August 28, 2003 (12:36 AM)

Music - Waiting, by Finch

Things are falling into place and I'm so grateful to be away from Livingston (except you, pruney). I don't see Byron as much as I'd like to, but I see Irene and Jen often, which is fun. I do have this one bad habit though. I talk to people, get some conversation going about a common interest, and then at the end, I forget to exchange contact information -___- I met a girl today who went to see Man of La Mancha with my group. She was interested in Sanrio and anime, so I said I'd give her my phone number. I lost her and then I forgot ='( She seemed really nice too. If anybody reads this and lives in Rubin and knows a girl called Alanna (dunno how to spell it), please let me know!

My mother didn't believe that I'd actually cook, but I am proving her wrong! I have barely used up my meal plan and I'm cooking most of my meals. I even went down to Chinatown to buy the tea leaves that Mother said I'd never get around to doing. Yum, I love that tea.

Oh man, college textbooks are so expensive. I have more than $300 in books to buy. The stupid thing is that about 15 of them are all for my Conversations of the West class. Even stupider is that we don't actually read the whole book, but just a little passage of it. Why the heck do we hafta buy the whole darn book just to read a portion of it? Something as famous as The Aeneid would certainly be online. Couldn't they just send us a link and tell us to read these pages instead of paying $15 for the book that I'm only going to read a chapter of? Argh! Ah well, my suitemate Sonja has it worse...she has more than $500 worth of books to buy.

--Tsunami wishes you an apprehensive day

August 24, 2003 (12:04 PM)

Music - Illusion, by Creed

Don't be mopey, Juney-pruney! Lots of wub for my little pumpkin =)

I'm here at my dorm now. The people that I've met so far are nice, but not spectacular. My roommates haven't all arrived. Sonja is here and she seems like a good person. Calynn shares a room with Sonja. She doesn't say much, but you can tell her gears are turning. Laine is missing. She just never showed up at all. Maybe she'll arrive here tomorrow. I hope I'll click with her, because I haven't found anything amazing in Sonja or Calynn yet.

It's nice that I can walk around on the streets and never run into anybody that I know. I could bask in this namelessness forever. There are so many chances to be somebody else, and I want to use them all.

Despite all the vastness of the city, I did see somebody that I didn't expect to be there. While walking back from Bed Bath & Beyond with Pantea, Pantea said that she recognized Katie Canonico. I had forgotten all about her. She didn't seem to recognize me, so we just kept walking. What a strange coincidence.

--Tsunami misses certain persons dearly.

August 21, 2003 (11:58 PM)

Music - Lies, by Korn

Tomorrow is the last day of work! Then I have to look for a real job. I finally got my social security card. When I went to the social security office last time, the clerk demanded that I have a certificate of naturalization. So I found the certificate and went a second time. The stupidest frickin thing is that this new clerk didn't ask for my certificate at all. What the hell is that all about?

I'm moving into my dorm at NYU this Sunday. I've barely packed. The only things I've prepared to bring are bedsheets and kitchen supplies. I suppose I should bring clothes...eh, I'll save that for another day.

When you're caught up in the middle of something, you never realize just how silly it is. I stopped at Tina's house tonight to give out more candy and I saw people that I used to be friends with. They're going to the Poconos tomorrow as some big group activity before everybody goes their separate ways. The ironic part is that a whole bunch of them are all going to Rutgers anyway. Anyway, now that I don't talk to them anymore, hearing about their arguments makes me feel so stupid for ever having been involved. In the most predictable of fashions, they are fighting at the last minute over something that doesn't matter at all. In fact, most of them don't really know what they're fighting about at all.

Seeing all of them fighting makes me so happy when I think that I'll be completely free of it soon. I don't even understand why they're hanging onto all this silly sentiment about being "friends forever" and "keeping in touch." Everyone knows it's a lie and everybody will drift. It's ridiculous that there are people who don't want to go to the Poconos but feel pressured to, then other people who will be in a fight with somebody else who's going, and people pairing up while others go on by themselves, and people who will be there to laugh at it all, all mixed up together. It's so pathetic it makes me want to put them out of their own miserable existences.

I think their pettiness is why I ended up hanging out with my sophomore friends and staying away from the seniors. You see, people like David and Louis are almost always upbeat, or at the very least, never depressing. They aren't petty, mean, exclusive, snotty, etc. Too bad I will drift from them too.

But on the brighter side, there's Pantea to look forward to! I knew her back in middle school when we both lived in Nutley. It was another world back then. I've changed tons since middle school. Pantea says that I hated her when we were in Latin together. I don't remember hating her, but I'm not suprised. I was awfully angry with the world at that time. By lucky coincidence, I ran into Pantea again at Governor's School and now we're both going to NYU. I know this is stupid, but it feels like a second chance to fix something bad from the past. I like it.

Oh, and one more thing. What's this supposed to mean?
May you have the wisdom to understand people's feelings towards you, especially friends.

--Tsunami feels the past isn't far back enough yet.

August 16, 2003 (6:42 PM)

Music - Let Me Fall, from Cirque Du Soleil

Yesterday's Friday Five

1. How much time do you spend online each day?
   This summer, I've been spending less time than I usually do in front of my pretty puter...maybe 2 hours a day during weekdays and twice as much during weekends.

2. What is your browser homepage set to?
   www.atheists.org, because it's so much fun to read their news clips.

3. Do you use any instant messaging programs? If so, which one(s)?
   I use Trillian (mostly for the AIM, ICQ, and a little bit of IRC)

4. Where was your first webpage located?
   here It's gone now.

5. How long have you had your current website?
   I'm not sure. Maybe a year?

All the road signs in Canada are in French. My mother had a blast reading the road signs. "We haf to go tek fifteen nod den tek fifteen sud to go hom." The rest of the family is all O_o because we have no idea what she just said. Mm, yeah, that was fun.

Thank you to Misti, SO much thanks, for the candy recommendations. I brought back some of the tastiest tidbits for the cool people in my life ^_^ Here's my stash:

	It looks like chocolate that's been caught in the act of boiling. I have these bars of bubbly chocolate in milk, dark, and mint. Oh man, the mint is so good.
	These are amazing. They have crispy wavers, a light coffee taste and...oh, you just hafta try some. I think they come in regular, French Vanilla, Orange, and Triple Mocha.
	Smarties are like M&M's. I like them because unlike M&M's, (and this is petty) they come in a fuller range of colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purpley-pink, brown). I always hated how M&M's skipped violets tone.

--Tsunami thinks foreign candy is often the best part of a trip

August 10, 2003 (4:07 AM)

Music - Snow Planet, from one of the many Gundam soundtracks

I've never been in an accident ever. I am god of drivers. People think they are better, but they are deluding themselves.

--DJ

I went down to the Governor's School reunion with my friend Sara Rubin. As she was driving, I thought to myself that while Sara was a timid driver, she was conscientious and never ambiguous about her intentions. The author of the above quote, however, has a tendency to mean one thing and do another. For example, at an intersection where s/he intends to let another car go first, s/he will wave the other car forward with his/her hand, but keep inching forward like s/he is going to proceed. The driver of the other car then gets confused and doesn't really know what to do. And so you see, Sara is the type of driver who causes traffic jams, but the author of this quote is the type of driver who causes accidents. (Oh, and racecar drivers get into lots of accidents. They also don't hafta follow lane markings. They just go ZOOM!)

Kay, I'll admit that in reverse, I am an awful driver. I have no sense of how long my car is at all. Driving forward is much better for me ^_^ backwards is too difficult!

It's 4:10 AM right now and I must stay awake. We're leaving for Canada at 8, but daddy is stranded in Brooklyn. He went to work yesterday and didn't come home because he had a lot of work to do, so he stayed overnight. He can't drive himself home because he has to leave the company car at the office while he's away. He hasn't come home at all, which means he hasn't packed either. And so, in order to leave by 8, he hasta be home and packing by 7. To get home by 7, I pick him up at 6, and this means I leave home at 5. That is what I'm waiting for. I really think I'd much rather sleep.

Thanks to Jay and Louis who wrote a 13 page letter...and on short notice too! Oh and Dave, who was nice enough to bike over and deliver the letter. Then there's Paul, who left a paragraph out of the end of the letter and had to patch it on somehow. Thank you guys!

--Tsunami will soon be out of country

August 8, 2003 (10:48 PM)

Friday Five

1. What's the last place you traveled to, outside your own home state/country?
   The last time I left this state was this morning, because I live in New Jersey and I work in New York. The last time I left this country...that was last summer. After Governor's School, my family went on a cruise to Alaska and we passed through Canada on the way back.

2. What's the most bizarre/unusual thing that's ever happened to you while traveling?
   While on the cruise to Alaska, my sister and I were walking back to our room when this guy who's walking toward us from the opposite directions keeps looking at me. I start to get really paranoid. Just before I get into the room, he says, "Hey, are you (insert my real name here)?" I thought, "@#(&$@)# A stalker!" Eventually I found out that he knew somebody from my school who told him that I would be on the cruise. Really freaky coincidence that our rooms were in the same hall just a little ways apart. O_o

3. If you could go anywhere (money and time is no object), where would you go?
   I would go back to Hong Kong. I don't like the hot weather, but I love everything else about it. It's REALLY the city that never sleeps. You know how they say that about NYC, but if you go out late at night, it is pretty quiet. Not in Hong Kong. Every shop is open and you can eat anything, anywhere, anytime. It's great!

4. Do you prefer traveling by plane, train, or car?
   I like traveling by plane because I like to look down, but I hate it when my ears pop from the altitude change. I like traveling by train because speeding along the ground is fun. I don't like traveling by car because it's cramped up. So, I'd hafta say I like trains the best.

5. What's the next place on your list to visit?
   In two days, I'll be leaving for Quebec (see last entry)

I got into a stupid car accident. It's hard to describe the scene in words, but to put it blankly, I performed a difficult maneuver, then hit my sister's violin teacher's car doing a simple maneuver. The repairs to his car will end up being about $900 and who knows how much it will cost to repair our car. I feel so dumb because this wastes everything that I've earned this summer. Ah well, such is life (and my stupidity).

Write those LETTERS, people! Even if you live far away, you can email them to me and I'll print them out and not read them til the trip. I promise! ///.^

--Tsunami

August 3, 2003 (3:59 PM)

It's decided! I'm going on a road trip with my family from August 10th to August 15th. We're going to Quebec..by car! This is gonna be one heckuva long trip. It's 6.5 hours from home to Laval, Quebec. Well stay there for a while, then drive 2.75 hours to Quebec, Quebec. After that, the drive home will take 8.5 hours. EIGHT AND A HALF HOURS!!! That's more than the time I spend sleeping.

So why am I telling you all this? Well, in case people care to know that I'm away, this is how they'll find out. Second, I am putting out a request. Please, somebody, take mercy on me and please do something to help me pass the time. Really, anything would be welcome ///.^ Maybe a burned CD, or a letter for me to read in the car, or recordings of yourself speaking French XD to help us get along better in Quebec, or sour Altoids, or recommendations for radio stations in Quebec, or other such entertainment. I'd appreciate every little tidbit because I'm gonna spend more time in the car than I have waking hours in a day. Maybe you can even send snacks =D if that's what you're into.

I'm still not having any luck with the roommates. Maybe tomorrow.

--Tsunami wishes you a rainy day!

August 2, 2003

10 years ago, I...

1. had perfect attendance.
2. stopped talking to my best friend.
3. shared a room with my sister.
4. wanted a dog really badly.
5. was cute, according to my daddy.

5 years ago, I...

1. just moved to Livingston.
2. truly, literally, had no friends.
3. watched Xena and Hercules every day.
4. got my own room for the first time.
5. started using a computer.

2 years ago, I...

1. was very good friends with Dom.
2. hated algebra because of the teacher.
3. missed freshman year a lot.
4. was exposed to Wallace and Gromit, the pinnacle of British achievement.
5. started to let my grades slide.

6 months ago, I...

1. was really anxious about college.
2. lived for Mock Trial and Calc.
3. started to sever ties with almost everybody.
4. fell asleep a lot in class.
5. stopped going to Columbia Science Honors Program.

This year, I...

1. got my worst grade ever (D in French) but got an academic medallion anyway. =P
2. developed a torrid love affair with cranberry juice.
3. just waited for college.
4. learned to control myself a lot more.
5. filled up my hard drive, burned stuff, and filled it up again...multiple times.

Yesterday, I...

1. got a phone call from a strange man.
2. stayed late at the office to make color cards for Steve, Dad's boss.
3. missed the bus home from NY because of Steve.
4. made June worry by coming home late.
5. talked to Paul.

Today, I...

1. had a bagel for breakfast.
2. found out that both VCR's in the house are broken.
3. had to deal with June's friends swarming the house.
4. slept a lot.
5. didn't get any mail from NYU.

Tomorrow, I will...

1. maybe go to Chinatown again.
2. read more Don Quixote.
3. maybe help June with her costume.
4. eat and sleep, like everybody else...surprise surprise!
5. try to call my roommates again.

Name four bad habits/traits you have.

1. I am messy.
2. I procrastinate a lot.
3. I get mad easily.
4. I enjoy whacking people a little too much.

Name four scents you love.

1. I love the smell of DEATH and DESTRUCTION (this one's for Abilash).
2. I love the smell of a good morning sweat. (You hafta see Xena to get this one)
3. Seriously though, what's better than the smell of food cooking?
4. I like ripe mangos.

Name four things you'd never wear.

1. Capris. What a cop out. They're not pants but they're not shorts. People say they keep you cool but when they're thisclose to your leg, it doesn't do a very good job of letting cool air circulate.
2. Bikini. I'm too chubby and self-conscious for that.
3. Thong underwear. I can't imagine how it'd be comfortable.
4. Last year's guard uniform. I'd never wear that again...unless I was paid.

Name four bands/groups most people don't know you like.

1. Sunny Day Real Estate
2. Default
3. Gin Blossoms
4. Edison Chen

Name four drinks you regularly drink.

1. Cranberry juice
2. Orange juice
3. Water
4. Soy milk

Name four random facts about yourself.

1. I like to drive alone with the music turned up.
2. I am the spawn of the devil >=D
3. I enjoy going out of my way to make people miserable if I hate them.
4. I love my sister!

--Tsunami likes to do surveys because they are fun!

Friday August 1, 2003 (11:35 PM)

Music - Suck My Kiss, by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Friday Five

1. What time do you wake up on weekday mornings?
   Nowadays I wake up at 5:30 so I can leave for work by 6 to beat all the traffic. If I didn't hafta work, I wouldn't wake up on weekday mornings. I would wait until afternoon to even consider getting up. Next year in college, though, I can sleep late on weekdays! I don't have any classes that start before 11 am except for one unimportant class that starts at 9:30 on Thursdays. I also have no classes on Fridays! Oh man, it'll be great!

2. Do you sleep in on the weekends? How late?
   I sleep in until my mother decides to wake me up. This happens at random times. If she's bored, she'll wake me up at 7 to do stuff. If she is busy, I could sleep all day.

3. Aside from waking up, what is the first thing you do in the morning?
   Go to the bathroom, most of the time. It changes according to whatever I feel like doing first on that particular day.

4. How long does it take to get ready for your day?
   If I shower and eat breakfast, then the total time is 30 minutes. If I showered the night before and I take something with me for breakfast, I dunno, I'd guess about 5 minutes. Just change, find stuff that I need to take, and go.

5. When possible, what is your favorite place to go for breakfast?
   I really like to stay home for breakfast. Going out for breakfast is just a bad idea. I don't like to drag myself out of bed to go somewhere else...I'd prefer to eat in my own kitchen

Daddy is still sick. As a result, I've had to sleep early at night so I can drive him to work in the morning. I really miss staying up at night because that's when all the best things happen. Anyway, what I don't understand is why I have to drive him in the morning so he can sleep in the car. He says it's because he's "unable to drive" due to his illness, but for some unexplainable reason, he's perfectly okay driving home from work by himself. Odd, isn't it?

Another thing that I don't understand is exactly where my workload comes from. One day I'll have nothing to do because I finished everything, but the next day there's a deskful of fabric swatches to be cut and carded that all popped up from nowhere. How does this work? Is real work like this? I hope not, because I'd be awfully confused if one day I thought I finished everything and tomorrow there's a week's worth of work waiting for me. How did that much work accumulate itself into a heap in just one night? I really don't get it at all.

I got my roommate assignments for college! I'll be living in a 4-person suite with 2 bedrooms. There's Sonja from Minnesota, Calynn from California, and Laine from Colorado. I tried to call them during lunch break, but they were all away. One of them, Sonja, called me back that night, and she seems nice enough. I'm kinda scared of this other girl from California named Calynn. I haven't talked to her, but when I called her house, someone with an attitude problem picked up. I think it might have been a younger sibling. I think the person was offended that I pronounced Calynn's name wrong. I asked to speak to ka-LIN and the voice on the other end said, "Ugh, you mean KAY-lin?" It's hard to convey in writing, but there was something nasty and hostile in those words. Something maybe...evil O_o

--Tsunami thinks that canker sores SUCK