Life is so exciting lately!!!
Ok so. the jimmy kimmel live show?? pretty AWEsome! we tried to drive, but my friend's car broke down. ugh. so we had to walk, take a bus, then walk again. but we got to Hollywood in time, and waited in line and then got into the Jimmy Kimmel Live show!!! the show was... not what i expected. i guess having never seen it, i thought it'd be more like Oprah.. you know, lots of talking to the guests and what not. but it was way different.
this comedian came in to hype up the audience, give us instructions and entertain us, then jimmy came in, did some commercials, the band played... we cheered alot. and jimmy got his makeup re-touched every commercial break. it was SO interesting to see how a real live TV set filming happens!! it was so cool! i was on camera!!
and then the guest stars came on.. dylan mcdermott and bj novak. they were both really good-looking, but they only talked for like, 5 minutes! and then they went off! and then the show aired another commercial, or something stupid that was supposed to be funny, but really, wasn't. so it was okay.. wasn't the greatest show ever. don't think i'd watch it on tv anytime soon. haha. but it was cool to see the celebrities. although bj novak spent most of his time talking about CEREAL. who does that??? seriously, this show must be running on advertisements, because there were A TON. subway, cereal, school supplies, everything. but we also got to go outdoors and see The Dead Weather in concert, so that was fun :)
i'd go back again, if i can get free tickets, cuz Boys Like Girls is playing soon!! but their tix are sold out. sigh. oh well.
and then we walked around Hollywood, which is really pretty at night. all the lights and stuff. and had dinner at Johnny Rockets, which apparently had the best burgers in town. it was pretty good. and then walked a lot more, waited super long for the bus, walked even more, and finally reached home sweet home. LA is really, really, really hard to get around without a car. no kidding. i don't know how i'm going to survive the next 4 months.
Anyway, today we went and did a tour of the Kodak Theatre, where Hollywood has all its celebrity award shows... the place was majestic, even though way smaller than it seems on TV. they have all kinds of shows there.. the oscars, the emmys, the academy awards... it was so cool to be there and see where the stars go and walk where they've walked before, and pee at the toilets where they've peed before. hahaha. we got to go on stage, in the auditorium, on the winner's walk...it was way cool.
then we broke off into groups and had lunch. i went to a sushi place with a bunch of other people :) and most people had california rolls. seriously here, sushi=california rolls and nothing else. haha. but it was funny seeing people use chopsticks. hahaha.
and i really like the girls in our program, they're just so crazy and funny and fun to be with. and the guys too.. they're so friendly and funny and also fun to be with :)
there's this girl i found out i had a lot in common with, she cracks me up. so we were talking about how people make connections REALLY FAST here. it's so obvious which guys like which girls, and it's funny how it's usually a one-way thing. the girls here don't seem to like the guys... in that manner. so it's funny to just see how they interact and (most of the time) follow the girls around like a lost puppy. ahahaha.
and then me and this girl found out we both (sort of) had an interest in the SAME guy. sigh. although... it's more of fascination for me. i'm just intrigued by him. but as i get to know him better (we spent most of the day together today)... not so much. haha. a little too quiet for me i guess.
anyway, a bunch of us watched District 9 at the Chinese Theater, where all the stars on the Hollywood walk are and there are people all dressed up in characters walking about. today we saw spiderman, tigger, the joker, elvis, and more. but back to the movie... it was surprisingly GOOD! a lot of people i've talked to either LOVE it or HATE it. but i actually really liked it. ok so it's about aliens. and it's gory. two things i usually dislike in movies. but this time, it worked. i don't know, it just struck a chord in me. i feel like the film had a ton of messages, and it was different and very unique and interesting. it was filmed in a documentary sort of way... and talked about how aliens came to invade our earth, and how people don't like them and want to chase them away, which i thought was an interesting referral to immigrants. and then as the story progressed, the main character got more likeable, and his story was just really sad in the end, and i really liked his transformation, even though parts of it were GROSS. so yeah, although i spent half the movie covering my eyes, i thought it had a good message. it was intense and thought-provoking. you'll have to see it to believe it. if it ever comes out in sgp.
i really like doing this film program, cuz it means people are film geeks and they love watching movies. and i love watching movies too! :)
so after the movie, the four of us attempted to walk back to the apartments from hollywood. we thought it was like a 5-10 min walk. but NO. it was like half an hour before we decided to stop and take a bus. so i ended up hot, sweaty, disgusting, and really exhausted. such a bad idea to walk. but now i know.
and then our program director invited us over to her house for dinner, and omg. her home was SO COOL. it was like french gothic, quaint, like a stone-walled cottage kinda feel. so homey and cozy and wonderful. i loved it. there was even a wardrobe that looked like it could be from the Narnia set. and the food was yummy...been a while since i've had a home-cooked meal. lots of cereal and sandwiches and fruits. so yeah.. got to talk to more people and get to know them better... and again... i really like the people here. some people are so open and honest in sharing. and then they get crazy playing games. haha. i'm already sad just thinking of having to leave 4 months from now!!
ok should go to sleep now. going to church tomorrow bright and early!
and ooh i have progress on the internship aspect, but not gonna say anything till i get the interview. don't wanna mess things up. but it's pretty sweet :)
keep me in prayer that i'll find the right internship!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
TICKETS!
i've been scouring all over the internet to find free tickets to events and talk shows and stuff, and finally this morning i got tickets to the Jimmy Kimmel Live show TONIGHT starring guest stars BJ novak (from inglorious basterds that just came out and The OFFICE!) and dylan mcdermott. i actually really couldn't care less about the stars. i just recognize their names, but i'm not like a huge fan. i'm just EXCITED to go to a live show TAPING!!! IN LA!!! AAAAHHHH!!! i can't believe i just got tickets! cuz they were sold out this whole week up until this morning! some wonderful person must've declined at the last minute :)
I also got some tickets for free premieres of shows on ABC, Fox, CW and all that... but i don't really know those shows. even though it might be fun to just go and see celebs. haha. COOLNESS! my friend saw christina ricci at the grocery store the other day. seriously, why do other people always get to see celebs and i somehow always miss them???
oh but anyway, last night this actor named Doug Jones came to talk to us, and he was HILARIOUS. i've never heard of him until now, and i'm sure none of you have either.
but get this. he was the Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four, Abe Sapien in Hellboy, the thin infected man in Quarantine, Number 7 robot in Benchwarmers, and he was also in Pan's Labyrinth, Three Kings, Men in Black 2, Buffy... he's done SO MUCH STUFF! but the reason why most people don't know him is that he's usually the one who's under all that makeup gunk/costumes, cuz he's the go-to monster/creature actor that doesn't mind all that chemical stuff on his face and body. so in real life, he's this skinny white guy in his 40s, and funny as hell. we laughed for 3 hours straight, with him telling us about his experiences as an actor, and how he's had to persevere and plunge ahead despite lots of obstacles in Hollywood. it was so cool to hear his story, and to be in the presence of an actor!! he was THIS CLOSE to jessica alba in the fantastic 4!!! and he said she was really nice and sweet. awwwwww. and he's rumored to be starring several big upcoming films, so we'll get to see more of him! coolness :)
i don't know why but i've been so tired lately. by 10pm i'm like exhausted, and i've been going to bed before midnight most nights. it's never happened before! but i'm just so tired! maybe i'm still on jetlag.
anw yesterday i got my box sent by carly from new york! so i have all my bedsheets and pillows now. before that i was sleeping on a sleeping bag. haha. and so i borrowed this cart (that's supposed to be for camera equipment) from the center, and pushed it all the way back to my apartment with my roomie. and we stopped to get groceries on the way, and then piled all our plastic bags full of food on top of the box on the cart. people kept staring. i think they thought we stole a shopping cart or something. hahaha. and then halfway we hit a bump, and everything, including the box, FELL OFF the cart. of course we were hysterical and exploded with laughter, and then this nice guy came to help us out, seeing as how we were helpless and rolling on the floor laughing.
today we broke up into small groups and shared about our expectations, concerns and hopes for this semester, and it was encouraging to see most people had similar worries... not knowing what to expect at the internship, not knowing much about film, not knowing if this industry is the right fit for them... so it was nice to have that support group. and now i'm trying to do my laundry, but IT'S CLOSED OFF and i don't know why! sigh. so creepy in the basement, too, but i don't dare to go off and leave my stuff, seeing as how my roomie got her stuff stolen.
ok can't wait for 6pm tonight!!!! JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!
I also got some tickets for free premieres of shows on ABC, Fox, CW and all that... but i don't really know those shows. even though it might be fun to just go and see celebs. haha. COOLNESS! my friend saw christina ricci at the grocery store the other day. seriously, why do other people always get to see celebs and i somehow always miss them???
oh but anyway, last night this actor named Doug Jones came to talk to us, and he was HILARIOUS. i've never heard of him until now, and i'm sure none of you have either.
but get this. he was the Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four, Abe Sapien in Hellboy, the thin infected man in Quarantine, Number 7 robot in Benchwarmers, and he was also in Pan's Labyrinth, Three Kings, Men in Black 2, Buffy... he's done SO MUCH STUFF! but the reason why most people don't know him is that he's usually the one who's under all that makeup gunk/costumes, cuz he's the go-to monster/creature actor that doesn't mind all that chemical stuff on his face and body. so in real life, he's this skinny white guy in his 40s, and funny as hell. we laughed for 3 hours straight, with him telling us about his experiences as an actor, and how he's had to persevere and plunge ahead despite lots of obstacles in Hollywood. it was so cool to hear his story, and to be in the presence of an actor!! he was THIS CLOSE to jessica alba in the fantastic 4!!! and he said she was really nice and sweet. awwwwww. and he's rumored to be starring several big upcoming films, so we'll get to see more of him! coolness :)
i don't know why but i've been so tired lately. by 10pm i'm like exhausted, and i've been going to bed before midnight most nights. it's never happened before! but i'm just so tired! maybe i'm still on jetlag.
anw yesterday i got my box sent by carly from new york! so i have all my bedsheets and pillows now. before that i was sleeping on a sleeping bag. haha. and so i borrowed this cart (that's supposed to be for camera equipment) from the center, and pushed it all the way back to my apartment with my roomie. and we stopped to get groceries on the way, and then piled all our plastic bags full of food on top of the box on the cart. people kept staring. i think they thought we stole a shopping cart or something. hahaha. and then halfway we hit a bump, and everything, including the box, FELL OFF the cart. of course we were hysterical and exploded with laughter, and then this nice guy came to help us out, seeing as how we were helpless and rolling on the floor laughing.
today we broke up into small groups and shared about our expectations, concerns and hopes for this semester, and it was encouraging to see most people had similar worries... not knowing what to expect at the internship, not knowing much about film, not knowing if this industry is the right fit for them... so it was nice to have that support group. and now i'm trying to do my laundry, but IT'S CLOSED OFF and i don't know why! sigh. so creepy in the basement, too, but i don't dare to go off and leave my stuff, seeing as how my roomie got her stuff stolen.
ok can't wait for 6pm tonight!!!! JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!
Friday, August 28, 2009
It's only been a few days
But i feel like i've already been here for months. it's weird. tons of weird/not-so-good stuff has been happening lately. my roomie got her load of laundry stolen right out the dryer, my other roomie was talking on her phone outside subway, in broad daylight, on the street in clear view of people, and this skinny white guy just whizzes by and SNATCHES the phone out of her hand!!!! her blackberry!! and after she gets over her shock of what just happened, the guy is way past gone. so the cops were called and all, but there's really nothing they can do. man, i've heard so many stories about people getting mugged in broad daylight, it's making me kinda afraid to go anywhere alone or hold any valuables in my hand. another friend got her wallet stolen at a CD shop. seriously!!! what is wrong with this place?? i guess we're all gonna be really cautious from now on, since apparently you can get robbed anywhere, anytime in LA.
ooh on tues went to The Grove in the evening (it's EVEN prettier in the evening!! pretty lights and everything! feels like a magical land. haha) to watch 500 Days of Summer. OMG if/when it comes out in singapore, PLEASE go and watch it. it's seriously the best romantic comedy i've ever seen in a while. it's different, unique, a little quirky and eclectic, but so worth it! although the ending leaves more to be desired, zooey deschanel is adorable and weird, as usual, and the story is just so cute and different from other predictable chick flicks. this movie's got more of an indie feel, but i just loved it. and the theatre we went to see it in was like some majestic ballroom! and you could tell by the steep ticket prices -- 12bucks just like in NYC. is it not enough that movies make big bucks?? do they have to rip us off too??? ooh but i learned in class that MOST movies actually LOSE MONEY! isn't that crazy?? so studios rely on one or two HUGE films like The Dark Knight or Transformers2 to recoup their losses. and here i thought they were ripping us off. although.. i still don't feel guilty for downloading movies online. hahaha.
been through several camera labs and equipment labs.. learning how to operate the crazy complicated cameras and equipments.. my head's just exploding with way too much information, and i'm pretty sure i'll forget it all. but it's so comforting to know there are other clueless people like me! there's english majors here, even an art history major! i guess most people, like me, come to this program with a basic interest in film, and they wanna find out for sure if this is where they wanna head into after graduation. we had a student film screening last night, where people got to show off their projects from previous classes, and i was totally blown away! i thought, from what i'd seen before, that student films are pretty crappy. and they usually are. but some of these pieces we saw were sooooooo professional and good! i was surprised!!! they were creative, funny, unique, and had a good message to tell. it was pretty cool, although the pressure's on, since everyone here is talented in some way.
talking about pressure... SO MUCH INFORMATION stuffed down our throats the last few days! i feel like i'm about to explode. so much homework i don't even wanna think about it. a couple who started the Hollywood Prayer Network (to support and pray for Christians in Hollywood), came and talked to us today and said we HAVE to know films if we wanna click with others in the industry and have something intelligent to contribute to conversations. so we have to watch the top 100 films on some list. omg. i looked it over, and i haven't seen like 95% of the films!!!! panicking now. this is what i get for watching mindless chick flicks all the time!! plus another huge topic in conversations is politics. GREAT. two things i'm clueless about. gotta go read up on that, because i gotta know the lingo in hollywood!!
and also we have to write a freaking script by wednesday to compete against each other cuz only 5 scripts will get picked to be made into movies in our Hollywood Production Workshop class. STRESS to the max. since obviously i'm a writer and i want to do good in this area. but i'm totally drawing blanks when it comes to story ideas. i mean, the film is only gonna be 10mins max. which means 10 pages of script. which means.. super short and crammed! and as you can see, i love to write. ALOT. people have trouble writing enough to meet the minimum, i have trouble writing lesser to be under the maximum. that's always been the case. sigh. will have to keep brainstorming.
but back to the couple who came and talked to us today... they were so cute and it was so refreshing to see people still happily married after so long in hollywood. they've worked with all kinds of famous directors, producers, actors... and they're still so grounded in the Lord and they've touched countless lives just by being an example of Jesus' love! it was pretty awesome to hear their stories. so i shall be committed to praying for one person at my office and pray that God will use me to touch that person's life. they keep telling us that most people in hollywood are jewish, which is surprising, and that people are so hungry for someone to listen, because everyone in hollywood lies and cheats and deceives. and their god is not money, it's worldview. some people will fight to the death for their beliefs in politics, saving the environment, gays... everything. it's all so overwhelming.
so anyway, i got to know more people here and there... some people here really look like some of my friends at taylor, it's weird. but everyone's really getting to know each other better, so it's cool. last night we watched Into the Wild at someone's apartment (another great thing about not being at taylor? no open house!! meaning we can go to anyone's apartment anytime! boy or girl! haha).. it was a pretty good movie. very thought provoking and a true story too! it was kinda slow and long, but still recommended. this guy actually removed all traces of his existence and went on a journey to alaska, meeting weird people along the way. he'd conformed to the expectations of his rich parents until after he graduated from college, then he 'ran away' and just started hiking by himself. it's crazy! i can't imagine living like that.. not really having any purpose but just drifting along and hunting for food everyday.
ooh and yesterday we tried to go see the Jimmy Kimmel live show in hollywood, because Robin Williams was a guest star, but we were too late and tickets were gone :( but it's ok, there are plenty of other shows!!! this is like new york all over again!! so many free shows to go to!!! Boys Like Girls is coming to the jimmy kimmel show a few weeks from now, and i signed up but only got standby tickets. hopefully someone cancels out.
so yeah. a lot to think about. have to write about my expectations for this semester, and honestly... the reason i applied for this LA semester was to get away from Taylor. plain and simple. it's not like i hated it there, i love my friends and all, but i just NEEDED to go somewhere else, somewhere where i have more freedom, where there's more stuff to do, more people to meet... i don't know. at that point in time last semester, i was running away a lot. like to new york and then now to LA. but now that i'm actually here... i think God brought me here for a purpose. i mean, i know that, and i'm excited to find out what it is :)
ooh on tues went to The Grove in the evening (it's EVEN prettier in the evening!! pretty lights and everything! feels like a magical land. haha) to watch 500 Days of Summer. OMG if/when it comes out in singapore, PLEASE go and watch it. it's seriously the best romantic comedy i've ever seen in a while. it's different, unique, a little quirky and eclectic, but so worth it! although the ending leaves more to be desired, zooey deschanel is adorable and weird, as usual, and the story is just so cute and different from other predictable chick flicks. this movie's got more of an indie feel, but i just loved it. and the theatre we went to see it in was like some majestic ballroom! and you could tell by the steep ticket prices -- 12bucks just like in NYC. is it not enough that movies make big bucks?? do they have to rip us off too??? ooh but i learned in class that MOST movies actually LOSE MONEY! isn't that crazy?? so studios rely on one or two HUGE films like The Dark Knight or Transformers2 to recoup their losses. and here i thought they were ripping us off. although.. i still don't feel guilty for downloading movies online. hahaha.
been through several camera labs and equipment labs.. learning how to operate the crazy complicated cameras and equipments.. my head's just exploding with way too much information, and i'm pretty sure i'll forget it all. but it's so comforting to know there are other clueless people like me! there's english majors here, even an art history major! i guess most people, like me, come to this program with a basic interest in film, and they wanna find out for sure if this is where they wanna head into after graduation. we had a student film screening last night, where people got to show off their projects from previous classes, and i was totally blown away! i thought, from what i'd seen before, that student films are pretty crappy. and they usually are. but some of these pieces we saw were sooooooo professional and good! i was surprised!!! they were creative, funny, unique, and had a good message to tell. it was pretty cool, although the pressure's on, since everyone here is talented in some way.
talking about pressure... SO MUCH INFORMATION stuffed down our throats the last few days! i feel like i'm about to explode. so much homework i don't even wanna think about it. a couple who started the Hollywood Prayer Network (to support and pray for Christians in Hollywood), came and talked to us today and said we HAVE to know films if we wanna click with others in the industry and have something intelligent to contribute to conversations. so we have to watch the top 100 films on some list. omg. i looked it over, and i haven't seen like 95% of the films!!!! panicking now. this is what i get for watching mindless chick flicks all the time!! plus another huge topic in conversations is politics. GREAT. two things i'm clueless about. gotta go read up on that, because i gotta know the lingo in hollywood!!
and also we have to write a freaking script by wednesday to compete against each other cuz only 5 scripts will get picked to be made into movies in our Hollywood Production Workshop class. STRESS to the max. since obviously i'm a writer and i want to do good in this area. but i'm totally drawing blanks when it comes to story ideas. i mean, the film is only gonna be 10mins max. which means 10 pages of script. which means.. super short and crammed! and as you can see, i love to write. ALOT. people have trouble writing enough to meet the minimum, i have trouble writing lesser to be under the maximum. that's always been the case. sigh. will have to keep brainstorming.
but back to the couple who came and talked to us today... they were so cute and it was so refreshing to see people still happily married after so long in hollywood. they've worked with all kinds of famous directors, producers, actors... and they're still so grounded in the Lord and they've touched countless lives just by being an example of Jesus' love! it was pretty awesome to hear their stories. so i shall be committed to praying for one person at my office and pray that God will use me to touch that person's life. they keep telling us that most people in hollywood are jewish, which is surprising, and that people are so hungry for someone to listen, because everyone in hollywood lies and cheats and deceives. and their god is not money, it's worldview. some people will fight to the death for their beliefs in politics, saving the environment, gays... everything. it's all so overwhelming.
so anyway, i got to know more people here and there... some people here really look like some of my friends at taylor, it's weird. but everyone's really getting to know each other better, so it's cool. last night we watched Into the Wild at someone's apartment (another great thing about not being at taylor? no open house!! meaning we can go to anyone's apartment anytime! boy or girl! haha).. it was a pretty good movie. very thought provoking and a true story too! it was kinda slow and long, but still recommended. this guy actually removed all traces of his existence and went on a journey to alaska, meeting weird people along the way. he'd conformed to the expectations of his rich parents until after he graduated from college, then he 'ran away' and just started hiking by himself. it's crazy! i can't imagine living like that.. not really having any purpose but just drifting along and hunting for food everyday.
ooh and yesterday we tried to go see the Jimmy Kimmel live show in hollywood, because Robin Williams was a guest star, but we were too late and tickets were gone :( but it's ok, there are plenty of other shows!!! this is like new york all over again!! so many free shows to go to!!! Boys Like Girls is coming to the jimmy kimmel show a few weeks from now, and i signed up but only got standby tickets. hopefully someone cancels out.
so yeah. a lot to think about. have to write about my expectations for this semester, and honestly... the reason i applied for this LA semester was to get away from Taylor. plain and simple. it's not like i hated it there, i love my friends and all, but i just NEEDED to go somewhere else, somewhere where i have more freedom, where there's more stuff to do, more people to meet... i don't know. at that point in time last semester, i was running away a lot. like to new york and then now to LA. but now that i'm actually here... i think God brought me here for a purpose. i mean, i know that, and i'm excited to find out what it is :)
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Livin' it up in LA
I'm in LA!! Livin' up the sunny california life! and so far i'm liking it alot! haha.
Anyway, backtracking to the past few days... whoa. it's been kinda overwhelming. the flight here was alright, went by really quick. 7hrs to japan + 8hrs to LA. i slept a lot, was so tired. but of course watched movies also, being the kiasu singaporean i am. watched ghosts of girlfriends past, obsessed, coraline and something else i can't remember now.
And then i got to LA, lugged all my 3 bags around till i found the taxi stand, prayed hard that the taxi driver would be nice (and thank god he was), hopped in, and started toward Miracle Mile. it took us like an hour to get there, and i gave him google map directions that dad printed out the night before, and we still got lost several times. but he was nice and didn't charge me more. and at least i was only 5 mins late to registration. so i got registered, realized i didn't have enough money to pay registration fees, went to the bank, realized i only had a 200dollar limit to withdrawing cash from my debit account, went back and lugged my bags to my apartment with the help of a very nice guy.
So i'm living at this place called park la brea apartments, which is HUGE. it's like a town by itself! there's like 12,000 people living here, there are tower apartments, houses, cafes, a swimming pool, a gym, a small movie theater, everything! i don't even have to leave this place if i don't want to. (but of course i do). and there's Kmart right outside, with Ralph's and Trader Joe's and the 99 cent store and The Grove... omg. i'm in total paradise. NO MORE CORNFIELDS for the next 4 months! i don't know how i'll ever drag myself back to indiana after stints in NYC and LA.
Anyway, my apartment's pretty nice. HUGE living room, we call it our 'dance floor,' and plan to have many rockin' parties here. haha. nice kitchen, with everything from pots and pans to a fridge to a dishwasher. two bathrooms, two rooms. i have 4 other roommates, and i share a room with two other people. they're all SUCH nice people! i'm so glad this is a Christian program, because i was initially really apprehensive about moving to a huge, corrupted, cutthroat, money-minded city like LA, but it's been SO awfully encouraging having all these great people around me who share the same anxieties and offer good support. And yeah, they've talked about how our internships might be horrid, our bosses might treat us like the lowly unpaid interns we are, but it's ok, as long as we keep in mind who we answer to and who we are in God.
So yeah, they keep stuffing information down our throats. info about LA, about living in our apartments, about internships, about our 3 classes, everything. it's really overwhelming, but at the same time, really exciting, and i can't wait to get started. Although this really feels like an extended vacation. everyone agrees that this is TOO GOOD to be true! i mean, i get to spend a semester in awesome LA, with sunny weather, great people who love God, an internship in Hollywood... where's the catch??? -- as my roommate so correctly described it. we actually sat out in the sun by the poolside yesterday, absorbing sunny rays and doing our homework - reading a screenplay. THIS IS THE LIFE! haha. but i'm sure it'll get much busier and crazier as the semester goes on. And then we went shopping last night, at The Grove, which is RIGHT NEXT to my apartment complex. and OMG. it was SO COOL! it was like disneyland, but an adult version! quaint shops side by side with big brand names, a little trolley bus thingy going round the outdoor mall, shops by the side, shops everywhere, a farmer's market.. it was so cool i loved it :) Also, some guy told me Disneyland is FREE when you go during your bday, so i'm definitely gonna try!! even though my bday's on a tuesday.
Only thing is, our classes are held in this building, like 20 mins walk away from my apartment. which isn't so bad, but compared to taylor, where i walk 5 mins to class, it's far. haha. and under the hot sun, it's even further. now i totally regret bringing all my long sleeved shirts and jackets. sigh. it's SO HOT! but classes have been fun. the LAFSC offices are in this tower, and there's computer labs, edit suites, tons of camera equipment i don't know how to use, a tiny classroom/lecture hall, a lounge, TONS of DVDs and books we can rent out... oh and there's so much to do here! live bands, comedy clubs, broadway shows, it's like NYC again!!! only there's no public transport. i haven't seen a bus here. NOT ONE! which makes me kinda nervous cuz i don't drive and i'm sure i'll need to take a bus to my internship. sigh.
oh and there are these DEMON BIRDS (as my other roomie calls them), that SCREECH AND SCREAM every, single, morning. AT 5AM! it's insane! they go on for a whole hour, and all of us (except one, she sleeps through it all, lucky) have been getting up at 5am. also cuz our apartment's on the ground floor, so we hear all kinds of noises at ungodly hours. like the rubbish truck clearing the trash, random people talking in the morning.. it's really annoying. i might have to become a morning person this semester.
But other than that, everything else is good. ooh although.. people do get mugged here more often. my roomie lost her load of laundry the second day we were here. some idiot took all her jeans and shirts! and obviously she couldn't get it back. sooo.. i guess i'll have to sit there and WATCH my laundry go round and round in the machine every time. for 45 mins. and then the dryer. sigh. and the basement's creepy too.
Went grocery shopping to stock up our fridge. man, the 99cent store is a LIFESAVER! everything there truly is 99 cents OR BELOW! i got 6 packets of ramen for 99 cents altogether! so that was cool. and then Trader Joe's, which i was introduced to in NYC and totally love. there's tons of organic and natural stuff there, so i got lots of fruits/veggies/stuff that i don't have to cook cuz i don't know how to cook. haha. my roomie suggested we alternate cooking weekly for family-style dinners, and i was like.... uhhh i don't know how to cook. now i feel dumb. can't cook, can't drive. seriously!
Anyway.. i think that's about all. i just wanna say again, the people are so nice. and it's such a change from being around non-Christians in the New York program. and they're all so funny. we've only known each other for a few days, but we already have so many inside jokes, it's crazy! today my roomies and i were watching this show called 'Home Delivery' during lunch (yes, we have a TV and DVD player! YAY!), and totally laughing until we couldn't speak. it was meant to be touching and sappy, but we found it hilarious. the TV production was awful. it was like they were trying to squeeze 10 mins of actual footage into 30 mins for the show. so lots of repetitions and what not. totally lame. but so funny. and i fed them my dried mangoes. and told them about singapore and its no-gum policy -- that never fails to amuse americans. they're all like, 'seriously?? omg!! i can't believe this!! wait till i tell my friends about this!! how could you live without gum??'
and i'm like, it's really no big deal. and then i tell them about how we smuggle gum from malaysia into singapore. haha
oh i have my internship interview on friday morning... so pray hard i'll get a good internship that's suitable for me, and that i'll get nice people to work with and not crazy tyrant bosses. oh and LA's 15 hours behind singapore.
ok that was a very messy update but gotta go to class now. that's all! :)
Anyway, backtracking to the past few days... whoa. it's been kinda overwhelming. the flight here was alright, went by really quick. 7hrs to japan + 8hrs to LA. i slept a lot, was so tired. but of course watched movies also, being the kiasu singaporean i am. watched ghosts of girlfriends past, obsessed, coraline and something else i can't remember now.
And then i got to LA, lugged all my 3 bags around till i found the taxi stand, prayed hard that the taxi driver would be nice (and thank god he was), hopped in, and started toward Miracle Mile. it took us like an hour to get there, and i gave him google map directions that dad printed out the night before, and we still got lost several times. but he was nice and didn't charge me more. and at least i was only 5 mins late to registration. so i got registered, realized i didn't have enough money to pay registration fees, went to the bank, realized i only had a 200dollar limit to withdrawing cash from my debit account, went back and lugged my bags to my apartment with the help of a very nice guy.
So i'm living at this place called park la brea apartments, which is HUGE. it's like a town by itself! there's like 12,000 people living here, there are tower apartments, houses, cafes, a swimming pool, a gym, a small movie theater, everything! i don't even have to leave this place if i don't want to. (but of course i do). and there's Kmart right outside, with Ralph's and Trader Joe's and the 99 cent store and The Grove... omg. i'm in total paradise. NO MORE CORNFIELDS for the next 4 months! i don't know how i'll ever drag myself back to indiana after stints in NYC and LA.
Anyway, my apartment's pretty nice. HUGE living room, we call it our 'dance floor,' and plan to have many rockin' parties here. haha. nice kitchen, with everything from pots and pans to a fridge to a dishwasher. two bathrooms, two rooms. i have 4 other roommates, and i share a room with two other people. they're all SUCH nice people! i'm so glad this is a Christian program, because i was initially really apprehensive about moving to a huge, corrupted, cutthroat, money-minded city like LA, but it's been SO awfully encouraging having all these great people around me who share the same anxieties and offer good support. And yeah, they've talked about how our internships might be horrid, our bosses might treat us like the lowly unpaid interns we are, but it's ok, as long as we keep in mind who we answer to and who we are in God.
So yeah, they keep stuffing information down our throats. info about LA, about living in our apartments, about internships, about our 3 classes, everything. it's really overwhelming, but at the same time, really exciting, and i can't wait to get started. Although this really feels like an extended vacation. everyone agrees that this is TOO GOOD to be true! i mean, i get to spend a semester in awesome LA, with sunny weather, great people who love God, an internship in Hollywood... where's the catch??? -- as my roommate so correctly described it. we actually sat out in the sun by the poolside yesterday, absorbing sunny rays and doing our homework - reading a screenplay. THIS IS THE LIFE! haha. but i'm sure it'll get much busier and crazier as the semester goes on. And then we went shopping last night, at The Grove, which is RIGHT NEXT to my apartment complex. and OMG. it was SO COOL! it was like disneyland, but an adult version! quaint shops side by side with big brand names, a little trolley bus thingy going round the outdoor mall, shops by the side, shops everywhere, a farmer's market.. it was so cool i loved it :) Also, some guy told me Disneyland is FREE when you go during your bday, so i'm definitely gonna try!! even though my bday's on a tuesday.
Only thing is, our classes are held in this building, like 20 mins walk away from my apartment. which isn't so bad, but compared to taylor, where i walk 5 mins to class, it's far. haha. and under the hot sun, it's even further. now i totally regret bringing all my long sleeved shirts and jackets. sigh. it's SO HOT! but classes have been fun. the LAFSC offices are in this tower, and there's computer labs, edit suites, tons of camera equipment i don't know how to use, a tiny classroom/lecture hall, a lounge, TONS of DVDs and books we can rent out... oh and there's so much to do here! live bands, comedy clubs, broadway shows, it's like NYC again!!! only there's no public transport. i haven't seen a bus here. NOT ONE! which makes me kinda nervous cuz i don't drive and i'm sure i'll need to take a bus to my internship. sigh.
oh and there are these DEMON BIRDS (as my other roomie calls them), that SCREECH AND SCREAM every, single, morning. AT 5AM! it's insane! they go on for a whole hour, and all of us (except one, she sleeps through it all, lucky) have been getting up at 5am. also cuz our apartment's on the ground floor, so we hear all kinds of noises at ungodly hours. like the rubbish truck clearing the trash, random people talking in the morning.. it's really annoying. i might have to become a morning person this semester.
But other than that, everything else is good. ooh although.. people do get mugged here more often. my roomie lost her load of laundry the second day we were here. some idiot took all her jeans and shirts! and obviously she couldn't get it back. sooo.. i guess i'll have to sit there and WATCH my laundry go round and round in the machine every time. for 45 mins. and then the dryer. sigh. and the basement's creepy too.
Went grocery shopping to stock up our fridge. man, the 99cent store is a LIFESAVER! everything there truly is 99 cents OR BELOW! i got 6 packets of ramen for 99 cents altogether! so that was cool. and then Trader Joe's, which i was introduced to in NYC and totally love. there's tons of organic and natural stuff there, so i got lots of fruits/veggies/stuff that i don't have to cook cuz i don't know how to cook. haha. my roomie suggested we alternate cooking weekly for family-style dinners, and i was like.... uhhh i don't know how to cook. now i feel dumb. can't cook, can't drive. seriously!
Anyway.. i think that's about all. i just wanna say again, the people are so nice. and it's such a change from being around non-Christians in the New York program. and they're all so funny. we've only known each other for a few days, but we already have so many inside jokes, it's crazy! today my roomies and i were watching this show called 'Home Delivery' during lunch (yes, we have a TV and DVD player! YAY!), and totally laughing until we couldn't speak. it was meant to be touching and sappy, but we found it hilarious. the TV production was awful. it was like they were trying to squeeze 10 mins of actual footage into 30 mins for the show. so lots of repetitions and what not. totally lame. but so funny. and i fed them my dried mangoes. and told them about singapore and its no-gum policy -- that never fails to amuse americans. they're all like, 'seriously?? omg!! i can't believe this!! wait till i tell my friends about this!! how could you live without gum??'
and i'm like, it's really no big deal. and then i tell them about how we smuggle gum from malaysia into singapore. haha
oh i have my internship interview on friday morning... so pray hard i'll get a good internship that's suitable for me, and that i'll get nice people to work with and not crazy tyrant bosses. oh and LA's 15 hours behind singapore.
ok that was a very messy update but gotta go to class now. that's all! :)
Saturday, August 01, 2009
Now boarding
This is probably the most 'mah fan' trip ever. After discussing about the trip for days and days, we finally got to booking the tickets two days before we leave. it was a wonder there were even tickets left. but now that it's settled, bangkok here we come! :)
i'm kinda glad i'm not going for a week, so i get to come home and spend more time with the fam. and friends.
Musing
I love how the Dawgz (friends from cedar) are still pretty much the same, even though we've all gone down different paths since secondary school. we still laugh about the stupidest things, we make the stupidest comments, and we do the stupidest things. but it still cracks me up.
and i love how we've kept up our bi-annual sleepovers, complete with stuffing our faces with junk food that's evolved over time (from unhealthy chips and maggi mee and chocolate to gummy dinosaurs and sushi and dried mangoes) and lame chinese movies (usually starring edison chen/daniel wu/any other cute male actor) we'd never watch in any other situation.
if you're wondering how we got our name, limpin dawgz, it was a rip-off from linkin park, the rock band. we 'attempted' to form a band (jokingly, of course) in secondary school, with different weird positions for each of us, like red-bean shaker and triangle-hitter. and then there were our self-written songs, like 'p-o-p is pop, p-o-p is still pop!' we cracked ourselves up just thinking of silly songs like that.
i'm glad i still keep in touch with some of my sec sch friends.
not so much NJC friends though. everytime i think of NJ, i think horrific nightmarish experiences. i got my first taste of biasedness and being prejudiced against just 'cause i wasn't following the normal singaporean kid science-route. boy, there were tons of discrimination against the arts students (all 40 of us), and how we hated that. but what i forgot about were the great times we had fighting against the system, and how that common enemy bonded us together. actually, thinking back on the times i had with my clique, we did have many good times together. memorable ones too, like climbing the school gates like desperate prisoners wanting to get out. i guess i was better off than them, since our form teacher liked me (apparently i looked 'guai'), and would let me get away with murder, while the rest of them got reprimanded for anything and everything. and so they made fun of her ruthlessly all the time. i felt kinda bad for her; she was short and single and walked with a limp. i always thought there must be something awful in her past to make her act this way now, but i never got to ask her about it. and then i was just glad to get out of junior college.
i guess the memory of awful teachers and being treated unfairly suppressed the good memories with friends. although NJ really is a school filled with studious chinese-speaking people. my friends and i would be hanging out in the empty canteen during break, slacking away, and we'd wonder where the rest of the student population was. later we found out they were ALL squeezed into the library, mugging away, months before exams. being an avid last-minute studying person, i was obviously horrified. but then i got my 3 As, so that proves you don't need to be a nerd to do well in school. kinda sad i don't really keep in touch with my JC friends, but i guess we never really had much in common anyway.
that being said, i love the surprise of finding an old friend on facebook, and looking at how they've changed over the years :)
i'm kinda glad i'm not going for a week, so i get to come home and spend more time with the fam. and friends.
Musing
I love how the Dawgz (friends from cedar) are still pretty much the same, even though we've all gone down different paths since secondary school. we still laugh about the stupidest things, we make the stupidest comments, and we do the stupidest things. but it still cracks me up.
and i love how we've kept up our bi-annual sleepovers, complete with stuffing our faces with junk food that's evolved over time (from unhealthy chips and maggi mee and chocolate to gummy dinosaurs and sushi and dried mangoes) and lame chinese movies (usually starring edison chen/daniel wu/any other cute male actor) we'd never watch in any other situation.
if you're wondering how we got our name, limpin dawgz, it was a rip-off from linkin park, the rock band. we 'attempted' to form a band (jokingly, of course) in secondary school, with different weird positions for each of us, like red-bean shaker and triangle-hitter. and then there were our self-written songs, like 'p-o-p is pop, p-o-p is still pop!' we cracked ourselves up just thinking of silly songs like that.
i'm glad i still keep in touch with some of my sec sch friends.
not so much NJC friends though. everytime i think of NJ, i think horrific nightmarish experiences. i got my first taste of biasedness and being prejudiced against just 'cause i wasn't following the normal singaporean kid science-route. boy, there were tons of discrimination against the arts students (all 40 of us), and how we hated that. but what i forgot about were the great times we had fighting against the system, and how that common enemy bonded us together. actually, thinking back on the times i had with my clique, we did have many good times together. memorable ones too, like climbing the school gates like desperate prisoners wanting to get out. i guess i was better off than them, since our form teacher liked me (apparently i looked 'guai'), and would let me get away with murder, while the rest of them got reprimanded for anything and everything. and so they made fun of her ruthlessly all the time. i felt kinda bad for her; she was short and single and walked with a limp. i always thought there must be something awful in her past to make her act this way now, but i never got to ask her about it. and then i was just glad to get out of junior college.
i guess the memory of awful teachers and being treated unfairly suppressed the good memories with friends. although NJ really is a school filled with studious chinese-speaking people. my friends and i would be hanging out in the empty canteen during break, slacking away, and we'd wonder where the rest of the student population was. later we found out they were ALL squeezed into the library, mugging away, months before exams. being an avid last-minute studying person, i was obviously horrified. but then i got my 3 As, so that proves you don't need to be a nerd to do well in school. kinda sad i don't really keep in touch with my JC friends, but i guess we never really had much in common anyway.
that being said, i love the surprise of finding an old friend on facebook, and looking at how they've changed over the years :)
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Home for the summer (or what's left of it)
It's hot and humid. Humid and hot. air-conditioning is seriously the best invention ever known to mankind (particularly mankind in singapore).
It was kinda surreal leaving New York, but the plane ride home went by pretty fast. And there was an empty seat next to me the entire time, which was much appreciated. Plus a nice auntie sitting two seats away from me, who helped me heave my heavy carry-on up into the overhead compartment. the guy at the SIA check-in line at JFK airport told me my carry-on was 3kg overweight, but i needed everything that was in there, so i pretended to take things out, but really i just put them on the floor (where he couldn't see it) and then put them back in after he weighed it and gave me the green light. haha.
Got to see 'Hannah montana the movie,' 'Watchmen' and 'Race to witch mountain.'
Liked them all. except that the guy in front of me kept pushing his seat back so i could hardly see the screen. And i was surprised to find that 3 movies they showed on the plane were actually still screening here in singapore! how slow is that. i also realized i've seen most movies that haven't been released here yet, like Up, The Hangover, The Proposal and Bruno. i guess i should've waited and saved $$.
Warm welcome from the family at the airport, then spent the rest of the day trying to keep awake so i wouldn't be so jet-lagged. but i failed, and took a nap. haha.
i guess things here are still the same. brothers are still strong+silent, parents are still working 24/7, the weather's still hot and muggy, and i'm still doing the same old things - shop, watch movies, eat. seems kinda boring in comparison to the past few months.
Met up with suang today to catch up... even though we hardly keep in contact during the rest of the year, we always slip back into our familiar ways with each other, and it feels like nothing's changed, even though lots has. and then we saw kobe bryant (basketball player for the lakers) in orchard!! ok at first we saw a bunch of people gathered outside Ion mall, and we wondered if they were just being typical singaporeans. You know, gathering around something just 'cause everyone else is and you don't wanna miss out. haha. it really seemed like they were standing around and staring at the construction site. but then we figured out they were waiting for kobe bryant, cuz there was a giant poster of him decked out in Nike on the building (and also cuz someone told us). and just when we decided to leave, we spotted him coming out of a car! and people followed him, snapping pictures of his face (which was easy, since he was 2 heads above everyone else).
Just thought that was ironic. After spending 2 months in NYC, the place crawling with celebs, i didn't see any. and then i come home and immediately see one. but i guess he's not that famous, since everyone i tried to tell doesn't know him (everyone meaning my mom, dad and brother). haha.
It was kinda surreal leaving New York, but the plane ride home went by pretty fast. And there was an empty seat next to me the entire time, which was much appreciated. Plus a nice auntie sitting two seats away from me, who helped me heave my heavy carry-on up into the overhead compartment. the guy at the SIA check-in line at JFK airport told me my carry-on was 3kg overweight, but i needed everything that was in there, so i pretended to take things out, but really i just put them on the floor (where he couldn't see it) and then put them back in after he weighed it and gave me the green light. haha.
Got to see 'Hannah montana the movie,' 'Watchmen' and 'Race to witch mountain.'
Liked them all. except that the guy in front of me kept pushing his seat back so i could hardly see the screen. And i was surprised to find that 3 movies they showed on the plane were actually still screening here in singapore! how slow is that. i also realized i've seen most movies that haven't been released here yet, like Up, The Hangover, The Proposal and Bruno. i guess i should've waited and saved $$.
Warm welcome from the family at the airport, then spent the rest of the day trying to keep awake so i wouldn't be so jet-lagged. but i failed, and took a nap. haha.
i guess things here are still the same. brothers are still strong+silent, parents are still working 24/7, the weather's still hot and muggy, and i'm still doing the same old things - shop, watch movies, eat. seems kinda boring in comparison to the past few months.
Met up with suang today to catch up... even though we hardly keep in contact during the rest of the year, we always slip back into our familiar ways with each other, and it feels like nothing's changed, even though lots has. and then we saw kobe bryant (basketball player for the lakers) in orchard!! ok at first we saw a bunch of people gathered outside Ion mall, and we wondered if they were just being typical singaporeans. You know, gathering around something just 'cause everyone else is and you don't wanna miss out. haha. it really seemed like they were standing around and staring at the construction site. but then we figured out they were waiting for kobe bryant, cuz there was a giant poster of him decked out in Nike on the building (and also cuz someone told us). and just when we decided to leave, we spotted him coming out of a car! and people followed him, snapping pictures of his face (which was easy, since he was 2 heads above everyone else).
Just thought that was ironic. After spending 2 months in NYC, the place crawling with celebs, i didn't see any. and then i come home and immediately see one. but i guess he's not that famous, since everyone i tried to tell doesn't know him (everyone meaning my mom, dad and brother). haha.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
I hate this part right here
Saying goodbye
I'm really not a fan of goodbyes. but somehow my life seems to be full of them. can't believe i've already been here for 8 weeks, and now it's time to leave. no one wants to leave; i know i don't. it's funny how we've technically just come into each others' lives, but it feels like we've known each other for a long time. and we've definitely had plenty of great times together. it's sad to think i might never see some of these people ever again. that's the thing about living in big ol' america. but there's been talk of a NYC summer 2009 reunion next year... i'm definitely there.
Looking back
I'm glad i took that step of faith and applied for the seemingly shady program (its name alone, university of dreams, was enough to make me wonder if i was being scammed). I came all by myself to New York City, not knowing what to expect at all. i was sad to leave my friends at taylor and totally intimidated by this huge foreign city filled with people i didn't know. But now i'm leaving with tons of friends and contacts. I'm pretty sure this experience has exceeded my wildest expectations, and the people i've met have been so awesome.
I have to say, i really don't regret anything i've done, even all the stupid crazy things. I mean, i'm 21, and i'm in New York City with all the freedom in the world (without the ridiculous, life-restraining, don't drink/dance don't-have-any-fun LTC). and i finally feel like i'm living out the real college experience. sure, you might say it's pointless and meaningless and what good is there in that? but i say it's a life experience. i'm finally breaking out of my boring shell at taylor and i'm seeing the world around me without my rose-colored glasses on. yes, i compromised a little, but what's life without mistakes? i definitely learned a heck of a lot about life. it's things that i could never learn otherwise, without experiencing it for myself.
Start of something new
i guess it all started at the Black eyed peas Today show concert, where i met sarah and hit it off, and she introduced me to her group of friends. after adding a bunch of other random people, we had formed our awesome group :)
i just feel like i've been living under a protective shelter for so long. i felt so naive about anything else going on in the world. i wanted to get out and experience it for myself. and i'm glad to have had my friends; they were fun and crazy, but not too wild as to go home with strangers.
Fav memories at village townhouse, marquee, webster hall and hiro. sometimes it's just fun to have a girls night out dancing :) not a big fan of sitting around in bars.
Hot or not
All that said, i'm getting a bit tired of the whole clubbing scene. i realized last night it's not as fun when i'm sober, because i looked around me and saw a bunch of creeps trying to take advantage of girls. and all these people wasting their lives away drinking and partying.
i also realized how superficial people are. i saw a lot of my friends get turned away from so-called exclusive clubs because they weren't 'hot' enough, according to the bouncer's standards. and some of them had to pay extra just because the bouncer didn't like their outfit, and were blatantly obvious about their disdain. ridiculous, but i guess that's just how the world is. luckily (even though i got scrutinized) i never had to pay.
I learned that in this world, people's idea of a fun night is drinking a whole lot and getting drunk. the more drunk, the better. i still can't understand that, because puking in random places is not fun at all, neither is nursing a hangover and feeling like crap the next day, or not remembering much of what happened the night before. so yes, there were times i went over my limit, but then i learned what my limit was, and avoided going near there again.
so maybe my short-lived time of partying is up. i guess it's not like i'll be doing any of that at home or at taylor anyway. i'm kinda glad i'm not going back to taylor in the fall. life there is way boring in comparison. i'll be in LA!!! and then one more semester, and i'm outta there! :)
I really don't wanna leave NYC, but i guess i'm leaving with great memories and friends who i'll hopefully see sometime in the future. everyone's from/goes to school all over the States, which is what makes it SO hard to leave, because we know we might not see each other ever again. and definitely not in this setting.. in the dorm room, working hard and playing hard every week. but we made promises to visit, and i hope it happens.
tonight we had dinner all together at a nice italian restaurant one last time. and then partied it up one last time :)
sarah left first, at 3am, and it was a crying fest. i really hate goodbyes. i guess it's just beginning to hit us that we're really leaving :(
anyway, all in all, definitely the best summer of my life....
fun times. stella brought me to my first-ever all-asian club here. haha it was an interesting experience. never been around so many asians before in the US!
after trying 2 times, the third time's the charm. we finally got into the ever-exclusive hotel gansevoort's rooftop bar -- plunge. and it was free :)
although drinks were a total rip-off. but the view of the city was so beautiful.
Our last dinner together :(
After meeting a random promoter, we ended up the upscale Marquee for free entry+free table :)
...now back to the land of skinny people.
Goodbye NYC, it's been real. i'll see you soon.
I'm really not a fan of goodbyes. but somehow my life seems to be full of them. can't believe i've already been here for 8 weeks, and now it's time to leave. no one wants to leave; i know i don't. it's funny how we've technically just come into each others' lives, but it feels like we've known each other for a long time. and we've definitely had plenty of great times together. it's sad to think i might never see some of these people ever again. that's the thing about living in big ol' america. but there's been talk of a NYC summer 2009 reunion next year... i'm definitely there.
Looking back
I'm glad i took that step of faith and applied for the seemingly shady program (its name alone, university of dreams, was enough to make me wonder if i was being scammed). I came all by myself to New York City, not knowing what to expect at all. i was sad to leave my friends at taylor and totally intimidated by this huge foreign city filled with people i didn't know. But now i'm leaving with tons of friends and contacts. I'm pretty sure this experience has exceeded my wildest expectations, and the people i've met have been so awesome.
I have to say, i really don't regret anything i've done, even all the stupid crazy things. I mean, i'm 21, and i'm in New York City with all the freedom in the world (without the ridiculous, life-restraining, don't drink/dance don't-have-any-fun LTC). and i finally feel like i'm living out the real college experience. sure, you might say it's pointless and meaningless and what good is there in that? but i say it's a life experience. i'm finally breaking out of my boring shell at taylor and i'm seeing the world around me without my rose-colored glasses on. yes, i compromised a little, but what's life without mistakes? i definitely learned a heck of a lot about life. it's things that i could never learn otherwise, without experiencing it for myself.
Start of something new
i guess it all started at the Black eyed peas Today show concert, where i met sarah and hit it off, and she introduced me to her group of friends. after adding a bunch of other random people, we had formed our awesome group :)
i just feel like i've been living under a protective shelter for so long. i felt so naive about anything else going on in the world. i wanted to get out and experience it for myself. and i'm glad to have had my friends; they were fun and crazy, but not too wild as to go home with strangers.
Fav memories at village townhouse, marquee, webster hall and hiro. sometimes it's just fun to have a girls night out dancing :) not a big fan of sitting around in bars.
Hot or not
All that said, i'm getting a bit tired of the whole clubbing scene. i realized last night it's not as fun when i'm sober, because i looked around me and saw a bunch of creeps trying to take advantage of girls. and all these people wasting their lives away drinking and partying.
i also realized how superficial people are. i saw a lot of my friends get turned away from so-called exclusive clubs because they weren't 'hot' enough, according to the bouncer's standards. and some of them had to pay extra just because the bouncer didn't like their outfit, and were blatantly obvious about their disdain. ridiculous, but i guess that's just how the world is. luckily (even though i got scrutinized) i never had to pay.
I learned that in this world, people's idea of a fun night is drinking a whole lot and getting drunk. the more drunk, the better. i still can't understand that, because puking in random places is not fun at all, neither is nursing a hangover and feeling like crap the next day, or not remembering much of what happened the night before. so yes, there were times i went over my limit, but then i learned what my limit was, and avoided going near there again.
so maybe my short-lived time of partying is up. i guess it's not like i'll be doing any of that at home or at taylor anyway. i'm kinda glad i'm not going back to taylor in the fall. life there is way boring in comparison. i'll be in LA!!! and then one more semester, and i'm outta there! :)
I really don't wanna leave NYC, but i guess i'm leaving with great memories and friends who i'll hopefully see sometime in the future. everyone's from/goes to school all over the States, which is what makes it SO hard to leave, because we know we might not see each other ever again. and definitely not in this setting.. in the dorm room, working hard and playing hard every week. but we made promises to visit, and i hope it happens.
tonight we had dinner all together at a nice italian restaurant one last time. and then partied it up one last time :)
sarah left first, at 3am, and it was a crying fest. i really hate goodbyes. i guess it's just beginning to hit us that we're really leaving :(
anyway, all in all, definitely the best summer of my life....
fun times. stella brought me to my first-ever all-asian club here. haha it was an interesting experience. never been around so many asians before in the US!
after trying 2 times, the third time's the charm. we finally got into the ever-exclusive hotel gansevoort's rooftop bar -- plunge. and it was free :)
although drinks were a total rip-off. but the view of the city was so beautiful.
Our last dinner together :(
After meeting a random promoter, we ended up the upscale Marquee for free entry+free table :)
...now back to the land of skinny people.
Goodbye NYC, it's been real. i'll see you soon.
Last days...
Yesterday was the last day at work. i got to go in late, and the atmosphere at work was so relaxed, cuz it was the weekend, and people wanted the weekend to start as soon as possible. my editor took me out and treated me to a sushi lunch, which was so nice of her :) we got to talking, and i must say, i'm actually gonna miss working with her and everyone else. i thought i'd be jumping for joy on my last day of work, but i was actually kinda sad and not ready to leave. at all. but we did say our goodbyes...
i'll probably keep in contact with them though, so i have a network of people to reach out to if i want to work here in the future. (which i really want to)
i wrote out a list of stuff i've been doing in the office, so the next intern can know what to do. and my editor was like, please don't leave! haha. i have to, but it's been great :)
We went to a PR event after work, and got to see exclusive previews of products from all kinds of brand names that will only be launched in the fall. and i got to TAKE SOME OF THEM WITH ME!
Laura Mercier almond coconut milk body creme (it smells soooo good), Godiva chocolates (we got to sample some there, and bring some back. yum), Cookie smelling shower gel from Philosophy (makes me wanna eat cookies), and perfume/lotion from Philosophy's amazing grace. oh and also perfume from Memoire Liquide, this cute brand that lets you custom-make your scent. it smells SO good.
i love philosophy. they had an entire room of philosophy stuff for the christmas holidays, and it was all sooo pretty :)
the event was so fun. a girl came to take us around to see all the beauty products like makeup, perfume, body lotion... then we went to the fashion section, with clothes galore from all kinds of brands, then to the lifestyle section with all kinds of gadgets and cool stuff. the place was SO pink. pink candy, which i took some of, pink cupcakes and cakes...oh it was so cute. and they had an entire bar filled with free drinks too. i so wanna work here!
Graduation ceremony
We had our Dreamer graduation ceremony last night... it was really sad, seeing all 100+ of us all together again for the last time :(
Kaz, our program director (he's awesome) gave one last speech and told us to go forth and pursue our dreams! they played a slideshow filled with photo memories of our time here, and it was nostalgic. we got a free book filled with inspiring words, and then we appreciated the staff members and got in a circle to toast to an awesome summer in NYC :)
And then i did my laundry and accidentally put in a pink shirt with my other white-ish stuff (like sheets) and now everything is pink-ish/stained with splotches of pink. sigh.
I hate packing. and of course, since i'm leaving tomorrow, my period unsurprisingly has to come now. lovely.
i'll probably keep in contact with them though, so i have a network of people to reach out to if i want to work here in the future. (which i really want to)
i wrote out a list of stuff i've been doing in the office, so the next intern can know what to do. and my editor was like, please don't leave! haha. i have to, but it's been great :)
We went to a PR event after work, and got to see exclusive previews of products from all kinds of brand names that will only be launched in the fall. and i got to TAKE SOME OF THEM WITH ME!
Laura Mercier almond coconut milk body creme (it smells soooo good), Godiva chocolates (we got to sample some there, and bring some back. yum), Cookie smelling shower gel from Philosophy (makes me wanna eat cookies), and perfume/lotion from Philosophy's amazing grace. oh and also perfume from Memoire Liquide, this cute brand that lets you custom-make your scent. it smells SO good.
i love philosophy. they had an entire room of philosophy stuff for the christmas holidays, and it was all sooo pretty :)
the event was so fun. a girl came to take us around to see all the beauty products like makeup, perfume, body lotion... then we went to the fashion section, with clothes galore from all kinds of brands, then to the lifestyle section with all kinds of gadgets and cool stuff. the place was SO pink. pink candy, which i took some of, pink cupcakes and cakes...oh it was so cute. and they had an entire bar filled with free drinks too. i so wanna work here!
Graduation ceremony
We had our Dreamer graduation ceremony last night... it was really sad, seeing all 100+ of us all together again for the last time :(
Kaz, our program director (he's awesome) gave one last speech and told us to go forth and pursue our dreams! they played a slideshow filled with photo memories of our time here, and it was nostalgic. we got a free book filled with inspiring words, and then we appreciated the staff members and got in a circle to toast to an awesome summer in NYC :)
And then i did my laundry and accidentally put in a pink shirt with my other white-ish stuff (like sheets) and now everything is pink-ish/stained with splotches of pink. sigh.
I hate packing. and of course, since i'm leaving tomorrow, my period unsurprisingly has to come now. lovely.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Cupid Shuffle
We danced to that song at the cruise, and it was stuck in my head the entire day yesterday.
at the cruise. i don't know why everyone else's photos turned out better than mine :(
i'm gonna miss these girls.
tried to get into plunge, the upscale rooftop bar at hotel ganzevort, but it was impossible and they wanted us to get a table.
table = $250 minimum. heck no. sad.
so we ended up at ono next door, where there was no cover charge, and it was... a gay party!!! awesomeness. although it was kinda sad seeing all those cute guys and knowing they weren't interested :(
but this guy (in blue) we met, he was the gay-est of gays, and he was hilarious!! omg. he came and danced with us, and put on this mini fashion show for us. hahaha. wonder why gays are so funny.
and then we randomly met these promoters on the street and ended up at tenjune!!!
the exclusive club that lots of celebs go to!! heard it was super hard to get in, but we got in for free + free drinks :) i love being a girl.
although... the club wasn't all that. too crowded + ok music + didn't see any celebs. maybe cuz it was a sunday.
Movies
Went to the midnight premiere of Harry Potter number 6 yesterday.. waited in line for 2 hours, because here in America, they don't have this basic thing called SEAT NUMBERS ON YOUR TICKET. so you have to go super early and wait and rush in just to get decent seats, which we did :)
Although we did meet interesting people while waiting, so i'm not complaining. these girls were wandering around trying to sell 'wands' to people for 2 bucks.
their wands = branches from trees. haha.
and this guy behind us was all dressed up in Hogwarts garb, flamboyantly gesturing and explaining all his theories about Harry Potter conspiracies. and when a reporter came to take pictures, he posed in the most ridiculous poses. it was like his own photo shoot.
and i actually really liked the movie. it was light-hearted and funny and better than the previous ones.
but i didn't like taking the subway back at 3am. it was the creepiest thing in the world. creepy crawlies everywhere, creepy weird-looking train that zoomed by and didn't stop, creepy guys mumbling to themselves, creepy guys whistling... ugh. never again.
Also, i finally saw Wall-E. and it was rather boring due to the lack of verbal communication.
But Slumdog millionaire totally blew me away. i'd been putting off watching it cuz i thought it'd be intense and serious and boring, but i totally sat through the entire thing in rapt attention. i couldn't pull my eyes away from the screen. it was riveting! loved it.
One more day of work
YAY! my manager seems to like me a lot... she kept telling the others what a great job i've done and how she doesn't know what she's gonna do without me. haha. awww thanks.
i really like her, she's awesome. and she asked me to continue writing for them, only this time i'll be PAID! $50 per story!! HECK YES. i'm so glad i met her :)
other than that, i almost fell asleep today and monday at work. haha.
at the cruise. i don't know why everyone else's photos turned out better than mine :(
i'm gonna miss these girls.
tried to get into plunge, the upscale rooftop bar at hotel ganzevort, but it was impossible and they wanted us to get a table.
table = $250 minimum. heck no. sad.
so we ended up at ono next door, where there was no cover charge, and it was... a gay party!!! awesomeness. although it was kinda sad seeing all those cute guys and knowing they weren't interested :(
but this guy (in blue) we met, he was the gay-est of gays, and he was hilarious!! omg. he came and danced with us, and put on this mini fashion show for us. hahaha. wonder why gays are so funny.
and then we randomly met these promoters on the street and ended up at tenjune!!!
the exclusive club that lots of celebs go to!! heard it was super hard to get in, but we got in for free + free drinks :) i love being a girl.
although... the club wasn't all that. too crowded + ok music + didn't see any celebs. maybe cuz it was a sunday.
Movies
Went to the midnight premiere of Harry Potter number 6 yesterday.. waited in line for 2 hours, because here in America, they don't have this basic thing called SEAT NUMBERS ON YOUR TICKET. so you have to go super early and wait and rush in just to get decent seats, which we did :)
Although we did meet interesting people while waiting, so i'm not complaining. these girls were wandering around trying to sell 'wands' to people for 2 bucks.
their wands = branches from trees. haha.
and this guy behind us was all dressed up in Hogwarts garb, flamboyantly gesturing and explaining all his theories about Harry Potter conspiracies. and when a reporter came to take pictures, he posed in the most ridiculous poses. it was like his own photo shoot.
and i actually really liked the movie. it was light-hearted and funny and better than the previous ones.
but i didn't like taking the subway back at 3am. it was the creepiest thing in the world. creepy crawlies everywhere, creepy weird-looking train that zoomed by and didn't stop, creepy guys mumbling to themselves, creepy guys whistling... ugh. never again.
Also, i finally saw Wall-E. and it was rather boring due to the lack of verbal communication.
But Slumdog millionaire totally blew me away. i'd been putting off watching it cuz i thought it'd be intense and serious and boring, but i totally sat through the entire thing in rapt attention. i couldn't pull my eyes away from the screen. it was riveting! loved it.
One more day of work
YAY! my manager seems to like me a lot... she kept telling the others what a great job i've done and how she doesn't know what she's gonna do without me. haha. awww thanks.
i really like her, she's awesome. and she asked me to continue writing for them, only this time i'll be PAID! $50 per story!! HECK YES. i'm so glad i met her :)
other than that, i almost fell asleep today and monday at work. haha.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Craziness
Awesome weekend of partying. can i just say how much i love new york city and i never want to leave? everything about this place just fills my heart with great love and joy. from the people to the diversity to the food to the never-ending activities and events... i just love it here and i never want to leave.
anyway now i need sleep and my feet hurt and i hate heels to death.
almost died looking at pics on facebook in my hurry to untag myself.
talking about fb pics, this guy took a pic of me at the beach and i didn't know he was taking it!!! i didn't even know he was there. and then he tagged me. creepyyyyyy.
i wish i could stay here one more week. or one more month...... so many things to do here!!!
anyway now i need sleep and my feet hurt and i hate heels to death.
almost died looking at pics on facebook in my hurry to untag myself.
talking about fb pics, this guy took a pic of me at the beach and i didn't know he was taking it!!! i didn't even know he was there. and then he tagged me. creepyyyyyy.
i wish i could stay here one more week. or one more month...... so many things to do here!!!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Last weekend in NYC
I can't believe how time flies and now it's our last weekend here :(
Black and White
Attempted to find a black dress for the dinner and dance cruise, our last official activity together combining all 3 New York programs, but failed. so i saved $$ and wore an old grey-ish dress. my roomie and i almost didn't make it to the cruise 'cause she took so long to get ready, and there was rush hour traffic. but we made it. and i'm so glad we did, cuz it was so FUN and everyone was all dressed up! :)
AND we partied it up afterwards. I was pretty near wasted, but it was so much fun.
me and rachel. she looks like she's glowing. stupid camera flash.
people thought i was wearing the same dress as stella (on the left). does it look similar at all???
we tried to get a view of the city.
oh kristin.
the dress kept sliding down and riding up when i was dancing. haha. don't think i'll be wearing it again. and those heels were killer. after wearing them for almost 10 hours, my feet and knees are in intense pain today :(
the group.
Got to meet people from the other 2 New York programs, which was cool. and i didn't get seasick, which was a plus. dinner was buffet-style, but no one ate much... to keep our buzz going. haha. was so funny cuz the bar only started serving alcohol at 8.15pm, and exactly at 8.15 you could see everyone ordering their drinks already. and they didn't even check ID. the drinks were pretty expensive, so i only got two.
The view of the river and the city from the boat was so beautiful. we got to see the city at night, in all its glory, and we also passed by the statue of liberty for more picture-taking moments. but most of our time was spent on the first and second deck on the rockin' dance floor cuz it was too windy and chilly outside. the DJ spun awesome tunes all night and it was oh so fun doing crazy dances :)
good times.
Oh i read that drew barrymore and justin long were filming a movie not far from my route from home to work, and i stopped by the past few days, but all i saw were their trailers and no sign of them. sigh! so hard to catch all these sneaky celebs.
Black and White
Attempted to find a black dress for the dinner and dance cruise, our last official activity together combining all 3 New York programs, but failed. so i saved $$ and wore an old grey-ish dress. my roomie and i almost didn't make it to the cruise 'cause she took so long to get ready, and there was rush hour traffic. but we made it. and i'm so glad we did, cuz it was so FUN and everyone was all dressed up! :)
AND we partied it up afterwards. I was pretty near wasted, but it was so much fun.
me and rachel. she looks like she's glowing. stupid camera flash.
people thought i was wearing the same dress as stella (on the left). does it look similar at all???
we tried to get a view of the city.
oh kristin.
the dress kept sliding down and riding up when i was dancing. haha. don't think i'll be wearing it again. and those heels were killer. after wearing them for almost 10 hours, my feet and knees are in intense pain today :(
the group.
Got to meet people from the other 2 New York programs, which was cool. and i didn't get seasick, which was a plus. dinner was buffet-style, but no one ate much... to keep our buzz going. haha. was so funny cuz the bar only started serving alcohol at 8.15pm, and exactly at 8.15 you could see everyone ordering their drinks already. and they didn't even check ID. the drinks were pretty expensive, so i only got two.
The view of the river and the city from the boat was so beautiful. we got to see the city at night, in all its glory, and we also passed by the statue of liberty for more picture-taking moments. but most of our time was spent on the first and second deck on the rockin' dance floor cuz it was too windy and chilly outside. the DJ spun awesome tunes all night and it was oh so fun doing crazy dances :)
good times.
Oh i read that drew barrymore and justin long were filming a movie not far from my route from home to work, and i stopped by the past few days, but all i saw were their trailers and no sign of them. sigh! so hard to catch all these sneaky celebs.
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Nothing much
That sums up what i did at work. haha. it's funny how i haven't been writing as much nowadays, because it's totally fine with me.. i'm kinda tired of writing anyway. not this writing, cuz this is fun and pressure-free, but professional writing is draining sometimes. so mostly i just sit in from of the computer and do other stuff. haha.
plus archiving and organizing and helping my manager look for a new intern now that i'm leaving in a week and a half!! :(
Oh how i love free stuff
Today we got a whole bunch of makeup stuff from L'oreal! i was surprised. i thought we usually only get stuff from unknown makeup brands. so i totally grabbed most of it, since no one else wanted it anyway. haha. i took like 5 eyeliners.. black, brown, brown, silver, gold! which was awesome, cuz i was thinking of buying a gold one, but now i don't need to!! and 3 different kinds of eyeshadows... and a lip plumper/gloss. i hope it won't sting like my friend's lip venom, which is supposed to plump up your lips but it hurts soooo much in the process. i think your lips become bigger cuz they're probably swollen. but i guess some people don't care. no pain no gain!
We also got this lip collagen stuff, but i had no idea what that was, so i passed on that.
Sunset on the water
Went to the west side of the Hudson River for the premiere of its summer free movie festival. they were showing Iron Man, and there were tons of chairs set up... people were spread out all around the dock with blankets and chairs... they were giving out free popcorn... so we sat and watched the sun set on the river, with the new york skyline in the background. it was breathtakingly beautiful. too bad i forgot my camera.
The movie finally started at 9, after the sun set... i never get tired of watching Iron Man. love it! but this disgusting old man sat next to me and he kept making weird noises. grossed me out. and this annoying couple sat behind us and had a heart-to-heart conversation THE ENTIRE TIME. everyone tried to shush them, but to no avail.
it was still fun.. just chilling and unwinding at the riverside after a boring day :)
Central park again
I just love it there :) asked my boss for a day off (because i was sick of working and besides, i wasn't getting paid) and went with carly and liz to lay out in the nice warm sun. we found a spot on one of the huge lawns and watched people having picnics, playing frisbee, throwing baseballs, flying kites... so relaxing. although.. i'm still so white. sigh.
At central park
Walking... and walking...
I've been walking so much. it's tiring. we walked from central park west all the way to times square, then at night went to walk the Brooklyn Bridge, which had an amazing view of the city skyline.
view of the city from the Brooklyn Bridge
part of the group at the Brooklyn Bridge
more of the view
view again.
The thought of walking all the way back horrified most of us, so we attempted to find the subway. it was pretty sketchy looking. i'm glad i live in manhattan. brooklyn is full of scary-looking people on the rickety train that keeps swaying back and forth.
but we made it back in one piece. some people tried to 'train-surf' --- standing up perilously when the train is moving and not holding on to anything. it was the most dangerous sport i've ever seen. especially with new york subways! haha.
Caught the midnight premiere of 'Bruno'. if you've seen 'Borat,' this is sacha baron cohen's follow-up, with an entirely new character but the same crazy stunts. his portrayal of a gay austrian fashion designer was so hilarious, although there were (of course) plenty of inappropriate scenes, earning the movie its R rating. haha.
A little disappointed some parts of the trailer didn't make it into the actual movie.
Bruno (in the gayest voice possible) : You may not know this, but... i'm gay. (wearing a see-through black shirt and tight pants and looking very gay)
haha.
plus archiving and organizing and helping my manager look for a new intern now that i'm leaving in a week and a half!! :(
Oh how i love free stuff
Today we got a whole bunch of makeup stuff from L'oreal! i was surprised. i thought we usually only get stuff from unknown makeup brands. so i totally grabbed most of it, since no one else wanted it anyway. haha. i took like 5 eyeliners.. black, brown, brown, silver, gold! which was awesome, cuz i was thinking of buying a gold one, but now i don't need to!! and 3 different kinds of eyeshadows... and a lip plumper/gloss. i hope it won't sting like my friend's lip venom, which is supposed to plump up your lips but it hurts soooo much in the process. i think your lips become bigger cuz they're probably swollen. but i guess some people don't care. no pain no gain!
We also got this lip collagen stuff, but i had no idea what that was, so i passed on that.
Sunset on the water
Went to the west side of the Hudson River for the premiere of its summer free movie festival. they were showing Iron Man, and there were tons of chairs set up... people were spread out all around the dock with blankets and chairs... they were giving out free popcorn... so we sat and watched the sun set on the river, with the new york skyline in the background. it was breathtakingly beautiful. too bad i forgot my camera.
The movie finally started at 9, after the sun set... i never get tired of watching Iron Man. love it! but this disgusting old man sat next to me and he kept making weird noises. grossed me out. and this annoying couple sat behind us and had a heart-to-heart conversation THE ENTIRE TIME. everyone tried to shush them, but to no avail.
it was still fun.. just chilling and unwinding at the riverside after a boring day :)
Central park again
I just love it there :) asked my boss for a day off (because i was sick of working and besides, i wasn't getting paid) and went with carly and liz to lay out in the nice warm sun. we found a spot on one of the huge lawns and watched people having picnics, playing frisbee, throwing baseballs, flying kites... so relaxing. although.. i'm still so white. sigh.
At central park
Walking... and walking...
I've been walking so much. it's tiring. we walked from central park west all the way to times square, then at night went to walk the Brooklyn Bridge, which had an amazing view of the city skyline.
view of the city from the Brooklyn Bridge
part of the group at the Brooklyn Bridge
more of the view
view again.
The thought of walking all the way back horrified most of us, so we attempted to find the subway. it was pretty sketchy looking. i'm glad i live in manhattan. brooklyn is full of scary-looking people on the rickety train that keeps swaying back and forth.
but we made it back in one piece. some people tried to 'train-surf' --- standing up perilously when the train is moving and not holding on to anything. it was the most dangerous sport i've ever seen. especially with new york subways! haha.
Caught the midnight premiere of 'Bruno'. if you've seen 'Borat,' this is sacha baron cohen's follow-up, with an entirely new character but the same crazy stunts. his portrayal of a gay austrian fashion designer was so hilarious, although there were (of course) plenty of inappropriate scenes, earning the movie its R rating. haha.
A little disappointed some parts of the trailer didn't make it into the actual movie.
Bruno (in the gayest voice possible) : You may not know this, but... i'm gay. (wearing a see-through black shirt and tight pants and looking very gay)
haha.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Greater things have yet to come
Liz, carly and me by a fountain in city hall park, some random park we found near ground zero. (we didn't actually go to ground zero since we've all been there before. i'm kinda glad i've been here before with my family, cuz then we did all the touristy things like statue of liberty and empire state building and stuff like that, so i don't have to do that again now!)
At South Seaport on the street filled with restaurants and shops
By the pier where the huge ships are floating aimlessly on the waters. i told carly and liz they'd be glad i'm making them take all these pics for memories! :)
Bodies exhibition!!
The manhattan/brooklyn bridge. it was such a nice sunny day, although it sprinkled a bit. i realize i keep wearing my gladiator sandals. they're so comfy and i didn't really bring many shoes here, in an effort to keep my suitcases light(er).
Mini taylor reunion
Met up with the only two taylor people who live in NYC - carly and liz! :)
(Also skyped with cartoon in the morning and unloaded all my crazy stories to her. so it's been a taylor day!)
Went to 16 handles, the yogurt place that liz works at, to get her paycheck.. it's so cool. they have like 10 flavors and you do it yourself and u put the toppings yourself, and then pay by the ounce. reminded me a little of yami yogurt. hahaha.
Took the bus and attempted to go to South Seaport in brooklyn, but ended up far away from it, so we had to walk for almost half an hour to get there. which i didn't mind at all. exercise is good. that's what i like about NYC.. you can walk anywhere and not be bored, cuz everything's so fascinating and attention-grabbing, even locals like carly and liz never fail to be mesmerized by the city's charm. We walked by the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge, and finally got to the pier, which was such a quaint little place! there were ships docked on the pier, cute little restaurants by the water, a tiny mall filled with nice shops...
Good times. and good conversations.
Bodies everywhere
With great anticipation and a little nervousness, we paid and went in to see the Bodies Exhibition (i think it came to sgp before). was a little anxious, cuz i didn't know how gross it would be, and i'd heard horror stories about the disgusting displays. but it was surprisingly pretty cool and interesting.
since i've never taken biology, i definitely learned A LOT about my body today. too bad we weren't allowed to take pictures in the exhibitions.
i learned that our urinary bladder is like half the size of my fist. no wonder i keep going to the toilet. haha. they had real bodies made out of bone and muscle and nerves, and it was pretty gross. as we progressed, we saw bodies cut up into more and more pieces! it went from being sawed in half to being sawed into 6 pieces! grossness. i don't know how the person who cut the bodies managed to do it without screaming like mad. ew. i also can't imagine volunteering for such a thing. why would you want your body to be cut into pieces even if you're dead? someone said the bodies were all taken from china, and i was like, yeah that makes sense. it's probably cheaper there. haha. (inside i was thinking, 'no wonder they all looked asian! i thought my eyes were just biased.')
There was also a display on fetuses and how they grow... and we saw their little skeletons developed by about 12 weeks! just made me wonder how anyone can justify an abortion. babies obviously already are alive and have a soul the moment they're conceived. And we saw the nerves in our body, which looked like fancy little trees with tiny branches. haha.
So yeah. it was really interesting, although by the end i was a little nauseated. haha.
Last seminar
Today was the university of dreams' last seminar (thank goodness. the seminars have been interesting, but they take up an evening where i could've been doing something more fun)... the CEO of the company came and spoke to us, and even though he went on for two hours, i listened in rapt attention the entire time, along with everyone else.
His life has been... filled with ups and downs. he was co-founder of the Vans Warped Tour!! he did tons of stuff and earned LOTS of money... then he went through setbacks and obstacles, and found himself poor and in debt... but through it all, he never gave up, and pushed on with his dream of doing what he loved.
I like what he said to us about living life to its fullest - do what you love and what you're particularly good at.
And who cares about what everyone tells you to do. even if you're earning 8 figures at some boring finance job, you're not gonna be happy as you would be doing something you love.
He lamented on how he always fell asleep at his first job in finance, and so he figured out it wasn't for him. and it made me think of how i'm falling asleep in my job now. haha. it just proves that a 9 to 5 job sitting at a desk just is not my cup of tea. i'd rather be up and about, talking to people, doing something useful instead of staring at a computer screen for the rest of my life. but i'm still grateful for this opportunity.
And there was a point where he actually teared when talking about his best friend who was stabbed to death... it just makes you realize you never know what tomorrow holds, and all you can do is live today the best you can.
Yeah he was pretty good at sparking off that inspirational little flame in all of us. i swear, the entire room was just captivated by him. i totally wouldn't mind working for him. haha. it's amazing how he built this company up with his own bare hands. and yes, the name 'university of dreams' sounds sketchy, added to the fact that i found it online and it could've been a scam... but i'm so glad i did this. if not, i wouldn't have met these amazing people, i wouldn't have had the experience of working with an online magazine, and i wouldn't have gotten the chance to live in this awesome city and experience it all.
On a side note, my roomie and i went out and walked around union square after the seminar. i got frozen yogurt from this place called 'daydream,' and she, on the other hand, went to 5 different frozen yogurt places and got samples. she brings kiasu to a whole new level. and then, she got back and called her mom immediately (duh) to discuss her classes next semester. and when i say discuss, i mean a thorough, detailed, LONG chat about professors, classes, websites that rate professors, classrooms that are near good eating places, etc.
i can't help but wonder if she ever decides anything for herself.
other than that, we had good conversation during our walk :)
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Let's talk about...
Guys.
Haha. because we just had a girly party watching 'the bachelorette season 5,' and if you're not keeping up with it, there's this HUGE jerk named wes. the most awful person on planet earth. basically he went on the show to promote his music and brag about his girlfriend. and he still managed to stay on and charm his way into jillian's heart until the final four!! so annoyed. but now he's gone. good riddance.
Anyway, after being around people of all kinds of ethnicities in the US, i've come to realize that...
1. black guys are super forward. they know what they want and they go for it without hesitation.
2. white guys can be forward most of the time, but sometimes they're intimidated by girls of other ethnicities.
3. asian guys are wimpy cowards. i'm sorry, but in comparison to the others, they really have no guts to approach girls.
4. i don't really have much experience with hispanic/other minority guys.
of course all these are just general observations. there are exceptions, but this is what usually happens. kinda sad, huh. i'm glad i'm a girl so i don't have to feel pressurized to do the approaching. haha.
So here are some funny pick-up lines i found while bored at work.
"do you have a library card? because i'm checking you out."
"you owe me money. why? you've been living in my heart and you haven't paid rent."
"can i take your picture? cause i want santa to know exactly what i want for christmas."
"you must be a broom cause you're sweeping me off my feet."
"do u believe in love at first sight, or should i walk by again?"
"i hope you know CPR, 'cause you take my breath away."
And my personal favorite..
If someone ever used these on me, i'd just die laughing.
Random thoughts
5 more days of work :)
Also, i'm so glad i met so many friends here. they're awesome and hilarious and i'm gonna miss them when we have to leave!!! we're already planning a reunion. some of them might come visit me in LA!!! so excited to be out of taylor for an entire semester :)
Have you ever tried to say something to a friend or wave hi/goodbye to them, only to have the random stranger in front of them wave back/say hi back???
Yesterday i said goodbye to my friends as i left the baseball game early, and this guy in front of us turned around and replied 'bye' to me in a cheerful voice. and he seemed so happy about it, i couldn't help but say 'bye' back to him.
And i remember once.. i waved hi to my friend, and this guy in front of her waved back at me excitedly. and i had no idea who he was. and then he turned around and saw my friend and fled the scene in embarrassment. haha.
Haha. because we just had a girly party watching 'the bachelorette season 5,' and if you're not keeping up with it, there's this HUGE jerk named wes. the most awful person on planet earth. basically he went on the show to promote his music and brag about his girlfriend. and he still managed to stay on and charm his way into jillian's heart until the final four!! so annoyed. but now he's gone. good riddance.
Anyway, after being around people of all kinds of ethnicities in the US, i've come to realize that...
1. black guys are super forward. they know what they want and they go for it without hesitation.
2. white guys can be forward most of the time, but sometimes they're intimidated by girls of other ethnicities.
3. asian guys are wimpy cowards. i'm sorry, but in comparison to the others, they really have no guts to approach girls.
4. i don't really have much experience with hispanic/other minority guys.
of course all these are just general observations. there are exceptions, but this is what usually happens. kinda sad, huh. i'm glad i'm a girl so i don't have to feel pressurized to do the approaching. haha.
So here are some funny pick-up lines i found while bored at work.
"do you have a library card? because i'm checking you out."
"you owe me money. why? you've been living in my heart and you haven't paid rent."
"can i take your picture? cause i want santa to know exactly what i want for christmas."
"you must be a broom cause you're sweeping me off my feet."
"do u believe in love at first sight, or should i walk by again?"
"i hope you know CPR, 'cause you take my breath away."
And my personal favorite..
"you must be tired cause you've been running through my mind all day."
If someone ever used these on me, i'd just die laughing.
Random thoughts
5 more days of work :)
Also, i'm so glad i met so many friends here. they're awesome and hilarious and i'm gonna miss them when we have to leave!!! we're already planning a reunion. some of them might come visit me in LA!!! so excited to be out of taylor for an entire semester :)
Have you ever tried to say something to a friend or wave hi/goodbye to them, only to have the random stranger in front of them wave back/say hi back???
Yesterday i said goodbye to my friends as i left the baseball game early, and this guy in front of us turned around and replied 'bye' to me in a cheerful voice. and he seemed so happy about it, i couldn't help but say 'bye' back to him.
And i remember once.. i waved hi to my friend, and this guy in front of her waved back at me excitedly. and i had no idea who he was. and then he turned around and saw my friend and fled the scene in embarrassment. haha.
Monday, July 06, 2009
Fourth of july and then some
TGI Fridays
Friday was... an experience. with too much alcohol. that's all i'll say.
Girls night out.
At continental
Independence Day
Felt pretty crappy but still managed to get up and go to Coney Island for the annual hot dog eating contest between skinny world champion japanese guy and white guy. don't know their names. haha. it was soooo packed. and we got to eat Nathan's famous hot dogs, which were yummy and well-worth the one hour line wait.
Hot dog eating contest at Coney Island.
I think my friends think i'm super kiasu now.
Lady (holding a bunch of paper fans): Anyone want these?
Me (trying to ignore her politely): No....
Lady: They're free!
Me (turning around abruptly and lunging forward to grab one): FREE??? Ooooh yes, i want one thank you!
It was a useful fan for a hot day ok. no judging! haha.
Coney island was pretty cool.. walked along the boardwalk at the beach... met lots of creepy guys who kept staring for some reason. People were smoking weed.. it was gross. Saw some professional volleyball league competitions going on... walked through flea markets... went to the carnival and saw the freak show (which claimed to have a snake woman and a two headed baby among other weird stuff), but it was a waste of 3 bucks. All it consisted of was a lame magician and his card tricks, a woman/man (looked like a masculine woman, but when she/he opened her mouth to say 'happy fourth of july,' a deep, baritone voice emerged instead of a high feminine one) walking on glass, someone lying on a bed of nails, and... get this.
Spider woman. you're probably thinking, oooohhh, a woman with the body of a spider??
YES! right on.
but the spider was some SOFT TOY. it was like she just poked her head into the soft toy spider's body, and ta-daaa! SPIDER WOMAN. *sways her 8 legs to make it look real*
omg. SO weird.
we tried to go on some rides, but the rollercoaster looked rickety and old and about to fall apart, and it cost 9 ridiculous dollars.
So after all that we were pretty much exhausted and i actually took a nap in my room.
Bumblebee from transformers! i practically chased him down to take this photo, only to have it turn out like this. haha.
Its all in the shirt
So i was wearing my 'save ferris - ferris bueler's day off' shirt. and ferris bueler's day off is like a classic movie here in the US released about 10 years ago.
OMG whenever i wear it, all sorts of people come up and strike up a conversation with me. i swear, that shirt is cursed! first on the subway, this guy comes up and tells me i'm too young to remember that movie! and then we talk and he tells me about good grad schools for journalism, cuz i told him that's my major.
Then on another subway, this other guy gets in my face and says, 'sweetheart, that was ten years ago.' (with a fake-o british accent). i tried not to crack up.
Then yesterday, while i was getting food, this guy just waltzes up to me and comments, 'i need to take you clothes shopping, girl.'
Me: what the heck.
And he explains and says my shirt is old, blah blah blah. and then, seconds after meeting me (we don't even know each other's names), he whips out his phone and tells me to put my number in.
Me: heck no! i don't know you!
Random guy: oh, sorry.. i'm (i forgot his name) _____, and i think you're really attractive.
Me (oooh i like hearing that. say it again!): Sorry? (innocently pretending i didn't hear him)
Random guy: I think you're really attractive.
Hahahaha.
And then he keeps talking to me but i finally manage to get away.
Fireworks!
We walked to chelsea piers at night and saw the macy's fireworks!!! there were hundreds of people gathered, and it lasted like 20 minutes. it was amazingly beautiful. they had all sorts of sparkling cute little fireworks. we were in awe for the whole time. lots of 'ooohs' and 'aaaaahs' from the crowd.
fourth of july fireworks!!!
After that, Shivvy's 21st birthday at some exclusive place that turned out to be just average. i like having rich friends :)
Shivvy's 21st birthday.
Yankees game
Went to the brand new New York Yankees stadium in the Bronx today to watch the Yankees play the toronto Blue jays.
My very first baseball game ever!!! I was excited.
The Yankees museum
Watching the baseball game from the bleachers and roasting in the relentless sun
On the way to the yankees game.
Look at the huge crowd behind us!
The stadium was HUGE and so cool. food stands everywhere, crazy yankees-loving crowd, even a mini yankees history museum. and our seats were pretty good too.
obviously i had no idea what was going on in the game, even though people tried to explain it to me. i gave up after a lot of confusion. i just cheered whenever people cheered, and booed when they booed. haha.
The sun was burning down today. my shoulders are red, and i have like 5 different tan lines now.
I feel so american. fourth of july... coney island.. hot dogs... fireworks.. singing the star spangled banner (american national anthem).. watching a baseball game (america's favorite pastime. haha)...
Good times.
Friday was... an experience. with too much alcohol. that's all i'll say.
Girls night out.
At continental
Independence Day
Felt pretty crappy but still managed to get up and go to Coney Island for the annual hot dog eating contest between skinny world champion japanese guy and white guy. don't know their names. haha. it was soooo packed. and we got to eat Nathan's famous hot dogs, which were yummy and well-worth the one hour line wait.
Hot dog eating contest at Coney Island.
I think my friends think i'm super kiasu now.
Lady (holding a bunch of paper fans): Anyone want these?
Me (trying to ignore her politely): No....
Lady: They're free!
Me (turning around abruptly and lunging forward to grab one): FREE??? Ooooh yes, i want one thank you!
It was a useful fan for a hot day ok. no judging! haha.
Coney island was pretty cool.. walked along the boardwalk at the beach... met lots of creepy guys who kept staring for some reason. People were smoking weed.. it was gross. Saw some professional volleyball league competitions going on... walked through flea markets... went to the carnival and saw the freak show (which claimed to have a snake woman and a two headed baby among other weird stuff), but it was a waste of 3 bucks. All it consisted of was a lame magician and his card tricks, a woman/man (looked like a masculine woman, but when she/he opened her mouth to say 'happy fourth of july,' a deep, baritone voice emerged instead of a high feminine one) walking on glass, someone lying on a bed of nails, and... get this.
Spider woman. you're probably thinking, oooohhh, a woman with the body of a spider??
YES! right on.
but the spider was some SOFT TOY. it was like she just poked her head into the soft toy spider's body, and ta-daaa! SPIDER WOMAN. *sways her 8 legs to make it look real*
omg. SO weird.
we tried to go on some rides, but the rollercoaster looked rickety and old and about to fall apart, and it cost 9 ridiculous dollars.
So after all that we were pretty much exhausted and i actually took a nap in my room.
Bumblebee from transformers! i practically chased him down to take this photo, only to have it turn out like this. haha.
Its all in the shirt
So i was wearing my 'save ferris - ferris bueler's day off' shirt. and ferris bueler's day off is like a classic movie here in the US released about 10 years ago.
OMG whenever i wear it, all sorts of people come up and strike up a conversation with me. i swear, that shirt is cursed! first on the subway, this guy comes up and tells me i'm too young to remember that movie! and then we talk and he tells me about good grad schools for journalism, cuz i told him that's my major.
Then on another subway, this other guy gets in my face and says, 'sweetheart, that was ten years ago.' (with a fake-o british accent). i tried not to crack up.
Then yesterday, while i was getting food, this guy just waltzes up to me and comments, 'i need to take you clothes shopping, girl.'
Me: what the heck.
And he explains and says my shirt is old, blah blah blah. and then, seconds after meeting me (we don't even know each other's names), he whips out his phone and tells me to put my number in.
Me: heck no! i don't know you!
Random guy: oh, sorry.. i'm (i forgot his name) _____, and i think you're really attractive.
Me (oooh i like hearing that. say it again!): Sorry? (innocently pretending i didn't hear him)
Random guy: I think you're really attractive.
Hahahaha.
And then he keeps talking to me but i finally manage to get away.
Fireworks!
We walked to chelsea piers at night and saw the macy's fireworks!!! there were hundreds of people gathered, and it lasted like 20 minutes. it was amazingly beautiful. they had all sorts of sparkling cute little fireworks. we were in awe for the whole time. lots of 'ooohs' and 'aaaaahs' from the crowd.
fourth of july fireworks!!!
After that, Shivvy's 21st birthday at some exclusive place that turned out to be just average. i like having rich friends :)
Shivvy's 21st birthday.
Yankees game
Went to the brand new New York Yankees stadium in the Bronx today to watch the Yankees play the toronto Blue jays.
My very first baseball game ever!!! I was excited.
The Yankees museum
Watching the baseball game from the bleachers and roasting in the relentless sun
On the way to the yankees game.
Look at the huge crowd behind us!
The stadium was HUGE and so cool. food stands everywhere, crazy yankees-loving crowd, even a mini yankees history museum. and our seats were pretty good too.
obviously i had no idea what was going on in the game, even though people tried to explain it to me. i gave up after a lot of confusion. i just cheered whenever people cheered, and booed when they booed. haha.
The sun was burning down today. my shoulders are red, and i have like 5 different tan lines now.
I feel so american. fourth of july... coney island.. hot dogs... fireworks.. singing the star spangled banner (american national anthem).. watching a baseball game (america's favorite pastime. haha)...
Good times.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Long, long weekend
YAY no work again today :)
Went to the Met (metropolitan museum of art) with sarah and walked till our legs were sore. the place was way too huge to cover in one day... thank goodness we only paid 5 altogether 'cause the museum runs on donations.
Outside the Met.
We saw way too many paintings, funky cool modern art exhibits, primitive tribal elements, greek/roman sculptures, and best of all, the fashion exhibit sponsored by marc jacobs! it chronicled the changes in the fashion world from the '50s till now, and it was SO cool to see all the different models and designers that revolutionized the industry. plus the cool clothes and magazine spreads were fascinating too :)
Sushi + frozen yogurt for dinner = super duper full.
learned a lot about sarah's past. admire her cuz she really went through a lot.
Met this crazy guy on the subway who commented on everyone's dressing and mumbled unintelligibly to himself. he was so queer and he smelled bad.
he went up to this black guy in a suit, and was like 'you know when you see a black brother in a suit, he's got it goin' on for him!'
and the terrified guy was like, uh... ok.
Reminded me of kristin last night, when she drunkenly proceeded to imitate the actors in The Lion King broadway musical. she struggled to claw the air like a lion and make roaring sounds, her mouth open wide and contorted. we were already trying to swallow our laughter so as not to offend her, but then this guy standing next to her looked so horrified that he risked his life ('cause you're not supposed to go from carriage to carriage when the subway is moving) and opened the door and stepped gingerly into the other carriage. then he looked back at us, with a mixture of relief and a how-do-you-girls-deal-with-her look. so then we just burst out laughing, and kristin was pleased 'cause thought she had succeeded at making us laugh.
Times Square at night is pretty interesting. this guy made my friend pay $5 just to hold his slithering snake and take pictures. such a rip off! i attempted to touch the snake, but it felt so slimy and leathery and i screamed. ugh.
Lots of street vendors selling illegal fake bags/watches/purses/DVDs.
Also lots of guys trying to talk to us and make friends. as if.
Went to the Met (metropolitan museum of art) with sarah and walked till our legs were sore. the place was way too huge to cover in one day... thank goodness we only paid 5 altogether 'cause the museum runs on donations.
Outside the Met.
We saw way too many paintings, funky cool modern art exhibits, primitive tribal elements, greek/roman sculptures, and best of all, the fashion exhibit sponsored by marc jacobs! it chronicled the changes in the fashion world from the '50s till now, and it was SO cool to see all the different models and designers that revolutionized the industry. plus the cool clothes and magazine spreads were fascinating too :)
Sushi + frozen yogurt for dinner = super duper full.
learned a lot about sarah's past. admire her cuz she really went through a lot.
Met this crazy guy on the subway who commented on everyone's dressing and mumbled unintelligibly to himself. he was so queer and he smelled bad.
he went up to this black guy in a suit, and was like 'you know when you see a black brother in a suit, he's got it goin' on for him!'
and the terrified guy was like, uh... ok.
Reminded me of kristin last night, when she drunkenly proceeded to imitate the actors in The Lion King broadway musical. she struggled to claw the air like a lion and make roaring sounds, her mouth open wide and contorted. we were already trying to swallow our laughter so as not to offend her, but then this guy standing next to her looked so horrified that he risked his life ('cause you're not supposed to go from carriage to carriage when the subway is moving) and opened the door and stepped gingerly into the other carriage. then he looked back at us, with a mixture of relief and a how-do-you-girls-deal-with-her look. so then we just burst out laughing, and kristin was pleased 'cause thought she had succeeded at making us laugh.
Times Square at night is pretty interesting. this guy made my friend pay $5 just to hold his slithering snake and take pictures. such a rip off! i attempted to touch the snake, but it felt so slimy and leathery and i screamed. ugh.
Lots of street vendors selling illegal fake bags/watches/purses/DVDs.
Also lots of guys trying to talk to us and make friends. as if.
Friday, July 03, 2009
The little things
More feature stories :)
Dallas - carolina's mexican cuisine
http://www.julib.com/dallas/mexandmatch062509DA_email.html
London - the compass
http://www.julib.com/london/direstraits062509LO_email.html
London - cote brasserie
http://www.julib.com/london/coteofarms062309LO_email.html
Atlanta - rosebud
http://www.julib.com/atlanta/rosyroots062509AT_email.html
All cities - 4th of july special
http://www.julib.com/newyork/july4thspecial063009NY_email.html
(all our subscribers in all 14 cities got to see my writing!!)
Long, long weekend
So today i received the best news ever. my manager told me i didn't need to go in for work!! YAYYYY. was gonna go back to sleep, but then i opened up my computer, and was instantly flooded by a barrage of calls and emails and chats (so i guess between sleep and talking with family and friends, the latter won).
No more talk about brothers. oh the wonders of censorship.
Lazing away
Lazed the day away...went out with haley, my suitemate, to this asian restaurant called Je'Bon around the corner. i have no idea why an asian resto has a french-sounding name. i think they tried to explain that it had some chinese meaning, but however i tried, je'bon just does NOT sound even vaguely chinese at all. anw the food was good, and i had a good time. haley's really cool. she's got the whole theatre major thing going... she wants to move to new york and try to get into broadway next time, which i think is awesomely cool. she's probably gonna be super famous one day, and i'll know her! haha.
And of course it had to start pouring cats and dogs as soon as we were done with our meal! so we waited it out. attempted to flag a cab, but they all ignored us for some reason. fine, don't earn our money! so we just walked back in the rain. no biggie, since we both hadn't showered. haha.
I think i took like 3 naps today.. just lazed on my bed and watched movies. felt so good to just slack :)
Was a little tired still, but managed to pull myself out of bed to go to times square and go bar-hopping. i love girls night out + cheap margaritas :)
AND i'm so jealous of my roomie cuz she eats with reckless abandon, like nobody's business, always stuffing her face with cookies and chocolate and cakes and calories, but she's stick thin.
and i, on the other hand, try to eat healthy and stuff, but obviously i'm the furthest thing from being thin. how can life be so unfair?????
So tonight i shared a bunch of random details with my roomie (who was, surprisingly enough, still awake) about my past. and showed her my sgp ID, where i look gross. as someone once said, 'eeeee, u look like my dad!' and proceeded to take a picture for future laughs. all i can say is, we all go through awkward stages, some worse than others. i'm just glad i grew out of the short hair, center parting, round, harry-potter-like glasses, and baggy clothes.
thank God for contacts and makeup.
But we had a good laugh, and she shared some awkward middle school stories too. i'm glad to hear i'm not alone. haha. i'm also glad to be the source of joy for people whenever i whip out my sgp IC and show it to them. most people just about die laughing on the spot 'cause i look so different (and hideous) from how i look now. so i always tell them, if they ever have a bad day, just come to me and i'll show them my IC and they'll feel all better again :)
Dallas - carolina's mexican cuisine
http://www.julib.com/dallas/mexandmatch062509DA_email.html
London - the compass
http://www.julib.com/london/direstraits062509LO_email.html
London - cote brasserie
http://www.julib.com/london/coteofarms062309LO_email.html
Atlanta - rosebud
http://www.julib.com/atlanta/rosyroots062509AT_email.html
All cities - 4th of july special
http://www.julib.com/newyork/july4thspecial063009NY_email.html
(all our subscribers in all 14 cities got to see my writing!!)
Long, long weekend
So today i received the best news ever. my manager told me i didn't need to go in for work!! YAYYYY. was gonna go back to sleep, but then i opened up my computer, and was instantly flooded by a barrage of calls and emails and chats (so i guess between sleep and talking with family and friends, the latter won).
No more talk about brothers. oh the wonders of censorship.
Lazing away
Lazed the day away...went out with haley, my suitemate, to this asian restaurant called Je'Bon around the corner. i have no idea why an asian resto has a french-sounding name. i think they tried to explain that it had some chinese meaning, but however i tried, je'bon just does NOT sound even vaguely chinese at all. anw the food was good, and i had a good time. haley's really cool. she's got the whole theatre major thing going... she wants to move to new york and try to get into broadway next time, which i think is awesomely cool. she's probably gonna be super famous one day, and i'll know her! haha.
And of course it had to start pouring cats and dogs as soon as we were done with our meal! so we waited it out. attempted to flag a cab, but they all ignored us for some reason. fine, don't earn our money! so we just walked back in the rain. no biggie, since we both hadn't showered. haha.
I think i took like 3 naps today.. just lazed on my bed and watched movies. felt so good to just slack :)
Was a little tired still, but managed to pull myself out of bed to go to times square and go bar-hopping. i love girls night out + cheap margaritas :)
AND i'm so jealous of my roomie cuz she eats with reckless abandon, like nobody's business, always stuffing her face with cookies and chocolate and cakes and calories, but she's stick thin.
and i, on the other hand, try to eat healthy and stuff, but obviously i'm the furthest thing from being thin. how can life be so unfair?????
So tonight i shared a bunch of random details with my roomie (who was, surprisingly enough, still awake) about my past. and showed her my sgp ID, where i look gross. as someone once said, 'eeeee, u look like my dad!' and proceeded to take a picture for future laughs. all i can say is, we all go through awkward stages, some worse than others. i'm just glad i grew out of the short hair, center parting, round, harry-potter-like glasses, and baggy clothes.
thank God for contacts and makeup.
But we had a good laugh, and she shared some awkward middle school stories too. i'm glad to hear i'm not alone. haha. i'm also glad to be the source of joy for people whenever i whip out my sgp IC and show it to them. most people just about die laughing on the spot 'cause i look so different (and hideous) from how i look now. so i always tell them, if they ever have a bad day, just come to me and i'll show them my IC and they'll feel all better again :)
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