gaga in hk

2005-10-14T20:26:00.000-07:00

-per the request of ameer (who deemed this topic blogworthy)

there are a LOT of people out here who don't know the pen15 joke!!!! it's great!!!! i feel like i'm in elementary school again, running around and writing on everyone's hands!!! it's so much fun!!! yes, i'm a dork, but it's always great to feel like a kid again, isn't it?

i've attributed this phenomena to the fact that a lotta people out here didn't go to elementary school in the US. it's the only explanation i can think of...

so...come visit, and we can spread the joke and the joy together!

2005-10-04T00:32:00.000-07:00

now that i'm not working anymore, i may start blogging more often...but really, there's nothing to say...

i guess the most exciting recent thing is that we went to singapore 2 weeks ago for a wedding. it was SUPER traditional including the tea ceremony at each person's house and having to bribe the people at the door to get in, yadda yadda. man...the more weddings i go to, the more i just wanna elope, but that's not gonna fly with either of the parents, i'm sure...i may just let them take over completely. i'm already having a difficult time arguing over looking for a venue. i say it's too early and i don't wanna think about it, but both sides have already been looking and give me suggestions all the time - but i'm not even engaged yet for crying out loud!!!

anyway. i dun wanna talk about that...it'll just frustrate me...

told ya' there's nothing to blog about...maybe i'll try again in a few days. miss you all!!!

2005-07-05T05:47:00.000-07:00

hong kong's favorite pasttime is shopping. some would even go as far to say that it's hong kong's favorite sport. horse racing comes in for a close second because EVERYONE gambles like crazy on 'em. this is not exactly the most athletic city out there...

anyway...it's sale season. yay! there are 2 sale seasons out here, one in the summer (starting july) and the other in the winter (starting feb'ish). during sale season, basically, the entire city is on sale. it's great. so if there's anything you've been itching to buy...GO NOW! before someone else snatches it up!

but my point is...hk people are nuts. i walked by a gucci store today (5pm on a tuesday mind you, and this city is also known for people working super late), and there was a frickin' long ass line outside of people wanting to get in!!! my goodness. just imagine the LV store! HKers really take their shopping seriously...

2005-06-24T03:16:00.000-07:00

we had a "rain day" today. well, sorta.

when it's raining hard, they will issue yellow, red and black rain warnings. red rain means kids stay home from school. black rain means everyone gets to go home! they have a rating system (1-8) for typhoons also. i'm not sure exactly how that works, except 8 means everyone goes home! typhoon season will start soon too.

anyway. so today, we had red rain, only in the afternoon, so no kids, but teachers had to stay. i love how nobody tells me anything at school. i was sitting there wondering why there weren't any kids around. i figured it out (because i'm smart like that), but still...a little info wouldn't hurt.

it's been raining a lot since the beginning of may. i can only remember maybe 3 days when it hasn't rained. it sucks. and now it's flooding all over the place too. luckily it's not constant...we just get super heavy spurts of it throughout the day and night. and lotsa lightening and thunder, which is kinda cool because it doens't happen often in california, but it also gets awfully old after over a month of it.

2005-06-08T02:36:00.000-07:00

estimated move back date: february(ish)
location: palo alto

note: none of this is confirmed, it's just the current plan that seems to be pretty stable, so i thought it'd be okay to announce it.

what this means: come visit now!!! i finish work the end of august and will have lotsa free time between then and feb...so come!

2005-05-27T05:01:00.000-07:00

i feel that most of my posts are very superficial and generic. but really, i don't wanna be spilling my heart out on a public internet site. so, superficial i will continue to be. if you really care for something deeper, email, IM, skype, call...or...VISIT!!!! :)

it's pouring outside. i hear thunder and see lightening literally every 5 minutes. it's been raining everyday for over a month now. blech. i hate rain. but luckily, it doesn't rain ALL day long, just for a few hours and through most of the night (of crazy heavy rain). i guess that's what they call tropical rain. doesn't mean i have to like it though. plus, the humidity really sucks, and it's not even at it's worse yet. yay. =/

but the more interesting part of my blog...ANOTHER kid pulled out his weiner in class today. what the heck is wrong with these hong kong kids?!?!? this is actually the 3rd time it's happened to me (not including the time a kid grabbed his weiner from outside his shorts and pretended to squirt me with it). i don't get it. i don't remember this kind of stuff EVER happening when i was a kid. then again, i wasn't a boy...maybe all of you boys did it at one point or another and are just keeping it to yourselves. this time, i yelled at the kid and it was promptly put away before anyone else saw.

...on a side note...all 3 of these kids...i'm pretty sure they weren't circumsized (i can't be sure because i didn't bother to stare, but my glimpses told me something didn't look quite right). i wonder if that's the norm in hk. anyway...

2005-05-20T12:12:00.000-07:00

i'm getting jaded by hk. this has happened a long time ago...but i just decided to blog about it today.

these days, if a chick isn't twig thin, as in her thigh is bigger than my wrist, i find myself thinking she's a bit chubby. it's horrible. i even look at stick thin actresses and models and think that they could afford to lose a few pounds.

this also means that in my book, i'm obese :) i'm way more self conscious out here about my weight than i ever was back home. the bad thing is, i also find it harder to lose weight out here. 1.) there's so much good yummy food that's so super convenient and some of it is really cheap too. 2.) i don't do as many outdoor activities here because of the lack of space, resources, inconvenience, and crappy weather (either too cold or super humid, hot, and/or rainy). 3.) i find it more difficult to go to the gym because i have to walk there (in the crappy weather) plus working out here isn't as fun as the boxing that i used to do (though i could join a boxing gym here, but it'd be for about $120 a month which doesn't feel worth it, esp since i still gotta walk there).

yup, so i think i'm gonna stay obese until i return...THEN work on getting rid of the chubs. and maybe i'll get a more realistic take on what a healthy girl looks like again too.

2005-05-05T03:35:00.000-07:00

i got my eyelashes permed!!! (well, at least the few that i have). i bet a good chunk of you out there didn't know you could even do that! it's not that popular in the us because white people have naturally curly eyelashes (lucky duckys). anyway, i'm loving them. they also suckered me into buying this mascara type stuff that's supposed to make my pathetic few eyelashes grew fuller and longer. we'll see if it works. i've got my ruler ready to measure!

i also got stuck with food poisoning this weekend. how sucky is that?! got it saturday morning (at least i went out and had fun on friday). it kept me homebound for 4 days =/ and it was a long weekend too. what a waste! o well. we've got LOTSA long weekends coming up. i love how there are sooo many public holidays out here. we end up celebrating a lotta western and eastern holidays, the best of both worlds, yay!

2005-04-28T06:16:00.000-07:00

let's see, what's been going on lately. not much. same old thing. i'm a little less of a hermit these days (went out on both friday AND saturday last week...o, and thursday too...haha, i guess it was a busy week). a lotta friends are leaving or have just left or will soon leave hk. it's quite sad actually. one of these days...it'll be our turn =)

people are funny here, they have "going away" parties and dinners and drinks like everyday from the moment they decide they're leaving (which is often months in advance). i guess any excuse to party is a good excuse. but i don't get it, people party anyway, even when there's no reason. this city is crazy. that's all people do. i can't hang.

yah, i really have nothing new to report, just felt like it's been a while since i blogged, so here i am. sorry it wasn't very interesting...

2005-04-04T19:57:00.000-07:00

so i just came back from my first real traditional taiwanese wedding. my honey got all dressed up in a suit and tie for a whole 15 minutes. so sad, huh? around wednesday, he found he had to fly off on a business trip the night of the wedding and miss basically the whole thing. sucks. but he did get to go down, say hi to everyone, take a few pictures, and there were festivities all weekend long, which were lotsa fun. friday was the bachelor party (needless to say i didn't go to that one, but i ended up partying longer than they did with my own friends). saturday, they had a dinner for family and out of town guests at din tai fung (the really good xiao long bao place) and then cocktails at a jazz club and then clubbing. then sunday was the actual wedding banquet with drinks, games and dancing at a lounge in the same hotel afterwards. overall, it was a great wedding.

on a side note. for some reason...it seems to me that at every wedding i go to, i'm always sitting at the drunkest, loudest, most embarassing table... it's definitely more fun that way, and i'm SURE it's just a coincidence :)

2005-03-22T02:53:00.000-08:00

wow. i can't believe they're back...i thought it was just another crazy hk fashion. but PLEASE tell me that tapered jeans and tucking them into the boots is not...because if it is, i'm waaaaaaaaaaaay behind (and glad to be).

i'm so outta things over here. i have NO idea what new songs are out let alone the new artists, i barely know what movies are out, and even then, i'm behind because they take forever to get the theatres (or the local "dvd" shop), i dunno the fashions, i dunno the new tv shows. when i go back, it'll be like rip van winkle, as if i was asleep for a few years and had no idea what was going on.

by the way...anyone gonna be in taiwan next week? just thought i'd ask because i will.

2005-03-08T02:19:00.000-08:00

can someone tell me if boots with frills on them and those scrunchy boots from the 80's are back in style in the U.S. also? it's ALL OVER the place here and it's driving me nuts.

by the way...i gave 'em my 1 month notice to change to a part-time teacher today. in a month, i won't have to work saturdays anymore! yay! why i didn't think of telling them that i "CAN'T" teach on saturdays earlier is beyond me...but better late than never...

2005-02-21T04:47:00.000-08:00

yay!

they decided to NOT make us wear skirts to school anymore...yipppeeeee!!!! we can now wear "smart pants", and still no open-toed shoes. but i am soooo happy because i HATE wearing skirts, especially when it's frickin' freezing and there's NO heat AND a few crazy teachers like to leave the windows open in their classrooms! i seriously cannot feel my feet and hands on the cold days at school...and i ain't wearing stockings stockings anytime soon, not that they'd help much anyway. another bonus, it's not comfortable trying to keep your knees together when you're sitting in little kiddie chairs that are too small...yes, even for me.

anyway. just thought i'd like to report the good news to everyone...effective tomorrow! whoopdeedoooooo!

2005-02-19T16:42:00.000-08:00

happy year of the rooster!

let's see, what have i been up to? we went to guangzhou to play golf over the chinese new year holiday. we took 2 days of lessons (in chinese! aren't you proud of me?) and played 3 rounds of 9 holes. that was fun. it was my first time to REAL mainland china.

we also went to go see some sites like the seven-star crags and dinghu mountain. i swear...they commercialize EVERYTHING and suck as much money outta you as possible. if chinese people just invested, or even just stuffed under their bed, all the money they waste of stupid good fortune rituals, they wouldn't need to wish for good fortune.

so dinghu mountain is supposed to be this forest, right? i expected it to be all yosemite'ish, but nope, it was temple after temple, filled with statues to burn incenses at (they have some of the biggest inceses i've ever seen...taller than me!), fountains and ponds to throw money into, pots to throw red balls into (which you have to buy)...one good thing about the commercialization is that there are tons of yummy food stands every 2 steps, kinda like disneyland.

the seven-star crags lit up the inside of the caves with colorful lights and you could pay for little boat rides inside (yes, just like disneyland). they also had this outdoor area where you could rent boats equipped with water guns to shoot at other boats (even more like disneyland). you could also buy food to feed their coy. the coy were nuts! there were so many that they're literally swimming out of the water on top of each other to get food. and some of them were frickin' huge...about 2 feet long? anyway, there were also game booths all over the place. these places are supposed to be places you go to to enjoy the scenery and nature...if i wanna go to an amusement park, i'll go to an amusement park, but i wanted to see some nature dammit! o well. it was still a good trip overall.

happy rooster year!

2005-02-05T01:40:00.000-08:00

we bought a new digital camera today (to replace the one that was stolen). canon ixus 40. hopefully i can hold on to this one for a bit longer. what a waste.

i recently determined that, though it doesn't seem like i do, i think i spend more money here in hk. i haven't proven it, it's just a general feeling. i go out less, i spend less when i do go out, i shop less, but somehow, i think i spend more.

part of the reason is because even though i've been here for over a year, the colorful money still makes me think it's play money. in addition, i still suck at converting it into US dollars and usually end up underestimating or just saying, eh whataever...i'll just get it. i also have no idea how much things are supposed to cost, so if an orange costs $3, i suppose it's normal, i want an orange, so i pay it...where in the US, i would NEVER pay $3 for a dumb orange becuase i KNOW it's not normal.

plus, i'm not familiar with which stores to go to for which things because there isn't a big old costco or home depot where you know no matter what, you're not getting ripped off. here, there are just tons of little mom 'n pop hardware stores and misc knick-knack stores, so i just go to whichever one i happen to be passing by when i remember what i need, which is usually in an expat area where you're paying a premium for everything.

like today, after getting the camera, we checked out a few golf stores in the area to look at prices for golf clubs, shoes and balls because we're going on a golf trip over chinese new year. we had no idea what was good, what was crap, what was expensive, what was cheap. in the US, we could've just gone to costco and picked up halfway decent everything for halfway decent prices and not have to do lotsa research and worry about buying something super shitty or getting ripped off. we could've gotten the camera there too!

i miss costco. haha. i'm a geek.

2005-01-26T02:53:00.000-08:00

as i sit on the mtr (subway), 2 questions often come to mind...

#1. boy or girl?

#2. does she actually think that looks good?

now for the explanations. boy or girl...that refers to whether the person i'm looking at is a boy or a girl. simple enough, right? there are some extremely effeminate guys out here and also some very boyish girls who end up looking like slightly effeminate guys. these girls aren't butch, they're "boyish". dunno if you can picture it. either way...of course, my question never gets answered.

second question. hong kong fashion has soooooo many styles. some of the styles i really really like, but one of them...i swear...is to look as ugly as possible. i mean, there is absolutely no way that these people "accidentally" dressed the way they do. trust me, they are doing it on purpose and are trying very hard. picture this: a girl with bright pink shoes with a BIG bright pink bow on it. bright green stockings. white-washed denim shorts that are extremely wide, but end in elastic, right above the knee (over the stockings) (kinda like parachute pants, but denim and they're shorts). an extremely colorful and flowery, button-up, long sleeve shirt with ruffles along both sides of the buttons, at the wrist and at the neck. a yellow SHORT sleeve cardigan with white polka dots OVER the ruffly shirt (yes, the sleeves of the ruffly shirt are poking out underneath). 3-4 plastic, and of course colorful, bangles on her wrist. a crapload of makeup (bright pink lipstick, bright pink blush, bright blue eyeshadow). AND to top it off...her hair is in one little ponytail on the top of her head, holding her bangs straight up and down (alfalfa style, but it's in the front of her head, not the back). o, and the band holding her hair...it's hello kitty.

...see what i mean? this is just one example of what i saw today. it's like how many colors, patterns and textures can i fit into my outfit today? slap me if i ever try that.

2005-01-15T17:27:00.000-08:00

i can't decide if i wanna keep blogging or not...so i guess i'll continue to do it sporadically...

as for today...i just wanna bitch about how i hate being sick. i swear...those kids and their snotty little hands just need to stay away! i usually only get sick maybe once or twice a year...BUT...ever since i started teaching...i've been getting sick at least once a month! that's A LOT more than before...and i'm hating it.

i've even made a conscious effort to wash my hands more frequently, use that anti-bacterial hand sanitizer stuff regularly...no help. ugh.

i guess i'll be spending this weekend in bed...and that's where i'm going right now. bye!

2005-01-08T18:52:00.000-08:00

happy new year!

my purse got stolen yesterday =/ sucks, huh? we were playing a very intense arcade game where basically you try to break the joysticks...so i didn't wanna keep it on my should because it would hinder my playing. so i kinda looped it around one foot and set it in between my feet, thinking that i'd feel it if anyone went for it...but i was wrong. maybe it was all the jumping and moving around that made it unloop from my foot and the intensity of the game that made me not pay attention...but yup, someone took it. it's so infuriating.

i know this is lame...but i wish people would just go in your wallet, take your cash and your credit cards, but leave your id and all that. take your camera but leave the memory stick behind so that you don't lose all the pictures you took (i think we only had pictures from our xmas vacation to singapore and bintan, indonesia on it, which weren't too many or particularly interesting, so it's not too bad). another thing i can be thankful for is that luckily my phone was in my pocket instead of my purse. that's a bitch to get replaced too, esp the phone number. but you know...things like that. i mean, fine...you stole from me. you outsmarted me or whatever, so take the monetary valuables, but leave behind the sentimental ones and the ones that are just a pain in the ass to replace. for example...if someone breaks into your house...they take your tv, computer (leave the hard-drive behind if you can), jewelry, etc...they leave your photo albums and id's behind. right?

o well.

by the way, this is the second sony digital camera that i've gotten stolen. gr. i think the next digicam i buy will not be a sony...i think i have bad luck with them.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2004-11-25T06:41:00.000-08:00

my picky's been sick. he's been puking quite regularly (1-4 times a day) for about a week. poor little guy. but he was in good spirits - still active and playful. but on tues, it took a turn for the worse. o yah, happy thanksgiving by the way. i just got back from thanksgiving dinner. i ate the grilled seafood platter and a pumpkin pie while picking at my neighbor's mashed potatoes, yams, and stuffing. yum. i like the sides of thanksgiving dinner much better than the turkey. that's why i opted to get the grilled seafood platter while picking at my friend's sides instead :) and pumpkin pie, that's my favorite...it's a must have. AND beer of course...lots of it =)

okay. back to pick. so i took him to the vet and they shaved off some fur on his neck to get blood and some off his paw to get an IV in =( i was soooo sad. i cried in the waiting room. THEN...they sedated him to take xrays...omigod!!! he looked like he was dead!!! they kept him their over night to watch him and to keep his IV going (he was dehydrated). i went home and bawled my eyes out and fell asleep early because i was so tired from crying...

BUT...good news. he's looking much healthier and livelier today. he's not totally in the clear, but there is definitely hope. if he doesn't puke within the next 24hours, he most likely will not need surgery. thank goodness! basically, the vet thinks he might've swallowed a string or something that got tangled up in his intestines, therefore...the constant puking, the not eating and not drinking. BUT, he's getting better, so hopefully, his body got that string or whatever out on its own. if not...under the knife he goes (much much more bawling for me). so let's just hope he's okay...

btw...tomorrow night, we're holding or first annual will ferrell-a-thon. the beers are in the fridge, the dvd's are burning, food is being ordered, and we are ready to go! yay!

2004-11-20T23:30:00.000-08:00

ok...so i'm a little dyslexic. NEVER ask me for directions because i often get left and right mixed up. i've even been known to get north and south mixed up, but that's not as common.

point is...i had to teach my kids "left" and "right" the other day. i tried soooo hard not to mess up, but i did. after i kept repeating the word "left" and made the kids repeat after me while i was correcting all the kids who had the wrong (or what i thought was wrong but was actually right) hand up in the air...i realized that i got it mixed up. so i tried to fix it, but i think i just confused them more. i knew it was going to happen. o well. like i said...i'm a sucky teacher.

other than that. pick is sick =/ he's been puking up all over the apartment for the past few days. poor guy. i'm taking him to the vet tomorrow...

o, and i went to this russian restaurant last night with a -20deg vodka freezer. it's kinda fun because they give the girls these nice fur coats and hats and make the guys go in without it and freeze their butts off. most people don't hang out in their too long anyway...they just stay long enough to take a picture, take a shot, and get outta there. but it's a fun idea and the vodka's always good =)

2004-11-09T18:11:00.000-08:00

one of my kids invited me to his bday party at mcD's! hahaha. cute. i don't think i'll go though...

i went to this cafe the other day that has dogs in it! it's so cute. you order your food/drinks, sit and chat and play with all the dogs that're roaming around. there's another place down the street with cats in it. i'm gonna go there next =)

o, and if i didnt' send you maldives pictures and you wanna see, leave me a message/email. bye!

2004-11-04T05:51:00.000-08:00

okay. tell me what you would've done in this situation...

so i'm in the middle of reading a story to my 3 year olds. one of the boys pulls the inner section of his shorts (and his underwear) aside to reveal his penis (happy des? pe-nis...not peepee). it wasn't directed towards me, he was just fidgeting.

so the first time this happened, i kinda caught it outta the corner of my eye and wasn't sure if i saw what i really saw, so i didn't say or do anything. i just kept reading my story. but he kept doing it over and over throughout the class. i continued to ignore it. was that the right thing to do? i mean, none of the other kids noticed what he was doing, not even the other teachers in the classroom (though they also weren't in prime viewing position like i was). if i called attention to it, then everyone would've looked. that's worse, right? i know i technically should have let him know that it's not appropriate to do things like that, but even if i did, i doubt he would've understood it in english. i also could've told the chinese teacher, but like i said, they were not in prime viewing position, so it's hard to get their attention and to catch him in the act and do something about it.

bottom line...i'm a horrible teacher. i have no idea how to discipline. hopefully i'll be better with my own kids...

2004-10-31T03:46:00.000-08:00

yay! i can blog again! i was having trouble logging in, so i decided to quit blogging...but a few people asked me why i haven't been blogging lately, so i made another attempt at fixing the problem and this time it worked! yay!

...not there's anything new to report. my honey bunny is back. yay! but he's been working hard, so sometimes, it's almost as if he's not here.

we're NOT going back for x'mas :( sorry. i know you all miss me, but schedules, flights and prices just weren't working out and the main reasons we were going back were all falling apart, so we just thought forget it. so we'll probably go on a quick long weekend trip somewhere close, like shanghai or japan. we'll see. for now...i think our next trip back to the US is scheduled for chinese new year (jan/feb) or easter. so...see ya' then! unless you'd like to come out here and visit me before that (hint hint).

hm. what else is new? work is work. it's getting kinda monotonous at times, but i really shouldn't complain because i've still got it pretty lucky. i just found out the other day how much the normal teachers make and it's about 2/3 of what i make (which is peanuts as is) and they have waaaay longer hours and more responsibilities than me. for example, they have to deal with anal parents all the time...plus the night before the day parents of prospective students came to visit, the other teachers stayed until around midnite preparing while i went home at noon! so...like i said, i shouldn't complain.

o, and i'll have pictures from maldives coming very soon...so keep checking back. vienna and new york'll take a little longer tho.

okay, bye!

2004-09-20T04:30:00.000-07:00

i have 2 stories...i know, you're excited.

story number one. i made out with one of my students today (kinda). before you go nuts, lemme explain. this boy in my K3 class (5 year olds), kissed me on the lips!!! totally took me by surprise. everyone was running around, getting into a horseshoe shape so that we could have english class, and kids always come up to me to talk to me during this time, so that's what i thought he was doing. but nope. i was wrong. he gave me a kiss, on the lips! and it was wet too! he had pouty lips and just kinda slobbered all over. ick.

story number two. i was walking in between classes and saw one of the classes watching a video, and there was a little cartoon boy with only a shirt on and his peepee showing! but that's not all! he was standing next to a closeup picture of a peepee. what the heck could this video possibly be about?!?!?! sex ed?!?!? for 5 year olds?!?!? i stayed a little longer and saw the little cartoon boy going pee in a toilet (peepee still showing). so my best guess is it's a video about how to use the toilet properly? i really have no clue. but even if it was about going to the toilet (or whatever), was showing the peepee really necessary? you can teach it without showing it. and you especially don't need a closeup picture of it.

weird day...

2004-09-18T01:49:00.000-07:00

i'm such a hermit lately. i'm just not in the mood to do much or see people. i go to work. i play with the kids. i go home. i don't have dinner and drinks with people like i used to, and i only go out on fridays and saturdays because i feel like i'm supposed to. i don't go out for long and i don't get too crazy. but really, i'm quite content staying at home with my cats :) i'm a crazy cat lady! hahaha.

anyway. yah, so life for me has been very quiet lately. i've got a friend visiting from college this week tho, so maybe that'll encourage me to be more sociable. we'll see...

2004-09-14T05:12:00.000-07:00

okay, i saw toto being naughty today...but it just made him cuter!!! he's not the loud annoying kind of naughty that makes me wanna slap him. he's the sticking his tongue out and making cute faces that makes me wanna hug him naughty :) too cute!

2004-09-12T01:33:00.000-07:00

i've known this for a while, and have been refusing to admit it...but i'm not into cute kids as much as i used to. and as cute as the kids are at school...this job isn't as fun as i thought and hoped it would be. it's still fine. but i can definitely see it getting monotonous. i need more substance than just playing with cute kids...

i dont think i'll ever be completely happy with what i do. i think that's true for most of us. there's always something to complain about. and it's because we're spoiled. for most of us, our parents came to the US with nothing and were happy with anything they could get. most of our parents have worked at the same company all their lives while we complain after a year that it's "time to move on". i guess that's good also for self improvement and all that, but there's a balance. everything needs balance.

if i really think back, and be more realistic and less picky and spoiled, what i had going on in sd was really really good. my only complaint was that i was minorly bored occassionally, but what's the harm in that in the grand scheme of things? it could be much worse. and, if i remember correctly, back in school when i was more mentally challenged, i was bitching back then too! so, for now, i won't complain. yes, i see potential boredom, but that doesnt mean i should throw it out the window just yet...though i do plan on continuing my job hunt for something better while i'm here. we'll see...

2004-09-10T04:06:00.000-07:00

i've decided which one i'm stealing. he's in my afternoon K2A class. his name is toto, and he's just the cutest thing ever!

on the very first day of class, these 3 girls warned me as soon as i walked in that toto is a naughty boy. they did the same thing the 2nd day. (i think they have a crush on him...but they're gonna have to fight me for him!) but he's been nothing but an angel as far as i know. i hear the regular teacher say "toto, stop it" every once in a while, but every time i look over at him, he's just sitting their looking so cute, shy and innocent and best of all...squishable!

haha, you guys are gonna get to hear about my students for a while until i get over it...just like when my blogs were always about my kitties when i first got 'em :)

...deal with it.

2004-09-07T04:16:00.000-07:00

i taught for the first time today! and a kid threw up on me too! great first day, huh? actually, she threw up and some splattered on my shoes.

anyway. first day...not too bad. a bit chaotic. i've got one class with over 40 kids in it! i teach kids ages 3-5. the 3 year olds just kinda stare at me blankly. i feel like i'm talking to myself. but they're soooooo cute!!! i sooo wanna squish 'em, but i bet i'd get in trouble. o well.

but there's not much else to say about my first day. they're a bunch of cuties and so far, i like my job. :)

2004-08-31T03:42:00.000-07:00

so...i had my first day of work! not only are they making me wear skirts...they're also making me where close-toed shoes!!! grr...this is very not cool.

anyway. so today was "open day" where they just had presentations all day for parents. apparently, to make matters worse, on special days like open day, all the teachers have to wear pink suits! gross.

anyway. so i didn't teach today. i introduced myself to the parents, talked to the prior english teacher...and did arts and crafts! looked through books for material, photocopy, color, cut, and the best part....LAMINATE!!! haha, i'm a geek.

i think i start real teaching on friday...wish me luck!

2004-08-29T05:43:00.000-07:00

i'm back!

for those of you who didn't know where i went, i went to maldives for a week, vienna for a week, and new york for 2 weeks, and now i'm back. and i'm so dutiful (or just you could call it pathetic) that i'm blogging before i've even finished unpacking!

i start teaching the day after tomorrow. scary, huh? my baby is in new york still (for work) and will be there until the middle/end of october. i had to come back early for my work. sucks. but i guess i had a long enough vacation (a year, almost exactly). but because of that, i didn't get to visit any of the other places in the US that i wanted to. i didn't even get to see everyone that i wanted to in new york =/ another time i guess...

anyway. i'm dead tired and have a lot to do. just wanted to check in and say hello to everyone.

2004-07-22T19:34:00.000-07:00

heehee...

i'm gonna be a kindergarten teacher!!! hahahaha. i find it funny. at least the kids wont be taller than me! phew...

so i start sept 1, which cuts my trip to the states short =/ but they're already cutting me slack because the school year starts on august 7th. and i have to work half day on saturdays (which is typical of local hk companies). poop. but i can't complain...i really need to start doing something, and this should be fun, right? and half-day, i'll survive. it'll just suck waking up after a friday night. plus this way, i'm finally gonna be staying here "legally". it's about time...

i'm kinda excited and scared at the same time. most of you know that i love kids. especially kindergarteners...how cute is that?!?!?! but still...a whole classroom of them. all day long? geezluiz. we'll see how i handle it though. i'll only be teaching the english lesson for the day, so their regular teacher will still be in the classroom helping to keep them in check. should be okay...

hahaha. i'm a teacher!!!

2004-07-19T04:00:00.000-07:00

it's kinda fun going off to a different country on a whim. book a flight in the morning, pack and go. but i'm back now, went to an interview this morning where he asked me to answer technical questions in mandarin. HA. not getting that job...

overall, it was a good trip. i got to hang out with everyone i wanted to hang out with, ate what i wanted to eat, and even got in some sun and some shopping. but i got either food poisoning or the worst hangover of my life that has lasted for 3 days now. i also missed the typhoon in hk! everyone got to go home from work on friday (as if it makes a difference to me). plus i'm gonna assume that being in taiwan, which actually wasn't that humid or hot on the days i was there, is better than being in a typhoon over here. next time...

oh, and for those who are into pool...the world pool championship was literally right next door to the hotel i stayed at. kinda funny watching it "live" on tv when i know it's going on right next door, even more "live" than it is on tv.

2 more weeks until the real vacation. yay!

i'm so spoiled.

2004-07-13T18:29:00.000-07:00

yay!!! i'm going to taiwan!!! woohooo!!!

gonna go see my honey, gonna go see some friends, possibly visit some family...we'll see.

this is the first time i've bought a ticket on the same day i was leaving. kinda hectic and stressful. esp when i got kitty-sitting to think about too. ok, gonna go pack now! bye!

2004-07-12T21:33:00.000-07:00

how long do your average interviews last? i've been on quite a few interviews lately, but none of them seem to ask very many questions, and i'm wondering if this is normal, or if they just hate me...

i'm accustomed to interviews that last all day long, or at least half a day. you talk to at least 5 different people who all ask a ton of questions and are super detailed and sometimes even test you. then, often there are group interviews where 5-10 people are sitting there, shooting questions at you all at once. there are also often rounds of interviews. they ask you to come back again, and again, and again... (very stressful).

the interviews i've been on lately have lasted maybe 30 mins, tops. they ask 2-3 very superficial questions, ask if i have any questions, and say thanks! am i really doing that bad that they don't even wanna bother asking me any more questions? is the industry? is it hong kong? how do they make a decision off of that? a few of them "say" that they like me, but timing/visas are a problem, but we'll keep in touch. i'm waiting to hear from several others some time this week. at least i'm interviewing. that's better than before...

2004-07-06T21:14:00.000-07:00

vacation plans have been finalized (more or less)...

first, we're going to maldives for a few days. omigosh the place looks soooooo nice! google it and see. i'm really excited. AND we're staying on one of those little huts that are on stilts over the water!! yay!! AND we get to take a seaplane to the island where the resort is!! yay!! boo to the part where maldives is a muslim country and won't let you bring in your own alcohol...but at least they sell it to you on the resorts (very expensive though). and since the entire island is the resort, you're kinda their prisoners. gotta eat at their restaurants, gotta go to their bars, book entertainment (diving, sightseeing, etc) through their resort. it'll be fun though. yay!

then after that...vienna! not sure what there is to do in vienna. listen to the hills that are alive with the sound of music? haha. i'm a geek. no, i think it's mainly architecture, museums, palaces, and lotsa music. o, and of course, food. :) and we're staying at this hotel that's all super modern with a 42 inch plasma TV, body jets in the shower, and all artsy fartsy with frosted glass etched with artwork and backlit with pretty lights and stuff. i'll definitely post pictures afterwards.

then we're off to new york. anyone gonna be in the area at the time? lemme know. we'll be there the 2nd week of august. i'm not sure how long i'm staying yet, but at the most, until mid october. long time, huh? we'll prolly do little weekend trips to DC, philly, boston, atlantic city, etc. come join us! :)

2004-06-28T21:36:00.000-07:00

i can be so immature sometimes...

so i was watching an episode of family guy where they go to the zoo. everyone's jabbering about what they wanna do and then after everyone's done, the older son says, outta sync with everyone else..."monkeys throw their poo". omigoodness i found it hilarious. i don't even have a reason. i think it's more in the delivery (how it was outta sync with everyone else's yammering) and his voice when he says it. it also has a little to do with the subject matter...

anyway. so my boyfriend thought it was funny that i found that phrase so funny, so he kept rewinding it and playing it again and again, and i laughed harder and harder each time i heard it. i'm laughing right now just thinking about it! then i came to a point where i was laughing at myself for laughing at the line. goodness, i need help. at least i entertain myself...

2004-06-21T00:19:00.000-07:00

my friend brought me to this hole in the wall restaurant today. and when i say hole in the wall, i mean...someone's apartment.

imagine walking into a small alleyway, into an apartment building, up a flight of dodgey stairs, up an elevator, and having to ring the doorbell or just open the door slowly, into a small apartment. there are enough tables to seat about 30, and a little old lady is the only waitress in the place.

there's a board in which 6 items (A-F) are written in sloppy chinese, and it changes daily. you tell the lady how many of which letters you want. she brings you the soup of the day and a big thermos of tea. you get up to get your own rice, noodles, or congee straight from the rice cooker (you can have as much of that stuff as you want). and then she brings you your order when it's ready. it's a really good portion, and really tasty too. then you pay at the little window that connects the kitchen to the dining area on your way out. only $4! i'm definitely coming back. it's only open on weekdays from 11-3:30. i wonder if the little old lady (and i'm assuming it's her husband in the kitchen) live in the apartment too. very interesting.

apparently, there are lotsa these little places out here. in that same apartment building, i think there was one more restaurant and a hairdresser, and i'm not sure what else.

there's also this other thing that i've heard of but have yet to try. some people who are really good cooks will open up their homes on friday or saturday night a few times a month to the public as well. well, not the real public, it's all by word of mouth. you have to call and make a reservation, and they'll set up a few tables in their living room (depending on how many people have booked a table for the night). there's no menu at all, you just eat whatever is brought to you. and while you're eating dinner, the rest of the family is going about their business as usual, watching tv, reading in their bedroom, whatever. this is a bit more expensive...like $35-$40, but it's supposed to be delicious, and it's worth it just for the experience...

2004-06-16T06:02:00.000-07:00

o happy day!!! thank you detroit for making my day :)

2004-06-14T20:08:00.000-07:00

i went on my first boat trip this weekend. out here, they're called junks. junks are those traditional wooden fishing boats that used to be used out here in the olden days. but these days, most junk trips are on yachts. nice pretty big ones!

anyway. so yah. my first junk trip. it was fun! we ate and drank and ate and drank some more. played some football, did some swimming, played drinking games, sunbathed, just relaxed and had fun. it was like a mini-vacation (as if i need one). it was great! i wish you guys could've been there, it would've been so much better...(that means come visit). bye!

2004-06-11T06:12:00.000-07:00

i'm a giant computer geek. as much as i try to deny it and hide it, i am...

so i'm watching this special on the brain, and they're talking about neurons communicating with each other. you know what i immediately thought of? computer networks!!! how geeky is that? omg, i'm pathetic. then i go on to think about how to program the communication between neurons. i blame it on dum berkeley training me to think this way, but still...goodness gracious i embarass myself. and to top it off, i was (and still am) drunk. have a great weeekend everyone!

2004-06-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

a mission for you: ask someone who speaks cantonese how to say "flower bridge" (i kno, i kno...it's immature, but it's funny too!)

anyway. exciting news! today, there was a typhoon alert 1 hoisted or something like that. from what i gathered, it means that there is a typhoon somewhere out there, and there's a possiblity that it'll come our way. i've never been in a typhoon! my first typhoon! kinda sux tho becuz everywhere i go, people have their radios on to get constant updates about it, but those updates are all in cantonese. o well. i guess i'll just follow the crowd. or stay close to home...

o, and another thing. some salespeople are retarded. this happens quite often actually at the street markets and stuff where they sell all the fake stuff. so i haggle a little over the price but haven't made a decision yet. i ask to see it (ie a shoe in my size or a purse they have in a catalog). they go into their warehouse or whatever (which is pretty crazy sometimes, i've seen people crawl into a little cabinet that leads to an entire stockroom, or through a tile in the roof. it's nuts where they hide their goodies.) anyway. they come back, i try it on, i don't like it. then they get all pissy and say stuff like, "if you weren't gonna buy it, why'd you make me go get it?" BECAUSE THAT'S YOUR JOB DUMMY!!! then they try to gimme a better price to make the sale. as if i'm gonna buy it from you after that attitude. any price you give me, i know i can go next door and get it for the same price without the attitude. but in general, service in asia is 100x better than even some of the fanciest places in the states...i'll definitely miss that when we eventually move back.

2004-06-04T21:14:00.000-07:00

life has been busy. the "in-laws" were visiting for a while. then a friend's girlfriend was visiting, so we hung out a lot while our men were working. and i have prospects for informal employment. it's more just to learn more about new industries, help out some friends, gimme something to do during the day. i'm not too keen on finding a real job just yet because i'd like to take 6 weeks off in august, and if i start a job now, i probably won't be able to take those 6 weeks off.

i have quite a few social circles now too. that keeps me busy with luncheons, dinners, drinks, boat trips, potlucks, clubbing, hiking, shopping, etc. i've actually been really bad about finishing that stupid certification to teach english. too many distractions. life is good and i'm having fun...

2004-05-31T23:52:00.000-07:00

ugh. i live in a freakin' sauna. it's so hot and humid here. i'm dying. everytime i walk outside, i feel like i'm melting. maybe i should just stop going outside.

other than that, things are good. we went apartment hunting the other day and found this awesome place that's 3,500 square feet! how nuts is that? that's bigger than my parents' house! the living room is like the size of a basketball court! it's got 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a HUGE kitchen, and a maid's quarters. we've already got 3 people in on the place, so we just need one or two more! it'd be fun to live with friends, but then again, there are pros and cons to living with other people. plus, to really organize this and make it work is near impossible. we're still looking though. it's fun to look at nice apartments :)

2004-05-28T01:59:00.000-07:00

i went out for ladies night yesterday. out here, every single night of the week, there's at least one place that's having ladies night within a 5 mile radius. not bad, huh?

what was weird yesterday was that the nicest bartender was actually a female. usually, as a girl, you try to seek out the male bartenders to get faster service and maybe even an extra count or two of vodka in your drink. but yesterday was different. i really have no point in telling this story, just thought it was interesting...

it was a good night.

have a great weekend!

2004-05-23T00:33:00.000-07:00

to answer ameer's question...the coffee is good...they've got this green tea frappaccino at starbucks that is the yummiest thing ever! too bad i never get it because it's also ridiculously high in calories and i'm trying to lose weight...(key word "trying")

anyway. so the reason i'm blogging. friday...a friend of a friend had a restaurant opening. omigosh this place is awesome!

it's so hard to describe, you had to be there...so lemme start off by saying that the place is huge. i mean, even for US standards, it's really big, so that means by hk standards, it's gigantic. it reminds me of ghost bar at the palms in vegas but much bigger and much nicer. the decor is sooooo nice, and it's got 2 floors of large outdoor eating/drinking/lounging area that overlooks the harbour and the lights and buildings on the other side of the water. there are fountains and little water troughs all over the place. the water troughs, by the way, are extremely dangerous, especially for drunk people. i'm quite surprised i never fell in, and quite proud too!

on top of that, they went all out for the opening party. it was like those ritzy, posh parties that you see on tv. first of all, the place was packed with beautiful people (myself included, HA!) they had models and photographers, free booze all night (the best part), yummy yummy hors douvres, ice sculptures, bubble machines, brazilian style dancers...they went all out. i'll definitely be going back...too bad next time i'll have to pay...a lot.

2004-05-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

i'm getting old...

i had coffee with this 22 year recent graduate and the whole time i'm sitting there, i'm thinking..."gosh, she's young." but i somehow feel like a recent college grad too. it doesn't feel that long ago, but if you think about it, it has definitely been a while.

on the flip side...i used to think..."man, a 27 year old, that's kinda old...we probably won't have much in common." i was still thinking that a couple months ago, but now, when i hang out with 27 year olds, it's actually much more comfortable than hanging out with that 22 year old. the 27 year old still isn't quite right either, but it's definitely a closer match. how sad.

2004-05-11T23:17:00.000-07:00

i'm conducting an informal survey over here...

how big do your bug bites swell up to be?

i just spoke to a friend and realized that it might not be normal for my bug bites to swell up as much as mine do. i thought everyone's did, but apparently, i'm wrong. the little ones that i dont mess with too much get to be about the size of between a dime and a nickel. the bigger ones get up to 2.5 inches in diameter or more. is this normal?

it's soooooo frickin' hot here right now. i wore a skirt the other day and thought i'd enjoy the sun by sitting and reading in the sun at a park. BIG MISTAKE!!! first of all, even sitting in the shade for more than 10 minutes left me drenched in sweat (pretty picture, huh?). plus, i got over 30 bug bites from those 10 minutes. never again! if i wanna read, i'm sitting in a nice little air-conditioned cafe from now on. maybe i'll even sit by the window!

what's worse is that now my leg is totally bitten up and all swollen nasty ugly, i have to wear long pants out. well, i guess i don't HAVE to, but my legs are awfully nasty right now, and i don't wanna subject the public to such unsightlyness. i've done worse though. in hawaii, i jumped off a 30 foot cliff, landed in the water on my ass and majorly bruised up my entire butt and hamstrings on both legs. then add on those lovely bug bites that i got from walking to and from the waterfall to jump off of...trust me, no one even thought about hitting on me as i tanned my backside on the beaches of hawaii! hahaha. gross.

2004-05-09T17:48:00.000-07:00

o weird. blogger changed their website.

anyway. yesterday (well, today for your guys) was mother's day. i called mom. she wasn't home, so i left a message.

i have mixed feelings about mother's day. i remember writing cards to my mom and it always said the same thing every year. "thanks for being such a great mom. you're always there when i need you, blah blah blah". it feels so forced doesn't it? (and lame) shouldn't you let mom know you appreciate her on random days of the year. doesn't it mean more that way? that's also why i don't believe in valentine's day. why buy candy and flowers on a day where it costs 10 times as much to do so rather than on some other day? and why fight the crowds to get a reservation at a restaurant when you can go eat there any other day without the hassle? problem is, sometimes, if it weren't for valentine's day, it'd never happen. i guess that's the same with mother's day.

as a mom, sure, it's great. especially when you're kid is little, you get weeds picked from the garden, a homemade card, and cereal in bed. but as they get older, things change. if i feel like i'm forcing my kid to do something that he doesn't wanna do, i'd rather he didn't. like yesterday, i saw a son with his mom. she had a little bouquet of flowers with her, it was kinda cute. but her and her son were sitting at separate tables (i'm assuming so that both of them could be in the shade since it was soooo darn hot yesterday), and they were eating mcdonalds. they weren't talking to each other, they weren't even looking at each other. both were just kinda staring off into space. i couldn't even really tell that they were there together except for the fact that they got up and left together when they were done. how uncomfortable is that? being forced to spend a day with your mom/son/daughter, having nothing to say to each other, having nothing in common to do. i'd probably go watch a movie as to kill 2 hours without having awkward silence if i were him. i dunno, just seems like torture for both parties to me. so sad.

ideally, you'd have a great relationship with your mom and be able to have something to talk about and actually have fun hanging out together. hopefully that's what i'll have, but i'm sure every mom wishes for that...

2004-05-04T00:28:00.000-07:00

the older i get, the bitchier i get...

one day, my baby asked me how come he never saw the bitchy side of me when we first got together...and my answer was...because it didn't exist.

i used to be (or i think i used to be) the type of person that you couldn't really ever imagine getting really mad. and if i was mad, i probably didn't show it. the other day, i was at dinner...o the dinner i talked about in my last blog! hehe. anyway. we were talking about dealing with incompetent customer service and one of the girls said..."i can totally imagine you going off on one of them." ME?!?!?! is that who i've become? goodness gracious. how things have changed.

i havent decided if it's a good thing or bad thing yet though. i mean, of course, i want to be that nice person. i feel really bad when i'm mean to people, even when they deserve it. i think what bugs me more though, is having people think that i'm not that nice person (like that girl's comment). i'm not used to it. but on the other hand, being little miss always nice gets you taken advantage of at times. people know you won't get upset or at least won't do anything about it, so they take you for granted, knowing that if they're going to piss someone off, it might as well be you since you mind it the least. and that's not really fair, is it? then again, it doesn't happen all that often. so i dunno. should i make a conscious effort to go back to being that sweet girl who never really gets upset? or should i just let the bitchiness flow? probably a balance between the two would be best...balance is always good.

2004-04-29T22:05:00.000-07:00

my friend is moving away. we're having goodbye dinner and drinks for her tonite. :(

that's the thing with hk. people don't stay. the average turnover rate is 2 years. people come, put in their time, and leave. that was the original plan for my baby...but as you can see, things have changed. i guess it's time for me to put in my 2 years now.

my point is, i'm a shy person. on top of that, i'm a lazy person. those two things don't make it very easy to make new friends. first, gotta get over the shyness to meet new people. no, first is to get over my laziness to actually go out and try to meet people. second is get over the shyness. and third, gotta get over the laziness (again) to maintain the relationship and let them flourish and grow from acquaintanceship into friendship. but then they leave on you! or you leave on them! really, it's quite discouraging. it seems like what's the point?

i go through spurts of wanting to meet people and be super social, but most of the time, i just like to chill, do my own thing. i'm definitely an introvert. and the older i get, the more introverted i get. before you know it, i'm gonna be some old hermit lady living in the mountains. hopefully i wont grow a bushy beard though.

anyway. for now, bye bye miyuki. keep in touch...

2004-04-22T22:50:00.000-07:00

warning: there are some tv show spoilers in here, actually, just one...the second season of 24. but barely.

tv show writers. it's a tough job. how do you keep your show interesting without getting stupid. i mean, you need some sort of drama in every episode, but sometimes you just run outta ideas.

i'm watching oc right now. ive run outta dvd's so i downloaded some "popular" shows, and oc was one of them. it started okay, but now it's getting lame. what's that term? jumped the shark? yah, well, this is only the first season (16th episode)and it's already done that. that's why you really really gotta admire shows like 24. i havent seen the third season yet (gonna get it on dvd on my next trip), but the first two were good! every episode was like a mini movie. never got dumb. always interesting. and after the first season, i thought it was just a one time deal. didnt think there'd be a second season, because how could they keep it up? but they outdid themselves in the second season. now, i'm wondering...what the heck could be bigger than a nuclear bomb for them to put into a third season. dont tell me. i have no idea what the third season is about. by the ending of the 2nd, i'm gonna guess some sort of germ warfare type stuff? and can they keep up with the high entertainment standards that they've already set up for themselves? i'm excited. i'm also a dork.

2004-04-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

i'm too short to reach the switch for the air conditioning unless i stand on the couch. how sad is that? shouldn't they design their houses to accomodate short people out here? am i shorter than the average hk-er? that's just sad.

on a side note. i see lotsa old ladies and old men that're seriously hunchback out here. i'm talking, they look they're leaning over to pick something up, but they aren't. they just walk like that. so sad. you don't see much of that in the US. is it because of nutrition? genetics? i sure i hope i don't ever get like that, it looks very uncomfortable.

2004-04-19T20:18:00.000-07:00

yay! we loooove our couch. it's boooty-ful. and sooo comfy too! luv it!

so, i'm supposed to come up with a good idea (apartment related) a quarter. it can be new furniture, an organizational idea, decorations, etc... if anyone has any suggestions, please inform me. =)

o, and did you know that our walls are made of concrete? that makes hanging things quite difficult. we have to use these special 3-pronged nails that're just weird. i hung up a clock yeseterday, and let's just say that it's very difficult to get all three prongs in evenly. i dont think i even got one of them in all the way. o well, at least the clock won't fall (i hope).

2004-04-18T21:19:00.000-07:00

warning...the following blog contains some nerdiness. =P

so, i'm learning to play a new game. well, it's a really old game, but it's new to me! heroes of might and magic iii. heard of it? anyway. point is...the only other real computer game i've played (besides, solitaire, hearts, etc.) is starcraft. o wait, i played the sims too. that was fun! anyway. my point is...i had no idea that words like citadel and zealot were real words. i thought they were just made up for the game of starcraft (being fantasy and all), but i've hence learned that they're actually common in the fantasy world. who knew? not me.

btw, our couch is coming today! yay!

2004-04-14T21:15:00.000-07:00

it's amazing what a little organization can do...

as you all probably know already...i'm a messy girl. REALLY messy. messy and dirty are different though. i like things clean, but clutter is fine. i'll scrub that kitchen counter and bathtub for hours, but i'll leave that pile of clothes and paper on the ground for months. of course i prefer not to have things messy either, but i haven't quite been able to achieve the best of both worlds yet.

so we've been spending the past week or so reorganizing. we bought a bookshelf and have put everything in it nicely and neatly. we rearranged some of the furniture to give the apartment a more open feeling (it feels soooooooooo much bigger now). and a nice new leather couch is about to be delivered on monday. i wonder if cats scratch on leather. i hope not.

anyway. our place looks pretty darn good if i do say so myself. it's amazing what these three little changes can do. it looks like a whole new apartment. i'm lovin' it. my hunny's lovin' it even more (since he's more of the neatness is more important than a little dirt type). and furniture shopping is so much fun. i can't wait to buy a house...gimme a couple years.

2004-04-12T17:49:00.000-07:00

it's a/c time...blech.

it's getting hot and humid out here. i guess summer is starting.

2004-04-07T18:34:00.000-07:00

yay. i made it. got on the right plane on the right day. had to sit in a middle seat (poop), but it wasn't so bad. i just leaned and drooled onto the guy next to me :)

and now i'm back to blogging about my kitties again (yay). they didnt remember me!!! they were scared when i walked in. it broke my heart. but they quickly remembered me again, and now i'm happy again. my hunny remembered me. that's a good thing.

and i'm STILL sick and sore. geezluiz.

2004-04-05T12:33:00.000-07:00

i am idiot, hear me roar.

so...i kept thinking that i was leaving tonight for hk. well, thank goodness i talked to my hunny who made me doublecheck because he remembered me leaving tuesday...and what a surprise, he's right. im an idiot.

so, that means one more day in the bay. hopefully, that also means being able to meet up with some people who happened to be out of town while i was in town. yay! that also means my poor host has to put up with me for one more day. sorrie, poor guy.

on a side note, i went on a party bus this weekend. what fun! but really, next time, we need to do a party trolley. you know, rice-a-roni style! that'd be awesome!!!

now time for my bitching :) i am still super sore from exercises that my trainer had me doing on wednesday!!! goodness gracious, i'm outta shape. im also really sick. i spend a couple hours every morning trying to get my voice to work. which one of you got me sick?!?!?! could've been anyone...everyone was sick. ugh.

and i miss everyone already. coming home was fun and relaxing. thanks everyone. now it's your turn to come visit me!

2004-03-15T02:22:00.000-08:00

i'm all packed and ready to go. gonna have dinner with my hunny and then i'm off . . . wheee!!!

i spent a decent amount of time this afternoon looking for the keys to my house in the states, but i just realized that it really does me no good. my family doesn't live there anymore!

they always do this. well, always as in everytime i move out (for a grand total of 2). a couple months after i left for college, they decided to move into a new house. i didn't even know they were looking! all i know is that for a while, i had an easier time finding the plates and utensils in my friends' houses than my own. on a sidenote: that's also the time that they threw away my precious panda bear because i wasn't around to stop it. my very first stuffed animal, and needless to say my very favoritest too. i'm still bitter over it. very bitter. if any of you see a dirty ~5inch tall panda bear with half a plastic eye missing and a nose either sewn on very poorly or missing altogether, PLEASE let me know.

anyway. and this is number two. this time, they waited only a couple weeks after i left to move. but i was prepared this time. i packed myself. no more throwing away my precious stuff!!! (grrrr) i guess i'm gonna find out soon whether or not they decided to listen when i told them not to throw anything of mine away...

2004-03-11T18:03:00.000-08:00

i'm coming home!!! see ya'll monday!!!

2004-03-04T19:53:00.000-08:00

we got GAMECUBE!!!

we got GAMECUBE!!!

now our collection is complete. well, kinda. the xbox is still with my brother.

i'm a really tense person. i can't play video games for very long because i push the buttons really hard and it hurts my thumb. video games isn't the only thing that i'm tense about. i have tmj because i clench my jaw too tight when i sleep, and sometimes i catch myself doing during the day too. my shoulder is often sore because i have too much tension in it. i hold my pencil/pen really tight and sometimes get cramps all the way up my arm because of it.

do i come off as a tense person? i don't feel like i am...but i have all these physical proofs that i am.

2004-03-03T04:27:00.000-08:00

does anyone else do this? whenever i hang out with people who speak broken english (or sound like they do becuz of their accent), i start speaking broken english too! i also use a lotta hand gestures! i'm such a dork. after my summer in taiwan, my chinese was waaaay better, but my english was also waaay worse. i hope that doesnt happen this time. i don't think it will because i hang out with so many expats. in taiwan, i didn't have a single person to speak real english with. we'll see though.

2004-02-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

wouldn't you figure that if you're sending out an email about a course for teaching english, that you should know english too? i just got an email today from one of these places, and the first sentence said, "This is an excellent opportunity to Lean and Earn at the same time..." i'm gonna assume that they meant leaRn. way to convince me to enroll in your course!

and again!!! i ran today!!! woohooo for me!!! i run slower than old ladies with canes walk, but at least i'm out there!

2004-02-23T01:34:00.000-08:00

i don't like it when people are secretively bossy. that's prolly not the right term, but basically, if you're gonna be a bossy bitch, just do it, instead of trying to hide it.

for example, if you have your heart set on a something, then just come out and say it. don't beat around the bush making it sound like you're mr(s). nice-guy and "letting" everyone else decide when really you've made it clear that you'd be pissed if they dont decide to agree with you. if you feel strongly about it, if you want it your way...just say so. just say what you mean instead of guilt tripping everyone into doing what you want. do you guys know what i'm talking about?

anyway. on a side note, i just went running. again! yay! it was so damn windy though. but that's twice! i'm on a streak! whoopdeedoo mr. president! (i started watching simpson's again).

2004-02-20T00:25:00.000-08:00

.00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

/ |
that is a message from roll. (it means get off the computer and play with me).

anyway. guess what i found in my gym bag today. spare keys from our old apartment. yup, it's been that long. but gimme some credit...i haven't been totally inactive for the past couple months. all it means is that i haven't needed my weight lifting gloves, my mp3 player, or my goggles. actually, i did use the goggles the other day, along with a SARS mask to clean out the kitty litter. yup, that bad. shoulda taken a picture :)

but i have been exercising here and there. no where near the old me that hit up the gym a minimum of 3 times a week for an hour and a half or more and ran at least 2 miles 3 times a week. was that really me??? whoa. i'm quite proud of the old me. too bad that's not the current me. i'm working on it though.

it's harder without a set schedule and without a car and without a gym membership at a gym that i like. there are two trails that i really like walking/running, but just to get to either of them is a 30 minute up hill trek. and nope, i cant take a cab or bus there because it's too narrow for cars, besides, that kinda defeats the purpose, right? plus the weather is always either too hot or too cold. i miss sd.

but i do get out here and there, plus i walk everywhere i go, which means more hills. i did notice today when i went running how deathly pale i am. my skin is much healthier though. they're right, the sun does cause your skin to age prematurely.

so that's my exercise pattern these days. next time, i'll tell you about my eating pattern :) i know you can't wait!

2004-02-12T20:01:00.000-08:00

one of the kitties pooped on my blanket this morning!!! GROSS!!!

i dunno what possessed him to do it, i just hope he doesnt do it again. i am also glad that i was there to see it and clean it right away instead of accidentally sitting on it and smearing it everywhere. and the blanket is also much easier to clean than the couch. gotta look at the bright side of things, right?

btw, we've got them in harnesses right now and plan on taking them for a walk tomorrow. too cute, huh?

2004-02-10T06:37:00.000-08:00

i kno, i just blogged, but i also just read jon's blog and was commenting but realized i had too much to say in the comment box...so i'm blogging my comment instead...

so he's talking about girls being different around guys and guys being different around girls. how girls say stereotypical things. man. see...i told i you i don't think enough (see my first comment on jon's blog). i just read it, and i lost my point already. dammit. lemme reread my comment and see if it jogs my memory...

okay, yup. hurry before i forget it again. so...i feel that i hold back or am more fake around girls than i am around guys. and to be honest, i don't think i truly understand what having a big group of girlfriends is all about. never really had it to be honest. how this happened, i dun really know. but i do know what a few great girlfriends is about. but even then...those girlfriends, they're in different circles, so it's not a big group. so maybe that's why i'm more comfortable around guys.

but okay, with a group of girls...what do they do? shop. surprisingly, i'm not that big of a shopper. sure i go through my phases, and i loooove grocery shopping (i know, weird), but you don't do that with a bunch of girlfriends. clothes shopping...i'm not really into. (if any of you have seen how i dress, you'll concur whole-heartedly). it's fun at times, like i said, i have phases. but they're generally short-lived.

what else? talking about boys. i've got mine (as you can see below), therefore i don't really find much to talk about in that area. its' sad, i've lost my radar. sokay though, hopefully i'll never need it again. i do enjoy listening though, but it's always more fun when you've got something to contribute too.

on the other hand, talking about girls with guys, i find to be sooo much fun. and it's not just catty, "omg, what the hell is she wearing" talk, it's also, "dayam, did see the rack on that chick?!?!?!". hahaha. i just remembered the funniest moment (i'm going on a tangent for a sec). i was eating after a night of drinking with some guys (yes, i was the only girl) and we were talking about a chick who was all over my friend all night and i said "what the hell is wrong with you??? you shoulda hit that shit!" and this other guy who doesnt know me quite as well almost shit his pants laughing. no one else was surprised or even really noticed that i had said anything.

anyway. next. gossiping. it's a myth that only girls gossip. boys gossip too...so that's not missing in my life either.

chillin', hangin' out, partying, stuffing your face (one of my favorites), acting silly...you can do all that in front of boys too. what am i missing? fill me in pleez because i dun wanna be missin' out. i've got the close girlfriends to confide in for those girl only issues and i guess really all i need is someone to do my hair =) any volunteers?

2004-02-10T06:10:00.000-08:00

six years. can you believe it? six wonderful years :)

i feel too young to have been in a relationship that has lasted that long. then again, i just had a birthday and am still in a bit of denial. anyway, happy anniversary to us :P

2004-02-04T19:24:00.000-08:00

the cats are sleeping in my lap and i have to pee.

2004-02-02T18:14:00.000-08:00

thanks everyone for the bday wishes :)

i had a good time. of course i would've had a better time if all you had been here to celebrate with me...maybe next year :) start savin' your money and vacation time guys!

and as far as time differences go...for future reference, i'm 16 hours ahead of the californians (15 during daylight savings). that means, add 4 hours and turn day to night and that's what time it is here. for example...if it's 2pm for you, add four is 6pm, turn day to night, it's 6am the next day for me :)

2004-01-31T02:08:00.000-08:00

if you could be any superhero, which would you be? i'm torn between superman and batman.

superman is the epitome of superheroes. when you think superhero, you think superman. he's pretty much the definition of a superhero. he's the one that all other superheroes look up to. faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive. and the kryptonite thing doesn't bother me much. it's not like it's used in abundance in our everyday lives like oxygen or something. what bothers me is his life by day. he's a dork!!! superheroes are supposed to be cool!!!

and that's what i like about batman so much. sure, he really has no super powers at all. but he's still a superhero. that's pretty darn impressive. he does it all on his own. sure he has gadgets and toys and cars that help him, but even that stuff, it's his money, his design. he worked out to get all buff to kick some bad guy ass. and he's a pimp by day!!! not a dorky reporter who cant get the girl. he gets all the girls he wants! he lives an awesome lifestyle even without being a superhero. that part is just a perk. but it still kinda bugs that he has no "super powers". that's why i'm torn.

i think i'm leaning towards batman.

2004-01-26T18:17:00.000-08:00

our little babies are getting the chop chop today =( i just dropped 'em off at the vet and gawrsh i feel so bad. poor little guys. i'm gonna spoil 'em when they get back home =)

otherwise, nothing new. chinese new year was nice. frickin' cold though!!! it's the 3rd coldest new year in history or something like that. it was maybe about 40degrees and people were wearing parkas and stuff! weirdos. but people out here do that. i'll be wearing jeans and a tank top and i'll walk by a lady who's wearing a scarf and a long overcoat. i guess if you buy all these cute winter clothes, you gotta wear 'em sometime, right?

2004-01-20T19:16:00.000-08:00

did you know that if you follow the real atkins diet, it makes your pee and breath smell? and it puts a metallic taste in your mouth, along with making you dizzy and all this other stuff. how pleasant! most of those symptoms are supposed to go away in time though. and the real atkins (versus some other low-carb diet) is really hard to follow and pretty darn gross to be honest. it really is all meat. and limited flavoring too because most sauces are also out the window. no bbq, teriyaki, no ketchup, no honeymustard! i could never do it.

and...the only difference between a typhoon and hurricane is where it comes from. if it's in the western hemisphere, it's a hurricane. if it's in the eastern hemisphere, it's a typhoon. interesting, huh?

2004-01-19T18:34:00.000-08:00

its' raining =/ i HATE rain. i hope it clears up by the chinese new year holiday. o yah...happy chinese new year by the way. :)

man, i cant imagine what it's gonna be like when the typhoons come. i'm NOT looking forward to it. i kinda just wanna see what it's like, and then have it stop right after i've had my experience.

2004-01-13T21:59:00.000-08:00

is it just me? am i retarded? before you answer "yes"...lemme tell you why i ask.

i dont like getting hit on. and no, it's not because i have someone, blah blah blah...i never liked getting hit on. occassional compliments, as long as they're sincere and not cheesy or sleezy, and dont go any further, those are okay. even kinda nice at times. but getting hit on...yuck. it's okay though, it barely ever happens to me, so i think i'll live. =P

how else are you supposed to meet and hook up with people then you ask. i have no clue. be friends first? that's always been my way and it worked for me :) i guess i'm just lucky. okay, not guess, i know that i'm lucky...in more ways than one.

i dunno, i just wanted to rant. no point. but then again, when do i have a point?

2004-01-12T23:45:00.000-08:00

so they're constantly running commercials for this machine that'll make you grow taller!!! i kno, i kno...you're thinking...what're you waiting for??? go get it!!! you definitely need it!!! i kno i do...but listen to the details of this machine...

bear with me by the way...i'm great at explaining things :)

so it's kinda like a bench where you do bench presses. one end has those little padded roller things that you see on some weight machines to put your legs or ankles underneath. the other end has a chin strap. and off to the side, there's this handle that you crank to "stretch" yourself taller. are you getting the picture? strap yourself in, stick your feet under the rollers, and start crankin' to make yourself grow!

this thing reminds me of those torture machines back in the day where they'd tie horses to each of your limbs and make them run while pulling you apart! goodness gracious. if anything, all you'd get is some serious neck and back problems. and wanna know what the fine print says??? you have to do it 15 minutes a day, everyday...AND drink a liter of milk everyday! a liter?!?!?! how the heck do you drink a whole liter of milk?!?!?! that's gross! i'm gonna pick up some kidney stones in the process. plus, imagine if you're lactose intolerant! hahaha. sorry, went to far.

anyway, my point is just that it's a retarded machine. i'm all for miracles that'll make me taller, but i think i'll pass on this one.

2004-01-07T02:31:00.000-08:00

lately, i've opened blogger.com many times and have just sat here...i have nothing to blog about. but i thought i'd try again and just blab away about pointless stuff.

o, i have pictures of bangkok if you're interested. leave a message or email me. it's pretty cool. we went to these floating markets where you boat around in canals, other people in boats boat by with fruits, souvenirs, and even fried rice and noodles and dumplings that they cook while in their little boats! and if you make a purchase but it takes a while to make what you ordered and you dont wanna stop and wait...they'll paddle alongside you until it's done. neat huh? and guess what else that makes it even better! everything so darned cheap. i didnt pay more than 50cents for anything i ate, including a bowl of noodles, a fatty bag of fried bananas. the dumplings were 3 for a quarter! goodness gracious, what a great place! too bad it's about a 2 hour car ride outside the city =/

the temples of bangkok were cool too, grand palace, giant buddha, blah blah blah. but it all just ends up looking the same after a while, just like the castles in europe. i kno, i kno...so uncultured. o well.

and thai massages are very interesting. definitely not as relaxing as traditional massages, but i liked it.

we also went to a restaurant called cabbages and condoms. its to promote awareness and safe sex and all that. you get condoms at the end instead of mints. stock up guys!

what else? o, the nightlife! no, we didnt see much of the nightlife. bangkok nightlife is about as freaky deaky as it gets, but my baby was sick. but i can tell you all about it if you'd like. not here though...i dont feel it's appropriate. it's not for the squeamish.

yup, and now i'm back in HK. job hunting again. that's a topic for another blog, another time.

hope everyone is having a great new year!

2004-01-04T18:30:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

bangkok was fun. definitely have to go back some other time when we're not sick. and hit up the beaches in thailand too.

i'm re-starting my job hunt today. (finally). wish me luck!!!

2003-12-27T18:06:00.000-08:00

i hope everyone had a great x'mas. and i hope you all have a wonderful new year :)

i just saw all of china in a day yesterday! we went to this theme park that has all the sites of china, shrunken down to miniature versions, so you can see all of it in a day! it was kinda cute, kinda stupid. you know how those places always are...

and we're going to bangkok today! yay!

bye!

2003-12-23T00:48:00.000-08:00

wow...tomorrow is x'mas eve. crazy. the day after is christmas...even crazier.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

2003-12-19T12:09:00.000-08:00

i really don't like the lady who lives downstairs...

she's complained about us being loud twice already. we just moved in lady!!! and the first time was our first nite here! ok, so we were moving around furniture...so yes, it was slightly loud...and it was also midnite, but on a friday nite! that's okay, right? and now...yes, it's 4am (also friday)...but i'm sitting at the computer chatting away...eddie's playing video games at a very normal volume...i guess it's the kitties running around. but they're just kittens. they're light. they dont make much noise. i dunno. basically, at our old apartment, we could bounce the basketball on the ground at 4am and nobody would say a thing. so it just kinda sucks now. o well. i put the kitties to bed...so hopefully she'll quit complaining for tonite.

2003-12-16T20:05:00.000-08:00

is it okay to get too comfortable?

as much as i like being comfortable, everytime i feel myself getting that way, i notice that i'm just existing. not doing anything, not going anywhere. and while that's okay for some people, even me at times, i quickly get restless, then stuck in a rut.

i think i go through a cycle. motivated -> hard-working -> tired -> lazy -> comfortable -> restless -> discouraged -> frustrated/depressed. or something like that. i havent really analyzed it completely.

but the point is...at what point am i gonna break out of this cycle? i keep telling myself that it'll end when i have kids. kids, family...that's my true passion. or so i think it is. we'll see when it happens.

i dunno. i dont have a real point in this blog. it's just rambling. i'm in one of those stages (and have been for a while) of needing to figure things out (career-wise). everytime i think i've got it...i realize i don't. and right now, i don't again.

2003-12-15T19:02:00.000-08:00

i dont like to go out anymore. am i getting old? possibly. i just realized (thanks to my honey for reminding me) that i'm gonna be 25 very soon! that sooo sucks!

i had this dream that i won something because i was 19, but i didn't know whether or not to tell them that even though when i started competing, i was 19, i was now 20. i woke up and told eddie the dream and he laughed and reminded me that i'm gonna be 25 soon. shiz. on top of that, i keep thinking i'm 23...never even got used to the idea of 24. how did 25 creep up so fast?!?! that's a quarter century...aye.

hmm...not in the mood to blog about my original thoughts about going out...maybe next time...

2003-12-11T01:35:00.000-08:00

the kitties fart a lot =/

2003-12-09T07:03:00.000-08:00

the kitties are taking over.

new observations. i think cats are the hardest pets to take care of as far as behavior goes. okay, kids are maybe harder, but at least you know that they understand you. whether or not they choose to listen to you is a different story. plus they're technically not pets - though my mom seems to think so since i didnt get the dog that i was promised due to the fact that i was gonna get a brother instead =/ ... (hi dave!)

anyway. so the reason i say cats are hard. i have two hyperactive kittens. i swear one of 'em has ADD. maybe i'll ask the vet if they have retilin for cats. he's such a spaz. but i try to tell them to stop batting at my hair (and in turn scratching me) or climbing up my shirt (also scratching me) or chewing on my necklace (which just tickles). i tell them firm no's. i yank 'em off me. i've even tried spraying them with water (which i have since learned to stop doing) i've checked all the websites and they all say "cats can't be disciplined". there's nothing else i can do. they look at me for about 3 seconds and turn right back to what they were doing before. and the thing is...i dunno if they'll ever listen or if they even understand what it is that they're doing that's wrong. dogs...they're smart. you can train 'em to do tricks. if they can learn what "sit" means, they can definitely learn what "no" means. other pets, hamsters, lizards, etc, they stay in a cage. even if they get out...they dont wreak havoc like kittens do. now, if you have a crocodile or something like that, that's a different story. but geezluiz, i'm a freakin' ladder for them to get to high places that they normally cant reach! i'm sticking collars with bells on 'em so that i dont get a heart attack from their pouncing habits.

2003-12-05T19:28:00.000-08:00

i was just looking some of jon's pictures and made two observations...

1.) i miss everyone ... A LOT! =(
2.) geezluiz i was freakin' fat!

i knew that i was freakin' fat...i had gained 15 pounds in 3 weeks (thank you 2 bags of hershey kisses, countless carne asada burritos and fries, and 2 tubs of vanilla ice cream). (i was having a tough couple of weeks, didn't know i could pack it on so efficiently) anyway...not that i'm all skinny now or anything...but i'm gettin' there. when i lost all my weight the first time, i promised myself i'd never let myself get outta shape again. but apparently i did. i wonder if i can keep it off this time. it's better to just stay skinny than to balloon up and have to work hard to deflate again. aye. i've got quite a project ahead of me...

o, and i need to bitch about HK girls while we're on the subject. i swear...some say it's in their genes, eddie says they have tapeworms. so these girls are literally twigs, yet they eat a grip! they eat breakfast, then they eat lunch, then they have afternoon tea (which is basically another lunch), and dinner, while snacking on crap ALL DAY LONG! i don't really think they go to the gym either. bitches. i hate 'em. somehow i got too americanized and gain weight by looking at food! but i'm not bitter at all :P

2003-12-03T19:25:00.000-08:00

new rule - i don't blog again until my most recent blog gets a comment :) yah, yah...i just need to feel loved...you know how it is...and since you guys didn't know about the rule before...i'll let it slide...just this once.

anyway. so kitties are doing great. they're still sick with the flu, but my friend who visited and crashed here last nite taught me how to give 'em their medicine more easily. i practiced a couple times and think i've got it down...so hopefully they'll get better soon.

can i just talk about how incredibly cute they are??? they play together, fighting, and biting, pouncing and romping around. putting each other in headlocks. tooooo cute! then they lay on each other and sleep. they even groom each other, helping to lick each other.

i never thought cats were very fun...but now i do. i strongly suggest, if anyone gets a cat...get two. it's not much more work/food, but they'll be able to play together AND they're just too cute when interacting together. especially siblings. so entertaining. i'll post a movie of them playing one of these days. haha, i'm like one of those parents who thinks everyone should think they're kid is the smartest, cutest, etc. and won't shut up, even when no one else is interested. just wait until i have real ones!!! geezluiz! dun worry, you'll be waiting a loooooong time.

2003-11-30T20:09:00.000-08:00

WE GOT KITTENS!!!

yes, kittenS! two of 'em. sooo cute. they're 3 months old and they're brothers but couldn't be more different...

their names are "pick" and "roll"...get it? at least the basketball fans (esp utah jazz fans)'ll get it. my idea. clever huh? eddie of course was ALL for it! pick is the orange one (apparently he looks more like a "pick"...i wouldnt know). and roll is the gray'ish one.

lemme tell you about 'em now...pick is a brat! sooo attention needy. he meows and meows and gets in your way until you pet him. he loves the keyboard, which makes anything computer related difficult. roll is just a scaredy cat. he hides in the corner all the time. he keeps meowing too, but when we come, he hides. when his brother comes, he stops meowing. problem is...pick likes to play with us, away from the corners...but i know it'll just take time.

wow, my first real pets!!! i'm excited and nervous. i'm not much of an animal person...i prefer people. but we'll see. i'm sure i'll fall in love with them. it's already happening :)

2003-11-24T20:14:00.000-08:00

i swear i blogged yesterday. what about? i can't remember. either way, it's not here...o well, not like my blogs are ever important anyway.

happy almost thanksgiving. we're still trying to figure out what to do for it. in case you didn't realize, there is no thanksgiving in HK. but there are also so many americans, or united statesens. how do you say it? i hate saying that i'm "from the states" by the way. the states? eeww...i don't think it'll ever sound right to me.

anyway. since there are a lotta people from the states out here, a lotta restaurants do a "traditional turkey dinner" and charge about $40 for it!!! and you need early ass reservations. my honey suggested KFC. HA. leave it to him to suggest something like that. i dunno. i think one of our friends is thinking about ordering a precooked dinner from a super market. we'll see.

thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. it's the purest, uncommercialized one out there. and no stressing over buying stupid presents just to buy something. no dealing with crowds or sending cards. no nothing. just good food, conversation, friends, and family. plus you get two days off no matter what, no questions asked. and i loooooove pumpkin pie. happy thanksgiving everyone!!!

2003-11-21T21:21:00.000-08:00

hmm...what should i blog about today? you know what i realized yesterday? there are a lotta engaged couples in my circle of friends/acquaintances out here in HK. geezluiz people...what's the rush?!?!?!

we were at karaoke with 3 chicks (myself included) and some guys. the other two chicks were both engaged! both had quit their jobs to do "fulltime wedding planning". how ridiculous is that? fulltime??? is that really necessary? one of 'em isn't even getting married until labor day 2004! granted, she's also having 4 different ceremonies in 4 different countries, so i guess that's a lotta planning to do. a bit excessive, don't you think? i do.

so the chick who's having the 4 weddings. she wants to make hers "memorable" since there are so many other weddings going on these days. i feel that the higher the expectations, the more likely you are to be disappointed (bad attitude, i know)...especially in regards to weddings though because you know SOMETHING is gonna go wrong. you shouldnt be concerned about the logistics of everything, you should concentrate on the meaning of the day. if you're not set on everything being perfect...it won't bug you so much when the flower girl runs outta flowers before she finishes walking down the aisle...but if you are, you'll be devastated...so why bother?

2003-11-18T19:34:00.000-08:00

everyone...get a microphone and get skype NOW and add me to your buddy list ... nancychang and call me!!! we can talk!!! for free!!! no long distance charges!!! and the quality is great!!! i luv this thing!!! it's the same people who made kazaa!!! they're awesome!!!

CALL MEEE!!!!!!

2003-11-17T21:08:00.000-08:00

i used to say that i don't get stressed. well, i lied. i was in denial. i've always known it, i'm just lucky enough to not get put into those situations often, so i don't really stress, but when i'm in that situation, boy am i a basketcase. i stress over every dum little thing. it's quite ridiculous, the amount i stress over nothing. i'm sure it's quite unhealthy.

so i just finished my interview/presentation that i was stressing out over. i freakin' pulled an all niter (almost). i slept 2 hours and about 5 the nite before. reminded me of school. o yah...thanks to everyone who listened to me bitch (since my honey's not here, i'm sure he thanks you too for saving him from my bitching) and especially thanks to those who helped me! i seriously probably wouldn't have even shown up for the interview today if it wasn't for you guys. but i dont' think these guys liked me as much as the two guys from the first interview :( sokay though. this time, i got to walk through the office a little...and it does NOT look like a fun place to work. plus, preparing for the interview reminded me why i wanted to switch careers. then looking at that office, i was really really reminded. so i won't be too disappointed when i don't get it. seriuosly, the only reason i want it is so that i don't have to look, becuz i absolutely hate the job search process.

i also think HK is not the time for me to switch careers. it's time for me to prepare for switching...if that makes any sense. i mean like take courses or volunteer or something like that...i'm just a little discouraged right now, that's all. o, and the guy said that there was no way i'm getting my asking salary, which i already thought was super low. hahaha. his exact words were "i dont think you understand the market out here". whatevers...i dun care. i knew i'd be making peanuts here before i got here. that's not why i came. the reason i came is currently in india... =(

o, one cool thing is that the mall that the office is connected to had fake falling snowflakes as part of their x'mas display! that's kinda cool, except for the white stuff that was stuck in my hair after walking through. good idea...but not so great in practice.

so..should i take a nap or unpack? exercise? i've been eating a lot lately due to stress. maybe shopping! ooo, cooking class tonite is teaching tiramisu. yay! can you tell, i'm a bit tired...haha. o well. bye bye!!!

2003-11-15T04:44:00.000-08:00

yay! i'm back online. and i'm moved in ... kinda. i'm still in boxes and prolly won't really unpack until later this week because i have an presentation/interview to prepare for. ugh. but now that the furniture is in, it's feeling quite cozy.

the new apartment doesn't get ANY decent tv channels tho :( i used to get one channel that had lotsa sitcoms on it (all a season behind), one other crappy english channel and occasionally a asian mtv type channel. now, i only get that one crappy english channel. doh. i guess maybe i'll be more productive this way...but i really wanna know what was gonna happen on the soap that i was watching! aah! hehehe.

hm...what else. my honey is going on another business trip. all alone again. sokay though. i have tons of work to do. and i have a date with this chick to go get massages :) wheee...i'm excited.

2003-11-12T21:02:00.000-08:00

i just got the keys to the new place! yay! it's smaller than i remember it, but it's HK, whaddya expect?

to answer the questions about the interview, they didn't ask a single question that i studied so hard for! but i just winged it the best i could and apparently did okay since i got second rounds next week! woohoo! they want me to do a presentation of some sort. so i'll be busy this weekend packing, unpacking, cleaning, and preparing this presentation. plus eddie's cousin is visiting and a friend of mine from the navy just docked here last nite. geezluiz. where was everyone last week when i was bored???

and i actually think that the best vacation is for people from michigan, and SD to come to HK!!! then we'll go play at a nice resort together!!!

2003-11-10T21:45:00.000-08:00

x'mas vacation. where should we go? suggestions and help please.

so these are the choices that have been discussed...singapore, thailand, australia, shanghai. whaddya think?

o, and i'm getting internet saturday morning!!!! finally!!! look for me on aim - hippoprinsess and gagalishus and on yahoo messenger - hipppogirl.

2003-11-05T00:13:00.000-08:00

i have a job interview on friday!!! yay for me.

kinda weird seeing as how it's been over a month since i've been looking. i guess they're just slow. i am soooo not ready to enter the interviewing world. working-i don't mind at all. interviewing-i dread it. prolly cause i'm no good at it. so, here i am at the library...i'm supposed to be studying for it since i'm super rusty at both interviewing and programming. i heard i get a written test. man, o' man.

on a side note, did you know that if you cook a poisonous mushroom (or sun-dry it), you can eat it? i learned that from a free italian cooking class that i went to last nite. met two jobless housewives in the process and so we're gonna hang out :) tonight is caviar, salmon and champagne night. how sweet is that? and it's free! plus he gets you drunk! i'm luvin' it.

2003-11-02T19:02:00.000-08:00

we're moving next week! whoop-dee-doo!

i also watched cricket games this weekend. something you can't really do in the US. it was pretty fun. the game itself is a bit boring, but the experience was fun. and i learned the basic rules to cricket while teaching the basic rules of baseball to my teacher =) it's a cultural exchange!

anyway. so tasks for this week i guess are to find movers who are cheap and good, and hopefully can speak either english or putonghua (mandarin)...o/w it'll be a little difficult to get the job done.

i found this cool running trail the other day that i'm excited about. i have no idea where it ends though because it was getting dark and i was getting scared since i had no idea how much longer it'd go on for, so i turned around. so today, i might leave earlier and try to finish it (walking of course). then i'll build up to running the thing.

the guy behind me's smoke is buggin'. i miss cali's no smoking indoors rule. i'm sure when i get used to this and go back, i'm gonna hate the no smoking indoors rule. aye...never satisfied. haha.

anyway. i'm babbling. and i wanna get away from this smoke...so bye!!!

2003-10-29T22:04:00.000-08:00

i'm glad to hear that everyone's safe from the fires. take care, be careful, and keep me up to date please.

not having internet still sucks. i probably would have known about the fires if i had internet. i found out from my mom when she called yesterday. they even thought of packing up my box that was labeled "pictures". sweet huh? thanks mom & dad & david.

so what am i doing with my life these days? i went to china and got a 2 hour massage for $10!!! plus a milk tea and a plate of fruit. that alone is worth the trip! except next time i need to be more vocal when they're pressing too hard because now i'm suffering from bruises all up and down my back. i'm going again next week, anyone wanna come??? i'm also going to cricket 6's this weekend (whatever that is ... basically a beer-laden sporting event).

o, and wanna hear something absolutely amazing? i was flipping through my phone the other day and i have more girl friends out here than guys!!! whoa! something completely new and strange to me. i'm just picking up chicks left and right! haha. i have been making a conscious effort to meet and befriend girls. it's a strange new world to me. granted i don't think i'm gonna be hooking any of you guys up anytime soon, but at least it's a start.

2003-10-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

not having internet sucks.

we found an apartment! yay! this time, the papers have been signed and no one can put in a higher offer than us, so HA! it's not off the escalator anymore...i'm gonna miss that escalator. but it is closer to everything, esp the main party area here. hehehe. the outside looks like shit but the inside is nice, clean, and new. bedrooms are a bit small, but i've learned to be a lot less picky here in HK becuz it's just impossible. after i get internet at home, maybe i'll post up some pictures of our current apartment and our new one too.