Jay and I first met during our sophomore year in college, when I participated in the National Student Exchange Program to SUNY Stony Brook for a semester and got involved with the Chinese Student Association there.

The CSA was known for its annual "China Night" event that included a runway fashion show of sorts. After being rejected for being too short (HEIGHT DISCRIMINATION I TELL YOU), I ended up being the Master of Ceremonies instead, along with Kevin L. It was during that time of my life that I met Jay, but he doesn't remember. I have a knack for remembering faces, though I have no idea why because I can't seem to remember much else!

Jay and I didn't hang out at Stony Brook, but many, many years later, I ran into him again in Taipei at a restaurant with mutual friends, and apparently, I look and act a lot like his cousin Christine Y. whom I've never met before but who used to live in Taipei as well.

I've had at LEAST a dozen conversations with people who confused me with her, and in the meantime I went along with it thinking I forgot their names as I didn't want to be RUDE! It wasn't just "Hey you look like this other Christine who used to live in Taipei" but rather, "Hey Christine! Good to see you! When did you get back?!" from people I have never met before in my life!

So anyway, at the restaurant we started talking, and after awhile, we had this conversation:

Jay: (cheerfully) "You know, you remind me so much of my cousin!"

Me: (nonchalantly) "Let me guess. Her name is Christine Y."

Jay: (excited) "Oh my GOD. You know Christine?!"

Me: (nonchalantly) "Jay, I was only kidding."

And really, I was only kidding. I mean what are the odds, right?

The connection ran even deeper as apparently Christine Y. was also a CAPT officer when CAPT first started, and it was over dinner that night that I also recruited Jay to help re-establish the once defunct organization.

Since then, Jay and I hang out in the same social circles and see each other quite often. Even so, he has on at least one occasion come up to me at a social function and said, "Oh my GOD. Christine! What are you doing here?!", thinking I was his cousin. And really, he wasn't kidding...