the unwinding of the brain
Listening to a random Korean rap/trance/pop song I found: Epik High 'One'
It's sooo catchy and the MV is so pretty. The colours are pretty. :P
------------------------------
So I have my first quiz in Mandarin tomorrow. I had to learn 13 characters including pinyin in two days. I'm not sure if I can do this every week. :S Surprisingly I'm having the most trouble with learning the pinyin. -_- I keep forgetting where to put the accents. I'm determined to learn traditional characters over simplified; call me a snob but I like the 'look' of the traditional characters over the simplified and for some reason they stick better in my head. Like the word 'to ask' traditionally written makes more sense to me than the simplified. Perhaps it's because I've seen the character 'door' all over hk, so it's easier for me to add the 'mouth' character in between. Also I think traditional characters are more useful in HK. Then again if I do go to China, I better learn those simplified ones.
I feel like I've returned a stronger person ever since my summer in HK. I now know that the worst that could happen to me in Mandarin class is that I'd say/get something wrong but at least people won't be jeering or try to push me down in hopes of elevating themself.
------------------------------
So my first visitor of the year came and went: Agnesssssss from HK!!
Man, it was friggin funny; when I'm with her, we see the best looking guys. LOL. She brings all the fobs around. :P We were waiting at the subway to go to church, I spot this guy sitting down with his back to us. I really liked his hair and then he turns around: he's this gorgeous Japanese guy. LOL Frick he seriously looked like one of those anime characters in a blue dress shirt and jeans and blue sneakers (I think they were Vans).
Anyway, that night we were at the Dessert Truck standing around the corner and eating. From behind I see this guy approaching the intersection we were at: he's the pretty type but not AS pretty as the guy in the subway that morning. Convo ensues in Canto:
A: There are quite a few good looking guys around here...
S: Are you talking about that guy behind me in the white t shirt and shorts. -_-
A: What?! You mean you saw him already??
S: Oh I knowwwwwwww
Not funny when it's a recollection: it's one of those moments you have to experience for it to be funny. :P
Anyway, took her on a serious whirlwind tour of NY: church, Met, Central Park, Fifth ave shops, Times Square (there was a huge 'Prayer in the Square' event going on... NY praying for the city), East Village... We baked chocolate cake for her friends and shopped for japanese snacks at the local grocery stores.
I took her to Basta Pasta for lunch on Monday prior to her departure: it's basically a japanese run italian restaurant with the best pasta in town. And our waiter was soooo cute: he had one of those really warm faces that was always smiling. Ah well, Agnes said she wanted to speak japanese to him so I dared her to. Lol. So she asked him where they bought the flowers on the table. :P
It was a good two days.
Her next visit to NY must entail: french restaurant, sushi, chelsea market, soho/nolita.
---------------------------------
Our teacher asked us to write down our fantasy of what would happen at the end of our year here at Parsons.
I realized I was blushing furiously as I wrote down what I wish would happen and I realized, why am I so ashamed of my own daydreaming?
So my fashion porfolio teacher wanted to see a sample of our work and the only work I had on my computer was this and a few other things I did in high school. She sent me a reply saying that she thought my illustrations were breathtaking.
It then occured to me that I painted this at the age of 17. That's friggin young. Wow, I'm so proud of myself. Seriously I never thought myself as an accomplished artist and yes this painting lacks in composition but I look at the skin tones done in watercolour of the grieving woman (middle left), and I was just in awe of my own skills.
--------------------------
I was having dinner and dessert the other day with my friend when she shared that this year she wanted to start dating around (and yes she was one of the relatively open ones who actually read Henry Cloud rather than giving me a flat out 'no'). Not only her but her roommate too is interested in dating around this year. I told her to go for it and that I'd cheer her on. However our church is known to take dating at the Joshua Harris level while all of us just want to have.. fun and learn if that makes any sense. No one has broken up and all couples end up marrying which places tremendous pressure on anyone in our community who wants to just 'date around'.
She told me that this year she would have to start initiating and asking guys out herself because they're too scared to make the first move. I told her to be careful because she wouldn't want a passive guy on her hands. I ended up, strangely, telling her ways of 'initiating' using conversation starters that dropped the ball in their court without exactly spoon feeding them. I'm no dating pro but I've been initiating with both friends, interests and acquaintaces so many times this past year, I've become quite the conversationalist.
I feel like I can be myself around people who I am less familiar with at times than with those who I spend a lot of time with. There are friends and family who come with a set of ideals, standards and morals I do not necessarily adhere to thus when it comes to touchy topics like dating, I would stay far away from them because they think I should be a certain way when I can't be.
---------------------------------------
I don't want to call it an identity crisis but there are times when I'm not sure where to place myself on the spectrum from Fob to CBC/ABC. I was reading this article for homework on North American Chinese kids cashing in on the asian cute culture to somehow gain back their ethnic identity by assuming the american perception on asian culture (can anyone say 'sanrio'?). I don't fall in either ABC/CBC or Fob entirely. Having lived in HK but my present being in the States has given me the perspective of a local in both places.
Ugh too tired to flesh this idea out. I just feel a little out of the loop: when my asian friends in toronto start becoming stareyed over the 'greatness' that is japan or hk and my hk local friends start listening to hip hop and JT.. you just realize that everyone wants to be what they aren't. It frustrates me, it annoys me because I'm exactly like that except I am what people wish they could be (fluent in english, in the know about american culture, going to design school, american citizen) yet simtultaneously just like everyone else... just like all my other ABC/CBC friends. And then they come to a greater realization after visiting the city/country they most revered the year before, that that country actually took inspiration exactly from where they live now. Japanese desserts are apparently the most delicious fluff you've ever tasted and seen. But they took their inspiration from french pastries. and the chinese are all in awe of japan. I don't understand it. We all covet what we don't have but then we all end up realizing we actually have what they want. So technically shouldn't you spend more time being yourself and of your own culture and upbringing? A ton of us live in Canada but all we listen, eat, sleep, think about is japanese stuff/culture.
I'm starting to sound delirious. I need my sleep and I need to review my mandarin asap. So goodnight.
I've realized, your heart was never here to begin with.
It's sooo catchy and the MV is so pretty. The colours are pretty. :P
------------------------------
So I have my first quiz in Mandarin tomorrow. I had to learn 13 characters including pinyin in two days. I'm not sure if I can do this every week. :S Surprisingly I'm having the most trouble with learning the pinyin. -_- I keep forgetting where to put the accents. I'm determined to learn traditional characters over simplified; call me a snob but I like the 'look' of the traditional characters over the simplified and for some reason they stick better in my head. Like the word 'to ask' traditionally written makes more sense to me than the simplified. Perhaps it's because I've seen the character 'door' all over hk, so it's easier for me to add the 'mouth' character in between. Also I think traditional characters are more useful in HK. Then again if I do go to China, I better learn those simplified ones.
I feel like I've returned a stronger person ever since my summer in HK. I now know that the worst that could happen to me in Mandarin class is that I'd say/get something wrong but at least people won't be jeering or try to push me down in hopes of elevating themself.
------------------------------
So my first visitor of the year came and went: Agnesssssss from HK!!
Man, it was friggin funny; when I'm with her, we see the best looking guys. LOL. She brings all the fobs around. :P We were waiting at the subway to go to church, I spot this guy sitting down with his back to us. I really liked his hair and then he turns around: he's this gorgeous Japanese guy. LOL Frick he seriously looked like one of those anime characters in a blue dress shirt and jeans and blue sneakers (I think they were Vans).
Anyway, that night we were at the Dessert Truck standing around the corner and eating. From behind I see this guy approaching the intersection we were at: he's the pretty type but not AS pretty as the guy in the subway that morning. Convo ensues in Canto:
A: There are quite a few good looking guys around here...
S: Are you talking about that guy behind me in the white t shirt and shorts. -_-
A: What?! You mean you saw him already??
S: Oh I knowwwwwwww
Not funny when it's a recollection: it's one of those moments you have to experience for it to be funny. :P
Anyway, took her on a serious whirlwind tour of NY: church, Met, Central Park, Fifth ave shops, Times Square (there was a huge 'Prayer in the Square' event going on... NY praying for the city), East Village... We baked chocolate cake for her friends and shopped for japanese snacks at the local grocery stores.
I took her to Basta Pasta for lunch on Monday prior to her departure: it's basically a japanese run italian restaurant with the best pasta in town. And our waiter was soooo cute: he had one of those really warm faces that was always smiling. Ah well, Agnes said she wanted to speak japanese to him so I dared her to. Lol. So she asked him where they bought the flowers on the table. :P
It was a good two days.
Her next visit to NY must entail: french restaurant, sushi, chelsea market, soho/nolita.
---------------------------------
Our teacher asked us to write down our fantasy of what would happen at the end of our year here at Parsons.
I realized I was blushing furiously as I wrote down what I wish would happen and I realized, why am I so ashamed of my own daydreaming?
So my fashion porfolio teacher wanted to see a sample of our work and the only work I had on my computer was this and a few other things I did in high school. She sent me a reply saying that she thought my illustrations were breathtaking.
It then occured to me that I painted this at the age of 17. That's friggin young. Wow, I'm so proud of myself. Seriously I never thought myself as an accomplished artist and yes this painting lacks in composition but I look at the skin tones done in watercolour of the grieving woman (middle left), and I was just in awe of my own skills.
--------------------------
I was having dinner and dessert the other day with my friend when she shared that this year she wanted to start dating around (and yes she was one of the relatively open ones who actually read Henry Cloud rather than giving me a flat out 'no'). Not only her but her roommate too is interested in dating around this year. I told her to go for it and that I'd cheer her on. However our church is known to take dating at the Joshua Harris level while all of us just want to have.. fun and learn if that makes any sense. No one has broken up and all couples end up marrying which places tremendous pressure on anyone in our community who wants to just 'date around'.
She told me that this year she would have to start initiating and asking guys out herself because they're too scared to make the first move. I told her to be careful because she wouldn't want a passive guy on her hands. I ended up, strangely, telling her ways of 'initiating' using conversation starters that dropped the ball in their court without exactly spoon feeding them. I'm no dating pro but I've been initiating with both friends, interests and acquaintaces so many times this past year, I've become quite the conversationalist.
I feel like I can be myself around people who I am less familiar with at times than with those who I spend a lot of time with. There are friends and family who come with a set of ideals, standards and morals I do not necessarily adhere to thus when it comes to touchy topics like dating, I would stay far away from them because they think I should be a certain way when I can't be.
---------------------------------------
I don't want to call it an identity crisis but there are times when I'm not sure where to place myself on the spectrum from Fob to CBC/ABC. I was reading this article for homework on North American Chinese kids cashing in on the asian cute culture to somehow gain back their ethnic identity by assuming the american perception on asian culture (can anyone say 'sanrio'?). I don't fall in either ABC/CBC or Fob entirely. Having lived in HK but my present being in the States has given me the perspective of a local in both places.
Ugh too tired to flesh this idea out. I just feel a little out of the loop: when my asian friends in toronto start becoming stareyed over the 'greatness' that is japan or hk and my hk local friends start listening to hip hop and JT.. you just realize that everyone wants to be what they aren't. It frustrates me, it annoys me because I'm exactly like that except I am what people wish they could be (fluent in english, in the know about american culture, going to design school, american citizen) yet simtultaneously just like everyone else... just like all my other ABC/CBC friends. And then they come to a greater realization after visiting the city/country they most revered the year before, that that country actually took inspiration exactly from where they live now. Japanese desserts are apparently the most delicious fluff you've ever tasted and seen. But they took their inspiration from french pastries. and the chinese are all in awe of japan. I don't understand it. We all covet what we don't have but then we all end up realizing we actually have what they want. So technically shouldn't you spend more time being yourself and of your own culture and upbringing? A ton of us live in Canada but all we listen, eat, sleep, think about is japanese stuff/culture.
I'm starting to sound delirious. I need my sleep and I need to review my mandarin asap. So goodnight.
I've realized, your heart was never here to begin with.
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