HeyChristine.com

Thursday, June 14th

A comic relief...

I was telling a friend of mine that I really must be doing something wrong because lately I've been losing control of things and am not even able to pay my bills on time much less return phone calls any more.

Is it NORMAL for a woman who works full-time, runs 2+ websites in hopes of spinning them off into a sustainable business, has a kazillion and one friends and social activities with just as many apartment problems while trying to make a POINT on the World Wide Web -- to be out of her #&*%! MIND?! SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP.

Last night I waited forever for Brent to call (he was supposed to have arrived to Taipei in the afternoon) but ended up having a very late dinner with Ginny at a Japanese restaurant when we were JOLTED forward from a major earthquake -- and we were on GROUND level -- that scared the #&*%! out of us, but we endeavored to eat anyway.

Just as the food came BRENT calls from the hotel where we were SUPPOSED to have met up earlier, so I had to run out and get him while leaving Ginny alone. Once we got in the cab back for the restaurant, I *smelled* something, so I had this little discussion with him:

Me: "So how was the flight?"

Him: "Oh it was great, flew business class!"

Me: "Cool! So uh... what's that in your hand?"

Him: "Oh, it's just a sandwich I picked up at the airport."

Me: "Oh... ummm... what kind is it?"

Him: "I think it's a turkey pastami veggie thingy. You know."

Me: "You, uh, didn't get that at the airport HERE did you?"

Him: "Nah... I got it at the airport in San Francisco."

Me: "That's what I thought. Because it's hard to get good sandwiches here."

Him: "Oh."

Me: "So... it's like, twelve hours old or something like that, right."

Him: "Yeah... kinda gross huh."

Me: "Yeah..."

Him: (Silence. Brent is probably thinking, end of conversation. Not.)

Me: "So, umm......... can I have a bite?!"

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And yeah we had a big EARTHQUAKE today...

But I haven't finished talking about last night. So after I ordered Brent some Japanese food and happily took more bites of his YUMMY AMERICAN SANDWICH, I finally had a moment to enjoy myself before all three of us headed back for my place to hang out. Then, my phone just wouldn't stop ringing.

NOTE: I don't usually answer my phone (any of them) at night.

Potential tenant called with questions I could not yet answer. Landlord called to give me instructions on how to use the new A/Cs (?) that were installed earlier today. Didn't really understand him 100%. Relatives called from overseas to tell me that a resort has been booked for the family reunion and isn't that great?! My head spun.

When I finally was able to just SIT -- while Ginny and Brent were entertaining themselves
in the living room -- I played my answering machine. A familiar male voice I heard, and yet
it was deep, calm, collected, and very much in control. Sexy almost. He sounded like a seasoned politician making a formal speech, the kind in which "uh" is acceptable, if not polished, and where long, reflective pauses follow each sentence:

Uh... hi, Christine. Uh, Hsu. This is uh, Paul... Chung. Uh... I'm an American-Korean. Uh, I graduated from Princeton, I worked for Merryl Lynch for two years and uh recently just left my job at the Carlyle Group in Korea where uh, I had a uh sweet apartment looking over the river and, you know, collected 3 to 5 phone numbers from Korean hotties every night... had an extra spare room for all my friends who want to come and partake of all these beautiful cheap women, and uh just wanted to know if you're around. Anyway. Uh... let's see. I'm not even trying your mobile. Um, just calling to see what's up. Alright. Talk to you in a bit, bye, this is uh, Paul Chung again. Thanks. Bye.

I called "Paul Chung" this morning at the office to thank him for a very much needed comic relief and to tell him that I even saved the message on my answering machine. He, in turn, acted like he had no idea what I was talking about.

I suppose if someone accused me of being Paul Chung... I'd deny it too. OUCH.

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Brent says hi!

Brent wants to say "HI" to his mom and his brother Chris, and to Nelson and Quynh. I held his hand this morning (helped him to get his bearings since this is his first time in Taipei) and then sent him to the Observatory Tower of the Shin Kong Building. Soon after... the 6.1 earthquake hit. Good thing I forgot to tell him to SHAKE IT BABY!

Almost forgot to mention... Brent used to write sales programs for Yahoo in the bay area...

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