january & february

February 27, 2005

These past two weeks were absolutely amazing! Let me fill you in:

I was sitting in front of my computer surfing the web like any other normal day, when a window suddenly popped up on my screen. My hand automatically moved my mouse pointer to close what I thought was another pop-up, until I noticed that the window contained a message from the President! What could the President want with me, I thought. I read on and discovered that I had been called on to save not only my country, but the entire world, from a giant mass that was hurdling toward Earth at "a gazillion jillion miles per hour"--his exact words, of course. This had to be my destiny, I thought. So off I went.

It turns out that I was to lead a team of other recruited Americans in what would surely be our greatest service to society. One by one, we were loaded onto enormous slingshots fashioned out of the newest and most advanced elastic synthetic available. (Your taxes are going to good use, I assure you.) Our bodies went piercing through the atmosphere until the sound of my constantly inappropriate giggling was silenced. And then, I saw it. In that split second, I finally understood why I was chosen by my country to lead this mission--why they had so laboriously sought me out to be the one who would save our planet:

Accelerating toward Earth was a single, giant tapioca ball.

The distance between myself and the mass narrowed, as my own eyes widened with anxiousness. Could I do it? Curious to see their reaction to this surprise, I then turned to my teammates, only to watch then pull out jugs of thai tea from their vests. Ha! So they had known all along! A newfound sense of courage washed over me. Indeed, this was my destiny. The impact upon collision with the tapioca mass stunned me at first, yet I still managed to claw my fingernails into its perfectly cooked texture. Like a vulture, I incessantly gnawed and chewed at the ball with everything I had. My teammates supported me by periodically pouring thai tea into my mouth, since everyone knows that tapioca goes so magnificently well with cold tea. So I chewed and chewed my little heart out until all that was left was a tiny little ball that I easily popped into my mouth. We all fell back to Earth as accomplished heroes, and the world is still unaware of how close it was to destruction that day.

So, now I'm back at optometry school, resuming my normal life, going to my classes and studying just like I used to do. Sure, it's a pretty mundane existence to come back to after saving the world, but I have never liked being the center of attention. I have to admit, however, that some days I look up from my textbook to gaze out of my window and smile. Think of it! A planet out there somewhere that is made up entirely of tapioca! sigh. I'll definitely have to make a trip out there sometime.

But that's another story for another day. It's time to study pharmacology.

February 14, 2005

Maybe a lot of you have seen this, but I was just amazed by this cool way to fold your t-shirts: How to fold a t-shirt video. Too bad I hang my t-shirts and never fold them--but it's amazing anyway. :)

And since it IS Valentine's Day, here is a cute song/animation: Shii's Song.

Have a great Valentine's Day! <3

February 11, 2005

wouldn't life be so much easier if i could control it from my computer? haha, i am such a dork, but i have been thinkin' about it. but wouldn't it be great if i could enter "keys" into the google search box and it could locate the item in 0.18 seconds? or if i could protect myself during the flu season by installing antivirus software? getting myself to school would be as easy as typing in the url and pressing "go," and if i said something horrible to someone that i later regretted, i could just select "undo?" the world would be a lot more environmentally friendly because all the trash would go into the 'recycle bin,' and if i wanted a second chance at my day, i could quit without saving. someone bugging you? press delete. teacher calling on you? press Esc. telemarketers calling? that's what pop-up blockers are for. extra holiday pounds? use the 'resize' option. taking an exam? why not scan it for errors? all right, maybe you think that i'm just the weirdest person right now, but that's ok. you're one step closer to knowing the real me.

ok, well i think that i continue to write on this thing, and i don't even think that anyone reads it. oh well... as weird as it may sound, i kind of miss writing. in high school, that was all i did: write for the yearbook, newspaper, literary magazine, and i even got excited when we had a new paper topic in english class. even when i was in elementary school, i'd do dorky things like keep a 'science journal' and record all of my observations that i made with my microscope. when i was feeling really down, i'd write poetry, and when i had feelings that i wanted to relay to my parents, i'd write them all out in letters. in 6th grade, i also made a newsletter for my family and relatives, called "the otto drive observer." in it, i would write articles and commentaries and everyone's birthdays and stuff.

i sure am glad that i don't have a xanga so that i don't have to hear your comments about how dorky i was (am). that was basically the theme of this whole entry. do i have second thoughts about posting this? nah.

February 8, 2005

I guess this is a blog. I didn't mean for it to be, but I guess it is. Anyway, I pretty much didn't have a weekend this past week because I went to a UCBSO Partnerships Conference on Sunday and then our class took a field trip to Vision Service Plan on Monday. The trip itself was actually pretty exciting just because I haven't gone on a field trip in sooo long. I remember back in elementary school I would get all excited over making my paper bag lunch, packing my fanny pack with everything I needed (yes, i was always prepared even then), and getting on the bus really early in the morning. Some things I learned back then were: the politics of picking who to sit next to (as Amy and I talked about), that the most direct path to ridicule was sitting in the front of the bus near the teacher, and that apparently bus drivers needed complete silence to maneuver across those very difficult railroad tracks. All in all, the VSP trip was fun... we got to learn about the company itself, as well as how the lenses are finished and put into frames. We also got to pick out free glasses too--and free is always a good thing. :)

This picture that Darren took is me feeling disgruntled because Amy took "My seat" in class--on purpose--to teach me "adaptation." haha. I have always sat in the same seat in the lecture hall since almost the beginning of optometry school. I actually think that the comfort is increased because the seat has molded specifically to my behind. So, I'm making a sacrifice for Lent... and Tam asked me what I'm giving up and later listed all of my obsession as guesses. Tapioca? Psyduck? Your seat? Then I realized how obsessed I am with all these little things because the list could just go on and on. (See "me" page.) It made me think about how I am so concerned with so many things I don't really need, when there are more important and fulfilling things/people in my life. I am looking forward to having this time in front of me to kind of strip away all that extra stuff that comes between me and God. Those things don't really matter in the end, you know?

Anyway, I better start studying. I think I wrote a novel.

February 4, 2005

A few days ago, I asked Jenny and Darren if they thought there was a difference between coke and pepsi. Jenny agreed with me and said that she couldn't tell the difference, but Darren was shocked to hear this because he claimed that he could.

So the challenge was on.

Using data collection sheets, an objective data collector, temperature-controlled coke and pepsi cans, we had a coke vs. pepsi challenge in the student lounge. Darren correctly identified 6 dixie cups of cola over three trials. The picture is us after the challenge with his flawless scoresheet and look of triumph. I guess that we should be able to find better things to do as optometry students, but UC Berkeley is known for research, so why not keep up the tradition?

Well, I am off to go rent the last volume of the third season of Alias! Will Vaughn find out who his wife really is? Will he and Sydney reunite? Will I ever stop watching tv and finally do some studying?? I don't know! We shall see! :)

February 3, 2005

I just saw my site in Mozilla Firebird and it looks horrible. I also heard from other people that things don't work when they use Netscape. I haven't tried Opera yet, but I'm afraid to look. Anyway, I'll work on trying to make things look right on all browsers, but until then... please don't think that I intended for things to look all yucky. Everything looks pretty on mine. :)

January 28, 2005

optics in the sky!

it was sad because it was raining today, but at least i got to see a pretty rainbow at the end of the day! it would be an even better friday if i didn't have class tomorrow, but i'll take what i can get.

i am trying on my first pair of contacts this week. i originally didn't want to get any contacts because of the hassle of taking care of them and the numerous adverse ocular effects... but then i caved, mostly because i found out that i can get a year's supply for only $10 as an optometry student, and i love getting things for a discount. yes, the cheapskate in me shined through. when i first put my prescription on during my contact lens lab, i walked all around the hallway testing out my vision with my cute little lenses. then, i followed dr. corzine out the preclinic door to see how everything looked, only to find another man sitting outside in a lawn chair, with nothing on but strategically placed newspaper. it was very strange, and i have to admit that it was unfortunate my acuity was so sharp at the moment, but i decided to get contact lenses anyway. they are bugging me a little right now, but hopefully i'll get used to them.

January 27, 2005

waiting for the bus to come at 7:30 on a rainy night is not fun.

January 26, 2005

Minty had a birthday! She is now the big "two-four." I wish I could say that the knife she is holding in the picture above was the knife she planned on cutting the cake with, but the whole experience was just so horrifying and traumatic that I can't possibly reveal the details. And as if things couldn't get worse, the picture on the right is Minhtam holding the present that Darren gave her for her birthday. It's called "The Stick," but don't let its simiplicity fool you. Here are the instructions. I am including this entry as a part of my website because if something terrible should happen to me as her roommate, I want the world to know what really happened.

January 23, 2005

i am super duper happy that i finally have a website named psyduck.net. :)

at first i thought of starting a blog on this first page, but then the fact occured to me that my life is so horribly boring that i wouldn't have anything to put in my blog in the first place. i can just picture it now--Today I woke up. I went to school and tried to stay awake during lecture. Then, I came home and watched TV and then studied right before I went to bed. The end. ...and the same thing every single day. Oh sure, I could throw in the occasional "bum licking his hand and placing it on my head" story, but then after that, I'd have nothing.

anyway, i have nothing interesting to say right now, but i'd like to share with you the saddest picture that i've ever seen. click on it, and you will undoubtedly feel the same way.

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