MMMMonday

So yesterday was pretty epic!
After a boring day of class, i went over to tim's room at around 3 and i was like "i want to try a shot of (this)" then he was like why don't we all play up the river down the river.... at least i think that's what it was called. so me stefan and tim played a game.. with mixed shots. hehe but i'd have to say... sprite, cranberry juice, and tangerine absolute.. is delicious! then rach and sam joined us for a bit.. then dinner.. that was a disaster o.o i think i may have said too much. then took a lil nap while everyone else played a few games. then.. it came.. the hangover! ugh! felt horrible.. but then.. i went and spent time with sophie.. did all my homework and studying. got ready for bed. and watched gilmore girls before bed.... what a crazy... epic day! hehe.. but hangover in the middle of the day like that.. uhh.. no thank you... that was a once in a lifetime thing.. that's why i'm bloggin about it.. cuz i might forget. it was pretty kool. only cuz i had a BLAST w/ my buddiesss!! =]

school is sooo IN this season

So the first week of sophomore year ! it's SSOOOO great being back in Amherst with everyone! it's like we all picked up from where we left off from last year! 3 months was waaay too long.
So me and Soph are roomies again and it's GREAT! =] the DC isnt closed like it was rumored, so that's good too. i dono how that got started up, but i'm glad it's not closed.
Weather has been weird this week, at first it was hot and mild, but then it got cold! i cant believe it. last year it was SO hot and humid.. now it's just cold and humid. what's up with that? i didnt expect to have to wear jeans till after September. Either way, it's just great being back!
OH! and another great thing, we made a new best friend! our neighbor across the hall, Sadie, is the most amazing girl we've met this year! She's soo energetic and nice! and she has a really cool boyfriend who's kinda like another Timtim!
Unfortunately, there are some assholes on our floor, but i'd rather not talk about that.
Classes are good. I dont know anyone in any of my classes like last year, but it's not a big deal at all. I've met a few ppl and they're real nice and the classes are at least interesting enough where i can stay awake. well for the most part. =]
Soph and i are almost all settled in, just need to do some last minute shopping and then we're set!

i know this is a really boring blog entry today, but i dont have a whole lot to share. sorry.

~*Live. Laugh. Love*~

last weeks of summer <3

lets just say southern california is very HOT, too HOT!
90s-100s everyday! nights: 70s-80s! tooooo HOT! and humid!
i've read that Mass is much better. more "normal."

So the past couple weeks I've been saying my goodbyes and getting the last bit of things done here.
Some people have already left and started school but most of the UCs and CalStates are still here waiting for mid Sept. I'm SOO glad to be leaving tomorrow! but at the same time I'm soo not ready! too many things to pack and send.
I've mostly been hanging out with Julie and having a BLAST! i love hanging out with her. she just makes the world seem 10x more happy and enjoyable. I can't help but smile and laugh around her. =]

lets see..
Saturday my parents and i went over to my gparents and celebrated grandpa's birthday! that was fun =] i cant stop saying how much i love hanging out with them. and as a great surprise, my cousin and her mom came from Oakland for the weekend!! it was so nice seeing her before i left. unfortunately, the next day my grandma woke up dizzy and had to go to emergency =\. she's fine now, but that suure gave us all a scare.

Sunday i was lucky enough to hit the beach with Julie, her sister, and her sister's friend. i LOVE hanging out with Kimberly! she's like the older sister i never had. she's so fun and treats me like i'm apart of the family. =] her friend was real nice too! it's so cool going to the beach with her because she seems to know EVERYONE there (Huntington that is). I think she goes almost everyday. She says "hi" to all the regular vball players and some surfers.. many verrrrry attractive ;] and some of the girls there too who are real good! best place to meet people though! Not only are they attractive and athletic, but you never know who u're gonna meet! there are a lot of pros and olympic athletes that practice there and it's just amazing! the only downside of Huntington is that there are alot of creepers there as well. We definitely had our share that day. eeeehhhhkk

Yesterday Julie, Melissa, and I went to the beach (Aliso as usual) last beach day till next year =[ we laid out and went swimming but this time it was different. As usual we saw Frank and talked to him a bit, but the beach was so empty. We figured it's cuz school season is about us and less and less people are hittin up the beaches. Also, it was sooo FRIGIN HOT! usually the beach is a place where we can get AWAY from the heat, but this time it was very muggy. but the water was absolutely perfect except the lil bit of pollution we encountered. later, i went to Kimberly's vball game: Alumni vs. current team. it was a good game. too bad they lost. but i havent seen a vball game in sooo long so it was fun being able to go! afterwards julie and i decided to get breakfast for dinner at Denny's!!! YUMM!! that was a treat. (ruby's was closed =\) then we exchanged some music and watched Gigantic, but she fell asleep hahaha. i forgot how boring the movie could be to some. i feel bad

Today, went to take some Panera to my grandparents and had lunch with them. yumm =] my grandma is such a pig,but i cant help but laugh and love her for it! she's such a kid! then went to visit my grandpa nishio's grave. too bad i didnt know what time the sprinklers went off cuz i got caught in them >< i laughed at myself, but what else was i going to do? so i got a lil wet putting down a bouquet of flowers and a card... i partly think the card was stupid, but at the same time i really wanted to put one down... w/e my grandma will read it if some deer doesnt take it first. Afterward, i went to visit my aunt and uncle at work and said goodbye again. my aunt cried! it's funny but i feel bad for her. she's so sensitive. then came back to YL and went to play racket ball with julie! that was so much fun! i love racket ball, i wonder if there's courts at UMass. if not, i wanna play tennis. =D
now i'm gonna go to my grandmas and eat dinner with her and eat tonkatsu! yumm!!

omg i havent even started packing! i'm sooo behind!!

I'm gonna miss:
Julie, Mel, Jan
Netflix
BEACH! (and what comes with the beach ;D)
my new bed
restaurants and great food (including In-N-Out & Jamba Juice)
24 hour fitness
racket ball
my car! (even though it DOES have a creepy grin)
my family
blasting the music and driving with the windows down
RUSTY!
seeing/hearing all the niiice cars on the road
the sunsets

"You can sell salt to a slug, *if* you listen to the slug. "
~*Live.Laugh.Love*~

Ketchup

Okay so i really need to catch up on some blogs. I dont know if it's a good thing or a bad thing that i dont blog everyday or keep up with blogs that i follow. but either way, i feel like i'm missing out. my aunt's blog is amazing and has the most random and uplifting things in it! I just can't seem to keep up!
So one of the things i said i would do this summer is read more. I say that every summer. Does it work? No. I wish there was something that i can take that would make me want to read more. I just need the motivation to start something and then i'll finish it. it's the jump-start that slows me down. does that make sense? Another thing was to see more concerts. I saw a few, but really only one big one. it's just the thing costs money. and the one i really wanted to go to was the Cobra Starship one in Hollywood. yea. fail. I was about 2 hours late from when the tickets went on sale. Supposedly the tickets were sold out in "seconds."
But i did get a few things done this summer. Many little things that are probably only significant to me, but, hey, it counts too. One thing that my mother has been putting on me this whole summer was completing my room. I think we got that tucked away. Now where do i put my old room?
By the way, where did they come up with the name "Ketchup"? that's so random for spreadable tomato sauce.


"Undying love is like the ghost in your villa. Everybody talks about it, but try and find one person who has seen it. "

~*Live. Laugh.Love.*~

ProcrastinationStation

(courtesy of Aunt Barb's blog) Isn't this just SOOO true? ...unfortunately.

I wish I was this busy the whole summer. Working for my grandparents, my aunt and uncle, my cousin, and my parents. Going to the gym afterwards. (well i've been going to the gym)

It's interesting how people actually want to hang out at the end of summer. It's like they procrastinate in every aspect of their life. School, hanging out, planning things, family events, or just responding to someone. I'm not saying I'm not one of them, but it's interesting how procrastination is so common. I wonder if it was always so prominent. Like were great explorers and scientists always punctual? probably not. I bet kings and queens were hardly ever on time "a queen is never late, everyone is simply early." (~Julie Andrews in Princess Diaries 2:Royal Engagement) There have always been deadlines, but what percentage of those deadlines have actually been met? (not including extended deadlines) I watch my mom at work meet her deadlines.My aunt and uncle are always working to catch up on past deadlines (they own their own radiology company, the medical business isn't easy. especially financially) And then there are my grandparents who's only deadline left is death itself.
How nice it would be to end up like my grandparents. Sure they have their aches and pains, loss of memory and loss of hearing, but they suuuure are happy and in love. What's so great is that they're so happy that they make everyone else around them feel happy and loved. If I were to aspire to be anyone when I grow old, it would be them (yes, both of them).
So, I guess that statement means I wouldn't want to grow old alone. hahhaa. Which means someday I would like to have that special someone by my side. My "soulmate," if there is such a thing. If it weren't for my grandparents and a few other people I know, I think it'd be really hard for me to believe in the thing called "love."
~Love is pain, healing, suffering, joy, anger, laughter, sadness, caring, sharing, fun, wanting, needing, respect, hope, and a warm embrace (figuratively and literally).~
I love my dog ^_^ hehe He's the only being that is constant in my life.



"Darling. I don't know how to tell you this, but there's a Chinese family in our bathroom."


~*Live.Laugh.Love*~

Isn't August Over YET?!

Still over 3 weeks left to head out back to school. This feels like the longest summer I've ever been on. I don't think I will ever let myself have such a long summer anymore! I know that someday I'll want one just as long and relaxing when I'm busy working, but deep down, I'll know that it's not what I really need. I need to be productive to feel good about myself. Have I been this summer?
During the summer I've...
~gone to the beach almost every week
~gone to sleep early and awaken early (beginning of summer)
~looked for a job, nearly got one a couple times
~helped out grandparents and my other grandma
~stayed in Santa Monica
~saw many movies
~went camping with the family
~went camping with friends (got into an accident on the way home)
~my friend from Pennsylvania visited for a few days (went to SD and went to Sea World)
~hung out with Julie a lot (went to the OC fair, ran errands, beach, and a bunch of random stuff)
~a couple bonfires w/ "the asian gang"
~gone to sleep late and awaken late (now)

I know I've done a lot this summer, spent a lot of money, and had a lot of fun, but still. I would have enjoyed having a job and travel back east to see my friends from school.
I think I pretty much failed, miserably, at trying to read a lot this summer. I'm so disappointed in myself.

My Garden

I planted a seed one day. I cared for that seed for many days. It wasn't any more special than any other plant. It was more like a weed. Yet I continued to care for it. Other plants I've cared for have died within 6 months or 3 months. But for some reason this little seed, this weed, was different. Disappointingly, it was just like all the other plants. It grew like the other seeds, but not very tall. I didn't expect much from it, but when it disappointed me so, I was very saddened. I don't know why this weed made me feel so concerned about it. Then one day, out of no where, it DIED. I was so angry because I knew it was my fault but I don't know what I had done. So I threw it in the yard where I threw all the past plants. That spot was the driest and ugliest part of my yard. Like the others I gradually accepted the fact that it was dead and forgot about it. Well, every once in a while I'd wonder what went wrong with that weed. Then I'd remember, it was just a weed. A few months later, as I was tending to my other plants, my flowers, and my trees, I noticed something odd. It scared me at first, but soon I accepted it. That weed had grown a flower. A small and subtle flower, but nonetheless, IT GREW BACK. I have no idea why. So I let it be. I let it grow amongst my full grown blossoms and luscious greenery. I thought about cutting it because I didn't think it deserved a second chance. But I realized it didn't want a second chance, it just was asleep for a while. Maybe someday it'll grow as big as my trees, but for now it's still just a weed. I don't pay attention to it as much as my other plants, but I keep it as a reminder that not all things die forever. A reminder that burning bridges isn't the way to put out a fire.

throwing out the old...

.. and bringing in the NEW!
so for the past few weeks.. i've been actively redoing my room. even though it seems like we just redid it. (but it was really 4 years ago) boy how time flys. so when i say that i'm redoing my room, i really mean getting new furniture and giving away the old. same color, same ..."junk," as my mom would like to call it.
last week i got a bigger mattress =D (full) and 2 days ago i got new sheets and some throw pillows. a before we got the mattress, dad and i took apart my old bed and my old desk and well now it's in another spot in the house. ><
i wish i could keep my room like this. there's lots of room in here and it's niiiice =] i really like sleeping on the floor (on my mattress on the floor, that is)

when a room is nice and clean, makes you wanna do things. for example, i want to KEEP it clean! i want to organize every single thing (that'll take a year!)
i want to read every book i have.
i want to play with every toy.
i want to throw more things away.
i want to keep just as much.
i want to relive my childhood.
i want to share all my treasures with everyone.
i want to save up the money i find WOOHOO!
i want to decorate.
and i just want to relax and enjoy the beauty of having my own room.

whenever i clean my room, i remember how lucky i really am. to have all the things i have. to have all these things i don't need. to have my own room. to have running water. to have electricity for this laptop. to be able to enjoy any music i want. to be able to have so much that many aren't able to obtain in their lifetime. ...... then i get sad. and feel really guilty. that's why i give all my stuff away to charity. =] at least i'm giving back something.
i hope that someday i can afford to give away much more to those in need. if i can, my blood,sweat and tears, my hands to help, and my heart.

i ALWAYS would rather give than take anything. to anyone and everyone.

i don't understand why my parents don't see that anymore. they always see the things in me that they disagree with. why are parents such hypocrites sometimes?!... many of the times? i know i shouldn't complain about them, but i just don't understand. they raise me to speak for myself, not be so shy, have an opinion, and make my own future and not let anyone determine it for me. so of course, i take their advice. but what do they do? they get mad at me! i don't understand. they ask me if i like something, i say no.. they get mad. they ask me if i want something, they say "ok."....then later they get mad at me for begging for something they suggested. they complain i don't do one thing or another, but how am i suppose to know if i didn't even know the chore existed?! they yell instead of asking. they argue instead of talking. and they never finish an argument. i'm SO CONFUSED!
just because i don't like something, doesn't mean we can't keep it. i'm not the only one that matters. and since when did my opinion matter so much?
just because i want something, doesn't mean i need it. i don't really want everything i say i want. b/c that would mean a lost of wasteful spending.
just because i DON'T want something, it doesn't mean that i don't like it or that others won't enjoy it.
just because i dont want to DO something, doesn't mean i won't do it.
I'm willing, as long as you just ask nicely.
I'm a huge fan of "please" and "thank you." whether you're my mom, dad, grandmother, friend, or stranger, i'm more than willing to do anything (with in reason) as long as u just ask nicely.
now i really don't like conflict or arguing, but if it's necessary, i would really like to talk it out.
I always listen.. i will always listen.. as long as you give me the same kind courtesy.
I will always RESPECT you and try to be UNDERSTANDING, as long as i can get the same in return.

I PROMISE all of the above. and if i dont keep it, anyone and everyone is obligated to call me out on it. and i will graciously apologize if that is so.

k... well that's plenty for tonight.
time for bed.

~*Live. Laugh. Love*~