Tuesday, August 31st 2004 (10:48 AM)
Music - So Much For The Afterglow, by Everclear
My sister just called me and she said that she and mom have arrived downstairs. They've come to bring me stuff that I forgot to pack the first time. So I imagine at this moment they are parking the car and soon will be bringing me a floor lamp, my hamper bag, long cooking chopsticks, and my spicy oil.
After they drop off the stuff, we're going to kill a couple hours, then go back to Federal Plaza and try to get my certificate of citizenship once again. So here it will be, for all of you to read, Take Photo, Get ID, take 2. I know the suspense is too much.
More tonight, I promise
Same day (3:05 PM)
Oh, Mommy sure knows what is most precious to me. In addition to the items I requested, she brought me a cucumber and vinegar. Now I can make those all-too-yummy pickles xD.
After they dropped off the stuff, we all went out for lunch. We ended up eating pho at a Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown. Slurp. Then we ambled down to the Federal Building, went in, third floor, waited in line. Now this time I swear this isn't my fault. We failed, yet again, to file the application. This little picture below is a passage straight out of the form. (Highlighting is my own)
That clearly says that we can go file the papers at an appropriate office. When we get up to the counter, the officer says that it's been changed. You can no longer file the papers in person; you must mail them. And here's the really stupid part. We have to mail them back to the EXACT SAME BUILDING. Because having the forms arrive through the mail door in an envelope, complete with postage, makes it okay, but walking through the front door to hand them in is not okay, of course, duh. Freakin bureaucracy.
Stay tuned for Take Photo, Get ID part 3 : The Mailing.
--Tsunami says "Nevermind, Canada is coming here."
Wednesday, August 25th 2004 (3:38 AM)
Music - Inside of Love, by Nada Surf
Today today! (Yesterday, b/c now it's past 12) I pulled a stupid today! I went into the city to get a bunch of things taken care of for when I move back into my dorm. The stupid comes at the end. Please continue reading =].
I went to Chelsea Piers to set up my work schedule. I have a crazy schedule the week before classes start...11 hour days and such T.T The Mid-Atlantic Competition is going to take place, plus summer camp is finishing up, so there's a lot of irregular scheduling. To make matters even more complicated, the Republican National Convention has something going on at the Chelsea Piers complex, so I can't even get into work without a special ID. So of course after I got my work schedule I went to the Chelsea Piers command center to pick up my nifty spankin new ID
Result: Took photo. Got new ID.
After that I went to NYU ID Card center to get my NYUcard reissued. There was a big fuss over student ID numbers last year, because the ID number was your social security number. So this year they changed everybody's number to some random number, and therefore must reissue everyone's NYU card. You guys oughta see the picture I have on my card. I look like someone killed sister. I look freakin ANGRY. My mom says it's because when I don't smile I have a face that could kill people =X I hope she was joking.
Result: Took photo. Got new ID.
After I got my NYU ID, I went downtown to meet up with June and Mom for an appointment at Immigration Services. I had booked the appointment on Monday, and the appointment time said Tuesday. We went to some photo place to take my picture for my naturalization certificate, and off we went. So lalala, no problems, get into the building, up to the 3rd floor, to the door of the office. At this point they ask to see our printout with confirmation of our appointment. The security guard takes one look at our papers and says "Uh-uh-uh! This is the wrong day." Turns out I don't know how to read dates. The appointment was booked for NEXT Tuesday. I'm dumb.
Result: Took photo. Mission still incomplete due to incompetence.
A final note before I sleep (It's almost 5 AM). I made up with Iván. Things are okidokie now. =]
--Tsunami may visit, not flee to, Canada (VC)
Saturday, August 21st 2004 (1:51 PM)
Music - Good, by Dakona
It's Saturday morning but I haven't really slept for a few days now. There are so many things to worry about that keeping myself from worrying involves not sleeping until I'm so drugged with fatigue that I can't worry.
I'm moving into my dorm next weekend, and for the one week between moving in and classes starting I will be working every day. Once school starts though, there'll be a lot of pressure for me to do well this year. I did so poorly last year that even if I get straight A's for the next 3 years, my GPA can only come up to 3.4. Also, if I don't do well this semester, NYU will drop me from their roster. I guess it's really time to find my work ethic.
I thought that when I got back from China, Paul would have eased up a little. In a way, he has. In other ways he's completely unreformed. And just for public record, I don't know where your ring is, Paul. If I find it I'll mail it to you. Otherwise please leave me alone.
On an item of lesser worry-ness, I would like to say this. I know most everybody has their little secrets and tricks. And of course, an integral part to those tricks turning out well is maintaining their secret nature. Now whatever your purpose is, if you are going to lie to me, you had better kiss your ass up to heaven that I don't find out. If you are going to fool me, you're better off going all out. Any half-assed effort with lame excuses won't cut it. Still, if you're too fuckin incompetent to get it right and I find out anyway, your best route to safety would be to confess. Insisting upon the verity of your shit in face of the obvious truth would be a stupid thing to do, right? So you see, if person A say "no, never" but person B says "yes, a few times" it's pretty clear that someone isn't being truthful. All I know is that Jes is courageous enough to talk it out with me, but YOU, you react like a 9 year old and get mad at ME for discovering your little plot. Please grow up and have the balls to take the consequences.
And family problems that can't be discussed.
Apologies to the good people who read this blog about my complaining just now
It's raining outside. It looks awfully inviting. When I went outside this morning it was nice and warm without being too humid. I bet the rain is warm. I think I'll go outside after I'm done writing this. The last time I saw rain in warm weather, I was still in Beijing. It was during the 2nd week that I was there and it rained for 3 days straight. Superb weather, that is.
--Tsunami may flee to Canada
Tuesday, August 9th 2004 (6:44 PM)
Music - Motorcycle Driveby, by Third Eye Blind
So Gunbound is down for 4.5 hours and everybody that I talk to online is sleeping. June and I are crazy bored, so we decided to take one of those quizzey survey thingies. This one was stolen by the one and only, irrepressible Xingbutt! My response will be on the left column and June will be on the right. My comments are preceded by C and June's are preceded by J. Let's go! XD
| (C) | (J) | Have you ever... |
| (x) | ( ) | been drunk |
| (x) | ( ) |
kissed a member of the opposite sex C: Scandalous! XD |
| ( ) | ( ) |
kissed a member of the same sex C: Even more scandalous! XP |
| (x) | (x) |
had sexual fantasies J: As Xing said, if kissing counts... |
| ( ) | ( ) |
been to Japan J: I wish! |
| (x) | (x) |
ridden in a taxi J: Who hasn't? C: Though that freaky movie where a taxi driver kidnaps people freaks me out every time... |
| (x) | ( ) |
been in love C: Love, bah! J: O.o |
| (x) | ( ) | been dumped |
| (x) | (x) |
shoplifted C: When I lived in Canada (I was 6) I stole a lollipop from a convenience store. Mom saw me with the lollipop later and asked me where I got it. I was so scared that I confessed and I started crying. She made me take the lollipop back to the store and apologize to the clerk. J: When I was 7 I saw a pretty ring on the floor of Bradlee's and I took it with me. I didn't know it was store merchandise. I thought maybe someone had dropped it. Cherry made me put it back. =( |
| (x) | (x) |
got caught shoplifting J: see above C: ditto |
| ( ) | ( ) | been fired |
| (x) | ( ) | been in a fist fight |
| ( ) | ( ) | went joyriding |
| ( ) | ( ) | snuck out of my house |
| ( ) | ( ) | ever had a crush on someone of the same sex |
| ( ) | ( ) | ever dated someone of the same sex |
| (x) | (x) |
had feelings for someone who didnt have them back J: It's okay, cuz he turned out to be a jerk anyway >=D C: Of course, anybody who dun like me back is a jerk, right? RIGHT???? >.> |
| ( ) | ( ) | been arrested |
| ( ) | ( ) | made out with a stranger |
| ( ) | ( ) |
stole something from my job C: What am I gonna steal? Ratty ice skates? Ice? The Zamboni? Small children? |
| ( ) | ( ) | celebrated new years in times square |
| ( ) | ( ) | gone on a blind date |
| ( ) | ( ) | had a crush on a teacher |
| (x) | ( ) | tried drugs |
| ( ) | ( ) | celebrated mardi-gras in new orleans |
| (x) | ( ) |
been to Europe C: Only a week in Florence. Watch, one day June and I will go to Spain! XD Or more likely run away from home and go backpacking across Europe, teehee! J: Ke bu me! |
| (x) | ( ) | skipped school |
| ( ) | ( ) | slept with a co-worker |
| ( ) | ( ) | cut myself on purpose |
| ( ) | ( ) | married |
| ( ) | ( ) | gotten divorced |
| ( ) | ( ) | had children |
| ( ) | ( ) | seen someone die |
| ( ) | ( ) | been to Africa |
| (x) | ( ) | thought you loved someone |
| (x) | (x) |
slapped someone I loved J: sniff, bad mistake >_< |
| ( ) | ( ) | driven over 400 miles to attend a show/festival/fetish ball |
| (x) | (x) |
been to Canada J: We lived there, in fact |
| ( ) | ( ) |
been to Mexico J: Again, I wish |
| (x) | (x) |
been on a plane J: Too many planes in these past few months C: Speaking of planes, I have to say that I have found the best solution for the ear popping. As soon as I board the plane, I sit down and fall asleep. I don't wake up again until we land. Any discomfort is then conveniently avoided. |
| ( ) | ( ) | seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show |
| ( ) | ( ) | thrown up in a bar |
| ( ) | ( ) |
purposely set a part of myself on fire J: I'd hafta say no... C: What are you talking about? When we were little, it was an Ng family tradition. Every Saturday we would gather around the barbecue and pretend to be chicken wings roasting on the grill. Don't you remember? J: I'd hafta say no... |
| (x) | (x) | eaten Sushi |
| ( ) | ( ) |
been snowboarding J: I want to |
| ( ) | ( ) | been moshing at a concerts |
| ( ) | ( ) |
taken partially nude/nude photos of yourself C: *shudder* I'm so darn self-conscious about that, eeeeeeeeh |
| (x) | ( ) |
been in an abusive relationship C: Every relationship I've been in has been abusive. I try to break the vicious cycle of mental and physical abuse, but I just can't seem to stop beating my boyfriends! J: Mm... |
| (x) | (x) |
gone to college J: I think going to Renmin University to study Chinese this summer counts, right? =D C: Of course, just like walking around the campus of Harvard means I "went" there too. |
| (x) | (x) |
graduated college J + C: WO MEN BI YE LE!!! The day we "graduated" from Renmin University we were jumping around saying "Wo men bi ye le, bi ye le!" (Translation: We've graduated, graduated!) |
| ( ) | ( ) |
tried killing urself J: I think that's a very stupid thing to do C: It's especially stupid if you answered yes to this question but failed to complete your mission and are still here to answer this dumb survey. |
| ( ) | ( ) | thought about killing urself |
| (x) | (x) | taken painkillers |
| (x) | (x) |
love someone or miss someone right now J: Daddy, my Livingstoners and trackies, and all the friends we made in China =) C: I miss Maaaaaaana! And my one true love, cheese. |
| (x) | ( ) |
been caught "doing something" C: Rumors exist that I have been seen studying. I have no comment at this time. Other than that, people have walked in on me on the toilet and "caught" me doing my business. J: -___-;; |
--Tsunami and JuneyPruney, live from Hong Kong
Sunday, August 7th 2004 (9:16 AM)
Music - In This Diary, by The Ataris
I arrived in Hong Kong yesterday morning and wheeeeeeeee! It's nice to have some internet here XD. This summer has been a blast and I don't have the willpower to write about it all. So I will go through the photographs I have to find what's important.
In mid-June, my sister and I flew to Hong Kong. Right off the bat there was a flurry of dinners with long-forgotten relatives. That's not the fun part though. The fun part was going to all sorts of markets here and there. There was the Ladies Market, where they sell all sorts of fun junk, and not the usual tourist crap either. The clothes they sell were literally dirt cheap and even though I really don't like shopping, I ended up buying stuff anyway. I mean, who can resist? It's 2 freakin US dollars for clothes T.T You can't say no!
Oh! And another very important part of being in Hong Kong was getting to meet Pat =D. The scary part is that I almost didn't get a chance to meet him. We were going to meet at a water fountain that's supposed to be in front of the train station if you walk in a straight line. My cousin said it's still there, so I told Pat to meet me there. I get to the train stop and just my luck, the fountain doesn't freakin exist anymore! Oh well this is a wenti now, ain't it? How the hell do we meet at a place that just isn't there?
I figure Pat has to come out of the train station at some point, so I just wait for him at the station exit. I wait for about an hour and don't see anybody. At this point, I walk to a place that's 20 minutes away to find my mother and use her cell to call Pat. By the time I find my mother and call Pat, it's about 1.5 hours after our agreed meeting time. If I had called Pat 10 minutes later, we might never have met. He was just about to leave and go home when I called. So this time I gave him a meeting spot that really existed and everything went fine from there. Hooray!
So in the end Pat turned out to be a charming boy. It would have been horridly strange to have never met my own "brother," right? =D
That's Hong Kong, and then there's China. When the plane arrived in China, Renmin University of China (RUC) was supposed to have arranged someone to get us. But as things go, we ended up alone and confused at the airport with nobody to show us where to go. Ultimately Zhang Lao Shi came to the airport to pick up the other students (a whole troupe of Japanese kids) and we got found in the process.
Soon after arriving classes started. I quickly realized I was the stupidest student in the class and had to drop out of the class with the Japanese students to join lower level classes. Class was unremarkable.
The tours that we went on in our spare time was much more fun than class. We hit all the major tourist spots: Great Wall, Forbidden City, Ming Tombs,Terra Cotta Soldiers, Marco Polo Bridge, and more. It was interesting enough.
June got her hair permed in Beijing. It's pretty. I got my hair butchered in Beijing. It's the stuff of nightmares.
I surprised myself with how much Mandarin we learned. Even though every day in class we learned about 25 new terms, the things that were really important were learned outside of class. Below is a list of the 5 most important things I learned to say, along with an explanation of why it was so important.
- Zhe ge la bu la? Is this spicy?
The first time my sister and I ate at a restaurant, we tried to order something safe. Picking from the sparse collection of Chinese characters that we know, we deciphered and ordered Nu Ro Fen (beef noodle). It seems safe, doesn't it? We thought it would be noodles with some beef. I ordered something that had a picture next to it. The picture showed a bowl of noodles that was white with some vegetables on top. Relatively harmless? No. Both noodles turned out to be spicy as all hell. We learned this sentence very quickly.
- Dui bu qi. Wo ting bu dong. Sorry. I don't understand.
Maybe there's something about the way we look, but June and I get a disproportionate number of people asking us for directions. In addition to the fact that we have no idea what the person is asking for, we also have no idea where anything is. But despite this, we get asked anyway. The standard response is the above sentence. This will then provoke curious glances from people. Since we look Chinese, they will ask why we don't speak Chinese. A discussion about America ensues. Sometimes an exchange of email addresses will follow if the person is eager to learn English.
- Duo shao qian? How much money?
Self-explanatory.
- Tai gui le! Bu yao! Too expensive! I don't want it!
There are a billion things that can be bargained for in China, from clothes to antiques to tattoos. This little phrase, when paired with the "walking away" technique, can get vendors to yell "Lai lai lai lai!" (come come come come!) and offer you a better price. Handy dandy.
- Qing wen, ni zhi dao da xiang zai nar ma? Excuse me, do you know where the elephant is?
June and I went to the Beijing Zoo by ourselves since the tour didn't plan on going there. We walked around all day and saw pretty much all the animals, including the adorably squishy, wonderfully cuddly PANDAS. The only animal we hadn't seen were the elephants, and we heard that one of them had recently given birth. So even though we were both dead tired from walking around all day, we trekked through the whole darn zoo asking everybody where the elephants were. Turns out they were all the way in the back of the zoo. We didn't even get to see the baby elephant. It was disappointing, but hey, now I can ask anyone where the elephants are with great fluency.
When our 5 weeks in Beijing was over, June and I spent a week in Shanghai with Mom and Dad. We swam, got sunburned, learned to ride horses, visited Su Zhou, ate scorpions, bought embroidery, and watched a Chinese drama about a women's prison.
There are countless other happy memories, but I don't think they can be explained. It's all summed up by the happiness you feel when you think about the best summer you've ever had.
--Tsunami sends lots of love to Zhang Lao Shi, Ana, Javi, and Alex
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