Saturday, April 5, 2008

anecdotes, doings and passings

wow it has been some time since the last post
quite a lot has happened...

first of all, last week was a pretty rough stretch
hiuyan was in the hospital to remove a swollen thyroid and after all was said and done, she was there for nearly a week!
the doctors made a horizontal incision on her neck to remove the left thyroid
this was done with generally more ease than my worries warranted
after analyzing the thyroid, however, they found a small tumor
very very small, but a shock to all parties concerned to be sure
this led the doctors to decide to remove her other thyroid as well
hiuyan found out just as she was attempting to make her getaway from the hospital
the nurses caught her and dragged her back in for a second surgery
i was sort of a wreck that night, as you can probably imagine
i think i actually ended up needing prayers and support more than my girl did
but everything turned out just fine and i found out that thyroid cancer and removal is a relatively simple process
hiuyan does have to take thryoxine hormone replacement for the rest of her life however
that sounds rough, but not too bad as an end result
she was able to go home the following sunday
both of us are glad the whole thing is over



there's my baby back at home!
her lovely neck still in one piece :)

my life was pretty much on hold the whole week
i just couldnt really concentrate on anything so i was really glad to have menial labor to do at the warehouse to fill most of my time
it sure is tough being so far away when something like this happens
but im happy that it was done, and early enough
we were able to talk pretty often while hiuyan was sojourning at the hospital
it was really nice to be able to read children's literature together (one of our beloved hobbies)

we finished The Phantom Tollbooth
truly a delightful book!
check it out if you ever have a chance :)



(The Phantom Tollbooth)

that week was my last week of full time work at the warehouse
this week i was mostly doing office work instead of packing and shipping
the stooping, endless sitting and filing left me limping home like a cripple
but it was fun to work in the office doing accounting with my sister, the mastermind behind the whole organization (or lack there of)

and i was able to enjoy a day off yesterday to kick back and start planning how to use my upcoming free time
i gotta mention a quote from this feminist play that i read yesterday morning over a vanilla yogurt and tea
the play was called Fefu and Her Friends
pretty interesting; all of the characters are women who get together at this woman's (Fefu's) house
despite the characters each having their own weaknesses and fears (some women fear their sexuality with the men in their lives, a couple we learn have had past romances with each other which leave them on somewhat confused footing, some are careless or clueless, or struggle with disturbing hallucinations), the play is generally pretty light-hearted and it focuses on the friendship between the women and the support they draw from each other
one thing that was interesting is that after the first scene, the play has a series of four scenes that occur simultaneously and the audience rotates between the scenes in groups until everyone has seen each once, before the final scene
i think this allows the viewers to feel more of an intimacy with the characters
hmmm i wish i could see it performed
anyway, the quote

in once scene a character named Paula is calculating the length of a relationship:
PAULA: A love affair lasts seven years and three months.
SUE: It does?
PAULA: 3 months of love. 1 year of saying: It's all right. This is just a passing disturbance. 1 year of trying to understand what's wrong. 2 years knowing the end had come. 1 year finding the way to end it. After the separation, 2 years trying to understand what happened. 7 years, 3 months.

then a little later she describes a break-up pretty uniquely:

PAULA: Well, the break-up takes place in parts. The brain, the heart, the body, mutual things, shared things. The mind leaves but the heart is still there. The heart has left but the body wants to stay. The body leaves but the things are still at the apartment. You must come back. You move everything out of the apartment but the mind stays behind. Memory lingers in the place. Seven years later, perhaps seven years later, it doesn't matter any more. Perhaps it takes longer. Perhaps it never ends.

kinda bleak perspectives, huh?
but they are clever and slightly humorous, which somehow makes they seem more realistic in a cynical sense, i guess
my girl said they reminded her of Wong Kar Wai films
if you've ever seen any of his films, you'd probably agree
anyway, interesting stuff
i can't say that i've felt that way before from a relationship
but i can feel it when i read and think about it
perhaps it is reminiscent of letting go of someone in your heart
or dealing with feelings for people that are never acted upon
i think the mind returns and remains, even if just occasionally, no matter the circumstances
well, enough on that!

in other news, i started to make a stab at learning korean again!
here are few tidbits to dazzle you:

이것은무엇읻니까?
저것은고양이입니다.
미국사람입니까?
네, 저는미국사람입니다. 일음이피터입니다.

what is this?
that is a cat.
are you an american?
yes, i am an american. my name is peter.

i know, it's not very spectacular
but, give me a break
at least i can read and write really well
so there!
i have a lot of work to do....

well, that's all i have time for now!
ciao!

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