THE SIMPLE LIFE

No more school! I am officially Dr. Vanessa Wang - whoo hoo =)


Now all I need to do is pass my Canadian boards...one. more. hurdle.

That is what's on my mind lately. This whole graduating business sucks. That why I had originally planned to do residency...to prolong my decision for another year. =P

Not that I'm complaining about getting married. It's the best thing to ever happen and I seriously think everyone should (once they know they've been given the right person that is)

So...here's the plan thus far.

1. Do Part 3 of American Boards in April.
- should I pay for a license to practice and if so, how many states should I pay for? Or should I wait until my name is officially changed in Canada and avoid all the confusion?
It seems like a big waste of money especially since I'm not going to be in the states the next few years. On the other hand, it's nice to know that I can practice somewhere as long as someone's willing to sponsor my alien status.


2. Do Canadian Boards.
Still waiting for a response to see if I'm going to writing it in May or in April; in Waterloo or Montreal.

3. Graduate on May 18th.
Nothing crazy about that as long as I pass my last quarter and half of clinics.

4. Summer 2008?
-Should I go to Asia early to spend time with parents and pick up some Mandarin so that I can communicate better with my other half? Or should I stay with my hubby in London, ON?

5. Asia Trip 2008.
Japan, HK, Taipei, Beijing, Shanghai, etc. This IS happening. Just a matter of when exactly. It all depends on #6.

6. A's 4th year rotations.
-China for 6 wks...BC for 4 wks...London for 2 wks...maybe???

7. January 2009.
Not a clue.

This is the first time ever in my life that I started the Christmas holidays not having an idea what the new year would bring. Things that I thought would happen, didn't. Things that I was scared to happen, did. And I think there's a small part of me is still reeling from the aftershocks. But God is good. He is always good. And He has given be strength when I needed it. And time as I needed it. Love and support from everyone around.

The above list all sort of came together in the last 2 weeks. A lot of changes are happening...and hopefully all for God's glory.

Now that things have slowed down a bit, I can do an update on what’s been going on with my end of things.

I just deleted 2 huge paragraphs that I wrote about my work because I just don’t have the right words to describe it.
-I’m in Connecticut.
-I haven’t examined my own patient in over a month.
-BUT…I feel like I’m going to take away a lot from this rotation.

How do you explain the detrimental effects of losing your vision? How do you describe the struggles you observe in your patients? Can you ever put into words their lonliness, the isolation, and their embarrassment? There are solutions out there but it’s disheartening to see how many people actually know about them and it’s even more painful to see the patients that have reached out for help in the past and got so discouraged by the results that they are afraid to hope for any more changes. It’s the first time I ever felt that a private practice setting just cannot provide what is needed and it has been good reminder of how much time and dedication is really required…or perhaps just how important an interdisciplinary approach really is. It hasn’t been as depressing as I described it, the patients are quite excited to be in a program that strives to help with their independence and there’s a great camaraderie between them since they’re all veterans that have served their country at one time AND they’re pretty much their own support group. I’m sure I’ll have plenty more to say about this topic later on.

Another reason why I haven’t blogged in a while was because I was studying for part 2 of my American licensing boards. It was long and draining...and I don’t want to guess at how I did. It’s over, we’ll just leave it at that =) I should be thinking about my Canadian boards soon too…eeks! It was interesting to see some of my classmates again after being apart for 6 months. It’s crazy to hear of babies being born and how many people got engaged/married. I love looking at other peoples' rings. My husband says I have ring envy which is not true. I absolutely love my rings. I'm just always on the look-out for future anniversary presents! Any way, it's hard to believe that there's only 5 more months until I graduate with these friends!!

Alex came down this past weekend to celebrate with me. We went to New York on Saturday, he treated me to a delicious dinner and then we went to see STOMP. There’s something about banging things and making loud noises that I think boys never fully outgrow. It was a great performance, comical at times even when they don’t speak, but I definitely know that he enjoyed the show much more than I did.

On the family front, I just found out that Popo was placed in a nursing home. They didn’t want to tell me before because of the board exams. Apparently her Alzheimer’s getting a lot worse and her behaviour’s really out of control to the point where she might hurt herself or others. It’s been tough on the family but my mom and Yiyi especially. The healthcare system in HK isn’t exactly ideal but no one’s back in Canada yet. Along with the whole guilt aspect of sending your parent away to be taken care of…it’s taking a toll on the family. It's been rough so please just keep our entire family in your prayers. I know in my head that I need to have grace and forgiveness and patience…all things that I am having a really hard time with at the moment.

Lastly congrats to Wendy/Victor and Steph/Gord. I am super excited for you guys and can’t wait to hear all the planning details!! I’m really starting to look forward to coming home after graduating. It’s been too long…especially all the moving around this past year, it’ll be nice to finally settle down and stay put in one place for a while.

Oh yeah, I forgot one final thing. I got a hamster! It got really lonely when I first moved to Connecticut cuz my place was so big and I got used to seeing Alex home with me so I went onto Craig’s list and bought Mustang for $25 bucks. Yup, I replaced my husband by our 2 month anniversary =P He’s my first boy hamster and he sleeps a lot more than my previous hamsters. He’s also pretty skittish but I’ve learnt not to bother him when he sleeps. He keeps my attention occupied and it’s nice to know that there’s another warm body around, even if it’s a tiny one.

That’s all for now, stay tuned for more updates.

P.S. We’re leaving this Friday for our honeymoon in the Caymen Islands. Provided there’s no more of these freak snowstorms of course.

Stay safe and be merry =) Joyeux Christmas and God bless everyone.

**this was an old post from 10.24.07 -I was holding off from posting to load some pictures but it's all on Alex's computer and that's too far away now**


...is so much fun! Well I think it's not just married life but the fact that I get to be around Alex so often. Our schedules during the week are pretty boring - come home from work, cook dinner, clean up, wind down, shower and then go to bed. I thinking if it was purely based on time - people should get married when they're in school cuz I remember having all this extra time from slacking off. When you're working, you actually have responsibilites - kinda sucks not being able to stay up late or sleep in on classes. It's pathetic how early I need to be in bed if I want to be 100% on for my patients. BUUUTTT - we've been really making full use of our weekends and our time here in Windsor area.



Let's see - updates:

One weekend, I took Alex out to a little town called Amhurstburg. It's beautiful, right by the river - so we grabbed some ice cream and spent the afternoon on the bench in the park overlooking the water.





For my birthday weekend, Alex rented a little cottage out on Pelee Island for the night. We didn't go exploring as much as he would have liked cuz we picked up Scrabble at Value Village for $1 and got hooked trying to beat each other. The cottage is absolutely adorable and a place that I'd love to go back with a group of friends. They even had a little dining gazebo out back and a fire pit too!





This past weekend, we went to Pelee Point (the southernmost point in Canada). We played in the the cold lake & took a hike to see the Monarch butterflies rest for their migration. Did you know that they fly all the way to Mexico?!! Then we went through a Haunted House & Haunted Graveyard. It was for a fundraising event and they did an amazing job! I thought it was just for the kiddies but Alex and I definitely got scared several times (although he'll never admit it =P)





Finally, we spent our 1 month wedding anniversary...doing laundry! I was very happy - not only b/c I now have clean undies but also because I feel it was the perfect way to celebrate our marriage; by working together & loving each other.

So all in all, things are going very well. Here are some pics:

Looking back at the pictures reminded me how much fun it was that day! Thanks to everyone who made it out...and for those that couldn't; I honestly missed you.

Click HERE to view them.

Almost a week since the wedding and there's already been some tough lessons to learn by all. There's been a lot of tears in the family, especially from my mom now that she's back in Beijing. I think it's been really difficult for her and dad - not that they're not happy for us but, just like Dad said in his speech, there's also a little bitterness and sadness.

For me, it's also learning to let go of my parents. In the past, I usually turn to them when making big decisions. My parents watched me grow up - they know how I respond to different situations and what works best for me. Now, I need to turn to Alex, to trust his opinions and decision-making skills. And sometimes that's scary - especially when my parents have known me a lot longer than he has. But we both want to learn how to love & serve each other so that makes it more exciting and worthwhile.

I was also having trouble letting go of my goals for the future. I've been blogging about wanting to a residency for a long time now. I had my heart set on one particular program which seems to meet all my needs - except for location. A few days ago the program director personally e-mailed me to ask if I was still applying b/c they were starting to receive applications. I mean, how often does the head of anything take time out for you? I felt like I had a real shot at the spot and it was time to take a really good look at my priorities.

Mom's right that it's no coincidence that this happened 3 days after I got married. It was tough, but I realized that different stages of life required different priorities. My marriage as well as proximity to my husband has become my main priority at this time. Since he will be in Canada finishing his studies, I am also going be back in Canada after graduating this May. I have no clue what I'll be doing but I have faith in God. He's brought me along this far and although things may not have turned out the way I pictured it, I wouldn't trade them for anything. I believe that He has great plans ahead for all of us.

P.S. It's friday! I'm so happy b/c it's the first weekend that I won't be doing road trips back to Waterloo or Toronto. Yea for sleeping in! =D

3 more days.

It's funny. All the doctors and interns that I work with here at the VA tell me how calm I am at the fact that I'm getting married this weekend. I laugh because at work, I'm all focused on the patients...they distract me from thinking about anything remotely related to the wedding. Now that I have a few minutes to sit and reflect, let's just say that my heart rate is a little faster than normal.

On the surface, everything's quite alright...that is until I receive e-mails from Jeff asking me questions that I have not thought of answers to (although I really do appreciate you thinking of them Jeff cuz finding out the day-of would suck), getting phone calls from tense moms, or sleeping with wedding-related nightmares.

I know what I really need is some time alone with God. To refocus on Him and to just adore Him. I was reading an old post after grandpa past away and remembering how sad I felt that our Wong's side probably won't have many reunions anymore. Lo' and behold, God brings my ENTIRE family to the wedding. Even grandpa didn't get such an attendence! God works is such mysterious ways that I can only bow down in thanksgiving and awe.

Ephesians 5:19 is in my mind right now: "...sing and make music in your heart to the Lord" That's what I want to do...

Praise God! Jenessa just called me. I am so glad to have her & Mike's support and prayers. God just used her to remind me to enjoy all this. That this process really is a gift -and a wonderful one at that.


What a wonderful maker
What a wonderful savior
How majestic your whispers
And how humble your love
With a strength like no other
And the heart of a father
How majestic your whispers
What a wonderful God
.
.
.
You made the world and saw that it was good
You sent your only son, for you are good
"Wonderful Maker"~ Chris Tomlin

It's been a month since I've last posted and only 2 more weeks in South Dakota. Looking back, I can say that this has been a very good educational experience. There were many time when things felt almost too routine, but this past week I've been able to shadow a lot of different ophthalmologists and started to feel more challenged by all that I still don't know. It was great - saw a lot of surgeries (cataract & eye muscles...vitreous and retina next week) and also so pretty bad things that could happen to the eye. Like yesterday - we had a patient come in who took a metal projectile to the eye. We saw all the damaged it left but couldn't find the object itself. They're seeing the specialist on monday. But it's been a great week and got me all excited about the field I'm in again. I think I'm really starting to like Urgent Care and Rural Optometry.

I was chatting with mom again about the future and each time I do, I work myself up. I'm someone who likes to plan things out and know the next step. I can't plan anything past September right now because that's all that I've been looking forward to and many of my priorities will change once we're married. I know that we're making the decision together and that Alex will support whatever the final outcome is but for some reason I feel I need to chose between my desire to do residency and my desire to be his wife at this moment. If I had things my way, I'd get the specific residency program that I want and get to spend the first year of my marriage living with my husband too!

Being apart has been especially tough these past couple of months. We've always had a long distance relationship and for the most part, it's been easy. God has been so good in that aspect. God is STILL good but I think it's cuz I'm all by myself out here that making it so much harder. I always thought I was pretty independent and adaptable to new situations. But I think that was more relative to school settings. I can switch into different schools but I still had opportunities to make friends. While the relationships with the staff are great here, everyone's older and has their own families and responsibilities. I'm getting involved with the church but again, everyone's older. There's been quite a number of tears shed in self-pitying loneliness, especially during the times both sides of the family got together in Asia and I couldn't be there. You always imagine that you're going to be there when your parents finally meet each other. Too many times did I wished I was in HK or Beijing instead of Rapid City. God's been trying to teach me to turn to Him, to rely on Him. It's been a hard lesson to learn and one that I'm still struggling to pay attention to. He is so patient and faithful to me.

That's about it. Alex will be in Rapid City on Thursday and we'll be taking our road trip back to Canada the following weekend. Can't wait to see everyone and start the countdown!

Attached the pictures of the ring since everyone's been asking:

top view: yes...the ring usually does sparkle like that when it catches the light - hee, hee! =p

side view: you may need to zoom up but there are 4 prongs that cradle the solitaire



Call me a romantic but I won't post pictures of the dress cuz I want the first time that Alex sees it is me wearing it down the aisle.

I will tell you that it's a strapless one piece made of organza and taffeta (which means absolutely nothing to me).

It's very pretty but now that I've been analyzing the pictures of me in it...I'm thinking twice about the decision to buy it. I'm such a girl! Any way, it's too late to change my mind. Here's hoping that it was all in the lighting/photo angle/lack of make-up. Either way, my groom said he'd think I was beautiful in any dress. Smart answer isn't it?

Things are so incredibly sweet right now, we joke that we’re dysfunctional in love. And it’s so easy to say ‘it’s all about us’ or go-with-the-flow enjoying these feelings. Not to say that I’m not enjoying them…but I just want to give thanks right now because love is just being poured out – from God, from Alex, from our parents, from family, from friends.

Father God, You are so good. And I – we, have done absolutely nothing to deserve this. We praise You and worship You for all that You are. For the Giver that You are. Over the weekend, the pastor asked the congregation if we were ready for You. Because as humans, we ask for your presence in difficult times and expect that when You come, You’ll take our struggles away. Are we prepared for what You have to offer when it’s not what we want or expect? Do we trust You? Oh Father, teach us to appreciate all that You give – even if it is times of difficulty. Help us to see that they are all opportunities to trust Your plans instead of our own. When we resist, humble us before Your presence. I know that things will not always be this sweet. But I also know that this relationship and this man is gift from You. I pray that I may be taught how to honour this gift and how to honour You.


Okay, so people have been asking me about getting all the details. I’m a girl so you’re literally getting all the details. This is going to be one heck of a long post – just as a warning!


As mentioned before, all along I thought Alex was going to pop the question in August (the next time we were to see other) because I told him that I wanted blessings from my dad, my Kai Ma and Steph before getting engaged. Since dad’s in Beijing now and Alex was going to HK to visit his newborn niece, we always talked about that being the perfect time to approach dad.

I found out from my preceptor that I could get a few days off right before he left and thought it would be a great way to surprise him for his birthday. (If you’ve been around us enough times you’ll soon realize that we enjoy surprising each other). Any way, I ended up telling him so that he would keep those days free to spend time together.

I admit that I was whiney Friday night after he was done his exams and partying with his classmates cuz I travelled long distances after a nightmarish trip and wanted to see him as soon as possible. He told me he was going to wake me up at 9am on Saturday. I talked him down to 8am.

So here I am all jet-lagged and eager to see my boyfriend; I wake up at 7am and couldn’t go back to sleep. So I stayed in bed like he wanted and just waited. 8 o’clock rolls around and no sign of him…9 o’clock rolls around and still no sign of him. (In my defense, you try waiting for someone you really want to see for 2½ hrs and then tell me how you’d feel.) Finally at 9:30 I got out of bed, jumped in the shower and then pouted to my mom as got ready for the day. He comes strolling in just as I finished blow-drying my hair at about 10:15. Since he was sufficiently apologetic while holding a pink flower and looking very attractive, I just hugged him and forgot everything. He then says he wants to spend some time in the park jus the two of us.

The parents and my Kai Ma had left to take Missy for a walk so I said we should wait until they got back. Then he starts saying how hungry he is and wanting McDonald’s because he didn’t eat breakfast and it’ll be quick. In my mind I start thinking, What is wrong with him today? He’s acting like such a little kid. He parties so hard with his buddies that he couldn’t wake up on time to see me and now he’s throwing a tantrum because he didn’t get breakfast on the way in and wants McDonald’s?!! Whatever. Just get some food into him and maybe he’ll start to be better.

He called his dad to make sure there was enough time for us to leave and we head out. Just as we turn the corner we see all of them walking towards us. Alex doesn’t even slow down his car. I start to get really upset. He hasn’t seen mom or Kai Ma yet. One flew in from Beijing and the other from Vancouver. How rude is it to just drive off without a word of hello?! It’s one thing to be gone before they’re got back but I mean, we saw them and his dad had been trying to get our attention!

Alex knew that I was really upset so he backs up the car to say hello to all of them. Then his dad starts saying a bunch of things in Mandarin that I didn’t understand and Alex got really impatient and short in his responses. At this point I had no clue what has gotten into him. I know that he’s usually not like this and I hated for him to be acting this way in front my mom & Kai Ma. What a first impression! So I tried to invite them to McDonald’s with us. They declined but to make matters even worse, the car stalls as we try to leave again. I could tell Alex was getting really frustrated and so I decided to keep my mouth shut and just get this whole ordeal over with.

Finally the car starts and we head off. He ends up turning into Waterloo park. Okay…he really wants to do this park thing. Let try to enjoy our time together. We walk to the gazebo where we did morning devotions back in 3rd year of undergrad. Great, someone’s got a picnic set up at our bench – we can’t even sit at our old spot. Is nothing going right on this trip?

Then things start to get better – a lot better =) He tells me that the reason he was late was cuz he was busy getting this picnic set up for us and that he didn’t say hi to everyone cuz he had already seen all of them before I got out of bed. Now it’s my turn to feel sufficiently bad. There’s a red & white chequered table cover and a cute little picnic basket beside it. He reaches down and pulls up a glass vase with more of the pretty pink flowers that he gave that morning. Then he opens up the basket and starts pulling out all this delicious looking food. Champagne glasses with juice, plastic plates with croissant, smoked salmon, cheddar cheese, yogurt and fresh fruit. Wow. I was impressed. But still no clue since it’s like him to pull a surprise this romantic.

Not only that, he tells me then pulls out an album that he gave me for our one year. My mom had told me that Kai Ma wanted to see it so we brought it back. It was a set-up. There were some empty spots and pages so he had mom bring it back that he could finish it up. He comes over to sit beside me and begins reading to me the album – his thoughts, the commitment that he made to God and to me when we first began seeing each other, what we had discussed during the Urbana conference. And then a little story of us in that moment; sitting in the gazebo, him reading to me and then getting on his knee…When I got to that part of the story, all I could think was Does this mean what I think this means??? Of course I start crying, especially when he actually gets down on one knee.

Don’t ask me what he said because my mind kept jumping from Is this it…?? to Oh my gosh, it’s actually happening! to I can’t believe I’m crying to Stop crying and focus on what he’s saying back to Oh my gosh, it’s actually happening! There really was no room in my head to process what he said except something along the lines of marrying him and I said yes! So afterwards, we spent some time praying together and then he tells me that the whole entire thing was videotaped. How awesome is that? I had told him once that it would be nice to have a record because I wouldn’t be in the state of mind to recall anything and he remembered! So he had Dan videotaping the entire thing from across the pond and he had his digital camera running the entire time. Of course, there were some glitches – the digicam shut off right before his proposal and he stepped out of frame in Dan’s camera *laughs* But it was just so sweet of him to even plan all of that for me.

So all in all – it was the perfect proposal. I never tried to imagine it but honestly, I couldn’t have wanted it any other way.