It’s only been a week since I started trying to adjust my diurnal cycle to match Melody’s schedule as a resident, and already I’m noticing big fat rings around my eyes. This certainly doesn’t bode well for my return to the wards. Speaking of rings, I just found out that an old friend of mine from college just got engaged, shortly after my roommate, too, popped the question to his girlfriend earlier this year. On top of that, we’re attending a wedding in 2 weeks, another 2 weeks after that, and then another in September. Altogether, that’s 3 weddings and 2 engagements this year… and it’s barely past April! Only 2 years ago, I still remembered hanging out with the guys and tackling the singles scene. How quickly time passes…

I was transforming some bacteria today when I realized that we heat-shock competent cells at 42 degrees. FORTY-TWO! Why, that’s the meaning of life, the universe, and everything! Now THERE’s something to think about. Well, until that movie comes out, I’ve been taking more advantage of my Blockbuster online membership lately. Among the better flicks I’ve watched were Ray and Ocean’s 12. I also saw… Saw, which had an interesting plot, but horrible acting. I even got some episodes from the first season of Star Trek: TNG to relive my bygone days as a high school geek. Btw, is it just me, or have any of those guys actually aged since the series began? Beside Jonathan Frakes growing a mustache, I don’t think they’ve changed at all!

Since returning from vacation, I’ve been consumed by the desire to recapture the ramen experience which made the trip to Hawaii so memorable. A visit to Sapporo Ramen at Porter Exchange yesterday, however, was less than satisfactory. Though the noodles were fresh and springy, they were drenched in a bland, uninspired soup base with an uninviting herbal odor. With Boston being so deprived of Japanese noodle shops, I’m beginning to fear that our options are dwindling. I also got a chance to pull my tennis racquet out of hibernation for the warm spring weather. But after an embarrassing hour of play, I feel like I’ll be needing a LOT of practice. By the way, for those of you who wanna see more pics from Hawaii, check out the travel page.

When I returned to work this morning and people asked me what the best part of my Hawaii vacation was, I naturally replied “noodles.” Yes, noodles. More specifically, Japanese noodles. After spending a week in this Pacific island paradise, I’m convinced that our 50th state is really just a small piece of tropical Asia colonized by the U.S. to cash in on Japanese tourists. Even at the airport, I noticed that signs were printed in English and Japanese (not Spanish). Even more, among the usual McDonald’s and Burger King at the airport was a noodle shop! I knew then that I’ve come to the right place. We arrived late Saturday afternoon to explore Waikiki, where we dined on authentic shouyu ramen in a shop that was actually run by real Japanese people (what a concept!). We spent Sunday morning at the beach and had some freshly-made cold soba for lunch before our day tour of the island. The evening concluded with a dinner cruise along the Honolulu skyline, which would’ve been okay if not for the roar of rowdy high school punks on one side, and squealing Japanese girls on the other. Monday was a bit more laid back with a tour of Pearl Harbor, a hearty nabeyaki udon bowl for lunch, and a lazy afternoon at the Waikiki Aquarium and beach. Actually, we had originally intended on going snorkeling at the picturesque Hanauma Bay, but alas our plans were foiled by the evil jellyfish (curse you and your squiggly tentacles!). And since it was Melody’s birthday, we took her out for a fancy sunset dinner at Hoku’s, overlooking the Mandarin Oriental Hotel’s private beach on the Diamond Head. On Tuesday, we hiked up to Manoa Falls in the morning, and spent the rest of the day at the Polynesian Cultural Center, which despite its educational-sounding name, turned out more like a low-budget amusement park with Tahitian hula-dancers, Samoan fire-eaters, and a spectacular evening show. Our last day was spent on the “Big Island” of Hawaii, where we got to wander over vast spans of crusted lava flow at Volcanoes National Park as we pondered the power of mighty Pele. This is no joke, as you can witness from this novelty pen I found in a souvenir shop. The thing I hate most about vacations is the trip back. Not only do you realize that your long-awaited week of pleasure is over and that you’ll only have work to look forward to, but that you’re also at the farthest possible time point from your next vacation. The absolute farthest. Any earlier, and you’d still be on vacation.