I am sick this Christmas: sore throat, stuffy nose... the works. This is also the year I missed snow in Houston. It's been more than a decade since I've seen real snow (dating back to ChongQing in the early 90s) - the kind that settles and carpets the ground.

Current favorite movie -- You've Got Mail
I've fallen in love with it all over again. Some movies get better with time. I'm just in a Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan kind of mood.

I have been a Word Twist addict for two days and counting.

I am not one to skip on my blog… usually I eat and type and publish new entries at the same time. One little event that I desperately want to chronicle, because God willing, it won’t happen too often, or ever again… But I can’t, not even under pseudo-names or places, because as keen as I am on uninhibited verbal expression, some things are just… not nice.

That should be enough to jolt up memories… if ever I should want to remember.

It is a little strange to be home with no immediate plans of leaving… to actually fold and hang up my clothes in the closet. My days are pungent with a guilt-free laziness that is nearly impossible to have at Rice… Here at home, unproductiveness is to be expected. I picked up a wonderful book two days ago, and between Hollywood videos, Chinese miniseries, and shopping, I managed to read exactly one chapter. I came down stairs at 11:11 am today; that’s half of the day gone!

A spontaneous Dallas trip with my mom! I was sitting by the kitchen table writing Christmas cards when my mom suddenly said – let’s go to Dallas! We only had one destination – the Galleria! Maria, I didn’t call b/c we were there for all of three hours. But I thought of you! I wish I could move the whole block, Valley View and all, to Shreveport. I think then, my little city would be perfect.

One last note, I have stopped waking up like clockwork in the middle of the night. I still don’t know what that was all about.

It's is 12:12 pm... :)

I bought a beautiful brown fur throw for my parents today! It was expensive, but not impossibly so. Never did I think I would push that credit card limit so close; it literally screamed when the sales person at Pottery Barn swiped it across the machine … I just couldn’t pass it up, knowing my mom’s love for fur. All the money I waste, this is definitely something worth purchasing for the two MOST important people in my life. I’m becoming too old to buy them slippers, lotion, jewelry… I want my present this year to say not only “I love you”, but also “please don’t worry whether I can take care of myself because I can even take care of you!"

Did you get your Fresca, Linda? Thank you thank you for your company!

My friend just left for home, and I feel sad. She has always been here, physically close, and just the possibility of picking up the phone to say "what are you doing" (a.k.a. do something with me!) is a comfort I don't want to part with... just yet.

This is, I believe, a preview of May ...

What I did...

I took out my contacts, put them into the two-colored container filled with contact wash, then promptly rinsed the whole thing with running water, down the drain, contacts and all... I even put the empty case back onto the shelf to dry, and didn't realize anything was wrong until my roommate noticed one contact in the sink. mmm... finals need to end!

The kindest Chinese teacher I ever had took my whole class out to dinner at 南北和。The "whole class" consists of three people, and I ordered BeiJing Fish because it looked thickly sweet on the picture. Is it surprising that I met my favorite Chinese teacher in America? Well, if you know anything about schools or teachers in China, you wouldn't be. One exception -- my math tutor in Chongqing who lived a million miles away, and I had to travel for a million hours every Sunday to see him. He thought I was gifted... just not in math. :)

The Yo Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax Concert was phenomenal. I sat so far away that I could only see Yo Yo Ma's expressions through a binocular, which is unfortunate because he played with a passion that is palpable. All the years I have played the violin, I have heard that name, most times followed with an "are-you-related-to-him" question that makes me lower my head in shame... Then last Thursday night, I actually saw him. I think I would have sold my soul to meet him, and shake his hand, and hope perhaps some of that passion and talent would rub off. Can you imagine talking to him? Yes, I know, he is only human... or is he? :)

Last week was bad on so many levels - the hair, the skin, the food, and the cell bio. final. Today was the first day that I feel a bit more like myself, after a three hour final followed by a three hour work shift. I have been going to the gym and doing high impact stuff every single day... Mostly because with no classes, the gym is the most tangibly productive thing I can do. Sitting by my desk and studying may or maynot yield good results. But the gym, that's definitely good... Well, until my left hip started hurting. I have weak hips and weak ankles... mmm...

Now it is late and truth be told, I just want to go home.

I saw Closer last night, and it's important that I blog down my distaste while it is fresh. It is a glamorized version of Jerry Springer -- the same dysfunctional people, except with beautiful faces. After spending thirty minutes nodding my head and trying to find a deep acceptance in the imperfections of human beings and the impossibilities of lasting love, it occurred to me that no one should have to! Cheating and lying may be apart of human nature, but that does not mean we should jazz it up and call it art.

This holiday, I love Love Actually. :)

I miss blogging. How can I make you understand that a stack of cell bio. packets plus two days of unfocused studying leaves no room for blog-constrution. Except to say that I miss blogging... and hope you do too. :)