What I miss about Taylor

It's strange, how I wanted to get out of Indiana for the past four years, and now that I have, I feel weird not going back to school this fall. All my friends who are underclassmen are gearing up for a new year at school in a few days, and here I am, not boarding a plane to boring old Upland, Indiana.

It's a little bittersweet. I'm pretty glad I don't have to return to that godforsaken place; and yet I miss my friends and the community and even the classes. But life goes on, and I'm looking forward to starting a new chapter of my life.

Having said that, here are the things I will miss about life at Taylor. As mundane as it might be, there were plenty of good times, good memories, and good friendships.

1. Living in the dorm.
   I never really minded sharing a room or using a communal bathroom. It just made us all closer to each other on the wing. And there was always someone on the wing to talk to, hang out with, go to meals with, have homework parties with, go shopping with, watch LOST with, go to Starbucks with, etc.
   
2. Campus-wide activities.
   Airband, Nostalgia Night, My Generation, Reject Show, Habecker's Holipalooza, Silent Night, Study breaks, Orientation... even chapel and theatre productions and all those lame events and talks like Sex in the Cornfields.
   
3. International events.
   Oh international students. So many highs and lows with them. But mostly highs. Trips to Chicago and Indianapolis for fall break, stayovers at Dr Abebe's, movies, laser tag, mass international food cooking sessions, trying to educate the campus about our culture and laughing at their ignorance... good times.
   
4. The Echo.
   I don't know why, but ever since I worked as News Editor for the school newspaper, I've become significantly more interested in it. And yes, I will miss reading about the happenings at Taylor, the jokes that only Taylor students will get, the thought-provoking and sarcastic opinion articles, everything except the Sports section just because I have no interest in sports, period.
5. Fun classes.
   I say 'fun' because obviously not all classes are interesting, especially not freshman orientation or senior seminar, where you learn useless things about life you already knew. But I actually enjoyed all of my major classes, like Scriptwriting, Digital Audio Production, Media, Faith, and Culture, and all that great stuff about the media. I definitely learned a lot from both professors and classmates, and there are some classes like Intro to PR or Jewelry Making or Bowling I wish I took but somehow never got the time to do so.
   
6. People-watching and socializing in the dining cafeteria (DC) or the library or basically anywhere on campus.
   I just love to people-watch, and at Taylor, there were plenty of interesting and good-looking people to observe and gossip talk about. Like who was dating who, who just got engaged, who just broke up, who was caught drinking and put on suspension, who did something stupid/hilarious in class, juicy stuff like that. I also spent a lot of time in the library, not studying, but socializing. I don't think I've ever rented or read a book in the library in the past four years. Since the campus was so tiny and unhappening, and people were not very generous with their cars, the library was just the place to be, if you wanted to hang out with friends on campus. Plus it was open till after hours.
   
7. The excitement of going off-campus after being stuck on campus for days on end.
   Since most poor college students don't have cars (and those who do tend to be a little stingy in lending theirs to others), going off-campus for a movie or a shopping trip or a meal was rather rare, especially during the first two years. So we were always greatly appreciative whenever a kind senior would bring us out to the tiny town of Marion or Muncie to do some good old Indiana shopping - at Walmart. Indiana's not exactly the most happening place on earth, but we made the most out of it.
   
8. Friends.
   Of course. What would my college experience be without the great friendships I built with awesome people? It's a little saddening how we're separated all over the globe now, and we might never see each other again, but... maybe a ten year reunion will be on the cards.
   

There are probably more things I will miss about Taylor, but for now, that's all I can think of.

Last week of college classes

Megan, me, and Ruben. love them both!


Playing foosball in the Sammy basement while waiting for the surprise party to start


Awesome people :)


Salute to nakhoon, the korean guy who's leaving for the military


RUBEN! I'm seriously going to miss this kid SO much. he's pretty much awesome.


At campus safety waiting to go to Flattop. International students run on international time, as usual.


My two asian boys. i will miss them!!!


Seniors at Flattop.


International students at Flattop

This week's been a mixture of excitement, nerves, and nostalgia. I went to all my classes for the last time. The feeling was a little weird, knowing I'll never walk into a class here at Taylor in Upland, Indiana, ever again. There was joy, yes, but also sadness at the thought of leaving all these wonderful people who have been a huge part of my life for the past four years. A few months ago, graduation couldn't come fast enough. Now, it can't come slow enough. It's just hard trying to juggle finals and packing all my stuff and treasuring every waking moment (haven't gotten much sleep) with all the people I love.

Wednesday was my final theme presentation in my Performing Oral Literature class. My theme was Sisterhood, and I did a narration from the movie 'Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,' the song 'Still on Your Side' by BBMak, and an excerpt from 'Little Women' the play. It went pretty well, I think. By now I have no nerves getting up and performing in front of the class. I know I'm not the best performer, but it's actually kind of fun, this acting stuff.
We went to Indy at night... not the best idea. Ended up sleeping in the car and being super tired the next day.

Thursday I went shopping in Indy with claire... didn't really get much, because I already have WAY too much stuff to bring home. I honestly do not know how I'm going to fit everything I've owned this past four years into two tiny suitcases to bring home. I think there will be a lot of donating going on this coming week. I sold a bunch of clothes to this store called Plato's Closet, and they gave me $55 in return! It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
Then AAA (Asian Awareness Association) had our annual spring dinner in Muncie at Red Sun, this Chinese buffet. It wasn't great, but it was better than most disgusting greasy asian buffets here.

Got back to campus late, and was planning to head straight to bed, but then we had not one, but TWO tornado warnings, and so we all had to go out in the hallway and wait for the warning to be over. So annoying. I was awake for the first, so I went out, but the second one was after midnight, so I just ignored it and stayed in my bed, praying that the tornado wouldn't hit us if not I'd probably be dead. So thank God I'm still alive and kicking. During the first warning I had a good heart-to-heart chat with a good friend who's been drifting away from me the past couple weeks. We talked things out, shared our struggles, ended up crying over the phone, and I felt much better about everything. I guess it just took some understanding on both our parts. But I'm glad we were honest... didn't want to leave here without setting things straight between us. I've done so many things this semester I'm not proud of, and they've damaged some of my friendships, so I guess I have less than a week to make things up and get my priorities straight.

Friday was the last day of classes... EVER. Such a weird feeling. Don't know what to think.
It was also ISS (International Students' Society) Senior Night, so we dressed up, piled up into 3 vans, and headed to Flattop Grille in Fort Wayne. It was a good time just being with friends and eating way too much. We took pictures, talked about memories, got gifts (photo album and photo collage) from others, shared our plans for after graduation... good times.

Went back to campus and hung out for a while at a friend's apartment. Almost went to Indy, but glad I didn't, because we went to Sammy, one of the dorms, for a friend's farewell party. One of the korean guys was leaving next year to go to the korean military, so we threw a surprise party for him. We all hid in the game room in the basement and jumped out and shocked him when he came in. He was touched to the point of tears. It made me almost cry too. But it was such a fun time just hanging out, eating cake, playing foosball and frisbee, and talking.

And then we went to another friend's apartment after that and got thoroughly entertained by a bunch of drunk people talking their heads off. It's funny how different people have different reactions to alcohol. Some people cry, some people start sharing their life story, some people fall asleep, some people laugh nonstop, some people get violent, and some people can't stop talking. So fascinating.

Saturday Sungah and I went around campus with a friend and took pictures for memory's sake, because we realized we didn't have many pictures of us around campus. So that was fun. Then I worked on a web design project... I'm actually kind of getting the hang of doing HTML coding on Dreamweaver. Who would've thought?! And then we had a girls' night out to downtown Indy, but ended up at broad ripple, where we found new places to go to. It was fun... got to meet new people and stayed over at a friend's place.

Today we had our last MuKappa event...ever. SO SAD. Went to the Daudts' house for cookies, fellowship, and worship. I'm going to miss these cozy worship sessions at their house. Got to catch up with friends and talk about future plans and summer plans and everything. Good times.

Dead Week

Pictures...


Carly and me. She's pretty dang awesome :)


ME AND MY TABLE AT THE SENIOR SHOW!!!!!!!!


AWWW I love my friends :)


The group of us at the David Choi concert. He was really, really short.

I think it's starting to hit me a little... that I'm leaving Taylor forever in less than 2 weeks. Kind of excited to never go to school again, but also kind of really sad to never see these people again. I wish we all didn't have to leave. But I guess things change, people change, life changes.

Anyway, Dead Week = A week of zero activities in preparation for finals week next week.
But that's a myth. Dead Week is NEVER dead. It's always FILLED with last minute tests, presentations, projects, events, and all sorts of nonsense. We think Dead Week actually means WE are dead due to excessive stress.

So this past weekend was crazy fun. I totally neglected all my homework, including my Senior Show (which was on Monday), in the name of fun :) We went to Indy on Friday and Saturday, but with a different group of people. Things were a little slow, maybe 'cause some of the universities have let out for summer, but it was still fun. Saw the usual 'loser crew' (old pervert men) there, so that was entertaining. Stayed over at a friend's apartment and got a shock when the parents came the next day.

Went to see Iron Man 2 on Sunday!! I love Iron Man, it's awesome, and the sequel lived up to expectations. Two hours full of action, adventure, explosions, and witty lines. Good times. Then we drove around at like 10 in the night trying to find some place to eat... and everything was closed, except Applebee's, so we went in. And they had a late night special - appetizers for $4! That made us happy. And then it was time to go back to Taylor and start doing homework.

I actually got some coffee from Starbucks (I NEVER drink coffee, EVER) because I was falling asleep and I needed to be up all night to work on my Senior Show. The last time I got coffee was many years ago, and it gave me a headache. But this time it actually tasted alright and it kept me up ALL NIGHT until 6am when I finally went to sleep. Wow. Coffee actually works wonders! But this isn't going to be a permanent fixture in my life - coffee is only for pulling all-nighters. So I finally started doing homework at 1am... putting together my works and writing my senior reflection. I freaked out a little because I had NO IDEA what to write for the reflection, but somehow it came to me thank God, and I managed to get it done and get 2 hours of sleep.

Anyway, the Senior Media Communication Show was on Monday, and I was printing out stuff and gluing the papers to cardboard and trying to make the cardboard stand up... all until the last minute. But everything worked out. TONS of people came to the show (it's a show displaying the works of all the Media Communication seniors), and all my friends came, which made me so very happy. And they were so proud of me, and I was so proud of myself... all my accomplishments in 4 years! Wow. Craziness. After that we had a Media Awards where they gave out school awards and state competition awards for works that people in the major did, and I got some 2nd place award from some Indiana press association for some feature news writing I did last year. Have no idea what it was, but that's cool :)

So glad the show is over and my portfolio is DONE! I have my life back now :) Not that I was doing much work on it before, but... it's nice to know I'm done with that.

Live like we're dying

I think this song is so interesting, and so true. Life is so short and so unpredictable. We ought to live each day like we were dying. Then we would be so much more honest, vulnerable, open, and loving toward each other. Don't you think? I think if I had a few days left to live, I would fly home immediately and spend every waking moment with my family and friends. Doesn't even matter what we do... or what we eat. Some people say that if they were dying they would like their last meal to be ______. But I think when it comes down to it, nothing else matters except being with the ones you love. You could sit together in silence the entire time, and it would still be beautiful. 

Okay, I don't know why I went off on that tangent. Well I guess I do. I kind of miss my family and I'm really looking forward to seeing my parents because I really need someone to be accountable to. Also kind of why I'm taking a gap year. I need to deal with my struggles and get my priorities straight before I go off to live in NYC (if I ever do), corrupt capital of the world. Sometimes I worry about myself, I might seem stable and strong, but I'm so easily influenced, it's not even funny.

Anyway, this week has been pretty uneventful. At this point, I have given up on studies and my mind is totally off in summer mode. In class, I either sleep or chat with friends on my computer or space out. I don't know what's happening to me... usually I'm so hardworking and I do all the assignments way ahead of the deadline. But now, with just 2 weeks of classes left until I leave Taylor forever, academics just seem unimportant. They're pushed to the back of my mind, because all I want to do is spend time with people.

Somehow I feel like I will probably never see some of my friends here again, just because we're all on such different paths in life, and they'll probably end up all over the world. And that just makes me so nostalgic and sad, so I want to spend all the time I have left here with people. And not with my head buried in the books. Because relationships are ultimately more important to me than some class I will probably never remember 10 years from now. But thankfully the workload in my classes is dying off, so I don't have much to do, except finals, which I don't care about. I'm resigned to my GPA not going any higher than 3.8/4.0 anyway. I guess a 3.7 is just as good. Hopefully it gets me into graduate school a year from now in NYC. We'll see about that.

So I've been hanging out a lot with this one friend I've known since freshman year, but we've never been super close until now, when we've found out we both have a common interest - partying. And she's pretty crazy, so I've been learning a lot from her... about interesting things. haha. Too much information to go into detail.

But I think, even though I like to go out and have fun, there's three things I won't ever do: Drugs, smoking, and sex. Even though sometimes it's kind of hard because everyone else is doing it and I feel so pressured and people poke fun at me for being the 'party pooper' or whatever. And sometimes it's overwhelmingly tempting. But I know I'll regret it if I do any of those 3 things, and I don't even want to think about the consequences, so... I keep my ground as best as I can. But sometimes I'm afraid I'll give in, especially if all my good friends are doing it.

Tuesday we went shopping, and it was such a relief to get away from campus and go to the city. I didn't really buy much though, just necessities; I've been on a saving kick. I've been much less reckless with my money this year, maybe it's because I'm graduating and I have to start working sometime and I'm finally realizing money doesn't grow on trees. Plus my brothers want to go to med school, and that's expensive.

Friday we went to the play, called 'Crimes of the Heart,' which was actually pretty decent. Normally I fall asleep at Taylor plays because it just bores me, but this one I actually liked. Too bad we left early to go to Indianapolis, and... the night ended up being a little too crazy for my liking. I feel like people have been telling other people stories about me. My reputation is probably going down the drain, but oh well, in 2 weeks I won't have to deal with this anymore. It's so weird, because at a state school, this would be totally normal. But just because this is conservative Taylor, it's like a huge deal.

Almost time to leave :(

Thoughts

I hate how time flies when you're having fun. I've come to know and appreciate this place, despite all its obsession with material, worldly stuff. And I've definitely come to love the people, especially the close friends I've made here. So it's sad to leave, because even though we all swear to keep in touch and visit each other, the US of A is just way too big for any reunion in the near future. So it's very possible I won't ever see most of my friends again. sigh. I hate this whole making-friends-then-saying-goodbye-months-later thing. People really do come and go in life. And I guess you just gotta make the best of the time you have with them now :)

No more classes

YES we're done with classes! Finally! No more ridiculous papers or projects! SO GLAD. Even though this semester has been the easiest so far... hardly any homework, no tests, just films to make. Don't know how I'm going to go back to real school and real classes. UGH. Still having major senioritis. Don't want to do anything of substance. haha. But yeah so glad i'm done till january. And i guess i did learn some stuff.. about making films, what it takes to make them, how the industry works, how HARD it is to actually break into the industry (it's near-impossible. it's like a mix between hard work, talent and pure luck. no kidding). I didn't learn as much as I thought I would, but I had a TON of fun here, so that makes it all worth it. I didn't really have any expectations coming out here anyway, so this totally exceeds my expectations and I'm so glad I came. And to think I was nervous about the program before coming out! :)

So we turned in our final film "Two Hours" on saturday. YES! it was pretty insane. ALMOST EVERYONE pulled an all-nighter, especially the picture and sound editors, because they had to work like crazy to make the films perfect. i got some sleep, but not enough. So it was a pretty intense rush to the finish. And our Executive Producers loved all the other films... except ours. sigh. 'cause we ran into some technical problems and couldn't finish editing all we needed to. but whatever. really don't care anymore. just glad to be done. at least they approved our film! So yeah... we all pretty much slept the entire saturday away. kinda sad about that. what a waste of our last saturday! but we were exhausted. at least we had a mini party/break at the center in between editing :)
And i feel like i'm getting sick anyway, so i needed the sleep.

Lights and Sounds


Pretty lit up Ferris Wheel on santa monica pier


On the pier at night


The pier in the distance. I look like my right hand's missing.


Cheap tourist-y shirts on Venice Beach


Muscle Beach - where hardcore insane people work out all the time. even in the COLD.


Can i just say how much i love my new camera and its beautiful colors (in the day)??


CHRISTMAS TREE!!


The group at Griffith Park.


At Rodeo Drive

Woke up at night and went to Griffith Park with a bunch of people to see the Lights Festival. we were all pumped to see it, but it ended up being pretty disappointing. it was kinda lame and cheesy, in typical Hollywood fashion. ugh. seems like everything about this town is cheesy.

Then we went to Rodeo Drive, supposedly the most expensive street of shops in the ENTIRE WORLD! okay, i don't know about that, probably not true, but it sure has ALL the brands and it looks super upscale and sophisticated. It was all lit up and beautiful. LOVE Christmas lights :)

Sunday we went to Venice Beach to shop around... it reminded me alot of Jamaica, what with all the weed smoking and sketchy looking homeless people around. And they actually have MEDICAL MARIJUANA shops along the beach! I think it's like selling marijuana but legally, pretending its medicine. something like that. since marijuana is legal in california. was really weird.
Then when the sun set, we went down to Santa Monica pier and saw it all lit up. we attempted to ride the Ferris Wheel, but forgot to bring money. haha. it was pretty though.
And then I dyed Faith's hair!!! First time dying someone's hair. it was pretty intense and VERY FUN! i want to be a hairdresser. Her hair's all jet black and glossy now. Pretttyyyy. Like mine! haha.

The rest of the photos are on FB here
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=2042799&id=179202856

I hate this part right here

Saying goodbye

I'm really not a fan of goodbyes. but somehow my life seems to be full of them. can't believe i've already been here for 8 weeks, and now it's time to leave. no one wants to leave; i know i don't. it's funny how we've technically just come into each others' lives, but it feels like we've known each other for a long time. and we've definitely had plenty of great times together. it's sad to think i might never see some of these people ever again. that's the thing about living in big ol' america. but there's been talk of a NYC summer 2009 reunion next year... i'm definitely there.

Looking back

I'm glad i took that step of faith and applied for the seemingly shady program (its name alone, university of dreams, was enough to make me wonder if i was being scammed). I came all by myself to New York City, not knowing what to expect at all. i was sad to leave my friends at taylor and totally intimidated by this huge foreign city filled with people i didn't know. But now i'm leaving with tons of friends and contacts. I'm pretty sure this experience has exceeded my wildest expectations, and the people i've met have been so awesome.

I have to say, i really don't regret anything i've done, even all the stupid crazy things. I mean, i'm 21, and i'm in New York City with all the freedom in the world (without the ridiculous, life-restraining, don't drink/dance don't-have-any-fun LTC). and i finally feel like i'm living out the real college experience. sure, you might say it's pointless and meaningless and what good is there in that? but i say it's a life experience. i'm finally breaking out of my boring shell at taylor and i'm seeing the world around me without my rose-colored glasses on. yes, i compromised a little, but what's life without mistakes? i definitely learned a heck of a lot about life. it's things that i could never learn otherwise, without experiencing it for myself.

Start of something new

i guess it all started at the Black eyed peas Today show concert, where i met sarah and hit it off, and she introduced me to her group of friends. after adding a bunch of other random people, we had formed our awesome group :)

i just feel like i've been living under a protective shelter for so long. i felt so naive about anything else going on in the world. i wanted to get out and experience it for myself. and i'm glad to have had my friends; they were fun and crazy, but not too wild as to go home with strangers.
Fav memories at village townhouse, marquee, webster hall and hiro. sometimes it's just fun to have a girls night out dancing :) not a big fan of sitting around in bars.

Hot or not

All that said, i'm getting a bit tired of the whole clubbing scene. i realized last night it's not as fun when i'm sober, because i looked around me and saw a bunch of creeps trying to take advantage of girls. and all these people wasting their lives away drinking and partying.
i also realized how superficial people are. i saw a lot of my friends get turned away from so-called exclusive clubs because they weren't 'hot' enough, according to the bouncer's standards. and some of them had to pay extra just because the bouncer didn't like their outfit, and were blatantly obvious about their disdain. ridiculous, but i guess that's just how the world is. luckily (even though i got scrutinized) i never had to pay.

I learned that in this world, people's idea of a fun night is drinking a whole lot and getting drunk. the more drunk, the better. i still can't understand that, because puking in random places is not fun at all, neither is nursing a hangover and feeling like crap the next day, or not remembering much of what happened the night before. so yes, there were times i went over my limit, but then i learned what my limit was, and avoided going near there again.

so maybe my short-lived time of partying is up. i guess it's not like i'll be doing any of that at home or at taylor anyway. i'm kinda glad i'm not going back to taylor in the fall. life there is way boring in comparison. i'll be in LA!!! and then one more semester, and i'm outta there! :)

I really don't wanna leave NYC, but i guess i'm leaving with great memories and friends who i'll hopefully see sometime in the future. everyone's from/goes to school all over the States, which is what makes it SO hard to leave, because we know we might not see each other ever again. and definitely not in this setting.. in the dorm room, working hard and playing hard every week. but we made promises to visit, and i hope it happens.

tonight we had dinner all together at a nice italian restaurant one last time. and then partied it up one last time :)
sarah left first, at 3am, and it was a crying fest. i really hate goodbyes. i guess it's just beginning to hit us that we're really leaving :(



anyway, all in all, definitely the best summer of my life....


fun times. stella brought me to my first-ever all-asian club here. haha it was an interesting experience. never been around so many asians before in the US!


after trying 2 times, the third time's the charm. we finally got into the ever-exclusive hotel gansevoort's rooftop bar -- plunge. and it was free :)
although drinks were a total rip-off. but the view of the city was so beautiful.


Our last dinner together :(


After meeting a random promoter, we ended up the upscale Marquee for free entry+free table :)

...now back to the land of skinny people.


Goodbye NYC, it's been real. i'll see you soon.

Last days...

Yesterday was the last day at work. i got to go in late, and the atmosphere at work was so relaxed, cuz it was the weekend, and people wanted the weekend to start as soon as possible. my editor took me out and treated me to a sushi lunch, which was so nice of her :) we got to talking, and i must say, i'm actually gonna miss working with her and everyone else. i thought i'd be jumping for joy on my last day of work, but i was actually kinda sad and not ready to leave. at all. but we did say our goodbyes...
i'll probably keep in contact with them though, so i have a network of people to reach out to if i want to work here in the future. (which i really want to)
i wrote out a list of stuff i've been doing in the office, so the next intern can know what to do. and my editor was like, please don't leave! haha. i have to, but it's been great :)

We went to a PR event after work, and got to see exclusive previews of products from all kinds of brand names that will only be launched in the fall. and i got to TAKE SOME OF THEM WITH ME!



Laura Mercier almond coconut milk body creme (it smells soooo good), Godiva chocolates (we got to sample some there, and bring some back. yum), Cookie smelling shower gel from Philosophy (makes me wanna eat cookies), and perfume/lotion from Philosophy's amazing grace. oh and also perfume from Memoire Liquide, this cute brand that lets you custom-make your scent. it smells SO good.
i love philosophy. they had an entire room of philosophy stuff for the christmas holidays, and it was all sooo pretty :)

the event was so fun. a girl came to take us around to see all the beauty products like makeup, perfume, body lotion... then we went to the fashion section, with clothes galore from all kinds of brands, then to the lifestyle section with all kinds of gadgets and cool stuff. the place was SO pink. pink candy, which i took some of, pink cupcakes and cakes...oh it was so cute. and they had an entire bar filled with free drinks too. i so wanna work here!

Graduation ceremony

We had our Dreamer graduation ceremony last night... it was really sad, seeing all 100+ of us all together again for the last time :(
Kaz, our program director (he's awesome) gave one last speech and told us to go forth and pursue our dreams! they played a slideshow filled with photo memories of our time here, and it was nostalgic. we got a free book filled with inspiring words, and then we appreciated the staff members and got in a circle to toast to an awesome summer in NYC :)

And then i did my laundry and accidentally put in a pink shirt with my other white-ish stuff (like sheets) and now everything is pink-ish/stained with splotches of pink. sigh.

I hate packing. and of course, since i'm leaving tomorrow, my period unsurprisingly has to come now. lovely.

Cupid Shuffle

We danced to that song at the cruise, and it was stuck in my head the entire day yesterday.


at the cruise. i don't know why everyone else's photos turned out better than mine :(


i'm gonna miss these girls.


tried to get into plunge, the upscale rooftop bar at hotel ganzevort, but it was impossible and they wanted us to get a table.
table = $250 minimum. heck no. sad.


so we ended up at ono next door, where there was no cover charge, and it was... a gay party!!! awesomeness. although it was kinda sad seeing all those cute guys and knowing they weren't interested :(
but this guy (in blue) we met, he was the gay-est of gays, and he was hilarious!! omg. he came and danced with us, and put on this mini fashion show for us. hahaha. wonder why gays are so funny.


and then we randomly met these promoters on the street and ended up at tenjune!!!
the exclusive club that lots of celebs go to!! heard it was super hard to get in, but we got in for free + free drinks :) i love being a girl.
although... the club wasn't all that. too crowded + ok music + didn't see any celebs. maybe cuz it was a sunday.

Movies

Went to the midnight premiere of Harry Potter number 6 yesterday.. waited in line for 2 hours, because here in America, they don't have this basic thing called SEAT NUMBERS ON YOUR TICKET. so you have to go super early and wait and rush in just to get decent seats, which we did :)
Although we did meet interesting people while waiting, so i'm not complaining. these girls were wandering around trying to sell 'wands' to people for 2 bucks.
their wands = branches from trees. haha.
and this guy behind us was all dressed up in Hogwarts garb, flamboyantly gesturing and explaining all his theories about Harry Potter conspiracies. and when a reporter came to take pictures, he posed in the most ridiculous poses. it was like his own photo shoot.
and i actually really liked the movie. it was light-hearted and funny and better than the previous ones.

but i didn't like taking the subway back at 3am. it was the creepiest thing in the world. creepy crawlies everywhere, creepy weird-looking train that zoomed by and didn't stop, creepy guys mumbling to themselves, creepy guys whistling... ugh. never again.

Also, i finally saw Wall-E. and it was rather boring due to the lack of verbal communication.
But Slumdog millionaire totally blew me away. i'd been putting off watching it cuz i thought it'd be intense and serious and boring, but i totally sat through the entire thing in rapt attention. i couldn't pull my eyes away from the screen. it was riveting! loved it.

One more day of work

YAY! my manager seems to like me a lot... she kept telling the others what a great job i've done and how she doesn't know what she's gonna do without me. haha. awww thanks.
i really like her, she's awesome. and she asked me to continue writing for them, only this time i'll be PAID! $50 per story!! HECK YES. i'm so glad i met her :)

other than that, i almost fell asleep today and monday at work. haha.

I gotta feeling

So tired from going out the past few nights i fell asleep last night and didn't wake up today till 1pm. nice long 12 hour sleep.

Anyway here's the free stuff. holler if you want any. i know joce wants the benefit stuff.





from left to right: Yes to carrots hand moisturizing cream, Victoria's secret brown to earth eyeshadow, Victoria's secret goldblinger eyeshadow, Pixi lipstick, Sonia kashuk blue sapphire eyeliner, Sonia kashuk pale pink lip crayon, Sonia kashuk luscious pink lip crayon, Benetint lip balm, Sonia kashuk truffle lipstick, Benefit coral pink face powder, Sonia kashuk fairy shimmering loose mineral blush, Pixi nude shimmering eyeshadow.

My sister's keeper



Today i went and saw My Sister's Keeper, and sarah and i were bawling our eyes out the entire time. it was such a profound, intense and thought-provoking film, i loved it.
i think this was the first time i cried so much during a movie since... Titanic (yes, Titanic made me weep. every. single. time.) haha.
It just seemed so unfair, you know? How can a little girl be allowed to go through so much pain and suffering and then finally die of leukemia? what good is there in that?

And then having another little girl genetically modified and created just for her organs and blood and tissue to give to her sister (albeit against her own will)... it's just... alot to think about.
I mean, she's a person, too. how can someone create a whole other human being to manipulate and use for the benefit of a sick kid? I don't know how i feel about forcibly holding down and poking giant needles into fragile 5-year-olds just to save another kid. And the mom, played by Cameron Diaz... wow. i've never detested any character so much. it was crystal clear everything she did was only for the dying child; she'd do whatever it took, including cutting up the healthy child to save the dying one. and that's just wrong.

Although.. the movie's ending is totally different from the book! (i didn't read the book, i googled it) but i think i prefer the movie ending. it was a little happier.

Abigail Breslin is just about the cutest 13-year-old ever. and the most talented too.
And if you watch the movie (which you definitely should), watch out for a bald Thomas Dekker. so cute. haha. and bring tons of tissues too, you'll need it.

More trashy tv

Been watching 'Here come the newlyweds' (i know, i was desperate, since all my other fav TV shows are gone and will only return in the fall).
it's pretty interesting. these newlywed couples compete in competitions designed around how well they know each other and how they communicate, and in the end the last couple standing wins all the $$.
It's just fascinating to see how different couples communicate, and how each couple has different ways of showing their love and affection for one another.

Things happen for a reason

Remember when i had that interview with BlackBook for the advertising department then decided i'd rather do editorial?

THANK GOD i didn't accept BB's internship. i met this girl who did, and she totally hates it. turns out, they hired 13 interns, and since there's so many of them, each one only comes into work about 2 days a week, and they do absolutely nothing. nada. zero. zilch. they just sit around and stare into space, and accomplish nothing productive. at least that's the gist of what i heard.
Wow. so glad i'm at julib, even if it's smaller and lesser known. at least i get to write tons of stuff.

Random

Poor Farrah Fawcett. she just had to die on the same day as Michael Jackson, and now the whole world is grieving over him and no one remembers her. :(
People are really taking this whole MJ death thing hard. my friend was like sobbing 'cause he was her idol! i was like... okayyyy... why are you crying over some creepy guy who put bleach all over his body.... and i don't even know half his songs.
But i'll admit, he did revolutionize the music industry. even if he did invite little boys to do god-knows-what in his sketchy Never Never Land castle.

And can I just say that i'm in love with mascara now. it makes your eyelashes long and sweeping! although it is a little harder to put on and take off than eyeliner. but it's fun :)

Bouts of missing home always strike me randomly, usually when i see families together, having dinner, walking down the street, shopping together...
i'm like, awwww.. i wish my family could be here too!

When i saw transformers two nights ago, these little boys were waiting outside the theater after the movie, and their parents swooped in with their car to pick them up moments later... and i was like, awww... reminds me of when i'd bring my little bro and adorable little cousins to go to the movies, and they'd be bouncing off the walls and demanding popcorn and hot dogs.. and of course i'd give in to their requests 'cause they're just so cute (even though my mom's voice would inevitably ring in my ear: 'no hot dogs! it causes cancer!') :)

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.

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.

Back safe and sound

yes, i am back. at school. feels kinda weird to be back, actually. like i'm on vacation 24/7. cuz when i'm home, i'm obviously on break, and when i'm here, i'm not home so it feels like i'm on holiday too. haha.

anyway, the travelling this time was good. smooth flight, hardly any turbulence at all, thank God. cuz whenever there's turbulence on the plane, especially bad turbulence, visions of my life flash before my eyes. it's kinda terrifying, but i'm getting more used to turbulence now that i've to travel at least twice a year.

sat next to this big sized german guy from singapore to frankfurt, and omg. totally had no space. he was in between me and another girl, and he took up his size plus half of ours. totally no leg space. but oh well, at least he got off at frankfurt, so i had a nice empty seat next to me from frankfurt to new york. surprisingly i slept a lot on the plane this time. although i still managed to squeeze in 5 movies :) so here are my reviews.

- Nights in Rodanthe (not really worth watching. really draggy and slow. would have been a normal romance story if not for the sad ending. but i guess, like all other nicholas sparks books, someone has to die at the end. his other movie adaptions like The Notebook and A walk to remember are much better. this was rather disappointing.)

- High School Musical 3 (although i saw this on its opening day, who doesn't like a good old feel-good movie once in a while?? plus i knew all the songs by heart since i heard them everyday in my hallway. haha. so i got to sing along! not out loud of course. there's just something about Disney movies that can 'stand the test of time'. people of all ages love them! it's just refreshing to see a movie that's not all about sex and violence for once.)

- The Duchess (i'm so glad i didn't waste money watching this in the theatres. it was kinda disappointing. although i love period films where the people dress up in such beautiful costumes and get to go to balls and all, this was just rather bland. keira knightley did a pretty good job portraying the long-suffering Duchess of Devonshire, but the other characters were one-dimensional and just unconvincing. and the ending was another sad one. as u can tell, i don't like sad endings! movies are supposed to take you into a world where unrealistic things happen so we can live vicariously through the happy endings that characters have! so depressing endings are just unacceptable. unless it's like a war movie or something)

- Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (i'd heard bad reviews for this one, so i wasn't expecting much. but it was actually not that bad. the awkward yet likeable pair of Michael Cera and Kat Dennings as Nick and Norah made for good chemistry. there wasn't much happening in the film, it was kinda slow-moving, but still interesting to see the relationship develop between them. although i only got to see the ending and not hear it, cuz the plane was landing and they took away our headphones.)

- Lakeview Terrace (omg this was horrid. not so much the plot or the acting, which was average, but mostly the characters. especially the main character, played by Samuel L. Jackson. he was just so.... difficult to understand! like, i didn't get what motivated his actions. he seemed racist, but there were times where he just seemed like a corrupted cop, and times where he was just psycho. it was really weird. i spend the entire movie trying to figure him out and i still don't understand him. so no. not worth watching at all.)

time to catch up on all 10 of my TV shows online!!! and also unpack and all. i'm trying to be a minimalist in terms of material possessions, but i think for me it's just impossible. i don't know why! but i just have SO much stuff! 3/4 of the stuff in the room belongs to me. heh.

so yeah. glad to see friends again, especially sungah, whom i haven't seen since 9 months ago. but mostly everyone's not back yet. but also kinda miss family and friends back home. i actually was tearing up in the plane, and it was kinda mortifying cuz people were looking at me all full of pity and i was like, this is my like 5th time leaving already i don't know why i'm still sad.
but i guess HOME is always where the HEART is :)

Home sweet home

YAY finals are over and they weren't too bad... and even though i stayed up till 5am last night polishing my script, it's all good!! am pretty proud of my finished product. came up with an AWESOME ending!! hope i get an A :)
my very first script - entitled 'The Long Road Home' - about a secret that binds two estranged brothers together... i really enjoyed working on it!! wouldn't mind doing more of this kinda stuff in the future.
so. leavin soon to go to miriam's house in indy to spend the night..and my flight's at 8am fridayy. so i'll be back sat midnight! can't wait.
it's kinda sad though. so many girls in my wing are leaving! three to study abroad next semester in costa rica, hongkong and ireland...one to get married...one to another school. oh well. will miss them.
pray for journey mercy and safety! :)

going home...

so...i'm leaving tomorrow morning..or rather, in 8 hours. can't say that i'm very excited to go home. dont know why. but at the same time glad to leave. feeling a little sick now. sore throat, cough, and some weird pressure on my ears. like the kind u get when the plane takes off, only i'm not on the plane. yet. ugh. hate travelling when i'm not in the healthiest state of mind. pray that God will heal me and give me strength to make it back home.

2 years have really flown by. half my college career is over! can't believe it. seems like it was just yesterday that i was a lowly freshman who was 'fresh off the boat' to the States. but wow. so much has changed. it's been a crazy experience.. wouldn't change anything for the world. really appreciate all these friendships i've made here. and i'm gonna miss my roomie! who's leaving for hongkong in the fall..so i wont see her till feb of next year. :( but hopefully parents will let me go to korea n visit her n other friends :) i love having friends from all over the world. u get to stay with them for free n visit their countries n have them show u around!

so..finished all my finals. all two of them. haha. one was hard cuz i was too lazy to study for it, one was easy cuz i actually studied. omg didn't do anything over the weekend. sunday night esp! sooo distracted by my neighbors. went to macdonalds at like midnight..hung around..then went to play guitar hero at the souphouse..got back at like 3am and had to finish my part for the group paper due the next day. heh. hardly any sleep this week. stupid presentation was during dinner time so the whole class had to miss dinner. what kind of scheduling is this??? anw went shopping today! yay. didn't really get anything cuz my suitcases are already pretty full. so...yeah! i'll be back in 2 days!!! :)

start of sch...again

sooo..classes started last wed after a nice short break where no one was around on campus..think this semester's gonna be pretty busy :( taking History and Geography of East Asia (haha. trying to get an easy A. the first day, the prof pointed me out and asked if i was chinese..i told him i was from singapore..he's actually been there before. sort of. flown through there. so that was cool. until he made me go up and write zhongguo on the board. haha.)

also taking Aerobic Walking! (for my PE credits. it's actually quite fun n easy. just walk for 45 mins during class. get credits and burn fats! haha) and Digital Photography and Digital Audio Production (i'm not a techie person so...hopefully i'll go alright in those classes. cuz everyone else in the class seems like a freaking expert!) last but not least, some communications seminar which is during dinnertime n is awfully boring..and Historic Christian Belief (learning abt the history of the church or something like that. kinda interesting)

so other than being overwhelmed by classes and the awful rainy, wet, foggy, snowy depressing weather, i'm good! went shopping on sunday after church. celebrated capri's bdae last sat at fazioli's (an italian restaurant) and at the rollerskating rink. was tons of fun! had a mini dance party with cake n all after that. sooo hilarious some of the dance moves they came up with! :)

getting back into the swing of things this week..starting up work for TCA (taylor christian artists) again..lots to organize and plan! also gonna audition for Nostalgia Night! it's like a music performance thing..hope we'll get in! only thing i'm worried abt is where i'm gonna go for spring break!!! one week the dorms are closed in march and i have absolutely no place to go. last yr i went to jamaica, but this yr i'm not doing a spring break trip so...hopefully the Lord will provide me somewhere to go :)

chinese new year tomorrow...SADNESS. this is like the 2nd saddest day after my bdae since i'm abroad. heh. I WANNA GO HOME AND HAVE REUNION DINNER WITH MY FAMILY AND EAT PINEAPPLE TARTS AND SEE LONG LOST FAMILY MEMBERS AND GET MY ANGBAOS AND SEE MY CUTE COUSINS!!!!! sigh. oh well. at least we're having our own little CNY celebration dinner here.

happy CNY to me

doesn't really feel like CNY here. missin out on all the atmosphere at home! the annoying CNY songs on the radio n tv..yummy food like my ah ma's cooking..all my angbaos..relatives i had no idea i had cuz we see each other once a year and forget they exist after that...aaahhhhh. sigh. today's just another ordinary day. like yesterday. and the day before. though my family called while in the midst of CNY celebrations. made me realize i miss CNY! grrrr.

fri had bubble tea party. was a happy day. so many pple came..laughed so hard like never before. haha. was asked to sing s'pore national anthem, and to my utter shame, i realized i forgot. hehe. only could remember mari kita...... uhhh.. blank. so much for 18 years of propaganda in sch. heh.

ystdy played in the snow again. need new gloves. 1min in the snow and my hands are numb. got hit in the head by a huge snowball made by stupid levi..it was 3 times the size of my head can! it hurt. after that, it was war. and like a hero, i ran away screaming until we reached the theatre. haha. went to see our very own taylor production with the set i helped paint! my name was in the brochure! i'm famous! yay! haha. it was ok..almost fell asleep at certain points. was pretty depressing. most plays i've seen are depressing. dunno why. but i loved their accents. so quaint.

today played at worship for forest park methodist church in fort wayne..went pretty alright. had fun..i really do love doin this. those pple are like really conservative, so their worship is mostly hymns and they rarely get to see this kinda worship, so they really really appreciated our presence there. it was so awesome to be welcomed and appreciated like that. they even cooked us lunch! homecooked meals do wonderful things to my starved stomach. :)