the past 12 hours have been crazy! the picture is from the local tv station website and i recognized it as the same picture i took a few hours ago... one block away from my apt.

more to come later. i need to put some food in my friend's fridge. don't worry. i'm fine. my place is fine without power and water. i just have low tolerance (and experience) for things like... unexpected disaster. one of the classmates saw his car make a left and a right by itself after he was rescued by the rescue squat.

(and my favorite coffee shop is totalled!) :(

__________________________
From Fox World News (i live in shockhoe bottom!)

Gaston Kills 5; Parts of Richmond Condemned
Tuesday, August 31, 2004

RICHMOND, Va — An area of about 20 blocks of downtown Richmond was roped off and was declared uninhabitable Tuesday after the remnants of Tropical Storm Gaston (search) flooded the city and other parts of central Virginia with a foot or more of rain. At least five people were killed.

The area included most of the city's historic and low-lying Shockoe Bottom area, known for bars and restaurants.

Elsewhere, Hurricane Frances (search) grew to a Category 4 storm with 135 mph wind Tuesday as it headed past Puerto Rico on a course that could bring it ashore in hard-hit Florida or somewhere else in the Southeast this weekend, the National Hurricane Center (search) said. A hurricane warning was issued for the southeastern Bahamas.

A brick building of at least two stories had collapsed in the Shockoe Bottom area, and several dozen buildings had extensive water damage after the rain that fell Monday afternoon and evening flooded the area as much as 10 feet deep, Mayor Rudolph McCollum said Tuesday. In places, rushing water floated cars and trucks and smashed them into buildings.

City officials said the damage would easily be in the millions of dollars but said it was too early to provide an estimate.

"It's like something you've never seen before," said City Manager Calvin D. Jamison.

shigella has no flagella.

that's all i have to say for now.
:(

"“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13).

i learned in class this morning that the combination of apple and coffee will not do good to a person with an empty stomach. a person with constipation might benefit, however. and i wish i could tell you that i learned this in lecture and not from experience during class...

walking and driving home when the whole town is sound asleep soothes the tension in me after a long day at the library.

there's been much to be thankful lately. wish i could list them all down and fall asleep now.

(happy friday)

i had my fingers crossed, stomach tight (because i was so nervous), hair in an up-do to look as professional as i can be, for my first day at preceptor's office. i had a horrible preceptor last year at an std clinic so one can possibly imagine my anxiety. i 've been praying for this man without a face for the past few days. praying that he'll be a normal doctor who's happy to have a student follow him around. i didn't wish for too much.

turns out this guy might be a great teacher for me. from the start he asks me, "what do you like to do for fun?" uhh... (i hate this question.) he immediately tells me to make many friends outside of medicine. (would you like to be my friend?)

anyways...
so full from eating all the old food in the fridge. i'm rarely at home during dinner time so i decided to take advantage of tonight's home-time and eat all the stored left-overs. *burp* a nice strong coffee always makes me feel better.

on my way back, i found a part of richmond that i've never really driven around before. SOOOO many old beautiful houses (in colonial style?).. i ended up parking my car by the street and went for a short jog since i was already in my work-out clothes. okay, friend's calling me. must go. bye bye!

something about my last post. i'm really bummed. don't know why. called two friends. one from long distance, another a few blocks away from here. with the last one, we talked 57 min while eating cookies. heh.

:) most like i won't be posting this weekend. happy weekend people!

[long story edited to a few sentences]
basically, an emmy-winning photojournalist with social skills of 3 out of a scale of 10, who also happened to have quite a few very supportive colleagues from "channel 12" offered his business card at the end. and i, with very non-supportive friends who were snickered in their seats, had no help -- except for one girl who found a reporter very cute (and so i agree) and stayed close to me.

that's the highlight of my week. now i have a group of "channel 12" people who think i'm a brutal asian med student who decided to leave the party through the back door with her friends. oh great...

my other days were quite mundane and ordinary this week, with lots of bacteria-filled notes. oh, and i drive quite well with double-scoop ice cream cone in the rain. my friends think i shouldn't attempt that again.

_____________
sometimes i wonder... am i just at the wrong place at the wrong time? or am i to stay single for the rest of my life? or is it me with a problem? or am i on the right track? no one knows.

i'm munching on carrot sticks because i can't have anymore candies. had an overdose since my whopping 2-hr nap this afternoon. i'm really not a nap taker, but today i had to succumb to an irresistable sleepiness. and eversince, i've been eating and munching on everything that's edible within my reach. you would be surprized how far my short arms can reach ;)

so, i am asian because...
i've had countless "choco-pies" but never a ding dong until today. choco-pies beat ding dongs without a doubt if you ask me. then again, ding dongs beat carrot sticks without a doubt. mmm... ding dongs.. :D

okay, a random entry while sugar-high. ding dong - what a funny name you have.

from path to micro...
after every test, we're given nice big (sometimes small) presents from the school - a fresh stack of notes for our next course. it's something we eagerly look forward to during and after an exam. did i mention it's shrink-wrapped and hence and endure damage from weather, dirt, and insanity that nature may bring?


i hear this one's got attitude.

___
met my "little buddy" from the first year class. she's tall, she's blonde. and her backpack's bigger than mine. she told me she's pre-read her notes until wednesday. they had their first classes today. i'm scared of my "little" buddy.

i want ice cream. real bad.

my sweet tooth is too demanding.. today i smooched off of the new 1st year students' orientation food. (they had three chocolate "fountains" for fondues!) to pay my dues however, i mingled, smiled, and said encouraging words all the while laughing deep inside saying "suckers..." :P eh, i'm sure it won't be that bad for them. i'm sure they all know that studying is practically all you do in school. unlike me who thought med students were just exaggerating and whining...

anyways,
i logged on to say that i want ice cream. maybe i'll pay a visit to the vendor at the corner street tomorrow after class. *sigh* that sounds like a long wait.... ice cream for breakfast perhaps?

nighty night.

08.07.04

this past weekend we had time to cook. 4 girls, 8 dishes... my salmon was in the oven. (yes, i brought something made fresh from scratch!)


one of close friends at school. one of many cats that makes my nose itch.

08.09.04

a few non-poker players chatting in the non-game room.

like the other asian bloggers out there, i have to tell you that i, too, went to see harold and kumar. but for me, the funnies moment during the movie was seeing the five guy friends to my left with their undeterred attention to the make-out scene with mrs. freakshow in the movie. i was laughing so hard with my girlfriend at the sight of this, but they didn't budge. i don't think any high-toned laughter registerred through their ears. i forgot that my camera was in my friend's purse. (it kills me when i miss a good kodak moment!)

what can i say... they are guys. we all had a good laugh after the movie as well.
;)

after the movie, my friend and i wanted to have our own version of the white castle burger adventure by finding a 24hr walmart in town, but our "double-x chromosome reasoning" took a hold of us and just came home.

should sleep now, right?

i'm done!! :) and i didn't do so horribly on my test so i'm content. ( i made many lucky guesses on this test... or shall i say "blessed" guesses? okay i'm a dork.)

oh, so much to do, so many things i want to do... and only two and half days to do them. i think i'll start by going for a run to rid myself of all the toxin built up in me. people say they need to detox after a long night of drinking but for me, i need some heavy-duty detox process after an exam. too much yucky stuff clogging up my system, especially around the head.

all the missed calls and emails will be made up this weekend. happy weekend!

without her permission, i must quote my little sister who's currently in seoul, korea for the summer. so like any older sister curious of her social life, i asked if you found a nice korean boy there. her reply:

"anyways... there are no interesting guys in korea...

they all look very fragile... hmm..."

it cracked me up. :)

i'll have to take this down once she sees this post.
___
why would anyone name a drug zafirlukast and montelukast? reminds me of an ikea furniture name...
*sigh*

without her permission, i must quote my little sister who's currently in seoul, korea for the summer. so like any older sister curious of her social life, i asked if you found a nice korean boy there. her reply:

"anyways... there are no interesting guys in korea...

they all look very fragile... hmm..."

it cracked me up. :)

i'll have to take this down once she sees this post.
___
why would anyone name a drug zafirlukast and montelukast? reminds me of an ikea furniture name...
*sigh*

hello. my name is sophia. i'm a cuuutie :)
______
just got an email from a friend. i was in her wedding exactly a year ago and she sends me a pic of her new baby!

i imagine that in a year or two, many more baby pics will grace my inbox.

out of desperation, i decided to resort to flashcards in order to memorize the dizzy-fying list of drug names. (hm, what drug do i need for this?) as long as i can remember, flashcards never work for me because i either make them the night before the exam or spend hours making them days and weeks ahead and neglect to make good use of the pretty cards.

so why am i attempting another trial doomed to failure?

i told you i was desperate.

from the looks of the drug sheet i have, there are about 90 names i need to know cold, according to the wise ones i know. i've made 6 cards already, so only 84 to go.

i know.. it's foolishness. but i can't stop now. i've already done 6. too much time has been invested in this already.

besides, i have too much pride to stop what i started.
so far.

i found a new hobby! tennis! :)

one small problem that needs a solution a.s.a.p : i need a hobby buddy. my friend who played with me today probably won't be asking me to play again (because i'm just like sooo good :P ) so i need to find a new friend until spring when the undergrad school offers classes. do you think classified ads will work? hm..

it was the first time i held a tennis raquet in eleven years. how silly i felt at the court today.
______
thought of the day : am i enjoying life too much as a med student? so i have been wondering.

okay, water's boiling. need some tea with caffeine and antioxidants for another date with my syllabus. ta ta!

my laptop feels too hot on my laps.