Things Coming Together

A little update on my life. Ever since coming back from Philly, time has been flying and many changes have taken place.

First, I caught a ride with Adrian and Lee back to Arkansas over Easter’s weekend to see my parents. Can you believe that we actually arrived in town with snow falling! It was weird Easter weather! I spend a few blissful days at home while my mom cooked for me. We ate so much fresh Chinese leek in everything, dumplings, pancakes, stir-fry that it was almost like a bovine diet! But it was so yummy. I had a totally laid-back time, it was great. During the trip, I also knitted 90% of my first scarf! Pictures to come later.

As soon as I came back, I got off my butt and started apartment hunting. I was totally engrossed, I felt more preoccupied than busy those days, if that makes sense. Like, going-to-bed-after-3am and on-the-computer-for-hours type of preoccupation. Hubby attributes it to my obsessive personality. I do tend to get preoccupied/obsessive about one thing for a week or so. Finally, we decided to rent a condo that I saw on Craigslist. We just met the owners and signed the contract last night. The area is not perfect but we were assured by multiple neighbors that it’s safe. We are going to be living right smack in downtown Dallas, afterall! It is the perfect location for Paul and I, though. Also, I was very drawn to the fact that the condo is huge (almost twice the size of our apt now) and was completely updated with new carpet and appliances! Two things I loathe in life: inheriting someone else's used carpet in apartments and sleeping on used pillows in hotels. Finally, the price was a big leap for us but I just can’t bring myself to moving into another cramped apartment so it’s worth every penny as they say. Now, we actually have a guest bedroom/study room. I should finally have enough room for all my ever growing clothes and shoes. And if I want a Christmas tree this year, I can, and the closet space to store it if we decide on a fake tree.

I like the idea of renting a condo from private owners. I did that for the first two years of medical school. The landlord-renter relationship is so much more personal. LA, as I’ll call Mrs.Owner, actually gave me a 3-ring binder with her “rules”, the lease contract, the HOA regulations, and copies of all the appliance instructions/manuals. She had very specific instructions/recommendations on how the tiled floor should be cleaned, the right scrubber to use on the stovetop, and the frequency of cleaning of the carpet. She even gave me dish covers for the microwave and samples of all the cleaning products she recommends. I liked her thoroughness and organization. Perhaps it reminds me of myself? Paul just thinks she’s anal.

So, I’ve also hired professional movers, another ordeal that got me preoccupied. We know we wanted an easy and smooth move but finding the right movers was anything but easy! Short of hiring illegal help on street corners, I decided to look into profession moving companies. I found out that there are a number of mover scams out there. They will actually hold your stuff hostage and then demand extra money! So, I did what was suggested, I called area real estate agents to ask for recommendations and came upon Firehouse Movers. The company was started by a local fireman and employs brawny firemen as movers. Another tip: check out the Better Business Bureau for complaints and check their state DOA number for authenticity.

Then, I went about to find a cat sitter for Kitty. This is another service you obviously need really trustworthy people as they will be coming into your home and taking care of your pet. Luckily, I e-mailed Joyce, who’s the cat rescue lady that took in Blacky the lovable stray, and she recommended someone. I also managed to sell our washer and dryer (unfortunately the condo has no connections) last week. Luckily, I didn’t have to rely on strangers from Craigslist as I sold it to a student at my school.

Okay, so now, I’m faced with the task of packing up boxes AND planning our trip this week. We didn’t even have our hotel in Tokyo booked until today. It turned out to be a good thing, actually, since I was able to book our hotel very close to Robert and Lieu’s place after finding out we’ll be in Tokyo together.

So, today’s agenda is to buy suitcases, and all the necessity things for the trip. Then, it’s pack, pack, pack!

Mel and Omar's Wedding

Paul and I attended my school friends, Mel and Omar's wedding this weekend. Mel and Omar are a great couple. I have fond memories of celebrating birthdays, having get-togethers and pot-luck dinners and more recently, double dating with them. They are so down-to-earth and cheerful people, a couple of cool personalities and warm spirits. It was also great seeing a handful of classmates and friends that I haven't seen in many months.

Me with Mel and Omar (future pediatrician and family medicine doctor, in that order). They had Mariachi band in the background, so festive!

Robert and Lieu at the wedding, also future pediatrician and family doctor, respectively.

By the stroke of chance or perhaps something more divine, we found out that we are going to be in Tokyo at the same time as Robert and Lieu!! They are a couple of friends of mine from school and they are spending a couple of weeks traveling through Japan. We are arriving at Narita airport on the same day just 1 hour apart on different flights! Truth be told, I have been rather concerned about our mini 3-day trip in Tokyo ever since I found out that David (Paul's older bro) is not going to be there. We would have cancelled the stay in Tokyo if it weren't for the expensive ticket change fee. The whole point of going to Japan was to visit David and be under his wings while he orchestrated and guided our adventure in a foreign land. But duty calls, he has to be out of the country for work during our trip! So Japan became much more of an adventure than I bargained for! I started having visions of us getting lost amist the massive subway system in Tokyo. . .how do I exchange $$ to yen? What is the best way to get from Narita to Tokyo? What places should we visit?! Where are good places to eat without clearing out our wallet or risk poisoning by ill-prepared puffer fish ?? What can I say, I'm a worrier by nature. I had much research and planning to do. But then I found out Robert and Lieu are going to be there, too! We've vowed to stick together, for better or worse, in times of getting lost, in times of trying sushi. . .plus, we can take couples' pictures for each other!

My Birthday Present

Look at this cute mini thing: Canon Powershot!! Just in time for my birthday! Hubby and I decided to purchase this because our bigger Canon is just too cumbersome for travel. We wanted something that I can easily slip in and out of my purse, and of course for "spy shots" in restaurants or crowds.

My portable travel companion next to Tic Tac for size.

Our Anniversary

We celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary in a simple and low-key way tonight. I cooked us dinner and hubby bought me roses. I think this is pretty good for a week night, I don't need a big date or fancy gifts.

Clockwise from top left: stir-fried asparaus, boiled spinach in peanutty garlic sauce, mussels with butter and garlic, and scallops.

Roses, apricot-colored this time. I wore my new tank tee, which I couldn't resist for $2 at Wal-Mart, coincidentally matches the roses! It was meant to be like hubby and I.

The Weather, Feeling Blue, and My Skin

How do you mark the beginning of summer? For me, it's when I get into my car and realize I have to turn on the AC and my nose starts to perspire while I wait for the cold air to permeate. This happened yesterday in the balmy weather of 85 degrees. By evening, however, a powerful tree-shaking, hail-pelleting storm came in. This morning, I woke up to a cool weather of just 59 degrees! I guess summer is not yet here afterall.

Hail, size of mothballs, as seen in my "backyard." Okay, we don't have a backyard as we live in an apartmtent. . .this reminds me, I have to check on our cars for hail damage!

Another thing I woke up with this morning is the dreadful remembrance of yet another wrong diagnosis and mishap I made on the CS/PE exam. My day pretty much spiraled down before it had a chance to start while I was still in bed. I think there's a good chance I failed! Hubby reassured me I didn't, his exact colorful words were, " don't worry, I bet on the cat's life that you didn't!" Poor Kitty, I'm glad her life doesn't really depend on my success, but I'm thankful for hubby's optimism. He is the more optimistic of us two. So I'm struggling to get out of bed and start on my long list of to-dos. I wish I could just hibernate until June when the mailman delivers the news! I know, I know, I have already made up my mind NOT to worry until the actual score comes in. But this is so much easier said than done. Statistically speaking, the vast majority of students pass, but I don't find security in statistics anymore. First off, I know my own weak areas, and secondly, I have morphea! What's morphea? It's a localized skin condition that affects 25 people per million per year in the US, and I have it!

Yes, I am a very unique and dare I say "special" person. My best friend, Shoreh, a fellow doctor, says I'm a medical miracle and should be photographed and published in a journal. Well, my dermatologist wasn't as enthusiastic as her. I got my second skin biopsy in a matter of months and morphea was confirmed as the diagnosis. It is also known as localized scleroderma, which is just a patch of skin on my trunk that's different than normal skin. It's darker and harder than normal skin. It doesn't hurt or itch, the cause is unknown, it's not inherited, it's benign and there's no treatment. It's like it just showed up one day and it decided to be part of my skin. Well, I'm grateful that it's not a full-fledged autoimmune disorder or cancer. Still, it bewilders me that it's so weird and rare! My skin seems to be frought with problems: I had terrible acne that required a heavily regulated and teratogenic medication (Accutane) to treat, I have a little red bumpy thing on my chest known as a keloid, and now morphea! No more diagnoses, please! The skin is the biggest organ system, though. BTW, my dermatologist was the best, the kind of doctor you want to see if you have to see doctors, he graduated from my school, in fact!:)

Okay, I'm determined to get myself out of this dump, even if I have to pray continuously. I'm going to return some books to the school library and I'm going to run by the yarn store now.

To Philly and Back

I was literally in Philly for like 24 hours. I did have plenty of time at the airport before heading back to DFW. So I did the one thing people should do when they visit Philly, eat a famous Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich! Does one from an airport counter count? Maybe I’m just not that much of a chopped- beef- on- bun person or maybe it’s the airport location, but I was not impressed with the sandwich! After I got on the plane, I liked the mini pretzels with cranapple juice better for a meal.

Here are some things I’m grateful for the trip:

No flight delays on the way there
Did not get sick
Hotel was super comfortable and clean
Felt relatively rested

Then there’s the exam (COMLEX PE or CS). . . I hated it so much! I was nervous and felt like I left out very important questions and steps. I just pray and pray and plead that I passed!! However, after having hours to think and re-live the whole day at the airport and then on the plane home, I’ve resigned to the fact if I failed and need to retake it, then so be it. It’s out of my hands now so I’m not going to torture myself with “did I pass?”, “what if I failed?” for the next three months until I find out my score. Hubby had dutifully practiced with me and I went through a couple of review books, so I did what I can do.

Besides, I have a whole list of to-dos this month. . .

Dentist appointment
Buying wedding presents
Look for apartment
Find suitable luggage for Asia trip
Plan our 3-days stay in Japan
Start on a knitting project
Get in shape and pass the Army fitness test

. . .so you see, I have no time to worry over spilled milk. . .until when I find out I've actually spilled the milk.

Another outfit.

Okay, here's another outfit I put together from disparate pieces in my closet. I love spring clothes, I can feel free to layer, add a cardigan here, and a scarf there. . .