Real life update
Apr. 13th, 2008 11:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tarigwaemirHaste Street, on the Feast of St. Martin I
My third rotation ended on Friday, so I get this week off to go meet with professors and decide on a thesis lab. It's hard to remember that yes, I do still have classes and other obligations to meet; at some point, I'll need to make up a to-do list. But I'm looking forward to taking a break this week before I finally join a thesis lab and start setting down roots for good.
Friday night was oyster night: went to eat oysters at Sea Salt with Steve and his friend Debra, who then attempted to make an oyster pancake/omelette using this recipe. Here's a photo of the final version (for which I bear no responsibility--I did nothing other than supplying the kitchen and equipment) that was deemed the most successful:
On Saturday, Steve and I went to the Berkeley farmer's market, where we met a Korean woman selling all sorts of fresh mushrooms and bought a quarter-pound of maitake mushrooms. They look vaguely like pinecone-shaped carnations and emit this deliciously intense mushroom smell. (What I imagine forests ought to smell like: warm, earthy, full of growing things.) We had them in a stir-fry for a late lunch, and they proved to be delicious. I wonder what they would taste like when dried. Hm, maybe I should make a habit of visiting the farmer's market more often.
We also met![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
clocklike and her parents, who were visiting Berkeley for Cal Day. Peradis, it was great to meet you in person at last! ^_^
Watched Infernal Affairs 3, which proved to be extremely confusing. It didn't help that I dozed off in the middle. Maybe I ought to watch it again to figure out exactly what happened, although I'm not sure if it's worth it. I liked it better than Infernal Affairs 2, probably because Andy Lau and Tony Leung are much better actors than Edison Chen and Shawn Yue, but the narrative felt extremely incoherent, as if its sole purpose was to fill in the gaps. Edit: Spoiler ahead. I did appreciate though how Lau Kin Ming went insane, thinking himself to be Yan, at the end; it felt very Shakespearean somehow.
Just came back today after spending all afternoon and evening with the young adult group at church. One of the members is moving to L.A., so there was a farewell dinner for him tonight at a sushi restaurant in San Jose. As expected, soju and beer flowed freely, and the person sitting next to me (who is part of the same car pool that takes me to church) got very, very drunk and ended up passing out. I was a little horrified at the way some of the girls kept egging him on, even though he was clearly very intoxicated. E.g., "Oh, a real man would have finished that shot. Is that all you can handle? Come on, drink with me properly this time." -_- At one point, he tried to cheat by emptying the rest of his soju into my soup bowl before I was finished with my soup. Could only sit there in mute, indignant protest while everyone else berated him for cheating. He also spat out successive drinks in the same bowl--at this point, people were trying to trick each other with shots of beer mixed with wasabi and soy sauce--but I managed to quell my irritation at being deprived of the last third of my miso soup. I suppose four years of watching people get extremely drunk at kendo parties has made me more tolerant. Still, it's a little sad to watch a grown man at the age of thirty-nine get into such a drunken state; there's a line between being an amusing drunk and an embarrassing one, and most people learn when to stop short of crossing that line by the time they graduate from college. It occurred to me that he probably wouldn't have gotten into such a mess if he hadn't been unbearably lonely. Most of the people in the young adult group came from Korea to study abroad in the U.S., and they all commiserate about how difficult it is to adjust, how isolated they feel, and how alien and foreign everything seems. I think back to how I felt during my first few months here, but even then, I can barely imagine how much worse it would be if you didn't even speak the language.
In any case, I did stuff myself on expensive sushi and sashimi, many with varieties that I've never tried before. In fact, I think I ate the most at my section of the table because everyone else was too busy drinking and because the priest (to whom I had to introduce myself for the third time) kept telling me to eat. He also asked my advice on whether "worms" found in raw fish were likely to be harmful and whether he should take medicine for high blood pressure. @_@ Moments like these make me realize that I still have a long way to go before I'll be completely satisfied with my mastery of Korean.
Yours &c.
My third rotation ended on Friday, so I get this week off to go meet with professors and decide on a thesis lab. It's hard to remember that yes, I do still have classes and other obligations to meet; at some point, I'll need to make up a to-do list. But I'm looking forward to taking a break this week before I finally join a thesis lab and start setting down roots for good.
Friday night was oyster night: went to eat oysters at Sea Salt with Steve and his friend Debra, who then attempted to make an oyster pancake/omelette using this recipe. Here's a photo of the final version (for which I bear no responsibility--I did nothing other than supplying the kitchen and equipment) that was deemed the most successful:
On Saturday, Steve and I went to the Berkeley farmer's market, where we met a Korean woman selling all sorts of fresh mushrooms and bought a quarter-pound of maitake mushrooms. They look vaguely like pinecone-shaped carnations and emit this deliciously intense mushroom smell. (What I imagine forests ought to smell like: warm, earthy, full of growing things.) We had them in a stir-fry for a late lunch, and they proved to be delicious. I wonder what they would taste like when dried. Hm, maybe I should make a habit of visiting the farmer's market more often.
We also met
clocklike and her parents, who were visiting Berkeley for Cal Day. Peradis, it was great to meet you in person at last! ^_^Watched Infernal Affairs 3, which proved to be extremely confusing. It didn't help that I dozed off in the middle. Maybe I ought to watch it again to figure out exactly what happened, although I'm not sure if it's worth it. I liked it better than Infernal Affairs 2, probably because Andy Lau and Tony Leung are much better actors than Edison Chen and Shawn Yue, but the narrative felt extremely incoherent, as if its sole purpose was to fill in the gaps. Edit: Spoiler ahead. I did appreciate though how Lau Kin Ming went insane, thinking himself to be Yan, at the end; it felt very Shakespearean somehow.
Just came back today after spending all afternoon and evening with the young adult group at church. One of the members is moving to L.A., so there was a farewell dinner for him tonight at a sushi restaurant in San Jose. As expected, soju and beer flowed freely, and the person sitting next to me (who is part of the same car pool that takes me to church) got very, very drunk and ended up passing out. I was a little horrified at the way some of the girls kept egging him on, even though he was clearly very intoxicated. E.g., "Oh, a real man would have finished that shot. Is that all you can handle? Come on, drink with me properly this time." -_- At one point, he tried to cheat by emptying the rest of his soju into my soup bowl before I was finished with my soup. Could only sit there in mute, indignant protest while everyone else berated him for cheating. He also spat out successive drinks in the same bowl--at this point, people were trying to trick each other with shots of beer mixed with wasabi and soy sauce--but I managed to quell my irritation at being deprived of the last third of my miso soup. I suppose four years of watching people get extremely drunk at kendo parties has made me more tolerant. Still, it's a little sad to watch a grown man at the age of thirty-nine get into such a drunken state; there's a line between being an amusing drunk and an embarrassing one, and most people learn when to stop short of crossing that line by the time they graduate from college. It occurred to me that he probably wouldn't have gotten into such a mess if he hadn't been unbearably lonely. Most of the people in the young adult group came from Korea to study abroad in the U.S., and they all commiserate about how difficult it is to adjust, how isolated they feel, and how alien and foreign everything seems. I think back to how I felt during my first few months here, but even then, I can barely imagine how much worse it would be if you didn't even speak the language.
In any case, I did stuff myself on expensive sushi and sashimi, many with varieties that I've never tried before. In fact, I think I ate the most at my section of the table because everyone else was too busy drinking and because the priest (to whom I had to introduce myself for the third time) kept telling me to eat. He also asked my advice on whether "worms" found in raw fish were likely to be harmful and whether he should take medicine for high blood pressure. @_@ Moments like these make me realize that I still have a long way to go before I'll be completely satisfied with my mastery of Korean.
Yours &c.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-14 11:12 am (UTC)Sounds like a fun weekend otherwise though. The oyster thing looks more like a pizza to me ^_^ Glad it was tasty; I don't really care for oysters myself.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-14 04:53 pm (UTC)::shrugs:: I mean, it was supposed to be a dinner, not a drinking party, although of course, in any group of Koreans, a large group dinner inevitably turns into a drinking party. I just thought it was strange because usually when a group this age (ranging mostly from late twenties to thirties) is out drinking in public, they've had enough experience with alcohol to know their own limits, and while they might get rowdy and disruptive, they usually don't drink to the point of passing out. -_-
The oyster thing didn't have any bread or cheese or tomato sauce, so I'm afraid it in no way qualifies as a pizza, but yes, it was rather delicious. Then again, I like seafood.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-14 11:26 am (UTC)Ahaha, I had exactly the same reaction! viz. confusion, followed by slumber. It might have helped if I'd actually watched Infernal Affairs 1, but there you go.
Most of the people in the young adult group came from Korea to study abroad in the U.S., and they all commiserate about how difficult it is to adjust, how isolated they feel, and how alien and foreign everything seems.
:( This sounds distressingly familiar.
Also, good on you for eating the sushi & sashimi! It sounds like it was the Right Thing to Do.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-14 04:57 pm (UTC)I will probably never have such expensive sushi again! ^_^ One must seize such rare opportunities when they come.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-14 12:18 pm (UTC)Also, I LOVE oysters and sushi and sashimi, so mmmmm, that sounds like a good friday/weekend. ^^
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-14 05:04 pm (UTC)Seafood is delicious! ^_____^
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-14 03:19 pm (UTC)And let's face it, is it ever possible to speak a language as well as English? My Spanish is a ton better but it won't ever compare to English. And my Korean? I could see it getting better some day, but yeah XD
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-14 05:17 pm (UTC)My goal isn't to speak Korean as well as I speak English, but it's entirely possible to expand my vocabulary to college-level. It'll just take a long, long time. I.e. probably the rest of my life. >_>
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-14 05:30 pm (UTC)*Sigh* Excessive drinking, huh? It guess that's why I always opted to stay away from parties when I was in college. I've never really been a big fan of alcohol (or seeing people get sloppy drunk for that matter -__-' ).
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-14 06:58 pm (UTC)Well, you can't hang out with Koreans without running into excessive drinking in one form or the other. (Same goes for grad students, actually.) I don't really mind being around drunk people as long as they seem to know their limits and no one tries to pressure me to drink...I suppose it's a good thing I'm a girl otherwise I probably would have been hassled for not drinking at all.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-14 06:56 pm (UTC)::insert spew face::
Actually, no. I'll risk parasites for yummy fish flesh.
Oyster pancakes...mushrooms...Mmmm~~
Oh, and spoiler alert for Infernal Affairs!! You're lucky I don't remember the names of anyone, and don't actually care that I'm spoiled for IA3.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-14 07:00 pm (UTC)Oops about the spoilers. I'll "gray-out" that part.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-14 07:03 pm (UTC)That would be nice. Though, I mean, it's not *that* much of a spoiler, and if you were serious enough about it you should have seen the movies already, not have II and III sitting somewhere in my pile of "movies I should really get to watching, seriously, I mean it this time." >_>
Glad to hear you're having fun though.
COME BACK TO ME SOON!!! ;_; ;_; ;_; ;_;
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-14 07:11 pm (UTC)T____T Will come back for a week around June 5 (reunion is on the 6th), though I haven't bought tickets yet and probably won't until the apartment situation is settled for sure. BUT I'LL BE BACK COME RAIN OR HAIL OR HOT HUMID NYC SUMMER WEATHER!
Apply to med schools in Cali so you can come visit me~~~
(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-15 04:25 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-04-15 04:55 am (UTC)