It has been much too long. Let me begin with one word: crazy. This past semester, which ended last Friday, has been the most maddening form of Academic Indulgence I've ever experienced. Not one of the 26 of us has ever been pushed so hard, I reckon. Myself included.
But like I tell the folks here as I describe our mind-boggling, jaw-dropping curriculum to them: the experience has been incredible, the amount of knowledge I've acquired is staggering, and I couldn't have done it without help and support from home...mainly, keeping me sane and keeping me with a life beyond school.
My writing had a take a step back, but was never forgotten. In my last week of school, I felt my characters coming back with friendly, patient greetings, waiting for me to return to them, to bring my experiences of the past 5 months (school and beyond) into them. I am astounded by the convoluted mess I have made of my Origin series. 5 months of absence, and I return to a bunch of stories that I can make no head or tail out of because I kept copying and pasting the same things here and there, hoping to be able to recycle material in new contexts.
Took me 2 hours to sort everything out and delete stuff so I won't be confused. Jessie made a very good, very practical and sensible suggestion: keep notes. Duh, why didn't I think of that? I do keep notes...just not the best of note-keepers.
As for stuff I've already finished. They're waiting. Waiting for their time. I can't wait to see Mike and Mary in about a week, and ask them about the script and the filming. There is a time and place for everything, and you never know watch'ya gonna get.
This semester hasn't been easy. For me, for many people. Nobody said medical school was gonna be easy, on top of all the other things that have happened. Bottom line after all this, 5 months down the road, 7 more semesters to go, I trust in the strength I have been endowed with. I trust not in myself, but in the things beyond me, of which I cannot understand, but which have always shadowed me faithfully, with goodness, peace, and fortitude.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus......whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is anything of virtue, and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things. Philippians 4:6-8

Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not upon your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

My mind is drifting.

If you know the difference between StarGate, Star Craft, Star Wars, and Star Trek...you are a true sci-fi geek.

Guess what. I do!

Yippee...

Ok, back to cancer biology.

Man, oh man...You know you're studying too hard when you have a dream about Egyptian mummies, and museums vis-a-vie Brandon Fraser's The Mummy Returns...and the damned mummies are known as Oxidation Bodies.

An Oral History

The other day my dad went to make a recording as part of a series of oral histories being collected for some national archives. He came home with a binder of newspaper clippings starting from 1977 when he first appeared in the papers. Pretty interesting stuff he used to say, a lot of unabashed critiquing and very eloquent (to the point of corniness, says my sister) speeches. I'm guessing I inherited my "penchant" for writing from my dad. He writes very well and writes all his material.

Like father, like daughter. I'm a product of my parents, no doubt about that.

And, like someone recently said to me and my classmates at a orientation speech, the government does what it usually does to those who speak up more and "make a lotta noise" more here in my home country. They take those people, put them in positions of power and responsibility, thereby shutting them up.

Pretty funny stuff.

Wow...that was fast. Over a month since my last entry.

Let's see, what have I been doing...

1) Attending med school. It ain't so bad. JC was about the same. Could be worse. Definitely could be less fun, but I'm glad it isn't. My 25 classmates are awesome, and the setting of all our discussions and classes is Americanized, informal, and insightful. I think we're surprising the guys from Duke quite a bit with our openness and honesty about things.

2) The cat's been back for 3 days. Man, is she enjoying her newfound freedom. 30 days in a cubicle-like quarantine place with 30 other cats, and now she's all by herself in a big new house, and with her humans for the most part of the day. My dad keeps wanting to make friends with her, and we keep telling him it doesn't work that way.

3) Danny's got a new job at Biopolis. Wonderful place, lots of wind tunnels to keep everything cool, and he's got a much more research-like job than his previous QC job. He thinks he wants a PhD. We'll see about that...

All in all, life is good.

Except for the fact that I haven't had a spanking fat cookie in a long while, the coffee here ain't quite the same as Specialty's or Noah's Bagels, and it's hot and humid. California must be nice, cool, and sunny right now. Bloody tropics...
I haven't watched TV in about a month, haven't watched a movie in the same period of time, and I've yet to catch up with old friends here. Sigh...I suck.

But all in all, life is good.

Today I end my 5-year sojourn in California. I return home to Singapore where I will begin medical school. I will miss this place that I've called home for the past few years, the people I've worked with, the friends I've made, the culture and lifestyle...But this is a choice I've made, and there's no turning back. We will keep in touch with everything here in America, that's our promise to this wonderful country.

On Saturday, we went to Skates once more for dinner. As we drove along the road toward the Marina, I recalled the time we went kite-flying, summer of 2005. It was beautiful, gorgeous, just like Saturday. I wanted to jump out of the car and run through the tall grasses, smell the sea air, and just scream with nostalgia and gratitude. These words come to mind: "Goodbye, America," I wanted to shout. "I'm not done with you yet, so I'm not saying farewell!"

I've grown and changed much, learned a lot, since the day I stepped foot on American soil at SFO in 2003. Who knows what the next 5 years will bring.

Que sera, sera......The future's not ours to see.

I dreamed my sister wanted to hide away from everybody back home. She decided to change herself into a laptop bag to do so, and I had to go catch her. The bag was skipping about all over the place, jumping fences and rails, and hopping over water. Finally, I caught her (or rather, the bag), and it changed back to Miss Pamela Tan. She looked at me grouchily and pouted.

Then...I woke up.

I told Pam about that dream, and she's like, "Wha...?" I told her it was probably because I was thinking about my new laptop tote/handbag, and also, Harry Potter opened this week.

Transformers was AWESOME!

Watched a sneak peek on Sunday night. It was totally worth staying up till 2am, and then getting up for work at 830am.

And in my semi-drunken stupor (induced by drinking white wine while watching people play Gears of War on a 56-inch TV, and then driving for dinner at someone's house where the entertainment was Season 1 of Family Guy, followed by the battle scenes of 300), I ended up doing this:Look...everyone was choosing the Autobots and Optimus Prime. Nobody wanted the baddies, so I chose the ultimate bad guy....MEGATRON! Whoo-hoo!