First weekend in the Big Apple...

.Tour of the city.

You know those obnoxious red-hot tour buses in NYC that just scream "look at me, with my ridiculous camera, pouch and floppy hat, i'm a tourist!"? I've always detested those. I thought they were lame and annoying and only for middle-aged couples with toddlers in tow. But guess what. Today I was one of those contemptible people.



Yes, I was on the tour bus. but i was not alone. it was a sponsored (i.e. free) activity by the internship program, and so i went, with my apartment mates and like 100 other people. And it was so FUN!! Although i sat right up front, 'cause we were late, as usual. i thought only international people were late. turns out, my apartment mates are ALWAYS running late, and i'm always the first one ready. so we often announce our grand entrance about 10 mins after activities have begun. But the front seat turned out to be pretty good.. got a first-hand view of how horrendous and terrifying New York drivers are. Man, they're awful. i think our driver almost ran into pedestrians 1000 times! i was so scared for their lives. and we almost hit other buses so many times! kudos to the bus driver for preserving our lives. also, the traffic lights and tree branches were so low, our tour guide told us our heads would be cut off if we stood up.


Where I live... Union Square! Bustling with people.

So we got a tour around... to SoHo, Chinatown, Greenwich Village, Central Park, Times Square! and ended off at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square, where we had lunch. you know something weird about NYC restaurants/diners? they always list how many calories are in their food. it's informative, but kinda scary. our burger for lunch today? freakin 1008 calories! more than half our daily intake! never eating a burger ever again. seriously. (this mentality will probably last until tomorrow. haha.)
even though i've been to Times Square a few times before, i can't help but be in AWE whenever i see all the glossy billboards and attention-grabbing posters and lights. and apparently the mayor of NYC just blocked off some roads in Times Sq, so there were TABLES and CHAIRS in the middle of the road and people sitting there just chillin'! it was the funniest thing EVER.
Here's a pic.


i'm kinda lazy to take pics with other people (or myself), so this was one out of the two pics with actual people in the foreground :)

.Shopping Madness.

I walked around the Times Sq area with my apartment mates and a bunch of other girls we made friends with. went to several high-end stores...not really my type. took the dirty subway to Canal Street (NYC-version of Bugis Street) and everyone got all excited about all those cheap little trinkets and fake versions of Tiffanys and Guccis and Pradas. and i was like... uh... i think stuff in Bugis Street is cheaper. not really into branded stuff anyway. real or fake. but i'm looking for a bag.. cuz the strap on mine broke. sigh. that's what i get for buying cheap bags. haha.

i didn't really spend much.. just got a skirt and a blouse at a cheap-ish store (where we waited for 30 mins for the fitting room and another 30 mins to pay! it was craziness) and then i found a BUBBLE TEA place!!!! needless to say, i gawked and RUSHED in, flapping my arms in excitement like a headless chicken, much to the surprise of my newfound friends, who have never seen me this hyped up about anything. haha. it was really good bubble tea too, i let them try some and they agreed. but guess how much it was?
freaking US$3.50. which is like 5bucks singh. i can buy almost 3 bubble teas at home! but it was totally worth it.

took the dirty subway home at 9pm. can't believe we were out for 10 hours straight. sooooo tired now. my feet are so sore and my eyes are fluttering shut.
and my apartment mates are still going out. i don't know where they find the energy to go out every night and get drunk. i kinda wanna go clubbing too, but... after hearing stories about their drunkenness and debauchery, i'm really hesitant. they make out with random guys and bring some of them home with them. plus i get tipsy really easily... my alcohol tolerance level is like 0.2% (0.1% higher than jo's. hahahaha). sooo.. not really comfortable with going out with them 'cause i don't trust them or myself to take care of me. hopefully.. i'll find people i can trust. heh.

.The Results Are In.

Joce reminded me to check my results.. and.. i kinda already expected to get all As, 'cause i worked hard this semester and some of my professors were really lenient. either that, or i did good work. haha. i think it's a combination of both.
so.. my GPA this semester is 3.86!
YAY it's one of my highest so far. (it's upon 4) so that brings my cumulative GPA up to 3.75. FINALLY. after that one semester where a couple of Bs pulled my GPA down, now it's up again! but it's still kinda low... needs to be higher! don't know if that's possible though. only have 2 semesters left.

.Church of the Holy Comforter.

I've decided. No more going to the "Church of the Holy Comforter" or being a "Bedside Baptist" (i.e. sleeping in and skipping church)... which is what i've been doing these past few months. i know, i know. it's bad. it was just a combination of various factors.
But anyway, like i said, that girl that gave me the random brochure thingy... i think i'm gonna go try it out and see. i think it's actually from a korean church. had my korean friend go check out the website and he said it's legit. it's a pentecostal church. i think tomorrow's thing is an event, not an actual church service? have no idea. the brochure wasn't very informative. soooo... i'm going tomorrow. 10.30am (sigh so early).
alone.
hopefully no one kidnaps me. if you don't hear from me tomorrow, know that i love u all (and call the police).
haha. i think i'll be fine. they're christians....

And i actually haven't told anyone here i'm a christian. i don't know. the topic never came up. and i don't know how to say it. i don't want them to look at me differently and think i'm judging them cuz i'm not. (although i do disagree with their lifestyle choices)
but... they can tell i'm different cuz i just act differently from them.

(Also, can I just say, GG ending was stupid. Chuck and Blair making out? kinda awkward + zero chemistry. Chuck doing all that sweet stuff for Blair? totally uncharacteristic and shows that the producers just wanted a happy ending to please viewers. And yes, Nate is totally a man-whore. he dated every single girl on the show!)

Day four and a half.

.Work Day.

HALF DAY today! happiness. i was nearly dying of cramps in the office. i'm sure they were wondering why i was so crabby, even though i was trying hard not to show it. almost decided to pop a pill, but then i realized i didn't bring my advil. dang it. but the cramps went away. and came back again almost instantly. so i spent the time cringing and biting my fingers and hoping time would go by quickly... and my manager kept giving me more and more work to do! finally i finished my work (researching new events in cities, finding new openings of restaurants and bars, etc.), came back, plopped down in my chair, and scarfed down leftover sushi and chocolate for lunch.
didn't go see Taylor Swift on the Today Show after all. too tired to wake up at an unearthly hour again.

.Catching Up.

On my 10 TV shows!
Grey's Anatomy: half-predictable ending. Izzie dying? totally saw it coming. knew her ego was getting too big for her to stay on the show. but George possibly dying? CRAZY! although they should end the show soon, cuz it's getting really draggy and slightly annoying.

Desperate Housewives: yes, i watch it. and people don't let me forget that. but omg. totally shocked that the psycho guy actually killed himself instead of getting revenge on susan by killing her son! at least he had some good left in him.

Lost: freaking craziness. that's all i can say. JACOB???!?!??!?!? next season needs to come out NOW.

Prison Break: totally LAME-O ending. how can the stupid producers let michael scofield die?? he's the MAIN CHARACTER. the reason i watch the show (which was getting draggy by season 3)!!! ugh. so stupid. i guess we can all be assured knowing there'll be no more prison break 1232837. but i'm glad they had a good ending. they deserved it. after running away for like 5 seasons.

Gossip Girl: catching up now!!

There's still One Tree Hill and Ugly Betty and Private Practice!

.Handing Out Random Stuff.

I was in the subway yesterday, when these two Amish-looking girls covered neck to toe handed me a Mennonite CD called 'Amazing Grace.' it looked really interesting, but i haven't listened to it.
and then today, on the way to work, this asian girl handed me a brochure/postcard thingy. i absent-mindedly took it, and saw that it was for a church!! i was so glad!! it's called Promise International Fellowship, and it's like 5 mins away from where i live. thinking about trying it out, since i haven't found any christians here.. nor have i found a church.

Day three and so many things happened.

Random pic of baby vs. adult John Travolta. isn't it so HILARIOUS? his eyes were freakin HUGE. so funny!

.Sleeping Late, Getting Up Early.

i got like 2 hours of sleep. feel like i'm constantly tired. but its okay. i went around union square with my roomie last night to look for yoga places, 'cause she's seriously obsessed with yoga. we found this cool hot yoga place, and i feel like trying it. it looks really fun, my roomie convinced me yoga was better than running or doing the elliptical in the gym. so we walked around in the evening, which was a nice break from sitting down at work all day. i got OPI nail polish at Sephora! :)

anw i was gonna go to bed at like 10pm, but only got to sleep at 1am, 'cause my roomie and i had girl talk. about guys and what not. she had tons of interesting stories about guys at duke university, where she goes to school. turns out its a small school too. its full of stereotypes, and girls only date guys from certain fraternities. and guys only want one thing from girls - to get physical. and girls allow them to cuz they're insecure and all that. it's really kinda sad.. i'm glad my roomie isn't like that though. she's so sweet and she told me she reads all these dating websites, and she gave me some dating advice:
to play hard to get with guys, and that'll make them want you more. hahaha. she makes me laugh.

so i got up at 4am, met a bunch of girls, took the subway to Rockefeller center at 5am. we stood in line for like 2 hours, then stood around some more and finally got to see Adam and Kris, the two American Idol finalists!

it was pretty cool. even though i never follow American Idol, i was screaming like every other girl there. got to see them up close, too, cuz they came near to sign some autographs. and their voices... whoaaa. they were so amazing live. Kris's acoustic rendition of Kanye West's 'Heartless' was soulful and heart-wrenching. even better than the original! we had to wait and listen to NBC's The Today Show for an hour before both guys did the soundcheck, then we listened to more of The Today Show... and we got on TV!! the camera panned around and came to us! it was pretty dang exciting. but i left before the show cuz i had to go to work. at least i got to see them perform :)

and i made friends with these two young girls who were MARRIED. they looked my age. it was weird. and this group of christians from mississippi who were here on a road trip. their southern drawl was SO funny. they were like 'y'all this, y'all that'.
'can y'all in the front put yer signs down! we can't see back herrre!'
hilarious. and this cute little ah ma who was shorter than me and kept telling me she couldn't see anything. ahahaha. and that her son-in-law dragged her here at 7am in the morning. after a while she gave up and desperately said (in a joking manner) 'let me outta here!' and she threw her hands up in the air exaggeratingly. she was so funny.

.Guy Trouble.

Soooo. i've only been in NYC for like 5 days and there is all this guy drama going around. heh. this asian dude (from the same internship program i'm with) i just met on tues actually came up to my apartment last night and into my room to ask me out. i was like... uhhh.. i just met you. i barely spoke 5 sentences to you. but of course i was too NICE to say no... so... i just.. said yes. heh. what is wrong with me! why can't i be assertive like a normal person?? so we were gonna go to dinner tonight, but i got really tired so i postponed it. plus my parents were kinda paranoid about me going out with a guy alone. although he is a NYC native so he knows his way around and can show me the sights. and he seems nice enough. i don't know. so he asked for my number and i gave it to him cuz i didn't wanna be mean and say no. again..... need to learn to say no.

and he's roommates with another asian dude, also on the internship program, who likes my roomie. hahaha. this guy's more persistent though. he calls and texts my roomie and actually came up to our apartment a few times last night to find her. man, these guys are so forward! i wish guys at taylor would be more like that. they're wimps compared to these guys.
and this other white guy likes my roomie too (she's really pretty and nice), and he's like a total jerk. keeps bragging about getting drunk and going to strip clubs and what not. ugh. calls her all the time too. so both of us are trying to avoid guys. haha.

AND.... today i was buying sushi at this grocery store down the street from NYU, and this cute black guy approaches me and starts a conversation with me... about salad (cuz i was standing in front of the salad bar trying to decide what to get). and then we talk for a while about other stuff... it was really random. and he was really nice and charming. and then he admitted he wanted to talk to me 'cause he thought i was cute.

sooo... i was really tired and not really thinking straight, so when he said he wanted to hang out and asked for my number, i absent-mindedly GAVE IT TO HIM. a complete stranger. omg. and now i'm like freaking out.. what if he's some psycho. now visions from the movie 'Taken' are flooding into my brain. about how these stupid americans go to europe and tell this guy where they're staying, and they get kidnapped and are sold as prostitutes.
BUT OK.
i'm not gonna freak out. he texted me just now, but i didn't reply. don't think i should.... right? besides, he said he was in town with his friends only till sat... so hopefully he gives up and forgets about it. sigh. i definitely need to learn to be more smart.

Random: whenever guys (or anyone else) give me a compliment on my appearance, i still can't really bring myself to accept it. i don't know... just, years of beating myself up and hating how i look kinda killed my self-esteem level. i used to think i was ugly and fat... and, in a way, i still think of myself that way. and its hard to shake off the past. so today when another random guy (what's with all these random guys!) came up to me to tell me he thought i was really pretty, i was like, psssht, don't lie to me. i guess... i need to learn to be more confident in myself (even though i am still fat).

.Work, Work, Work.

Got to write another story today! The editor apparently really did like my feature yesterday, and told the entire office about it! they were so supportive and like cheered me on. haha. and today i wrote for the travel section.. about this new resort that's opening in bali, indonesia. man, reading about all these hotels and restaurants makes me wanna go there so bad. they all sound so cool!


did you know there's an underwater hotel called Poseidon?? it sounds WICKED cool! wish i could go there.

other than that, i was bored again. maybe i do my work too fast. i should slow down or something cuz they don't really have much work for me to do. i guess they were expecting me to take longer than i did.
reminds me of how my friends would always tease me about my efficient homework skills. haha. hannah was like, i think you actually get up in the middle of the night to do homework, that's why you're always so ahead of us! :)

Weather is still dreary and rainy. bleh. summer shouldn't be so grey.

Day two.

.Rush hour.

Got up extra early to get my official NYU ID card! i look like i'm stoned in the pic cuz i was so tired and he took it when i wasn't ready. oh well. i'll just hide it from anyone's prying eyes. so i waited so long in line that i was running late for work and rushed to the subway station only to realize i forgot which one to take. figured it out finally, but missed the subway, and missed the bus too. ugh. so all in all, my morning was fill with anxiety, frustration and worry.
BUT i got there early! totally surprised. 5 mins early actually. so i didn't make a bad impression on them after all! :)

.Work: Day 2.

I GOT TO WRITE A FEATURE STORY!!! it was so stressful. one of the editors IMed (instant messaged) me and asked if i was up to write a feature on Ahnvee, this new restaurant and lounge that's opening in Miami. and i was like, YES! totally definitely! even though i have never written about FOOD and have no idea whatsoever what to write. but after looking at their past articles, i gained a slight understanding of their style, so i researched and wrote it, and she REALLY LIKED IT!! YAY!!! so excited. my very first article for the magazine on my SECOND day of work :)
i hope they actually publish it. haha.

Other than that, all i did was menial tasks like organizing address books and schedules and flipping through magazines to find ideas for content. but i enjoyed the last part. got caught up reading all the articles in the magazine instead of looking for stories....hope my manager didn't notice. haha.
and i made a stupid mistake.. the magazine finds new, upcoming restaurants and reviews them for people.. so i was supposed to call restaurants and confirm their opening dates. and i called this restaurant, and they said they opened in August 2007! horrified, i turned to my manager to tell her, and she got the shock of her life. then she realized the review was for an event the restaurant was putting on. heh. kinda embarrassing cuz the person on the phone probably thought i was an idiot. opened for 2 years already!

Funny story: my manager and the gay guy i work with were ogling hot guys working out in the building opposite ours today. so hilarious. he also made a funny comment about the Midwest when i first told him i went to school in Indiana. he was like, all people in the midwest are fat and they carry flip phones! (he's from the midwest and he doesn't like it there) so i immediately proceeded to hide my flip phone from him. hahaha. and i noticed no one here has a flip phone! they mostly have iphones.. and some blackberrys. these annoying rich people.

.Random observations.

These NYC buses are so handicap friendly! when a handicapped person comes on the bus, everyone has to wait while the driver puts the ramp down so they can come up, then he puts the seat up so the person has space to move his wheelchair too! isn't that so nice and helpful?
Also. i thought movie prices in indiana were awful, at US$8. but the tickets here???
freaking US$12.50!!!! almost had a heart attack when i saw that. that's like almost TWENTY SINGH DOLLARS!! i can watch two and a half movies at home! grrrrr. and there's so many movies i wanna watch over the summer too. sadness. maybe i'll scrimp on food and save to watch movies. haha. food always comes last, after shopping and sightseeing and movies.

And. i don't know why but i don't get hungry after work. i'm starving by noon cuz i don't eat breakfast (my stomach's not used to it) so i'm dying to eat, but by the time i get off work at 5pm and get back to Union Square and go to the cafeteria... i'm totally not hungry at all. it's really weird.

.Last words.

Have to go sleep now. only gonna get like 6 hours cause i'm gonna wake up at 4.30am to go to The Today Show at Rockefeller Center and see the 2 American Idol finalists perform at 7.30am!!!!!! actually, i have no idea who they are, but it's cool anyway :)

First day of work (since yami yogurt)

hahahaha. yup. and it was a pretty interesting one at that. i actually went to sleep early last night (early meaning midnight)... got up at 8am, the crack of dawn. haha. can't believe i'm getting up earlier in the summer than during the semester!
so i met allison, the girl i travel to work with, and we hopped on the subway, then the bus, and then got to our building like 20mins early. so we walked around the block, both of us falling silent periodically, with immense butterflies in our stomach. actually i wasn't that nervous, i was just tired. but she was really freaking out -- she smoked like 3 cigarettes to calm down.

so i got to the 5th floor of my building finally, and with trembling hands, i grabbed the knob and turned it. and i was in the office! it was really small, there were only 6 workers there, and they were all really friendly and warm. SO RELIEVED. and the first 'person' that greeted me was this HUGE black dog. it practically jumped on me and wanted me to pet it. i later learned its name was 'india', and its owner is this really hilarious and friendly gay guy. he was so nice and introduced me to the place and the magazine. and i met my manager, she was really sweet too.. she put me to work working on researching addresses of stores and researching new restaurant openings in miami.

so all in all, i really didn't do much my first day. got kinda bored and actually almost fell asleep at one point, cuz i was just staring at the screen, not really doing or thinking anything. but i'm sure i'll get more to do once they get used to having me around. my manager asked me what my major was, what i was interested in doing, and i told her i wanted to write, and she said i could probably contribute some stuff to their editorial department, which she was in charge of, so that was cool :)

AND she said i'm gonna get 3-day work weeks starting next week!!!! so i just work tue-thur 10am to 5pm!! how awesome is that??? this fri i have to go in, but it's only a half day. YAY! i told one guy about my awesome work schedule, and he called me 'bitch'. granted he did it jokingly, but i was taken aback, and i guess he saw my reaction, so he said he wasn't meaning to offend me, just was jealous. hehe.

so i walked around the block alone to get lunch, cuz my co-workers all ordered in, and i wanted to get out and get some fresh air and explore the surroundings.
BIG MISTAKE.

man, the place i work at is so sketchy!! full of creepy mechanics and construction workers.. cuz there's tons of construction going around there. and hardly anything else except art galleries and fashion showrooms. so i got lots of shady stares and whistles from creepers. and so i finally found a few cafes, but they were SUPER sketchy and i was totally creeped out but had to go in to get lunch. so with a deep breath, i walked into one, and got a muffin. hahaha. everything else was too dang expensive man. and then i went into this indian grocery store to get a drink, and man... they stared at me creepily. uggggghhh. i'm totally ordering in next time or bringing my own lunch. and it was cold, too. freezing, actually. it'll be raining for the next few days. SAD!

so the office felt strangely like my mom's matchmaking company. guess its cuz it's a small and relatively new company, and the owner is a mom... and i don't know, it just felt really comfortable and home-y. i liked it :)

so it was an interesting day at work. although i did get lost on the way back. took the wrong subway..realized it and got off one stop later... walked back.. couldn't get in again because apparently u have to wait 15mins after swiping your card to swipe it again... so yeah. it took me an hour to get back! but i did. and i felt gross like i always do after taking the subway. even though its not as filthy as people say it is, its definitely 1000times worse than singapore's MRT. i always feel like i have to take 5 showers after coming out of the subway. bleh.

dinner was ok. ate at NYU cafeteria. it reminded me of taylor's food, except worse. so little selection.. only pasta, burgers, hot food and salads and ice cream. oh well. i didn't really eat much. i feel like i'm either gonna lose weight from walking everywhere and hardly eating, or gain weight from eating too much chocolate to lower my stress. haha.

went to a seminar organized by the internship program tonight. was so tired but just went to see how it was. they have seminars every tues.. they're kinda like inspirational seminars.. tonight's speaker-- she battled a heart attack, amputation of her leg, and lymph node cancer!! she's sooooo strong. and she's not a christian. and you know what? this has just given me a newfound appreciation and admiration for non-believers. cuz they have to go through life depending on their own strength and abilities, without a higher power to help them get through it! they must be soooo strong, because i don't think i can get through life without having God to lean on.

and can i just say, i'm so glad i went to taylor and not some huge state school. i know i've said this plenty of times before, but taylor's really been a great place for me to adjust to life in the states slowly and get used to a different culture. i really appreciate the community we have there, cuz after hearing all these stories from people at state schools and seeing how so many of them waste their lives away drinking and smoking, i'm glad my life turned out the way it did. God knows i'm easily influenced and who knows what path i'd have gone down if i went to some state school and mixed with the wrong friends. PLUS taylor's not in the city. omg if it were, i'd have spent millions of dollars by now on food, clothes... everything.


random: here's the DVD cover from the movie i wrote the script for! haha.
they changed my title from 'the long road home' to 'gone but not forgotten'
which reminds me. number 1 on my summer to-do list: write more scripts for next semester so i won't have to kill myself writing them in the fall.

In the 'real world'

i've only been in New York City for two days, but it feels like i've lived here forever.
I LOVE IT! I LOVE NYC! haha.
although the cart in the airport cost freakin 5 bucks to put my luggage on. such a rip off. and the taxi from the airport to NYU Palladium cost 50bucks! NYC is totally an expensive city. don't know how people manage to live here. and the taxi driver was kinda scary. some middle eastern dude.. kept muttering to himself in some middle eastern language. anw, i got to NYU Palladium dorm safely! checked in.. moved my stuff up... met my roommate! she's really sweet and nice.. we get along well thank God :)

she's a history major but interning at UBS.. doing some business internship. my apartment mates are nice too.. and oh yeah! i was taken aback by the spacious apartment we have! big room, walk-in closet, kitchen and living room... not bad for the next 8 weeks! and this dorm is SO nice. there's a cool gym, a swimming pool, a cafeteria, etc. AND it's in the heart of Union Square!! where i stayed at two years ago while visiting NYC with my parents and cartoon! so i'm totally familiar with this place! it's so fun :)

so yesterday we unpacked and moved into the room.. met other people from the internship program.. omg. so one of my apartment mates has a bf, and he invited us to go to his apartment, so we went. and the first thing they said to us was, 'do you girls want a beer?' their fridge was stocked with alcohol.
it was kinda like a culture shock. after being at conservative Taylor for so long... i feel so weird being around all this un-christian people. hahaha. but i guess it is the real world. but it's just... so different! those guys kept swearing and talking about getting drunk and smoking weed and going to strip clubs and all that stuff... i was like, whoaaa. so not used to this. guys at Taylor are so much nicer. but oh well. it'll be an experience.

went grocery shopping yesterday. my money is just flying away i feel like. the cost of living here is sky high! i think i should just survive on fruits and cheap ramen or something. haha. but at least we get 7 meals a week at the dining hall and 30 dollars to spend on groceries. and it's really safe here. the security guards are super strict and on duty 24/7. so it's cool. plus this neighborhood isn't sketchy at all. we're actually a block away from the union square park! so it's cool. ystdy we had the welcome dinner and reception, got to meet more people. there's like 100 people in the program! they all seem pretty.... worldly. haha. lots of them smoke and like to get drunk. like i said, total different world.

so today we had our orientation... learned about internship tips... kinda nervous/excited about tomorrow.. starting my very first internship! i'm so lame. 21 years old already and i've never done an internship. oh well. gotta start somewhere. so today i went with a bunch of people to find our way to work.. cuz we work in the same area. and one girl works in the same building as me! and we start work and get off at the same time! which is awesome cuz now i have someone to travel to and from work with! YAY. she's nice. but it took like 40 mins to get to our workplace (taking subway, taking bus, walking), which sucks. so even though i start work at 10am, have to leave at 9am, which means getting up at 8am. sigh. at least i get fridays off. 4-day work week!!! WHOO. and our workplace is near the river. it's cool.

so yeah.. gonna start work tomorrow. pray for favor with my boss and colleagues! and i still have no idea what i'm gonna do or what i'm expected to do. heh. i'm just glad it's a small company so i won't be overwhelmed. ok better go sleep now so i won't be a walking zombie tomorrow.

Start of something new

These few days have been a whirlwind of crazy laughs, excitement, nostalgic memories, sad partings and goodbyes for the summer. It's kinda weird and different from previous summers, because for one, i'm not going home...until july. and two, all my favorite seniors are leaving. sigh. why do people always have to come and go. and it's been so crazy that i didn't even get to say bye to some people :( and i might never see them again!! but it's been a good year. i really love all my friends and i'll miss them so so so much over the summer and fall. this time it's extra hard to say good bye since i won't be at Taylor for the fall. i'll be in LA... somewhere new, and exciting, and also terrifyingly scary.

So i've been spending quality time with everyone for the past few days.. especially at the international Souphouse.. cuz there won't be an off-campus house next year where we can all hang out at till the wee hours of the morning :( so we made noodles and curry and rice on thursday, i treated people to ivanhoe's ice cream with my ridiculous $50 voucher, played playstation games, packed and cleaned my room and got fined $2 for scratches.... i seriously have too much stuff. 12 freaking boxes of stuff plus 2 suitcases and 1 carry on! and, by the way, both my suitcases were 51.5 pounds! only 1.5 pounds overweight! thank GOD. already have to pay ridiculous $40 for two bags. don't need to pay anymore for overweight bags.

Graduation ceremony on saturday was fun... actually not really. we kinda got bored and tired and hot since it was in the gym! so lame. and it lasted for 3 hours. too much talking, man. but it was so cool to see all my friends walk on stage and receive their degrees. so proud of them :) can't believe that's gonna be me next year! i think i might just cry my eyes out when i graduate, knowing i won't get to see my friends as often anymore, if ever. kinda makes you think about the future. and how scary it is because it's so uncertain. and how i have to grow up and be an adult next year and live on my own.

Anw, we had a reception for all the international graduates... took tons of pictures.. had one last cookout at the souphouse.. and then tearful goodbyes! haha. at least for me and cartoon. she cried. and of course, then i cried too. totally bawling my eyes out. haha. i don't really know why. well, i guess i do. it's sad to leave the seniors and my friends next semester. but awwww everyone was so sweet trying to comfort me :)
i really will miss everyone. alot.

Also. i'm sitting in the Indy airport now.. for the last time until January. kinda really nervous and freaking out about going to NYC alone. i told andrew i was doing an internship in NYC, and he knew i was going to LA for fall semester, and i told him i was freaking out about all the unknowns. and he was just really supportive and one thing he said was he really admired my courage to step way out of my comfort zone go alone to the big cities to do internships. and that was just really encouraging cuz i didn't think of myself as brave as well. i was pretty much scared to death. still am. don't know how to get to NYU, where i'll be living, don't know what to do when i'm there... what if i don't make any friends?? what if my work isn't good enough and they fire me or something?? how safe is NYC??? don't know any of these answers. will just have to trust that God will be my provider and guide and strength.
So please pray for protection and safety and wisdom and favor.

Junior year is over

wow. and to think last year we were freaking out, thinking we'd be old juniors the next year. and now we're moving on to becoming seniors next year!! kinda freaky how time just slips by you without you noticing.

Anw, finals went pretty well. i only had one final, since most of my projects/presentations were due last week. so after Historic Christian Belief final on monday, i was DONE! or i thought i was. but then... ok it's a long story. so my friend who was studying abroad in Ireland this semester came back on wed, and we wanted to celebrate at Flattop, so Hannah and I asked our prof if we could skip the 'final', which was a cookout/review session at his house. and he was like, sure, but u have to take a cumulative final! lameness. so we took it. cuz his exams are lame. and sure enough, i got done with it in 5 mins. ugh. but it was nice to go to Flattop with the wing girls and hang out one last time before everyone leaves.

so yeah. i'm done with school!!!! awesomeness. AND it's officially SUMMER. which means... NO MORE LTC!!!! how great is that. no more binding rules to restrict my life!! :) so i've been packing all my stuff.. man, i need to learn to live simple. i have like 10 huge boxes filled with all my stuff, plus 3 suitcases that i'll have to lug to JFK airport on sunday. don't know how i'm gonna do that, but i will figure it out!

and i 'met' my roomie for this summer on facebook. she's a junior from duke university. hopefully she's nice. we're gonna be living in NYU Palladium dorm together! with two other girls. really hope we get along. cuz we'll be living together for the next two months.

i think this year's been the hardest academically, but i've had the most fun too :)
glad to have NO MORE ECHO newspaper work for the rest of my life!!! andrew asked me to apply again for the entertainment section, but i was like, heck no. never again! i wanna enjoy my last semester :)

Time flies

It really does. Jo came to visit, and now she's on the way home! so fast. but it was prety awesome having her here. hahaha. all the crazy laughs. glad she got to meet my Taylor friends :) although we didn't really get to bring her around...what with finals week and all. but was still fun. we borrowed luke's car to go places and at the end of the week, we all got attached to it. it was like our car. haha.

anw got to see Star Trek and Angels and Demons!!


Both were pretty awesome. although star trek was surprisingly good. even for a person like me who doesn't really like sci-fi and never saw an episode of star trek in my life. and even though we had to sit in the 2nd row cuz we went when the movie was just released. the plot was solid, acting was great, effects were spectacular. although i heard from minor Trekkies that the plot was unrealistic cuz apparently there's never any romance in Star Trek. but oh well. whatever appeals to the audience, right.
angels and demons was pretty good too. i could totally predict what was gonna happen. well, i guess i did read the book, but i forgot it all..

anw.. as the days go by and we get closer to graduation.. i'm getting kinda nostalgic. and sad. people are leaving!! i hate this!! people always leave. i feel like i'm never gonna see some of these people again. cuz there's gonna go places all over the globe. siiigggghhhh. i've really grown attached to this little town and the awesome people in our community.

Gimme an 'S' for 'survivor'!

i survived. this week. was so long. but. i. survived.
omg so happy now i could just fall asleep. haha.

So last weekend was full of yummy dinners :) Sakura (jap) restaurant in Indy on friday... with a bunch of asian people.. then Flattop (stirfry) restaurant in Fort Wayne on sat for the international student senior farewell dinner! was kinda sad hearing all of them make their speeches and realizing i won't see them next year... time really flies. Sunday went to Fort Wayne again to pick Jo up from the airport!! i think GPS is the best invention ever. we would all be so lost without it.

ANW. some exciting news... i got a $40 cheque in the mail this week!!! i know it's not much, but it's still something!! I GOT PUBLISHED IN 'THE SECRET PLACE'!!! it's a christian magazine that publishes devotions... and two out of three of my submissions got accepted!!! so 20 bucks for each!! isn't that awesome?? :) was really shocked.

AND. my script.. the first and only one i ever wrote (for class).. won 3rd place for 'Outstanding Screenplay' at the media banquet! omg. was totally shocked and speechless when my name flashed on the screen.. wasn't expecting it AT ALL!! i really don't know what they see in my script.. it's not the best.. and i thought there were so many other people who were better than me.. but this was a good confidence-booster. maybe this is my career path?? haha.
and i got the dvd of my movie!! carly produced it and brent directed it.. and my script is now officially made into a movie!!! AAAHHH. haven't seen it yet. don't dare to. haha. it's totally weird seeing something i wrote made into a film!!!

other than that... i pulled my very FIRST college all-nighter on tues. haha. since my groupmate didn't do her part until last min, we had to stay up ALL night and work like almost 24 hours straight on the project. but oh well. it's over. thank God. i'm done. and i played in chapel the next day... was so tired i fell asleep in all my classes. haha. and then rushed to prepare for another presentation on thursday... so this week was basically awful. but it's OVER! man, junior year is over. this is so incredibly weird.

Gimme an 'S' for 'stress!'

Bleh. Two more weeks of school and i'm already dying to get out of here. One year and two weeks to go to GRADUATION!!! Totally can't wait.

Monday was International Mosaic Night, put on by international students. (which, by the way, is another whole issue. ISS pretty much stinks this year. tons of division and fighting going on. and alot of segregation...between Bahamians and the rest of us. haha. they need to have a separate club for themselves)

Anw it went pretty well.. although there weren't many people who came, because of crappy advertising. But it was a night to celebrate diverse cultures and fuse rich traditions. We had a Bahamian skit and dance, a fashion show (where i wore my mom's green and beige cheongsam-looking dress and bluffed that it was a modern, singaporean version of the traditional one), Chinese and English songs, and a Taekwondo demonstration. and I helped make tang yuan for refreshments! even though they were kinda hard by the time monday rolled around, since we made them on sunday.
but i'm glad Mosaic Night is over. all that practicing for the fashion show (i mean, come on, how hard is it to walk on stage???) took up a lot of time.

OMG Tues was our very own Mr. TU Pageant!!!! SO freakin' hilarious. 12 guys competed for the title.. they did a choreographed dance like the one in Miss Congeniality to the song 'One in a million'. SO FUNNY. and then they had a talent section, where guys sang original songs, recited poems, danced to the theme song of Pokemon, did ribbon dancing, did improv rock opera, etc. i laughed so hard..seriously. and then they did an interview section, where the guys mostly gave lame answers. and then TU Spirit formal wear. haha. and Doug won!!! i know him!!! he's so nice. the event was for charity, to help this little kid who's blind and suffering from a disease, and so Doug gave his crown to him!! isn't that so sweet :)

Yesterday and today were pretty shitty. although i must say, i have awesome, caring friends who are so nice to me and try their best to cheer me up when i'm down in the dumps :)

Rainy days

this week's been really rainy and dreary. i'm so sick of rain. even the grass and the plants are drowning.. where's the sun???

Anw. so the swine flu craze is getting worse..blown out of proportion. WHO just raised the alert status to level 5.. one level below pandemic madness. and.. i really don't get what the big deal is. so it's like a normal flu, same symptoms, not many in the US have died.. i think people should stop being so paranoid. but on the other hand, i'm going to New York in like 3 weeks for my internship. NEW YORK, OF ALL PLACES!!!! The state where there have been the MOST confirmed cases of swine flu!!! 20++ last i heard! sigh. so everyone who reads this, please please keep me in prayer as i do my internship (hopefully i still can do it...but who knows what'll happen in 3 weeks), as i'll be commuting to work every day and be surrounded by germ-y people in the subway twice a day. quite worrying.

really hope this virus dies down somehow. even people here in Indiana are getting panicky. just cuz there was a student in the U of Notre Dame who caught the flu.. i don't know. i just hope they find a cure/vaccine for it fast. and i was watching the news in the gym (the only place where i get the news, ironically), and they were talking about a similar pandemic years ago where scientists came up with a vaccine, but only it killed people instead of protecting them. like a million people died or something. craziness!

On to happier things, hannah and i worked our butts off to get done with the Echo early last night, and went to see the midnight PREMIERE of WOLVERINE!!!!
(on a side note, i'm surprised it came out in sgp 2 days before here!)



So it was pretty much adrenaline-rushin', butt-kickin' awesome!!! i don't know why the critics ravaged it, but i LOVED it!! i just love every superhero movie. they're awesome. and wolverine's one of my fav characters! the plot was crazy interesting and the story was so compelling. i was on the edge of my seat the whole time. although there were several cheesy parts..but it's forgiveable.

PLUS, there were all these weird geeks at the premiere. they dressed up as xmen characters like wolverine, cyclops, magneto (even though he's not in the movie), pyro, etc. AND they proceeded to entertain the audience (we got there like an hour before the movie started to get good seats since american cinemas don't give assigned seating!) by mock fighting against each other at the front of the theatre. soooo hilarious in an almost-annoying way.

Anw, only two more weeks of school left, and then finals, and then FREEDOM!