.Interesting Conversations.
Shopping again in Soho. I think the shopkeepers recognize us by now. Listened in on an interesting conversation between my roomie and her friend -- about their experience losing their virginity. awkwardness. actually, most conversations my roomie has are pretty fascinating. in a weird way. talks alot about boys and wearing skin tight clothes and enticing them and hooking up for one-night stands.
Hello, welcome to the real world.
.Rich and Famous.
I just realized my boss is super duper rich. has an architect tycoon husband and a house in the glamorous Hamptons. kinda jealous. just a little. (she's gorgeous too)
Why do some people have it all and others have nothing at all?
.The Not-so-Big Apple.
Have you ever felt all alone in a crowd?
Today, i was walking to Barnes and Nobles to check it out, and suddenly i felt a teeny bit lonely. Everyone from my internship program has friends here from school or home or something, and all i have is... no one.
I guess i do know 2 friends here from Taylor, but it's not the same. I can't help wishing i had friends and family here to experience this with me. I'm going through this crazy rollercoaster journey doing my first internship in NYC, and.... as much as i describe it, i can't really share it with anyone.
But you know what? I'm not being arrogant or anything, but I kinda am really proud of myself for making it this far. Looking back, i really CANNOT believe i actually left home at the tender age of 19 to live on my own in some foreign land. (What were my parents thinking?!?! Probably that this would be an experience of a lifetime. And they were right. As usual.)
So i'm kinda amazed i survived. and i'm actually independent. and learning not to take things for granted, since i have to buy my own groceries, do my own laundry, clean my own room/bathroom, take care of my own health, pay my own credit card bills, etc.
I know it's small stuff, but still... i'm actually living on my own in a big city. Not sure if i like it that much. The hustle and bustle... the people going about their day, not giving a second glance to anyone... It really is the city that never sleeps. (Hearing ambulance/police sirens every 10 mins isn't very encouraging.)
If I do work here after I graduate, I think i'll start small, in a smaller city/suburb and work my way up. New York is really everything people say it is, and more, but I feel like it's a better vacation destination than a place to call home.
Gonna check out Times Square Church tomorrow.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Across the earth: Hillsong united in concert
.Prelude.
It was time. Fighting against the relentless torrent of rain and wind threatening to soak us, we splashed across puddles and headed toward Rosemont Ballroom, the scene of an emotional experience to come. We walked and walked... for what seemed like 15 minutes, and finally reached the end of the line, behind hundreds of people. Nervousness welled in the pit of my stomach, and i wondered if we'd be able to even catch a glimpse of the band, being so far behind the crowd.
The clock slowly ticked on. An hour passed; it was 8 and we were still waiting in line. Impatience and restlessness surged through my veins. Finally the line moved. We made it through security and went up to the balcony, where we snagged places at the railing, ensuring ourselves a completely unobstructed view of the concert. I marveled at the throngs of people below us, realizing this was the first time I was attending a Christian concert. Being used to rowdy, boisterous crowds at rock pop concerts, these people seemed relatively tame and.... actually friendly in comparison. No 'F' words were uttered, no uncontrollable mosh pits, just people patiently waiting around. Shocking.
.A Whirlwind of Mixed Emotions.
The lights dimmed, and the crowd gave out a roar of excitement. A tingle went down my spine as I waited in anticipation for the band to appear and kick off the concert. At the same time, a sliver of apprehension abruptly seized me.
What on earth was I doing at a Christian concert when I wasn't doing so well in my walk with God? I guess 'not doing well' is an understatement. More like where was my non-existent relationship with Jesus.
I had pushed Jesus to the back of my mind, right between algebra and the periodic table, where dust and cobwebs had set up shop. So it made no sense that i'd want to attend this concert/huge worship session with other Christians. But everything happens for a reason. Before I could probe further into it, the band bounced on stage, and everything else after that was a blur.
As the first note struck the air, I suddenly felt a tinge of discomfort, like I didn't deserve to be there, praising the same God as all these other Jesus-loving, righteous people. But I brushed the feeling away, determined not to waste my 47bucks.
.#1 Fan.
I had always loved the songs Hillsong United produced, not only for their catchy tunes, but mostly for their meaningful lyrics, most of which have been tremendously encouraging during low points of my spiritual walk. And they definitely did not disappoint.
I was particularly enamored with Brooke Fraser, singer of songs like 'Hosanna,' 'Lord of Lords,' 'None but Jesus' and 'Desert Song,' all my absolute favorites. Countless times I listened to those songs and found myself tearing up as I remembered God's faithfulness and love in my life.
.The Word came to Life.
After several songs, a guy took over the stage and delivered a short sermon. At first I was like, I didn't sign up to be preached at. What is this guy doing on stage? But then every word he spoke was like a dagger piercing deep into my heart.
"There are some of you in the crowd today.. you don't know why you're here. Maybe you've been a Christian your entire life, but now you're just so far away from God, and you're hardened to Him. You might be here in New York, running away from something... You might think God doesn't, couldn't love you, for all the things you've done..."
Warm tears swelled up in my eyes. I rapidly blinked them away, hoping no one noticed. But after a quick glance around, I realized no one was paying attention to anyone else. They were all caught up in their own conversation with God. I decided to do the same.
Oh Lord... I don't know what to say to you. How can You want me back when I've fallen so far? How could you still love me after all the things I've done? I knew it was wrong, and yet I still did it. I put the things of the world above You. And now I'm in NYC, running away from You and hiding from everyone at home because I didn't want to be held accountable for anything. I just wanted to live my life the way I wanted to. I didn't even think I deserved Your grace... How could You love someone like me?
And then the opening lines of 'All i need is You' resounded in the concert hall.
... Got every reason to be here again, Father's love that draws me in, all my eyes wanna see is a glimpse of You...
I realized there was a reason I 'randomly' chanced upon the Hillsong concert in New York, and there was a reason I got tickets right before it got sold out. Jesus was behind it all. and He wanted me back.
.Jesus has *poked* you.
Brook Fraser gave an analogy about the silversmith, who heats up metal and then removes the impurities that rise to the surface. In the same way, God lets us go through trials and struggles and low points in life, so that all our negative elements come to the surface, and He can skim it off until He finally sees His reflection in our faces. Then she sang 'Desert Song,' and it totally melted my heart.
This is my prayer in the desert
When all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides
And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved of more worth than gold
So refine me, Lord, through the flames
All of my life, in every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship
Tears again. I totally feel like I'm in the desert. But you know what? My God is a God who provides. And my faith is definitely worth more than any clubbing experience in the world. And in every season, in every struggle and weakness, He's still God. It was a simple but powerful revelation. I guess He still loves me... despite all my yuckiness. It felt like a mini-breakthrough. Not completely out of the desert yet, but one step closer.
The worship leader (have no idea who any of them are. i loved how they put the total emphasis on God and not themselves. they never even introduced their names, the lights on stage were always from behind, so all we could see was their figures and not their faces. so we weren't worshipping them but God.) talked about how NYC would be nothing without its people. People are what make the character of the city.
and you know what? I would be nothing without my people. my family and spiritual family to be my support in times of need. and I would be nothing without my God.
So I'll stand, with arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the one who gave it all
I'll stand, my soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is Yours
.What a Night.
To end the night off, what more appropriate song than 'Your name high' (whoaaaa ohhh) and 'One Way?' It was immensely profound, watching everyone put aside their differences and worship one God. Seeing them jump and dance and clap and lift their hands in praise, I was struck by the fact that this was my first time feeling so comfortable and at peace worshipping God in the US.
Maybe it was the dim lights, maybe it was everyone doing their own thing and not looking at others, maybe it was the use of contemporary songs instead of hymns, or maybe it simply the fact that i was beginning to find my way back to the cross.
I was also struck by the fact that usually at secular concerts, everyone's having a good time idolizing the band and lapping up their songs and everything they say. But here, it was undoubtedly all about the Man upstairs.
So that was my experience. (I'm trying out a new thing called 'openness and honesty.')
Anyway, here's photo documentation.
The multitudes of people - young, old, white, asian, hispanic... all praising Jesus. What a glorious sight.
Me and Liz. She goes to Taylor too and lives in NYC (so lucky!)
Brooke Fraser, my new favorite gorgeous singer.
After the concert, we just about lost our voices and our hearing.
Walking around Times Sqaure on a Friday night was so fascinating. I LOVE IT. although this picture doesn't do it justice.
It was time. Fighting against the relentless torrent of rain and wind threatening to soak us, we splashed across puddles and headed toward Rosemont Ballroom, the scene of an emotional experience to come. We walked and walked... for what seemed like 15 minutes, and finally reached the end of the line, behind hundreds of people. Nervousness welled in the pit of my stomach, and i wondered if we'd be able to even catch a glimpse of the band, being so far behind the crowd.
The clock slowly ticked on. An hour passed; it was 8 and we were still waiting in line. Impatience and restlessness surged through my veins. Finally the line moved. We made it through security and went up to the balcony, where we snagged places at the railing, ensuring ourselves a completely unobstructed view of the concert. I marveled at the throngs of people below us, realizing this was the first time I was attending a Christian concert. Being used to rowdy, boisterous crowds at rock pop concerts, these people seemed relatively tame and.... actually friendly in comparison. No 'F' words were uttered, no uncontrollable mosh pits, just people patiently waiting around. Shocking.
.A Whirlwind of Mixed Emotions.
The lights dimmed, and the crowd gave out a roar of excitement. A tingle went down my spine as I waited in anticipation for the band to appear and kick off the concert. At the same time, a sliver of apprehension abruptly seized me.
What on earth was I doing at a Christian concert when I wasn't doing so well in my walk with God? I guess 'not doing well' is an understatement. More like where was my non-existent relationship with Jesus.
I had pushed Jesus to the back of my mind, right between algebra and the periodic table, where dust and cobwebs had set up shop. So it made no sense that i'd want to attend this concert/huge worship session with other Christians. But everything happens for a reason. Before I could probe further into it, the band bounced on stage, and everything else after that was a blur.
As the first note struck the air, I suddenly felt a tinge of discomfort, like I didn't deserve to be there, praising the same God as all these other Jesus-loving, righteous people. But I brushed the feeling away, determined not to waste my 47bucks.
.#1 Fan.
I had always loved the songs Hillsong United produced, not only for their catchy tunes, but mostly for their meaningful lyrics, most of which have been tremendously encouraging during low points of my spiritual walk. And they definitely did not disappoint.
I was particularly enamored with Brooke Fraser, singer of songs like 'Hosanna,' 'Lord of Lords,' 'None but Jesus' and 'Desert Song,' all my absolute favorites. Countless times I listened to those songs and found myself tearing up as I remembered God's faithfulness and love in my life.
.The Word came to Life.
After several songs, a guy took over the stage and delivered a short sermon. At first I was like, I didn't sign up to be preached at. What is this guy doing on stage? But then every word he spoke was like a dagger piercing deep into my heart.
"There are some of you in the crowd today.. you don't know why you're here. Maybe you've been a Christian your entire life, but now you're just so far away from God, and you're hardened to Him. You might be here in New York, running away from something... You might think God doesn't, couldn't love you, for all the things you've done..."
Warm tears swelled up in my eyes. I rapidly blinked them away, hoping no one noticed. But after a quick glance around, I realized no one was paying attention to anyone else. They were all caught up in their own conversation with God. I decided to do the same.
Oh Lord... I don't know what to say to you. How can You want me back when I've fallen so far? How could you still love me after all the things I've done? I knew it was wrong, and yet I still did it. I put the things of the world above You. And now I'm in NYC, running away from You and hiding from everyone at home because I didn't want to be held accountable for anything. I just wanted to live my life the way I wanted to. I didn't even think I deserved Your grace... How could You love someone like me?
And then the opening lines of 'All i need is You' resounded in the concert hall.
... Got every reason to be here again, Father's love that draws me in, all my eyes wanna see is a glimpse of You...
I realized there was a reason I 'randomly' chanced upon the Hillsong concert in New York, and there was a reason I got tickets right before it got sold out. Jesus was behind it all. and He wanted me back.
.Jesus has *poked* you.
Brook Fraser gave an analogy about the silversmith, who heats up metal and then removes the impurities that rise to the surface. In the same way, God lets us go through trials and struggles and low points in life, so that all our negative elements come to the surface, and He can skim it off until He finally sees His reflection in our faces. Then she sang 'Desert Song,' and it totally melted my heart.
This is my prayer in the desert
When all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides
And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved of more worth than gold
So refine me, Lord, through the flames
All of my life, in every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship
Tears again. I totally feel like I'm in the desert. But you know what? My God is a God who provides. And my faith is definitely worth more than any clubbing experience in the world. And in every season, in every struggle and weakness, He's still God. It was a simple but powerful revelation. I guess He still loves me... despite all my yuckiness. It felt like a mini-breakthrough. Not completely out of the desert yet, but one step closer.
The worship leader (have no idea who any of them are. i loved how they put the total emphasis on God and not themselves. they never even introduced their names, the lights on stage were always from behind, so all we could see was their figures and not their faces. so we weren't worshipping them but God.) talked about how NYC would be nothing without its people. People are what make the character of the city.
and you know what? I would be nothing without my people. my family and spiritual family to be my support in times of need. and I would be nothing without my God.
So I'll stand, with arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the one who gave it all
I'll stand, my soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is Yours
.What a Night.
To end the night off, what more appropriate song than 'Your name high' (whoaaaa ohhh) and 'One Way?' It was immensely profound, watching everyone put aside their differences and worship one God. Seeing them jump and dance and clap and lift their hands in praise, I was struck by the fact that this was my first time feeling so comfortable and at peace worshipping God in the US.
Maybe it was the dim lights, maybe it was everyone doing their own thing and not looking at others, maybe it was the use of contemporary songs instead of hymns, or maybe it simply the fact that i was beginning to find my way back to the cross.
I was also struck by the fact that usually at secular concerts, everyone's having a good time idolizing the band and lapping up their songs and everything they say. But here, it was undoubtedly all about the Man upstairs.
So that was my experience. (I'm trying out a new thing called 'openness and honesty.')
Anyway, here's photo documentation.
The multitudes of people - young, old, white, asian, hispanic... all praising Jesus. What a glorious sight.
Me and Liz. She goes to Taylor too and lives in NYC (so lucky!)
Brooke Fraser, my new favorite gorgeous singer.
After the concert, we just about lost our voices and our hearing.
Walking around Times Sqaure on a Friday night was so fascinating. I LOVE IT. although this picture doesn't do it justice.
Friday, June 05, 2009
Broadwayyy
.Ridiculous photos that appear to be photoshopped but are actually completely genuine.
Meet Cathie Jung, the proud owner of a 15-inch (38cm) waist. Apparently, her liver has been squashed and is now as thick as maybe two cotton balls. Go check out her website if you wanna be freaked out. I mean, we all wanna be thin, but i think it's safe to say, not THIS skinny. that's what wearing corsets everyday will do to you!
"Hi, I'm tiny." What an understatement.
Meet Aditya Dev, the world's teeniest BODYBUILDER. he weighs like 20 pounds, which is less than 10kg! isn't that insane?? i wonder if he could take me down. probably. hahaha.
Now you must be thinking, "ok, you have GOT to be kidding me. this looks totally surreal. like a scene out of a cheesy movie. right?" Wrong. It was built in Dubai, the land of the filthy rich and senseless.
"Guys, we have so much money! What should we do with it?"
"Oh, I don't know, i'm tired of giving to the poor. I give them a dollar and they want ten. They're so greedy."
"Hmm.. we could always splurge on a pointless tennis court in the middle of nowhere!"
"Yeah! Let's do that! Oh wait, then we'd have to have like, buy a hundred tennis balls 'cause there's no net to keep them in!"
"Hellooooo. We're insanely rich, remember? Heck, we can even give them diamond-encrusted ones to show off our riches."
"I like the way you think. This is such a worthy cause."
This woman is SO POOR THING! and yes, it's true. she suffers from a really heartbreaking growth abnormality that causes huuugggeee legs. :( i feel so bad for her. and yet, i can't stop staring at her feet. it's morbidly fascinating.
No, that's not a recently-discovered photo of Jesus walking on water from 100 BC. It's actually an untouched pic from Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia! the largest salt flat in the world. so cool huh.
Supposedly tourists from all over the world flock there for vacation. But if you're a slug or a snail, it'd be the worst holiday ever.
I used to think weetle wabbits were cwute. but this is just way beyond creepy.
firstly, it's REAL. yes, they are THIS huge. your eyes are fine.
secondly, these mutant bunnies are bred in Germany. To eat.
siiicccckkkkkkkkk.
"What the heck are those weird-looking things on the tree?"
"Omg they're.... GOATS!"
It's either really cute and hilarious, or just plain weird. I can't decide. These goats learned to climb trees when food on the ground runs out.
Only in Morroco!
"Oooh you know what? We should build a cute, cuddly little duckie that floats on water so children won't be afraid of boats and swimming! I bet they'd love to ride on a huge duckie!"
"Yeah! It'll be educational and totally advantageous!"
*Kid runs away screaming in terror, traumatized for years to come by the creepy duck from their nightmares come to life*
This is the newly endangered Amazon bird.... what the HECK is that smiley face doing there??
It's actually a Bird of Paradise performing a mating ritual. weirdddddd.
*In chinese accent*
"Olympics tis year come to Chinah! Muz make Engrish so Amelican see!"
"But we no know how say 餐厅 in Engrish!"
"Neber mind! Use dis ting check!"
*Types in the word to some chinese-english translation device, but in his hurry, types in wrongly*
"Oh! 餐厅 is means 'twanslate serveh ehror' in Engrish! Now me know!"
*Grins happily at the thought of many American tourists visiting his restaurant because they understand the English sign*
(no offence. i just thought this photo was ridiculously funny.)
.Hilarity.
So i was bored (again) at work today. And i chanced across this website, cracked.com, and ohhh myyyyy. it was tremendously entertaining. i can't remember the number of times i had to bite down hard on my lip to keep from grinning like a Cheshire cat because their stuff was just SO hilarious! Just thought I'd share some of that with you, including my opinions (totally plagiarized from the site)
.West Side Story.
As we got off the subway, we were immediately greeted by stunning lights and a majestic theater, and there we were - at Broadway's West Side Story in all its glorious splendor. Granted, we had cheap balcony seats, but man... it was an amazing musical. the acting, singing and dancing was just magnificent. i was blown away. now i wanna go see every Broadway show available! I HAVE to go see Wicked, Chicago, The Lion King, Billy Elliott (my friend went to see Billy Elliott tonight, and HAYDEN PANETTIERE from Heroes WALKED PAST HER. omggggg.) and the list goes on....
Although... the ending was kinda sad. it's based on Romeo and Juliet, so you can guess what happens at the end. No Cinderella happy-ever-after for these two kiddos.
NO WORK TOMORROW!! + HILLSONGS CONCERT!!!
(have to go memorize their new cd now so i can sing along)
Meet Cathie Jung, the proud owner of a 15-inch (38cm) waist. Apparently, her liver has been squashed and is now as thick as maybe two cotton balls. Go check out her website if you wanna be freaked out. I mean, we all wanna be thin, but i think it's safe to say, not THIS skinny. that's what wearing corsets everyday will do to you!
"Hi, I'm tiny." What an understatement.
Meet Aditya Dev, the world's teeniest BODYBUILDER. he weighs like 20 pounds, which is less than 10kg! isn't that insane?? i wonder if he could take me down. probably. hahaha.
Now you must be thinking, "ok, you have GOT to be kidding me. this looks totally surreal. like a scene out of a cheesy movie. right?" Wrong. It was built in Dubai, the land of the filthy rich and senseless.
"Guys, we have so much money! What should we do with it?"
"Oh, I don't know, i'm tired of giving to the poor. I give them a dollar and they want ten. They're so greedy."
"Hmm.. we could always splurge on a pointless tennis court in the middle of nowhere!"
"Yeah! Let's do that! Oh wait, then we'd have to have like, buy a hundred tennis balls 'cause there's no net to keep them in!"
"Hellooooo. We're insanely rich, remember? Heck, we can even give them diamond-encrusted ones to show off our riches."
"I like the way you think. This is such a worthy cause."
This woman is SO POOR THING! and yes, it's true. she suffers from a really heartbreaking growth abnormality that causes huuugggeee legs. :( i feel so bad for her. and yet, i can't stop staring at her feet. it's morbidly fascinating.
No, that's not a recently-discovered photo of Jesus walking on water from 100 BC. It's actually an untouched pic from Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia! the largest salt flat in the world. so cool huh.
Supposedly tourists from all over the world flock there for vacation. But if you're a slug or a snail, it'd be the worst holiday ever.
I used to think weetle wabbits were cwute. but this is just way beyond creepy.
firstly, it's REAL. yes, they are THIS huge. your eyes are fine.
secondly, these mutant bunnies are bred in Germany. To eat.
siiicccckkkkkkkkk.
"What the heck are those weird-looking things on the tree?"
"Omg they're.... GOATS!"
It's either really cute and hilarious, or just plain weird. I can't decide. These goats learned to climb trees when food on the ground runs out.
Only in Morroco!
"Oooh you know what? We should build a cute, cuddly little duckie that floats on water so children won't be afraid of boats and swimming! I bet they'd love to ride on a huge duckie!"
"Yeah! It'll be educational and totally advantageous!"
*Kid runs away screaming in terror, traumatized for years to come by the creepy duck from their nightmares come to life*
This is the newly endangered Amazon bird.... what the HECK is that smiley face doing there??
It's actually a Bird of Paradise performing a mating ritual. weirdddddd.
*In chinese accent*
"Olympics tis year come to Chinah! Muz make Engrish so Amelican see!"
"But we no know how say 餐厅 in Engrish!"
"Neber mind! Use dis ting check!"
*Types in the word to some chinese-english translation device, but in his hurry, types in wrongly*
"Oh! 餐厅 is means 'twanslate serveh ehror' in Engrish! Now me know!"
*Grins happily at the thought of many American tourists visiting his restaurant because they understand the English sign*
(no offence. i just thought this photo was ridiculously funny.)
.Hilarity.
So i was bored (again) at work today. And i chanced across this website, cracked.com, and ohhh myyyyy. it was tremendously entertaining. i can't remember the number of times i had to bite down hard on my lip to keep from grinning like a Cheshire cat because their stuff was just SO hilarious! Just thought I'd share some of that with you, including my opinions (totally plagiarized from the site)
.West Side Story.
As we got off the subway, we were immediately greeted by stunning lights and a majestic theater, and there we were - at Broadway's West Side Story in all its glorious splendor. Granted, we had cheap balcony seats, but man... it was an amazing musical. the acting, singing and dancing was just magnificent. i was blown away. now i wanna go see every Broadway show available! I HAVE to go see Wicked, Chicago, The Lion King, Billy Elliott (my friend went to see Billy Elliott tonight, and HAYDEN PANETTIERE from Heroes WALKED PAST HER. omggggg.) and the list goes on....
Although... the ending was kinda sad. it's based on Romeo and Juliet, so you can guess what happens at the end. No Cinderella happy-ever-after for these two kiddos.
NO WORK TOMORROW!! + HILLSONGS CONCERT!!!
(have to go memorize their new cd now so i can sing along)
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Blogging everyday is tiring
but i'm determined to keep a record of my first summer away from home.. in NYC :)
.Work As Usual.
I stared at the blinking bright computer screen for an hour and a half, thinking i might either go blind or convulse into seizures, when finally my manager glanced at me, and upon realizing i was utterly bored and wasting my time, she gave me a task to do - more research on new and upcoming restaurants/bars/hotels/fashion designers, etc.
That about sums up my day. haha. and i forgot to bring lunch, so i only had two granola bars and was starving by 3pm. Then, at 4.30pm, my manager abruptly turned to me and delegated an assignment. i was to write a feature story about some new online furniture design store.
"Are you kidding?!?!?!" was my initial reaction. there i was, wasting the entire day away, and she gives me something major to do minutes before i'm supposed to punch out and leave for the day.
Nevertheless, determined to keep a positive attitude and let my star shine bright, i daydreamed for a while before starting on the story. and i still managed to leave at about 5.30pm, so that was alright.
PLUS i found out today that i got published!!! both my feature stories!! funny thing was, andrew found out before me. turns out he's been stalking the magazine website ever since i told him i wrote 2 stories for them. and he found my stories and gave me the link. haha.
So here they are:
The opening of Ahnvee restaurant --
http://www.julib.com/miami/toavee052809MI_email.html
The opening of Alila villas --
http://www.julib.com/travel/balioutplan053109TR_email.html
Yayyyyyy. it's kinda exciting. although i admit i don't even recognize my own writing. it just sounds so different from anything i've ever written. but i guess it's a good thing.. that i'm assimilating into their style of writing, which is what i'm supposed to do anyway.
.Dude.
The guy i previously wrote about texted me again. and called me. twice at work, so obviously i didn't pick up. but yeah.. man, is he persistent. he kept asking me out, i said maybe, he said 'so many maybes, how about a yes?'
i was like... ok... fine... i guess we can be friends. haha.
Can't wait for tomorrow -- we're gonna go see a Broadway show!! :)
.Work As Usual.
I stared at the blinking bright computer screen for an hour and a half, thinking i might either go blind or convulse into seizures, when finally my manager glanced at me, and upon realizing i was utterly bored and wasting my time, she gave me a task to do - more research on new and upcoming restaurants/bars/hotels/fashion designers, etc.
That about sums up my day. haha. and i forgot to bring lunch, so i only had two granola bars and was starving by 3pm. Then, at 4.30pm, my manager abruptly turned to me and delegated an assignment. i was to write a feature story about some new online furniture design store.
"Are you kidding?!?!?!" was my initial reaction. there i was, wasting the entire day away, and she gives me something major to do minutes before i'm supposed to punch out and leave for the day.
Nevertheless, determined to keep a positive attitude and let my star shine bright, i daydreamed for a while before starting on the story. and i still managed to leave at about 5.30pm, so that was alright.
PLUS i found out today that i got published!!! both my feature stories!! funny thing was, andrew found out before me. turns out he's been stalking the magazine website ever since i told him i wrote 2 stories for them. and he found my stories and gave me the link. haha.
So here they are:
The opening of Ahnvee restaurant --
http://www.julib.com/miami/toavee052809MI_email.html
The opening of Alila villas --
http://www.julib.com/travel/balioutplan053109TR_email.html
Yayyyyyy. it's kinda exciting. although i admit i don't even recognize my own writing. it just sounds so different from anything i've ever written. but i guess it's a good thing.. that i'm assimilating into their style of writing, which is what i'm supposed to do anyway.
.Dude.
The guy i previously wrote about texted me again. and called me. twice at work, so obviously i didn't pick up. but yeah.. man, is he persistent. he kept asking me out, i said maybe, he said 'so many maybes, how about a yes?'
i was like... ok... fine... i guess we can be friends. haha.
Can't wait for tomorrow -- we're gonna go see a Broadway show!! :)
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
First day off.
.Pics from the room.
unmade bed..messy shoes..
messy desk..
free samples from work yesterday!
(being the kiasu singaporean i am, i totally wanted to grab everything and bring it home with me, but i didn't want my manager and co-workers to think i was greedy. so i'll slowly but gradually take items every week.... even though i don't really want/need most of them. haha)
.Pics from the Today Show.
Haylee, me, michelle, haley (my apartment mate), and carla waiting for the Today show concert to begin.
Adam "i'm-so-mad-i-didn't-win-American-Idol-but-people-still-love-me-more-anyway" smiling at goodness knows who during his soundcheck.
Adam and Kris. yep, we were kinda far behind at first. until people started pushing and we moved up :)
(these pics were stolen from haylee's fb because i stupidly forgot to bring my cam)
.Freedom to live.
Didn't end up doing much today after all. Woke up at 11am, realized NYU does its fire alarm drill every tues at 1pm, so i got out of the dorm in a hurry, not wanting to be there for yet another stupid drill.
Visited the wondrous 3-storey Forever 21 down the street! and this store called Strawberry, which smelled musty and old, but i got black heels from there. Got tired after shopping for a while, so i headed back to the dorm after grabbing spicy california roll sushi. yum :) i need to start eating healthy.
Wasted the day away..... then grabbed dinner at the cafeteria with my roomie, and we headed to Starbucks, like 20 mins away, where we could use our 'dining dollars' to buy stuff. i had like 50+ dollars in my NYU card (cuz we get 30bucks each week, and they accumulate), so i bought 3 packets of organic apple juice, 2 packets of milk, 2 flasks to keep hot water, and 1 double chocolaty chip frap.
Guess how much all that cost.
50bucks.
Isn't that insane?? who, in their right mind, would normally go to Starbucks and buy such things?? i have never spent so much at Starbucks before. but i figured, i'm not gonna walk all the way there every morning just to get a drink and walk all the way back to take the subway! plus mom wanted a hot flask/tumbler thingy, so i got it for her.
And... i spent 4 bucks on stupid laundry. so ex. wasted $1 cuz the stupid dryer wouldn't work, so had to pay for another one. grrrrr.
Went to weekly seminar #2, which was pretty informative actually. it was a panel made up of working professionals, and they gave us plenty of helpful advice on how to make the best use of our internships.
#1 - i will not be discouraged by people who say my batch is entering into the workforce when the economy is in the worst possible state ever.
#2 - i will make the best out of my internship, even though at times it gets boring, i will think of productive things to do so my manager sees that i'm being useful.
#3 - i will be more outgoing and make lots of contacts, because, as they say, networking is truly EVERYTHING. you never know who can get you a job.
unmade bed..messy shoes..
messy desk..
free samples from work yesterday!
(being the kiasu singaporean i am, i totally wanted to grab everything and bring it home with me, but i didn't want my manager and co-workers to think i was greedy. so i'll slowly but gradually take items every week.... even though i don't really want/need most of them. haha)
.Pics from the Today Show.
Haylee, me, michelle, haley (my apartment mate), and carla waiting for the Today show concert to begin.
Adam "i'm-so-mad-i-didn't-win-American-Idol-but-people-still-love-me-more-anyway" smiling at goodness knows who during his soundcheck.
Adam and Kris. yep, we were kinda far behind at first. until people started pushing and we moved up :)
(these pics were stolen from haylee's fb because i stupidly forgot to bring my cam)
.Freedom to live.
Didn't end up doing much today after all. Woke up at 11am, realized NYU does its fire alarm drill every tues at 1pm, so i got out of the dorm in a hurry, not wanting to be there for yet another stupid drill.
Visited the wondrous 3-storey Forever 21 down the street! and this store called Strawberry, which smelled musty and old, but i got black heels from there. Got tired after shopping for a while, so i headed back to the dorm after grabbing spicy california roll sushi. yum :) i need to start eating healthy.
Wasted the day away..... then grabbed dinner at the cafeteria with my roomie, and we headed to Starbucks, like 20 mins away, where we could use our 'dining dollars' to buy stuff. i had like 50+ dollars in my NYU card (cuz we get 30bucks each week, and they accumulate), so i bought 3 packets of organic apple juice, 2 packets of milk, 2 flasks to keep hot water, and 1 double chocolaty chip frap.
Guess how much all that cost.
50bucks.
Isn't that insane?? who, in their right mind, would normally go to Starbucks and buy such things?? i have never spent so much at Starbucks before. but i figured, i'm not gonna walk all the way there every morning just to get a drink and walk all the way back to take the subway! plus mom wanted a hot flask/tumbler thingy, so i got it for her.
And... i spent 4 bucks on stupid laundry. so ex. wasted $1 cuz the stupid dryer wouldn't work, so had to pay for another one. grrrrr.
Went to weekly seminar #2, which was pretty informative actually. it was a panel made up of working professionals, and they gave us plenty of helpful advice on how to make the best use of our internships.
#1 - i will not be discouraged by people who say my batch is entering into the workforce when the economy is in the worst possible state ever.
#2 - i will make the best out of my internship, even though at times it gets boring, i will think of productive things to do so my manager sees that i'm being useful.
#3 - i will be more outgoing and make lots of contacts, because, as they say, networking is truly EVERYTHING. you never know who can get you a job.
Day.... whatever.
.Busy as a bee.
Spent the day researching events and restaurant/club/hotel openings in the 13 cities we're published in. i never knew it was so hard to find the ACTUAL date of an opening. it's so annoying how they all put "opening late june." why can't they just say "opening june 5" or something?? is it THAT hard to pick a date and stick with it??
So work wasn't that bad today.
AND GUESS WHAT?????
Today we got a TON of free samples from PR firms!!!! All kinds of cosmetics, creams, accessories... and my manager said i could take whatever i wanted!!
I was like, heck YEAH! free stuff?? why not!
So i took a pink and white striped Old Navy scarf, some organic facial scrub and eye cream, sunscreen, and shaving cream. haha. there were some weird stuff we got too... funky-smelling natural perfume, weird transparent belts, disgusting detox shower gel.... bleh. but anyway. i can't wait for next week! when we get more free things!!
I love working at a magazine. i've decided. this is my FUTURE! :)
Although... at 5pm when i was supposed to get off work, my manager suddenly dropped a pile of work on my lap, so i was fact-checking and editing stories till 7pm. oh well! at least i don't have to report to work tomorrow! YAY FOR DAYS OFF! not sure what i'm gonna do... probably wake up whenever, check out shops around here, and chill at Barnes and Nobles.
.One Door Closes, Another Opens.
The Virgin Megastore down the street is closing down and going out of business. that means... CRAZY SALES! 40%-50% OFF! yayyyy. so i got "The pursuit of happyness" and "Another cinderella story" DVDs (a lame movie. i love lame movies) for 8bucks each.
Now i'm so tired and i wanna go sleep even though it's only 10pm.
random: the New York public library! where they filmed SPIDERMAN!!! the scene where peter parker's uncle/grandpa got shot and died!!! coolness.
have no idea what those policemen are doing there though. maybe waiting for the president.
Spent the day researching events and restaurant/club/hotel openings in the 13 cities we're published in. i never knew it was so hard to find the ACTUAL date of an opening. it's so annoying how they all put "opening late june." why can't they just say "opening june 5" or something?? is it THAT hard to pick a date and stick with it??
So work wasn't that bad today.
AND GUESS WHAT?????
Today we got a TON of free samples from PR firms!!!! All kinds of cosmetics, creams, accessories... and my manager said i could take whatever i wanted!!
I was like, heck YEAH! free stuff?? why not!
So i took a pink and white striped Old Navy scarf, some organic facial scrub and eye cream, sunscreen, and shaving cream. haha. there were some weird stuff we got too... funky-smelling natural perfume, weird transparent belts, disgusting detox shower gel.... bleh. but anyway. i can't wait for next week! when we get more free things!!
I love working at a magazine. i've decided. this is my FUTURE! :)
Although... at 5pm when i was supposed to get off work, my manager suddenly dropped a pile of work on my lap, so i was fact-checking and editing stories till 7pm. oh well! at least i don't have to report to work tomorrow! YAY FOR DAYS OFF! not sure what i'm gonna do... probably wake up whenever, check out shops around here, and chill at Barnes and Nobles.
.One Door Closes, Another Opens.
The Virgin Megastore down the street is closing down and going out of business. that means... CRAZY SALES! 40%-50% OFF! yayyyy. so i got "The pursuit of happyness" and "Another cinderella story" DVDs (a lame movie. i love lame movies) for 8bucks each.
Now i'm so tired and i wanna go sleep even though it's only 10pm.
random: the New York public library! where they filmed SPIDERMAN!!! the scene where peter parker's uncle/grandpa got shot and died!!! coolness.
have no idea what those policemen are doing there though. maybe waiting for the president.
Monday, June 01, 2009
Sunday, Monday, Happy day
.Early Will I Rise and Worship You.
Ok, I guess 10am isn't THAT early, compared to 8am, the time I've been waking up everyday. Walked 2 minutes down 14 Street and got to the Fillmore Theater, where the Promise International Fellowship was having church service. I actually can't believe I had the courage to go check out a church all by myself in a foreign city. haha. but I mean.. Christians are some of the nicest people around. People there were extremely welcoming, they greeted me at the door, offered me coffee and donuts, gave me a free devotional book, asked me to join them at their regular church. Turns out this church is new, just started today and will only be once a month. so I get the freedom to check out other churches the next few weeks.
Worship was really great. Made me realize how much I missed worshipping in a community. Their worship was contemporary and consisted of songs from Hillsongs, which was AWESOME! (BTW, Hillsongs United is coming to NYC this FRIDAY and I'm gonna go see them in concert with my friend from Taylor!!! SO PSYCHED.)
And the pastor was this young, charismatic guy, and his message was really good. About how we all often appear normal and ok on the outside, but inside we're dealing with all kinds of junk in our lives. the message went straight to my heart. the pastor also said he believed we were all there for a reason, that we weren't there by coincidence, and i agree with that. it's funny how it took me going into the secular world to realize how much I depend on God.
So anyway, like I said, people were incredibly great. i talked to some of them (they were mostly asians, which made me feel kinda at home), and they were all surprised and thought it was cool i came because someone handed me the brochure about the church :)
Really glad I went. God really did want me there for a reason. (plus there was free food.)
.Shop Till You Drop.
Went back to Soho with my roomie in the afternoon for more shopping fun. (We realized there were RATS in the subway! DISGUSTING.)
Visited the very first, HUGE three-story Topshop in all its funky, sophisticated glory. the clothes were cool, like always, but the prices.... whoaaaa. can someone say 'daylight robbery?' I thought SGP Topshop prices were bad enough; NYC prices are twice as bad. literally.
So we spent the whole afternoon browsing through cheap-ish shops, standing in ridiculously long lines, waiting to try on clothes. it was fun, but really tiring. got swamped several times by various shopmongers, eager to rip us off with their sky high prices for fake stuff. but i didn't really spend much, although we took a cab home ('cause my roomie's kinda paranoid about psycho New Yorkers kidnapping us), it only cost like 4bucks each.
.Celebrity Sighting.
We saw CLAIRE DANES yesterday in SoHo!! Or rather, my friends saw her. I was talking to someone else, and we both missed her!!! So we saw the back of her head. and her dog. and some random guy who was with her. haha. oh well. NEXT TIME!
My co-workers said they partied with Estelle (who sings 'American Boy' with Kanye West) last week. coolness! I hope they take me clubbing with them sometime.... maybe...
random: policemen here are always on horses. it's weird.
random: a guitar at hard rock cafe that linkin park smashed!!! coolness. and yet, such a waste of $$
Ok, I guess 10am isn't THAT early, compared to 8am, the time I've been waking up everyday. Walked 2 minutes down 14 Street and got to the Fillmore Theater, where the Promise International Fellowship was having church service. I actually can't believe I had the courage to go check out a church all by myself in a foreign city. haha. but I mean.. Christians are some of the nicest people around. People there were extremely welcoming, they greeted me at the door, offered me coffee and donuts, gave me a free devotional book, asked me to join them at their regular church. Turns out this church is new, just started today and will only be once a month. so I get the freedom to check out other churches the next few weeks.
Worship was really great. Made me realize how much I missed worshipping in a community. Their worship was contemporary and consisted of songs from Hillsongs, which was AWESOME! (BTW, Hillsongs United is coming to NYC this FRIDAY and I'm gonna go see them in concert with my friend from Taylor!!! SO PSYCHED.)
And the pastor was this young, charismatic guy, and his message was really good. About how we all often appear normal and ok on the outside, but inside we're dealing with all kinds of junk in our lives. the message went straight to my heart. the pastor also said he believed we were all there for a reason, that we weren't there by coincidence, and i agree with that. it's funny how it took me going into the secular world to realize how much I depend on God.
So anyway, like I said, people were incredibly great. i talked to some of them (they were mostly asians, which made me feel kinda at home), and they were all surprised and thought it was cool i came because someone handed me the brochure about the church :)
Really glad I went. God really did want me there for a reason. (plus there was free food.)
.Shop Till You Drop.
Went back to Soho with my roomie in the afternoon for more shopping fun. (We realized there were RATS in the subway! DISGUSTING.)
Visited the very first, HUGE three-story Topshop in all its funky, sophisticated glory. the clothes were cool, like always, but the prices.... whoaaaa. can someone say 'daylight robbery?' I thought SGP Topshop prices were bad enough; NYC prices are twice as bad. literally.
So we spent the whole afternoon browsing through cheap-ish shops, standing in ridiculously long lines, waiting to try on clothes. it was fun, but really tiring. got swamped several times by various shopmongers, eager to rip us off with their sky high prices for fake stuff. but i didn't really spend much, although we took a cab home ('cause my roomie's kinda paranoid about psycho New Yorkers kidnapping us), it only cost like 4bucks each.
.Celebrity Sighting.
We saw CLAIRE DANES yesterday in SoHo!! Or rather, my friends saw her. I was talking to someone else, and we both missed her!!! So we saw the back of her head. and her dog. and some random guy who was with her. haha. oh well. NEXT TIME!
My co-workers said they partied with Estelle (who sings 'American Boy' with Kanye West) last week. coolness! I hope they take me clubbing with them sometime.... maybe...
random: policemen here are always on horses. it's weird.
random: a guitar at hard rock cafe that linkin park smashed!!! coolness. and yet, such a waste of $$
Sunday, May 31, 2009
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!)
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!)
Saturday, May 30, 2009
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.
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.
Friday, May 29, 2009
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.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
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 :)
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 :)
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
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.
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.
Friday, May 22, 2009
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 :)
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 :)
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
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.
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.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
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.
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.
Friday, May 08, 2009
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 :)
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 :)
Saturday, May 02, 2009
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!
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!
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