A Winter in the West Coast
Here’s a summary, and then I’m just gonna link you to the album. ;)
We went to Los Angeles, then San Diego before heading east to Las Vegas and then flew out San Francisco before getting a bus back to Los Angeles.
In Los Angeles, we went to Universal Studios and both Disneyland Parks, thanks to our Citypass. Spent two days in Disneyland, which was rather inadequate, but then again, Disneyland would be for kids. Disneyland California Adventure Park was better, thanks to the awesome rides we took. :) I still prefer Universal Studios though.
We were in San Diego for only three days though. Went to Seaworld and the San Diego Zoo, both of which were more interesting than I thought they’d be. 
I loved Seaworld for the shows – those are definite must-watch, definitely.
We spent five days in Vegas, which was a bit much, I think. We toured the whole strip in two nights/days. Went to Grand Canyon, took lots of pictures. My only regret — not enough $ to take that helicopter ride. 
But anyway, tip: DO NOT TAKE THE GREYHOUND FROM SAN DIEGO TO LAS VEGAS. One word: horrible. My best experience in Vegas — meeting a street actor dressed up as Jack Sparrow. He was charming, very charming indeed. ;)
San Francisco captured my heart. Oh, most definitely. I love everything about it – the sights, people, the food. :D I planned this leg of the trip, so we finished all the must-sees in three days. Went to Ocean Beach to see the Sutro Bath Ruins, the Golden Gate Bridge, Palace of Fine Arts, Alamo Square, Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39, Embarcadero, Chinatown, Lombard Street and Union Square. We stayed in North Beach. Took cable car rides. :D Worth it!
When we got back to Los Angeles again, we met up with Lynn and made new friends – Dave & Heather :D Heather’s so cool – she loves Harry Potter and she’s going backpacking with her boyfriend in March to South East Asia. :DDDDDDDDD So lucky! Dave’s awesome too, heh. Lynn practically bullied him, so we did too. It’s a given. Anyway, it was good to see them. :D And then… oh, we met up with Jason Yip. :) And had awesome dinner at the Boiling Crab. Ooh. Love that place. We went to Hollywood, took a tour of the star’s homes and got a free admission into Madame Tussaud’s. Worth it. $44 only. :) We also took pics of the stars on the Walk of Fame and some pics of the handprints outside Graumann’s Chinese Theatre. :) So far so good.
Things I learned during this trip?
Plenty! Learned to budget, most significantly. And learned to plan my time when on vacation to make the most out of it. =) Other than that, everything’s good.
Album: A Winter in the West Coast
heh. /insert smugness
Sooo. I’m done with finals. :D so happy! Am currently at the airport right now, waiting for my flight in ATLANTA and then off to LOS ANGELES! :D hee.
This is like, the highlight of my semester. :D gonna savor the taste of Sin City and Tinseltown while I can, as I soak up the sights. :D
So, about my exams. I think I’m doing well this semester, with the exception of Biology, of course. Barring any freakish outcomes, and with the predicted D in Bio, I should be getting GPA 3.38. Imagine if, by some freakish miracle, I get a C in Bio, my GPA will be 3.47. I’m trying to get it up to 3.8/3.9.
I’m not bragging or anything, but I do feel really good putting in a bit of effort into my education. I’ve always mostly relied too much on my own perceived intelligence rather than work on it. So it’s kinda satisfying when you actually realize your work paid off! I’ll (hopefully) be doing the same thing for next year. :)
So, technically I didn’t work as hard as other people would. I just worked hard on studying smarter. In Physics, I hardly ever pay attention, so I try to do the homework and gain more understanding from there. In Japanese, you gotta pay attention, so I did. Turns out I’m a fast learner for language. What else? Martial arts was fun. Got an A. Ooo Abnormal Psychology. It is such fun subject, I love it, although towards the later chapters were too boring for me.
Heh. In other words, God is with me. Even in bio. I’m actually doing well in lab, so it’s no biggie. Too bad lab isn’t a different course :(
Anyway, what else?? Oooh. Holidays! Yes. Going on another vacation! <3 :) This time to the West Coast. In Spring, after getting my licence, imma hit up the East Coast, and maybe a trip to down to FLORIDA and upwards to OHIO. Florida for Disneyworld, and OHIO for Cedar Point – home of awesome rollercoasters. :D and summer for other places I may have not visited yet, or Europe. Depends. Ooh, perhaps next winter break in Hawaii! :D Yeah baby. Livin’ it up! :D
So that’s about it for now. :D heh. Toodles.
Busy semester
Been a long time since there was a real post.
Got a pay raise – I’m gonna divvy up and use my pay for: electricity, internet & phone bill. Gonna put in more hours next semester so I can save up for an anime con/spn con.
Went to Chicago for Thanksgiving again – Black Friday was kinda dull, not much sales. Went with Uma, Renu & KW. Met up with Fatin & Emily and their other halves. Went around downtown Chicago, took lots of pics, gonna upload them to deviantart soon.
Put my crafts & writing ventures on hold – I just don’t have time anymore. Still very much inspired, and still connected to my creative muse, but I gotta manage my time better than this to make something worthwhile.
What else? Oh, and I learned to cook 2 vege dishes, and chicken curry. – Renu says they’re all good. Next challenge is nasi minyak. And rendang.
Getting As for four of my subjects, and failing my bio. – Physics, Martial Arts, Japanese 101, Abnormal Psychology. Hopefully that would keep my GPA afloat. ><
Made progress on the social front – getting along well with colleagues and lab partners without being too professional.
And going for a winter break in the West Coast! Going Lerdie & her sister to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and San Diego. Definitely stopping by at the casinos, Disneyland, and Alcatraz. :)
Can’t wait!
My cousins have kids now. Technically their kids would be kinda like my cousins right? Lol. But we’re kinda close, like siblings, so we just ignored the technicalities. I now have 4 nephews.
Okies, that’s all for now.
frustration. ignorance.
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” — Matthew 7:1-2
“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”– Luke 6:27-28.
it’s so frustrating for me.
Dear Daddy,
i know that you’ve been in my shoes. people have been judging you since day 1. they took one look at you, and they hated you first. even your friends turned against you.
i pray for my friends, and me. i pray that in whatever i do, i will endure it with your patience, your love, your faith. i pray that no matter what, i will try to see it through your eyes, and to love with your heart. i pray also that in doing so, my friends would be transformed too, and so will i.
i pray that i will remain strong in my faith, that i will not be tempted to follow the ways of the world. i will not strive to be accepted by them, but to be different, and to embrace the ones who are cast aside by the world’s hurtful ignorance. i pray for those who judge me, Lord, for they do know not what they are doing.
Daddy, i pray for your mercy and grace to cover me always. keep me grounded in your love. keep my feet firmly planted in your ways. Lord, forgive me when i judge others. i have forgotten just how much i should be judged.
Amen.
pent-up emotions.
i don’t usually get so riled up much. lately, that’s been an exception.
i work only 8 hours a week, but i mostly have to cook and also go for tutoring. i do not have time for myself. fridays and sundays are of course, for God. not begrudging him for that. in fact, it is because i’m so out of it and so tired that i realized just how important time management is.
okay, i’m writing this post not to pick my time management skills apart, but to let out how i feel. i guess my heart has been so hard for so long it’s a shock for me to feel this much. but it’s been like, 3 months now, so i guess i’m holding up pretty well. :)
anyway.
i’m the kind of person who doesn’t like being belittled – for anything (can be bad in some cases). i hate it when someone tosses a comment that makes me sound worthless 0r useless. whenever someone dishes out that sort of comment, i rise up to the challenge, so to speak.
so lately a friend of mine has been saying things that are getting waaaaaaaaaaay under my skin. i don’t think she knows what she’s doing, other than asserting her superiority in the field, so i guess what i’m dealing with here is a case of inflated ego. here’s a list of things that she’s said that’s got me all fired up:
- i’ve known you for a year, think i don’t know you well enough?
- your cooking? omg, your housemate isn’t gonna get diarrhea right? (or something to that effect)
- you? dance? oh please. are you sure you’re not making a fool out of yourself?
- you? keep your room neat? really???
- you, bake? please don’t burn the house down.
oh, gee, i wonder what’s next? “oh, you, ALIVE???”
==
so i rose to the occasion. i danced harder, i danced better. when i play badminton, i make her run. when i cook, i perfect it. when i clean my room, I DAMN WELL MAKE SURE IT’S DAMN CLEAN. and when i start baking, baby, you’re gonna be licking my toes.
just because they know me for a year, doesn’t mean they know me completely. i don’t even judge you. i don’t even think that one year is enough to tell me who you really are. i can cook now, and i know how to break the recipe apart and figure things out. i can analyze it and tailor it to my needs. and when i dance, sure i will suck at first, but hey, watch me move after 2 lessons, and i’d tell ya, you’ll be running out of breath to catch up with me. i cleaned my room, and i shall maintain it. i will start baking. and you will loveeeeeee it.
i won’t even deign to tell it to your face. i don’t need to prove anything to you, because these are skill sets that i’m interested in developing in myself. i just wish that you’ll give me more room to be someone. a human. an individual.
but i guess the only thing you’re interested in is in proving me a weakling.
you know something?
i am not.
i am capable in anything i choose to be, through Him who strengthens me.
by the end of next week, i shall be able to bake 2 kinds of pie, 3 new dishes and 2 new soups.
yes, this is my pride talking. probably. i don’t know. i just want a challenge. i will rise up to it.
watch me.
a month’s absence
I’ll try to explain why I went missing for a whole month from the blogosphere in under 15 minutes.
First of all, since I got back to Morgantown, I moved out of Pierpont, and into a new apartment! I have my own room, and two housemates. It’s a pretty neat setup – a huge kitchen & living room and bathroom. So far, our visitors have had positive comments about our place. =) They said they like the light color of the carpet, and the plainness of the walls. I quite like it too – feels so much more spacious than it is. Bad point? There’s poor ventilation. 
It’s so hot during the summer, and we had to turn on the air conditioner. Even with the aircond on, we couldn’t feel it at all when we went to our bedrooms. So I bought myself a fan.
Then, I started work. My shifts have been irregular lately, but that’s okay. I’m getting paid at least, and my bills are covered. :) So my living expenses are kinda taken care of, in that respect. I get paid minimum wage, but I’m really happy that I’m getting paid at all. I work as a copy editor at the school newspaper – The Daily Athenaeum. It’s been fun working there, although I don’t talk much to my colleagues unless absolutely necessary. XD I mostly keep to myself, do my job, do my homework and get the heck outta there when it’s time to leave. Very dedicated. XD
School has been … passive aggressive with me actually. I’m doing well in Japanese 101, Abnormal Psychology and Physics 102. =) Biology 219 remains as the bane of my existence. I gotta work harder on that, because I’d like to keep my grades up. God has been kind in this area, too. =)
On top of that, I’m involved in the Global Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, Phi Sigma Pi, and Forensic Science Club. I’ve made new friends too! So it’s been a good semester so far, and I intend to keep it that way. Of course, with all these things going around me, I’m really exhausted. It’s been a month, and I’ve not fully rested (read: sleep in on weekends). It’s the Louisiana State Uni vs. WVU game this weekend, and I failed to get a ticket. I’m going over to Trevor’s place with Mikaela to watch it on TV instead, while Renu will be going with Chris and the rest to the game. I should’ve gotten myself a Maniac membership! ugh.
On a light note, there’s this guy in my Forensics club that I kinda have a crush on. kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. oh well. he’s probably younger than me, but who cares? And there’s the Asian dude I see around a lot. and the African American dude who works at the Rec Center. :D Two out of three actually know my existence, so it’s not such a bad thing.
So basically, these are the main things I wish I could write more of, but I can’t as I’m rushing for Bible study later at 6. So I’m heading to Cold Stone to meet up with Uma and hang out with her there, and then go to Karla’s place.
Gotta go!
Day trip to Washington DC
It was splendid! I went with Yanty & Grace. :) It was a four-hour journey, and we left about 7.30 in the morning.
We parked at the East Potomac Park, since it was free. First stop was the Jefferson Memorial, and we spent some time there before heading to the Lincoln Memorial. The Reflecting Pool was still under construction, unfortunately, but it was still a sight to behold! I loved it. We then head on to the Washington Monument, but didn’t go up since they ran out of tickets and we were pressed for time. After that, we took a break by having some chilli dogs and ice cream. Brilliant lunch, I say. After resting our poor feet, we walked on to the Freer Gallery of Art, one of the Smithsonian’s museums, and then went to the National Air and Space museum. :) After wandering about, we took the Metro to the White House, and came up from the back. So we got to see the backyard. XD It was interesting to see how the people are just so … welcomed to photograph the White House so easily, and no one stops you from taking the tourist shots. Oh, we also went to the State Capitol, and took a picture from the distance. We were so tired that we just didn’t wanna walk anymore. We met up with Yanty’s friend in Maryland for dinner, at a Thai restaurant. Ooh, the Salmon Fillet was delicious. So was Yanty’s duck. Absolutely delectable! <3
The journey back was splendid, and Grace passed out so I had to stay up and keep Yanty awake. We had to drive in the rain, which made things worse, but we managed anyway. By the time we got home, it was 1am. Fwah. I passed out, and woke up at 1pm the next day. XD 12 hours. awesome sleep man.
An Ode to a Sunny Spring!
Je vous aime soleil!
Week is almost over! We have Friday off, so that’s good. I’ve no idea what to do, maybe just catch up on sleep or go out for a movie? :) Had dinner with Amerie & Amir the other day at Eat’n Park. *swoons* The cute waiter was there! Was so glad I decided to wear a turquoise spag strap top and a mini skirt. :) He still has the sweet, cute smile and his eyes are still shining! And he was so sweeeeeeeeeeeet~~~~~ Kya! I chanced a look at his name tag this time, and found that his name was Marc! Ooh! Of all the guys’ names I’ve come across so far, I’ve always been partial to Mark/Marc/any other derivations. 
*laughs like maniac* hehehe.
So tempted to go there again, if only just to ogle at him. *dreamy sigh*
Somehow he reminds me of Remus Lupin. His voice is mellow, easy on the years. His laugh is … a bit weird. *shatters* Lol. His shaggy hair makes him look cute though, though I do prefer that he kept his hair short. Sigh. At least that makes his angular face look a bit sharper. All the angles are now softened. Tak suka la. But can’t deny that he looks good. :> If only Eat’n Park was an on-campus thing, I would’ve applied to work there. 
Sadly, it is not. 
Never mind la. Aduh.
But this is why I love the sunshine right now. I get to wear all the pretty clothes I want to, and thanks to my rigorous exercising over the past few months, I look good in what I wear. :) And I can buy pretty, pretty clothes without caring that it shows my bulge, because I don’t have any bulge! :D haha!
Did I mention that i saw him staring? =) weeeeeeeeeeeeee *floats to the sky* Oh well. There’s nothing I can do about it. My hands are tied.
rawr.
of birthdays, drunken confessions, and regurgitation
Well. Today’s Uma’s birthday, and she’s 24 now. Didn’t make her anything at all, so i figured a better gift would be some laughs at my expense. =.= how kind of me right? yeah, bloody kind.
anyway, the day started off really great actually. i slept around 3am on friday, woke up at 9 feeling absolutely wonderful – coz i conked out real fast. anyway, spent my noon with mikaela, tiffany, megan, melody and sarah. =) then we had a book discussion, and had lunch together. chick-fil-a is awesome. :D then, around 4, went for badminton with yanty, grace, uma and mikaela. played an awesome game with the gals until uma got the cramps and was sidelined. it got more competitive with me in the game – played with mikaela & yanty (one team) and my teammate was grace. then yanty had to leave, so only mikaela and grace played with me.
then grace had to leave. so it was just mikaela and me. thennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn. mikaela was like, “hey, wanna ask those two guys to join us in a doubles game?” i was like, “okies, whatever you like. :D” and boy oh boy!!!!!!!!!!
aaron and haikel (i don’t know how to spell his name) played a mean game! it was so fun. lol. i did feel a wee bit self-conscious coz well, aaron is rather … er, attractive. ngeeeee. XD it ended well though, and we lost, but that was okay. anyway, after the game, mikaela and i went for wall-climbing. guess who i saw there? AARON! <3 nyeheheheheehe. that was so awesome. ;) anyway, at least i know when to head for the rec center. ;) every friday baby. XD lol. weeeee. (yes,yes, aaron deserves his own paragraph. XD)
anyway, overall, i got a good workout in. :) planning to make the wall-climbing a more regular thing, so i can work on my upper body strength and tone my arms. =) my tummy is smaller now. i’m pretty happy with that, although i want it toned more. =)
and the night was crazy! ern, amerie, uma, amir and amy were there. and we giggled so much. sigh. you know how i start telling the truth when drunk? yeahhhhhhhhhhhh. about that. >< i’m so glad i can’t remember anything from last night. except the phrase: generational blessing. have no idea how that factored in. lol. they told me it was a good night, so i’m just going trust them at it and put it at the back of my mind. my stomach is still a bit upset though, and i don’t know what to do about it. sigh. never mind.
so today we’re heading for the movie HOP! :) i shall catch sucker punch on a later date, and i don’t mind watching limitless again. ;) bradley cooper makes my day. :D alrighty. ciao! <3
A Well-Deserved Break: Day 4
I’ve never truly savored the lull period of a vacation actually. I’ve always been in search of new experiences, adventures and just want to do something. But after a nightmarish week of rushing my assignments and studying for exams, I think I can really relate to those who are just adamant that they don’t do anything during a short break. I needed downtime.
Left Morgantown on Friday morning, arrived in Pittsburgh Airport. Slept until it was almost my time to board the plane headed for Chicago. A 2-hour flight spent sleeping. Got off at O’Hare, took the Blue line down to Damen, and walked all the way to Willow. :D I love being independent. I’m looking forward to staying there when Baby Oli comes to town. ;)
Had a Japanese dinner with my cousins and their friends, and that was a new experience in itself. I expected older working adults with serious things to talk about, such as politics and the weather. Knowing that there was an Englishman there fueled that notion along.
Funnily enough, I was absolutely wrong. Completely. Not only did they make lots of inappropriate toilet jokes and acted like random college students, the said Englishman was also just as bad. :D then we adjourned to Kelly’s place, where her husband and her kept a huge Boxer, Pascal. He was absolutely adorable. I spent the entire time pampering him, just as I would with Princess and Rocky and Sally. He had a toy beaver, and played little games with us too. He was such a sweetheart.
We got home a little after 12, and couldn’t resist watching the Samurai. I didn’t think it was any good before this, so I didn’t bother watching it. But after watching it that night, I found it to be an enjoyable sit. :) in the afternoon, I watched Prince of Persia, which I now think is good (previously avoided it too). :) They are mostly character-driven stories, with simple almost formulaic plots. But the characters were fleshed out enough to give the audience something to chew on. That, to me, was their shining point. :)
On Saturday, Kakak Minda and I had breakfast at Feast, and I went shopping with her. XD We fetched Abang Tuah from the pub after he was done watching the rugby games and headed for Madison! :D it was a 3 hour journey, I think, and we stopped by McDonald’s along the way. When we reached Madison, they checked in at Hilton, and then we went out for dinner with Lynn, Yeet Chien and Chloe at Vientiane Palace, a Laos Thai restaurant. Superb. Had a great time with them, and parted ways with my cousin that night. Gave Lynn and Chloe their long-overdue birthday gifts, and around 9, Lynn took me to see Chin Wei, Shi Ning, Shiau Shuang and Karen. :) they made caramel apple for me, apparently, and spent a jolly good time cracking the hardened candy, and exercising my tongue. == lol. But all was well. Finished the apple. :) Ji Mi was there too, and he and Shiau Shuang were finishing their Physics assignment. :) the apartment was cozy, and their rooms were huge, compared to the common area.
We got home about midnight. The next day was spent sleeping. Haha. Been a while since I got to sleep in that long without worrying about the time and assignments to complete. We (read: me and Lynn) woke up around 3, and we took our time getting ready and went out for dinner. Had Bacon Cheeseburger at Five Guys on State Street. :) Stopped by a cupcake shop, and Lynn bought us a delectable, heavenly chocolate cupcake. Oo-la-la. Headed home via State street, and noted the interesting shops I’d like to visit. ;)
So now, I am Steep & Brew, a coffeeshop on State. Just finished walking about around the main campus, and joined Lynn’s 8.50 Parasitology class and met up with Nisha at her 9.55 Organic Chemistry class. Feels good to literally ‘goyang kaki’ in class. :D When Lynn’s done with her discussion, we might head to the State Capitol, and meet up with Chloe, Lew Jin, Jesslyn and Yeet Chien for an early dinner down at QQ, a Chinese restaurant. :)
tickles the cockles of my heart.
- anon said…
- I ask u to ponder bout ur attitude, not on what you wanna debate about..n the reason y I said I was frank yet I apologize is to prove the difference in out attitude. N I said not to continue the conservation because I really don’t wanna judge u. Clearly I was pissed before, but now I know you’re this kind of person I’ll just let it be..
sigh. what do you say to people like this, hmm?
there are so many things that go through my mind. but the first and foremost would have to be amusement.
what did i do to deserve all this?
let me guide you through the answer… hahahaha. all i did was to disagree with him, and assert my points which i thought were relevant and point out the flaws in his argument.
AND BOY!
did i touch a nerve there!
LOL. turns out mr nice guy is only nice when you agree with him. hahahahaha. talk about maturity, mate. like really? for real? you know, after my experiences in certain organizations, you’d think i was prepared for this. i wasn’t. i’m like, “Wha-?” All i did, really – was just to debate the issue at hand. yeah, sure, i picked on his point, yeah sure, maybe i hacked it to pieces. but hey, i do that all the time, though he wouldn’t know that so i let that slide,… but seriously, just how thick can you be? omg.
i
am
flabbergasted.
and he was so made that he said “conservation”! LOL! clearly, his writing shows his state of mind. oh, DON”T START ME WITH THE FEELINGS. goodness.
anyway. i decided not to continue in that vein, because, after much delibration and thought, i have come to an understanding. of course he’ll be touchy/testy. you insinuated against him, that his judgment was wrong and such, and, of all things, in front of the person he carries a torch for. oh. you insensitive dolt (insert giggle here). you should know better than to pick a fight with a chihuahua. XD
Protected: side entertainment part 2
Protected: some side entertainment.
of multitasking and small victories
i’ve just completed a miniature project! and it was impromptu too.
i decided to be a little productive for tonight, and procrastinated in doing schoolwork with such class. XD anyway, i resumed my fox project, then while waiting for the glue to dry, decided to start modifying the mini-lantern i bought the other day. wanted to make some sort of a tea-house thingy. perhaps i shall have a small chandelier with mossy greens hanging from it. and the impromptu project was to create a nice scenery of a man reading under a tree in autumn. beautiful isn’t it? i shall take the pictures tomorrow, or maybe continue working on my tea-house project before i take the photographs? i’m too lazy to clear my table. oh well.
and i’m also trying to figure out just what to make for emily and lynn’s birthday. i’ve not made anything for lerdie too. and i should probably start on kelvian’s. arghhhhhhh. why so kan chiong come out in march one har???????????
Superbowl XLV
mmm. my first ever superbowl. and it was depressing.
but the commercials and the half-time performance was freaking awesome, i’d give you that. =) the play, not so. awesome offense by the Greenbay Packers and great defense by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now if only Steelers hadn’t fumbled much, or made really bad decisions, they would’ve had a shot at evening the score. Alas, it was not to be. So close yet so far. 
That is sad, don’t you think?
Oh well. I quite like the Volkswagen Beetle commercial, and the Bridgestone Carma ad. awesome ones out of the bunch. creative, innovative, and fun to watch. XD i quite like Adrien Brody in Stella Artois ad too. :) that was rather charming.
We watched it at Jerry’s house, and had an awesome potluck dinner :) had curry chicken, asam laksa, curry beef, egg tart, and awesome ice cream. :) it was a lovely gathering. and we had angpows too! :) ooh, and i had some lessons in photography by amerie. she doesn’t know it but meh, knowing that the Av setting helps with portrait shots is rather helpful somewhat. incredible lighting helps as well. i just need a shallow depth. that’s all. alrighty. that’s all for now. :)
