Allow me to borrow the famous (is it really famous, or is that just my humble opinion?) line from Notting Hill - Surreal but nice - to describe my experience last night.
My former co-worker, Tina, and I used to have lunch all the time. When she left the lab for better opportunities, I lost a good co-worker, friend, and lunch buddy. So we vowed to have dinner once a month to catch up on what each of us are doing. See, Tina and I, prior to us becoming co-workers, met at a Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) Review Course. She and I both wanted to become doctors. And two years ago, she applied to UCSF School of Pharmacy. So, she and I have a lot of things in common (aside from being Asian =P).
But because of our hectic schedules (Tina was going to school and working full-time and I was busy with SFC and school and work), the last time we saw each other was more than 6 months ago. After her finals, she and I got to talk for a bit and decided to see each other before school starts. (I'm done with my prerequisites for the 2 Pharmacy schools I applied to, so no more school for me, but Tina's taking 8 units this semester). And it was last night that we saw one another.
We stayed around the area (UCSF). Had dinner at Park Chow and decided to go to The Canvas Gallery for dessert. We got there at around 7:30 pm, ordered a cheesecake with a heart on top (it was really cute!) and lattes, then sat in front of a performing band.
Tina and I are both "Canvas Gallery Virgins." I would always pass by it, but never went in. It looks like a Cafe and an Art Gallery from the outside. I didn't know that they do performances as well. The band was interesting. It was composed, in terms of musical instruments, of a bass, an electric guitar, a drum set, and, weirdly enough, a violin! Their music was interesting. Mind you, it was good, but it's not mainstream music - ones you would hear on the radio. I can't, unfortunately, put it in any of the musical genres because I really do not know what kind of music they played. All I know is that they're all wicked good! =P So, there I was, with a good friend of mine, eating a chocolate cheesecake, and sipping my warm latte, listening to this band right in front of me, who was singing a hippie song (by David Bowie, if I'm not mistaken) about the war. And then, the lead singer/electric guitarist started freestyling. Being a hippie (I think he is one) himself, he started talking about the war in Iraq. He talked about Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq. He mentioned how it's been 6 years (I don't think this is correct though. It's been 5 1/2 years since Sept. 11 and we didn't go to Iraq until a year or 2 after September 11. I suppose he included the war against the Taliban) and 3,000 American lives have been lost. Being against the war myself, I smiled. He continued on about the war not achieving its purpose after so long, so maybe it's not the right strategy. He never did outrightly say that the troops should be pulled out of Iraq. In fact he said, "What do I know? I'm not a politician. That's not my line." But his message was that we should leave Iraq soon. Anyway, it was an amazing performance. I wish other people were there to see it.
It turns out, the band that played last night was not exactly a band. They're, umm, musicians (bassist, electric guitarist, violinist, and drummist - J/K - drummer), who got together that night and played. No wonder, the lead singer kept on saying, right before they do another song, "The bass player has not heard this song, so if you'll excuse me, I'll just talk to him and let him know what's going on." And then, it turns out, it was open mic night last night. And Tina and I saw an eclectic collection of performances. It was, indeed, an interesting night. Surreal but nice.
My former co-worker, Tina, and I used to have lunch all the time. When she left the lab for better opportunities, I lost a good co-worker, friend, and lunch buddy. So we vowed to have dinner once a month to catch up on what each of us are doing. See, Tina and I, prior to us becoming co-workers, met at a Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) Review Course. She and I both wanted to become doctors. And two years ago, she applied to UCSF School of Pharmacy. So, she and I have a lot of things in common (aside from being Asian =P).
But because of our hectic schedules (Tina was going to school and working full-time and I was busy with SFC and school and work), the last time we saw each other was more than 6 months ago. After her finals, she and I got to talk for a bit and decided to see each other before school starts. (I'm done with my prerequisites for the 2 Pharmacy schools I applied to, so no more school for me, but Tina's taking 8 units this semester). And it was last night that we saw one another.
We stayed around the area (UCSF). Had dinner at Park Chow and decided to go to The Canvas Gallery for dessert. We got there at around 7:30 pm, ordered a cheesecake with a heart on top (it was really cute!) and lattes, then sat in front of a performing band.
Tina and I are both "Canvas Gallery Virgins." I would always pass by it, but never went in. It looks like a Cafe and an Art Gallery from the outside. I didn't know that they do performances as well. The band was interesting. It was composed, in terms of musical instruments, of a bass, an electric guitar, a drum set, and, weirdly enough, a violin! Their music was interesting. Mind you, it was good, but it's not mainstream music - ones you would hear on the radio. I can't, unfortunately, put it in any of the musical genres because I really do not know what kind of music they played. All I know is that they're all wicked good! =P So, there I was, with a good friend of mine, eating a chocolate cheesecake, and sipping my warm latte, listening to this band right in front of me, who was singing a hippie song (by David Bowie, if I'm not mistaken) about the war. And then, the lead singer/electric guitarist started freestyling. Being a hippie (I think he is one) himself, he started talking about the war in Iraq. He talked about Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq. He mentioned how it's been 6 years (I don't think this is correct though. It's been 5 1/2 years since Sept. 11 and we didn't go to Iraq until a year or 2 after September 11. I suppose he included the war against the Taliban) and 3,000 American lives have been lost. Being against the war myself, I smiled. He continued on about the war not achieving its purpose after so long, so maybe it's not the right strategy. He never did outrightly say that the troops should be pulled out of Iraq. In fact he said, "What do I know? I'm not a politician. That's not my line." But his message was that we should leave Iraq soon. Anyway, it was an amazing performance. I wish other people were there to see it.
It turns out, the band that played last night was not exactly a band. They're, umm, musicians (bassist, electric guitarist, violinist, and drummist - J/K - drummer), who got together that night and played. No wonder, the lead singer kept on saying, right before they do another song, "The bass player has not heard this song, so if you'll excuse me, I'll just talk to him and let him know what's going on." And then, it turns out, it was open mic night last night. And Tina and I saw an eclectic collection of performances. It was, indeed, an interesting night. Surreal but nice.
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