and sister-in-law hooked on. The game is called Sudoku; the objective of the game is to fill in the missing numbers so that each smaller block and columns/rows will be filled with numbers from 1 to 9. This is a highly addictive game, but if you love puzzles, this is a perfect game! I have not venture out to the more difficult levels yet, but nevertheless it’s fun when I can solve the puzzle.

Silver lining

2005-08-24T17:21:00.000-04:00

Those of you that know me and know what kind of year I have been having, you will agree when I say that I have been having a rather bad and bizarre year so far. I have been having a string of bad luck since about December or January in both my school and my personal life. Then Jason walked into my life and things are at least looking up. Although I am still experiencing a rather strange and eventful summer, it has been helpful to have someone that just wants to offer support in my hours of need. I feel heard, and I am grateful.

Good date movie

2005-08-24T17:16:00.000-04:00

I haven’t been to a movie in a long time. I actually think that the very last time I was at a movie theatre was probably in December or January. Besides the fact that there are no good movies that I must see, I am also not to keen on being in a crowded theatre while trying to find seats. It is a blessing to me when there are other people that are willing to share movies with me.

Recently Jason joined one of those DVD rental services and I asked him to rent The Wedding Date for my amusement. I have to admit that it’s one of those “feel good” movies where the plot is predictable, but it is nevertheless a cute movie that is great for dates.

Voice from the past

2005-08-24T16:58:00.000-04:00

This year makes my 10^th year out of high school. Time sure flies, and I realized that I have lost touch with many of my friends back when I was in high school. Two days ago, to my surprise, one of my old friends from high school Yaohua (a.k.a. Athena) found my e-mail address and decided to write. She now is a mother of a little girl and has been married since 1999. It’s very interesting to find out how my friends are doing since we bid farewell 10 years ago. If she does decide to go to the class reunion that is set in November, then it will be more of a reason for me to consider going :)

Wedding guests for rent

2005-08-19T17:41:00.000-04:00

I heard about the new type of business springing up in India, guests for rent, not just any guests, wedding guests. Having been through couple of weddings already, I know how expenses in weddings tend to pile up. First, the whole idea that there are people in the world would want to spend double in order to seem to have a big wedding is just beyond my imagination. What bothers me is the whole idea that there are people out there that think there are not enough guests in their wedding. I have always heard that couples needing to cut down on the number of guests in order to actually being able to pay for the wedding. I, for one, have never been into large and extravagant weddings. Few years ago when a friend of a friend got married, they couple had 500+ guests. Sure, at least half of them are over 50 and do not know the couple other than their names. I agree that sometimes the more the merrier, but I still do think there’s a point where it is just overwhelming.

Well, the news continues to say that the company will actually get the posers together for the couple few days before the wedding to go over details. Just in case the real guests ask questions about the couple that have completely nothing to do with them other than a business opportunity. What will the creative and desperate businessmen think of next!

I can get used to that.

2005-08-15T15:28:00.000-04:00

It’s official folks! I am in a relationship with Jason. He showed up at my door on Saturday with a bouquet of purple roses in hand and asked me the very important question. I couldn’t be happier! It’s wonderful not only the fact that Jason and I have amazing amount of commonality, and also that I have never been asked to be the girlfriend before. I can really get used to the feeling of knowing that he wants nothing more than for me to be happy!

That was disgusting

2005-08-11T12:21:00.000-04:00

I drove to Children’s Hospital yesterday using local roads. As I was entering DC from Silver Spring, I noticed a white van with DC temporary plate. We stopped side by side at a traffic light waiting for the light to turn green. As I took a sip of water from my water bottle, I noticed the man in the van (I estimated him somewhere between his late 40s early 50s) talking on the phone while looking my way. Very quickly I turned my gaze and looked out of my driver side window. Not that I thought it was inappropriate to look, but I just did not want to draw attention. So, this van in the next few blocks kept about one or two car lengths away from my car. At a certain point, he was to the left of me and he purposely slowed down to peek into my window. I was completely gross out and felt disgusted. Now, I know he has rights to look at anyone that he wants, but I just have a real problem with the fact that the look is not welcomed. The thought that he might follow me to my destination crossed my mind, and that is a real unpleasant feeling. His gazes at me made me feel like a piece of meat. Ugh, so disgusting!

Problem solved… hopefully

2005-08-11T11:55:00.000-04:00

I ran into my next-door neighbor yesterday as I was coming home from Children’s Hospital visiting some of my old co-workers. I told her about the gap where the birds were and basically told her that she should have her landlord fix the problem. So, hopefully after this I can look forward to birds-on-my-roof-free days next year.

The zoo

2005-08-08T12:17:00.000-04:00

After a long stretch of 90+ degrees days, the first “seasonal” day finally arrived last Saturday. I decided to take a stroll with a newfound friend, Jason, in the zoo. We finally arrived at the zoo around 4:00pm. First we saw some cheetahs. They are truly magnificent creatures. However, it was warm out, so they were lying on the grass relaxing. We saw other animals such as the always very cute black-tailed prairie dogs, playful Asian elephants, grazing giraffes, and a giant hippo that led out a loud sneeze at one point. Unfortunately we entered the zoo a little late, and all of the indoor exhibits are closed by 6:00pm. We got a glimpse of the gorillas, as we were being rush out of the building. There are other animals that I have not mentioned here. I am also pretty certain that we had not walk the whole zoo.

It was memorable when we saw a kangaroo sleeping on the grass, however, the position the kangaroo was in, it seemed like it was hurt, or worse, dead. Few people, including the two of us, were wondering if the kangaroo was actually breathing. Luckily someone spotted the chest moving up and down slightly and it inhales and exhales.

Due to the warm weather, the zoo sets up several stop points where a water spray can be found. I thought it’s very thoughtful of them to think of the comfort of pedestrians.

It was a fun trip that I intent to do again soon!

Slow month

2005-08-04T10:52:00.000-04:00

It has been a slow month so far and things are somewhat uneventful. Ok, so today is only the 4^th day of the month, but I am thankful for this leisurely pace! (Especially after a very long Spring semester and a busy first half of summer.) I am going to enjoy these time off as much as I can.

Nice puppy

2005-08-01T11:36:00.000-04:00

A few friends and I went to a park in Reston over the weekend for an Asian festival. Few hours after we have gotten there we spotted a few cute dogs walking alongside their owners. Few feet from where we were sitting was a Shar-pei who has a chocolate coat and is very cute. He was walking around his owner trying to find something to play with. In any event, a friend of mine, Andy, decide to approach the dog. From how the dog was playing, we could tell that he’s still a puppy, which was later confirmed by the owner. The puppy got so excited and just wanted to play. I approached the puppy to pet him. I can’t resist playing with a cute dog anyway! The puppy got so excited and wanting to jump on me. Because he is still a puppy, he has no idea the amount of force that he is exerting. He pushed me a bit hard and caused me to loose balance, but luckily I didn’t fall. His owner told us that he is especially attracted to women. By the time it’s said and done, I have dog slobber all over me! It’s wonderful though. I love dogs!

Feeling hot hot hot!

2005-07-27T15:14:00.000-04:00

Ever since summer started there is a string of hot days. Reminded me of the hot weather back in Taiwan. It literally feels as if I am back in Taiwan right now, well… not really true, but definitely weather wise. I have to say that the hot weather and the typhoons are not something that I’ve missed about Taiwan. However, the feeling of being at home, on the other hand, trumps all bad weather.

Third time’s the charm

2005-07-21T23:44:00.000-04:00

Well, I have been trying to teach myself how to knit for a while. I finally sat down today and figured it out! Horary for me, even if it took me a while to understand the diagrams. I have to say to my own defense, the pictures they show are those instructions lack direction and I needed to use some imagination to figure out what the differences are between one picture to the next.

Hush… listen

2005-07-21T23:37:00.000-04:00

I don’t hear anything. That’s right ladies and gentleman, they have officially gone their marry way. I am talking about the birds of course. I haven’t hear any more fighting upon my rooftop, I haven’t seen anymore parent birds sitting in a threatening pose trying to fend me off. Now, I don’t know when they moved or if they just had a heat stroke. All I care at this point is that I don’t have to worry anymore about poop-bombs. That is enough to cause a celebration!

I can’t even imagine

2005-07-20T17:11:00.000-04:00

I heard on the news a few days ago that a group of boys went to the zoo (I am not sure where this zoo is located). The boys decided to try to outdo each other in being “tough”. Someone somehow got the bright idea of jumping over the fence between he and the bear in the cage. Of course, they got to him in time shortly before he was about to loose his life. I can’t imagine what was going through the boy’s mind when he saw his life flash before his eyes. I am interested to know what kind of thoughts are running through his mind that makes taunting a bear then jumping a fence to be with it a great idea?

I thought it’s never going to end…

2005-07-16T00:04:00.000-04:00

I have officially survived my first summer as an “associate director” of Camp Sally. It was a lot of fun and it was also a lot of work. The camp is certainly an interesting and a good experience. The kids ranged from six to 13, although the hot days have gotten to them, they have not created too much trouble that the counselors cannot handle. The worst part of the camp is probably the single adult camper that we have (although he is 24 and he is suppose to be one of the senior counselors, in many ways he acted more like one of the campers). Making matters worse, in many ways he was MUCH worse than the kids! Boy, was I glad to hear that this will be his last year helping out at the camp.

Time flies

2005-07-11T23:48:00.000-04:00

I met up with a friend of mine, Sarah, from school for an early dinner tonight. The topic turned to my nephew (when am I not talking about my nephew?! :)) Anyway, I told her that my nephew has been crawling for the last 2-3 weeks and now will try and can take a single step while an adult watches. She said, “wow, it sounds like you were only talking about his birth not too long ago!” I completely agree. Time seems to move rather quickly when watching a child blossom.

Hmmm… watermelon

2005-07-11T23:40:00.000-04:00

I spent this 4^th of July with my brother and his family. The television was on while the fantastic fireworks were displaying its glory. The next thing we realized was that my nephew had his eyes steadily fixed on the television watching the fireworks. At the very same time, he was reaching for his mother’s hand as she had a slice of watermelon in her hand. It’s so cute. What a joy watching my nephew grow up!

How about that?!

2005-06-29T23:40:00.000-04:00

Few days ago as I was driving home from school I heard this news on the classical music station and I had a few good chuckles.

There is a pair of friends, friend A played a practical joke on B. Friend A thought it was clever to have B think that he has accidentally swallowed B’s truck key. Except that while playing the practical joke friend A ended up swallowing the key! In a panic the pair rushed to the hospital to see a doctor. The doctor informed the pair that it is best for the key just take the natural course to let it pass through the system on its own. Problem is though that B needed to use his truck to complete some work. So, the pair came up with an idea and took the x-ray to a locksmith and made a key to the truck. Not only the locksmith was able to make a key from the x-ray, it worked!

I think the moral of the story is: find a good locksmith when you need something done right…

Amazing

2005-06-29T23:25:00.000-04:00

I wrote about my new neighbors, and this is an update. Yes, the birds are still there, however, I don’t see them as often anymore. Probably due to the fact that I am rarely home and I am just not as aware of their presence.

Few days ago it thunder stormed around here, and I didn’t think much of it expect that I was very thankful that my powder remained. The next morning as I was backing out of my garage I looked up to see if the birds are still around, to my surprise the rain had washed off most of the bird poop on my windows! I was so excited. Although I still will have to scrub the stuff off of my door, but at least that save me some work in trying to clean the outside of the windows too. Can’t complain about that!

That was nostalgic

2005-06-24T23:39:00.000-04:00

I have been helping to run a summer camp for a week now. Since today is the last day of the week, we thought that we should give the kids a treat and let them get wet a little. So we came up with this game of hot potatoes that’s played with water balloons. I ended up leading few younger kids in my group and as we were throwing the balloons back and forth the first one burst as I was catching. The kids were screaming and laughing. I didn’t mind much as it was hot out anyhow. I just remember that I haven’t played with a water balloon in ages!

Later I was talking online with Ginger, and the term TGIF entered the conversation. It brought back so much memory as I started watching those programs as we first moved to the States. I haven’t thought about that in such a long time, it just brings back a lot of mixed feelings and memories.

Such a nice day!

2005-06-21T21:52:00.000-04:00

There has been a string of nice days here in DC lately. I have been feeling good with my hair down and the wind blowing. At one point I actually thought the sound of the birds living next-door fighting is cute! I wish this nice weather continued for the remainder of the summer.

Suggestions or real recovery?

2005-06-17T23:39:00.000-04:00

I am currently taking an online class titled Cognitive and Affective Processes and this week we had to complete a group project (an online group project, a very novel and laborious process!) and my group decided to talk about pressed and false memories. I was responsible for the implication section and a question that is associated with the topic.

Well to make a long explanation short, repressed memories are those memories that are so traumatic to the individual that they are pushed into the unconscious (as indicated by the psychodynamic thought). Usually these memories are only recalled when the individual is emotionally able to deal with the event or issue. However, since these memories are usually unearthed long after they are buried, it is difficult to ever be sure what had taken place when the event first happened.

So I came up with this question for the class: Is it ethical for a therapist to suggest to a patient that they have repressed memories? Why or why not? Which to my surprise everyone who is not in the group participated in the discussion.

I started thinking while responding to some of my classmates’ comments. Since these memories are very fluid and can be easily affected by suggestions from the therapist, what the therapist says to the patient then becomes very important. The therapist can mislead the patient one way or the other depending on how they work with patients.

I came to the conclusion that since everyone has different life experiences, another can interpret the way you state a thought as something very different. As you can never be 100% sure of how others will take your comments. No matter how clearly you think you have expressed yourself, there’s always that chance that someone can take it very differently. So I started to wonder if the mere act of talking with a patient about their repressed memory actively altering that memory? No matter now neutral a therapist is while exploring the topic.

I don’t have an answer to that question, but it’s certainly an interesting thought.

Mexican?

2005-06-16T10:56:00.000-04:00

For some reasons I was mistaken for a Mexican at least twice within the last couple of months. On Monday we had a guest speaker, a Central America spiritual man, spoke in my Diversity course. As this man and I rode the elevator down to the ground floor, while joking, I mentioned that I had been mistaken for a Mexican. So, apparently there are some indigenous tribes in Mexico that looked very much like Asians. Who would have known?!

Being diplomatic

2005-06-16T10:30:00.000-04:00

I posted something about my professor yesterday that I have decided to pull. The thinking behind it is that I still have some potential to need to deal with him in the future. Although from the way I feel about him, I will do anything humanly possible to avoid working with him again. I doubt that he would search for me online, but I also don’t want to run that risk. It is always complicated when it involves other people.

Phew, what a relief…

2005-06-14T10:21:00.000-04:00

It’s done... it’s finally over! I spoke with my professor for my diversity course yesterday during break for my class. I am getting myself a new advisor! I am so excited :) and such a relief… I will post more about the reasons for my change later. I am just excited to be able to work with someone that’s sensitive to her students.

My new neighbors

2005-06-13T10:42:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago while laboring away washing my car I looked up and saw a bird sitting rather protectively on my neighbor’s roof.

“What was that all about?” I thought to myself. As l looked closer another bird climbed out of the metal covers that lie between the roof and the house. “Oh, no, they are nesting in there” and that can’t be good. The very next day, I saw some bird droppings ON my front door and few twigs and pine needles on my lawn. Yes, not only they have nested there, they keep constant watch at the hole and become very defensive as I try to get into my house. Right, like I can climb 3 stories up so that I can steal the eggs. I can also hear them strolling leisurely across my roof first thing in the morning.

Needless to say, the birds are still here and they keep pooping on the front side of my house. It looks very attractive by the way, with all the visible bird droppings on the windows and door. Maybe I should conjure up some plan to “help” them move out.

My therapist told me this is therapeutic…

2005-06-13T10:29:00.000-04:00

So now long after being temped by my friends and their blogs. I have decided to try one myself.

No, I don’t really have a therapist that told me that this is therapeutic (well that’s if you exclude myself as one), but it might achieve that objective anyway.

I can’t claim that this will be insightful. I just want it to be some urgently needed ranting and some mindless fun!