February 2012
3 posts
The kind of love that no one talks about
I’ve been wanting to make a Valentine post, but I had that whole “I should study instead of blog!” guilt going on this past week due to presentations, exams and practicals. Of course… I ended up wasting time on the internet ANYWAY, but that’s beside the point.
First of all, I just want to say that I enjoy Valentine’s Day despite being single for practically...
Rain :)
Hi.
It’s been a while.
I’m still alive.
I’ve kind of been in my own little bubble for a while for personal reasons. Things are getting much better now, though. Everything will turn out in the end :)
Finding a decent interosseous membrane for my kines project
(-1) Being back in the cadaver lab
(+1) Having a team of nice people
Fish & chips on a cold day
Real...
January 2012
5 posts
That peaceful feeling
Life
is
good.
I love that feeling. I was a little frazzled before rehearsal began today - No singers? No keys to open the chapel? Still nervous about directing music? Craziness.
But the Lord has blessed this evening by having two friends from a local church AND Music Coordinator (OMG do I have to change his nickname if he’s not music coordinator anymore?!) show up to sing in our joyful...
Venezia: the floating city
It’s as beautiful as everyone makes it to be. It was so cool and refreshing to be surrounded by water and sunshine instead of dust and exhaust. The city was everything I dreamed Italy to be - warm colored buildings with laundry hanging out to dry, colorful markets with fresh produce and Venice’s signature masks, glass art from Murano, live music, and gelato EVERYWHERE. This, along with...
Buon giorno, Milano!
6/18/11 Day 16: First day in Italy & Lezzie’s birthday (we flew into Milan because it was cheaper than flying into Venice)
Staying up past midnight in the dark hostel room to catch Lezzie online and wish her a happy birthday from Italy - totally worth it <3
Starting off the day w/juice boxes and Cliff bars
Visiting the church and gift shop where the Last Supper is housed
...
Getting creative
Recording in my makeshift studio in Sissy’s closet:
Me: *strums loudly with headphones on* …going well so far…
-Halfway through the song-
Ma: “CATHY. CATHY. CATHY. CATHY!! I BROUGHT YOU SOME FRUIT!!” *Barges into the room with a plate of fruit*
Me: “I DON’T WANT ANY FRUIT, MOM.”
Ma: “HOW CAN YOU NOT WANT FRUIT? EAT THE FRUIT. IT’S...
Feeling happy with the way things turned out
2011.
Four years of undergrad flew by of calling ourselves “class of 2011.” 2011 came, and we graduated with our Bachelor’s degrees and memories from the best years (so far) of our lives.
A year of stressing over admission into a DPT program for “Fall 2011” is done, thankfully.
When I hear “2011,” I automatically feel like I need to do something to...
December 2011
9 posts
A joyous Christmas season
Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn king! Peace on Earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!”
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone :) I hope you’re having a peaceful and happy time with the ones you love. I’ve been enjoying my time here with San Jose peeps very much (and demolishing all the hot spiced cider in sight). I’m home from...
Smiling
I’m starting to feel it… that restless angst from family tension and excessive smothering while I’m home for break. I love my family and I love being home, but sometimes communication is difficult if, you know, people don’t listen. I’m so thankful that I have Sissy and that gym where I can run off all my not-so-teenage angst-angst-angst.
This angsty day in...
Productive Sundays
Welcome back to the Lunch with Ma series.
Ma: “So do you like any of the boys in your class?”
Me: “NO. I HATE EVERYONE. ALL BOYS DO IS GET IN THE WAY, MOM. THEY GET IN THE WAY OF ALL MY GOALS AND DREAMS.”
Ma: “You can’t be too picky.”
Me: Ooooouuuucccchhhhhhhhh. Love you too, Mom.
And she’s still rooting for the one tall Asian guy in my class...
Pictures that make me smile
I’m going to tackle 2 LGBTQ questions today. It was interesting… When I saw #22, I immediately thought of Ellen and Portia’s wedding picture. Then when I saw #23, I thought, “I should Google some NOM pictures” (note to self: must type out entire phrase of National Organization for Marriage, unless I want a bunch of pictures of unbearably cute animals nomming on...
Surprise visits
Back to the LGBTQIA Challenge!
Question 21: Political LGBT issue that is closest to you or affects you most.
I would have to say Prop 8/marriage equality, being a Californian who would someday like to get married. It’s really unfair how someone’s personal life can be dictated by complete strangers who normally don’t really understand the situation. I talked w/a bishop about...
Hamburg, Deutschland
This post took me a while to start because I got SO nostalgic about this city. This was where I last saw my dear friend Chuaaa [Brack]: the first friend I ever made in college. We met at freshman orientation. We were put in the same group for some lame orientation activity, and she asked if she could put her stuff in my bag. I obliged, and a few weeks later we were singing along to Rent at the top...
Feeling fat & sassy during the holidays
If you happen to see a bit of glitter on my clothes.. or on my face.. it’s because I’ve been writing a mountain of Christmas cards and it JUST WON’T STAY ON THE CARDS.
Slumber parpy marathon w/CV
Hot cornbread w/honey & coffee for breakfast
Visiting Roomie and seeing Sac State!
Portabello mushroom sandwiches, gouda mac & cheese, and hot cider (Roomie’s treat)
...
Berlin, Deutschland!
I may be binge blogging… but Flickr finally started working again and I just finished editing Berlin photos! I absolutely loved my time there and I hope you enjoy the photos!
Berlin photos here
6/13/11 Day 11:
Making it to the London Luton
Not feeling like dying after 3 hours’ sleep
Yogurt & Cliff bar for breakfast
Sleeping for 2 hours on the plane
A kind stranger (Thomas)...
Finishing my first semester of PT school STRONG!
Hi, friends. Haven’t seen you in a while.
Good news:
I finished finals for PT school, and assuming that a mad bull doesn’t break into the department office and jumble up my grades, I managed to pull off at least a 90% in six of my classes, and passed w/a B in the last one (of which no one was a fan). I’ve never been pushed so hard in school in my life, but I’ve also never...
November 2011
5 posts
Autumn
Autumn is my favorite season. Did I ever mention that? I love the brisk weather, the scarves, the pumpkin spice lattes, and feeling safe and warm in my bed at night. Most of all, I love the explosion of red, orange, and gold EVERYWHERE. Well, not everywhere… I did enjoy some color explosion at the park with Lucy today, though :D
I was going through my point-and-shoot this afternoon and...
Music ministry
I could… study or go to sleep. NAH, I feel like eating peanut butter cheese crackers and blogging!
Tonight’s Mass was special. It was the last Sunday of Ordinary Time before we go into Advent.. AND… the last time I’ll ever hear this version of the Roman Missal. At the end of Mass, Father Boxer said, “This will be the last time you’ll ever hear this!” And...
Spontaneous phone calls
Mango black tea in the morning
Seeing my advisor :)
Seeing friends from undergrad!
Warm hugs
Staying awake in class
Dinner w/Little in our little apartment
Warm and soft blankets
Mat Kearney’s “Closer to Love”
Pistachios
Telling Lezzie I miss her and hearing that she misses me too
Still following my dreams
Saw the most recent episode of Glee with Little. I always want to cry during the Asian conflict scenes! He just wants to be a dancer, Dad, he just wants to be a dancer!! Let him live his dreams!!
Brings back memories of my quarter-life crisis halfway through undergrad. I got into so many nasty fights with my parents about pursuing music therapy. All they heard was “music” and not...
Staying warm
Happy Sunday…! I’ve been meaning to blog all week but ended up getting distracted by things like homework and pizza. I found this draft from a few days ago and decided to just make a fat list of gratitude because gratitude lists should be fat and sassy! Peace and blessings.
Making time for guitar
Getting in touch w/favorites from Keane, M. Nathanson, and the Script
Little putting up...
Pumpkin spice lattes on Halloween
No kids came trick-or-treating at our apartment :( Oh well, looks like Little and I are going to have to take care of the Twixes and Kit Kat bars…
Not feeling tired when I got up at 6am??
Cheerios & soymilk for breakfast (provided by my good friend Apple Boy)
Group inservice on crutches and wheelchairs = success
Getting in 3 miles on the treadmill during our break!
Autumn colors and...
October 2011
8 posts
Soft and wet noses
I made an unexpected trip to Chico yesterday. It was nice to see Roomie, Bear, Snail, the horses, and the dogs. It was nice to just get out of Stockton. I was feeling pretty down since last night, though, so I figured I should blog and hope for the best.
Seeing Matt Nathanson w/Little on Friday (and all his dirty, dirty jokes)
Matt playing some of my favorite songs
The way live music inspires...
London!
Sorry it took so long to get London up! Flickr finally let me upload photos again :D
6/10/11 Day 8: Meeting an online correspondence of 7 years for the first time.
Airport shuttles from the hostel at the asscrack of dawn
Not rushing at the airport
Apples I had purchased at the market the night before = fiber
My last meal in Paris: croissant & mini coffee
NOT getting lost on the way to...
Triangles and circles
I really, really hope everything will turn out okay. I know that everything will turn out okay… it’s just always hard to believe it at first.
Read The Missing Piece Meets the Big O: http://osorhan.com/bigo/
Not regretting a single moment with the Private
Knowing what commitment felt like
Mustering up the courage and strength to do what is right for the both of us
The Private...
Homemade guacamolo
Good evening, friends.
So… if anyone saw the uncharacteristic post a little while back, I apologize. That was NOT meant to be posted on the internet because it had no place on my gratitude blog. It was also unbearably angsty. I’m sorry that the angsty crab was not more careful of what she typed and where her mouse clicked.
I guess that kind of explains the concerned phone calls from...
Nutella and more Nutella
Life
is
difficult.
Last week I was so sleep deprived. This week isn’t looking too great either. I’m getting more sleep, but not as much work done. This week’s main difficulty is maintaining a relationship + grad school SIMULTANEOUSLY (like the opposite crutch and leg in a 2-point gait). I’ve exhausted my phone and my heart. After I finish bawling my eyes out, all I want...
Finally singing again
Dear Grad School,
I’m taking my personal life back.
Not-so-sincerely yours,
Cat.
Putting down my books and picking up my guitar
Singing just ‘cause I can
Ba calling to tell me he loved me (I teared up)
Phone calls w/Roomie
Going to rehearsal for Mass!
Being part of the music ministry again
Music Coordinator handing me a tambourine (oh yes!)
Singing praise and glory to God!...
Getting through this past month
Today Chaplain and I met up for lunch during a break between classes. As I proceeded to throw my face into a hot plate of relatively fresh food (a rarity these days), she asked, “What’s the hardest thing about grad school so far?”
I opened my mouth, and then paused. I wanted to say memorizing every nook and cranny of the human body for anatomy. I thought about trying to balance...
September 2011
1 post
Being home for a little bit
Question 17: Your first experience with an LGBT organization or event.
Summer of 2009: Pride Parade in San Francisco. I’ve been to some meetings with my university’s LGBT group, but unfortunately they weren’t very memorable… I didn’t really fit in, so I stopped going. Kind of ironic… Anyway, what I felt was my first real experience with an LGBT event was the...
August 2011
12 posts
30 seconds for gratitude
Hi, friends. I am way behind on photos, LGBT questions, and updates in general. I finished my second day of physical therapy school today and my life has been insane. I just wanted to take half a minute to say hi, let you know I’m still alive, and come up with ten things for which I am thankful in times of great stress.
Coffee, coffee, and coffee
Kashi Heart to Heart cereal for breakfast
...
3 tags
Picture frames & messages on my board
HAVEN’T BLOGGED FOR A WEEK. SO MANY THINGS HAPPENED.
I will get to the awesome classmate adventure to Santa Monica later… but for now I want to talk about today! Today was a beautiful day. I attended Mass at the San Fernando Mission for the last time, then studied with Sunshine, Power, and Viet Guy (Viet Girl couldn’t make it) at my apartment. After we lost our marbles, I cooked...
3 tags
Homemade hu tieu
Question 14: Your favorite LGBT song or artist.
Missy Higgins… or Tegan & Sara? I can’t choose between them. They’re so different - their styles, their message, their vibe… I’m just going to talk about both of them today. My favorite thing about these three musicians is that their lyrics make you think. You’ll hear a line and turn your head back at the...
Ellen & quesadillas
Fun fact: I haven’t eaten meat all week! I’ve been eating that egg scramble, eggplant, and tomato quesadillas. Some cereal and Pop Tarts may have been thrown into the mix.
Sad fact: I’ve been having lame headaches for the past few days. It’s weird because I very rarely get them unless I am sick, and I have been well hydrated and quite well so far. Possible reasons:...
3 tags
Calpernia
Question 11: Your favorite LGBT book or one you’d like to read.
Someday I’d like to read Mark 947: A Life Shaped by God, Gender, and Force of Will’ by Calpernia Addams.
Question 12: Your favorite LGBT movie.
Soldier’s Girl, hands down. Lee Pace did an amazing job of portraying Calpernia Addams. This was one of the most inspiring and heartbreaking films I’ve ever...
3 tags
Eggplant sandwiches (feat. marriage)
I’m so sorry for not keeping up to date with this; I’ve been really tired and busy these past few days, and I wanted to be in the right state to provide a thorough and genuine answer for these questions. I’m just going to keep going till the end!
Question 10: What does marriage mean to you?
It took me a while to be able to sit down and attempt to condense this into one blog...
3 tags
Pride and pita chips
Day 9: What do you think about LGBT Pride? Is it helpful or hurtful? Encouraged or unnecessary?
I absolutely love LGBT Pride. I think it’s great that someone started a great big movement to embrace who we are and love one another. I’ve had the wonderful opportunity of attending the Pride Parade in San Francisco a few times, and it is just the most glorious, colorful, and quirky...
2 tags
Burgers, scones, and artesian water
The past few days have been an absolute blast with the Private. He arrived at the train station in Northridge and I came to pick him up before lab. I got there just as the train arrived, and he came out, uniform and all, excited to see me. It had only been a few days since my visit in Oceanside, but this was possibly going to be the last time we see each other for a very long time (if he...
1 tag
Living in a safe place
Day 8: What do you think the closet or being closeted means to you?
When I think of closet, the first word that comes to mind is “fear.” Fear of rejection, fear of misunderstanding, fear of hatred, and fear of violence. I’ve read articles and heard stories of many people who were subjected to these things that we fear after coming out of the closet, and it breaks my heart. So...
1 tag
Being okay
Day 7: How your parents took it or how you think they might take it.
Goodness. Sometimes I don’t want to know. I’m about 95% sure about how Ma would react, though. I do admit that sometimes she can surprise me, but from the several awkward talks we’ve had about her not wanting me to “be around girls too much,” I have an inkling that she wouldn’t be too happy....
3 tags
The Chinese bakery next to the laundromat
Wow, Flickr is still being a booger and I can’t upload any London pictures yet :( It was working so well earlier… Hopefully it will start working soon!
Today was pretty delicious. I finally walked into the Chinese bakery next to the laundromat today and got some buns and oolong cookies. I’m saving the buns for tomorrow, but I had the oolong cookies after dinner and they were...
3 tags
Sun-dried tomato & mozzarella bratwurst
OMG YES. I CHECKED MOODLE AND GOT A 95% ON THE MC FOR THE 2ND EXAM.
SUCCESS IN A SCIENCE CLASS IS SO FOREIGN TO ME… BUT FEELS SO GOOD.
Day 4: The first person you came out to and that story.
I actually want to share three coming out stories because there was the first one, then two pretty funny ones :P
In junior year of college, I came out to my counselor. She worked for the health...
3 tags
Catch-Up & Oceanside
Wow, I started day 1 of a 30-day challenge and didn’t continue for 2 days. Big fail. Sorry, I haven’t been to my computer all weekend! Now, back to business…
Day 2: Did you have any experiences as a child that might have foreshadowed your sexuality?
I remember having the hugest crush on Keira Knightley when I was younger, but I figured my infatuation was just a zealous way of...
July 2011
9 posts
2 tags
My itty-bitty kitchen
I’m blogging AGAIN because I am having such a dandy time in my little dorm-apartment in Northridge. I finished my review for my exam tomorrow and baked chocolate chip cookies for the Private’s family, whom I will be seeing this weekend. I was a little uncertain at first because the oven didn’t have an indicator of preheating or a light/window… but I put faith into Nestle...
3 tags
No time like the present
Sasquatch shared a really cool link with me a couple days ago, the LGBTQ 30 Day Challenge. It posed some really good questions and I decided that I was down with sharing something personal with you in hopes that you get to know me better, along with LGBTQIA as a community.
Day 1: Your sexual orientation or identity.
I’m bi.
Blogging challenges that make you think
Catching up w/Sasquatch...
2 tags
The omniscience of Panda Express
A couple of days ago, my classmates and I were eating lunch in the bookstore complex. We were nervous about whether or not there would be a quiz that day in lecture (the professor gave pop quizzes as he pleased), but we were all, “Nah, we only had one day of new material… he wouldn’t!”
A couple of them got some Panda Express and were opening up their fortune cookies. One...
2 tags
Paris, France
6/9/11 Day 7 in Paris
Waking up in the city of romance :)
Two French men singing “I’m Yours” at the metro station <3
Walking to Tour Eiffel, Arc de Triomphe, and Champs Elysée
The best macaroons of our lives at La Durée (coconut, cherry, raspberry, and strawberry are highly recommended)
Not having to wait that long in line at the Louvre!
Exploring 3-dimensional art
...
2 tags
Madrid, Granada y Barcelona
I am finally done studying for my first exam. You know what that means? Catching up on the gratitude lists during my month-long backpacking trip! (Link to all Spain photos at end of post)
Reasons to be happy in España…
6/2/11 Departure
Layover in North Carolina:
Mom: “The news just said there was an E. coli outbreak in Europe, so don’t eat any raw vegetables!”
Me:...
3 tags
Sipping tea & editing photos
Waking up to be productive on Saturday morning = awesome.
Sipping oolong tea and editing Santa Monica photos = super awesome.
You checking out the food adventures Sissy and I had in Santa Monica = ultimate awesome.
Friday 7/15/11:
Not having lab Friday morning
Paying attention in class
Bathroom rugs and dish towels at the Dollar Tree
Discovering an insanely awesome music store right next to...