Just got back from NYC

I spent the weekend with my friend from 6th grade, Wesley Che. He's in med school rotations now and we hung out in the city late and talked until sunrise. We slept at 6:30AM. It was so great!

On Saturday night, I was at Wes' girlfriend's coworker's birthday party. I was the ultra-5th wheel since everyone had a boy / girl-friend there, expect for one really quiet boring (sorry to be mean) archtecture grad student girl. So I talk to her bec she's all alone. A few minutes into the conversation, she asks me timidly, "I don't know if it's wrong to ask this but... are you gay?"

What the heck?!! I didn't even answer her. I just stood up, walked to the other side of the table. Whispered that dialogue into Wes' ear and we both busted up laughing so hard! I think she was really embarrassed. Then I go over and tell her NO. She said that the earring threw her off.

Not so, I'm not gay. Just 'cause my dark brown Palladium's (Italian trendy sneakers with baby blue shiny stripe), match my belt, which matches my dark brown Kenneth Cole watchband, which matches my dark brown sunglasses, which matches the highlights in my hair, doesn't mean I'm gay. But my sister challenges me sometimes with. "But if you let yourself be, would you?" Shoot.

Much work at State
I came back to work and had so much to do, but I was so tired all day. I have 5 projects at the moment. One of them was to arrange a meeting between the UNGA (UN General Assembly) State Dept rep and our Asst Secretary. I wrote an email to the UNGA rep very casually, but later found out he was an ambassador. I was so scared, writing to an Ambassador or the Secretary of State calls for a huge degree of etiquette and formality. It's always Mr. Ambassador or Mr. Secretary, not 'sup Colin! Ok, I wasn't that bad.

Women's Rights
I helped a staffmember at the International Women's Rights office handle edit a soon to be published document and clear it with all of the country desk officers in East Asia. Suddenly she wants me on board to plan some big conference on Women's Rights. That's kind of cool. The theme is to symie human trafficking, prostitution, and to empower women into positions of leadership. Cool!

Ambassador swear-in late last week

A/S Kelly.
I tapped him on the back, and he turned, "Hi, Assistant Secretary Kelly,I'm new at EAP / RSP, and I take care of your S Week Ahead for SecretaryPowell." I said.
"Oh, what office are you from?" He asked.
"Regional Security, Patricia is my boss, I'm a student at the Universityof California." I responded.
He paused, looked down at my badge and said, "Oh, David An, I'll remember that."
"It's an honor to work for your office." I added, like the brown-noser I am. Haha.

Evans Revere.
I stood in the Ambassador swear-in ceremony while sipping a glass of champagne. I stood just 10 feet away from Deputy Sec Armitage (2nd to Powell), and I wasseeing him for the first time. At the time, I had weaseled right to the front of the crowd. After Amb. Hale took her oath of office, everyone clapped and started to leave. I see Evans (acting A/S for entire East Asia Bureau), so I smile at him since we met last week. Evans Revere turns to me and says, "That could be you someday."
I'm dumbfounded, and tried to say something funny, but couldn't think of something appropriate, so I responded whimpily... "This is exciting!"