It had me at "hello"

One of the things I brought back from Asia is lust for this bag! It's a Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 Classic. It had me at "hello,". . . okay, the bag didn't say "hello" but you know what I mean. LV brand bags are ubiquitous in Asia, atleast in Taiwan and Japan. Even the men sport these stylish LV accessories. What is also ubiquitous is the counterfeit (euphemistically called "replicas") LV bags in Asia.

I really really want one! It's the best bag ever, it would go with everything, from frompy summer sandles to an elegant winter coat. And of course it would never ever go out of style. So, you think with all those fashion sensible reasons on top of the fact that I just had the occasion of my graduation and a vow of never asking for another birthday present again until I'm 40, I should indulge myself with this bag? Yes, of course!!. . .except for the fact that this is a $600 bag (the real deal, mind you) safely tucked away on a shelf at Neiman Marcus just 10 minutes away from my aparment. Yes, it would be as simple as getting in my car and swiping my credit card. . . but, but, I realized I'm just not that person, yet, the no-guilt-all-pleasure girl that could indulge in a $600 bag. . .oh, but how I wish sometimes I was that person. . .already. Hmm, perhaps a "replica" then, that would run in the $200 range, but what a moral line I'd have to cross and there's images of dark alleys and shady guys . . . I guess I'll just wait 'til the day I can feel good about buying the real McCoy with all its full-priced glory. Perhaps that day will be when I find my first real job out of residency or when hubby finds his new job after his PhD or when we've finally shed our student staus or the day we no longer have student loans. . .or, or, maybe one day soon, I'll just succumb to my lust and buy this bag and never look back . . .

Good night, sweet beauty!

Graduation

Senior Awards Banquet. Paul, me, Omar, and Mel.

This is a good shot of my curly-do. *click to enlarge* I have a soft spot for curly hair ever since in early high-school days when I woke up at the crack of dawn to cajole my arrow straight- hair into curls with a curly iron before the school bus came to my door.

Day of graduation with Malini, my soon-to-be co-resident at Methodist.

With Mom after graduation on Saturday.
I learned that color green on the black gown is meant for physicians while a dark blue is the color for Ph.Ds, light pastel/baby blue is for education, and a royal purple is for J.D.s.

A Long Hiatus.

Pictures first, words later.

Hubby and I on the beach at Penghu island, off of Taiwan. Yes, my hair is that short now, except, it's curly, Shirley Temple-style (a.k.a. I went for the perm a few days later.)

My brother-in-law, David.

The whole family at Penghu.

Paul and I at Asakusa in Tokyo, this was where our hotel was. See my Smurf feet? Atleast the Birkenstocks kept me comfortable even if I was ultra-unfashionable in a very style-conscious Tokyo.

Our first night and first meal in Tokyo, tempura!

One of my favorite photos: hubby in jeans among a sea of black-suited Japs.

Yes, I've been gone for a long time. . .not just from blogging, but from the country. We returned recently from our 3 week trip to Japan and Taiwan which was just fantastic! I hesitated to blog for a long time after I returned, I just didn't have the desire anymore in the face of a zillion things to do in my mind. But I unexpectedly cut my finger while cooking so no dish-washing for me tonight! Sooo, while hubby's doing dish duty, here I am.

First off, I spend a few tiring days finishing up our moving process. Note to self: make MORE use of those brawny and very capable movers next time! I was definitely trying to do too much myself. Now, I'm in search of some furniture to fill out my bigger apartment. And sadly, the US post office managed to lose our three weeks of mail while we were gone! It was just too confusing for those postal people to arrange to hold our mail, change our address, and forward our mail all at the same time. I got a call from the hospital saying that the contract they are trying to send me got returned to them! Now I'm going postal trying to chase down our mail!! And yes, I'm also trying to schedule a LASIK surgery, wisdom teeth surgery, and cook, clean, shop, and play with the cat all at the same time. Speaking of Kitty, she was very well taken care of by Kimberly, our catsitter. She's had her bumpy moments with all the moving, beinig left alone, and a new apartment. We've transformed her into a full-time indoor-only cat. She needs frequent TLC and regular periods of active play and seems to be doing okay. Did I mention I graduated this past Saturday?

Some memorable moments of our trip:

1. Walking tours of Tokyo with Robert and Lieu.

2. Finding what must have been the only cherry tree with blossoms left in Tokyo! We had just missed the cherry blossoms season.

3. Waking up at 5am to visit the Tsukiji Fish Market and having the best sushi ever for breakfast.

4. People-watching: the very beautiful and stylish Japanese girls/women. You won't catch even one without their high heels and LV handbags. As for me, I wore my Birkenstocks everywhere, and yes, I looked like I had Smurf feet.

5. Meeting my mother-in-law. I didn't know what to expect, hubby hasn't seen her for 15 years. Well, she was super! She cooked lobsters and crabs for us, made fresh fruit juices in the mornings, took me to get my hair cut and styled, and just all in all endeared herself to me. And when I came back, she sent me some Korean mini-series DVDs that I've come to love in Taiwan. It's not that the things she did for me that were meaningful, but it was her thoughtfulness that touched me. I have never met her before, but she opened up to me and loved me right away. . .here was me, not able to call her "ma" and not pushing myself even a bit, I was waiting, waiting to see if I could or would love her. . .

6. Visiting Penghu island with the whole family: a day at sea, getting sunburned because not one of us managed to remember sunscreen, eating sashimi on the boat, sleeping in hammocks after lunch, and devouring a whole bushel of oysters at night.

Okay, there were "bad" memories, too. I was ruthlessly bitten by mosquitos one night at a relative's condo. The next day, one of my arm was covered with red bumps that drew me much sympathetic attention which unfortunately didn't help with the itchinig. The unpredictable showers in Taiwan. More than once, I was in the middle of a shower when the hot water decided to cease coming. This was one of the reasons I decided to cut my long hair to a bob. Finally, the terrible motion sickness I experienced while coming down the winding roads from Alishan. I think I vowed to myself many many times that I am never leaving America again. However, perhaps like giving birth, the memories later are much sweeter than any "pain" I endured at the time.