This is a very long overdue post recapping 2011 =]. I’m not sure what prompted me to finally write this thing – maybe reading other people’s blogs reminded me how important it is to document all the things that happen during these busy/fruitful years, and how nice it is to look back and remember what has happened. I actually meant to write it New Year’s Eve, but we were hosting Kat and Dustin at our apartment and I never found the time to do it. Then during my vacation I was just…let’s just say I really mentally checked out during vacation. Haha. Now I’m back to work, doing inpatient ward medicine at Stanfurd (ugh), enjoying my first day off. How truly sweet it is to get a day of rest.
2011 was a great year for me and full of exciting life-changing events/decisions. Jeff and I started off the year with my cousin’s wedding in Maui (after experiencing one of the best vacations of my life), flew a red-eye back to CA to start off the last year of medical school with a bang. Well, a sleep-deprived bang. I finished off several residency interviews all over California, got sick for the 3rd time in a row during interview season (I remember this very clearly because I went to my UCSD interview completely congested and had to blow my nose constantly that day). Then came the time to submit your rank list for the match – I don’t think I ever wrote about it on here, but it was a stressful time, making the decision that would basically decide where we would be for the next four years. Well, you know how that turned out. Also around this time was a whole lot of traveling – I went to Taipei, Taiwan for a week to be with my parents while my dad had back surgery (he did great) and to celebrate Chinese new year (my very first time doing so in Taiwan). Jeff and I also went to Washington DC for about one week (unfortunately, too early to catch the cherry blossoms).
The other major event which happened in Jan 2011 was our decision to get Bingo and Gabby. It really was on a whim that I started looking at Craigslist for cockatiels – we had talked about getting a pet as I had a lot more time during 4th year – but I’m so glad we did! Our two little birds bring so much joy and fun into our lives 
April 3, 2011 marked our very first anniversary. While our first year of married life had its ups and downs, I can truly say that I love getting to know more about Jeff every day. He is really an amazing person and I’m blessed to be his wife =D. I don’t think we did anything crazy to celebrate since I was in the middle of a medicine sub-i (boo), and I was tired. Poor Jeff! We are planning to do something more awesome this year.
Then came Match Day. Probably the most exciting day of the year, and basically was the culmination of 4 years of medical school. I was glad that Jeff was able to experience that morning with me – I will never forget how much excitement and nervous tension there was in the air. It was a happy day =). After the match the rest of med school pretty much flew by. Those last several months were precious time spent with my medical school friends, knowing that we would all be going our separate ways soon. Lots of good times bowling, doing all the senior class activities, trying to do things on our so-cal bucket list (which in the end Jeff and I barely got started on). In May I graduated from med school (yay!), and then we went on one of the most epic trips of our lives – PERU!! It was the ultimate bonding experience in our 6-person group – me, Jeff, Kat, Dustin, Melody, Young. We did the five-day Salkantay trail to Machu Picchu – one of the seven (new) wonders of the world. Absolutely breathtaking and beautiful. I managed to lug my SLR along for the whole trip – so heavy but totally worth it.
In June we moved to Sunnyvale into a great apartment (aside from a few things that needed fixing when we moved in, I really love our location). God, I hate moving. I never want to move again, but that’s not going to happen. Thankfully our amazing friends pitched in, and made it as painless as possible. At the end of June I started intern year (another big milestone). When people say the learning curve during intern year is a steep one, they are not kidding. I was soooo clueless during my first month of intern year. It’s definitely gotten a lot better since then, and I’ve still had time during my less busy rotations to have fun – went whitewater rafting for the first time – loved it; was able to go to friend’s weddings, and best of all, spend time with my family and Grace Church family. It’s nice to be back in the Bay Area.
The rest of the year really went by in a blur. In November I turned 27 (I feel so old), was on call on Thanksgiving (actually was not too bad), and after I finished a 6 week stint of wards (I was not a happy camper by the 6th week), I kind of just coasted until vacation. The end of the year is always such a busy time, and I’ve definitely gotten the holiday blues before, but the end of 2011 was really great. I had so much fun getting to see and hang out with old friends and family, it really was a fantastic ending to a very eventful year.
Now time for some pictures (finally!)
(of course my dad had to have a beer before we took the family picture!)
Holiday bowl
