Physio ended roughly two weeks ago, U.S. Healthcare ended a week ago, and now we're starting Behavioral Med. So far, it's been a pretty good class. It's not very stressful and they say it's our breather between Physio and Pharm.
Except it also starts at 8am and my body is still in denial about the 6am wake up time. I tend to only get four hours of sleep a night these days for some reason - I don't know what I do, but the next thing I know it's 12am and then insomnia hits. Which means I've been passing out in class a lot.
The professor did a relaxation exercise the other day to show the effects of meditation on the body. Buddhist monks can apparently sit in a freezing room and raise their body temperature through meditation. So he asked us to close our eyes and he took us through this hiking scenario, walking through fields and mountains and all that fun stuff.
I LOVED this exercise.
As soon as my eyes closed, my body wept with joy. And the last thing I remembered was the professor describing the path to the mountains before I passed out completely.
Fifteen minutes later, he woke us up. Half the class blinked blearily in the light and some people pleaded, "Can we do it again?"
"No," the professor said. "Now does anyone feel warmer?"
Silence. "Actually, we're pretty cold."
"You fell asleep, didn't you? I'm going to eat you guys."
Tomorrow, we're doing our first patient-doctor role play session. Very soon, we'll be sent off to our respective sites to do some actual patient interviewing. Exciting! But I wish I could concentrate better on my studies and pick up the slack for once. I feel like I'm always dangling by a thread and all the could've, would've, should'ves get depressing.
Cousin's wedding went well. Us girls did our bridesmaid duties superbly, the groomsmen were under the impression that they were lock-picking, door-busting triad members, and I learned that it is indeed possible to balance an egg with a partner groomsman using only one pair of chopsticks between us. Skills. Oh, and I managed to drop lobster into my lap onto my dress and wound up standing in the bathroom for fifteen minutes with my cousin, scrubbing some of the stains out with the help of some soap, eye make-up remover and a handy hand dryer. Butterfingers, word.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Classy Studying Style
I've been dying in Physiology the last two months and ... that pretty much sums up my life thus far. This past week, I've been running on three hours of sleep per night - I really, really hate waking up at 6 every morning to make my 8am classes - I've officially turned into a caffeine junkie. The lady at the cart - French Vanilla, small, breathes life into me. All in all, I've been slaving for a while and I believe I still pretty much dropped off the cliff on our exam today. Why, brain, why! I know, with all the abuse I give it and the lack of proper rest, it's fortunate enough my body can still make its way to school without keeling over, but ... brain, please, miracles I need.
For my last exam, I spent the night before even more spectacularly. I stayed in a study room with a couple of friends and pulled an all nighter at school, napping for a bit in chairs pulled up together. Yeah, like hobos, no big deal.
Kids, this is not the proper way to study efficiently, but I've been telling myself this for the last four years and somehow, it still always comes down to mindless rushing the eve of an exam.
I went to my neighborhood library last weekend to try to study, but I wasn't in much of a mood to concentrate that day - I didn't have my coffee fix - and ... that particular library branch is apparently not really a library.
It is however ...
A) a playground, a nursery, a place where you can abandon your shrieking kids for a few hours. My brother works there and he says some librarians had actually had to run outside and pull wandering kids out of traffic because they were looking for their mothers.
B) a social area where ladies gather and chat in loud voices. People get the privilege of hearing about so-and-so's handsome son who should have no problem at all getting married 20 years from now when they're all grown up. Cousin got up and went to stare at one particularly vocal woman until she got the hint.
C) a homing site for the not so mentally stable. I'm sorry, but if you're sitting at the computer and talking to it for half an hour ("I don't believe it. I don't believe it. I want my email. Hello! MY email! HELLO! Okay, let's see if this works. Come on! Okay, you want my password. I'll do it again. Here. I don't believe it. What is going on? HELLO!"), you skip from frustrated individual straight to "Kids, please don't go near that lady." And please check personal hygiene before you venture into a local place.
By the end of the session, my cousin and I thought the old man with the phlegm in his throat was the most normal person at our table. Sure beats the father who smelled, the trenchcoat dude who seemed to be unaware of his sporadic humming, or the lady who lambasted her computer. I wanted to turn around and advise her to go to a librarian for help because she was starting to sound deranged, but provoking an unhinged person is never a good idea. I probably wouldn't have made it out of the place alive.
I had dragged my cousin along and we literally circulated the area again and again searching for better seats. We ended up near the bathroom and of course, some guy had to go in and clog the toilet - I felt bad for the little girl who went in right after him and then hurried back out an instant after. The stench was the final clincher in moving us along to the exits.
I'm just glad it's the weekend now and I can finally sleep. Next Sunday is my cousin's wedding banquet though! It's going to be a hectic period because I have exams coming up that week - okay, actually, I've been having weekly exams all this time anyway so who am I kidding? I'm going to be a bridesmaid actually and it should be fun.
For my last exam, I spent the night before even more spectacularly. I stayed in a study room with a couple of friends and pulled an all nighter at school, napping for a bit in chairs pulled up together. Yeah, like hobos, no big deal.
Kids, this is not the proper way to study efficiently, but I've been telling myself this for the last four years and somehow, it still always comes down to mindless rushing the eve of an exam.
I went to my neighborhood library last weekend to try to study, but I wasn't in much of a mood to concentrate that day - I didn't have my coffee fix - and ... that particular library branch is apparently not really a library.
It is however ...
A) a playground, a nursery, a place where you can abandon your shrieking kids for a few hours. My brother works there and he says some librarians had actually had to run outside and pull wandering kids out of traffic because they were looking for their mothers.
B) a social area where ladies gather and chat in loud voices. People get the privilege of hearing about so-and-so's handsome son who should have no problem at all getting married 20 years from now when they're all grown up. Cousin got up and went to stare at one particularly vocal woman until she got the hint.
C) a homing site for the not so mentally stable. I'm sorry, but if you're sitting at the computer and talking to it for half an hour ("I don't believe it. I don't believe it. I want my email. Hello! MY email! HELLO! Okay, let's see if this works. Come on! Okay, you want my password. I'll do it again. Here. I don't believe it. What is going on? HELLO!"), you skip from frustrated individual straight to "Kids, please don't go near that lady." And please check personal hygiene before you venture into a local place.
By the end of the session, my cousin and I thought the old man with the phlegm in his throat was the most normal person at our table. Sure beats the father who smelled, the trenchcoat dude who seemed to be unaware of his sporadic humming, or the lady who lambasted her computer. I wanted to turn around and advise her to go to a librarian for help because she was starting to sound deranged, but provoking an unhinged person is never a good idea. I probably wouldn't have made it out of the place alive.
I had dragged my cousin along and we literally circulated the area again and again searching for better seats. We ended up near the bathroom and of course, some guy had to go in and clog the toilet - I felt bad for the little girl who went in right after him and then hurried back out an instant after. The stench was the final clincher in moving us along to the exits.
I'm just glad it's the weekend now and I can finally sleep. Next Sunday is my cousin's wedding banquet though! It's going to be a hectic period because I have exams coming up that week - okay, actually, I've been having weekly exams all this time anyway so who am I kidding? I'm going to be a bridesmaid actually and it should be fun.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Be Still, My Heart
Nothing much has been going on. Met up with some friends. Joined a nearby gym. Went back to school. Actually, I've been in classes for a while now. Physiology's been brutal so far. Wake up 6am everyday for classes which sometimes run super late - I got home around 10:30pm last night after wrapping up a paper. I don't even know how I wake up sometimes. The first exam, I ran on three hours of sleep a day and on the day of, I didn't even have the stamina to cram in the morning break. I just passed out in the study room and told friend to wake me when it was time to go.
We had a lab the other day where we ran EKGs (recordings of the electrical activity of the heart) on each other. It was easy for the guys in our group because all they had to do was strip off their shirt and the girls would label their chest, hook them up. The worst they had to deal with was removing the stickers, maybe taking a few chest hairs in the process.
Us girls though ... we had to head to the bathroom, fumble underneath our shirts to get the leads on (it's slightly more ... complicated for girls. We have to work around certain curves. And wired bras. Plus, I found that I had way less surface area for the six thoracic leads. V6 was supposed to somewhere midaxillary - roughly down the middle of your side. Mine ended up near my back. Friends laughed at my boniness.), then hook up the wires without pulling any of the stickers off, and get back to the lab room. Should the machine beep in error, the girl would have to shoo the guys into turning their backs before rummaging underneath her shirt to fix any wrong leads.
I was in and out of the bathroom, trying to hurry before the class ended, to replace the previous girl after she failed to elicit any signals for some odd reason, but I laid on the cot for five minutes, pressing around my chest to figure out if any leads had fallen off underneath my shirt as the machine kept beeping.
The two professors hovered around and I wondered if I was just a failure at hooking up leads when the guy in our group exclaimed, "Oh! I know why." He held up the plug. They'd forgotten to actually plug the leads into the machine. Geniuses, we all are.
So we ran the EKG - first with me reclining back, then holding a deep breath, and finally, lying on my right side. It went well and all in all, it was an interesting lab. Now we finally know what those lil squiggly lines mean. And I have my very own sheet of signals. I don't think I'll be having a heart attack anytime soon.
Still, physio has not been a favorite class of mine so far and the next test, coming up this Tuesday ... sighs.
On a happier note, another of my cousin is getting/has gotten married! They've registered, but the banquet is set for next month. I was a tad worried about the whirlwind courtship, but he seems happy and as long as he's happy, all is good. With all these preparations going on, I'm getting excited too. My dad just went over the other day to help write out the invitations because his Chinese calligraphy is supposed to be pretty good - or at least, pretty neat - and yay, it's just exciting haha. I love weddings.
Writing status: I'm so sorry, but like my sleep hours, it's been nonexistent. I wish it was otherwise. No time. No mood. No joy. Thank you all for continuing to send your messages and reviews even though my responses are still delayed - everytime I get an email, my day just brightens. You're the best.
We had a lab the other day where we ran EKGs (recordings of the electrical activity of the heart) on each other. It was easy for the guys in our group because all they had to do was strip off their shirt and the girls would label their chest, hook them up. The worst they had to deal with was removing the stickers, maybe taking a few chest hairs in the process.
Us girls though ... we had to head to the bathroom, fumble underneath our shirts to get the leads on (it's slightly more ... complicated for girls. We have to work around certain curves. And wired bras. Plus, I found that I had way less surface area for the six thoracic leads. V6 was supposed to somewhere midaxillary - roughly down the middle of your side. Mine ended up near my back. Friends laughed at my boniness.), then hook up the wires without pulling any of the stickers off, and get back to the lab room. Should the machine beep in error, the girl would have to shoo the guys into turning their backs before rummaging underneath her shirt to fix any wrong leads.
I was in and out of the bathroom, trying to hurry before the class ended, to replace the previous girl after she failed to elicit any signals for some odd reason, but I laid on the cot for five minutes, pressing around my chest to figure out if any leads had fallen off underneath my shirt as the machine kept beeping.
The two professors hovered around and I wondered if I was just a failure at hooking up leads when the guy in our group exclaimed, "Oh! I know why." He held up the plug. They'd forgotten to actually plug the leads into the machine. Geniuses, we all are.
So we ran the EKG - first with me reclining back, then holding a deep breath, and finally, lying on my right side. It went well and all in all, it was an interesting lab. Now we finally know what those lil squiggly lines mean. And I have my very own sheet of signals. I don't think I'll be having a heart attack anytime soon.
Still, physio has not been a favorite class of mine so far and the next test, coming up this Tuesday ... sighs.
On a happier note, another of my cousin is getting/has gotten married! They've registered, but the banquet is set for next month. I was a tad worried about the whirlwind courtship, but he seems happy and as long as he's happy, all is good. With all these preparations going on, I'm getting excited too. My dad just went over the other day to help write out the invitations because his Chinese calligraphy is supposed to be pretty good - or at least, pretty neat - and yay, it's just exciting haha. I love weddings.
Writing status: I'm so sorry, but like my sleep hours, it's been nonexistent. I wish it was otherwise. No time. No mood. No joy. Thank you all for continuing to send your messages and reviews even though my responses are still delayed - everytime I get an email, my day just brightens. You're the best.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Nothing New
I finished up my board exams and I've been doing ... pretty much nothing the past week. Hung out with friends and family, watched 500 Days of Summer (loved!), played Guitar Hero, went to the casino, gorged myself at buffets, and bummed around at home. It's a good life.
Except I'm trying to write and I feel incredibly unproductive. I've been in a major funk. My cousin wants to throttle me. I have 9 pages for TM 28, but every time I pull up the document, my heart screams "WHAT NOW!" and then my brain shuts down when I try to figure out the details. So then I wind up sitting in front of the computer, staring blankly at the screen for an hour or so. Same goes for the other non-FP novel I've been working on. Seven pages here and there and then nada. I will finish TM sooner or later if it kills me. I only have three more chapters or so to go! Get a movin', brain!
Alas, days of freedom are dwindling down again. Classes start this Friday. I just bought my Physiology books and am looking into US Health Care Policy and Behavioral Med bks for later. I also need to prep for another med school interview. Five hour drive, dang. It's going to be an overnight trip and I'm heading off tomorrow so by the time everything wraps up, I'll have enough time to ... sleep before I get back to school. And cue sadness.
Random events: my brother recently sprained his ankle during a basketball game. The dude who tripped him was actually on his team so it was very "WTH?" So my brother's hobbling around the house from his room to the TV to my room these days, bored.
More randomness. I got attacked by a mosquito again and I have an inflamed lump the size of a golf ball on my ankle. So my brother and I are both limping pathetically now.
My friend recently went to be an extra in that new Queen Latifah movie, Just Wright. Haha, it's really out of nowhere, but she was bored and she showed up and got some cash for sitting and standing around. She was supposed to be part of the audience for a basketball game and she got to sit front row. She was also in several scenes where she had to walk around Queen Latifah and she totally tripped once. Fail. But I really want to see the movie now just to point her teeny face out and be like "SEE THAT DORK? I KNOW THAT DORK!" Especially if they actually on the rare chances keep in that tripping scene. I love my friends.
Also, tried to participate in that Cash for Clunkers deal to get a new car, but things didn't pan out. Bye bye, pretty Camry.
Another friend has been off to Tokyo for a week now, having the time of her life while I'm rotting here, and she promised me a lot of candy. Cool candy. See this, K? I have this down in writing and public now. No backsies.
Missed my cousin's wedding, but I got a lot of pictures and some videos of the events. They tried to dance down the aisle a la JK Wedding Style, but it was kinda funny since, in the words of my brother, "it was more like shy Asian shuffling". And my cousin is a party pooper. It looked like my cousin's bride was ecstatically waving her bouquet in the air while my cousin resolutely marched down the aisle as if he was trying not to associate himself with this shenanigan. My mom joked that the bride seemed thrilled that she finally managed to reel in my cousin.
Except I'm trying to write and I feel incredibly unproductive. I've been in a major funk. My cousin wants to throttle me. I have 9 pages for TM 28, but every time I pull up the document, my heart screams "WHAT NOW!" and then my brain shuts down when I try to figure out the details. So then I wind up sitting in front of the computer, staring blankly at the screen for an hour or so. Same goes for the other non-FP novel I've been working on. Seven pages here and there and then nada. I will finish TM sooner or later if it kills me. I only have three more chapters or so to go! Get a movin', brain!
Alas, days of freedom are dwindling down again. Classes start this Friday. I just bought my Physiology books and am looking into US Health Care Policy and Behavioral Med bks for later. I also need to prep for another med school interview. Five hour drive, dang. It's going to be an overnight trip and I'm heading off tomorrow so by the time everything wraps up, I'll have enough time to ... sleep before I get back to school. And cue sadness.
Random events: my brother recently sprained his ankle during a basketball game. The dude who tripped him was actually on his team so it was very "WTH?" So my brother's hobbling around the house from his room to the TV to my room these days, bored.
More randomness. I got attacked by a mosquito again and I have an inflamed lump the size of a golf ball on my ankle. So my brother and I are both limping pathetically now.
My friend recently went to be an extra in that new Queen Latifah movie, Just Wright. Haha, it's really out of nowhere, but she was bored and she showed up and got some cash for sitting and standing around. She was supposed to be part of the audience for a basketball game and she got to sit front row. She was also in several scenes where she had to walk around Queen Latifah and she totally tripped once. Fail. But I really want to see the movie now just to point her teeny face out and be like "SEE THAT DORK? I KNOW THAT DORK!" Especially if they actually on the rare chances keep in that tripping scene. I love my friends.
Also, tried to participate in that Cash for Clunkers deal to get a new car, but things didn't pan out. Bye bye, pretty Camry.
Another friend has been off to Tokyo for a week now, having the time of her life while I'm rotting here, and she promised me a lot of candy. Cool candy. See this, K? I have this down in writing and public now. No backsies.
Missed my cousin's wedding, but I got a lot of pictures and some videos of the events. They tried to dance down the aisle a la JK Wedding Style, but it was kinda funny since, in the words of my brother, "it was more like shy Asian shuffling". And my cousin is a party pooper. It looked like my cousin's bride was ecstatically waving her bouquet in the air while my cousin resolutely marched down the aisle as if he was trying not to associate himself with this shenanigan. My mom joked that the bride seemed thrilled that she finally managed to reel in my cousin.
The Wedding Cakes - Cuteness, it was made up of tiny vanilla and strawberry cupcakes.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Family Vacation & Parmesan Ice Cream?
My family's heading off to California in a few hours for my cousin's wedding. Yay!
Bad news is I'm not going. No. I'm stuck at home. Studying. Yay.
So they spent last night packing and preparing and they were all busily trying on clothes for the wedding, comparing outfits and ties and shoes ... so I went and tried on some of my pretty dresses too. Whee, let me dream.
Dad snorted when he found me in front of the mirror.
Mom was blunter. "Fool, what are you trying on stuff for? You're not even going."
:(
I shall smuggle my way into their carry-on tonight.
Random tidbit, I'm a fan of Jane Austen so during one of my moments of boredom/procrastination, I was randomly researching the Regency era and happened upon an episode of this British food/culture show: The Supersizers Go Regency.
The Supersizers Go ... have many episodes showing various periods of British History (i.e. the Elizabethan, the Victorian, the Twenties Eras), but I happened upon the Regency episode first. Basically, it takes the concept from the movie, Super Size Me, which was about Morgan Spurlock eating nothing but McDonalds for a month and then checking the effects on his health afterward (horrific). Well, this show features restaurant critic Giles Coren and comedian Sue Perkins as they spend a week "in" a certain era, including dressing, eating and participating in the various pursuits (including a ball and how to "capture a husband") of that time period, before they conclude with a health check up to study the overall effects on their body. It's interesting - a lil bit of humor, health, cooking and historical info all at once.
And some of the food options ... cheese with maggots, parmesan ice cream ... heh.
This is Part 1 of the The Supersizers Go Regency episode. If you're interested, you should be able to check out the rest on youtube.
Bad news is I'm not going. No. I'm stuck at home. Studying. Yay.
So they spent last night packing and preparing and they were all busily trying on clothes for the wedding, comparing outfits and ties and shoes ... so I went and tried on some of my pretty dresses too. Whee, let me dream.
Dad snorted when he found me in front of the mirror.
Mom was blunter. "Fool, what are you trying on stuff for? You're not even going."
:(
I shall smuggle my way into their carry-on tonight.
Random tidbit, I'm a fan of Jane Austen so during one of my moments of boredom/procrastination, I was randomly researching the Regency era and happened upon an episode of this British food/culture show: The Supersizers Go Regency.
The Supersizers Go ... have many episodes showing various periods of British History (i.e. the Elizabethan, the Victorian, the Twenties Eras), but I happened upon the Regency episode first. Basically, it takes the concept from the movie, Super Size Me, which was about Morgan Spurlock eating nothing but McDonalds for a month and then checking the effects on his health afterward (horrific). Well, this show features restaurant critic Giles Coren and comedian Sue Perkins as they spend a week "in" a certain era, including dressing, eating and participating in the various pursuits (including a ball and how to "capture a husband") of that time period, before they conclude with a health check up to study the overall effects on their body. It's interesting - a lil bit of humor, health, cooking and historical info all at once.
And some of the food options ... cheese with maggots, parmesan ice cream ... heh.
This is Part 1 of the The Supersizers Go Regency episode. If you're interested, you should be able to check out the rest on youtube.
Monday, August 3, 2009
More Through Me Fan Character Pics & Artwork
I realized that I haven't gotten around to posting some more pics and artwork people have sent me ... months ago. I'm so sorry! I feel absolutely horrible. Please don't think I've neglected anyone because "Stupid Maeven plays favorites and hates me". No, I'm just horrible at managing time and responding and updating in a timely manner. I also tend to forget things easily so I have messages lined up in my inbox ... and then they fall off the page because of new emails and then by the time I click back ... it's months later and I realize readers probably forgot they'd ever messaged me in the first place, ouch. I actually just got around to replying to messages from January this morning. Slap me, please.
Anyway, here's a compilation of character pictures sent in by some readers. Some of their messages made me laugh. You guys are awesome.
Angelia suggested: Adel Bradbury - Jessica Michibata
Angelia says "I thought Jessica Michibata would make a good Adeline Bradbury. She's half Japanese, a fourth Italian, and a fourth Spanish. According to Wiki, Jessica's a whopping 5'9 - which, I think, fits Adel since she's tall (especially for an Asian since she's almost as tall as Tristan...). However, I wouldn't really google her since she's a lingerie model. :X
Here's some pics (which are thankfully, with her clothed)."
maria suggested: Adel - Vanessa Hudgens and once again, Tristan - Alex Pettyfer
maria says "The first person that comes to my mind when i think of Adeline is Vanessa Hudgens, shes part everything from chinese to irish and has the whole exotic look going on."
Also: "As Tristan i think Alex Pettyfer is perfect for the role, hes got long blond hair but and green eyes( i know Tristan has blue, but we can overlook that fact because hes gorgeous)"
And! xxPoisened-black-Rosesxx sent me a link a while back to her Deviantart gallery where she has some cute sketches she did of some False Facades and Through Me characters. :) She even took the time to draw out a scene from False Facades and I thought the drawings are absolutely adorable and funny. Check out her gallery here: http://death-on-a-rose.deviantart.com/gallery/. Thanks, Katherine!
I also got some picture suggestions through PMs from some readers, but if you're not aware of this, FP bans links to other sites to avoid spamming and tends to fudge up the link in the message before it gets to me so unfortunately, I haven't been able to get to any websites readers have passed along. If you really want to send me any link, please leave a comment on this blog and I'll be sure to check it out.
Thanks again to all the patient readers out there! I'm slowly but surely getting through all the PM responses - I might even be able to run through more individualized review responses soon. Hopefully. When my last exam is over.
Otherwise, writing-wise, I've figured out what I hated about the next TM chapter and am currently reworking the whole thing. I like it much better so far and I hope to have it out soon. Thanks again for sticking with me - you guys are the best!
Anyway, here's a compilation of character pictures sent in by some readers. Some of their messages made me laugh. You guys are awesome.
Angelia suggested: Adel Bradbury - Jessica Michibata
Angelia says "I thought Jessica Michibata would make a good Adeline Bradbury. She's half Japanese, a fourth Italian, and a fourth Spanish. According to Wiki, Jessica's a whopping 5'9 - which, I think, fits Adel since she's tall (especially for an Asian since she's almost as tall as Tristan...). However, I wouldn't really google her since she's a lingerie model. :X
Here's some pics (which are thankfully, with her clothed)."
maria suggested: Adel - Vanessa Hudgens and once again, Tristan - Alex Pettyfer
maria says "The first person that comes to my mind when i think of Adeline is Vanessa Hudgens, shes part everything from chinese to irish and has the whole exotic look going on."
Also: "As Tristan i think Alex Pettyfer is perfect for the role, hes got long blond hair but and green eyes( i know Tristan has blue, but we can overlook that fact because hes gorgeous)"
And! xxPoisened-black-Rosesxx sent me a link a while back to her Deviantart gallery where she has some cute sketches she did of some False Facades and Through Me characters. :) She even took the time to draw out a scene from False Facades and I thought the drawings are absolutely adorable and funny. Check out her gallery here: http://death-on-a-rose.deviantart.com/gallery/. Thanks, Katherine!
I also got some picture suggestions through PMs from some readers, but if you're not aware of this, FP bans links to other sites to avoid spamming and tends to fudge up the link in the message before it gets to me so unfortunately, I haven't been able to get to any websites readers have passed along. If you really want to send me any link, please leave a comment on this blog and I'll be sure to check it out.
Thanks again to all the patient readers out there! I'm slowly but surely getting through all the PM responses - I might even be able to run through more individualized review responses soon. Hopefully. When my last exam is over.
Otherwise, writing-wise, I've figured out what I hated about the next TM chapter and am currently reworking the whole thing. I like it much better so far and I hope to have it out soon. Thanks again for sticking with me - you guys are the best!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Summer Heat & Violence
My dad's been at jury duty for the past week and he comes home every day now with stories and questions about certain English words he couldn't quite catch. Poor daddy. He said there was a case about domestic abuse and the man had hit a woman or something so words like "open hand", "closed hand" were being thrown around. Except he didn't know what "open fist" meant. He sat there, wondering and wondering if "fist" was a weird past tense form of "hit" or if it meant another attack type - like "open feet". So he turned to the people next to him and asked, pointing at his feet, "What does open feet mean?"
They laughed. And then pumped their fists in a gung ho, yes indeed way. "Open fist! Open fist!"
"Uh ... huh." He was still puzzled until he came home and I explained in Chinese, "They meant fist, as in a clenched hand, dad. Not feet."
"Ohhh!" Haha, he's so cute.
Other stories included all sorts of crazy violence. Crazy, as in things that could've easily been avoided had everyone maintained their tempers. For example, a simple car accident that could've been settled by insurance exchange turned into assault because one driver punched the other driver out after they called the cops. Really not smart.
Maybe it's the summer heat that has people simmering out of control.
Two summers ago, I had the misfortune to bump into one certain ... firecracker.
I was walking in a quiet neighborhood, peering around at the door numbers because I wasn't familiar with the area and needed to find an apartment building. I paid home visits during that summer to homebound senior citizens that receive Meals on Wheels in order to complete their assessment forms, check their medications, evaluate their support group, and see if they're feeling alright.
So just as I was heading down the block, holding my files and glancing up at the buildings, a guy coming toward me bumps into me.
Not just a simple oops, brush against you kinda thing - he ran into me, barreled against me so I stumbled half a step back and his folder scraped against my wrist - I think he was hoping to cut me or something.
I was mildly taken back and expected a mumbled apology, but when he just walked past me, I just shrugged it off as another rude New Yorker and continued my way.
Except a few seconds later, probably just when he realized that I wasn't going to turn around and pick a fight with him, I heard him snap, "You could've given me more room, selfish bitch!"
Uh ... I turned around and he was glaring at me, fists at his side. Now that I could see him more clearly, he was a scrawny guy - taller than me, sorta pasty, but seemed like a normal college kid around my age, maybe older. He had a black beanie hat on (in summer??) and he was holding a red folder.
All I could manage after blinking at him for a few seconds, "Excuse me?"
"You could've given me more room!"
I realized he was offended that I didn't make way for him to go past me so I got pissed off. Hell, you tried to walk into a girl, I didn't even ask for an apology, and now you're calling me names?
"Uh, why didn't you give me more room then?" I retorted.
I realized then that I should've ignored him. He obviously wanted a fight and he threw up his hands as he snarled, "There's a bicycle rack next to you! You want me to walk into the bike rack?!"
So then I thought okay, perhaps it was my fault - I wasn't really paying attention to the surroundings - I was looking for the door numbers so maybe I was hogging up a lot more space than I thought ... but the streets, by all means, were not crowded. There was a quiet restaurant where they had a sidewalk cafe and where the bike rack was located next to my left and we were the only two on the block. If he was coming toward me, could see me and the bicycle rack clearly, why did he choose to walk along the side of the bike rack and try to jostle me out of the way instead of walking to my right, which was next to the open road, where he could've easily swerved around me with plenty of room to spare?
Or, if I had really been holding a sumo stance in the center of the street and he honestly couldn't have gotten past me without touching me ... he could've just been normal and said "Excuse me." Or if he wanted to continue to be his nasty self, say "Excuse you." I would've moved, probably even offer an automatic "Sorry."
I just stared at him and I was so disgusted by this guy (was chivalry absolutely dead??) that I could feel my lips curling in revulsion.
He was pale and angry and was waiting for a response and I realized something was definitely wrong here and I was not about to get into a brawl with a potentially mental guy - even if he was around my size - I'm a girl, but more importantly, I'm a weakling girl and have no wish to be punched out by some random lunatic spoiling to pick on someone.
So what I did was ... yeahh, I didn't think things carefully, so basically, I looked him in the face, told him to "F*** off" and then backed up slowly and walked away, hoping he wouldn't leap and knife me in the back.
It was probably a stupid move and my mom told me I should've ran away instead of provoking nuts like that because if I had managed to tick him off enough, I probably would've ended up as a meat patty, but I don't think too carefully when you get me particularly, extremely angry ... besides, call me petty, but I didn't want it to seem like he got the last word.
Except he still kinda wanted things to end his way because even as I strolled away from him, he was still yelling and screaming at me, "Bitch! Stupid! Meanie! BLAHBLAHBLAH!"
Honestly? How old are you?
Fortunately, I think the only thing that saved me from getting tackled to the ground by him was the fact that several waiters from the restaurant came out to watch the spectacle since it's not everyday that some lunatic starts screaming in the middle of the street at a twig-sized girl.
Perhaps heat waves does things to people's brains. Perhaps he was once a regular student who loved Magic cards, WoW and yodeling and just had a bad day, absorbed too much sun and blew up.
Perhaps he realized that his black beanie hat didn't help him cool off much.
Or perhaps he was just a jackass.
So have a fun summer, guys, but more importantly, steer clear of pasty, angry people. They're not your friends and should it come to the point where you have to kick them, run like the wind.
Writing Status: 15 pages for the next chapter of TM, but I don't ... feel it's right so far. Something about it doesn't jive with me. Sorry, everybody - I'll try to polish it up and get it out soon.
They laughed. And then pumped their fists in a gung ho, yes indeed way. "Open fist! Open fist!"
"Uh ... huh." He was still puzzled until he came home and I explained in Chinese, "They meant fist, as in a clenched hand, dad. Not feet."
"Ohhh!" Haha, he's so cute.
Other stories included all sorts of crazy violence. Crazy, as in things that could've easily been avoided had everyone maintained their tempers. For example, a simple car accident that could've been settled by insurance exchange turned into assault because one driver punched the other driver out after they called the cops. Really not smart.
Maybe it's the summer heat that has people simmering out of control.
Two summers ago, I had the misfortune to bump into one certain ... firecracker.
I was walking in a quiet neighborhood, peering around at the door numbers because I wasn't familiar with the area and needed to find an apartment building. I paid home visits during that summer to homebound senior citizens that receive Meals on Wheels in order to complete their assessment forms, check their medications, evaluate their support group, and see if they're feeling alright.
So just as I was heading down the block, holding my files and glancing up at the buildings, a guy coming toward me bumps into me.
Not just a simple oops, brush against you kinda thing - he ran into me, barreled against me so I stumbled half a step back and his folder scraped against my wrist - I think he was hoping to cut me or something.
I was mildly taken back and expected a mumbled apology, but when he just walked past me, I just shrugged it off as another rude New Yorker and continued my way.
Except a few seconds later, probably just when he realized that I wasn't going to turn around and pick a fight with him, I heard him snap, "You could've given me more room, selfish bitch!"
Uh ... I turned around and he was glaring at me, fists at his side. Now that I could see him more clearly, he was a scrawny guy - taller than me, sorta pasty, but seemed like a normal college kid around my age, maybe older. He had a black beanie hat on (in summer??) and he was holding a red folder.
All I could manage after blinking at him for a few seconds, "Excuse me?"
"You could've given me more room!"
I realized he was offended that I didn't make way for him to go past me so I got pissed off. Hell, you tried to walk into a girl, I didn't even ask for an apology, and now you're calling me names?
"Uh, why didn't you give me more room then?" I retorted.
I realized then that I should've ignored him. He obviously wanted a fight and he threw up his hands as he snarled, "There's a bicycle rack next to you! You want me to walk into the bike rack?!"
So then I thought okay, perhaps it was my fault - I wasn't really paying attention to the surroundings - I was looking for the door numbers so maybe I was hogging up a lot more space than I thought ... but the streets, by all means, were not crowded. There was a quiet restaurant where they had a sidewalk cafe and where the bike rack was located next to my left and we were the only two on the block. If he was coming toward me, could see me and the bicycle rack clearly, why did he choose to walk along the side of the bike rack and try to jostle me out of the way instead of walking to my right, which was next to the open road, where he could've easily swerved around me with plenty of room to spare?
Or, if I had really been holding a sumo stance in the center of the street and he honestly couldn't have gotten past me without touching me ... he could've just been normal and said "Excuse me." Or if he wanted to continue to be his nasty self, say "Excuse you." I would've moved, probably even offer an automatic "Sorry."
I just stared at him and I was so disgusted by this guy (was chivalry absolutely dead??) that I could feel my lips curling in revulsion.
He was pale and angry and was waiting for a response and I realized something was definitely wrong here and I was not about to get into a brawl with a potentially mental guy - even if he was around my size - I'm a girl, but more importantly, I'm a weakling girl and have no wish to be punched out by some random lunatic spoiling to pick on someone.
So what I did was ... yeahh, I didn't think things carefully, so basically, I looked him in the face, told him to "F*** off" and then backed up slowly and walked away, hoping he wouldn't leap and knife me in the back.
It was probably a stupid move and my mom told me I should've ran away instead of provoking nuts like that because if I had managed to tick him off enough, I probably would've ended up as a meat patty, but I don't think too carefully when you get me particularly, extremely angry ... besides, call me petty, but I didn't want it to seem like he got the last word.
Except he still kinda wanted things to end his way because even as I strolled away from him, he was still yelling and screaming at me, "Bitch! Stupid! Meanie! BLAHBLAHBLAH!"
Honestly? How old are you?
Fortunately, I think the only thing that saved me from getting tackled to the ground by him was the fact that several waiters from the restaurant came out to watch the spectacle since it's not everyday that some lunatic starts screaming in the middle of the street at a twig-sized girl.
Perhaps heat waves does things to people's brains. Perhaps he was once a regular student who loved Magic cards, WoW and yodeling and just had a bad day, absorbed too much sun and blew up.
Perhaps he realized that his black beanie hat didn't help him cool off much.
Or perhaps he was just a jackass.
So have a fun summer, guys, but more importantly, steer clear of pasty, angry people. They're not your friends and should it come to the point where you have to kick them, run like the wind.
Writing Status: 15 pages for the next chapter of TM, but I don't ... feel it's right so far. Something about it doesn't jive with me. Sorry, everybody - I'll try to polish it up and get it out soon.
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