lainey the bay arean

keeping a blog is not easy

2009-10-28T21:18:00.001-07:00

i haven't blogged for so long. i give props to those who regularly blogs! i'm such a lazy person to upload pictures, or document what's happening in my life or even thoughts.

lots have happened in the past year, and i must say that i'm a lucky one.

there are still quite a few things that i want to accomplish. and that includes short term wants, and long term wants. let's see where He's going to take me to the next step to live my life fuller.

stay positive, and cherish what i have.

RIP, Jesse

2009-01-27T22:47:00.000-08:00

it was very shocking when i heard the news. even though we are not close friends, i always remember your smile, being nice and kind to everyone. RIP.

mad then became disappointed

2008-12-16T21:32:00.001-08:00

This morning I encountered an incident that initially mad then later became very disappointed in mankind. When the BART train got to South Hayward station, there was a girl that was trying to catch the train. She slipped on the floor landing on her back, but her arm was stuck at the train door because she was trying to get on. I was shocked for a second, but when I got focused again, I realized that no one went to help this girl. everyone just stared at her, and thinking that the door would just open on its own. I couldn't stand it anymore and got up to push the door open for her.

Granted that she couldn't get on the train, luckily she's okay. She stood up again, and was panting at the station. The train stalled for a like 10-15 seconds before moving again. And then some girl on the train made a comment, "it's because of these people, that's why it hold up the train schedule." And another girl tagged along with that comment, and said, "you're very right."

When I heard that, I was in fumes. In my head, I was like, "it's just because of someone like you that don't help out others, that's why we get hold up on the train!!" I was so mad because I looked around, no one got up, and all the men were all sitting down too! what the heck is wrong with this world??? I wonder what would have happened, if I didn't stand up and help her out. Would anyone else get up???

Later, this became a disappointment.

My Space

2008-12-07T16:43:00.000-08:00

This is not an entry to talk about a stalking incident on myspace dot com, but more of finding a space for myself. i've been talking about this many entries ago that it's been hard transitioning back home, and feeling that my room is really the safe haven than everywhere else. well, the answer has changed.

today, i felt good by sitting at a cafe, doing my reading, typing my email, and writing this entry. o my, how much do i miss studying, chatting at cha, at antigua with my favorite study buddies. i think i find myspace -- which is this wireless cafe near my neighborhood. this is not an easy find, and there are not too many of them to begin with. some places that offer wi fi tend to be crowded with teenagers, gossiping about their high school life, as well as doing illegal gambling....

now, i just wish that i can find someone that i can come with. cy would prefer playing his video games, and watching his sports on a sunday afternoon. here, i find peace, and a space that i can do my thing =). it's been a chillaxing weekend... hehe... before the storm comes this coming week.

lip balm

2008-12-02T22:20:00.000-08:00

for some reason, different brands and scents of lip balm trigger certain memories, they remind me of different stages of my life.

i remember...
lip ice - lemon flavor (kinda like smackers in the US) reminds of elementary school days
soft lips - my middle school days
chapstick - after i moved to the US
carmex - college days
burts bees - (honey) grad school; (pomegranate oil) grad school + now...

i know, this is super random!

hobby? or none.

2008-11-30T22:14:00.000-08:00

i don't think i know the answer of "What's your hobby?" anymore. I feel that I haven't been doing anything except, work, sleep, eat... all the rest is kinda senseless. i need another soul-searching phase.

GOTV

2008-11-03T11:30:00.000-08:00

"Life is 5% what happens, and 95% how you react!" -- Kanye West

So get out to vote, if you haven't done so already!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

design for living

2008-10-29T22:53:00.000-07:00

Design for Living is a comedy play written by British playwright in 1932. This play is translated into Chinese - 華麗上班族之生活與生存, and directed by Hong Kong writer/producer, Edward Lam, and will premiere in Beijing this December.

I really wish that I get to see this play because Sylvia Chang and Joseph Cheng are the main characters. Both Sylvia and Joe are from Taiwan. Sylvia is so talented. She started off as an actress at a young age, and later wrote and directed her own films in Hong Kong and Taiwan. She was also in an full Asian American cast comedy film couple years ago - American Fusion. She was also one of the receipients of Best Actress of the Golden Horse Award in Taiwan.

I recently watched many Taiwanese soap operas, and Joe is one of my favorite actors because he is good looking (hehe), funny, and he is also growing to be a more mature actor.

It would be great to watch this production that is a collaboration of talents from Hong Kong and Taiwan in mainland China. Don't miss out if you get the chance!

im in my bubble

2008-10-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

music has been absent in my life for awhile, and now it has come back! it's been such a long time that i'd listen to every song in an album and over and over again. i miss that! may be i can pick up singing in the shower again. i stopped doing that ever since i live in the dorms... haha.

i realize that i've been living in another bubble -- watching taiwanese drama. these soap operas are mostly comedy, and chick flicks, but they are totally stress relievers!

optimism

2008-09-29T23:20:00.001-07:00

"Today, I will open my eyes and see the world in a new light. I will view it as a child seeing a freshly opened flower for the first time." -- Anonymous

New beginnings~

living my teenage years again

2008-09-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

somehow i still have that rage that i had in my teenage years. something happened on sunday that made me feel that i had never grown up. i did not understand why i have this unintentional grumpiness in me for the past 2 weeks. and i also don't get why my skin's breaking out like crazy. i guess there's something to do with me living under THE ROOF again. i feel very frustrated, and would like to walk away from this negativity. continue soul searching...

on a lighter note, i think i really want to get my business started. recently, im getting more and more networking down. all these connections to caterers, graphic designers, and photographers are popping up! just need to get a business plan and an investor down. hehe =P

bay arean

2008-09-20T11:02:00.000-07:00

people often ask you, "where are you from?" -- i'm from the bay area. then it'd go more specific once they know the bay. "where exactly?" -- san francisco, san jose, oakland..... this would be people's typical answer.

i was having this conversation with the red dawg the other day, i think i could truly call myself a bay arean. i don't think there's such a term... i made it up! haha. but it's because each week, i travel all over the bay area so much, that i feel that it's okay to call myself that. i travel to fremont everyday from milpitas to the BART station, then from there, i'd go to work in Oakland. On the weekends, i often spend my time in san francisco, or staying in the south bay.

red dawg then joked around and said it sounds like bay alien, or barbarian... =.=

p.s. to my dear friends who are out of state, or overseas, im back to blogger just for you! =) miss you all lots! continue to blog and let me know your updates about your adventures! and i'll do so too, though mine's definitely less exciting. <3

AA/PI Heritage Month

2008-05-12T14:47:00.000-07:00

In the midst of all these comp exam stuff, it didn't hit me till like right now that it's Asian American/Pacific Islander Heritage Month. I've been involved in some sort of events and programming in the past few years for heritage month since i was in college. it feels weird that i have absolutely done nothing for it yet. so i guess after my oral presentation tomorrow, i'll go watch harold & kumar 2 to start my celebration and commemoration for heritage month. hehe....

one more hour to find out what happened to the written part, and one more day until im done.

peace.

can this be over already?

2008-05-05T15:02:00.000-07:00

so the time has come.... the 2-week killer comp time! I don't know if I'm feeling too lax about this whole thing. don't get me wrong, i have put in my time and some work into it. but for some reason i don't feel the time urgency. may be im not at the ultimate killer question yet that's why.
hope i will never feel that stress that time is running out. the fact that i can spend a few minutes writing this blog, you can tell what da heck i've been doing.... hehehe =P

but i think that it's cool that my cohort and i going through this struggle together because i definitely think that i missed out in the HKCEE exams. in some sense i'm glad that i didn't get to take it, cos i dunno if im going to pass many of the tests... but it's the process that folks went through together. now i feel that im part of the process, that just have come almost 10 years later. o gosh. it's been that long?

anyhow, i'm so glad that my friend let me stay at her study to do this killer exam. it definitely helps me focus better. having a more spacious room matters ...

and i also think that folks in my class have been leaving some funny status messages while we are going through this...

1. Comps can chomp our a$$e$
2. Can I graduate already?
3. Where do I start?

and the list goes on...

<3 ya'll , it's hella work to do, but we're gonna get through it. (that's what she said)

bay area love~

fast forward

2008-03-13T09:56:00.000-07:00

500 is technically done. only one class left.
getting ready for the crazy exams.
applying to jobs like a mad lady.
started packing my bags home, even though there are a couple more months left.

TIME FOR A BREAK...
on a great note, i'm going home tonight then to the big apple and the national capitol next week.
i wanna fast forward the next 5 hours, so that i can start driving!

mission accomplished!

2008-02-19T22:24:00.000-08:00

here it is... donated 10 inches!

. new year . new haircut . new routine .

what's next?

start my engine

2008-01-27T23:42:00.000-08:00

so far it has been a great 2008. although school has already started for two weeks, i somehow still have been on vacation mode. after the long weekend at tahoe with my banana slugs, now i need to finally jump start my engine, and drive through my last semester of grad school. im hoping that it'll be a nice cruising ride, but i also understand that there will be times that i'll be whining a tad bit. okie, time to set things straight!

Finally...

2007-12-14T17:05:00.001-08:00

- Beijing Summer 2007

Birthday Goal

2007-11-29T02:37:00.000-08:00

The last time i had my hair this long was probably 4th grade. i cut it real short when i turned 11, when i began swimming regularly. i kept my hair short (not longer than shoulder length) all the way till the end of college. Besides swimming, the other reason why i kept it short was because i always had a lot of hair, and it was easier for maintenance. my hair also tends to get poofee with lots of volume than growing longer. when i used to get my haircuts, the hair on the floor can be clumped into a giant hairball, as big as a soccer ball! therefore, i swear that the ionic straight perm is a genius invention to make my hair flat...

Anyways, now my hair is getting very long, and I'm planning to use it for a good deed. I'm going to donate my hair to Locks of Love, an organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. Since it needs to be a minimum of 10 inches long, I'm hoping to keep my hair long till my birthday in January, then get a haircut and donate my hair (I never dyed or bleached my hair before, so it's healthy hair). For once, my hair is not going to waste, but for a good cause.

If you're interested to donate your hair, or if you know of any children that are in need, please check out Locks of Love's website: http://locksoflove.org/index.html

a non traditional thanksgiving

2007-11-25T23:23:00.000-08:00

stayed in the LA LA Land second year in a row, another year of turkey-less thanksgiving...

recap:

shocking good news on thursday: nikki and zanza are having a baby boy, coming in march! congratulations!!

yummy food and awesome company on friday: prime rib, salmon, portuguese chicken, and battles of Wii

unexpected musical on saturday afternoon: WICKED (and lunch @ PINK'S)

spectacular seafood on saturday night: spicy cajun crabs and shrimps

happy thanks-taking!

2007-11-22T09:50:00.000-08:00

i think it's around this time of last year that i rant about this too... hitting the wall, feeling burnt out, or whatever you call it. im feeling bleh for the rest of the semester...

2 projects (presentation and paper), 2 finals, _at least_ 5 rewrites, 1 paper... and the craziest thing is im technically not done until 12.18. why are we being tortured for so long this year? I recalled that I was done on 12.07 last year and was merrily driving back home on that saturday.

okay, enough of this for now... happy thanks-taking!

deja vu & zombies

2007-11-13T23:04:00.000-08:00

it's so weird that i had 2 deja vu moments all in one night. one from a class discussion (from the brown and blue tee shirt that my classmate was wearing) and one from working on excel data with my friends. for some reason, i really think that i'd been there in my dreams! also because of the crazy excel data and paper that was due tonight for my other class, my friends and i stayed up pretty late to work on it, and we're like walking zombies today. it's been awhile that i pulled an almost all nighter for school work.

Always a Maryknoller

2007-11-05T15:28:00.000-08:00

i spent ten years of my life in this place, and it has given me many memories -- Maryknoll Convent School. i believe it's the most beautiful building and landmark in hong kong. i never knew that the hong kong government has designated MCS to be a third category historical landmark in 1992 until today. (i guess, since i've been learning more about historic preservation, i'm intrigued by this piece of news!)

this past weekend, the government held a 70th Anniversary Heritage Exhibition at my school. i saw my friends' pictures, and wish that i was there with them. and i regret that i didn't visit my alma mater when i was in hk this past summer...

please visit this blog, which has many pictures of this red brick building:
http://hkdigit.blogspot.com/2007/06/maryknoll-convent-school.html

-- "Once a Maryknoller, Always a Maryknoller."

<3

2007-11-04T23:44:00.000-08:00

the reason that i like to work with students because it is fascinating to see how much they grow and develop over the years. today, i once again witnessed the growth of one of them. she has also become a friend of mine. she is always the leader, and the critical thinker. i'm so proud of her and believe that she'll continue to make significant changes to the community.

as she always writes as her quote... "struggle. hope. dream"

color

2007-11-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

people always ask, "What's your favorite color?" i always have a hard time to answer that question. For awhile, i thought that you can tell what's your fav color when you open your wardrobe (the majority of my clothes were in black, blue, olive green, and brown, or turquoise. now you can tell why it's hard to answer that color question, there's not only ONE color...). But then when i moved to the LA LA land last year, i realized that most of my belongings are in purple. my water bottle, files and folders, towel and more. i think instead of asking what is your favorite color, the question should be what is your intimate color. because i use these things and carry these things almost every day, and they are intimate belongings. ooh, and now i have a pair of purple shoes ; )