So I've been back for 2 days now. It's definitely been busy (well quiet in the school since it's Chinese New Year). We got hot pot, saw fireworks, and just met people. I also found that I have a slight case of jet lag...like for the first time in years. x[p Anyways..

IT'S SO COLD HERE!

Coming back was surprisingly a lot harder than I thought it would be. I must admit that after going home, I found things to be slow and of course no one has changed. Meaning, everyone's still doing what they have been doing and doesn't really go out of their way to do something new. But I suppose that's expected, I guess I just wished that people would have been more interested in hanging out and catching up (or just making time to say to each other). But regardless, when leaving Sunday, I realized that I didn't want to come back. And now that I'm back, I find that I miss my family and Jon so much more this time around. Although I think this lack of excitement to come back is due partially to the fact that everyone except Carol and Jonny (and the rest of them UK people) are gone.

Yesterday, I picked up the guy (and discovered a whole new part of the HK airport I had never known and gotten hopelessly lost in) who is currently staying in Narrain and Misha's old room. It made me sad! And Wineke (sp?) is staying in Sha and Michelle's and some guy from USC (i think) is staying in Lance and Chang's. Well, at least I have the opportunity to meet so many new people, they're a great group and from quite a few different areas too!

Top 5 "I'm from..." places I've heard so far:*

1 . IL (or Chicago)
2. Georgia
3. France
4. Michigan
5. Canada

*no particular order by the way.

Although being home hasn't been all that exciting (at all) and I didn't really hang out with any of my old friends (I probably need new friends with free time), I find that I'm sad to return to Hong Kong. It's weird since I find living at home slow and boring (I need more friends with free time interested in hanging out) and I know I should be excited to go back.

Unfortunately, I think my uneagerness to go back to Hong Kong is because I know it won't be the same as it was last semester. Everyone's gone, I have to make new friends, and I think it'll be harder this time round since I'm not part of the "orientation group". Plus, Cherry is in Germany and Owen is in France (man I want to go to Europe x]p ).

Haha. Anyways, I really need to work out...and to figure out how to put pictures on this site. I should probably ask Misha for that.

Bcat scratched me in boob, leg, and arm. Let's just say it was my fault and nothing more.

Well, at least its not bad enough to warrant getting it checked out. Imagine that (like a scene out of House), going to the Doc and being like "here, look!" LOL

mm..I got a tamagotchi!

When I was in Hong Kong, I remember people asking me what California was like and I, myself realizing how much of California I actually missed. Adding to that, I always told them that it was 2 hours to the snow and 30 minutes to the beach from my house although I had never actually taken a trip like that until today.

Today, I came down from the partially frozen Big Bear Lake, from snow and tall trees, and Jon's wonderful log cabin (with 13 beds) to the sunny beautiful albeit cold sunset of Seal Beach. The trip and the idea that I went to both sun and snow in one day was exciting and something I'd definitely love to do again. But as I was pondering the idea, I realized how little we Californians or even Americans travel. I'd always envied the Europeans for being able to travel to so many countries and so many places and they always seemed so interested in the US but I didn't understand why. Than after talking to people and foreign visitors I realized the answer.

Europeans and other foreigners travel to a lot of places and countries but that's because everything is so close. What it takes for us to drive from Socal to Norcal is the amount of time it takes for a German to make a complete circle of their country. And it's true. We always want to travel outward but many of us have never traveled our own country. I can count on one hand how many states I've been to and what I've seen in each state. There are so many famous and great landmarks in California and every other state but we've hardly seen anything. Once when I asked a friend who came from Japan what they wanted to do before they went home, they said to me that they wanted to see the observatory. I remember drawing a blank and thinking to myself, we have a famous observatory?!

We spend so much money traveling outside, a round trip ticket to asia is about 900-1200$. I think to fly to NY from LA is like 500$ roundtrip (at least to Boston is somewhere around that price). Then I would still have a couple hundred dollars to travel around the city, find a place to stay, and something to do. I think maybe it's time for us or at least me, to stop wanting to travel the world (although I would love to see Europe...and horray for couch surfing with the wonderful friends I've made in HK) I think it would wonderful and about time to see some of the great wonders of the US.

Places I'd like to visit in the next couple years (hopefully with friends *cough Misha, Jon, Pam* and family!

-California: Yosemite and the Redwood forest (I don't remember the last time I was there). Definitely more beaches and the deserts my boyfriend praises! and I guess Death Valley.
-Arizona: I hear there are a lot of great trails and places to go although research will be necessary! I'm not too interested in the Grand Canyon but since I don't remember it it would be a good trip. (I do prefer water...)
-Nevada: Vegas never bores (well it does but I want to see Cirque de Soleil and the shopping's good), and Tahoe.
-Colorado: I definitely want to explore the US's like healthiest state.
-Washington: Although I hate rain, I have this urge to visit this rainy wet state and see the luscious trees.
-NY: never been there, definitely want to check it out!
-Michigan: the great lakes!
-Texas: too much!
-Minnesota: Aquarium and Misha
-Hawaii: who doesn't want to visit
-Alaska
-Massachusetts: Boston! I'll find somewhere else to go in this cute state x)
-Canada: it's so close! I have to visit at least once!


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Thank you Jon for letting us use your wonderfully cozy and cool log cabin. It's the first time I've ever stayed in a log cabin or somewhere with snow! It was also the first time I have ever seen a partially frozen lake, snow in the driveway and backyard, snow burying a car, and all those crazy old relics in the cabin. I really enjoyed it and I'm glad I got to experience this with you and your boys. It's definitely something I'll remember the rest of my life.

Labels: californication, traveling, US

Christmas party, New Year party, one celebration or another. Over the years my mom has attended quite a number of parties. They all happen to be the type of business party where it's a bunch of older folks dressed up in interesting outfits with interesting makeup, and the MC starts off in two languages and ends up in one (chinese). Tonight happened to be another one. There were ladies dancing a cultural dance that normally uses girls probably half their age and the usual butchering of American songs with wonderful Chinese accents. What makes these parties interesting is when the senior members get drunk off wine and less interesting as I know absolutely no one and have no one to talk to (and I mean no one, some lady looked at me and said I have a son that swims for Walnut High School...and that was the end of that conversation. I wasn't even introduced to her).

But every time I attend one of these wonderful parties (because the males of my family refuse to go and I have to humor my mom), I have noticed that there's always a Caucasian in the crowd somewhere (This time happened to be Senator Bob Huff from Diamond Bar). And every time I really want to ask them, "So, having attended so many of these parties where you are the only non-asian person in the room and the longer your in the room, the less and less they speak english, how do you do it?! I'm uncomfortable and I actually understand what they're saying." Unfortunately, that looks like it'll be a question that stays unanswered for awhile.

I want to say it's rude for the people around to only speak chinese and that they should be more considerate and try to make more of an effort to speak english, but then I realize that the entire room except for one or two people are all chinese. So in this case, is it wrong for me to feel bad that there's not a greater attempt at english and to include the stray guest or that eh.. whatever! You came to a room full of english is my second language people, just bear with it.

Who knows? I'm just glad I got out of there (around the 6th course of who knows how many courses, after the butchering of "What a wonderful world," and before the communal dancing and raffling).

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Diamond bar is boring......... I'd love for something to do. At least it's finally starting to warm up a bit.
Oh, and I'm getting kicked out of my room for a couple days so guests can sleep in it while my dad abandons his little office for the master room. Fun! Reason: because my room is cleaner and he doesn't want to clean his office. (There's a whole story in that one...perhaps another day)

Laterz.