Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else.

Nostalgia

2012-01-30T14:33:00.000-08:00

Ferris Bueller 26 years later...

It's Amazing What You Can Do to Make Music These Days!

2012-01-05T10:17:00.000-08:00

Something to past the time...

New Year's Resolution: The 2012 Version

2012-01-01T03:02:00.000-08:00

Now, that it's officially 2012, I've decided to make 12 New Year's resolutions. Got to love these annual traditions! Here goes:

Manage my time better. I can always watch River Cottage and the Big Bang Theory after I do my readings!
Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day. My bum will thank me later once I can fit into my pants again.
Enjoy sleeping in as much as possible. Once I go back to the working world, it'll just be but a distant memory.
Keep in touch with my good friends at least once a month. The longer I keep living overseas, the more this becomes important. Or just go visit them in person. Russia isn't that far away!
Stop repeating the same mistakes. One day, I'll actually learn! Or I just need to start shock therapy.
Stop talking to idiots because they will never change. Once a fence sitter, always a fence sitter.
Learn to knit a beanie. I've spent all last month trying to look for a red beanie to no avail! If I make my own, then I can't complain anymore.
Drink less. The UK hasn't been good to my liver.
No more Converses! It's no longer the grown-up shoe.
Crash an Olympic event. Hmmm... Compromise... Go attempt to be as close to an Olympic event a possible, preferably gymnastics. They can do cool flips! Or swimming. Guys in Speedos who should be wearing Speedos... =P
Start celebrating my freedom at exactly 9:46a on Friday, 14 September. I already got a party planned!
Find me one of those little things called a job. With the economy the way it is, I'll take anything. (Well, almost anything. Starbucks for sure. McDonald's maybe not.) Hopefully, anything where I can apply this Master's degree I'm attempting to get.

Wishing everyone a good start to the year! =)

Time to Move

2011-08-07T21:53:00.001-07:00

Chinese Food

2011-07-07T17:29:00.000-07:00

Random trivia facts that I'm sure you've always wanted to know!

Stuck

2011-06-17T16:50:00.000-07:00

The things you do if you're ever locked inside an airport.

Punching = Happiness

2011-05-22T21:56:00.000-07:00

Adam Sandburg is a genius!

Nuclear Boy Has A Stomachache

2011-03-19T00:24:00.000-07:00

The story of a potential nuclear fallout in Japan told the Japanese way:

Thoughts and prayers for my adopted homeland...

Swimming

2011-02-28T21:18:00.000-08:00

It's been said that the optimist lives on the peninsula of infinite possibilities; the pessimist is stranded on the island of perpetual indecision. (Thank you, Anthony Bourdain!)

I have been stuck on an island for a while, but I'm heading towards the peninsula now. I've got a lot of big decisions to make in the next few weeks, but I think it's all for the purpose of the greater good. How will I come to these decisions? I don't know. (Coin flipping? Pulling numbers out of a hat? Or the trusty Rock, Paper, Scissors? Good old rock...) Now, if only life was as simple as picking a peninsula...

I've claimed this one mine! Cape Peninsula, South Africa. One day, I shall meet you, my friend.

St. Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T19:53:00.000-08:00

Yes, today is Valentine's Day, the day where you're suppose to say how much to love someone by giving chocolates, flowers and greeting cards (or so the people who sell these things say). Ok, I might have a more cynical take on this day because I don't have anyone to shower me with heart-shaped chocolate boxes and metallic balloons that say "I love you" on it, but I digress. My point is we should be saying this to the ones nearest and dearest to us every day, or at least once in a while, but definitely not only once a year on February 14th.

So, as part of my spiritual journey for 2011, I've decided I'm going to send out emails (or call) certain people who has made a huge difference in my life. A bit of warning... I'm writing this in bed slightly delusional with a 101˚F/38˚C fever and the inside of my head feeling like a bongo drum practice session. If things are a bit confusing, ask me in a couple of days when the drugs start kicking in.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Actions With No Consequences

2011-02-04T15:56:00.000-08:00

Imagine yourself at 19-20 years old. You couldn't get into college in your country, so your parents decided to send you overseas to study English. They already paid $5,000 to guarantee you a spot in an American junior college that if you study hard will get you into a prestigious university. All you have to do is attend a private language school and pass their tests and be labeled as a "high-intermediate English speaker". Your parents have also decided to give you a bottomless bank account and a $5,000 allowance per month. What would you do?

Today, I found out that two of my students who haven't been to class in almost two weeks got stupidly drunk and drove off an embankment. They rolled the car three times before it finally stopped. I'm not sure what is the extent of their injuries, but they did go to the hospital, were treated and released.

The driver is 19 years old. The legal drinking age in the States is 21 years old. Nobody was killed. There was no major property damage, just a totaled car. The passenger of the car got into an accident himself a few weeks before. Again, he got stupidly drunk and ran his car through somebody's brick wall and into the front yard of someone's house. So, what do you think was their punishments? Do they even deserve any punishment?

Well, the driver who rolled three times has his license revoked for one year. The passenger did a switch-a-roo when the police came and a sober person in the group got the blame. I have absolutely no idea if their parents know anything. I asked my boss what will happen to them in terms of school. Technically, they both violated the terms of their student visa and broke the law. My boss just shrugged her shoulders and said as of now, they're still students at the school.

At the end of the day, I don't work at a school but a business. If the students (customers) are not happy, then they won't recommend the place to any of their friends. Most days, I like what I do. I get to teach international students and I get to see their progress as they increase their abilities to communicate in a foreign language in a foreign place. However, today, I left work feeling disgusted because the company I work for is more concerned about making money than a student's well-being.

Should someone be rewarded for breaking the law? I have a friend from Brazil who really wants to return to the States to visit her family and friends. The first time I met her, she could barely string a word of English together. Two years later, she's now an English teacher. However, the US consulate denied her twice because she doesn't have enough money and may end up staying illegally. Why isn't she allowed a visa while these two morons who has spent the last 6 months in the US drinking and crashing cars have visas?

I just have to keep telling myself there is a light at the end of this tunnel. It will all end in a few months, and I will embark on something new, exciting, and scary. I just have to ride out the storm first.

The Day After Tomorrow

2011-01-17T18:53:00.000-08:00

How would you react if you saw the following lead and accompanying picture?

Scientists warn California could be struck by winter ‘superstorm’

In a nutshell, because of global warming, scientists predict that California will have a 'superstorm' that will be worse than "The Big One" sometime in the mere future. I think it's time to leave.

A Musing

2011-01-11T23:11:00.000-08:00

This is dedicated to a certain someone... although it really should be you dedicating this to me. (But that's just a personal opinion.)

(On a side note, I'm absolutely gutted that Matt Bellamy knocked up his girlfriend. There goes my chances! Sigh...)

Out with the Old, In with the New

2011-01-01T08:55:00.000-08:00

2010... The year that was. A lot of good and a lot of bad happened, but I think at the end, I gained more than I lost. And with that, here are my New Year's resolutions for 2011:

1. The big goal for the year is to find something careerwise that will make me happy. Ok, I may be asking for much with the economy being the way it is now , but if I have to go back to school to get to this point, then it will be done.

2. "The Things That People Think But Do Not Say." I'm borrowing this from Jerry Maguire. The main point here is I need to say what I feel and not become a ticking time bomb (or someone else becomes one).

3. Figure out how to get onto the show "What Not To Wear." Or get a style makeover of my own minus the $1,000 budget they give on the show.

4. Don't care so much what others think of me. As long as I'm happy, then it'll be all good.

5. What happens in the past will stay in the past. The future is now! (Ok, that was a resolution filled with clichés...) This is meant for the family. There's a reason why people have them. And yeah, they may be difficult to be around, but at the end of the day, I should be grateful that I have one who cares about me.

6. Use that camera!!! Pictures can't magically be taken by itself in a bag buried underneath the table.

7. Yes, the always present "lose weight" resolution that everyone makes every year. I know I'll never be as skinny as a Brazilian supermodel, but I would like to get to a point where I am confident in myself and my physical appearance.

8. Put myself out there. I know I don't have the "everyone will be my friend" mentality, but I can slowly mill around.

9. Don't be so independent. Yes, this sounds weird, but people do want to help. If I brush someone off because I know I can do something myself, how will the other person feel?

10. Drink more water. It's good for me!

And that's it for this year's edition. I really should print out a copy and paste it next to the wall of my bed so I can see it every day. But at least it's been blogged and (if you're reading this now) read by others. No backing out now...

The end!

What is Love?

2010-12-12T17:30:00.000-08:00

I’m currently sitting at the beach, stomach full of supermarket sushi, a tall nonfat caramel macchiato sitting to my left, surfers in the cold water in front of me, and a view of the planes taking off from the airport to my right. I’m here looking for inspiration, all in pursuit of trying to answer one question: What is love?

Today marks the one month anniversary of the break-up. The hurt still remains but slowly fading away. The main reason why it all ended was that he didn’t fall in love with me in the three weeks that we were together. (There is a back story to this, but that's another story for another time.)

So, how does one fall in love? Does the “falling in love” part have a time line? I know every person is different, but isn’t there some kind of universal formula or sequence that happens?

Merriam-Webster defines love as:

1a (1) : strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties love for a child (2) : attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers (3) : affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests love for his old schoolmates b: an assurance of affection love

2: warm attachment enthusiasm, or devotion (love of the sea)

(M-W gave seven more definitions of love, but we'll just keep it simple so everyone can read it..)

Ok, so the concept of love varies from person to person. How do you know you love someone? Does love happen when you touch someone and there’s a feeling that there’s nothing else in the world but you and that other person? If you constantly think about this person every day (and not in a stalker kind of way), does that mean you’re in love?

Then, when you think you’re in love, how do you know if that person is “the one”? I have a friend: very handsome, a professor, a chronic dater. He’s been chasing this idea of “the one” for 35 years. In his head, “the one” is someone he has some magical connection, something like you would see in the movies. I asked him if he ever came close to finding “the one.” He gave me this thinking look, then said that he probably did but never gave it chance because that magical connection wasn’t instantaneous. I then asked what if he never finds this magic. He got quiet again, then responded that he’ll accept the consequences. (A very politically correct answer.)

On the other side of the spectrum, if we find this love but you’re not 100% sure, do you settle? Do you give up on this right person and pick the person who isn’t so bad. Maybe there’s not that magic spark or he/she doesn’t challenge you, but at the end, this person makes you feel good. Do you settle because there’s that greater fear that you’ll end up alone in a house full of cats? (Ok, bad stereotype.)

I’ve decided that I’m in the middle. I want someone who will challenge me and there is that special connection. Will it always be magical? Maybe, maybe not. But at the end, I want someone who is good to me and makes me comfortable about myself. Is that too much to ask?!?!?!

Now, going back to this anniversary. I’ve accepted it. I can’t force a square peg to go through a round hole. Now, it’s time to move on and hope for the best. I can be like one of those “Sex in the City” girls who just dates half the city, thus increasing my chances. Or I’ll just start looking for a dog. (I’m allergic to cats.)

Ethnic Studies 1A

2010-12-05T20:36:00.000-08:00

Story time!

I was sitting on the Spanish Steps in Rome on a sunny March afternoon people watching. I was writing in my journal when an older Italian man sat down next to me. I looked up and gave him a polite "buon giorno." He nodded then proceeded to stare at me. Then, the following conversation ensued:

Old man: Excuse me, where are you from?

Me: [smiling politely] America.

Old man: Huh? Where are you from?

Me: A-mer-i-ca.

Old man: No, no, no. WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

Me: China?

Old man: Ahhh. Your English is very good!

Me: [slightly confused] Thank you.

(And yes, I had to take a picture with this guy. His name was Giuseppe. We tried talking for an hour. He also wanted to take me out to dinner and promised me a place to stay somewhere along the Almalfi coast. I didn't take either offers.)

So, you're probably wondering now why I'm telling you this story. Here goes... I have had the chance to travel around the world. And where ever I went and get asked where I'm from, I would say about 95% of the time would look at me in disbelief after they hear my response.

While working in Japan, I received a complaint from a student saying that I wasn't a native English speaker because I didn't have blonde hair and blue eyes. So, if my black hair and small dark brown eyes don't make me an American, then what am I?

A few weeks ago, my latest adventure took me back to the motherland, a.k.a. mainland China. I honestly didn't know what to expect. I thought it would be somewhat familiar having grown up in what I thought was a traditional Chinese family within a Chinese community.

I would have to say that of all the places I've traveled to, this was the first time I ever really experienced 'culture shock.' I felt confusion, sadness, helplessness, with a sprinkling of negative stereotyping. I know, weird concept, huh? A Chinese girl shocked by the Chinese culture?! Granted, my first port of entry into the middle kingdom was Shanghai, not exactly known as the friendliest city in the world. A majority of them were rude, unwelcoming, and looked at me in disgust after they found out I couldn't speak Mandarin. Within a few days into the journey, I had already made a joke to a friend saying that after meeting the Shanghainese, I no longer wanted to be Chinese.

As I made my way around the country, the shock slowly eased, but that feeling of not belonging was always still there.

The friend I was traveling with made a comment while we were waiting for a boat to arrive. We noticed about 5-6 guys squatting (as if they were on a squatty-potty) and talking to each other. He laughed in disbelief that they were sitting like so and said they looked like monkeys. At that time, I laughed with him in agreement, mainly because I was frustrated with my cultural identity crisis. But later on, the more I thought about it, that joke he made was really an insult to the men (and to me). It's just how they sit and it's normal! I know he didn't mean it as such and I didn't tell him that I was offended (but wish I did). It just put more questions into my head as to who I really am.

And now, here I am, confused as ever. My travels around the world has opened up my eyes to all the different kinds of people that are out there, and yet, the one culture I thought I could identify the most turned out to be the most complicated of all.

So, to answer the question, who am I? I am who I am. I have black hair, brown eyes, a bit squishy in between. I am Chinese on the outside, American with some Chinese in the inside. But at the end, I'm still the same as everyone else, a human being.

The Young and the Restless

2010-07-23T01:17:00.000-07:00

Ferris is a brilliant man. (Ok, I'll give some credit to John Hughes too.) In a nutshell, he's telling us that life's short, so enjoy it the best you can.

I'm at a crossroads now and I have no idea what to do next. Every now and again, thoughts about life, work, love, relationships, and other random things just inundates my head (and hence the little specks of white starting to sprout). My point is that there is so much I want to see and do and I only have one life time to do so. How I will accomplish my bucket list remains to be seen... Although, every morning when I wake up, I hope to find a big bag of money sitting next to my bed. Hasn't happened yet, but it will.

Lost and Found

2010-05-31T21:02:00.000-07:00

Thanks K for helping me find a little something I had forgotten.

Night view of Los Angeles from the Griffith Observatory.

Déjà vu

2010-04-29T21:20:00.000-07:00

I went back to my old job after repatriating to say hi to my ex-boss and to drop off some Brasilian chocolate I had promised to bring back. Two weeks later, she emailed me asking if I was interested in going back to my old job. With a grim job market, I eagerly said yes. (Yes, bribery does work!)

It has been a little over 2 weeks since returning to the rat race. I'm still on the fence if I'm really enjoying what I'm doing. Working overseas is definitely more enjoyable. In the States, I have more bureaucracy to deal with. I thought I was able to run away from all of it when I left for Brasil. But in a matter of weeks, it all came back in a big hurry. It feels as if South America never really happened now except I now speak to my Brasilian boss only in Portuguese and I spend a ridiculous amount of time talking to my computer. (The computer part is the highlight of my day... I'm not crazy!)

I have no great epiphanies or even a decent conclusion to this post. All I got is a quote from Richard Iannelli, a clinical psychologist: Spontaneity is the quality of being able to do something just because you feel like it at the moment, of trusting your instincts, of taking yourself by surprise and snatching from the clutches of your well-organized routine a bit of unscheduled pleasure.

I think I need another trip to South America. =)

Confessions of a Nomad

2010-03-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

Yes, I've been seriously slacking with the blogging... but with good reason. Since my last entry in November, things had happened. A LOT of things had happened. And with the urging of my very good friend, Glenn, here I go:

My wonderful job at CNA came to an end. While I was hired to write and give a minimum of 5 workshops, I ended up giving only one thanks to bad scheduling and broken air conditioners. I'm still waiting for my writing credit in their yet-to-be-published textbook. (I wrote about being an ESL teacher. I know, a stretch.)
	I spent December and January with a backpack smelling like old socks. I started off flying to Uruguay and parking myself on the beach, taking a boat to Argentina to tango, crossing through the Andes by bus to Chile, and sailed through the Chilean fjords on a ferry remembering how much I really disliked boats. But, the goal was to make to 'el fin de mundo'. And I would like to say to Mrs. Gonzalez, my 6th grade teacher who made me travel my imaginary road to Tierra del Fuego, I made it to the end of the world. Woohoo!
While on my little adventure, in a little city called Córdoba, I did manage to pick up something (or someone) from the Netherlands. Let's just say I definitely wasn't planning on that happening. The things you do after being kicked out of the hostel so the workers can attend Christmas mass and being slightly inebriated by fermented wheat.
	My last month in Brasil was bittersweet. I didn't get to travel as much as I was hoping due to financial constraints. (Patagonia got a bit pricey at the end!) However, I was left with a lot of time to ponder about life, the future, and how to make the perfect caipirinha.
I also managed not to go to Carnival in Rio de Janiero. Why? I couldn't justify spending $1,000 on a 4 day party/drunk-fest. Instead, I hopped on a bus with C and A some 10 hours away with only the clothes on my back and $50 BRL to my name. (It was more of bad planning on my part. Good thing C had clothes and A had money.)
	I said 'abraços e beijos' (hugs and kisses in Portuguese) to Brasil with a bit of a whimper. For the most part, I did enjoy my time in the land of rice and beans. My only regret was the failure of the ring. Sei lá...
Home is where the heart is, I guess. There's nothing like sleeping on my own feather bed wearing clothes that doesn't have holes where holes shouldn't be. And the best part, I got to drive my car. No more buses with random weird guys wiping their sweat on me!!!
	And so, only after 10 days of being in the US, I jumped on a plane to Amsterdam to see what I had picked up in Córdoba. My objectives in Holland were to see a windmill, try on wooden shoes, and eat brownies. (And for all those who are curious: Yes, I saw one from the plane and one up close. No, but saw some middle-aged guy click-clacking around in very fashionable yellow clogs. No, I didn't, but I did the next best thing. It's legal, so it was ok!) As for my big reason for me cashing in all my frequent flier miles to Europe, the future for us is definitely foggy. 9,000km of land and water doesn't help us any. Only time will tell... Or maybe a trip to China...
Now, I'm back to a semi-quasi reality in California. Mother Nature was nice enough to remind me I was back by waking me up with a 4.4 earthquake at 4:04am centered 22km away from my bed. (Sarcastic 'yay!') I'm on day 2 of job-hunting/jury duty waiting/graduate school essay writing/exercising/photo-editing.

And with that, you have now been updated. Congratulations!

Wet

2009-11-10T10:35:00.001-08:00

Just returned from: Foz do Iguaçu (PR), Brasil

My little poem:

Water water everywhere

Up in the air

down to my underwear

Soaking hair

to slippery stairs

I ask Mother Nature why

but I do not dare

for I fear

that the sky might not again tear.

(I never said I was a poet!)

I'm Not 30, I'm 29 + 1.

2009-10-31T08:49:00.003-07:00

Today is my last day in my twenties, and it hurts. I'm going to try to look at this from a 'the glass is half-full' perspective instead. I found a list of things I should do before turning 30. Since I've only got hours left, I'm just going to tick what I've done instead. Here goes.

1. Try an extreme sport. Does jumping out of an airplane count?

2. Date a bad boy. Hmmm... Define "bad boy".

3. Open a retirement account. As boring as it sounds, I've started one.

4. Dye your hair a crazy color. In college, it was red and blue. I also tried being blonde, but for an Asian girl, it just looked wrong.

5. Do a girls-trip. Just because. I went to a hens weekend in Australia and drove around California with 2 crazy girls all in the same year. That was a lot of girl-bonding time.

6. Sing Karaoke. I lived in the land that created karaoke for two years. Enough said.

7. Pay off your credit cards. Debt is scary.

8. Buy something totally frivolous, ridiculously expensive and utterly fabulous. Plane tickets? My iPod?

9. Fall in love. Hmmm... yeah. Next.

10. Crash a party. Crashing parties is my middle name.

11. Travel. I think I got this one throughly covered.

12. Volunteer. I spent 2 years volunteering at the county hospital. Granted, I was 16 at the time.

13. Do something you're totally terrified of. Public speaking. I am now a teacher.

14. Meet a drag queen. I went to Thailand twice. Both times, we played "Find the she-male."

15. Buy yourself an amazing piece of jewelry. I know I haven't done this. I have a habit of losing or breaking expensive things.

16. Love your body. It is still a process that will take my entire lifetime.

17. Learn how to change a tire. I know how to put on snow chains. That's similiar, right?

18. Reconnect with an old friend/family member. Yeah, yeah.

19. Ask for a raise. First, I must stay at a job for longer than a year.

20. Take a dance class. I took hip-hop during my boy band phase and tap dancing in my "I want to annoy everyone around me" period.

21. Schedule a health check-up. I used to do this when I had someone else paying for my heath insurance. That was 5 years ago. A lot has happened since then.

22. Understand your taxes, 401k etc. I understand that I don't make enough for the government to care. Thank goodness for TurboTax!

23. Apply for your dream job. I did. Didn't get it, but the point is I tried.

24. Do something insanely romantic for someone you love. First, I need to find someone to love.

25. Host a dinner party for your family. I make a good turkey.

26. Master an amazing dish. My brother claims that I make a good brownie cheesecake. I still don't remember this.

27. Swim in the ocean. I prefer pools, but I like sticking my feet in the ocean.

28. Go to dinner and a movie by yourself. Done that. I wait for no one when it comes to Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds.

29. Live alone. It would be nice if I could. My financial funds are a little lacking.

30. Ask a guy out. Did it last night. Drunk texting.

Bring on 30!

Father Knows Best

2009-10-19T05:02:00.003-07:00

A sample conversation with my father:

Father: The dryer machine broke down. Your mother is not too happy about it. It will be very expensive to fix.
Me: I don't even have a washing machine. I have to wash everything by hand.
Father: That should be easy. You only have five things to wash a week, right? You have two underwears, a T-shirt, pants, and skirt. Very easy.
Me: [shaking my head in disbelief] Yes, father. I only change my underwear twice a week. I flip it over to get more use out of it. I try to live as simple as possible.

Pensamentos do Mês

2009-09-15T13:33:00.003-07:00

Lessons learned this month:

Sitting in an office all day is not for me.
It's always good to have a side business.
Matt Bellamy is a freaking musical genius!
No matter how hard I tried, at the end of the day, I'm still Asian and we're not meant to consume alcohol.
The evil "puta" does have a nice side. She actually saved me a piece of cake that she had made while I was gone for the weekend. It's been more than a week since I consumed it, so she didn't put any rat poison in it.
12 hour bus rides are painful. Plan ahead and buy a plane ticket.
My bad Portuguese entertains people.
My best friend order:
1. My Portuguese-English dictionary I've named Oxford
2. My new dentist, Dr. Albino

The Laws of the Land

2009-08-31T10:06:00.006-07:00

I currently live with two older ladies. One is 90 years old. She owns the apartment and is a nice lady who offers me food, but can't hear very well and therefore, doesn't know much of what is going on around her. The other is her caregiver, a 65 year old hag who I like to refer to as 'the puta'. (It's not a good word. But there's no other way to describe her.) She pretty much takes care of everything around the house and the following are rules I need to follow:

Rule #1: Upon entering the apartment, you must wash your hands for 5 minutes. She doesn't want to run the risk of getting the swine flu.

Rule #2: You can only brush your hair in the sink. Hair falling out naturally is a sin.

Rule #3: You are not allowed to talk to your roommates for any given reason. Talking makes noises.

Rule #4: No more than one person can sit on a bed at a time. Otherwise, the bed frame will break.

Rule #5: Only two people can be in a room at one time. There is a possibility that things can be broken.

Rule #6: Once the refrigerator has been opened and closed, you must wait 1 minute before it can be opened again. Count out loud if needed. That way, everything inside will remain cold.

Rule #7: You are not allowed to wear any perfume of any kind. It will overpower her cigarettes.

Rule #8: You can only use the back burners of the stove. If you use the front burners, there is a chance that you can spill something, thus making her have to tell you to clean it.

Rule #9: Nothing can be said during Caminho das Índias, a Brazilian telenovela, but she's allowed to make all the commentary she wants.

Rule #10: All doors must have cloth to muffle the slamming. If the door makes a sound, get ready for a mouthful of 'palavras feias' (ugly words).

As you can see, it's a lovely place to live. (Sarcasm...) That on top of the fact that she said she hates having an estrangeiro (a foreigner... basically me) living in the house. On the bright side, at least I'm learning a lot more Portuguese.

The Latest...

2009-08-13T12:01:00.001-07:00

(Names have been changed to protect the innocent, but you'll get the general idea.)Who's more obsessed: me or him?

A New Day, A New City

2009-07-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

Currently in: São Paulo, Brasil

Ok, I did bring this upon myself. When I first arrived in Brasil 5 months ago, I ended up in tiny place called Arujá, a tiny suburb made up mainly of upper middle-class families and their gated communities . There are no shopping malls here and everything is closed by 8pm. I quickly requested a transfer and every day, I wished to be anywhere else.

Now, let's fast forward to today. I'm now living in the third largest city in the world, the metropolis of South America. Things are always happening and people are everywhere. Nevertheless, I'm longing to go back to the countryside. Go figure, right?

Last Saturday, I moved into my room. I walked in to find my roommate, Melisa, to still be sleeping at 2pm. My friend who helped me moved said my new home resembled what he would have imagined a "whore house" to be. Then he took me to see his friends who lived in this massive flat with a magnificent view of the city. I subtly asked if they had a spare room. I returned my room at 10pm. Melisa stared at me the entire time I was unpacking.

On Sunday, I woke up at 11am and quickly left the room with Melisa still sleeping. I spent 3 hours trying to find Internet and finally found an Apple store where I pretended to be interested in buying a laptop. I returned to the room at 3pm to find the roomie sleeping. I quickly got some things and met up with some people back in Arujá. I ended up sleeping over at a friend's house.

It took 1.5 hours for me to get back to SP Monday morning, but it was all good. I arrived in my room at 8am to find Melisa asleep. The room smelled like wet towels. I quickly changed and went to training. I told my boss that I was scared of my roommate. He said he had the same feeling too. We quickly checked out 3 other rooms and settled on an apartment one block away. I returned to the "whore house" at 4pm to find Melisa still asleep. As I was packing, she woke up and asked if I was going away. I said yes, and she covered her head with her blanket.

I'm now living with 2 grandmothers and some university students. One of the grandmothers got mad at me because I left my shoes on the floor, but I'm learning. I have to cook for myself and I no longer have a washing machine.

I MISS ARUJÁ! (haha...)

I Teach the Good English! - Part 2

2009-07-15T14:15:00.000-07:00

Me: What do you want to eat tonight for your dinner?
Bethania: I would like to eat chicken boobs.

Andre: Teacher, what's the difference between 'crap' and 'shit'?
Me: I can only answer that question after class.

Me: What's the best way to get someone's attention from across the street?
Girdacio: Take off all your clothes and run across the street.

Me: What's the difference between a road and a street?
Rafael: On the road, we can go 18 KPM (30 MPH) and on the street we can go 30 KPM (45 MPH) if there is no police around.

Me: Make a sentence using the word 'blond'.
Gabriel: Today, I saw a hot blond licking ice cream.
Me: Thanks for sharing.

Me: What's the dearest thing you are wearing?
Wellington: My gun is the dearest thing I'm wearing.

Me: Make me a sentence using the word 'mustache'.
Artur: Sometimes, I dream about having a golden mustache because then I can sell it and make a lot of money.

Me: What do you do on weekends?
Rafael: I fly by horse to other planets and above my town where I can see a lot of amazing stuff like bars of soap talking in several languages, a soldier grasshopper, and the yellow grass below the mushroom.

My Monday

2009-06-30T07:32:00.000-07:00

06:00 -The alarm goes off for the fifth time. I slowly roll off my top bunk wishing it was Saturday again.

07:30 - All the sentences the students are making are related to either the cold or wanting to go back to bed.

08:10 - We pull up to the school. My ugly school ratdog, Linguiça (Brasilian sausage), is barking at me as usual. Kris, Felipe, and I talk about how to get rid of him again.

09:00 - I am yelling at my computer because the Internet connection keeps flaking on me. I was speaking to my old friend from Japan, Haruka, who I haven't talked to in over 3 years.

13:05 - I am teaching my favorite group at Behr. Rafael keeps asking me if I brought him candy. (Rafael is 26 years old engineer.)

16:00 - My co-worker tells me that Linguiça is dead as I'm going to class.

16:10 - Amalia is talking about the Jonas Brothers again and I pretend to listen. She is 11 years old. I have learned a lot about the Jonas Brothers because of her.

17:00 - Amalia and I find Linguiça in the bushes next to the school. I feel sad.

18:40 - The ex kepts staring.

21:00 - The day is over. I celebrate by eating chocolate.

22:00 - My housemate Kris informs me that one of our friends was arrested last week and is now sitting in prison probably for at least the next 3 years.

23:00 - I attempt to fall asleep but fail. My stomach is making odd noises.

I'm hoping next Monday will be slightly better.

What Is Going On?!

2009-06-28T10:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, first it was Ed McMahon. Then it was Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. Now, Billy Mays is gone?! Crazy week.

Anywho... on with the update.

I've now been in Brasil for more than 4 months now, and yes, I'm still in my tiny village of a town. However, I can see some light at the end of the tunnel and if everything goes according to plan (fingers crossed), I'll be moving to São Paulo by the end of July.
I experienced my first random act of criminal activity here. I didn't do it though. I was the victim. Someone stole money from my wallet from my locked room. I would like to think that all people are good in some way, but I guess that's not always the case.
Can you picture me representing the U.S.? Neither can I. But, I did take a test to work for the U.S. Consulate a few weeks ago in my attempts to get a job that pays. At least now I know what to study for. I'll be cramming again in October. Yay...
Winter in June. Weird concept. I wish someone told me it gets cold here. I go to bed every night wearing 2-3 sweaters and sleep with 4 blankets. Southern hemisphere... go figure.
Lesson learned: Don't date a Brasilian, even if possibly you're using him to learn Portuguese more than anything else. Just don't do it. The end.

How to Know When Someone Is Just Trying a Little Too Hard

2009-06-15T15:01:00.000-07:00

Please interpret this message:

I am hovel of wolf waiting the danger. The sky shows me possibilities just I don't want to see. I am underground. I enquire my soul. The answer is coming from my spirit.

So, how the heck would you respond to this?

½

2009-05-01T15:56:00.000-07:00

I remember as a kid how excited I would get whenever May 1st rolled around. May1st meant that I was halfway to being the next age. Somehow, 7 ½ years old just sounded a lot better than 7. Maybe it was because I was one step closer to driving, voting, and all those other adult things kids wished they could do.

However, today, that ½ just doesn't have that same spark. Today, I am 29 ½ years old. Yes, that's right, I'm 29 ½ years old. It's a hard pill to swallow. I guess because when I was younger, I never really thought about life past 25. Then, when I turned 25, becoming 30 was just unimaginable. But, here I am, one step closer to a new decade in my life.

Muhammad Ali once said that age is whatever you think it is. Therefore, since someone told me earlier in the week he thought I was 23, today, I turn 23 ½. Happy half-birthday to me!

I Teach the Good English!

2009-04-25T06:26:00.001-07:00

Me: Ana Cassia, please make a sentence using the word 'sausage'.
Ana Cassia: I don't like to drink the water from sausages.
Me: Hmm... good to know.

Alex: Teacher, your hair color is like what rabbits eat.
Me: Thanks, I think.

Me: What do you tell someone who's being a nuisance to you?
Zukalas: I will tell him to go have sex. And if he doesn't have a girlfriend, go find a prostitute.

Me: Tell me something that happened to you by accident.
Renata: My son.

Me: Are you married?
Lucas: No. I'm not married, but I'm test-driving now.
Me: Huh?
Lucas: Yes, test-driving.
Me: Do you mean before marriage?
Lucas: Yes.
Me: So, you are engaged?
Lucas: Yes.

Wellington: Walking down the aisle in a wedding is like walking to my death.

Trials and Tribulations

2009-04-17T08:36:00.000-07:00

Currently located: (Still in) Arujá, Brasil

54 days in Brasil and counting...

I was suppose to have transferred today to Pomerode, the "most typically German of all German towns of southern Brasil." However, that never happened. When I first signed up to work in Brasil, I thought I would be experiencing Brasilian culture. Had I wanted to live in a German town, I would've moved to Germany. Makes sense, right? Also, living in the area that produces Victoria's Secret models isn't exactly a confidence booster.
I've all but given up learning Portuguese. For some reason, every time I make any attempt, Japanese comes out of my mouth.
Brasilian BBQ count: 6 with 2 coming up.
Callan still sucks, but now, it's somewhat manageable. That's because I don't really follow the book anymore. Haha... (Just like old times.)

Since I don't have much else to write about now, here are some pictures of my wonderful little town.

The meat store!

Local tagging. I actually like it. It's not really vandalism when you can actually see some theme.

Happy April Fools Day!

2009-04-01T11:50:00.000-07:00

Oops! UCSD Sends Acceptance E-mail to Wrong List University Fails Basic Math, Gives Rejectees Hope

By ERIC S. PAGE Updated 11:32 AM PDT, Wed, Apr 1, 2009

UCSD gave thousands of students a reason to smack their heads and say, "D'oh!"

UC San Diego -- a school for the smart ones, supposedly -- mistakenly congratulated nearly 29,000 applicants on their acceptance, according to university officials.

Earlier this month, about 17,000 students were offered admission for the fall, leaving nearly 29,000 hopefuls out in the cold.

But on Tuesday, the school's communications office said an e-mail was sent Monday afternoon to all 46,377 students who applied for admission -- including the 29,000 rejects -- welcoming them to the campus.

A half-hour later, school officials said, they realized their mistake. Almost two hours after the first note went out, a second e-mail was sent, apologizing to 28,889 freshmen applicants for the mistake.

"No member of this department is more acutely aware of the emotional roller-coaster that this could cause for our applicants," Assistant Vice Chancellor Mae W. Brown said.

An anonymous parent told the Los Angeles Times it was a "colossal screw-up."

Similar incidents have happened at other schools -- including Cornell in the recent past, the paper reported -- but the UCSD incident was the biggest "screw-up."

*That's my alma mater!*

Oh Callan, How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways...

2009-03-28T19:37:00.000-07:00

This is what I do 6 hours every day, 5 days a week minus the British accent:
(To save yourself from permanent damage, stop the video after one minute.)

Thank goodness for vodka.

Brazilian Etiquette: Lessons Learned

2009-03-08T10:14:00.000-07:00

I've kissed so many random people that it's no longer funny. (Ok, it's cheek kissing, but still... my blood still says I'm Asian and we just don't do that.)
Brazilian time means if you're meeting someone, then you must be at least half an hour late. If it's a party, then you should always come a minimum is one hour past the start time. If someone is picking you up from the airport and you've never been to the area, is moving there for at least a year, and you can't speak the language, expect 1.5 hours of pure panic and stress.
From my travel book: Brazilian women dress "sexy" in all situations, whether business, formal or casual. Foreign women who want to blend in should avoid wearing overly formal, conservative attire. My T-shirts and jeans are apparently too conservative here. My boss even told me to get chicken cutlets to help in certain areas.
While the OK sign means good back home, here in Brazil, it is the equivanent to the middle finger. I had already shown the OK sign to my boss at least 10 times before someone finally told me what it meant.

When Will It Stop?

2009-02-23T08:02:00.000-08:00

Currently at: Arujá, Brasil

Let's rewind to Friday...

Friday, 08:15 - Started my final class in Kaplan. Only 5 students showed up. The two missing students had told me the day before they were going to Disneyland.
Friday, 09:15 - Was walking to Coffee Bean since the students had decided that they were not going to learn on my last day.
Friday, 10:30 - Two other classes strolled into Coffee Bean also deciding that they were not going to learn on my last day.
Friday, 11:30 - Back at school waiting for the Kaplan Oscars to start (students made films... pretty cool).
Friday, 15:30 - Still at school. The movies took a lot longer than I thought. Tried to say goodbye to everyone, but that had been an hour ago. Starving.
Friday, 16:30 - Finally at home trying to pack while eating my last In-n-out cheeseburger protein style, no spread, with grilled onions. Got a message from my two missing students who went to Disneyland wants to meet up for dinner. I sigh...
Friday, 20:00 - Eating at a Chinese restaurant. The owner kept speaking in Cantonese. I accidentally respond to his questions. The students no longer believe I'm a natural blonde from Estonia who was trying to be Asian.
Friday, 22:00 - At my first and last dorm party. Watched one guy make a complete fool of himself after downing 3/4 of a bottle of vodka in one hour. Everyone was shocked to see me there.
Friday, 23:00 - Tried to leave the party but more people kept coming and talking to me.
Saturday, 00:30 - Still at the party.
Saturday, 01:00 - Finally on my way home. Left with about 10 students surrounding my car. One was drunk out of his mind but was entertaining. Another started crying which weirded me out. Everyone else stood and waved.
Saturday, 06:30 - Woke up to the smell of cigarettes. (No, I wasn't the one smoking. I was just surrounded by smokers all night long.)
Saturday, 08:45 - Gave up packing thinking who really needs clothes?! I'm going to Brasil!
Saturday, 10:00 - Went to my last family breakfast in a while. I told my little cousin Joshua that I was going to be on an airplane later in the day. His response: "You can die on an airplane." I told him, "Thank you for that information."
Saturday, 11:30 - Off to the airport. Promised the family I wouldn't climb any more mountains.
Saturday, 12:30 - Bored and started texting people just to see who would actually respond. Got a message back saying the police had stopped by the party twice that night. The party ended when the guest of honor chucked.
Saturday, 14:30 - On the plane heading to Houston, Texas. Had to sit next to a really fat guy who kept jabbing me with his elbow. I took a picture of his fat belly while he was sleeping. (FYI, Continental Airlines still serves free food. Continental rocks!)
Saturday, 21:00 - Barely found my connecting gate. Still had enough time to make my last phone call. I asked him if I go to Antarctica, would a polar bear be working at immigration? If so, would I get a paw print as my visa stamp? He laughed without a response.
Sunday, 00:00 - In the air. Told by the flight attendant the entertainment system is broken, so no inflight movies. Continental sucks!
Sunday, 09:45 - Woke up with serious neck pain. Looked outside to see that the plane was ready to land. A flight attendant walked by and was about to take my breakfast away that they had left for me earlier. I took my piece of bread and fruit and ate it in a minute.
Sunday, 10:30 - Breezed through immigration, got my luggage, and was out the door in 10 minutes. However, there was nobody there to pick me up. I started to panic.
Sunday, 11:30 - Finally found my school director. She said that immigration usually takes 2 hours. Then, she asked me if I wanted to go to a party right then.
Sunday, 12:30 - At my school director's house. Everyone is speaking Portuguese. I'm completely lost. However, there's food and lots of it. Can't really complain.
Sunday, 14:30 - In serious food coma. I ate enough meat to last me a week.
Sunday, 15:30 - Still at the party but now begging to go back.
Sunday, 17:00 - I'm in my new home and I crashed.
Monday, 08:46 - Blogging and wondering how I can get out of my new home. I don't have keys yet. Hmm... Wish me luck?

I ♥ Chocolate

2009-02-13T22:31:00.000-08:00

07:00: Made myself some chocolate coffee. Yummy...
08:20: Was given 2 Raspberry Hershey's Kisses by a co-worker.
08:25: A guy pulled out a box of Ferrero Rochers and offered me one. I had to take one.
08:50: Received 2 heart-shaped chocolate chip cookies made by my student.
09:10: Ate a piece of dark chocolate in my bag while the students worked on a word puzzle.
09:20: Gave out the dark chocolate for the word puzzle. Thought about eating another piece but stopped.
09:45: Another teacher walked into the room handing out Valentines and Kisses.
10:14: The student who gave me the chocolate chip cookies asked me to try her cookie. I smiled, told her I had to take care of something, then shoved the cookies in my pocket.
10:16: Ran into other students and ended up with a handful of chocolate.
10:25: The student asked me if I liked the chocolate chip cookie. I pulled a cookie out of my pocket and ate it in front of her.
10:30: Another student gave me a box of chocolates.
10:45: Attempted to give out all the chocolate on my desk. I failed.
11:25: Went downstairs. Was told I had to try the chocolate brought by the Brasilians. I obliged.
11:30: Found a table filled with ice cream, cake, and rice crispy treats.
11:45: Quickly ran to my car and drove away.
12:30: Arrived at 24 hour Fitness.
14:30: Left 24 hour Fitness.
15:00: Went into the kitchen to find the container of chocolate brownies I had intended to take to work sitting on the table. Opened the lid and popped a bit into my mouth.
22:00: Sold the chocolate chip cookie made by my student to my brother.
22:18: Blogged with 3 empty chocolate wrappers next to me while reading the antioxidant capacity of dark chocolate. (480mg per serving. It's just as good as eating blueberries!)
22:25: Debating if I should go back to 24 hour Fitness now.

I truly believe chocolate makers created Valentine's Day for the sole purpose of making me fat.

13 and Counting...

2009-02-08T21:49:00.000-08:00

I know nobody is really reading this blog. And yet, I still feel obliged to write in it. Go figure.

Anywho, I've started to count down again. 13 more days. In 13 days, I'll be boarding a plane to Brasil and leaving all normalcy behind. And yet, I feel absolutely nothing. I haven't even really told anyone. I've left clues, albeit skint ones. I'm not really worried that the only Portuguese I know is "Oi!" and "Fome" (I'm hungry). (Ok, I do know something else, but no Brasilian will actually give me an exact translation.) I should be excited or at least terrified. Is there something wrong with me?

Estou Perdida!

2009-01-14T04:34:00.008-08:00

"The future has a way of arriving unannounced." - George Will, an American journalist

Ok, so I haven't been writing for a while. Admittedly, I suck. However, it's 2009, and as part of my New Year's resolution (#5), here I am.

"Change, change, and more change." That's all I've been hearing since the world has gone haywire some six months ago. For whatever reason, I started applying for random jobs even though I like my job now. And as luck would turn out, I was offered a position in a teaching program in São Paulo, Brasil. This was back in early December. I waffled, moaned, debated, and sat on the fence on this decision until now, ten days before I'm set to start this program.

I remember when I got the job in Japan. Without any hesitation, I signed my life away without a care in the world. That was four years ago. I'm slightly older now and slowly approaching a certain age which I'm in denial of. There's that doubt in my mind that I might not be able to do it all again. Can I adapt to life in Brazil? Will I make friends there? Will I freak out and jump back on the plane?

Decisions... decisions...

Happy 2009!!!

2009-01-01T08:04:00.000-08:00

Currently in: Las Vegas, NV

As I sit in a dark hotel room slowly sipping my cup of free coffee while recovering from what was another New Year's Eve celebration, I am left to think about this brand new year. So, as tradition goes, here are my resolutions for 2009:

Stop going to Las Vegas!!! (Unacceptable excuses: free rooms, hanging out with friends who just happen to be in Vegas that weekend, seafood buffets, 1 cent Monopoly, Wheel of Fortune)
Don't cry too much come November 1st.
Send Scharffen Berger chocolates to Russia and Korea.
Travel around the world to see all my special friends.
Start writing again.
Get 8 straight hours of sleep at least once a week.
Brush my hair more often.
Skydive in South America (Argentina preferably, but Brasil would be OK too).
Eat more fish because fish is good for me.
Never give up. (Actually, #10 was going to be 'cut back on coffee', but I already broke that resolution 8 hours after the start of the new year.)

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas!

2008-12-23T16:55:00.000-08:00

Just returned from: Las Vegas, NV

It's Christmas Eve, and Mr. Weatherman is telling me rain and snow (in the mountains... please, I'm from LA) are coming!!!

عيد ميلاد سعي (Arabic)
Merry Christmas, mate! (Australian)
Boas Festas! (Brazilian Portuguese)
圣诞快乐! (Chinese)
Joyeux Noël! (French)
Fröhliche Weihnachten! (German)
メリークリスマス! (Japanese)
즐거운 성탄! (Korean)
С Рождеством! (Russian)
Feliz Navidad! (Spanish)
Maligayang Pasko!!!! (Tagalog)
Noeliniz kutlu olsun (Turkish)

I Left My Heart Somewhere in the Tasman Sea

2008-11-20T23:13:00.004-08:00

Just returned from: Melbourne, Australia

Pros:

The air is clear.
The water is blue.
My greenbacks made me rich!!! ($1 USD=$0.65 AUD)
Vegemite isn't that bad. (Small quantities only.)
I love TimTams and Shapes. (And at $1.79 each, it's even better!)
For the most part, the people are halfway decent. (One exception: People who publicly embarrass others in front of large groups. I'm not naming anyone specifically, but you know who you are...)
Aussie BBQs are fun. Food fights after Aussie BBQs are fun too.

Cons:

I ate a kangaroo and was later called a cannibal. (read me)
I ate one too many dim sums and Four'N Twenty Meat Pies for my own good.
People talk funny there. (My American accent isn't THAT weird.)
People drive on the opposite side of the road.
Water flushes counterclockwise. (There is some truth to the Simpsons.)
Spring is in November. (That's just wrong.)

Gotta Love American Politics

2008-09-15T07:13:00.002-07:00

(Sorry... The video may only work from the States. Something about copyright laws.)

A Sigh and a Hug... (Here We Go Again)

2008-09-05T01:42:00.005-07:00

"Why can't we get all the people together in the world that we really like and then just stay together? I guess that wouldn't work. Someone would leave. Someone always leaves. Then we would have to say good-bye. I hate good-byes. I know what I need. I need more hellos." --Charles M. Schulz

When Will It All End?

2008-08-21T05:32:00.001-07:00

Every four years, a little thing called the Olympics happen. Right before it all begins, I couldn't even care less about it. Then, slowly, I get sucked into the excitement and spend the next 16 days glued to my TV watching sports and trying to find out the results before it's shown "live".

So, yes, I did cheer for Michael Phelps with thoughts about my abandoned swimming career and what could have been. I tried to guess the ages of the gymnasts as they fling, contort, and flip their bodies in the air. I sympathized with Yao Ming and his little minions when they were annihilated by the Americans. And, yes, I even took in a game of the ever-exciting sport of handball.

13 days down. 3 more to go. Then, I can sleep again. I can't wait.

Hmmm...

2008-06-16T05:29:00.001-07:00

"Confusion is a word we have invented for an order which is not yet understood." --Henry Miller, an American author and writer

My New Home = My Car

2008-05-20T06:36:00.001-07:00

"Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for - in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it." --Ellen Goodman, an American journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated columnist

Life Is Like an Onion...

2008-03-14T21:07:00.002-07:00

...You peel off one layer at a time and sometimes you weep.

I definitely feel what Carl Sandburg was feeling when he wrote those wise words. I spent most of the day moping around after saying goodbye yet again. The count is now up to 4 this year alone with more on the way. It's a vicious, vicious cycle I'm stuck in. Why can't teleporting machines really exist?!?!

(Farewell Mickey Mouse and Optimus Prime. It's been swell...)

Lemons for Sale

2008-02-28T22:15:00.005-08:00

When life gives you lemons, you're suppose to make lemonade, right? So what should you do if the heavens open up and drops an entire lemon orchard right on top of your head?

I'm trying hard not to dwell on my problems and think of the positive. Things happen for a reason, right? I just want to know when the insanity is all going to end!!!

I guess I should just take my lemons and be grateful they aren't watermelons or durians (poop fruit). I'll make a pie with my lemons. I like pie. I also like lemon slushies.

In a World of Frustration

2008-02-06T23:01:00.000-08:00

Now, I completely understand why the Brits head out to the pub after work every night. Working sucks! (Well, in my case, management sucks! I'll leave it at that.)

How the Hell Did It Already Become 2008?!

2008-01-01T08:04:00.000-08:00

Another year, another set of resolutions. Here goes mine for the year:
1. Get me one of those things called a job (well... a real one... although, 3 years of slacking off has been fun)
2. Actually attend one wedding that I've been invited to
3. Do the mud run again (and do it under 1:45)
4. Occupy another country
5. Start writing again and accept the fact that there will be rejections attached
6. Reconnect with long lost members of the 張 clan
7. Apply for the Amazing Race (haha... I made a funny)
8. Stop looking like a college student
9. Think first, act second
10. Floss more

Appreciating the Little Things in Life

2007-12-26T11:53:00.000-08:00

Just returned from: Nairobi, Kenya
This I will no longer take for granted:
-Paved roads
-Flushable toilets
-Warm showers
-Electricity
-Getting my own seat in the bus/train/subway
-A government that isn't corrupt (oh wait... I don't think that really exists in real life)

Things I wouldn't mind going back to Kenya for:
-Ugali (yummy... cornmeal mush)
-Nakumatt (Kenya's version of Target/Wal-mart)
-Night skies filled with shooting stars and constellations
-Sandpaper leaves and exploding apples
-Giraffes (they're cute but they couldn't fit in my backpack... not even the baby ones)

Turkey Day

2007-11-22T18:12:00.000-08:00

My first Thanksgiving in 2 years came and went. I managed to cook a turkey. There were some scary moments with the kitchen filling up with smoke and popping sounds from the oven, but all in all, it turned out not so bad. (No reports of food poisoning so far...)

Now, I can die happy knowing I'll never eat a turkey again.

As the Winds Blow

2007-10-22T18:47:00.000-07:00

Southern California can be identified by one event that occurs annually: the Santa Ana winds. Every October, my nose attempts to implode on itself as the desert air filled with dust and other random things blow by me.

But another problem these gusts can cause are these little fires. Yup, my state is on fire... or as CNN reports "California, the massive inferno". Luckily, this time around, I'm nowhere near all the chaos. (Although I think my neighbor is up to something. Flames shooting from their backyard can be labeled as questionable, right?)

It's like a big soap opera watching all these news reports. Firemen asking reporters to get them hamburgers. Commercial airliners circling the mountains. People playing football while plumbs of smoke billowing just 5 feet away from them. I can't really go outside and play on my day off since it's been smelling like an ashtray outside. So, I'll be watching that airplane fly around because it's pretty cool to watch (the flying not the fire part).

Thanks for your concerns!

A Means to an End

2007-10-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

Hmmm... ok, so I've been absolute crap updating this blog. Life has taken me in all sorts of directions lately and I'm slow to figure it all out.

After enjoying two months of unemployment, I finally got a job. I'm an English instructor and I teach Japanese students! (There's others from other countries but the majority of them do understand what よっぱらい [yopparai-I'm drunk] means). A bit of déjà vu? Perhaps. I actually do teach. I give out homework, lecture, grade midterms. It's like I'm a real teacher! Too bad most of the time, I really don't know what I'm talking about. (Gerrunds? Noun clauses? Is that even English? I just think back to my ESL days when I would cry because I couldn't pronounce "coyote".) I don't plan on doing this forever. It's just something to do to say I'm not a slacker, I guess.

As for the writing thing, I'm still trying to pursue it. It's hard especially since I'm now based in California and the publishing world is located all the way on the other side of the country in New York City. ...sigh... So, I'm drowning my sorrows by taking a writing class. (Some might consider it more to be a form of torture. Who knows?!)

(I'm done with the whining/verbal barf now. Next time, it'll be a more happier post. Promise.)

The Shameless Plug

2007-08-30T07:44:00.000-07:00

Since I have nothing blog-worthy to write about except the oddity that is my family, I've decided to post one of my articles. It's short and sweet. And the best part, it wasn't butchered or mutilated like last time. Very cool.

The Eurotrip: Part 5-The Long Journey

2007-07-05T01:09:00.000-07:00

15:17, 04 July 2007. Waiting for the slow boat to arrive.

18:34, 04 July 2007. On the slow boat back to Athens.

20:00, 04 July 2007. Still on the slow boat back to Athens.

03:14, 05 July 2007. Sleeping at Athens airport.

09:35, 05 July 2007. On the plane leaving Athens.

11:26, 05 July 2007. Wandering around Milan's airport.

13:16, 05 July 2007. Still wandering around Milan's airport.

16:34, 05 July 2007. Finally, made it to Madrid. And it only took us 25 hours to get here.

The Eurotrip: Part 4-It Really Does Look Like The Postcard

2007-07-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

Current location: Santorini, Greece
Some thoughts running through my head as I sit guarding a prime piece of real estate on the island's mountainside waiting for the sun to set:

Would I get tired of having this view every day if I had to live here?
If I painted my blue-domed igloo home red, would the Greeks kick me out? Or a compromise, baby blue?
I need to find a plate so I can smash it on the floor. Is there an Ikea around?
Hmm... everyone else has a bottle of wine. I wonder if they'll share...

The Eurotrip: Part 3-Dear Bedbugs, I'm Not Your Dinner

2007-06-30T20:29:00.000-07:00

Current location: Athens, Greece
An older Greek gentleman sat next to me on the train from the airport to the city. He noticed that I kept staring at the map off to the side. "Do you want a subway map of Athens?" he asked and then grabbed his copy from his pocket and gave it to me. Wanting to be that tourist who tries to learn about local language, I asked him to teach me how to say thank you in Greek. "Efharisto." "Huh? One more time please." "Efharisto," he said with ease. I tried repeating but my "thank you" sounded more like me trying to cough up snot. He laughed, then for the next 5 minutes, I got a lesson on pronunciation. Wong and a few others around snickered in my feeble attempts. (I probably would've done the same thing if I had to hear me try to speak in Greek.)
Do I like Athens? Not really. But it's probably because I was also eaten alive on my first night by some very hungry bedbugs. I woke up with over 50 red spots and a breakout of hives. (I would thank that one special bug who got me on my right eyelid. Now, I'm a pirate and I don't need an eye patch. ARGGGGH!!!)

The Eurotrip: Part 2-Rain, Rain Go Away. Come Again When We're Not On Holiday!

2007-06-29T00:34:00.000-07:00

Current location: Berlin, Germany
Everyone knows Berlin. It's the capital of Germany, second most populous city in the European Union, major center of European politics, culture, media and science and oh yeah, there's a lot of history here too. While I had a great time here despite the crap weather. However, I couldn't help but feel depressed. (A word of advice... Limit yourself to only one museum devoted to either the Wall or the Holocaust per visit.)
And of course, on our last day, the weather cleared up. Naturally...

The Eurotrip: Part 1-We're Cold And It's Wet... This Sucks!

2007-06-26T16:18:00.000-07:00

Current location: Kiel , Germany

6 months of talking, planning, emailing, researching and booking finally culminated to this... the wacky Eurotrip where we transcend to 3 far-flung countries in an attempt to see the continent. Wong and I first concocted this journey way back when I was still employed in Japan (yeah, a long time ago). And at 2:30a on Tuesday, it began with us dragging our semi-coherent selves to a freezing cold bus stop to catch a ride to the airport.
Now, since this is the end of June, one would expect sunny skies with warm shorts and a singlet type weather, right? Instead, London followed us and landed in Hamburg shivering. After some light shopping, we headed up north to Kiel to see some of Wong's old friends. Upon our arrival, the clouds thought it would be funny to dump buckets of water on us and threw in some hurricane-like winds for good measure.
For those of you who don't know your German geography, Kiel is located to the north off the south-east corner of the Baltic Sea and is known for its sailing events. Although not much sailing was to be seen (missed that by a week along with perfect weather), it was a nice change not having to deal with all the tourist pedal-pushing that I've growing to love. Would I come back here? Probably not but at least I can say I was here. And that's all that matters.

Let's Play... Make That Conclusion!!!

2007-06-24T17:11:00.000-07:00

Just returned from: Turin, Italy
I'm going to try to make this an interactive blog post. Here's how to play. I'll list some facts and figures about my trip to Torino and you make your own conclusions. Let's start...

Number of people who went to Turin with: 8
Number of Australians in the group that went to Turin: 7
Number of times the lone American got doused with water: >10
Conclusion?

Number of hours walking around Turin: 16
Number of times we looped around Turin: 2
Number of sites I actually remember: 1
Conclusion?

Number of pasta dishes eaten in Turin: 3
Number of pizza slices eaten in Turin: 8 (small slices!)
Number of gelato cones eaten in Turn: 1
Conclusion?

Number of cocktails drunk on Saturday night: 5
Number of shots chugged on Saturday night: 4
Number of times I turned red: 9
Conclusion?

Good luck!!!

What Happens In Croatia Stays In Croatia

2007-06-12T11:38:00.000-07:00

Just returned from: Central Dalmatian Coast, Croatia
Some thoughts...

Island hopping in Croatia was awesome. Although, it still doesn't compare to island hopping in Thailand. Rocks with no sand does not equal a beach!
Again, I met my creepy 40+ year old crusty man. The first guy I'll call Croatian banana man. I was in the Green Market in Split taking pictures. Croatian banana man was holding two bunches of bananas and just happened to be right in the middle of my shot. He smiled proudly showing off his bananas, persuading me to take a photo of him and the bananas. I did. An hour later, Croatian banana man saw me again by the pier. The bananas were gone though. He made a feeble attempt on a conversation but since my Croatian was limited to hvala (thank you), not much was said. But he did get out the word "address" then pointed at me. So, if there's an Ellen Chan living in London, you should be expecting a package from a Jofu Petrovic sometime soon.

My second creepy 40+ year old crusty man encounter happened at a bench as I waited for a boat to Hvar. I was reading my guide book when the man suddenly said "excuse me." I looked up. "Where are you from?" he said slowly. "America." The expression on his face changed to a look of confusion. Remembering my low-level 7B Nova days, I started using hand motions. "Why?" with a shrug of the shoulders. "My hair?" Awkward silence. "Yes, yes, yes. America has many people," he patiently said. "American is unpopular, yes?" I smiled, nodded, then returned to my guide. About 5 minutes later, I heard another "excuse me" from the man. "I'm not the aggressor," crusty man said. Again, I smiled then quickly gathered my things and left.
A lady mistook me as a Croatian and asked me in Croatian for directions! The sun must have been in her eyes. (And someone said that couldn't happen. HA!)
I got some funky tan going. But, it doesn't matter because I actually got a tan. Woohoo!!!
I'm not sure how this all happened but I ended up taking home an unexpected souvenir from Croatia. A Canadian. (It's a very long story...)

The Cosmic Connection

2007-05-28T07:12:00.000-07:00

I was in Notting Hill today, hoping to find a Bill Bryson book for under £1, when a man asked me for the time. After a struggle with my jacket, I looked at my watch and said, "It's 1:45." The man smiled and thanked me. I started walking and he followed. "It's such a horrible day today," he chimed. With the freezing wind blowing in my face and the ominous clouds above me, I concurred.

Then, the weird started. He looked at me with his eyes bulging out. "Your aura is green. You have a lot of uncertainty in your life right now." Suddenly, he grabbed my left hand and began to touch my fingers. A bit shocked, I just stood there.
"You are a very sensitive person. Did you play the piano when you were younger?" "Hmm... yes."
"You like to travel, don't you?"
With an eyebrow raised, I responded with a head nod for yes.
"Are you a writer? You should be a writer and write about your travels. Or you should write a play." At this moment, I was debating if I should be running, screaming or staying to hear more. I chose the latter.
"And in your previous life, you were a ballerina." I let out a chuckle here. Then, I took back possession of my hand.
I looked at him and he looked at me. "Things happen for a reason. We were suppose to meet today," he said.
Being the quick-minded person that I am (haha), I gave the "oh crap I'm late" look, then quickly got out of there.

The whole experience was a bit trippy. All he did was touch my fingertips and got all that information about me. I can't decide if he's my new stalker or if he should open his own "psychic friends network."

Slovenia, Slovenia, Slovenia, Slovenia

2007-05-21T10:49:00.000-07:00

Just returned from: Ljubljana, Slovenia
This is me interviewing me. (I couldn't get anyone else to do the job. I wonder why?)

What made you decide to go to Slovenia?
I opened up easyJet's list in the back of the magazine one day and saw Ljubljana. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to say it. So, what better way than to learn than to go to the city itself. And for your information, it's lub-ble-ya-na.

Any interesting stories while over there?
For a while, I didn't think I was going to make it to Slovenia. While boarding my flight, I (and the rest of the plane) committed a federal crime by interacting with passengers from a diverted plane from Amsterdam. To make a long story short, we boarded the plane, then was told we had to get off the plane, went back inside the terminal and was re-screened by security because we could've met one of the Amsterdam people and exchange "something." Two hours after the scheduled departure, the plane finally took off. I ended up sitting next to 4 blokes on their stag (bachelor) weekend and they bought me and 2 other girls drinks. Needless to say, that was one of the quickest 2 hour flights I've ever had. (But I think I need to thank the 2 cranberry vodkas for that one.)

I see. So you're an alcoholic again. [Nodding the head in disappointment.] Nothing new. Anything else?
[While shooting the evil eye.] Hey! I take offense to that comment.
Hmm... I accidentally took the wrong bus and ended up waiting in some small village for an hour. With nothing better to do, I decided to roam around, taking pictures of trees. One local guy saw what I was doing, walked up to me and asked in Japanese 写真を撮りますか。 (take a picture?) Naturally, I responded with いいえ。大丈夫。(No, it's ok.) In a nutshell, I had a conversation with a Slovenian man in some remote village in Slovenia in Japanese and we ended up talking about East Los Angeles. He knew street names and locations of places that only locals would know. It was a bit scary.

Weird...
I KNOW! [As the voice goes one octave up.]

Did you pick up the language?
The only thing I can say in Slovenian is hvala ti (thank you) and I probably butchered the pronunciation. Oops... I do know how to say goodbye in Slovenian. It's ciao which sounds an awful lot like Italian. When in Slovenia, right? I just like saying Slovenia. Slovenia. Slovenia. Slovenia. Ok, I'm done.

[An eyeroll.] Hmmm... sure. If you say so. Where did you stay?
I stayed in a jail cell. Very comfortable. But my cell mate had really stinky feet. [Overtly excited.]

I won't ask. [Another eyeroll.] Final thoughts?
Slovenia. Slovenia. Slovenia. Slovenia. Did I mention I like saying Slovenia? It's not as fun as Ljubljana. Ljubljana. Ljubljana. Ljubljana. It just doesn't have the same effect.

Yeah, you need help. [More head shaking in disappointment.]
Hvala ti. [With a smile.]

The Token American

2007-05-15T09:28:00.001-07:00

I stumbled upon BBC’s News Styleguide at work today. In this so-called "Styleguide", there’s a section for Americanisms which I found particularly enlightening. Here’s an excerpt:

“American speech patterns on the BBC drive some people to distraction. Adding unnecessary prepositions to verbs is guaranteed to cause apoplexy in some households. Problems which were once faced are now faced up to. In North America, people meet with other people. Everywhere else they meet them. British people keep a promise rather than deliver on it.”

I never knew American English can cause fits of anger and rage. But wait… it gets better:

“Many American words and expressions have impact and vigour, but use them with discrimination or your audience may become a tad irritated.”

Basically, the BBC is telling me that my English makes people irate and annoyed. No wonder why all the Aussies and Brits pick on me.

As a compromise, I will now put aside my beloved “David Hasselhoff saved my life” t-shirt and will replace it with a shirt that says either “Don’t talk to me. I’m American and my English will piss you off!” or "I speak American English so piss off!"

I can't really decide.

Lessons From Deutschland

2007-05-06T10:10:00.000-07:00

Just returned from: Hamburg, Germany

Here's three things I've learned about Germany:

It is perfectly acceptable to have a pint of beer at 9am on a Sunday morning. It is also perfectly acceptable for men to dress up like women while enjoying their pints of beer at 9am on a Sunday morning.

"Es ist mir Wurst" or "It's sausage to me." Bratwursts, currywursts, frankfurters... I'm all wurst-out. My heart thanks me for it. (And no, the only hamburgers you can find in Hamburg is at McDonalds.)

Long live the Hoff! Where else in the world can David Hasselhoff of Knight Rider fame be a singer and a national hero but in Germany?

Where's the Subtitle Button?

2007-04-28T10:15:00.000-07:00

Just returned from: Glasgow, Scotland, UK
This was my first conversation at the tourist information booth in Glasgow's other airport:
Me: What's the quickest way to the city center?
TI lady: (sounds of rocks in her mouth)
Me: EH? I'm sorry. Could you repeat that again?
TI lady: (rocks) twane (more rocks) dar [I only got 'there' because she pointed.]
Me: How much is the train ticket?
TI lady: (unrecognizable sounds that might have been words)
Me: Hmmm... Ok. Thank you very much.

Another exchange with a Glaswegian at Sainsbury trying to pay for my groceries:
Cashier: (sounds of something)
Me: N [1 second pause] o
Cashier: [She hands me my sandwich and diet Coke sans plastic bag.] (more noise) [I'm pretty sure she's telling me the total.]
Me: [I look at the register but the amount is facing the lady. I give her the biggest bill in my wallet.]
Cashier: [While giving me back my change] Chiears.

If only there was a button to magically have subtitles appear.

Micasa Sucasa

2007-04-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

I've been officially published as of today. In theory, I should be happy. According to the magazine, over 3.1 million people per month fly this airline. The probability of at least one person reading it while bored sitting on a plane is pretty high. So, why am I a bit miffed?

In actuality, I wrote 2 pieces. One was the "3 of the best: Conversions". (Well, I wrote most of it. An editor's job is to edit. Blah...)
The other was a destination guide to Casablanca, Morocco. I spent an entire day scouring for any information I can find for a place that doesn't have much information to be found. So, when I opened up to the back of the magazine and looked at Casablanca, imagine my surprise when I saw this:
In my editor's defense, I do understand why he did that. I mean, these destination guides are suppose to be written by locals. Wouldn't you believe a Chinese girl living in Morocco? We're like weeds. We're everywhere!

(Yeah, I wouldn't believe it either.)

A Retrospective... Of the Last 2 Weeks

2007-04-14T10:13:00.000-07:00

As I lay in my bed wanting so desperately to go to sleep but can't because the bar that's two doors down from my flat is still open at 2:16am, I'm left to reflect on life in London. So, here goes...

London isn't as bad anymore. It could be that I'm just getting use to all of it now... Cramming into the carriage of the Tube to get to work, the pushing, the public drunkenness that I witness as I walk home... It's all starting to be normal. It's not to say that I like it or anything.
However, I do like the job. Sometimes, the motivation to go to work isn't there... partly because I'm not getting paid enough to survive and partly because I want to go to all these places that I'm researching on.
A perk of the job? The swag!!! (For those who don't know what swag is, it's basically promotional items or gifts that are given away by companies or organizations. Or Stuff We Ain't Got.) On Friday, one of the beauty editors asked if I was interested in free makeup. Now, even though I'm not exactly the glamor queen, I couldn't really pass up free crap. I ended up getting pretty prime stuff that one would pay a small fortune for. (Bobbi Brown and MAC stuff!!!) Now, I need to be friends with the technology editors.
It's a bit odd to find the laundry machine in the kitchen. I wouldn't mind the machine in the kitchen if it works properly. However, this laundry machine, which is a washer and dryer in one, has been my Everest to overcome. It turns on whenever it feels like it. It locks itself and thus imprisoning my clothes in its "cleaning" receptacle. And it takes about 3 hours to dry 4 pairs of socks. I think it's trying to screw with me, but I will win. Just wait and see.
One of the best ways to survive in London? Head to Sainsbury (or any big grocery chain) and look for the "reduce to clear" sticker. One night, I managed to score meals for the entire day for only 60p ($1.20). Gotta love it!
Living in hostel-like conditions suck... especially since I'll be living here for the next 3 months. Let's just say the bathroom situation leaves a lot to be desired.
For the guys... Consider going to Spain. I walked into the kitchen today to find one of my housemates, a Spanish girl, cooking in the buff. Shocked, I quickly turned around and walked back to my room. She said it was ok because it's an all-girl houses. Now, I'm not sure if this is going to be a regular occurrence. However, the few guys I told this story to wants an invite to see if this hypothesis bares any truth.
It's almost 3am. The bar is closing. HALLUAH!!!

My Whole New World

2007-04-02T05:13:00.000-07:00

Current location: London, England, UK

Visiting London and actually living in London are 2 very different things. I can't decide if I like it or not. I've come up with 3 theories as to why I can't decide: 1. It's because I've gotten use to living in Asia; 2. It's a big, crowded, busy city; or 3. It's because it's London.

I started my new job today in the exciting world of publishing. I showed up with my business clothes while everyone in the office were in jeans and a t-shirt. Right now, I'm trying to write a little blimp about places that use to be other places for the Easyjet (a budget airline that flies around Europe) in-flight magazine. (For those flying Easyjet any time in May, check out the "3 of the best" section.) It's hard to concentrate in an office full of chatter. (Times like this requires a cafe to sit in and people-watch, a carmel macchiato, and the ipod.) The people in the office are a bit closed off, but I think that's more of a British thing. But all-in-all, it was a pretty good day.

Lots to learn and so little time to do so!!!!!!!

Parle Vous Ingles? Because I Definitely Can't Speak French!

2007-03-27T05:18:00.000-07:00

Current location: Paris, France

My funny little French story. I was sitting underneath the L'Arc de Triomphe waiting for the crowds to thin out when an elderly French gentleman of about 60 years old sat beside me. About a minute later, I heard a loud and deadly fart coming from the man's direction. I turned to look. He smiled, said "pardon," then got up and left. About 5 minutes later, the man returned and sat next to me again.

A ceremony to celebrate French war veterans had just taken place, hence the crowds. As the veterans began to leave, the elderly man tapped my arm, pointed to one of the men and said "mi papa" with a beaming smile across his face. Since I know no French, I just nodded and smiled back. Then, in French, I think he said that his father was stationed in Korea, China, Vietnam, and India (or that's the story I made up in my head while he was talking to me). I asked him "Parle vous Ingles?" afterwards where he promptly responded "NON!" This led to some awkward silence. Then man got up quickly when he saw that the people had cleared, grabbed my arm, and gestured the "take a picture of me" motion.

So, I went. (There were plenty of police around so I didn't worry too much.) He took a picture of me. (Ok, well, half of me. I think his eyes are bad.) Then, he took me around the monument, again giving me the commentary all in French. After my personal tour was over, he turned to me and said "Cappachino?" Thinking about all my past brushes with strange guys in foreign countries and since I had nothing else better to do, I went with him. (Again, I made sure we were in a very public place.)

We headed off to a French fast food place where the gentleman got me caramel ice cream and orange juice. (He pointed at the wall of the restaurant and said "no cafe.") We sat there in more awkward silence. He kept staring at the lady at the next table who looked like she was going cry. I kept flipping through my Paris guidebook, hoping there was French survival phrases I could use. Finally, after pulling all my neurons together, I finally remembered how to say "my name is..." in French thanks to my 1 day in French class as a freshman in high school. I said "Je m'appelle Helen" (my alias). He smiled and said "Je m'appelle Daniel." Slowly, we had some form of a conversation as I read through my guidebook while the man corrected my pronunciation.

After we were done eating, we left the restaurant, I thought it was time to say goodbye. I kept looking at my watch (and making sure he saw that I was looking at my watch) and chimed in "metro" every other minute. When we got to the Metro stop and as in the middle of my "au revoir", the old man asked "Arc de Triomphe. Up?" I hesitated a bit. I really did want to go on top of the monument to get a view of the city. And the sun was setting on a clear day. And it did cost €8 to go up. So, what do you think I did?

Yes, I went up with the guy. And we even took the elevator up so we didn't have to walk up 284 steps. He showed me all the different places that can be seen from the top of the Arc de Triomphe... the Louvre, the Orsay, Norte-Dame, the Opera House, and Versailles, off in the distance. It was pretty cool. 30 minutes later, I decided that it was time to end it all. I kept fake-yawning to make it look like was really tired. And when we got to the Metro stop again, I said "merci" and "au revoir" and quickly ran underground without looking back before he could say anything else.

For the record, I did NOT go on a date with an old guy, even though Annie says otherwise. I was just meeting a local and he bought me ice cream. That is all. I learned a lot. It was an enlightening experience. Now, all I want to know is why do all the weird old guys talk to me?! Blah, I say. BLAH!

On The Road Again

2007-03-21T01:42:00.000-07:00

I'm experiencing a bit of déjà vu at the moment. I'm sitting by the computer typing on the blog while a big, red suitcase sits across the room empty and waiting to be filled. Yup, I'm leaving again. Tomorrow, I start my world domination in Europe. At the moment, I'm feeling more indifferent than anything else. But I was the same way when right before I left for Japan. The anxiety attack kicked in around my layover in San Francisco. I ended up sucking my phone card dry calling people and checking that I wasn't crazy. Hmm... oh well. If anyone hears from me tomorrow, it's because I'm losing it (again).

The Vultures

2007-03-18T08:59:00.000-07:00

I love Costco. Where else can you get 3lbs of blueberries in a box, 15 extremely oversized muffins in one neat package, and books you don't really need all in one place?! However, if you ever want to experience chaos and madness at its best, go to Costco around lunchtime on a weekend. And if you want an extra special treat, go to one located in or near an predominantly Asian community. Why? Free food samples. Lots of them. And if the sample is located in the freezer section (i.e. warm food), people will swoop in like vultures and do whatever it takes to get that sample.

I witnessed a lady pushing her her wheelchair-bound father around so she could get ahead in line. After getting 2 samples, she quickly grabbed the sample away from her father and dumped it in her plastic bag she had hiding in her purse. I watched her for a good 10 minutes as she rotated between sample lines, intermittently leaving her father behind the sample lady so she wouldn't be as easily recognized. She had a pretty good collection of chicken bakes and nut clusters when it was all said and done. And I'm very sure she left the store without even buying a thing.

I also watched a group of 3 in action. Each person would stand in a different sample line and get 3 samples. They would meet up somewhere in the middle and divvy out the goods. Once eaten, they would go to a separate sample line and repeat. At least these people had some intention of purchasing something.

So, what is the moral of the story? Never wave anything free in front of an Asian (ok, Chinese) person. (I'm Chinese so I can say this. Why do you think my family and I were at Costco on a Sunday afternoon?!)

To Procrastinate Is To Write

2007-02-26T01:22:00.000-08:00

If I could go back into time, I would like to ask myself from 2 years ago the following:

Do you really need 15 empty shoe boxes?
Why is there a grocery-bag full of free samples of shampoo in your closet?
What possessed you to take all those Post-its from the lab?
Are you really going to use all those pens/pencils/highlighters/Sharpies/retractable erasers? Seriously, 124... and counting. (Does anyone know if the Salvation Army takes writing implements?)

I found my senior high school yearbook. It was a bit of a time warp, although I look exactly the same, just with shorter hair. I read messages from long lost friends about how we should keep in touch and how great high school was. I'm a bit tempted to call the phone numbers just to see if it works still. (It might be difficult considering that my cell phone is buried underneath all my crap and it's on vibrate.)
I like finding money. That means I can buy coffee again. (I'm not sure if the Coffee Bean will take rolls of pennies as payment.)
Driving in the rain is scary. Driving in the rain while trying to merge onto freeway traffic in LA is even scarier. (I will eventually get enough courage to make the 2 hour trek to San Diego. Really.)
I ran into another person today who said that I look like someone they use to know. (Yeah, all Chinese people look the same.)
I found my Darrin's Dance Grooves video and then promptly put it in the donation bag with the NSYNC CD and accompanying tour DVD. (What was I thinking?!)
I love the clothes dryer! It takes less than an hour for my clothes to dry, it comes out nice and warm, and there's no bird poop on it!
SoCal's saving grace... In-N-Out... Oh, how I missed thee...
The family is so hard to please. Anyone who likes Thai food, let me know. I'll cook for you.
Starcraft is an evil, evil game. I'm really deleting now. (Welcome back to 1998.)
Roberto, we're applying for the Amazing Race again!
I think I'm over my purging/cleaning phase now. I'm tired of coughing up dust balls.

Home Sweet Home?

2007-02-19T06:58:00.000-08:00

Current location: Los Angeles, CA, USA

I've been 4 days and it still feels weird to be back home.

The first thing I really noticed when I got back was that Americans are pretty rude. Granted, I was in the immigration line when I had this epiphany. The immigration officer in her monotone voice asked me, "Where did you come from?" I replied, "Japan." She briefly looked at me, then stamped my customs form and tossed my passport back at me. Then, while waiting at the baggage claim, the workers were chucking bags marked "fragile" left and right while ignoring the requests of onlookers. They could be disgruntled airport workers or it could be an LA thing. Who knows?

I also saw most of my extended family in a matter of hours after landing. The uncles have a lot more gray hairs than I remember. One cousin is about ready to apply for college. Another one has hit puberty. And the little ones are walking and talking. It's like I entered some time warp. Oddly enough, they really didn't recognize me. (Ok, I did chop off all my hair just before I left Japan and was wearing my Japanesey glasses.)

I walked into Walmart today. I couldn't believe how cheap things were in there. And it threw me for a loop that I was able to understand everything in the store. (Well, almost everything. Need to brush up on my Spanish.) Nobody yelled out "irrashimase." There was no bowing. I even scanned something by the price checker just because I could.

I started driving again. I guess it was like riding a bike all over again. I'm taking baby steps though. I still too chicken to make any left turns and I think the grannys will cut me off. I also got a cell phone again. It looks so prehistoric compared to my Japanese phone. I can't even watch TV on it!

So, I was asked this question. Has America changed? Or did I change? I really can't say.

And I'm Waiting...

2007-02-14T20:34:00.000-08:00

Current location: Seoul, South Korea

Well, I'm actually in the airport. I'm just on a layover. I can't believe how quickly 5 days went. I probably slept on average 5 hours per night. That is probably one reason why I'm feeling like crap right now.

I have a 5 hour layover in Seoul before my 10+ hour flight back to Los Angeles. I can't believe I'm no longer in Japan. It's a bit surreal. The last time I was home was 735 days ago (a little over 2 years... I was trying to be a little more dramatic than I need to be.) Truthfully, I'm a bit scared. I'm not sure what to expect when I get there. I'll probably be taking pictures of everything like a tourist fresh off the plane.

Back to my layover... The first hour, I made a box. There's a Korean cultural center where you can make Korean art and crafts. I felt like I was in grade school again playing with glue. The second hour, I went around duty-free. I'm still contemplating whether or not to buy the chocolate covered seaweed and the chocolate kimchi for the family. I already got them chocolate squid, mayonnaise jello, and beef flavored caramel candy. Hour #3... the internet. I'm thinking for the 4th hour of finding some kimchi. But after that, I have absolutely no idea.

Oh well...

And I'm Back...

2007-02-10T07:50:00.000-08:00

Current location: Nagoya, Japan

After 3 weeks of perfect weather, great food (and endless trips to the toilet... the curry didn't sit too well but it was so good), lots of time on airplanes (last count:10), a funny smell in my backpack (it was the sand and spilled sunscreen... not me), a big hole in my wallet (why did everything have to be so cheap) and a wonderful sense of freedom (professional bum at its best), I've returned to Japan. I can't even compare the two. I had so many great adventures on this trip. I really wish I could keep going. And in theory, I could, but then that's just not responsible, right?

We touched down at Chubu at 9p, a little weary and very cold. Immigration let me through which was really exciting for me considering my particular circumstance. (I also told a little white lie. In my defense, the guy never looked at the back of my passport.) And even better, customs didn't make me open my bag. (First time ever after 5 searches.) On the way to Nagoya station, I stared outside the buildings and streets that passed by. I listened to the Meitetsu employee blurt out the next stop with endless instructions on how to get off the train. I saw the big Nagoya hair and the mini-skirts with high-heel boots in the middle of winter. I really didn't miss it. None of it. It's definitely time to go. I just need to get through the next few days, then off to my next adventure... the States... scary.

Ode To The Monks

2007-02-08T04:08:00.000-08:00

Current location: Luang Prabang, Laos

After another brief stint on another island in Thailand, I decided enough was enough. So, after a 2 hour boat ride back to the mainland, a 6 hour bus ride back to Bangkok, a 4 hour wait at the airport, and a 2 hour ride on the plane, I found myself in Laos not sure what to do with myself.

Luang Prabang is a little sleepy town located in northern Laos. Life moves slowly here but I don't really mind. Monks walk the streets with the locals. Little kids try to push their merchandise. This one Laotian girl sat by me yesterday while I was reading by the Mekong River. I let her draw in my notebook even after I refused to buy her bracelets. Then, she tried reading my book. Funny girl. I eventually gave in and bought one. I already lost the bracelet.

Today, I went mountain biking. Yup, you heard right, mountain biking... bum leg and all. I rode for roughly 65km. It was great going through some remote villiages with the kids waving and saying "hi" or "sawadee". We even went through a school. Everyone just stopped and stared at me and the 2 Canadian girls I rode with but in a good way. My ass has never been in so much pain before but it was worth it.

(Now, must get off this chair, but how???)

The Return of Turtle Island

2007-02-05T04:18:00.000-08:00

Current location: Ko Tao, Thailand

After meeting up with Glenn, Voan, and Brandon, we heading to Bangkok for some food with Glenn's friend from university. (It was actually a massive Thai feast. I thought I was going to die because of a stomach explosion.) The next day, we did some touristy stuff around Bangkok (and went to Boots... yay!!!) then in the evening, we all jumped in a bus and headed for Turtle Island, aka Ko Tao. (Oddly enough, back in Nagoya, I lived in Kamejima, which translates out to Turtle Island.) It was a pretty rough ride. I do not recommend the overnight bus. We ended up in Chumphon at 4a, tired and a little frustrated that we still had a 3 hour wait before the boat leaves. We finally arrived in Ko Tao around 9a. All I can say is that I wasn't pleasant to be around. (Sorry guys!)

Ko Tao is a lot less noisy than Phi-Phi and Ao Nang but a little to on the resort side for me. Glenn found a nice bungalow complete with an outdoor shower, complementary fruit, and crabs roaming the porch. I'm still hesitant to stay here the entire time. I'm a little beached out. I should see some culture. Or at least not see drunk falangs (foreigners). We'll see.

More and More Beaches... I Just Can't Get Enough!

2007-02-01T05:41:00.000-08:00

Current location: Ao Nang, Thailand

We're still in southern Thailand enjoying the last bits of sand and sun before heading back to Bangkok tomorrow. And yes, I'm still bumming around with Rob. It's been almost an entire week and I didn't even think about hurting him once or using my "brilliant" exit plan. I'm so proud of me. I'm going to give myself a gold star.
Done.

Yesterday, we decided a little change in activities would do us some good so we went to cooking school. Our teacher was great although I can't remember his name for the life of me. He started out as a monk many years ago so he could go to school. After 5 years, he decided he wanted improve his English so he opened up a cooking school. He picked us up in his leather interior Toyota Camry and drove us to his home/school. Since we were the only students there, we got personal attention (which I needed.) We made Thai dishes that most people are familiar with: Pai Thai, Papaya Salad, green curry, and Tom Yun Kun (It's spicy and sweet. There's lime, fish sauce, and shrimp in it. Nova-ians... C39... and yes, I have tried it. Have you?). The guy kept asking us who did the cooking at home or who was responsible for what in the relationship. Tired of explaining to everyone that we're not together, we just nodded our heads and smiled.

Today, we island-hopped. After some misunderstand with the boat driver (an angry Rob can be scary to be around), we spent the day basking in the sun, snorkeling (I saw Nemo!), sitting, me lying down thinking I'm going to upchuck an organ, and people watching. There was "hairy back man", "grandma who really shouldn't be wearing that bikini", and "black Speedo man". One particular favorite... "thong man". And he wasn't just any "thong man". He was "thong man" with a mullet. (Gotta love the Europeans!) Everywhere we went, "thong man" was right there with us.

(Now, I would like to apologize for all of those who just suffered permanent eye damage viewing the pictures above. I wanted to prove that I wasn't making stuff up. Again, I'm sorry.)

I Like The Beach

2007-01-29T05:40:00.000-08:00

Current location: Ko Phi-Phi, Thailand

After another ordeal with planes (Nok Air can shove it where the sun doesn't shine), I ended up in southern Thailand on a little island called Ko Phi-Phi made famous by Leonardo DiCaprio and "The Beach." I found a sunburned Rob standing by the pier and together we went hunting for accommodations, a daily ritual. (For our first night, we ended up with the honeymoon suite. Quite comical... We were both pissing ourselves. )

Phi-Phi is a party island. There's loud music, lots of drinking, and lots of random stuff found in the sand. (I won't say what but I was pretty disgusted by it.) Both of us couldn't be bothered with that stuff but we did all the beach activities one can do... kayaking, snorkeling, swimming, sitting on boats, island-hopping, laying on the beach and doing nothing.

I'm not sure how much more I can take of this relaxing thing. It's been good but weird. Doing absolutely nothing. Oh wait... I've been doing it since November. Nevermind.

The Adventure Begins

2007-01-26T00:22:00.000-08:00

Current location: Chiang Mai, Thailand

It was a long journey to northern Thailand, but I made it and that's all that matters. After a 6 hour plane ride from Nagoya (with a 10 minute layover in Hong Kong... I had never been as sad to not have stayed in an airport than in HK), I took a 12 hour overnight train to Chiang Mai, aka a trekker's paradise.

Being that I'm not so into trekking, I partook in other leisurely activities like dodging through traffic with my rented granny bike, pretending to be a student at Chiang Mai University, eating Thai curry, and having my teeth cleaned. (Ok, so I know having the teeth cleaned isn't what one would think to do while on vacation, but it was dirt cheap! 500 bhats=~$15!!!)

Oh yeah, I almost died today. I was sitting next to a tree when all of a sudden, a coconut came crashing down 2ft away from me. If I was meant to go today, I would've had preferred something a little more dramatic like stomped by a deranged elephant or eaten by geckos while sleeping. Anything but "She died because of a coconut."

Sayonaras

2007-01-21T09:19:00.001-08:00

I hate saying goodbyes. It just sounds so permanent.

I had a joint sayonara party on Saturday with Thom, Jo, and Rob. I had an awesome time. Lots of friends, lots of food (which I managed not to eat), lots of beer and wine (which I drank a lot of), lots of out-of-tune singing, and lots of tired faces at the end of the night. The funny thing was that I didn't really say goodbye to anyone. It was more of a "see you later." In my head, I still don't feel like I'm leaving Japan for good. It's a little daunting to know that I might not see some of these people ever again. Why can't there be teleportation machines like in the movies? Then, I'll never have to say goodbye. I'll just blame it on laziness for not visiting.

The Best Sayonara Party... Ever!!!

The Road Less Traveled

2007-01-09T09:19:00.000-08:00

It all started at around 12p last Friday. I was on MSN when I got a message from my friend, Luke. After the usual catching-up chit-chat, he said that he was going to take off on a road trip to the western part of Japan that night. Noticing that he was going to hit two of the same cities I was going to try visiting roughly 2 days later, we decided to have a little adventure together.
Day 1: Nagoya-Nagasaki-A rest stop in the middle of Kyushu
Most people have heard about Nagasaki if they paid enough attention in history class. It was the site of the 2nd atomic bomb blast in Japan. Since this city has so much history, Luke felt it was worthy of a visit. What we failed to realize was the distance from Nagoya to Nagasaki, which is location at the very bottom of Japan. Roughly 15 hours and many tolls later, we arrived in the city.
The city topography wasn't what I had expected. (Lots of mountains and hills) Well, truthfully, I really didn't know what to expect so it wasn't too surprising. Nagasaki is a sleepy little seaside port town with an important place in world history.

We hit all the major sites in Nagasaki: the Peace Park, the Hypocenter monument, and the Memorial Museum. We later ventured to find the Dutch area (there's a big European influence there because it was a major trading port) and a Chinatown (very disappointing... very expensive!!!). After studying the guide books and deciding that there wasn't much else to see in Nagasaki, we went back in the car and headed back up.

Day 2: A rest stop in Kyushu-Hiroshima-Okayama
It started snowing like crazy while on the road so we decided to pull over at a rest stop and wait it out. However, the wait was about 8 hours. Early in the morning, we continued up and back into Honshu to Hiroshima, where the first atomic bomb hit. For anyone who visits Japan, I highly recommend going here and especially the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Even though I had been there before with the parentials, I was still moved by the exhibits and artifacts.

Later, we sampled the famous Hiroshima okonomiyaki (a Japanese pancake) and watched the Hiroshima branch of the Elvis Rockabilly club dance to some 50's classics, then hopped back into the car and marched onward.

Day 3: Okayama-Kojima-Himeji-Kobe-Nagoya
Okayama wasn't exactly a planned stop. It was more like we were both going crazy being in the car for so long. And after 2.5 days of not showering, I gladly forked over the money for a hotel. With our guide books in hand, we found the only sight mentioned in Okayama to see, Korakuen, considered one of Japan's best gardens.
I could only image that this place would be beautiful in the spring. However, it was the middle of winter. Oh well...

Also while flipping through the Lonely Planet, Luke saw that we were pretty close to the Great Seto Bridge, the world's longest 2-tiered bridge, measuring 13.1km (8.1miles) long. It took us a while to actually find the bridge while near the shore. (It was pretty sad considering it is a long bridge.) When we finally saw it, we decided to cross it and into Shikoku, another one of Japan's main islands. Some ¥5600 (~$56) of tolls later, we were kicking ourselves for ever considering crossing the bridge.
Our next stop was Himeji Castle, one of the oldest surviving structures in medieval Japan. I was expecting a lot of this place for some reason. I'm not sure why but I just did. But, it was pretty much like all the other castles in Japan. It was old. There were some swords inside and lots of empty rooms. I was glad to see that it did not have an elevator.
By the time we got to Kobe, which is about 30 minutes away, Luke and I were both getting a little weary of the car and the trip. So, we decided after blowing our money on some Kobe beef, we would head back to Nagoya early. We wandered Sannomiya, Kobe's main entertainment area, for a bit before deciding on a restaurant that was "gaijin" friendly. We spent about ¥5000 (~$50) each on the beef. It was good but I got more satisfaction from my ¥950 (~$9) hamburger from Outback Steakhouse. But, now, I can say I tried Kobe beef.

After loading up on some sweets, we made our way home. After our financially painful trip on the expressway to Nagasaki, we took trusty Route 2, a road that connects east to west. And the best part of this road: it was free! However, in Osaka, Route 2 disappeared and with that, a bit of our sanity. To make a long story short, what should've taken us 2 hours to do, it ended up being 7 hours. I would like to say that we were taking the scenic route. At 4am, we finally reached Freebell. I've never been so happy to see my futon.

According to the odometer, in total, we traveled 2,260km (~1,404 miles) in roughly 3 days. Would I do this again? Probably not. I know Luke will be in agreement with me. But we did what we had set out to do and that's all that matters.

Shedding a Little Tear

2007-01-03T16:51:00.000-08:00

#608... My home away from home for the past 1.5 years. Japan has been a rollercoaster ride, but knowing I can always go back to my little safe haven afterwards was always a comforting thought. But, like everything else, good things must come to an end. However, I won't miss the bird poo. I will gladly leave that behind.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-02T08:20:00.000-08:00

My new year's resolutions for 2007:
1. Don't break any bones.
2. Go home and try to remember how California looks like.
3. Conquer Europe.
4. Learn from people and take all advice to heart.
5. Quit (second-hand) smoking.
6. Try to visit as many friends in person. (Ok, Africa might be out of the question. But definitely my buddies from the States.)
7. Find a career I actually like.
8. No more self haircuts.
9. Have more balls. (I mean courage, not have a sex-change operation.)
10. Find happiness and try not to screw it up.

How I Have Spent My New Year's Eve...

2007-01-02T07:36:00.000-08:00

2003-2004: London
I watched the fireworks by the London Eye (the very big Ferris wheel) with Kech and Phuong. Apparently, the city of London spent quite a few quids for some spectacular show. Sadly, there was no countdown. Suddenly, we heard explosions. It was pretty but it only lasted 3 minutes and then it was all over. It took another 2 hours to walk roughly 2 kilometers (~1.2 miles).

2004-2005: New York City
Trang and I decided to go to Times Square and watch the ball drop like on TV. We waited for about 8 hours in between Broadway and 41st Ave. Now, those 8 hours would've been a little better had there been bathrooms or restaurants that were opened. (Security concerns... once we entered the area, we couldn't leave.) The last 5 minutes were probably the most exciting. Then, it took about an hour to get to a subway station.

2005-2006: Bangkok
Sally and I had ringside seats for Muy Thai boxing. (Muy Thai boxing is pretty much anything goes. Lots of blood.) We saw fireworks going off on the ride back to the hotel.

2006-2007: Tokyo
There was no real plan. Met some randoms from Nagoya who happened to be in the area. We did 2 bar hops in Shibuya before settling at the 3 Coin bar. 2 Gin&Tonics, 3 China Blues, and 2 shots of Tequila later, I called it a night. I arrived back at my friend's house around 3am smelling like an ash tray.

Taipei-ing It

2006-12-10T09:56:00.000-08:00

For one of our last hurrahs, Haruka and I decided to have an adventure in Taipei. Why? 1. We both have never been before. 2. Real Chinese food!!! 3. We would get a stamp in our passports. However, leading up to our departures, we were both preoccupied with life to really plan for the trip.

Day 1:
I arrived a day earlier because I was able to get a dirt-cheap ticket. Now, the reason why the ticket was dirt-cheap was because I landed in Taipei at 10p. With no hotel reservation and putting my trust with the tourist information counter at the airport, I headed into the city. My room was less than ideal. I felt like I was in the slum capital of the world. I spent the night watching "8 Mile" figuring if I didn't sleep, the roaches wouldn't get me.
Day 2:
I headed out early in the morning hoping to find better accommodations. In my illegally copied Lonely Planet, the guide recommended a little dive called Happy Family 2. (Not sure what happened to Happy Family 1, but I did find it amusing.) After circling the vicinity for a good hour or so, a lady started yelling at me from the side and gestured me to go. Giving up all hope, I went. It so happened that it was the hostel. The owner was great. He gave me an upgrade because I spoke some Cantonese. On my floor, I ran into a Korean girl named Yoon who was traveling by herself. Since I was by myself too, we decided that 2 heads would be better than 1. Our first stop was the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial.
We watched the changing of the guards while fight some eager tourists ready to push anyone aside for a good photo opt. Afterwards, we attempted to find "The Matone" (aka the Toilet restaurant) for about 2 hours until we were informed the restaurant had been closed. So, we settled for a decent looking place, ate, walked some more, then parted ways for a bit. In the evening, I spent about 2 hours on a bus getting back to the airport to meet Haruka. We got back to the city and ate some Chinese food. All in all... not a bad day.

Day 3:
Haruka and I spent most of the day shopping and eating. First, we went to a farmer's market where we sampled some goodies that I've been missing. Later, we ventured to another shopping area and ate more food along the way.

As we were walking along, there were some ladies set up on the sidewalk with strings tied between their fingers and pulling it against another person's white-powdered face. Intrigued by all this, I decided to pull up a chair and chalked up. The ladies were doing facial hair pulling. It was pretty cool albeit a bit painful.

Continuing with our walk, we finally reached our destination, the only thing I really had to see while in Taipei, the toilet restaurant. While day 2's excursion was a bust, this one was a success. The restaurant was under a new name, "The Modern Toilet." I would rate the food as a 2 out of 4 flushes. It was more for the novelty of it all.

In the evening, we headed to the Shilin Night Market and again, we ate. I really miss proper Chinese food. We also watching people stick lit candles in their ear canal. People were shelling out ~$40 do so. It's suppose to clean out your ears but I couldn't really see how.

Day 4:
Day 4 had me, Haruka, and Yoon leaving central Taipei and into the countryside of Yamingshan National Park for some fresh air. Along the way, we ran into a really nice couple who showed us around the area. They even drove us to a really nice restaurant they frequent and paid for our lunch. We never really properly introduced ourselves (ie names). The guy is a Taiwanese diplomat who lived in South America for 3 years and the States for another 5. I was a bit envious. We returned to Taipei refreshed and headed to the grocery store to pick up some Chinese food for presents. Haruka ended up buying a whole lot of pineapple cake, Yoon got watermelon seeds, and I got egg roll cookies.

Day 5:
I can't really say this was a full day. My flight back to Nagoya left Taipei at 10am. (Darn cheap ticket!!!) I said my goodbyes to Haruka, Yoon, and Taiwan with a good feeling and about 5 lbs of Chinese food in my system. Gotta love MSG!

The Most Anti-Climatic Day Ever

2006-11-14T06:32:00.000-08:00

Today was like a bad Christmas present. I waited patiently for this very day to come. I kept playing out how it would go in my head leading up to this day. But, when the day finally came, it was a bit of a let-down. Today was my last day at Nova. I still can't believe I was there for 648 days. Most people don't last more than 6 months. Anywho, the day came and went. It was a pretty easy day. I was only there for 5 lessons... a man to man kid, Voice, and 3 regular lessons. (I would've had a free if a newbie, who probably has some mental disorder because he stayed an extra 2 hours after his shift was over to "hang out", didn't insist on following me to an empty Voice room and proceeded to ask me every personal question he could think of. I should've smacked him.) After my last lesson, I punched out for the very last time, said my goodbyes to the Japanese staff, and took a little souvenir to remember the company by. I've got special plans for the souvenir. I also like fire.

Lamenting

2006-10-31T09:29:00.000-08:00

00. Extremely fuzzy but was told I looked happy.
01. Pictures indicate it was good. However, all eyes went to the next attention-stealer. There's a picture of me in a pretty pink dress trying to get rid of the competition.
02. Very fuzzy
03. Went to Chinese school and learned how to say "You misbehave" in Mandarin and then told that to my grandmother. She finally forgave me about 17 years later.
04. Fuzzy
05. Fuzzy
06. First day of a new school, I threw up in the middle of the cafeteria. I was then known as the "throw up girl."
07. Second day of another new school, in an attempt to make new friends, I stood up in the middle of class and proceeded to tell a joke I heard on the playground and proceeded to butcher it. The silence was so defining that you could hear crickets.
08. Questionable
09. Questionable
10. Questionable
11. Questionable
12. I do not recommend going from a private religious school to a public school.
13. Questionable
14. Questionable
15. Questionable
16. Being a geek was hard work.
17. Watching mom cry as she helped me move into my first apartment was a bit traumatizing.
18. Questionable
19. Questionable
20. Questionable
21. Got 3 wheels of a car! Even better, I got to wear a black robe and a funny hat.
22. Entering the real world was scary.
23. The nomad-ing began!
24. Very questionable
25. Did not make mom happy but she knows I'm crazy so she accepted my decision. Glad I did it!
26. A very trying time but I think I learned a lot and have grown up because of it. Everyone needs one these rough patches to say they had one, I guess.
27. TBD

And So It Begins...

2006-10-29T17:04:00.000-08:00

Current state: going through an emotional rollercoaster (jetcoaster, if you're Japanese).

I'm nearing the end of my life in Japan. (I told myself I wouldn't start counting again. Last time I did, I broke my leg. Superstitious? A bit.) I have my love/hate relationship with Japan. I love meeting people from all over the world. I hate having to say goodbye to my friends when they leave for good. I love the freedom and lack of responsibility that I have here. I hate working for a Japanese company. (I could go on and on but I won't.)

The future is a bit unknown at the moment, thus exacerbating my current mental state. I have these master plans but if it will ever make it into fruition remains to be seen.

Anywho... happy topic now. I'm off to Vietnam and Hong Kong on Thursday for 11 days. If anyone wants anything, please let me know. Can't wait to wear the pointy hat!!!

Thoughts...

2006-10-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day today (or yesterday... technically). Did a lot of thinking and would like to share some thoughts.

It sucks having only one day off. (But I can't really complain. Come December, I'll probably be begging someone to give me work.)
Taking the Japanese Proficiency test is looking like a really bad idea now.
For the first time in a really long time, I'm starting to feel normal again. (i.e. The leg is starting to feel normal again!!! YA-TA!!!)
Holy moley!!! The exchange rate from yens to USD is horrible!!! I wanted to cry. ($1=¥121)
It's been so long since I've seen US money. It looks like Monopoly money. I stared at it for a good 10 minutes.
I really miss buying airplane tickets over the Internet. It's been a week now since I paid for my ticket to Vietnam, and it still hasn't come. (The travel agent has to call the airline for them to confirm that there is a seat available even though the computer said there is a seat. Then, once the airline receives payment for the said seat, a paper ticket is issued. [Apparently, the printer prints really slowly there.] Finally, after the ticket has been checked and rechecked, it is sent off to the travel agent, and given to an impatient customer.)
I should probably stop buying vegetables since the only thing I do to it is let it rot in my refrigerator.
I love discount stickers at the grocery store!
Bic Camera can be an evil place. I want everything in there.
My guilty pleasures: America's Top Model and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.
I will never be a professional scrapbooker. (I just put lots of pictures to compensate the lack of creativity. Sorry Naomi... Have fun in Namibia!)
I finally saw The Last Samurai. It was good. Had Tom Cruise not been it, it would've been better.
I suck at poker. (Enjoy my money, Voan!)
There was an attack of the Charisma Men and it wasn't pretty. (gag... gag... But there was a cheering section for the good side.)
Nothing beats a woman's intuition.
I really should sleep instead of write in my blog. (Why did the wireless have to work so well?!?!?!)

My morning routine

2006-10-19T07:54:00.000-07:00

A friend asked me today what is it that I do in physical therapy everyday. So, here goes.

I'm only allowed to go to PT from 9a-12p. (Their rules... So, I go as soon as I wake up to beat the rush.) I ride on the subway for about 13 minutes. (Yes, I've timed it before.) Then, from the station to the hospital is about a 15 minute walk. Along the way, I stop by the QQ and get me a yogurt drink (for the calcium) and coffee (for my sanity). Once I enter the hospital, I check in and am greeted by the receptionist who usually makes a comment about my appearance that day. (I go so often that they recognized when my hair is up or down or when my days off are based on my clothes. It's a little scary.) Then, I go to triage and count how many people are on IV drips. (They love IV drips here. Have a hangnail? Get an IV drip.) I also have my blood pressure taken. Then, I walk into the rehabilitation room where all the therapists yell in union "Ohaiyo gozaimasu!!!" (Good morning!). I sit down and take off my knee brace while they prepare the electrodes. (Who needs coffee when you can have your leg zapped with electricity at 9 in the morning?! Mr. Itou, my therapist, has been upping the voltage too. Crazy man...) During my 15 minute zapping session, I usually attempt to study for the Japanese Proficiency test (the studying is not going so well), watch the other patients and give them all the polite head nods, and listen to the carnival music that the voltage machine plays. Afterwards, Mr. Itou usually readjusts my knee cap for 10 minutes while trying to make conversation. (I do appreciate how hard he tries to communicate with me. He told me he studies English when he's at home now but he always forgets what he had studied. So, we talk by making sound effects and hand motions.) Then, it becomes a mish-mash of exercises for another 30-40 minutes. And that's the end.

That's my typical morning now. I can't sleep in anymore but I'm OK with it. It's for a good cause... I hope.

The evil corporation they call Nova

2006-10-17T07:03:00.000-07:00

I keep asking myself... Why the heck am I still working for Nova?!?! Oh yeah, I broke my leg and need the health insurance. Damn...

Two Mondays ago, I walked into work and accidentally saw the new schedule for November. I looked at my name wanting to know how many times will I not be at my branch when I discovered something interesting. My days off magically changed from Wednesday/Thursday to Saturday/Sunday, the coveted schedule that everyone wants (but me). It wouldn't have been such a big deal if the boss, who we will call The Tool, gave me a little more notice. And also, just by random luck, I would have to work 8 days straight before I get a day off. Anywho, as I was staring at the paper wondering if The Tool smoked some crack while writing the schedule, guess who calls and guess who he wants to speak to??? This was the basic gist of the conversation:

The Tool: I'm going to have to change your days off to Saturday/Sunday. A teacher will be transferring into the branch and she must have your days off.
Me: Yeah, I just saw the November schedule. Why must she have my days off?
The Tool: Oh, you weren't suppose to see that. [10 second pause] So, will it be a problem your days off change? [The Tool never answered my question.]
Me: Yes, it will be.
The Tool: Well, it's the same schedule as Mr. Plastic [the Nova spy who use to work at my branch but has since moved to be closer to The Tool]. Everyone wants Saturday/Sunday off.
Me: Hmmm... Not me. I already have plans in November based on my current schedule now. I have non-refundable plane tickets.
The Tool: Oh. Well, you can put in a vacation request and I will approve it even though it's less than a month away.
Me: Gee, thanks. I have to go prepare for class now. Bye.

I hung up the phone and was fuming. I couldn't wait until my 5 lessons were over. During the in-between time, I filled out several vacation requests and most important of all, the resignation form. It's now been more than a week since that last conversation. I still haven't turned in the resignation form. Strategic planning to create maximum damage.

Bitter? Possibly. I'm done now. Please excuse me.

As seen in Tokyo

2006-10-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

In Shinjuku... It said to look, so I did. I saw train tracks.

Inside Jimbocho Station... It's Jack Bauer hawking a diet supplement! Good old Jack...

In Ueno Park... Duck hunting.

In Harajuku... In front of Condomania.

In Yoyogi... Dancing wannabe Japanese Elvises... I think.

Near Tokyo Station... A pretty rainbow.

From home

2006-10-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

Excerpt from my mom's email:
"I'm very happy to hear from you. I think my daughter disappear from the earth."
My response:
"Hmmm... I thought I wrote to you a few days ago. Maybe I didn't. But I know I'm a horrible daughter. Sorry."

Snapshot of the day

2006-10-07T11:34:00.000-07:00

Someone forgot their Nagoya hair.