relief...not really

exams are over and done with
but the process was mighty painful

sadly, i think i did better on my criminal exam than torts
i guess that throws out being a civil lawyer
i best not give out advice on negligence and products liability
however if you want to beat the crap out of someone and get away with it
i might be able to tell you what defenses worked in the past...
maybe not

and i would keep thinking about the stupid exam
how i forgot to write about this topic! and i forgot about that one!
how could i miss those?! argh..
i hope the exam tripped up the others as well
just don't leave me at the bottom of the curve...

i better not jinx my grades
i won't get to see those until ~mid january
and i figure if i really really screwed up
i'll have 7 more semesters to make it up...
i don't know if i should be happy about that or not...

i have to remind myself
what's done is done...
i will relax and enjoy my winter break
woowee!

ny subway

ok, while we're on the topic of nyc, why is the subway soooo confusing? the train lines have letters and numbers and depending on which entrance you use, you only have access to that train. and how do you know which direction the train is going in? it's so bizarre

nothing like the dc metro. the map is simple and easy to use. you pick a color train and hop on. and the train will tell you which direction you're going in.

i know i'm a tourist and all, but i thought i'd be able to at least figure out the metro system. i mean, how hard could it be? even the hong kong subway was easier to figure out than nyc. anyhoo...just thought i'd vent.

oh yeah...and very very crowded. packed like sardines crowded. not very fun. how do people do this everyday? it will majorly stress me out...(not like being stuck in rush hour traffic doesn't, but still...)

see exhibit A

a very morimoto day

a very morimoto day indeed!

what a nice surprise to find the iron chef at his own restaurant!! of course, i didn't even know who he was or what he even looked like.

but props to copy for suggesting the morimoto restaurant. we had the 7 course dinner and the food was just oh so good! no wonder people rave about him. very well deserved. yummy!

semester's end

So the inevitable has happened. I was just sitting there, minding my own business, when I heard, "Ms. Hung, will you please walk us through this case?" Finally at semester's end, I have been called on in class.

It's either because of the Socratic method or because I just find this professor intimidating...I have avoided eye contact like the plague. Especially when it's time to be called on.

But thank goodness I always do my Criminal Law homework. I read it and briefed it, the whole works. Even over the long Thanksgiving weekend. Yup. Those few hours totally saved my butt.

I got through the first case alright. Because I did "such a good job on the first case" I was asked to keep going with the next case. All this time I was fine and spoke eloquently, but for some reason, I got nervous on the second case. And just started stuttering. I hate it when I get nervous and start stuttering. I mean, I've already corrected the talking-really-fast-when-i'm-nervous thing, and now I've got this stuttering thing. Just great. I hope this stuttering thing will go away by the time I graduate. I'd hate to be known as the attorney who stutters.

But, it must have been my lucky day. The professor was really nice to me and prodded me along when I wasn't sure what he was really asking...

Whew...I survived it. Done and over with. Just please don't call on me anymore...

psat problem

(x+y)^2-(x-y)^2 = 84

if x and y are both positive integers
what is the sum of x+y?

a)10
b) 12
c) 14
d) 16

(i think those were the answer choices...but don't quote me on it...)

assumption of risk

finally turned in my 2nd paper
good riddance to mr. smith
and his stupid mother-in-law
and the stupid grandparental visitation statute
i can't stare at that stupid paper any longer

and for once in my life
i actually had too much to write
and had to trim down the paper to fit the page limit
which is odd
b/c i'm usually trying to add filler words to make the paper longer
among other little tricks

so now i'm ready for my next topic
a 13 yr old boy plays paintball
got shot in the eye and almost lost his eyesight
eyesight is now restored to 60%
and can't engage in physical contact sports
he sues the paintball place

i will defend my client, "Paintball Place"
and i mainly need to prove "assumption of risk"
meaning that the boy knows playing paintball is dangerous
and yet he voluntarily exposed himself to that risk
which resulted in his injury

anyone think i will lose my case?
thoughts? tips? ideas?
neatly typed up with 1.5 spacing and 1 inch margins
would be greatly appreciated

copy day

here's to:

--tapeworm talks
--sushi wasabi tricks
--ice cubes at southport
--spray painting the civic
--"i shot the sheriff" on the scooter
--screaming while snorkeling
--tvb soaps and pillow fights
--hustle and flo/ginger chicken rap
--numerous unpaid bets
--puzzle fighter and singing wars

xoxo
chunky

a chunky thing

so i was having this random conversation w/copy the other day
and i realized that i can't even name 5 football players!!
this is what i came up with so far...

1) Joe Montana
2) Bo Jackson
3) Michael Vick
4) Lavar Arrington
5) ????

is it a girl thing that i can't name it?
or is it a chunky thing?

does a coach count?
5) Joe Gibbs

oh oh!
wasn't O.J. a football player?

5) O.J. Simpson

yay yay! i did it!

so now i'm curious to know
if guys can name 5 different type of flowers?
or maybe 5 different birthstones?

a simple life

Dan and Daisy dated in high school, separated and reunited in college. Their daughter Callas was born in 1996, three years before they were officially married. Earlier this year, Daisy died in a car accident. Maternal grandma, Jeannie, wants visitation rights. Dan refuses. His reasoning is that he doesn't want Callas exposed to exploits of the city: watch tv all day, being a mall rat, eating candy, etc.

Dan and Callas lives a simple life on his 50 acre farm where there is no electricity and no running water. Dan believes in nature and preserving the earth. He is a jewelry maker and has financial stability. He has first-aid skills and there has not been a medical problem to date. He smoked pot in college, but was never caught. He does not do drugs now, but drinks on occasion. Dan has no history of mental illness or criminal activity.

Callas does not go to school, but this has been okayed by the local board of education people. She has no friends on the farm but interacts with neighbors. Callas is not sheltered; she is very active on the farm and helps with farm chores. She is a smart kid who can read and write. Dan does not object her going to college. Daisy approves this way of raising Callas.

Should grandma Jeannie have visitation rights? Why or why not?

quirks about law school

i am finishing up my 3rd week at school
and i've noticed several things...

1) Law students are alcoholics. Every day there is some email about meeting at some bar and socializing. After a full day of work, and then going to school, and then with work again the next day, socializing is the last thing on my mind. Stop drinking like fish. And stop spamming my inbox.

2) Law students somehow manage to find time to join organizations. The student government body just held elections and people were campaigning and running for office. Dude. Don't you have work? Don't you have families? Don't you have pages and pages to read? Where do you find time for this? I don't get it.

3) Ace the final. Or else. It seems most classes (at least for my Torts and Criminal Law class) are comprised of only one grade -- the final exam. It's an all-or-nothing deal here. I miss the good ol' days where you've got homework grades as buffer...

4) You won't tell me my grade?!? The professor for my LAWR (Legal Analysis, Writing and Research) class announced yesterday that there will be 3 research paper assignments. And the grades from these papers will not be disclosed to us until grades are submitted at the end of the semester. Ok. Now why are you going to do this to us? How will I know how much to improve if you won't tell me my grade?

5) Speeding. Basically I can't. Anymore. Because if I do, I might get a ticket. Which I will have to report to the Dean. So after a long day of work and school, I literally use cruise control when driving home to make sure I don't speed (at least not speeding 10 mph above the speed limit...isn't that the unsaid rule? Something like going 15 mph over is considered reckless driving?)

That's it for now...I'm sure I'll find more things to whine about later...

The Queen v. Dudley and Stephens

Dudley, Stephens, and Brooks are able-bodied seamen. Richard Parker is a 17 yr old crew member and youngest of the group. Their ship is lost at sea and they are w/o food for days. All they've had to eat are 2 lb tins of turnips and a turtle that floated by. They are 1000 miles away from land. On the 18th day, Dudley suggested to Stephens and Brooks that they kill Parker. Parker, sickly at the time from drinking sea water, was not consulted. Brooks refused. Dudley killed the boy and all three men ate him. They were rescued 4 days later.

1) The defendants had a difficult choice to make. How will that affect whether they are liable? And should they be punished?

2) Given that Parker is an illiterate youth and does not have a family, whereas Dudley and Stephens are highly religious men with a family -- is this background information relevant?

Orientation 2/2

good grief
i was there from 4:00-9:45 PM
i was exhausted by the time i got home around 11:00

another day of long speeches
this time in Westminister Hall
which is a church attached to the school
(Edgar Allen Poe is buried in the backyard!)
anyhow, that room was sooooo cold
i was literally freezing in there for 2.5 hours
and they served us ice-cream too...
what were they thinking?!?!

then pizza was served for dinner
more mingling and a student organization fair
signed up my name at the Intellectual Property booth
as well as the Asian/Pacific American Law Association booth
(i had to... come-on!)

then an hour about the honor code and ethics
from this day on,
we have to report to the dean any crime committed
such as speeding tickets, DUIs, etc
this question was asked on the application
and was stated as, not including "minor traffic violations"
well, most people thought speeding tickets are minor
but apparently they're not
so those people all have to go see the dean
i'm just glad the one speeding ticket i got was dismissed
whew!

and then came the sample class
i read the case, but didn't brief it
therefore i wasn't totally prepared
and so i kept praying...
don't call on me...please don't call on me..
(the funny prof from last nite was right--
if you weren't religious before
you're a devout believer now in law school!)
luckily i wasn't called on
but it scared me enough to make sure i'm prepared from now on

first day begins tomorrow
so it's back to those 21 pages of torts for me

Orientation 1/2

the commute from columbia itself only took 25-30 min
(i hope it will still be good when i leave at 5:00!)
it wasn't until baltimore that traffic got crazy
it took me 15 min to circle a block!

finally parked the car
thank goodness the garage is close to the bldg
it's literally right across the street

walked 2 blocks to find the parking office to get my parking permit
(which could have been done online if their system was working properly)
another 2 blocks to get my ID
(horrendous mugshot that will stay w/me for 4 years)
then downstairs to the bookstore
(one book i needed was out-of-stock...great)
don't know why all this couldn't be done in the actual orientation...
such a waste of time

finally it's time for orientation, which was 4 hours of:
-touring the library
-setting up lexis/westlaw accounts
-intros w/peer advisors
-dinner and mingling
-dean's speech (with references ranging from shakespeare to elle woods)
-and a sample class on how to brief a case

in a nutshell, orientation was a lot of inspirational speeches and info packets
the students were diverse (incoming class age ranged from 20-56!)
the sample class prof was hilarious (must sign up for his classes!)
and there will be a LOT of reading and being called on in class
now i better brief my 3rd case before the next sample class tonite

last weekend

one more weekend
and summer is officially over
i don't know what i've done all summer
but it just flew by!

my two-day orientation begins on monday
and it sounds like they will be two jam-packed sessions

i've started reading the first assignment for torts (pages 1-21 )
except i got up to page 6 and my mind started wandering...
this is really dry stuff
so apparently...i only like to read stuff that's...easy to read
i mean, i had to reread some of the pages twice
just to make sure i understood it
and now i pretty much forgot what i read and will have to start all over
hopefully...the material will get better
b/c there's going to be a LOT of reading...

i don't know
i'm excited, but nervous
what are the chances that law school will be a breeze?
maybe i'll breeze through the classes like i did for my masters?
or is that just wishful thinking?
hopefully i can do the bulk of my reading during the weekends
i think i'd need a lot of sleep during the weekdays

anyhoo
last weekend so i shall enjoy it!

starving chunk

chunky is starving...starving...
but chunky can't eat
no, she can't...

not yet...not until tomorrow...
tomorrow
chunky shall feast
chunky is still deciding...
maybe todai?
maybe pf chang?
mouth watering...

chunky not looking forward to this evening
not good at all...
cherry flavored draino
beautiful, just beautiful...

chunky will think of mongolian beef instead...
garlic snap peas...
the perfect, best white rice ever...
oh so good udon noodles...

my new best friend

there's this discussion board for new students
and so i was reading all the questions people were asking
and one person who submitted a question was named
sylvia chi

ahahahhaha
that's hilarious
i have to meet this combination person!
maybe she will be my new best friend?!

small small world

i mean, yeah, i was in columbia
and yeah, i was in an asian supermarket
but what are the chances of running into your mom
at that time, on that day?

so i was mighty surprised when i turned to the next aisle
and saw a familiar face at Lotte
and instead of having to eat at my desk
i got to enjoy some soondooboo and dumplings
for free
(of course mommy paid!)

and it was nice to catch up
even though we don't talk about much
(latest style in LV bags, relatives who bought a new Lexus, etc)
it was still nice to see her
esp since i see her less and less nowadays

it's a small small world
but sometimes it's not such a bad thing...

a chunky harry potter

either that
or you can call me beef cho cho

i'm having waaay too much fun with this
aren't you proud of me, copy?

4 more days!
woo hoo
hee hee
woo ha

kiss goodbye - a visual

kiss goodbye

i must say i am a piano prodigy
but people don't believe me
sometimes i can listen to a song
and as long as the chords are easy enough
i can figure out how to play it
both the melody and harmony
only problem is that it takes too long to figure out a whole song
so i'll only be able to play the beginning

nonetheless i can't say that i really know how to play the piano
esp since i can't read music per se
i know the scales...
but it takes me forever to read a "D" from a "G", etc
so then instead of reading music
i get people to teach me songs i like
(fur elise, canon, etc.)
and i'll play purely by memorization

and considering i have pretty good memory
playing by memorization is not bad
i mean...
how else did i learn my chinese if it weren't for memorizing characters from karaoke?
(true...my vocab is limited to "lovey-dovey" words
or "i'm so hurt break up" words
or "i'll wait for you until i wither away" words
but hey, it's not too shabby)

so yesterday i got maggie to teach me a new song
kiss goodbye
(lee hom, my man, my brother)
and i must say i picked it up just like that
and altho the magster is only 14
she even agrees that if i had taken lessons younger,
i would be a piano prodigy
correction, magster, i *am* already a piano prodigy
see how fast i learned the first page of my new song?

now as long as i don't forget
what i have learned until my next lesson
i'm all good

Ridukulus!

what a harry potter month!
the 5th movie is coming out this friday i think?
altho i don't think i'll be seeing this at the theater
i will add it to my dvd collection once it's out
don't care too much about the movie
since i didn't like book 5 anyways
and i don't really remember much about it...
plus i saw this special on tv yesterday that analyzed harry potter
it showed so much of the new movie that it might as well be the whole thing

the whole harry potter thing is so crazy
people are making money just analyzing the characters
and speculating what the last book is going to be about
moochers!
(altho i did briefly skim through one at the bookstore b/c i was curious...)

what i'm really waiting for is the last book
finally reserved it on amazon
but it won't ship until the 20th
so i won't get it until a few days after the release
i don't mind waiting a few days
as long as people don't finish the book and ruin it for me
(ahem, Tin)
i plan on taking my time and enjoying this one
esp since it's gonna be the last
how sad...what am i going to read after this?

an article reported that Rowling made some last minute changes to book 7
supposedly killed off 2 main characters
and she was bawling by the time she was done
now...why would you do that?!?!
obviously you're not happy about killing them
then don't do it!?!?
and then something about how the last word of the book isn't going to be "scar"
who cares what the last word is going to be?
i don't get it...

as for the whole snape debate
i think snape is really on dumbledore's side
and that dumbledore is not dead
it's prob some scam
where he pretends he's dead
so he can gather up his army or something
we shall see...

i think i actually had a dream before where i was harry potter
it was HILARIOUS!!
(not at the time, but when i woke up and realized what i had dreamt)
everyone was trying to protect me
telling me to run and just leave them to fend off the bad guys
and i said ok and took off
ahahhahahahaha
so much for heroism and bravery

where in the world...

ok so it's 4:30 on a Friday and i'm bored

so i thought i'd try something

where in the world is Chunky?

hahahhahaha

alright, so i don't have adobe photoshop

tho what?

happy tuesday

every weekday morning before work
several thoughts go through my head

1) I'll sleep for 5 more minutes...

2) (25 minutes later...) Maybe i should just call in sick (*cough cough*)

3) But I should save my leave for real emergencies...does this count?

4) Fine, i'll go to work, but i'm not happy about it

5) What's wrong with these stupid drivers? there's no one in front of you--GO!!! (road rage at its best)

6) Why don't i even have $1.35 in cash to pay for coffee? fine, charge it on the card

and today is the epitome of a rough morning
as i walked into the building 30 minutes late
i looked down at my feet
to see that i wore my flip-flops to work

happy tuesday

so confused

how did i jump up to 1068 overnight?
is it a glitch in the counter?
either way
i beat you copy!
muah hahahahhahaha

random question

Student A went up to Professor B after class and demanded that Professor B remain in the classroom after all the other students left. Professor B resisted and Student A said, "I have a loaded pistol in my bookbag. If you don't stay for another 10 minutes, I will shoot you." Professor B remained for another 10 minutes while Student A yelled about Professor B's poor teaching skills. After 10 minutes, Student A allowed Professor B to leave.

Did Student A kidnap Professor B?

food coma

food coma attack!!!
want...to....close...eyes...
zzz...z..z...zz.z..z.....

must keep eating to stay awake!!!
bring on the cookies!
all the munchies!!
must keep eating...

"Five People You Meet In Heaven"

i recently finished a very interesting and touching book --
"The Five People You Meet in Heaven"
it brought on a very different perspective of life after death
and no, it's nothing like CopyCat's LAD (Life After Death) University

it got me thinking...how nice if that were true
to have your whole life explained to you
where you went wrong, why things happened the way it did

and who would be my five people?

1) my dad?
2) my old dog "fat boy"? (do dogs count even if the book specifies "human"? maybe pets can communicate with us in heaven?)

who else?
i guess that's the whole point
sometimes you're affected even by strangers you haven't met
so i'll leave my list as is for now

my perspective on life after death hasn't changed
but it is reassuring to believe in closure...

oh and if this ever becomes a movie
i vote for Tom Hanks to be Eddie

vacation

i love sunny days on the beach
lather on the sunblock
sprawl out on the towel
read a good book
while i bask in the sun

and this time, i was even prepared with a big straw hat

(didn't want anymore freckles on the face)

overall we had pretty good beach weather
very relaxing
but i don't understand why i'm still as pale as a ghost

despite my unsuccessful tanning sessions
it's still my idea of a perfect vacation
(and not Harry Potter land, Copy, so don't rip me off of Hawaii!)

although we're back home now
no worries
i still have a whole summer at the pool to look foward to...

*sigh*

i went shopping with Maggie yesterday
(we both decided we needed more summer clothes)
and while we ate in the eatery
we listed off the stores we wanted to hit

Maggie: Abercrombie, Aeropostale, American Eagle
Chunky: Banana Republic, Ann Taylor

so already i'm thinking...
man i'm hitting all the stores my mom used to drag me to...
*sigh*

and then at one of her stores
i saw a cute pair of shorts and wanted to try it on
so i got in line for a dressing room
and while waiting
i stared at the little girls in front of me...
and then i looked at myself...
close to 30 and in line with a bunch of 10 year-olds
to wear the same clothes...
*sigh*

the shorts went back on the rack

genius, i say

yup, i'm a genius
i just put a counter on my blog
and as the bored genius that i am
i shall keep clicking on my own blog
to increase the number on the counter

not loser-esque by any means...

feb 27

apparently Social Security didn't have my correct date of birth on file
and i never knew after all these years!
i guess when you buy a home
they don't need to confirm with Social Security
just with the Credit Bureau
and only IRS confirms with Social Security
maybe that's why schools kept asking me to show proof of citizenship too
it's just...how could that go unnoticed for like....28 years?!

thank goodness all this has been fixed
but it had me all worried
is my bday really feb 27?

and asking people to translate my birth certificate didn't help either
"your birthday is on february 17"
"what?!?!?! are you sure?"
"oops, no wait...it's february 27"
so ok, i don't trust this source too much

and when i tried to look for an online vietnamese-english dictionary
that didn't help too much either
i kinda doubt that words like "deer", "to fly", and "ladders" are on my birth certificate

so i guess it's back to the family to clear things up
if my mom remembered incorrectly
and i've been celebrating the wrong birthday all these years
or if i'm already in the 30's
i'll be really ticked off
and that's all i have to say about that...

woo-hoo!

117/72

that's all i have to say about that...

engineers and their cool jobs

just got back from a seminar at work
it's really a technical review where each group reports back to the department head
and the engineering group presented this month

i can't believe people actually get paid
to come up with possible explosive devices
using cost-effective materials
that may possibly be used by insurgents
they showed us all the prototypes
(minus the TNT itself)
apparently the military wanted the prototypes in order to come up with ways to combat it

and it just all seems so cool
all top secret and stuff
plus everytime i walk by one of their offices
they're literally messing with the wires and gadgets
and they all use acronyms where i have no idea what they mean

and not just that
there's also projects on border protection, radiation sensors, etc
and it all seems so important
and everyone seems so smart

neat stuff
either that or i'm easily impressed

and then there's me
who just got some strawberry yogurt on my white pants
brilliant

another enemy

128/90

how did it manage to creep up?
i've been doing cardio
maybe it's b/c i haven't been getting enough sleep
i've been feeling so tired lately and not well rested at all

altho the nurse did say it's borderline
i don't like that bottom number

so i guess it's back to bland food for me
i can't believe salt became my enemy
thank goodness it's not sugar...

P.S. Love the shrimps!

you know, life is funny sometimes
you can be close to 30 and yet still feel like you're in 7th grade
people hang in cliques and give you the cold shoulder if you are no longer "one of them"
and there's a whole lot of "taking sides"
life as a 7th grader was definitely complicated

apparently not much has changed
except now we're older and have jobs
so it's no wonder that attending a good friend's wedding is like pulling teeth
esp since i have more enemies there than friends

and dang it!
i lost my oppportunity to earn $900!!!
all i had to do, was to tap one of them on the shoulder
and say to her, "I'm going to law school."
and voila, $900 in my pocket
(assuming he will pay up)
but of course i chickened out
just like I chickened out of telling mutual friends the same good news

i don't know why i chickened out
i guess it's just b/c i don't like to hear people brag
so similarly, i don't want to do the same to others
but in this case, i would have looooved to see their reactions
esp since i hear that they've taken the LSAT
and i never heard of any prospects of law school...

anyhoo
so i guess writing this will compound the years of animosity
(that is, if anyone reads this blog)
i don't really care...as long as there's not another mutual friend's wedding to attend...
and based on my record, there's really not much more of those

and petey if you're reading, thanks for being there for me
"To the couple hovering at the back, stay away from the shrimps!"