coming home, part three

I am finally in Jakarta. And quite exhausted. The past two days were pretty empty days, mostly spent sitting around waiting for planes that kept getting delayed. I won't go into detail but I will just say it took an extra 24 hours to actually make it to Jakarta, with a couple spare hours spent in Singapore with my aunt and adorable little cousins.

Before I go on I guess I should recap the rest of the Hong Kong leg of my trip. Day 2 was spent in normal tourist behavior, I guess. We went on a tram that was chugging straight up to Victoria Peak at what seemed like a four o'clock angle. The view from the top was absolutely remarkable! I can't wait to post pictures but I doubt I'll be able to until I'm back in the US. Anyway we lingered for a little bit but the blistering heat discouraged us from staying any longer.

We spent the afternoon lingering in cafes, exploring the IFC mall, and getting better acquainted with the MTR system. Dinnertime found us at a small and delicious restaurant tucked into a corner of the city, close to the water and our next destination, the Avenue of Stars.

Something of the HK version of Hollywood Blvd, the avenue was set right on the water and gave us an amazing view of the lit-up city sandwiched between dark sky and reflective waters. As 8 o'clock rolled around, the Symphony of Lights began and the skyscrapers across from us lit up, syncing with the music that was being projected from behind us. It was extremely well-coordinated and pretty much blew me away...I love watching light shows and things like that. The last time I was in a similar state of awe was probably last summer at the Disneyland fireworks show. SIGH<3

Day three was uneventful and consisted of the usual traveling bore - arriving at the airport early, waiting in line to check in, waiting for planes, etc. The failure of the plane to launch after four hours on the tarmac brought us a free night at the airport hotel as well as free dinner and breakfast.

I observed the crowd of delayed passengers and saw that almost all of them were angry. It got me thinking about stress and anger and how it all really just gets passed on for no real reason, and it was kind of frustrating. Honestly in situations like these anger will get you nowhere. I felt really bad for the guy trying to deal with all the vicious Asians, he looked no more than 21 and there was a look of confusion and panic on his face. I guess all these negative feelings just end up becoming a vicious cycle and they influence our environment for the worse. Honestly, I didn't mind the wait at all. I was just thinking that these people needed to chill and realize that it was not a huge deal.

Plus I had my third book of the trip to keep me company. Usually I hate waiting but now I really don't mind... I just whip out Obama's Dreams From My Father and keep reading about our president. As I read about his childhood in Jakarta, his descriptions came to life in my head, because I've seen everything he described before. In fact, I was heading there. It made me feel a connection to the president, as trivial and unrelated as it may be. This book is really becoming an inspiration for me, cheesy as that may sound. Oh and later on I found out that Obama was my aunt's friend's classmate in Indonesia...CRAZYY!

The next morning at 11 we were FINALLY in the air, and four hours later we were in Singapore, ready for another period of waiting. This time, since we had seven hours, my aunt picked us up and we settled at her house to catch up, eat, and see my cousins. They are 8 and 6, totally adorable, and EXTREMELY high energy.

The flight to Jakarta was a short one and I completely conked out. My other aunt picked us up at the airport and I fell asleep on the way home, the conversation occurring in Indonesian between the grown-ups sounding like music to my ears.

Coming to Indonesia feels oddly like coming home. Even though I can count the number of times I've visited on one hand, coming back to visit was kind of a sigh of relief. I guess it just feels familiar and I've had nothing but positive experiences here, what with spending so much time with all my family and all the relaxation. I guess some of my fondest memories are from the times I've spent in Indonesia, like last time when I was 15.

All my relatives stayed at a villa nestled in the countryside for a weekend. It was the perfect getaway: expansive fields, a cool stream nearby, and a well furnished and comfortable villa to house us all once night fell. Despite the fact that the house was more than able to accommodate us, everyone decided to sleep outside. We pitched tents by the stream, all the kids in one tent whispering and laughing as the adults told us to quiet down. I don't recall ever feeling more happy. Everything else is just a string of memories: laughing at the puppy sliding down the hills on his belly, exploring the stream and losing our sandals, sitting outside eating bananas and watching my talkative little cousin march around the soccer field barefoot, bossing the adults around.

I guess Indonesia is the perfect vacation spot because I feel like a kid again. I'm not the one with responsibilities and a life schedule to plan, I'm just another cousin or niece or granddaughter. I hardly even know the language, too, so I'm not expected to converse fluently with the adults or company. It feels good being a kid again, being around my cousins reminds me of how simple and happy they are and I just feel a weight lifted off my shoulders when I'm playing with them. No judgments, no need to impress, no desire for approval. And it helps that my cousins are all a very talkative, high-energy, and sociable bunch. I wish I could be around more to watch them grow up, though. The last three years since I've seen them have brought considerable change, both in height and personality. I'm always a little apprehensive right before I see them -- what if they don't remember me, or what if they've gotten so different from how I remember them? My last memories of them are so fond that I don't want to replace them, unless of course with better ones.

And I'm pretty sure better memories are close on the horizon. This weekend we're all heading to a tea plantation complete with horses! I am excited. To say the least. (:

I watched two movies on the plane that I really enjoyed: Sunshine Cleaning and Big Fish. Both nearly had me to tears haha. GO WATCH if you haven't already! Time for lunch with my aunt and grandma.

catching up but not

I am blogging rather often lately which can only mean one thing: there are so many other things that I should be doing. Like, for instance, catching up on Humanities Core? Right now we are studying the Bolshevik revolution and the Weimar republic and Dadaism and Communists and art...and I'm still trying to figure out how it all pieces together. Mind you, I am not trying that hard, as I am two for two in choosing to catch up on Z's during lecture instead of trying to figure out what my professor is yammering on about.

I have to say, though. He is a really interesting guy, from what I've seen and heard thus far. Granted I've only been conscious for about a third of the time he's spoken, but what I got from him so far was that his lectures are interspersed with funny tidbits, he loves Project Runway, and he would probably be a great person to take a really long road trip with. He's just one of those people who are filled with random interesting-ness, like for instance today we talked about this:

Which I thought was really funny. I'd never seen it before, maybe you guys have because I'm stuck in my little non-politically involved shell, and I must say Irvine is really not the most politically active campus either, but yeah. I lol-ed and thought of Tina Fey, and seeing Russia from your house, and then thinking of Russia made me think of the Bolsheviks, and that just reminded me of how confused I am, so my lol-ing ended pretty quickly.

But then he also does things like make us stand up and sing communist songs. And standing up and singing "The Internationale" for four minutes is much too exhausting for me, so I conked out after that. I would be the worst commie ever, hoo-hah.

Anyway, I also have an assignment on Berlin Cabaret Culture due for my discussion in approximately one and a half hours. Surprise, surprise: I have not yet begun.

My Beatles class also deserves more attention than I am giving it. Yesterday we watched a clip of the Beatles performing at Shea stadium, and it was CRAZY! There were girls screaming and crying and fainting and running on the field and getting dragged off of it by grumpy looking cops. The sound of the Beatlemaniacs was so deafening that I doubt John, Paul, Ringo, and George could even hear themselves singing. (Hell yeah I am on a first name basis with them. And I must say, I have a rather giant crushes on Paul and Ringo.) It was cool though cause you could tell they were having an amazing time, John was going nuts and playing the keyboard with his elbows and George couldn't sing for laughing so hard. This class seriously never fails to put a smile on my face. And yet for all my love for this class, I still am seriously behind. Like 300 pages behind, to be exact. Plus like nine playlists of music. I'm a winner!
Madness. The 60's must have been such an amazing time for life! Jealous.

I've also been catching up on TV shows, like Grey's Anatomy for instance. I have that show to thank for getting me started on actually following television shows, so I do have a soft spot in my heart for it. At the same time, I do want to slap a hoe across the face and maybe cry and scream at the television. Izzy is SO frustrating and just...her storyline is not interesting at all, and things are going in circles and getting boring and just not intense anymore. It saddens me to see Grey's shriveling so, but PLEASE! It's hurting me.

This made me laugh though: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JImyMGNQSs&feature=related

Points of interest:
-Meredith's bangs are SPOT ON. #1 annoyance of the show prior to Izzy's storyline.
-I just grey'sed your anatomy! HAHAHA
-I'm right, right???

Okay, I should probably start being productive. Which is really hard when your next door neighbor is blasting Britney Spears. Don't get me wrong, I love listening to Brit-brit and I'm so glad her downward spiral spiralled upwards, but it's different listening to her and listening to her through a wall.

Oh I also had a dream that I broke my leg but walked around crutch-less. DEEPER MEANING, anyone??? What my little dream book says is that a broken leg forecasts a period of unhappiness...but I feel like my period of unhappiness is over. And in my dream, I was walking around all fine and not really lamenting my lack of crutches, just wondering why I didn't have any. But I was a trooper! So maybe I'll have unhappiness but be fine and march on regardless. OR MAYBE I'm analyzing too much and should focus my brain power on Berlin Cabaret Culture!

strange days at uc irvine

I am in a strange mood so I suppose I will spread the love by writing up a strange post for all you lovely strange people...if you are here, that is.

It is Saturday, obviously. I got to hang out with Crystal yesterday and it was so very refreshing to get to just sit down and be chill and strange again. It feels like home. It sucked to have to say bye to her after only like an hour though, but I did have a very nice walk back to Middle Earth. The sky was perfect and the moon and stars were beautiful as well. Later on in the night I got the opportunity to go out and see the stars again and the city lights in the distance and it made me feel good. Hoorah.

Yesterday I went to Roscoes in Long Beach with some hallmates. It was delicious! Also very fattening but it is okay. We thought we saw Common but it was not him, just a lookalike. Quite unfortunate. I ate a hunk of cornbread that was the size of my face as well as the big momma special. I really got a kick out of ordering that. Also, I forgot what I was going to say after that so I'm sitting here pretending that I know what I'm saying. Moving on. OH! There was a FAT protest going on while we were there, which was exciting! People were marching on the street with signs saying NO ON PROP 8 and it was heartwarming and yummy. I wanted to join but my homies wanted to go home.

I should currently be working on my Humanities Core project because it needs my utter devotion and time quite like a small child would. Henceforth I will refer to it as my baby. My baby has five parents, four of which I will deem incompetent and confused. Of course this group does not include myself because I am ever so informed and responsible. If you are not getting the sarcasm that is dripping off the previous sentence then you are a sad, sad person. Anyway, I feel like I am the only person in my group who understands what we are supposed to do. The rest of them are following a sad, delusional pathway into a dark forest with trees that grow fruits shaped like F's. I WANT TO GO TO THE FOREST WITH A's!!! So for now I am trekking alone and re-shaping our ideas, possibly later on today I will sound the call and they will run to me like eager young puppies.

I am a terrible person and that was a really strange paragraph! Please forgive.

I have been in Irvine for over a month and I still have not been to the beach (during the day) or to a sports game. Thankfully the latter will change as of tonight at 7PM! I'm going to the opening game of the men's basketball season and I am supremely excited to make an anteater sign and yell ZOT ZOT ZOT with full force! Unfortunately I have a little bit of a sore throat (I may be sick, but I am also in denial) so my ZOTS! might be a little less energetic than usual. I had Airborne today for the first time...and I ate a tablespoon of honey with my brunch, my RA does that every day and she has not been sick for three years! So I am adopting this practice in the hopes that I too will have superhuman immunity. I am also excited to get a free CIA (crazy insane anteaters, UCI version of Bull Spirit) t-shirt tonight, so my friends and I are going to the Bren Events Center about an hour and a half early. YAY!

What else. I went clubbing on Thursday night, which resulted in a very tired Friday morning. But it was SO WORTH IT. I danced with a very cute Robin Hood. And there was also this big Asian guy dressed up as a...IDK what he was, but he had on like a bulletproof vest or something. Bulletproof monk perhaps. Anyway he was ridiculously inappropriate and humped the floor and countless other things, which was mildly entertaining but also disgusting. Also there was some guy dressed up like a tree with leaves stuck all over him, like ALL OVER HIM. And he was dancing next to me and seriously I was getting like leaf-burn. It was annoying to say the least. My friends and I dressed up as the Mean Girls with boobie holes, like when Janice cuts circles in Regina's tank top? Yeah, we were desperate for a costume but we did get some props from the girls who understood our reference. We also received many confused stares and head scratches from some boys but who needs them anyway.

The word 'strange' reminds me of that one TV show, Strange Days at Blake Holsey (???) High. So that is what I am referring to in the title of this odd blog.

I reorganized my whole closet on Friday Night.

Oh and everyone has written about Obama winning already but I would just like to contribute my piece! YAY!!! At the time when it was announced I was definitely running into an air mattress that was propped up against the wall. I have learned that air mattresses provide unlimited amounts of fun. I'm bummed that I wasn't more involved in the counting process, but it is okay. I enjoyed myself and I did partake in some post-election debates and excitement so all is well!

I guess I'm peacin out...I have a midterm on Monday and my HumCore baby is screaming at the top of its nonexistent philosophical lungs so I must go be mothering. People are hookah-ing tonight so I am excited to be left alone for ONCE! Sorry, I'm not hating but I do not like people in general right now. I am in a strange place. Toodles!

hello november

So WOW, November totally sprang up on me. It's election day already, so for those of you who can vote I hope you exercise this power and know that poor little me is extremely jealous.

I feel like I had interesting things to say earlier. I was in my Humanities lecture this morning and as usual, my mind was straying. This morning I happened to be thinking about blogging and several note-worthy topics occurred to me. Unfortunately I cannot seem to remember them at the current moment so you are left with reading this recollection of worthwhile thoughts that are now lost forever...so yeah, you're reading nothing.

Yesterday I woke up at 5:45 AM to sign up for housing for 2009. My roomie and our friend woke up early too, and we all thought we'd be done within a couple minutes and back to snoozing till the sun was high in the sky. Too bad the rest of my hall had the same intentions and everyone was up, pretty much yelling their asses off and being super annoying. Seriously, if I wasn't that groggy I would've yelled at them, but yeah, I was too lazy. Anyway. It wasn't only my hall that had waken up early apparently. It was the freaking rest of the freshman class. So the site to sign up opened up at 6AM and the server crashed promptly at around oh, I'd say 6:01 AM. Thank you, UCI Housing. Please don't come again. I've only heard a couple stories about people actually getting through and submitting their app, and these stories have been passed around like legends for the past 24+ hours.

So yeah, we can accurately say that that messed up my sleep cycle quite a bit. I feel like there is no night and day, it is just sleep whenever you want to. Which is most of the time. I don't even sleep that much at night anymore cause I take naps during the day, so night sleep accounts for only like 50% of my total shut-eye. Plus I have classes to wake up for (BOOOOO) and sometimes loud phone calls to listen in on...just kidding, I really wasn't. I couldn't help it. The girl next door to me was having a very loud and seemingly very painful breakup with her boyfriend at 9AM this morning. And honestly, my heart goes out to you and I hope you feel better, but I'm sleepy. Please help me out. Whisper through your pain!

Aside from the non-sleep, I am also getting very good at non-study. Yesterday I spent around four or five hours in the study room and I accomplished one task on my endless to-do list. I did everything BUT study. Caught up on Gossip Girl (YAY!), changed the settings of my computer, planned outfits for the rest of the week, and had many interesting conversations with Cupertino folk whom I miss dearly. But yeah, my poor friends Mendel and Descartes were shamefully neglected. My bad.

Oh also it rained this morning apparently. Lucky for me I wasn't awake to experience this odd sensation cause as most of us know, I am not a huge fan of rain. I went outside and stepped in puddles in my flip flops and mourned the worms on the sidewalk and basically dreaded the next five months. Yeah it's Socal and winter here is not that bad but STILL. I really do not like wetness.

I'm hungry. Ramen time! And I'm super excited for tonighttt YAY OBAMA!