I think it is every blogger's dream to be listed in the "Blogs of Note" section on the lower left portion on Blogger.

The research on the almighty stomach flu, which was previously believed to have been caused by a virus, has shet some light on the true culprit. I had don-katsu that very day for lunch when my first attack occurred; I had don-katsu from the same restaurant again, despite warnings from my boss. What can I say... I just love their don-katsu. So far, to the best of my knowledge, the only thing I really can't eat/drink is milk. Although I am quite tolerant of many things in nature, it is evident that one of those things are not dairy. While there is a correlation between the two episodes of great pain, misery and embarrassment, one question remains: is there milk in the don-katsu? If so, in what part? Because often times, when milk is simply an ingredient in a cooked item, such as cake/bread, my mom's boo-chin-gae(kind of like a Korean cross between a pizza and a pancake), milk has no power against me. When it is included in non-cooked and often cold foods, such as iced coffee and mocha, plain milk from the carton, and others, I have severe symtoms of lactose intolerance, such as bloating, gas, diarrhea, heartburn. I have heard that in extreme cases of dairy consumption in lactose intolerant people, it can even lead to cardiac arrest. Although my episodes today didn't include a dramatic cardiac arrest(it would have saved me some embarrassment of running back and forth from the bathroom), it was quite severe. But don-katsu doesn't seem to be a food that is composed mainly of dairy products. The sauce is a dark red color, like the color of spaghetti sauce. Don-katsu is pork, with a bready covering that has been fried(I think), covered with a red sauce. I had it with plain white rice, some cream soup(I barely had the soup), and cabbage with some salad dressing. Also just a bit of mashed potatoes and corn. None of these have resulted in negative or allergic reactions when consumed. It's just all so strange. Anyhoot, I guess the best thing I can do is to avoid all don-katsu(I love it so -- but it's not worth the pain!) and of course milk, and drink plenty of fluids to make up for my loss today.

Shane is not coming to work tomorrow -- he has gone to the Bay area to see his friend, who's daughter is having her first birthday, I think. So it will be just me and the boss tomorrow... I hope it's quiet and slow... Shane has had a great attendance record at work since he started in march. It will be very empty without him... he took all the new customers and answered all calls... I guess I have gotten lazy in the days he worked with me. It is already past midnight... I should get to bed... I need to study tomorrow, and get some work done.

Sometimes I wonder how I would have lived my life had I known that it would turn out the way it did. I lived by a schedule; I would go to Berkeley by 18, graduate by 22 as a journalism/communications major. I would work on the newspaper or magazines at the university, and possibly do a double major in the sciences. I was to go onto med school -- not some shabby med school in some carribean island, but a well-established one -- perhaps Harvard. But the main point was that I go to UC Berkeley, live in a dorm, meet great people, learn a lot and enjoy a lot -- the rest I would plan, once I actually get there. I busted my ass in high school. I screamed bloody murder everytime I got a B; anything lower than an A was just not acceptable. Being a minority had its disadvantages; my SAT scores never improved much, and were below my expectations. To compensate, I did extra curriculars. I volunteered at hospitals, joined clubs on campus, played the violin in the orchestra, became yearbook editor-in-chief, and more. I spent hours and hours studying for exams, doing homework, because my only option was to go to Berkeley, and Berkeley doesn't accept slackers. Perhaps if I gave myself more options, I would have settled for a second or third choice, and still manage to be happy. I didn't bother applying to UCSD or UCI. They were not where I wanted to be. If I wasn't going to Berkeley, at worst I'd go to UCLA. If both options failed, I chose to go to CSUN. From that experience, I have learned. You need to make as much options as you can make. You may not hit a homerun, but at least you can tip the ball and make it to first base. Why was I so foolish and irrational? Perhaps I was naive.

So what can I do about this today? I can linger on this tragic memory and sulk, or learn something from it and move on. So far, I have sulked for five years. I kept on wishing for the life that never happened; it is a life I cannot return to. I try to get over it. If you fall off the first couple of steps on a ladder, it is easy to get up and go at it again. If you fall off from the top rung, it takes a while before you heal and start climbing again. I think I am about done healing. The shock I received from having my life turn a full 180 degrees is now just a numb pain that I feel once in a while when I reminisce. I'd like to say that the last 5 years were time well-spent. However, I really do know that I could have done what I did in 3 years. I dragged it on and on by making excuses, that I worked too much to get good grades, or I got into a car accident.

So in stead of blogging, I should be studying. So I will. Right now. As soon as I press the "post & publish" button. Yup. Just like that.

Today is definitely cooler. I am especially enjoying the light cool breeze. It's one of the first few days when summer is fading away...