peasprouts's Xanga

and more introductions...

Mon, 17 Jul 2006 19:56:58 GMT

www.xanga.com/the_portland_wongs

Introductions

Sun, 16 Jul 2006 12:07:40 GMT

Now that Mr. Nathan has finally made it out here, I've been busy introducing him to Portland, Maine. We've had excellent Japanese food, lobstah (as the locals say), and even coffee. But my favorite place to introduce him to is Big Sky Bakery. It's a twenty minutes walk from our (!) place, in a very pleasant neighborhood, and you can sample fat slices of free bread any time. The morning is the best time b/c it's still warm. Yesterday morning, we both had warm buttered slices of cinnamon swirl....one of my favorites.

and if you so please, you may break fast with a muffin (or scone, sticky bun, cinnamon roll...)

as adventures continue, so will the picture posts. stay tuned!

distractions

Thu, 22 Jun 2006 23:41:35 GMT

everything is about to happen at once. and all i can think about is how unfortunate it is that i have to move right now and my kitchen is getting packed up and i can't bake muffins. not only is it utterly ridiculous, but all the more so b/c i still have some gorgeous Morning Glory muffins sitting on my countertop, and a terrific-ly sexy chocolate cupcake to boot. and i'm bemoaning the fact that i can't be in the kitchen right now. i do think i've really lost more of my mind than I thought. no matter, if my Mr. Nathan is truly the man I know him to be, perhaps I'll find that I've gain more than I've lost.

new identities...

Sun, 21 May 2006 22:04:27 GMT

so, everyone likes to get the downlow on what's going on, especially in other people's lives.
and the OB chief resident, who's the sweetest manic you could meet, has really enjoyed the fact that i'm engaged to a Mr. Wong (who's really Mr. Right). so she's taken to calling me, Dr. Wong-to-be. I'm actually gettin' used to it.

on the another note, she's also taken note that Mr. Nathan is graduating from seminary.

"What? You're gonna be a preacher's wife!"

For some reason, it sounded pretty funny when she said it. that's gonna me...the preacher's wife. the "see-mo." how ridiculous.

Life on call...

Sat, 13 May 2006 07:26:31 GMT

right now, on the OB rotation, I'm surrounded by birthing mothers and babies. As Mr. Nathan puts it: pop...pop...pop...poppop (a set of twins) pop....

today's count:
poppop
pop
pop
pop
pop

it's 0400 hours and i just had an ice cream sandwich for breakfast. who wouldn't love life when you're on call for OB? i think it's nearly time for another pop...

pubs and their fares

Tue, 02 May 2006 13:33:49 GMT

Living in Portland has thus far been a delightful gastronomic experience. Bintliff's American Cafe serves up a perfectly hearty brunch with utterly beautiful waffles and eggs in many ways, shapes, and forms. No one is disappointed when they eat there. I've always taken home food from there. Pancakes the size of your head soaked in good Maine maple syrup. I don't know what I'll do for maple syrup when I don't live in these here parts any more. There's the Pepperclub, which has a great selection of vegetarian dishes, and a nice thick chocolate pepper cake. Sound strange? Only because it hasn't had the chance to tempt your palate. The infamous Ms. Rachel Ray stopped here on her $40 a Day tour for dinner. So you can be sure, it's within budget. I've even had the opportunity to dine in the nationally renown Fore Street restaurant, where the tuna is of such high grade (sashimi) that I ordered it rare. If only our society had better sanitary and ethical practices within the meat packing industry, I daresay, we'd all be freer to order steaks rare. (or in my case, order steak, period.).

For once in my life, I've actually encountered some pub fare as part of my dining experience. Last Wednesday found me at Brian Boru's, an Irish pub in Old Port, throwing back a Guiness with a beautifully foamy head. Nothing beats it from the tap. There were mostly sandwiches on the menu, but a Guiness is a meal in itself, so I sampled some fries from my neighbor's plate and that was it. They did have some grilled sandwiches that seemed quite pleasing. All meaty substances, so I can't give any opinions on that. However, this Monday night placed me at Rivalries, a sports bar around the corner from Brian Boru's. We were seated smack-dab in front of the giganto screens at the end of the room, where I could blissfully see the pores of the players. We ordered a plate of nachoes, whose only redeeming factor was using blue chip nachoes. I think these were baked, so the cheese had developed nice crunchy crispy edges in some places, but most of it was just glued together in a greasy lump in the middle. Difficult to divide and conquer to say the least. My friend ordered a spinach and ricotta ravioli with garlic bread. It looked alright, but the garlic bread had the same unappealingly melted cheese on top. How unattractive. Suffice it say, we really should've gotten there in time for Happy Hour, so that we could at least have paid 2 for 1 for the appetizers. They weren't worth their full price. I could've done better at home.

so, now...where to get some GOOD pub fare in Portland along with the game? well, once the rotation starts, there'll be no more huntin', except in my own tiny refrigerator which is certainly shorter than me, but older and heavier. When my Mr. Nathan gets here, I'll be gettin out in time for us to hit up some pleasant places for Happy Hour, so here's to the summer.

all in the eye of the beholder...

Mon, 01 May 2006 17:00:33 GMT

so i stopped in to see how one of my patients was faring, and his family was in. So of course, we get to chitchatting and so, finally, one of them broaches the subject. "You look so YOUNG!" I smile. I have no idea how "young" I look. I feel old enough, I suppose. and don't get me wrong, these are some very nice people. I'm not feeling offended at all. "You look like you're supposed to be in high school. Tell us, how old are you?"

"Take your best guess"

"Seriously, I would guess that you were 12 or 13." "I would say, 24?"

Should I wear make up to appear older? probably would help if i cut my hair. one of my classmates also kinda suggested that I gain some weight. apparently, if i weren't so scrawny-looking, I might look my age.

May Day!

Mon, 01 May 2006 15:06:35 GMT

Surgery Rotation: Completed.

OB/GYN: here i come...

for the rest of the day: it's a hunt for something yummy for my tummy, and 24! and GO SOX! AND we got MIRABELLI back! woo-hoo! GOODBYE, BARD. HELLO, MIRABELLI! that only makes tonight's game so much more interesting to watch. what'll i do...when 24 comes on at 9. a miserable dilemma...

roommate wanted

Mon, 01 May 2006 00:03:51 GMT

i've just discovered the biggest reason i can't live alone: Large Bugs and Spiders.
i cannot, will not try to kill them. i do not like trying to squish them. the speed with which they scurry or zip around makes me break out in a sweat. few things make me break out in a sweat.

tonight, one of the those humongously ginourmous bees flew into my apartment. one of those loud, buzzing ones. Big, black and furry. it zipped around angrily at my lamp, bumped into it with loud...BUMP. i don't like it when things are big enough to bump into things audibly. Fruit flies, i can handle. Mosquitoes, i will even hunt down. But these, ... ugh. it even dive-bombed my head. i'm serious. it was CLOSE. and then, all was silent. i lost track of it. and then i was nervous. Large bugs don't just vanish. (does that sound like a line stolen from a movie?) and i tried turning off my light, turning on the kitchen light. no buzzy bee. so i sat down at my desk again, cuz i'm supposed to be studying. and suddenly i realize it's ON MY DESK, about a foot away from ME. OMGOMGOMG...it's not really moving, and not flying away. curses, i'm gonna have to dispose of it. i don't share my deskspace; i take over. My heart sinks as I realize I might have to be proactive in getting rid of this visitor. i hunt down a yogurt cup to trap it in ( i have no jars....yet) and when i come back. it's not there anymore! dang it all. suddenly, i see it, crawling along the ceiling's ledge. EWEWEWEWEWEWEWEW. Now what?! so i abandon the yogurt cup (thanks, breyer's) and go fetch the broom. I cover my bed, open the door to the hallway, and begin praying feverishly. I get the broom up there, and I can't bring myself to sweep it down. what if it comes zipping towards me again. then again, i can't just stand here. So i try again, a little closer. I think to myself: this is NOT fair. i cannot do this. C'mon, Jesus, I opened the door, I turned off my light, pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasePUHLEEEEZE, help it to fly OUT. (this is NOT an unrealistic prayer, like asking for a billion bucks.) Suddenly, i don't know where it is. AGAIN. AIYA. o where, o where have you disappeared to now?! Gripping my useless broom in desparation, i spot it... on the edge of my bed covers. AIYA. C'mon, JESUS, just a little further. So i reach out with the broom, and after a couple of my wussy sweeps, it flies out into the hallway. I see a large shadow looming around the hallway light as evidence of its departure. Assured of its location, I hastily shut the door and say thankyouJesus.

Honestly, if i had a roommate, at least i wouldn't have to suffer this ordeal alone.

I'm IT...

Sat, 08 Apr 2006 23:57:38 GMT

by way of the Bean

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4. What does it say?

"Moving nearer to a holy God is a serious notion. We are not one of"

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What can you touch?

iMax
3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
24 (the weekend special rerun of Season 2)

4. Without looking, guess what time it is:

20:37
5. Now look at the clock. What is the actual time?
20:38

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?

    Harry Connick, Jr: Take Advantage (Other Hours) and my hissy steam radiator
7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
     0855. Running.
8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
    browsing recipes online
9. What are you wearing?
    white socks. black drawstring pants. black long sleeve T. and some white unmentionables.

10. Did you dream last night?

Yes.

11. When did you last laugh?

    a big belly one? i dunno. i think i laughed at my mom when we talked on the phone today.
12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
    someone else's poster of a landscape titled St. Feuillien. looks sorta like an ad. and a firealarm
13. Seen anything weird lately?
    see latest post

14. What do you think of this quiz?

    curiouser and curiouser
15. What is the last film you saw? In the theatre?
    Hitch. I dunno what I saw last in the theatre...something with Mr. Nathan. Harry Potter?
16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?
    For reals: loan repayment. a honeymoon.
    For fun: a personalized kitchen. a reasonable bathroom. LASIK

17. Tell me something about you that I don't know.

i can tie one handed knots. squares AND slips!

18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?

    Jesus?
19. Do you like to dance?
    Yes. but just little dances.
20. George Bush:
    President Logan?

21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?

i dunno. (i'm serious. i have NO names picked out. never have...still don't)

22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him? see above

23. Would you ever consider living abroad?

God willing, yes!

24. What do you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?

Hey! Wanna get some to eat? By the way, it's on Me.

25. 4 people who must also do this quiz in THEIR journal

Mr. Nathan. giffordcheung. hbear46. and YOU, who just finished reading this