Hey, here's my new xanga stufffhappens 

Goodbye, Karaokegal!

my, i didn't write any entry for the month of november. it wasn't much of a notable month, as you can see. but december is here! yeeeeaaaah!

new entries coming soon (after i tackle this 2,000-word feature )

old people are way cool. honestly it kills me every time when i talk to them.

saturdays are my hanging-out time with 2 awesome ladies, elaine and frances, at the sierra health care. they surprise me each time with the things we share in common; our conversations seldom run. most interesting of all, THEY are the ones who usually cheer me up and make me treasure small things in life. where did i get the idea that old people were just like dinosaurs, that you could never cross the generation gap?

frances has taught me something about life. 59 years older than me, she was born of austrian immigrant parents and grew up in minnesota. she lost her father when she was 10 and then lost her husband when she was 60. the first time i met her, she left a deep impression in me when she told me the story about how much she had missed her dad as a little girl. after he passed away, she dreamt the same dream over and over again. she would be in bed. she could hear the familiar footsteps and she would know for sure it was daddy. slowly the doorknob of her bedroom door turned. eyes widened and mouth opened out of joy, little frances couldn't wait any longer for the moment to cry out daddy's name.

then she would wake up. every single time.

today she and i talked about boys. she insisted  me to exchange numbers with this one particular male nurse. i laughed and shook my head.

frances: "do you date? are you dating someone?"

me: "nope."

f: "WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU?"

i had to explain how i just don't want to date for dating's sake and so on. she seemed more satisfied with my answer this time.

f: "there was once this man he was talking to me. he puts his hand on mine and says: 'i'd like to take you to church this sunday.' (man, pickup line from the 40's) i turn to him and look at him straight in the eye and say: 'NO SIR. I HAVE MY OWN CHURCH TO GO TO.'"

you go girl.

Stereotypes are burdens many of us carry. We know they are flawed and skewed; they stiffen our minds. In some severe cases, they choke every flow of humanity out of us.

But we buy them.

Perhaps albeit their oversimplified, superficial characteristics, they do possess certain elements of truth. Perhaps they comfort us because they let us keep our shallow hearts the way they are. Perhaps they protect us from allowing our hearts to be touched with another human heart ¡V a moment of realization that we share so much in common.

Every morning I  see this girl scurry across the parking lot because she is always late for G-line. Her flip flops beat drum-like rhythms against the ground, and her hair runs all over her face. Sometimes she even buckles her belt while on the run (what a talent). Then for some inexplicable reason, she starts to laugh hysterically all at the same time. Probably amused by her comical but ludicrous act, I think. Quite an entertainment for a morning.