picture blog

the past few days have been such a whirlwind! so sorry for all the people i meant to contact and chat with, but without a laptop the past few days, i feel like i've been incapacitated. sorry that sounds like a bad excuse, but still. my new laptop arrived yesterday, and I'm back in business. Instead of writing about all that I've done in the past few days, I'll let the pictures do the talking. I'm posting some of my favorite pics.


coronado beach


a pensive seagull, watching the waves roll in


at the "nightmare before christmas" haunted mansion


watching eyes everywhere


a scared kittycat (i swear they put me up to it)


riding the matterhorn


getting my silhouette done by the same person who did it about 10 years ago

happy christmas, everyone!

hi everyone! i'm tucked away at home now, surrounded by family and being overfed and lazy and busy all at the same time, just in time for the holidays! i have so much to blog about (including my nutcracker experience) but so tired after shopping for three days straight (yes, even *I* get tired of shopping... the crowds are insane). Will blog more later.

I think I'm finally done with Christmas shopping. YAAAAAAAAAY.

hope everyone is going to have a warm christmas surrounded by people you love. this is my Christmas wish for all of you. merry christmas everyone.

tagged
i've been tagged! ok here it goes:

4 jobs i've had
RA for international students
Tutor
Lab rat
Orchestral flute player

4 movies i can watch over and over
center stage
pride and prejudice
amelie
before sunrise


4 places i've lived
san francisco
san diego
pasadena area
seoul, korea

4 tv shows i watch
coupling
sex and the city
project runway
the office

4 places i've vacationed
australia
amsterdam
paris
beijing

4 foods i love
ahi
homemade soup
nabeyaki udon
garlicky pizza


4 sites i visit daily
(aside from the ones listed on this blog:)
ny times
thesuperficial
off the rack at people magazine
ny times dance reviews

4 places i'd rather be
living in any city besides the one i'm in now
at a stage door on broadway in new york
ice skating at the eiffel tower
eating and shopping in seoul, korea

4 random items in my bag
french beret inspired by the one worn by natalie near the ending in love actually
papers that are meant to be read
homemade brownies in a ziploc bag
wallet

4 things most people don't know about me
i am both an extrovert and an introvert (yes, ak, i am)
my grandma was miss korea in the 1940's, during the war
i sometimes dance in my room to pussycat dolls
i'm a mess

4 people i tag
rhkim
rantingdetails
momentlite
taimur

funny how one phone call can really pick up your entire weekend. thanks. i guess things were a bit quiet this weekend, i had a rough week last week and so saturday was spent recovering, as well as working. today, after church, we went to see the holiday. it was a fun, fluffy, holiday movie, exactly what i needed. cameron diaz looked radiant. my east coast friend couldn't get over how L.A. she is, and at the same time, throwing barbs at me at how L.A. I am. she really blew up in the scene when cameron diaz is walking a mile through the snow with her luggage in her heeled ferragamo shoes. i'm not *that* bad (i don't own ferragamo shoes).

i'm definitely in vacation mode. i have an important experiment to do tomorrow, and i'm actually considering not running it. :P ack i have to.

families are getting together! it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling to think about my sister and my grandma spending time together in new york, staying at the hudson hotel (the hotel that richard wright owns in sex and the city, hehe). can't wait to go home.

 

going to see the sf ballet's nutcracker this year! i haven't seen the new version yet after it's "renovation" two years ago. the last time I saw it was when I was in college and we got stuck in traffic and arrived at intermission (we had $100 tickets, i almost had an aneurysm in the car on the way there). so to be sure, we're going to leave super early to make it there on time. :) oh so excited! the costumes look beautiful. i know it's so campy, like how i cringe when someone tells me that their favorite classical piece is pachelbel canon - but i love the nutcracker. probably has to do a lot with the fact that i've danced in it many times, so it's a nostalgic thing for me.

a friend and i snagged two tickets out of the four tickets left open in the house, so if you want to see it on tues night, better call now. 

i'm starting to phase out of work already. definitely feeling the holiday vacation mood. my mom asked me today if i could come home earlier, asking me if i *really* had to work this week. so tempting.

first run of the season



we finally got a chance to go up to tahoe for the first run of the season - feeling a bit nervous since i improved a lot last year, i wanted to pick up right where i left off. after a few shaky turns, a few falls getting off the lift, and a beginner's lesson, i essentially ended the day where i left off, i think, from last year, which was good. consistently starting to link turns together, so hopefully i'll be able to graduate soon. JB also started teaching me the technique to jump, which was fun. i would love to be able to go off bumps and stuff. small bumps.

i think this is the first time tho, where i went with a group of people who were all more beginner than me (they were all first-timers). i'm so used to being the worst one on the slopes, and being left behind in the dust. but man, watching others learn really reminds you of where you used to be and how far i've come. ^^ it is so painful to start snowboarding, as you can see from the video. (too bad you can't hear AK's silent swearing as he falls about two feet from where i am videotaping). but it's so worth it!!! I can say that after being one of the "slow learners" of snowboarding and i love it. anyone want to go up next weekend??? lol

it was very cold tho. the high was 33 degrees, and it started storming up there where the wind was basically pushing me uphill and the snow cuts into your face. it kept others off the slopes except for people like us. ;)

i've become such a winter sports person, not sure how that happened, esp since i'm one of the unsportiest person around. ice skating, snowboarding... who knew?

question

here's a tough question: would you tell someone who's interested in you, that you're not attracted to them?

added: can you REALLY look into the eyes of someone so full of hope and loyalty and acceptance, and tell them that you're not attracted to them and so you can't?

the jersey boys in SF

I *finally* got to see jersey boys! i knew that the last time I went to NY, since I went right after the Tony awards, there would be NO way to get tickets to see the Best Musical of the Year. So I've been waiting to see it on tour, even at the expense of missing out on the Tony award winning Broadway cast. Anyways, finally got to see it. The show is still in previews in San Francisco.

This show is, by definition, a hit in every sense of the word. Meticulously and smartly written to a tee, it transcends time and circumstance (in contrast to A Chorus Line), no matter if you grew up watching the Four Seasons (which I suspect, most of the audience has b/c I was the youngest one I think in the audience by about 40 years) or not. The setting and subject matter is so unique that if someone described it to me, there would be no way that I would be interested in seeing it (Frankie who?). Yet somehow the show takes a singing group that's long past their prime, and makes their story relevant to touch and tickle every audience member. You know that the fact that this musical won a Tony for Best Musical, that its influence extends past the baby boomers who grew up in the Four Seasons era. To me, that is what makes this such a great musical. So many laugh out loud moments, and so many moving moments as well.

"I remember thinking at the time there's something a little off about this guy. I mean, this was the sixties. People thought Liberace was just, y'know .. theatrical."

I think Jen told me this next story - A story that remains with me about JB is that an elderly gentleman was watching Jersey Boys with tears streaming down his cheeks almost the entire show.

"Our fans didn’t have flowers in their hair [like the Beatles' fans]; they didn’t try to levitate the Pentagon. They were the ones working at the diner, pumping gas; they were the ones who understood our music."

goddess divine

from the recent movie version: charlotte is talking to lizzie after telling her that she just got engaged to the silly mr. collins.

"[Charlotte:] For heaven's sake, Lizzie, don't look at me like that. I should be as happy with him as any other.
[Lizzie:] But he's ridiculous.
[Charlotte:] Oh, hush. Not all of us can afford to be romantic.... I'm 27 years old. I've no money and no prospects. I'm already a burden to my parents. And I'm frightened. So don’t judge me, Lizzie. Don't you dare judge me."

great. she's describing ME, even down to the same friggin' age.

on a different note: after finally accepting his proposal:

"[Mr. Darcy:] Well, what endearments am I allowed?
[Lizzie:] Well, let me think..."Lizzie" for everyday, "My pearl" for Sundays, and "Goddess Divine," but only on special occasions."

a hot apple cider sort of day

ah, i love the smell of hot mulled cider and the experience of sipping it is even better. still feeling a bit under the weather with a two week cough that won't go away which keeps me up at night, and I think I have sinusitis (yes, I'm self diagnosing).

i'm making my quick version of the hot mulled cider for one: the full out recipe is here.

unfiltered apple cider, preferably from trader joe's, enough for one person
three cloves
half a cinnamon stick
one star anise (optional)
water

pour into a pot. simmer for 10 minutes or more. add a bit of water to taste. enjoy slowly.

the future doctors of america. what a fun life i lead.

"The ballet people are champagne drinkers; a younger, more exciting crowd than the opera people." - Walter Nurena

the mating game



click to play while you read this entry. this song is otherwise known as the song that dr. torres danced in her underwear at the hospital in her room when the chief of surgery walked in on her, on gray's anatomy.

ah. the mating game. dating is always a risk, and putting yourself on the line is the worst because so much is at risk. and yet we still keep on coming back for more, because we have no choice. Or do we? The attempt at putting yourself out there is better than nothing, I suppose, but can I do it with a guarantee that I'll be able to live with the decisions that i make, whether it be the decision to part ways, pull back, or maybe even scarier, to continue pursuing a relationship? How much is too much risk, and how much do you have to go through to ensure that things will be worth it, in the end?

Put together two people with different sets of expectations and communication styles, and hope for the best? It's amazing that a relationship ever works out.

on another note, the summary of my past 12 hours: a two hour delay with holiday travelers at the airport, a cancelled flight, luggage frustrations, a six AM wake up call, another missed flight, and two and a half hours in LA morning rush hour traffic. good things: a missed day of work, relief i'm not in med school at least for now, having friends i can count on.

clubbing with paris and britney

despite being away from school, a lot of my friends were down south for the holiday weekend, so we all decided to meet up for a night out on the town - something we really haven't done in a long time (pre-boards during second year sometime, i think??) it was so difficult mobilizing so many people (people driving up all the way from san diego and elsewhere) and after getting a very late start, we were eventually successful in meeting up at a trendy thai restaurant, a fun bar that served stiff drinks, and went clubbing afterwards. I was happy about the fact that we got to hang out for a bit with each other instead of just screaming at each other in a noisy club. it was such a random group of people that worried me a bit - my med school friends, my college roommate, a few friends people brought with them, and my sister. but it turned out to be perfect group dynamics - no one was left out, and everyone had a good time. after a few drinks at the bar, some people really wanted to go clubbing so we decided to go where h's friends already were. we drove over to hollywood, and got into a short line. i was a bit shocked tho when the bouncers charged $40 to the guy in front of us, but as soon as i was ready to leave the line to go look for another club, h talked to the bouncer in some secret password code language (not really, but it seemed like it) and all six of us got in for free. (i think it helped that the four girls were in the front).

for me, really good clubbing nights are rare - when the music is right, the crowd is right, and the company you're with is right. it's even rarer when you don't go out that much too. but for some reason, everything clicked that night. my favorite part was dancing with my college roomie and my sister, and having fun with them. the music was fun as well. they played my favorite, nelly furtado. ;)

we left when the club closed, and while rounding everyone up, we walked to the back of the valet lot and saw a bunch of paparazzi lining the lot near our car. i was wondering who they were there for - i recognized a model from America's Next Top Model in the club but i didn't think she was that famous to warrant the paparazzi. i think it's my first time i've ever seen a group of desperate paparazzi (i've seen a few sprinkled on Broadway in NY, i think they were paparazzi but they looked a bit lost). what horrible jobs they must have, seriously. h in our group talked to one of them and found out that britney spears and paris hilton had been partying there that night, and then we saw a heavily made up blonde (paris) drive away in a range rover a few minutes later.

it was a fun night, with good friends and a few new ones, letting loose and having a little bit of fun with them.

happy thanksgiving!



in the midst of thanksgiving preparation - yesterday, we battled the crowds at four grocery stores yesterday and baked two pies and a batch of cookies. today the turkey, ham, yams and mashed potatoes are all in the oven (stacked up onto each other). do u see the bacon layered on top of the turkey? that's a new idea that i convinced my mom to try, thanks to the food network, i hope it comes out ok.

remember to give thanks every year! it's so easy to get overshadowed by the stress of the holidays, but there is so much to be truly thankful for. thanksgiving allows us for a moment to take our eyes off of ourselves and to truly see what is around us, and all that we have, even in the moments we feel we have nothing. i hope this is something i can always remember.

jen, we wish u were here! we're all missing u here. frank is taking ur place instead. haha.

"You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." -2 Corinthians 9:11

check out this beautifully written blog entry - remember to read the comments as well! hehe click here.

currently eating a toasted bagel and cream cheese as we speak, wondering if i should break open my can of pecan pumpkin butter. it's like a time bomb - after opening, i have a few precious days to eat it before I see the inevitable fuzz growing on the surface. i've definitely in a sort of apple butter mood these days - maybe the local fruit stand will carry them? the recipe looked difficult, involving a food mill. it's like looking over a recipe, and abandoning it when you see that a mortar and pestle is required...

get on the shortbus!



i finally got on the shortbus! people kept on raving about it here, here and here and finally got to see it last night. it's interesting how everyone sees something slightly different - not sure if i remember the definition correctly, but a shortbus a metaphor for where the freaky and the strange people live, but perhaps in actuality, that's where everyone lives. as i watch on the screen of people who are profoundly depressed (james), sweetly optimistic (ceth), desperately hanging on (jamie), the truly deranged (photographer who lives across the street from the jamies), the lost who's seeking (sofia), it's weird each and everyone seem so extreme and it's easy to be voyeuristic and judge them, yet at the same time, be so relateable. because they're so easy to relate to, it's painful to watch sometimes. easily one of the funniest movies of the year, as well as the most touching. the one scene that stood out for me was the conversation between ceth and the old mayor of new york - i think i held my breath through that entire scene. i also liked the star spangled banner scene. ;) justin bond has such amazing screen presence. to be honest, i still haven't decided if i like sook yin lee or not. not sure why. maybe i'm too similar to her? haha. just kidding. calm down everyone.

i saw tony-awarding winning play doubt today . it was a fascinating play, something i'm still mulling over. it's really true that doubt really drives human beings crazy - it's like we NEED to know the truth, or be convinced of the answer. this play really does a great job of skirting the line so the audience is left wondering, did father flynn really do it? did he, or didn't he? why did he act so guilty? but he was really good at convincing others of his innocence... and on and on and on. any guesses if father flynn is guilty? innocent? does anyone know the playwright, and can ask him for us? please? thanks.

it's been a busy two days - i probably drove around 300+ miles in 48 hrs, but it was a great time. on thurs night, i went to SF to see jeremy denk perform with the SF symphony and michael tilson thomas. it was great - i loved jeremy denk's transparency and his love for music - he completely embodied the music. it was also a treat to see michael tilson thomas play the piano. i had some problems with the programming (trying to capture mozart's life in two hours?) but in general, it was great to get a sampling of mozart's choral works as well (and to watch a few choral members falling asleep during the orchestral moments...). i also realized how mozart was really great with the clarinet, out of all instruments, listening to the woodwind serenade, in combination with the famous one and only clarinet concerto he wrote. after the concert, i also got to meet jeremy denk - what a treat! it's always fun to tell someone how much you enjoyed their performance, the only fear is, of course, sounding like a giddy gushing fan and not as an intelligent human being. ^^ i told him how i loved his hilarious story of the "I love NY" umbrella he accidentally bought. probably every new yorker's nightmare, the horror!

i was hoping to take it easy on friday (it's been a hairy week) but ended up going back to my alma mater again, to go to the stanford shopping center and to the church which i wasn't able to visit earlier. memchu (as it's known to students, short for stanford memorial church) is definitely on my list of my favorite places. so many memories there as well.


a place of prayer, esp before organic chemistry midterms...

friday night, i went to see my sister in King and I again for the second time - the performance was just as charming the second time around, and I picked up on a lot of things that Sarah had told me about, the inside jokes, of secret snickering in the back, etc. ("et cetera, et cetera~") there are two casts of children in the show who play the royal children, and five child actors who weren't performing that night were sitting in the row behind me. they preempted all the actors' lines about 2 seconds before it was said on stage, giving everything away. miguel told me i should have punched her out. ;) my favorite part in the play is the ballet of uncle tom's cabin - maybe i do like dance better than musicals after all??

it's such a joy to watch my sister in a great theater piece, but surprisingly, it was just as fun experiencing the joy of the audience in the people around me, as they enjoyed the performance just as much as i did. The two women next to me cried during "We Kiss in the Shadows". i also made a brief appearance at the cast party afterwards before driving home in a record time of an hour and twenty minutes.



the evil simon of legree (danced by michael balderrama) in the ballet of uncle tom's cabin

what a great weekend. reality set in when as soon as i woke up this morning, i got a call from work saying that i need to go in right away while i was in the middle of making myself a big batch of pancakes made from scratch. i guess my "weekend" had to end sometime.

i'm going to steal jen's blog muse. muhahaha

it was hilarious meeting up with r - one of jen's good friends, when we first met, his face was flushed for a full ten minutes and he couldn't take his eyes off my face b/c he thought i looked so similar to my twin sis. i don't think he blinked for ten minutes. i was trying to convince him, "I am Jennifer". haha. I don't think we're that similar. I'd heard so much about him that i felt like i'd known him for years, and he might take me for my first time clubbing in castro this weekend, if i can bring myself to drive out to the bay area again.



see? we're not that similar.

a lot of theater in the past few days - i finally saw sarah's much anticipated show in san jose, king and I, starring debby boone (singer of the 70's hit, "you light up my life") and the hilarious francis jue. it was so fun, and so odd to see it when your sister is in the show... i kept on scouring upstage at the ensemble members to try to catch a glimpse of her. it was a really great show, but the best part was the cast party afterwards - i really thought i'd be really bored at the cast party, taking pictures etc. but i had the best time. i talked to broadway insiders and gossiped about broadway stars and who are the divas, who aren't, etc. etc. oh so much fun! there was a guy who had danced in movin' out, and i got the skinny on rasta thomas from him. he calls rasta the only true ghetto ballerina (ballerino?). i would have loved to have seen rasta thomas in movin' out.

then more locally, i saw sweet charity with molly ringwald tonight. the fosse-esque dancing was amazing (how do they hit the poses like that?), and my favorite is "Hey Big Spender". just tons of fun. i really really love how actors from broadway come as locally as our neighborhood, so we get high quality theater here as well.

jeremy denk in san francisco on thurs - finally getting to see michael tilson thomas conduct the sf symphony. looking forward to a dash of mozart -

i love fridays

so relieved it's friday. maybe castro did a number on me? it's been a good week tho - getting good work done in lab, still laying the groundwork for groundbreaking discovery (i hope). my boss is expecting his child next week so he'll be gone for a bit after that...! wonder how things will be in lab after his second child.

it's going to be a full day tomorrow! driving back down to the bay area to see my siser in her big production of King and I (apparently a staple in every Asian actor's muscial theater resume, according to A Chorus Line). Very excited to see good theater again, with a cast party thrown in for good measure. Maybe an opera or two on Sunday, a coffee with some old friends that i need to catch up with, and some shopping at H&M thrown in for good measure??

random read of the day: quoting from Samuel Beckett's play, Waiting for Godot:

"Say something," Didi quietly pleads.
"I'm seeking," Gogo replies.